A Fan of Geeking Out: 10 Labels I Love

Labels are tricky, aren't they? 

geek-vs-nerd-know-the-difference via officialshoebox.tumblr.com

While none of us want to be reduced to some cookie-cutter category, we do want to be defined by our passions. We call ourselves "fans," and revel in our collective geekiness. Because for better or worse, these labels are what help us form bonds with others and build communities. 

For my part, I'm thankful to have a quilt of fandoms to wrap around me. This patchwork of my passions, all my geek flags stitched together, are more than a security blanket or a way to be recognized by the likeminded. When viewed together, they could begin tell my story. 

While I might not qualify as a super-fan, or rise to the level of total geek status of any one of these, here's a list of Fandoms I'm thankful to be part of: 

• Star Wars: May the Force Be With You, Always est. 1977

• Yankees: Since the 1977 World Series. Admittedly I first rooted for them because my brother was a Dodgers fan, and it was the most annoying thing I could do as a little sister. 

• Cats: Unashamedly a Cat-person. Dogs are fine, I had a pet goat, I still want a pig, and I love owls, but I'm pretty sure in all my past lives I was a cat. 

• Sherlock Holmes (any and all versions): My daddy introduced me to Mr. Holmes at a very young age, and I fell in love. "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbably, must be the truth." Elementary, really. 

• Coffee - Sweet Nectar of the Gods which I serendipitously discovered in various forms sometime in the late 80s. 

• Douglas Adams - "I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." I will forever be in debt to my brother for the introduction to one of the most brilliant authors I've ever encountered.

•  Doctor Who - particularly being a fan of Adams,  I'm ashamed to admit how late in life I became a Whovian. I can recall conversations when I was younger about the series, but I never sought it out. Once I stumbled upon it, however, I was instantly hooked. For those who will wonder, Ten is MY Doctor, and Donna is my favorite. Others mourn Rose, I long for more of the DoctorDonna.

• Apple - From the first, I found Apple and all the subsequent iProducts to be intuitive, and lovely. iHeartApple. Not only that, I geeked out reading Douglas Adams was also a devout user, as well. If you took away my Apple products, I would be lost. Probably literally, depending on where you stripped me of my phone. 

• Disney and Pixar Animation: What can I say, my inner child is 4 and I like to make her happy.

• Clue: The board game, yes, but the movie is quite possibly my all-time favorite. To the point where I have a digital copy on my iPhone, because... I'm a geek.