Last time, I told you about my varied interests on the saga throughout the first half of middle school...now you will see just how I became a geek.

I was always inward about my obsession with Star Wars, as the school I attend has little tolerance towards nonconformity...the students, that is. I just wanted to fit in...sometimes sacrificing my individuality. But in seventh grade I woke up.

I'm not sure where it started. Maybe kids at track practice were talking about why Ep3 was PG-13 and I let loose a spoiler flood building up for three years. Maybe it was when my friend, who is a running back and a wrestler, as well as one of our track team's best sprinters, was telling everyone that he rented the Revenge of the Sith video game that I realized that it was not so bad to let loose the truth. Whenever it was, I openly became a geek. I've been told by more than one teacher that it is an offensive term, and I explained that I'm a geek and I don't find it offensive.

From that moment on, it was common knowledge that I was a geek. Everyone knew where I was going: C3 in Indianapolis. I would openly talk about Star Wars in lunch...something I never did before. I would go out by the road and lightsaber duel for all to see...and my Padawan and I would go pretty fast, causing more than one car to slow.

C3...wow. My cousin Scott went with us, and the drive was constant Star Wars. We had a long debate about the ethics of Borsk Fey'Lya, about whether or not Valorum was competent, about what the Separatist Council really did, about what should be in Battlefront II...about everything. We listened to the soundtracks from the films the entire drive out, and I wore my Jedi costume at every opportunity. Upon arrival in the hotel, the clerk spotted my lightsaber on my belt and pointed it out to everyone. I went to the automatic doors and waved my hand in a Force gesture, which I do all the time now.

We went up to the room, and I realized that there were only two hours left and we had to get in line...that's what Star Wars fans do. I threw on my tunics and went down to the lobby to tumultous applause; it was a small inn (Hawthorn Suites), and I may have been the only costumer. I did not have my Force FX yet, although I now wish I would have bought one that Thursday.

At the Con that day...wow. First thing I went to was the Fan Fair, where all groups had tables set up. I went straight to the Jedi Assembly table and met Kai-Thri-Ona, TaiLon Kae, and Nova Darklighter, who designed the awesome tabards on my Jedi costume. The rest of the day was spent in the exhibit hall, although we went to a sports bar where my Jedi costume was an attraction to the staff...and we got in about five minutes after Warwick Davis left! However, on our way to the Fan Fair Hall, we'd seen him. A huge attraction...literally...was the lifesize X-Wing, with music, sound, and a working Artoo-Detoo!

On Friday, the crowds were much bigger, and I met more Jedi from the Assembly, including founder Tanthos Jorlac and Schph Gochi. I found out that day that George Lucas would be coming, and made that a major point for the next day. Also, we waited in a three hour line for the exclusive Vader figure, only to be told that they capped the line further back, and we were enraged.

The next day, my dad decided that he did not want to see much, so he got in line for the Talking Vader figure around 10 A.M. My cousin and I got separated from the family, but a stormtrooper corporal gave us wristbands to jump in a FastTrak line to see Lucas. Turns out my mom and brother got the same wristbands...so we were reunited after. Saturday was obviously a big day for kids who did not have a geeky family and thusly could not skip school, so there were a lot of green Saturday badges with Master Yoda. The Star Wars Kids room was packed, and they love costumes there, so I stopped in. The one kid told me that there was a bounty hunter who asked him to report Jedi, and he pointed to Boba Fett, Jango Fett, Zam Wesell, and Dengar at the door! Yes, that's why I costume. The kids love it. I remember back to C2...that's the feeling I want to give. They told me that Obi-Wan was in before, as well as Plo Koon, and I said that I should find them to report on my mission. The kid said that I should watch for stormtroopers, and I bowed to him. That's truly the best feeling when in costume; I encourage visits to the kids room!

Sunday...mixed feelings. I went to the truly phenomenal R2 Builders' Room, which had over thirty droids from MSE Mouse Droids to GNK Gonk Power Droids to Artoo and Threepio to a very small R4-P17! It was AWESOME. Then, though...we had to leave what had been the greatest galactic experience of my life. I was sadly taking pictures of many troopers, wondering which would be the last I would see. As I snapped a shot of a scout trooper, I realized that I'd have to wait a few long years before I got to do that again. 2007, back in Indy (I hope...but it's not looking good for Indy)!

As we left to the parking garage to find our speeder, we saw a boy and his father walking...the boy must have been about six. The dad asked me if he could wear his costume, as I was in my tunics, and asked if I was employed by GenCon as an entertainer. I said that I was not, although that would be cool, and that he could wear his costume, by the authority of the Jedi Council. They went back into the car to get his Qui-Gon costume by Rubies, and I grinned at the thought of the kid's face when he would walk in to Jedi eating in the food court and stormtrooper patrols.

It is hard to say what the best experience of that weekend was. It could have been when Jango Fett pointed his blasters at me and said that it was "always a pleasure to meet a Jedi." It could have been when I walked out of a room to see Obi-Wan and Anakin dueling, quoting the movie that would come out less than a month later...or at least what they knew of it. It may have been seeing Mr. Lucas live on stage. It may have been meeting my friends from TJA, or it may have been entertaining those kids in the SWKids room. All I know is that that was my journey to a galaxy far, far away, and I will not forget it.