Monday, April 16, 2007

So I'm a geek. Bite me. (Please.)

I never thought I'd do a post like this, but here we go. Opinions change, people grow and I like to discover new things, so hey, I’m a big geek, there you have it. Surprised? No, me neither. (I’ve always been a geek, I just always hid it under nice clothes. So maybe I should say that I have now reached a new, different plane of geekiness, shall we?)

It all started when I went to the sci-fi/fantasy/comic/geek store in Oslo to buy this. I am a huge Buffy and Joss Whedon fan, and so, even though I generally tend to not like graphic novels or comic books, I decided to give it a whirl because I really, REALLY want to see what Joss had envisioned for Buffy after the season 7's destruction of the Hellmouth and Sunnydale. I keep hoping for a Buffy movie. Anyone? Anyone?

Looks like I might not find out, however, as the issue was sold out at the geek store and at Amazon as well. Not only is it sold out, but it looks like the issue, which is supposed to sell for $2.99, is being sold for $39.99, so I think I am hosed. I was out-geeked, and speedily at that. This is a little galling, as I really, REALLY don’t ever buy comics, so for me to deign to do it this once was something of a miracle. In fact, when I told Rich I wanted to go to the geek store, he was all "Huh? Why?".

First I told him I wanted to check out all the hot dudes trading D&D playing cards, but he didn’t fall for that. When I told him I wanted the Buffy comic, he teased me for being such a nerdy fan, but then his eyes lit up as he realized, hey, HE could go too. He loves the geek store. He's WAY geekier than me. (Let’s face it, it IS basically a giant toy store for grown up boys.) The geek store is one of the few reasons I can get him into Oslo. The other being the nachos at Hard Rock Café.

Anyhow, after trundling all the way into Oslo and getting shot down on my Buffy lust, I had a wander around the shop and realized……eek! I have actually been a sci-fi/fantasy geek for years, but no one clued me in! I figured, if you aren’t into Tolkien (which I am not) that you aren’t a fantasy fan and that is that. Turns out…WRONG!

They had many of my favorite authors, like all the Diana Gabaldon books.
They also had authors to fuel my vampire novel obsessions, such as everything by Laurell K. Hamilton (though I am now officially burnt out on her, got to be too confusing as to who Anita Blake was ardeuring with now…I mean, give the poor girl’s hoochy a break!). All the stuff by Anne Rice. Then they had some vampire authors that I have just sort of checked out, like Susan Squires. (Rich calls the book by her that I just read my ‘regency vampire porn’. He’s kind of right. My favorite line of dialogue from this book went, “Now rub your fine English cock. I wish its service yet this night”, and she was NOT talking about chicken. Oy. Vey.)

Then there are the authors that I love who have nothing to do with vampires. William Goldman. Christopher Moore. Philip Pullman. Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’sGood Omens”, which is the funniest book I’ve ever read. Douglas Adams.

While wandering through the now very exciting and overwhelming aisles in a state of geeked out bliss, I discovered a whole huge pile of books by Terry Pratchett, the Discworld series. I’ve never read them, but I know he’s fookin’ hilarious, and so I bought the first in that series and another one of his, aimed at older kids, called “The Wee Free Men” which has me giggling madly on every other page. It’s my exact sense of humor, and a bit like Harry Potter meets The Anti-Princess Bride.
What gets me is his imagery, I love imagining how some of his described things look. My imagination is very visual, so when I read I can see descriptions vividly and sometimes, in certain books, I get the giggles imagining (as in the case of Wee Free Men) a sheep moving very quickly and mysteriously backwards through a field of grass, bleating confusedly. (Turns out some of the Wee Free Men were stealing it. They are very tiny yet very, very strong. They each get under one leg and just walk off with the sheep.) I mean, c’mon! Tee-friggin’-hee!

Rich is getting annoyed with me because I keep giggling and reading passages from the book out loud to him. Maybe it does work better in the context of the story, but it’s just so cute!

After Wee Free Men I am starting the Discworld series. I think there are an awful lot of books there, but summer’s coming and I can sit out in the sun and geek out to my heart’s content. At the very least I will be a tanned geek. And with all the Nordic walking, a toned tanned geek. (This is the plan, at any rate.)

If anyone has that Buffy comic, Season 8, Issue #1, can you let me know what happens? Or anyone know where I can get one? And not for 40 bucks?

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