And so it's back! Mardi Gras, the time that chases away seasonal affective disorder by coming around each year right in between the holidays and spring. While the rest of the country is trudging through January and February in cold and gray skies, we're enjoying a several-week-long party. And with Mardi Gras comes my absolute favorite parade – one that I've been walking (stumbling) in for the past few years – The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus, which rolls this Saturday. It's the nerd parade!
One of the great things about writing on the Internet, or having a blog, is really laying it all out there, showing people exactly how much of a dork you are. Some writers tend to overshare, and perhaps I did when I first started, but I'll never shy away from admitting to being a huge nerd. I am in my thirties and I still geek out like a 13-year-old fangirl, and I hope to never grow out of it. People ask me from time to time how I look so young, like do I use a special night cream? And I'm just like, "nah, my secret is that I still get to sleep because I don't have babies, and also I'm pretty much just a big kid. I'm not a grown-up. It keeps me young."
And I daresay that most people in this country are nerds for something. When one thinks about what makes a nerd, you automatically think about things like comic books and Star Trek, but it's really just a description of a person that likes something a whole lot; that gets excited about something, that LOVES something. For instance, my husband is a nerd for football. He takes it to seriously nerdy heights. He rivals me in his ability to immerse himself into nerdom, an in his case, the world of the NFL. Sundays in the fall/winter are sacred, and you definitely don't want to plan anything for when there's a big game on TV. Even a wedding. He follows blogs and player's twitter accounts. He plays fantasy football, which is pretty much the nerdiest thing I've ever heard of since Dungeons and Dragons. I mean, it's called fantasy football. He also becomes seriously emotional over games. I've seen him at his happiest and at his saddest right after the clock runs out. If that's not being a nerd, I don't know what is. So yes, people who are THAT into football are also nerds, it's just jock's way to geek out without being labeled a nerd.
There's also the music nerd, the food nerd (much better description than the horrible 'foodie'), or hell, pretty much anything. But THIS Saturday, come out and see us in all our nerdy glory, as the subkrewes are always paying homage to our favorite traditional fandoms. Star Wars, Star Trek, Tolkien, Marvel, D.C., Bill & Ted, it's all going to be there, and it's going to be a hell of a lot of fun. We also have the best throws, many of which are homemade and always creative. And just like the past few years, I'll be the party elf again, so make sure to say hi. I'll throw you some shutter shades. See y'all there.
