# The Moment You Knew You Were A Geek **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 29, 2002, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779 "2002-03-29T17:10:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/21 "2002-03-30T01:56:53Z")
When I looked at a piece of jello and my first thought was, “mmm… underdamped oscillator…” ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/22 "2002-03-30T02:17:26Z")
When I went trolling on Star Trek channels on mIRC just to say Star Trek sucked and Star Wars ruled. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/23 "2002-03-30T02:30:32Z")
I’ve known most of my life, but it hit me in the face recently. Moved into an apartment all by myself and realized that my telemarketing calls FAR outnumber my personal calls (5:1 maybe?). Oh yeah, and I try to only speak in Simpsons quotes. Colin ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/24 "2002-03-30T02:42:59Z")
Until I met another geek I thought I was a freak Then my future seemed less bleak Now I revel as a Geek. Note: my studies have indentified a fundamental translation error in our Western literature. Now the truth can be known: we ACTUALLY owe our Western heritage to ancient GEEKS, NOT Greeks! ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/25 "2002-03-30T02:56:32Z")
The moment I knew I was a geek? That would be the day watching a planetarium show reduced me to tears. Blubbering tears. ---
**Author:** ![xcheopis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bc8723/32.png) [@xcheopis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xcheopis)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/26 "2002-03-30T03:16:44Z")
I went to see **Star Trek: First Contact** with my then-boyfriend, some friends, and his mom, who is a Physical Chemist. One of the previews was for an action/sci-fi movie called **The Fifth Element**. In the preview, they showed a lot of action scenes with Bruce Willis, who was (apparently) concerned about The Fifth Element. I turned to my boyfriend’s mom and asked, “Why are they making a movie about boron?” ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/27 "2002-03-30T03:55:52Z")
I am in awe of the uber-geeks in this thread. No, really. I think I first suspected when I discovered Heinlein at about 11 years old and read everything I could get my hands on, usually while walking to or from school. Or maybe it was when I created my own alphabet at 8. Or maybe…I’ve been a geek a long time. So long that I don’t even bother thinking of myself as one. I’m just the wonderful, unique, ball of interestingness that is me. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/28 "2002-03-30T05:07:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by xcheopis \* > \*\*I went to see **Star Trek: First Contact** with my then-boyfriend, some friends, and his mom, who is a Physical Chemist. > > One of the previews was for an action/sci-fi movie called **The Fifth Element**. In the preview, they showed a lot of action scenes with Bruce Willis, who was (apparently) concerned about The Fifth Element. > > I turned to my boyfriend’s mom and asked, “Why are they making a movie about boron?” \*\* _SNORT_:::Beer out the nose::: Damned, that’s bad. And I mean bad in a good way. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Solomon7t](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Solomon7t](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solomon7t)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/29 "2002-03-30T05:36:54Z")
Jeez, every post I see in IMHO is making me think about geekdom. 😃 Ive always known im a geek. But perhaps the first time I really thought ‘gee, thats really geeky’ was probely the first time I said ‘LOL’ out loud instead of laughing, lol. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/30 "2002-03-30T05:52:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by interface2x \* > **Moved into an apartment all by myself and realized that my telemarketing calls FAR outnumber my personal calls (5:1 maybe?).** You think that’s bad? On my cell phone, _wrong numbers_ outnumber personal calls. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/31 "2002-03-30T06:55:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by xcheopis \* > \*\*I turned to my boyfriend’s mom and asked, “Why are they making a movie about boron?” \*\* Geek reference: Hey, nobody doesn’t like Molten Boron. My moment came in 1982 or 1983 when I tried to bolster my Grade 7 popularity by showing off my LOGO programming skills. Even then, others had learned to recognize my geekiness and I was allowed to use the Apple //e with the big television monitor attached. Yes, it was the age of the Geek at that school… ---
**Author:** ![Daowajan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Daowajan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daowajan)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/32 "2002-03-30T08:11:51Z")
See [this.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=1950302#post1950302) I really have got to lay off the classicist stuff. me=:wally ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/33 "2002-03-30T15:18:59Z")
When I could start communicating with modems over the phone 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/34 "2002-03-30T15:30:40Z")
I’ve always been a geek, there have been way too many instances for me to recount. One sticks in my mind because it happened night before last. My SO and I are sitting on the couch when the new Spidey trailer comes out. We both bemoan the fact that the Green Goblin was a pretty lame choice for villain and then spend the next 10-15 minutes debating the merits of various Spidey villains (his vote: Doctor Oc, my vote: Juggernaut or Sandman) with a few departures into the DC Universe. I just laughed and said to my boyfriend, how many of your other girlfriends would have ever had this conversation with you? ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/35 "2002-03-30T15:48:21Z")
1. The first time I watched a porn movie with Mr. Honey. I insisted that we mute the sound and play a classical CD instead. 2. The first time that I set my alarm clock for 3am so I could get up to watch the Leonid Meteor Shower. 3. Hi Opal! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/36 "2002-03-30T19:44:06Z")
Jim and I were reading this thread, and I was teasing him about all the geek paraphanelia he has in his computer room - an R2D2 bank, a model C3PO, models of the Millenium Falcon, all Star Trek ships, two Darth Vader busts, a Bill the Cat and an Opus doll, a Catbert doll, etc, etc, and it occurred to me that I knew what all that stuff was and was able to name it. We’re so right for each other :D. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/37 "2002-03-30T22:50:24Z")
i always knew i was a geek at heart, but i never felt more proud to be a geek than the day i built my computer. I spent a month researching building tips and handpicking the choicest components. When everything finally came together and i booted up the first time i had to just sit back and smile. I’m typing this post on my dream machine … i love it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nacho4Sara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Nacho4Sara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nacho4Sara)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/38 "2002-03-30T23:09:33Z")
When I pre-purchased my LOTR:FOTR tickets online for opening night, showed up and ran into my entire (yes, entire - all 8 of us) high school tech crew. These were the people with whom I waited in line for tickets to see the re-released Star Wars movies and the prequel. For the prequel (totally blanking on the name, sorry), we waited in line from 6pm on for tickets to the midnight showing. Oh, and when I started watching Jeopardy, yelling out answers and calling the contestants names for not getting blatantly obvious questions right. ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/39 "2002-03-31T02:35:18Z")
Well… I suppose my geek-epiphany came to me when I resigned myself as being the only kid in the neighbourhood who played Tradewars and Legend of the Red Dragon (good times those were…) into the night. Nobody in my class knew any games beyond the various incarnations of Mortal Kombat! I was exasperated! I was flabbergasted! Dear lord, have I been dumped into a horde of uncultured barbarians? ---
**Author:** ![Azure\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@Azure\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azure_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2002, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779/40 "2002-03-31T02:48:49Z")
Although I’ve always been a geek, I had a recent epiphany: I am on the math team at school (wait, it gets worse) and we go to a math team class instead of regular math. During a lull in the conversation I began reciting “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot from memory while my classmates alternately begged me to stop and poked fun at me. That’s right, I am the geekiest person on the math team. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-you-knew-you-were-a-geek/100779.md?page=3)