Growing up Geek...

Word!

That's not a typo, I am a geek.  As my little girl gets older I find myself getting more and more excited about sharing some of the favorite geek things I enjoy and have enjoyed throughout my life.

Thanks to entertaining references and callbacks to some of my favorite geek things in podcasts like The Nerdist and shows like Psych, Community, and the BBC's The IT Crowd I have realized it's OK to let it all out once in a while.

Now, I am a parent, a geek parent, and I feel it is important to expose my child to all those shows/movies/things I found fascinating and nerdy growing up....Here are a few of my favorite things that I cannot wait to share with my daughter:

1. The Karate Kid & Back to the Future::: 80s movies at their very best...Now that Ralph Macchio is going to be on Dancing With the Stars I might actually watch the show a little this season.  The Karate Kid always insights fond memories of childhood.    My daughter will also learn the ways of Mr. Miyagi and Dr. Emmett Brown..And then there's this for Karate Kid fans everywhere...
   
   
2. 8-Bit video games:::Thank you NES for hours of hours of easily attainable fun while I was growing up.  I didn't need to memorize complicated spin moves using 12 different buttons, I couldn't realistic blood splatter with every shot, my conquered enemies blinked a few times and just disappeared, and there were never complex movie sequences to disrupt my turtle shell crushing exploits...Long live Super Mario Brothers...For 8-bit fans check this out.
   
   
3. The Goonies & The Princess Bride:::I can recite each of these movies from beginning to end, and you can be sure that if I ever find a treasure map in my best friend's attic or my wife is attacked by an opportunistic R.O.U.S I will be ready.
   
   
4. Dr. Who:::When I was a kid I stayed up way too late on Saturday nights to watch the low-fi adventures of this wily Time Lord.  It wasn't until earlier this year that I decided to sit down and watch the reboot of one of my favorite childhood shows.  Let me tell you, my favorite Time Lord is back and better than ever.  I've spent most of my revisiting with the latest Dr. incarnation Matt Smith, but I've found and enjoyed episode with other more recent Doctors played by Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant.  Easily one of the best shows on television and great for any child's imagination.
   
   
5. Steve Martin:::There are comics and there are geniuses, Mr. Martin is both.  He is a writer, actor, comedian, musician.  I discovered him on Saturday Night Live, and didn't realize (until much later) the full scope of his genius.  Comedy is difficult and there are few people that can perfect it across mediums as Steve Martin has done...
   
   
6. Stephen King & J.K. Rowling:::I could have easily just said Books here, but not all books are great...I enjoy books that offer adventure, epic journeys, and great characters.  It may seem odd that I've placed these particular authors on the same line, but King (The Dark Tower) and Rowling (Harry Potter) have a unique ability to tell a harrowing story that allows the reader to become completely immersed in the tale.  I hope my daughter loves to read and discovers it much sooner than I did.  I am continually excited that she loves books now, but I look forward to experiencing those true written adventures with her as she gets older.

I could go on and on, but I have to approach this delicately so she doesn't realize right away that her father is a geek...I mean over time she'll pick it up and let me know I'm sure, but there is no need to spoon feed her the ammo to use later.