Wow,

In no short order I've been welcomed by a few different people who have taken the time to say hello. Thank you again!

Now that I know there will actually be some people reading this stuff from time to time, I have to be careful about what I say

And I should probably add a warning; I have a tendency to be very long winded!

See? I'm already four lines in and I haven't even established my topic yet.

Well, this seems like just as good a place as any to talk about something that probably affects a lot of Star Wars fans (and more likely those who love it enough to be part of the fan club and write on here). That's that pesky 'Star Wars geek' label.

Labels, to begin with, are stupid. Human beings (myself included of course) seem to have an insatiable need to label things, and not just things, but other people. To box people in, categorize them into headings and subheadings. He's a geek. She's a goth. That guy's a jock. You're a liberal. I'm a conservative, etc etc.

When it comes to hobbies, especially those involving fantasy, science fiction, comics, games, whatever, the geek word gets thrown around a lot. We've all heard the cliches. "Episode 3 was released today, and throughout the world millions of unwashed geeks emerged from their mother's basements'.

Ah the mother's basement, the bedrock of geek stereotyping.

Well, I don't really want to believe that something as complex as a human being can be summed up in one word. And I certainly don't think that just because someone likes Star Wars (or Star Trek, though I personally can't stand it!) or anything else that doesn't meet with approval from the 'cool people', he is a geek, period, end of story.

Listen, I went to see Episode 3 not once, not twice, but a very fitting three times on opening day with my best friend. The day before that, we sat down and watched the OT, then Eps 1 and 2, then the clone wars cartoons to prepare ourselves for the holy experience that was ROTS. A whole shelf of my book case is dedicated to star wars novels. Another shelf is dedicated to books spun off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (the works of Joss Whedon hold just as dear a place in my heart as Star Wars, fyi). I could name at least 10 Star Wars planets without stopping to think.

But I'm not a geek. And neither are you, unless for some reason you decide to believe that you are.

Geek is just a word. I play hockey, I go to the gym 5 days a week, but I'm not a jock. Jock is just a word too. Unlike that non existent 'typical geek' with the unwashed hair, the food stained shirt and the mom's basement, I have had a couple girlfriends in my life! I'm willing to bet you have too. Or boyfriends, for the girls reading. Or vice versa, if that's your thing. It's all good.

My point is, I don't accept the label of geek just because I love Star Wars. I don't accept any label. I ask people to call me by my given name (or a nickname chosen with humor and affection) and accept me for who I am, everything I am, which very much includes Star Wars.

So my words of unwisdom for whoever reads this would be, if at any time some unenlightened person has tried to condemn you and your hobbies with the 'g' word, shrug it right off.

We're not geeks. We're all just people.

But if you must.... call me a fan boy!