Tips for Dating Geeks

Who knew dating a geek could be so confusing or controversial? GeekMom Ruth‘s post concerning Alyssa Bereznak’s online rant about her date with Jon Finkel, was just the tip of the iceberg. I’d bet every geek out there has had to deal with an “Alyssa” from time to time in the awkwardness of dating, mind you few of those experiences are made public on a blog.

Geek is a very broad term and really only means that someone is passionately involved with something. Geeks come in all shapes and sizes and their interests are incredibly diverse, just ask Scott Johnson the creator of The 56 Geek Project.

It got me thinking, what advice would I give my children if they ever found themselves dating a person they didn’t understand? Conversation on a first date can be excruciating, wouldn’t it be nice to have a little insight into the interests of the person across the table? Sometimes breaking the ice is all it takes to get a geek to break out of their shell and become comfortable with the situation they are in.

So here it is, a primer. Tips for dating the:

• Astrophysics Geek: When units are measured in lightyears and parsecs, pi equals 3.
• Trek Geek: Kirk or Picard? You must have an answer, it will come up and its important.
• Jedi Geek: Han shot first.
• Apple Geek: Its release is purely speculative, no one knows what it will actually look like, no one knows what it will actually do, but its been pre-ordered.
• Engineering Geek: Duct tape can fix everything, and yes they have it with them.
• Food Geek: Do not ask for steak sauce with your $100 steak.
• Hitchhikers Guide Geek: 42 is the answer.
• Linux Geek: That source could be a little more open.
• Board Gaming Geek: No, you can’t put your stuff in their trunk, its full of games.
• Physics Geek: A cow is simply a series of spheres.
• Doctor Who Geek: Bow ties  are cool.
• Conspiracy Geek: Gas prices too high? Global Warming? Fluorinated Water? Burnt the toast? All the Illuminati.
• Electronics Geek: If you just add one component to that clock it could also bake bread.
• Simpsons Geek: They are so smart, S-M-R-T, I mean S-M-A-R-T.
• Photography Geek: Yes thats a camera in their pocket, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t happy to see you as well.

Mind you this is an incredibly short list of the possible geeky realms, only the ones that I (and my husband GeekDad Brian McLaughlin) are personally familiar with.

If you are a geek, what one tidbit would be imperative to getting to know you?