Tomorrow I run off to a wedding for one of my close friends. It’s not the first that I’ve been to in the past few years or so, but if you’ve been reading for some time, you probably have a smal idea of waht kind of friends I have.
Geeks getting married is great. The soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. are both gaming junkies, sci-fi fans, and surprisingly socially adept. They both are quite computer literate – perhaps even better than the average bear – and they are, delightfully, interestedin as many gadgets and toys as the next techie.
Geeks are easy to shop for for weddings. I mean, all you have to do is either A)Give them something shiny and neat or B)Give them gift certificates to the nearest electronics store and they are as happy as clams. Sure, they might prioritize the placement of all their technology over getting household appliances, but hey, when was the last time a married couple used all of the appliances they got anyway?
A geeks’ wedding is almost always fun, too. The truly geek-worthy decide to make a memory of their special day (and perhaps make their parents put their heads in their hands) by coming in to Star Trek themes, being escorted by stormtroopers, or exchanging their vows while dressed up as their favorite superheroes. But even without such theatrics, geeks invite other geeks to a wedding, resulting in a veritable orgy of tech talk, cool “check-out-what-I-got” goodness, and best of all, anything and everything in real-time, digital format for the convenience of the happy couple. Flickr, Facebook, MySpace, and other such sites ensure that those unfortunate folks who don’t get to the wedding will see one half of the happy couple dance with two left feet to a song that doesn’t start with “A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away…”
Most of all, geeks marrying geeks provides that one beacon of hope to all you single geek folks out there. It shows people that yes, even if you’re the biggest nerd shut-in with the social skills of a weasel on crack, that you might still have a miniscule chance of finding that special someone who will share your “Klingon nights” with excitement rather than fear and thinly veiled disgust. Heck, you might even be able to have an awkward moment at the wedding with someone equally uncomfortable to be dressed up in something that doesn’t involve armor, sword and a shield, or a wizard’s hat.
Ain’t geek love grand?