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 title: Keep Calm and Comic Con
 date: 2022-07-02 07:00:00
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I'm at Denver ~~Comic Con~~ Fan Expo [0] this weekend.

Actually... I'm sitting in my hotel room across the street right
now, writing this post (which, despite how lame it might sound,
sitting at a hotel desk at seven in the morning is turning out to
be one of my favorite times to write).

For the first time, I decided to attend this convention alone
instead of with a group of friends. I'm not _entirely_ sure why,
but getting away for a few days and experiencing something through
only _my_ eyes (instead of through the eyes of my companions) felt
_right_.

I guess there's just something centering about being alone with
your thoughts sometimes (even if that "alone" means you are
surrounded by a few thousand strangers).

## The Nerd Culture Postulate

I don't get into it much here, but I've always been fascinated by
nerd culture. There is something about how generally inclusive the
community is that I deeply admire, and thanks to outfits like Loot
Crate [1], Nerdist [2], and Geek and Sundry [3], being a "nerd" is
no longer a mark of shame bestowed by 1980s movie bullies, but a
badge of pride anyone can put on (for a nominal fee, of course).

Their normalization has created a space that is safe for people to
express themselves in ways that have historically been shunned and
even feared (Satanic Panic, anyone?) and I _love_ that.

But I don't want to talk about _that_ version of nerd culture; the
kind that is wrapped up in a shiny, "Big Bang Theory" shaped bundle
that the whole family can enjoy. I want to talk about that
deep-down version of nerd culture that narrows a fan base of
thousands down to hundreds, or even dozens.

## He-Man and the Master of None

I like learning about new things (hell of a segue, I know, but
stick with me here. I'm building to a point).

When I pick up a new interest, I have a habit of diving _deep_ into
it. Doesn't matter if it's collecting comic books or fishing; I
want to be as knowledgeable and proficient as possible while I
still have the motivation to do so. My wife calls it "collecting
hobbies," and if I'm being honest, that's a pretty accurate
description.

I'm a Grade A beginner. A Jack-of-all-Trades. A Renaissance Man.
Truly great at very little, but pretty okay at _a lot_.

## Um, Actually

There are a lot of "mes" at fan conventions. People who like a
thing (or many things) and attend to be steeped in the feeling that
thing gives them; to be surrounded by other people who _also_ like
that thing, and to feel a real sense of belonging (if only for a
day or two).

But, have you ever met someone whose knowledge and understanding of
something goes _deep_? Not deep for the sake of art, or even
commerce, but _just because they love it_?

_Those_ are the people I love to meet at events like this.

## Speak, Friend, and Enter

Give me an hour with someone who knows the origins and chemical
makeup of every known form of Kryptonite, or the name and
background of every Earth in the Marvel multiverse, or the entire
map of Zork (seriously, why couldn't they just follow a god damn
grid pattern?); give me an hour, and I am a happy man.

Enthusiasm is contagious, and when confronted with a truly devoted
fan of _anything_, I find myself always leaving with more than I
started with.

More knowledge.

More appreciation.

More interest.

And maybe, at the risk of being embarrassingly corny, more friends.

--

_This is post 014 of #100DaysToOffload [4]_

---
[0]: https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpodenver/
[1]: https://web.archive.org/web/20121028161358/https://lootcrate.com/
[2]: https://web.archive.org/web/20111102182404/http://www.nerdist.com/
[3]: https://web.archive.org/web/20120414145833/https://geekandsundry.com/
[4]: https://100daystooffload.com/
---


EOF