Uber-Geek is a Dominant Gene

I have always suspected that I was but I had confirmation last night that Uber-geek is the correct label for me and is Dominant over cool. I have always been a good student and was a member of all the pocket protector clubs at my High School in the 70’s and 80’s. Card caring member of the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Honor Roll, Dean’s list and the mission club to name a few.

“Back in the day” geek was not something that was in fashion. It was something to struggle against and vehemently deny. Of course I pre-date the days of geek sheik thanks to likes of Justin Long, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. I had during my prime the delusional belief that I might escape the label because I am somewhat athletic; had actual dates and boyfriends and was for the most part talked to in the halls of my high school. I have an outgoing personality that was not especially offensive (unless you made me mad).

I was however as I later learned feared due to a sharp wit and a killer right hook something a classmate confided to my sibling at a Christmas party. (Although that party is another blog all together).

So getting back to the whole point of this blog… Last night I watched the Daily Show with John Stewart and his guest was a bright woman, named Stacy Schiff, who had written a book on Cleopatra entitled “Cleopatra: a Life”. While she took the stage, I was stuck with a thought, “She looks familiar.” And then it came to me… She looks like a Romulan! and without a thought I said to my family, “Oh My God! She is a Romulan. Look, she looks like the Romulan commander." My husband immediately said back to me that he had agreed and was also trying to fit where he had seen her before. My eldest ever so cool musician and popular high school 15 year old turned to his parents as if we were speaking Greek (or more accurately Geek) and said, “What is a Romualn? ”. Millions of thoughts flashed into my mind. What have I done wrong if my own child does not know what a Romulan is? How large is the gap in his sci fi knowledge? How can this child be mine? Did I grab the wrong baby? I love my husband, he speaks Ann. Maybe I did marry the right man. And mostly Holy Smokes I am an uber-geek and so is my husband BUT my child is NOT. I had sadly assumed marriage and procreation with another geek would produce the same but Geek must be dominant and my child carries the recessives. UGH! I am not only a constant embarrassment to my musician son but had to google Romulan to explain this to my kid. I have got to get him watching more sci fi or BBC America when Star Trek the next Gen is on so he will have some clue what his parents are talking about.