Fantastic Fest 2006

Luv Doc Writings, The Luv Doc Recommends

MON., SEPT. 18, 2006

One of the great things about becoming an adult is that you can fully embrace your nerdiness. You don’t have to live in fear that some musclebound meathead will yank your tighty whiteys over your head just because you occasionally like to pretend you’re Luke Skywalker. In fact, if you pop your head up out of your cubicle every once in a while you’ll probably find that there are lots of other people with the same sick fetishes you have. They’ve probably even formed an association or a support group or at the very least a Web site with a highly emotional discussion thread. You might be into Latin, or chess, or ornithology, or Barbie dolls, or puppets, or weiner dogs, or radio controlled cars, or dressing like a panda bear and doing the nasty with your stuffed animals, but rest assured that no matter how bizarre and unseemly your interests, you are not entirely alone. It’s just that sometimes it seems like you’re the only person in your department (or for that matter your whole building) who’s into scrapbooking. Don’t stress: It’s a rare bird indeed who is willing to spend time with someone who might someday frame their picture with pastel balloons. Nerdiness can either be a blessing or a curse when it comes to dating. There’s no more effective chastity belt than informing a potential mate you’re into Dungeons & Dragons and yet, there are actually D&Ders who have defied the laws of probability and hooked up – and not just in a virtual gaming scenario. Fortunately if you’re going to let your freak flag fly, Austin is the place to do it. You can’t swing a jousting stick without un(fake)horsing a nerd in this town: Tech nerds, word nerds, band nerds, film nerds … all of which should be in abundance this week at Alamo South for Fantastic Fest 2006, a seven-day festival of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and genre films that runs through Sept. 28. Some offerings this weekend are: Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell, Terry Gilliam’s TidewaterThe Hamster CageBlood Trails, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre – a little something for everyone. If you can’t find something for you, maybe you should start a Web site.