When did you realize you were a geek?

[Toy Talk]

I work as a Network Administrator/Chief of Information Systems for a hospital. Last week I got a call from one of the nursing stations to go fix a computer issue, so upstairs I went. After fixing the problem and answering a few more questions one of the nurses looked at me and said, "When did you realize you wanted to be a geek?" Not an easy question to answer. After all, it's not like one day in High School I looked at the nerdy kids and said, "That is what I want to be when I grow up."

My self-realization happened in the early 90's. After being promoted and moved to the IT shop while serving in the Air Force I realized that from then on my life was going to be a geeky one. My comic and toy collection began to grow, which only served to emphasize my thought process.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I had it pointed out to me.... frequently.... starting from when I was 8 or so.

Don C.

[kingdom warrior]

When a cute girl with big bazingas said to me, "you know I think geeks are hot"....so let it be said so let it be done........ wear the Geek with pride.....

[MIB41]

Never... I am cool. I am the breeze... Seriously, I don't know. Geek can have alot of different connotations depending on who's saying it. For the most part, whoever has said it to me has meant it as a term of affection. And that's how I take it here. Honestly? I think collectors live in a more expressive manner than most have the courage to. I'm not remotely concerned with how someone may view my hobby. I don't seek approval. I seek enjoyment and pleasure. And this hobby has brought more joy AND good people my way than any other venture I have taken thus far. I consider myself amongst the privileged. And I never take it for granted. Geeks assemble!

[RickD]

when i was referred to as....... "ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE, IVE ALWAYS HEARD ABOUT, BUT NEVER SEEN"

[torgospizza]

I think probably around 12 or so. I was still buying comics when the other guys weren't. I quit for a long time and kind of lost interest, getting into music, but I guess the big Batmania of 89 kind of brought me back into comics and action figures. In a very real way, those crappy Toy Biz DC figures have a lot to do with me being a member here today.

[The Nawd]

Nearly 30 years ago when I was in 6th grade I had been punched in the back of my head just for watching Doctor Who.

Yeah, that was when I realized I was a geek. The blasted hard way!

The guy who did it was punished by both his parents and the school Principal.

[HardyGirl]

I've always been one and darn proud of it!!

[MegoMark71]

I was a closet nerd. I was an athlete playing hockey, football and baseball and in my down time it was Gi joe, transformers and star wars. I realized it around 9th grade when my childhood friend gave me all his joes and star wars stuff cause he was done with it. I was so dang happy. I remember hiding all my toys when i had friends over. Especially the female ones.

[kennermike]

When I joined the Forum 5 years ago!

[mikeoz]

I remember it being traumatic for me when I got glasses in kindergarten. I didn't know what a geek was then, but I was afraid of being different than the other kids and teased because of the glasses. I got over it and never thought much more about it (I looked like the classic geek in all of my elementary school pictures, though). Now that I've gotten into collecting, I think of myself as a bigger geek now than when I was younger.

[Adam West]

When I noticed you posted the thread asking the question.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I think I can pinpoint it to the moment in 6th grade when one of classmates brought in a pair of high-powered binoculars. Several of the boys were gathered around this kid, and I let it be known that I was impressed about how cool I thought they were. The kid, who was a jerk by the way said "I bet you've never seen ones that didn't have a Batman sticker on them." The rest of the boys chuckled.

I then realized my classmates had left super heroes behind, but I had not. For several years after that, I kept my geekery on the down low. My artistic talents allowed me to get away with it in high school, because people assumed I could make a living at it (they were wrong, but that's another story)...

Chris

[ScottA]

When I realized I had memorized most of the DC Heroes/Villians alter-egos.

[Saroyan]

Just now.