The Nerd Comes Forth…
Once in a while you stumble onto something, and you think, “I’d like to be a part of this.” Maybe it’s the little nerd in me.
Just outside the East Gate of Fort Knox past the Gold Vault (yes it’s still there, no I haven’t been inside, and no they don’t give tours) is Radcliff. The next town over is Elizabethtown. Both have a Walmart. Elizabethtown has the Barnes and Noble, so… well, if you know me then… you know.
For those who don’t know, Fort Knox is where I spend eight weeks out of the year working off the extra 30 pounds from this one’s cooking. Knox is the headquarters of Cadet Command and hosts Cadet Summer Training (CST). I instruct for the Lehigh University ROTC program. Which means Knox is my home for a small part of the year.
A mile outside the old town square sits the modest Towne Mall. Yes, that’s “Towne” with an “e” because that’s apparently a thing and it will always be with us. Last year on one of my days off I took a look inside. Is “The Limited” still a thing? I don’t know and they don’t have one anyway. This struggling edifice still has its anchor stores, so as long as the population doesn’t grow big enough to support an outdoor promenade, Towne Mall should continue.
But I digress, as I so often do.
Strolling off the main concourse, I came across… this…
Hard Knox Games & Hobbies
Inside were children and adults playing games. Not video games, Games. Card games, boards games, strategy games. Risk. Stratego. Monopoly. Uno. Yu-Gi-Oh. Wait, I should probably put an exclamation point after that: Yu-Gi-Oh! That’s better.
Game Night, Elizabethtown, Kentucky
People gathered together, sharing common interests, as happy and content as though they just left their burdens at the altar. Happy to let you join them, and caring not one wart off a fly’s butt if you don’t.
My Guilty Pleasure.
Warhammer 40,000 provides a pleasant distraction. I confess to owning a few of the books. I have not collected them all and have no intention of doing so. Because the series numbers in the dozens and I’m not Bill Gates. I’ll admit to owning more than one. Less than thirty. That’s all I’m telling you.
I’m enamored. Impressed. And resigned. I had just stepped Inside and already the Outside was calling. The job, my wife’s LLC, my son’s tuition. Am I waiting to bury my father, to turn a phrase? Perhaps.
Astarte Game Board – Warhammer 40,000
An artisan practices his craft.
Artisan Tools & A Finished Product.
A Legionary Stormbird with deployed troops. Warhammer 40,000.
But I stay for a while. A voyeur to a world for which I’m just not ready yet. I stop for just a few moments, to regard the denizens of this unique universe. No image to project, these are the true lions, unconcerned with the opinions of the sheep. These are the actual cool people. And one day, I am going to join them. At least for one hour or two a week. There’s always room for one more nerd, right?
Selah.
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