damont

I got tagged by

visgoth, who will pay for it later.

List 5 reasons why you are a geek. And make them good reasons. Justify them. Explain them. Be loud and proud about how big of a geek you are! Then pick 5 other geeks you know and have them do the meme. (Note: only if they want to!)

1. Math/Science/Computers. When I started college I was a Physics major; I turned down a full-ride Chemistry scholarship after falling in love with Physics. The relationship didn't survive an unhappy sophomore year (unhappiness mostly unrelated to Physics) but I've kept my interest in physics *and* in more general math. I admire those folks who stuck it out in physics (e.g.

queennell -- congrats on the grad school funding)... If I ever go back to school it'll probably be to study math. I ended up switching majors to Computer Science, even though when I started college I never thought that I'd end up doing computers in such a big way. But I ended up majoring in Comp.Sci. with a 4.0 GPA in all my undergrad computer courses. I got my start on PR1ME superminis, and moved on to Suns in grad school. These days I'm mostly on x86-type boxen, running Linux when I can, and the occasional Lose98 when necessary. Along the way I've used perhaps as many as a dozen different architectures, and the house includes at least one example of each. (Except for the DG AViiON, which I still need to reclaim from Batman.) I got my Master's in theoretical Comp.Sci. -- I'm the type the computer weirdos think is weird. I'm fascinated by the underpinnings: operating systems, design of programming languages, etc. I guess it's kind of the same as being a theater techie, which I used to do in a big way (but not recently, which is why it didn't make my list).

2. Gaming. Not so much any more w/r/t roleplaying, but I was one of the key players in an RPG campaign ("211", First Edition) that lasted *nine* years... on a college campus (that's more than two whole generations of college students) and spawned at least two spin-offs. These days I do more with board and card games of the more unusual sort (e.g. Fluxx, Power Grid, RoboRally, Gloom, TransAmerica, Hollywood Shuffle, Puerto Rico, Counting Zzzzzs, etc.); that's what the Ludus Group is all about (thanks Craig and Carrie).

3. Heraldry. In the SCA Shire/Barony of Stierbach I was the group's herald for five and 2/3 years, including being the first Baronial Herald of the group (for all of 3 hours). Did a 2-year stint as kingdom submissions herald for Atlantia, was a regular commentor (with one short break) for the SCA College of Arms from 1993 to 2004, and coordinated the heraldic correspondence for seven different kingdoms via the SquidPak packet service from 2001 to 2004. (I spun off the SquidPak service last year, splitting it between two people, and between them they now cover *ELEVEN* SCA kingdoms.) In late 2003 I got picked to be Wreath King of Arms (one of the Laurel Sovereign's two main deputies); for various reasons that ended in January, and I haven't been all that active in heraldry this year, though I'll be picking it up again (to some extent, anyway) starting at Pennsic.

4. Music. I sing bass (pretty well), can be persuaded to sing tenor (not so well) if offered sufficient ethanol-based throat lubricant, play keyboards (pretty well), trombone (pretty well) and other brass instruments (less well), recorders (not badly) and flute (middling, way out of practice), and have had lessons in the other woodwinds, guitar, violin, and percussion. (But would not claim to play any of that last group unless you were desperate.) I've composed stuff, some of which is even performable in public. I've done arrangements and have conducted/directed.

5. Registration. Meaning, working and/or running the registration booth at SF conventions, and Troll at SCA events. This is often where you'll find me at cons and events if I'm not off doing heraldry or music or tech-stuff. I've run registration for 12 hours straight (CastleCon 4) when the actual head of registration got stuck and couldn't get there until Saturday morning. When I returned to FanTek cons after a prolonged absence, Cheryl saw me, said hello, and 5 minutes later I had a green badge. That in itself shows how much of a registration geek I am.

BONUS. My friends: In each of the areas I list above, I have friends who out-geek me.

Take it away (if you want to),

alphaggek (you knew I had to pick you!)

fosveny (ditto)

blackpaladin (likewise)

sue_n_julia (either or both of you)
and

blaisedec (naturally)