Growing up geeky in a remote area comes with some disadvantages. I won't go into them all today (as most of them are beyond the scope of this website) but one of them is that you don't even get to hang out with other geeks at things like science fiction conventions and renaissance faires. That means as an adult, now living in not-so-remote an area, I feel obligated to attend some of these things just to comfort my wounded, lonely, childhood soul.

And build up my geek cred.

Thus it is, that yesterday I attended the Bristol Renaissance Faire on the border of Wisonsin and Illinois. Sarah came with me, to lead the way and make sure I enjoyed myself.

Now at least I can speak with authority on the subject.

General impressions? Well, I was surprised at the number of people who were there. I got a kick out of the ones who persisted in maintaining the image of "I'm too cool for this" - when everyone knows they paid $17 to get in there. I was impressed with the horses during the joust, and watching lances shatter has a certain amount of fascination to it. I probably would have had more fun if I was in better health and less hot (I know, it was in the low 80's. I begin to wilt at 75) but it was an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

I think I'm just too critical to be a true ren-faire geek. I scoffed at costumes made of cheap fabric, spent actual thinking-time on figuring out how Robin Hood and Queen Elizabeth managed to be at the same fair, and frowned at the girls who were wearing their period dresses wrong.

So apparently I'm not just a geek. I'm an arrogant geek.

No wonder I can only get men to flirt with me when I have my hair in sk8tr grrl pigtails, look sixteen, and walk away before they get a chance to get to know me.