“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.” If only the internet were around in 1983.

I’m in the back row of the biggest house at Tri-County Cassinelli Square Cinemas.  In the dim light cascading from the front of the theater, my friend Kim and I as stare intently at the screen in front of us, as to not miss a beat.  The short advertisement for the tasty concessions complete, the movie previews have come to an end; we hit record/play on our mini tape recorder and whisper intently into the built-in mic: 

“Luke Skywalker has returned to his home planet of Tatooine in an attempt to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt.

Little does Luke know that the GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly begun construction on a new armored space station even more powerful than the first dreaded Death Star.

When completed, this ultimate weapon will spell certain doom for the small band of rebels struggling to restore freedom to the galaxy…”

My first foray into the obsessional world of a Star Wars fan.  Kim had a small shrine on the shelves of her bedroom closet filled with all that she held dear from the saga: The collectible Burger King glasses (one filled with ticket stubs for every time she saw one of the Star Wars films); action figures and toy ships; record albums; comics; a rare copy of “Revenge of the Jedi” script (before the name change); and, adorning the back wall of the closet, on big poster boards, were the hand-written opening crawls from the first two films.  Today, we were on a mission to get the 3^rd.  We succeeded. 

Kim was just my first galactically-infatuated friend.  There was also the little-known and rarely spoken of quest and completion of a magical Hoth diorama, built in miniature, on the floor, next to a kitchen table somewhere in Lake Balboa, CA.  Or, my friend Consetta’s amazing Star Wars themed wedding at the George Lucas Theater (Kerner Studios) when she married Garet, the man she met at a press junket for Revenge of the Sith…when he was dressed up as a Storm Trooper…at Skywalker Ranch…on May the 4^th.  Hooray for The Force!

The cultural phenomenon of Star Wars changed how we characterize nerds.  Sure, there had been B-movie science fiction before: shows like “Star Trek,” books like “The Lord of the Rings,” and plenty of comics…but, Star Wars was something different.  It redefined geekdom making it into something that actually could be considered cool, if you were in on the buzz.  Those of us that jump right in, unregretfully, in our borderline (or not so borderline) obsessional fixations of alternate worlds more easily found our lifelong soulmates and BFFs.  And, we didn’t have to necessarily fixate on another galaxy.  We could be just as fascinated in hosting a “Grey’s Anatomy” finale party, binge watching the newest season of “Stranger Things,” or even, designing your office to look like the Cincinnati satellite headquarters of the Avengers (yeah, come see for yourself, if you want).

Yes, most of the incredibly unique people I know and love are nerds just like me.  We all have a “thing,” or two; and, we appreciate the love of whatever fanatical pop culture phenomenon brings about inspiration.  Over-zealous sports fanatics painting their faces in team colors, the Broadway lover standing on the sidewalk after the show hoping for a chance to get an autograph, the NKOTB devotee that rushes to buy the first ticket to their 4^th reunion tour…these passions can make the over solemn context of life seem a lot more bearable.  And, if you stop to really ponder it, it’s astonishing.

Last year, I walked around Halloween Horror Nights at Universal with two of my treasured and dearest friends, Casey and John.  John gave himself a nickname years ago – The Last Carny.  It is not only extremely fitting for his job as Creative Director/Executive Producer of Halloween Horror Nights, but when you envision the over-the-top, flashy carnival barker, you might as well take a look at some of John’s past Halloween party costumes (and created characters).  He is enchanting and mesmerizing, just like the myriad of Universal classic monster memorabilia that graced the Monster Room in his house.  Yes, you read that right – a monster room in his house.  John has taken his personal life passion and used it to become beyond successful in his work (I’ve found that most people that do that, are actually at the top of their profession). 

Anyway, John, Casey and I were standing outside one of the themed horror mazes, catching up on our lives, when I noticed a twenty-something young guy walk by.  I only noticed him because he was wearing a Coca-Cola shirt and that caught my eye, because, well, you know.  Mere moments passed and that young guy walked up to the three of us.  “Are you John Murdy?” the young chap (as Casey would call him) hesitantly articulated.  And, when he found out that the person standing before him was indeed the Halloween Horror Nights “celebrity” he was asking about, he was in awe.  He went on to tell John how honored he was to meet him, how he could only dream of following in John’s footsteps, that John was an inspiration to him.  Watching this wide-eyed kid express the emotion behind his admiration and dreams, was overwhelming.  As my eyes filled with tears, the moment literally took my breath away. 

I’ve always been proud of my friends.  They are the most remarkable people in the world.  But, to see this boy come face to face with his idol – my friend John – let’s just say, I will never forget it.   When a day seems too long or a project is too frustrating, I can recollect that moment and I’m filled with all the good in the world.  I know it sounds crazy, but it was one of the best moments of my life.  It reminded me (though I don’t really need reminding) just how fortunate I am to have these kinds of friends – the creative types.  They design theme park horror mazes and write operas.  Craft promotional movie motif baskets and amass one of a kind collections of pop culture items for display.  They pullout funny character voices or gestures at a moment’s notice and plan excursions just to visit unique movie filming sites.  They take you to themed museums you never knew existed and decorate for themed parties like it was a multi-million-dollar film production.  They’ll even spend an entire evening weaving together a timeline of horrific details while visiting infamous Hollywood crime scenes of the past or making a movie about a boy that became a mime because his brother always told him he asked too many questions.

They might seem obsessed or even crazy, but they are also my kindred spirits and my heart.  They make me prouder of who I am and my atypical idiosyncrasies.  They make me stop being so practically serious all the time, so I can truly appreciate the world and all its kitschy positivity, if you just look for it.  They and their obsessions inspire me to be more passionate and alive and exciting and full of life.  I remember being tagged a “theater geek” at one point in my life; and, that’s fine by me.  If there is any lesson in this reflection, it’s that I will never find shame in being a nerd.