The Casual Nerd: Complete Noob to Geek Culture
Declaring My Love for all Things Geek.
Written by: Christopher B. Lacasse aka “The Nomadik Geek” / April 08th, 2023
First, I think it’s important to first discuss the context. It has been nothing short of a journey for me to attempt to live my absolute truth and really find myself in an individualistic sense. I’ve always taken an interest in what is deemed to be “geek culture”, and I have always repressed the urge to indulge in becoming a hobbyist.
During the height of the pandemic in 2021. Feelings of being trapped, isolated, and bored overwhelmed me on a daily basis as I am sure it did for many others globally.
As a 37 year old, father of two in a long term relationship. To come out and announce to everyone that you are a “giant nerd” is a hard thing to do. Especially being a 6"4, 240 pound dude who had a reputation in the past of being a “scrapper” and a hard drinker for most of their youth and young adulthood.
Living in a small town in Northern Canada where much of the culture and day to day living is centered around gold mining. Not being interested in gold mining personally, throughout my life I’ve always been drawn toward more academic pursuits rather that hard manual labor.
Which had ultimately lead me to be weary about telling anyone about my interests. It actually made me feel guilty at times in terms of not being comfortable with who I really was. As if I had committed a crime of some sort and trying to rid myself of the evidence.
Something to add as well. Being of indigenous ancestry makes it difficult to express my interest in geek culture as well. There are a lot of traditional norms in our society that seem to frown upon the idea of individualism where it’s customary to strive to be more like the majority of community members who partake in activities such as hunting, fishing, snowmobile riding, and wood carving.
Which are all great, don’t get me wrong. But having different interests sort of paints you as a true outsider and as the old saying goes, “people always fear what they don’t understand”.
But I’m here to say that I love RPG’s, Magic the Gathering, Game of Thrones, MMA, PS5, Weed Culture, and Tech! I’ll be damned if I have to conceal that part of my life for another nano second.
Reading fantasy novels is awesome. TV sucks. I haven’t seen a show worth watching and committing to in a very long time other than GOT and perhaps Yellowstone (prequels included)? Or maybe Peaky Blinders? Not sure, but what I’m trying to get across is that novels such as Dune are just more entertaining overall.
Sorry for the tangent. I really felt the need to vent a little. It feels great to finally admit that I feel part of a niche group. I’m excited about pursuing these hobbies.
Also, it feels awesome to know that I am not alone. Thanks to platforms such as this one I can finally connect to others who are like minded. No more hiding.
In my next posts. My journey shall be documented and shared with all who choose to follow me on this journey through my blog.
Hobbies are important. Expression of oneself whether it’s artistic, athletic, or through some other means makes us individuals. People should not have to hide their interests due to fear of how others will perceive them.
Everyone has the right to be creative and do the things that make them happy.
I’m not sure what my overall goal was in writing this post. But I’m hoping others will be inspired to pursue the activities that they enjoy doing.