Reflections On A Life In Geekdom

This isn't a gaming post.  Well, there's gaming in it, but there's a lot more.

Today is my 49th birthday.  For most of those two score and nine, I've been neck-deep in geeky pursuits.  What follows is not meant as a brag or name dropping or anything like that, but an appreciation on my part for a number of things I've been very lucky to do.

Witnessed the Apollo 11 landing on TV
Attended my first Star Trek convention at age 12
Saw Star Wars for the first time on by 14th birthday (35 years ago today)
Had a vendor's pass at the first comics convention I attended, which let me in to all the cool after-hours stuff, so I got to meet a ton of my heroes.  The rest of the time, I hung out with Jack Herman (the co-creator of Villains & Vigilantes), who I met at the con and hit it off with.  Good times.
Commissioned a Nightcrawler as a swashbuckler sketch from Dave Cockrum.  It's framed and sitting over my desk.
Went to Origins the next year and got to play Champions with George MacDonald.
Went to San Diego Con in 1985 and met Alan Moore, Jack Kirby, Jerry Siegel, and Julie Schwartz all in the same afternoon.
Inked and lettered two comics penciled by Ben Dunn.
Silenced Gary Groth during a panel at another convention.
Got to hold the original pages of Murphy Anderson's last finished work in my hands.
Met and married someone who puts up with all this.
GMed Champions for Aaron Allston
Made a member of the Order of the White Scarf of Ansteorra in the SCA (it's a fencing thing)
Got paid for writing articles about gaming

Played Champions with Steve Long
Had an adventure published and characters I created appeared in another sourcebook.
Got turned into an NPC for Far West.
Accumulated thousands of books, comics, and RPGs over the past 35+ years.

I'm missing things because memories fade, but the point is, being a geek has afforded me some truly wonderful experiences.  Apart from the stories I've experienced over the years, it's allowed me to meet writers, artists, and actors I admire.  It's given me something I'm genuinely proud of, and nourished my soul.  It's something that's such a part of me, I can't imagine living any other way.

So let your geek flag fly, Gentle Reader.  In whatever way you can.