Friday, March 18, 2011

Grown-up vs. Geeky?

Despite the growing number of adults who love anime, video games, sci-fi and fantasy, the general public consensus seems to be that these pursuits are immature. Even the open-minded tend to harbor this belief somewhere; I'm guilty of it myself. The clearest evidence is my home. The decor in the living room and kitchen is hardly what one would call geek-chic. It sneaks in occasionally, like the kanji plaques on the living room wall or the pixel-art magnets on the fridge, but for the most part our nerdy art and collectibles are kept to the home office or my crafting space. I can't really explain why I don't want to geek out our whole home. Maybe it just feels too much like a dorm room or bachelor pad without going to the trouble and expense of getting all our artwork framed. Maybe the bold colors that tend to dominate nerd culture don't mesh well with our furniture. Or maybe, just maybe, part of me cares about what people think, no matter how much I tell myself that I don't.

The nerdiness has found another foot hold as we put together the offspring's new "big girl" bedroom. In my effort to gather cute things I accidentally (or is it subconsciously?) ended up with a mostly Japanese-themed room, including a sweet little Totoro print for the wall. Maybe some day I will have the courage to let the geek spread futher; I know I will have 1337 D4ddy's full support if I want to make our kitchen Dr. Who themed (we already have a Tardis cookie jar, after all) or if I suggest covering our living room with anime art. I suppose only time will tell.