Happy Geek Pride Day! [PHOTOS]

It's National Geek Pride Day and I salute you!

Geek Pride Day was established in 2006 in Spain, made its American debut in 2008, and has since spread around the world.

The term ‘Geek’ used to be an insult, but has recently become the antithesis of that. A proud, geeky sub-culture has been spawned and I’m happy to be a part of it. After all, what is being a geek other than having knowledge and passion about something?

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a severe geek-side, what makes me proud to be a geek?

My Comics -

Yes, I’m a comic book geek. I have been since I was a wee little one. I have boxes and boxes of them (Mostly of the Marvel persuasion) and still get giddy over pulling some out for a reading session. And I’m always up for a “Who would win in a fight between _____ & _____?" discussion.

Chess -

I love the plotting, planning, and strategy of a good chess match. And yes those are chess trophies in the photo. I used to compete in chess in grade school and was actually the #1 K-3rd grade player in Colorado in the late 80’s. *Insert fanfare here* As I got older , I think the highest ranking I ever ‘officially’ had with the U.S. Chess Federation was 1598 (A chess ‘Master’ must reach a ranking of 2200 ). I’ll take on anyone, anytime.

Video Games -

Yeah, I’m an X-box junkie. I spend plenty of hours on X-Box Live and host occasional ‘frag nights’ in my basement (think multiple TV’s, multiple X-boxes and a whole lot of nerdiness). But I’m an old school gamer too. I still have an NES, Super NES, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Nintendo 64, and PS2 hooked up and ready to rock on my big screen. Right next to my X-box 360 and my Kinect.

My Penchant for Nostalgic Toys -

Okay, I don’t sit around and play with my toys as the photo suggests, but I have quite a little collection of toys and figurines from my youth. Transformers being my most prized nostalgic obsession. (Just don't get me started on the 'new' Transformers. Beast Wars sucked. Armada sucked. I like the Michael Bay movies, but they still ruined so many things about my beloved universe.)

FYI, I still get goosebumps when I hear “The Touch” from Stan Bush.

My Movies -

I’m a movie junkie. I worked at Showtime Video in Longmont in my high school days, and at the Blockbuster on Drake & Shields in Fort Collins while in college. I have seen about every B-movie comedy known to man. I truly miss the video store trips that kids today will never get to make. They were almost magical.

Lord of The Rings, Matrix, Star Wars, Cannibal The Musical, Toxic Avenger, Howard the Duck, Goonies, Back To The Future, Tank Girl, Big Lebowski, yes….let’s go watch them all again, right now.

My Computer -

Video editing, music, gaming, browsing the internet…it is a lot easier when you have a custom built gaming system with a hex-core i7 pentium machine with 4GB of ram.

Plus, the blue cathode lights look cool.

My first thought when I plugged it in for the first time, “Whoa, my computer can stop time!”

My Books -

Sci-fi and suspence novels are my not-so-dirty secret. Some of my all-time favorite writers; Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker’s Guide), Jim Butcher (Dresden Files, Codex Alera), Orson Scott Card (Ender series), Christopher Moore (You Suck, Lamb), Isaac Asimov, Michael Crichton, Kathy Reichs, and Dan Brown.

My Scooter-

Yes, most 2-wheeled vehicles fall under the stereotypical "cool" category.But if you talk to a lot of hardcore motorcycle guys, scooters are for geeks and nerds. Suffice it to say I've been riding them since 2001. I had an 80cc Honda Elite that I rolled around Fort Collins on for years, and I even trucked it out to Vegas for a scooter rally. I have since upgraded to a 400cc Yamaha Majesty scooter that is actually a scooter made for highway speeds. Sweet.

See? I am a geek, through-and-through. And today is a day to be proud of your inner-geek! Embrace it, celebrate it, love it.

According to all knowing Wikipedia, Geek Pride Day chose the date of May 25th to commemorate the release of the first Star Wars film on May 25th, 1977. But two more ‘fandom holidays’, also claim May 25th as their own: Towel Day (For fans of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and the Glorious 25th Of May (for fans Discworld).

Here are 5 reason to be proud on Geek Pride day from Wired.com:

1. We are Passionate:
Geeks are a diverse bunch with one common quality, passion. We feel passionate about things the average person just doesn't get. Even though I like comic books I am not a comic book geek, but show me a circuit or the inside of a machine and my heart beats as fast as any comic book geek’s on a Wednesday.
2. We’re Smart:
Geeks know things. Lots of things. Not just the things that you take tests on but things like the combination to Kirk’s Safe, the name of Chewbacca’s home planet and many other amazing factoids gathered through our geeky explorations. Just don’t hit us with sports trivia. We might not do so well there.
3. We Make Stuff:
Thomas Edison, Steve Wozniak, Linus Torvalds and these are just a few of the geeks who make the high tech world we have today possible. Computers, Video Games, and space travel, geeks have left their mark on the world and in outer space with their tireless pursuit to solve problems.
4. We have a Rich Culture:
We have our own fashion, Geek Chic. Our own music, NerdCore. Multiple cons and gatherings for every interest. The myth of the anti-social geek is just that, a myth. We get together and socialize all over the world to celebrate our geekiness.
5. We Have A Long History
Pythagoras, Isaac Newton, and Benjamin Franklin were all geeks. We have been around since the dawn of time. Geeking out over wheels, circles, science, architecture … you name it. We are part of the history of the world and we are making the future possible.

And just to add to the geekiness, my wife pointed out that I had at least one shirt to match every one of these categories. Très geek!

Are you a geek?