The Crown Prince of Dorks and Losers

[Pointless musing]

When I was in high school, a girl once called me the Crown Prince of Dorks and Losers. I was a varsity athlete, so I could have been a jock. I had good grades, so I could have been a prep. The stoners didn't hate me because I didn't judge them. I could hang out with any group I wanted to. I got along best with the "freaks" as I called them (part punks, part hippies), because they didn't have a "thing" that defined them, and they allowed me to do what I wanted to do, so that's where I hung out most often. One day one of the preppy girls was arguing with me about how I was obnoxious (always a defining characteristic for me), and I said something along the lines of "That's because I'm the Crown Prince of Cool, and I don't care what you think." She responded by calling me the "Crown Prince of Dorks and Losers." I liked that title, so I've kept it.

I am sort of a Peter-Pan figure. I play games, watch cartoons, read comic books, that sort of thing. It's funny, because the scene for those sorts of things is always in a state of flux, with stores and hangouts closing, or moving, or changing. I've been really busy lately, so I haven't hung out much. I finally got together with some of my Vs card (it's a collectible card game based on superheroes from comic books) friends yesterday. I went by this new store that opened. The owner asked me if I am [my first name], and I said yes, and he shook my hand. Then a bunch of the kids in the store, some of whom I knew from before, came up and shook my hand, and we talked about games, and cars (I hate the Mitsubishi EVO VIII - don't buy one). I'm like an elder statesman of the gaming community. I'm the Crown Prince of Dorks and Losers. It's sort of a weird feeling to have people look up to you just for being who you are.