Geeky Things My Dad Has Ruined: Part III

Written by Shae Rufe

I almost thought about not writing another one of these. Then I decided, nah, this needs to be written. My dad has just ruined a lot over the years. Okay, maybe he’s just made me realize things I didn’t want to realize. I guess that’s what dads are for? Right? In the world of geek and nerdiness, I’ve been known to dabble in almost all the nerdy things. I’m a massive literature geek, so when I became older and got the chance to take all the college lit courses I possibly could, I’d excitedly share my learnings at family dinner. 

Of course, growing up, you get to hear about your favorite authors in a different light. I’ve expressed my love of Poe for some time, and perhaps this is my fault for not delving into his personal life more, but I’d not a clue he’d been a raging alcoholic. Granted, I learned this in high school, actually, but it wasn’t from my teachers. No, it was my dad…who sat there, and laughed as I sat and pouted at my mashed potatoes. His ruining of literature continued. I did mention the thousands of lit classes in college? Well, as it turns out my dad is a firm believer in keeping me grounded in reality. Or, forcibly shoving his conspiracy theories in my face. Yes, that does mean my dad subscribes to the theory that William Shakespeare did not write all of his work. I refuse to believe this to this day, but as it was brought to my attention, I was a wee bit crushed.

To add fuel to the fire, I made the mistake of seeing the new Sherlock Holmes with said father. Maybe it was the blissful ideal that taking my dad to a movie wasn’t a terrible thing. Maybe I hadn’t read the books yet, but wanted to. And then, then, I believed for one second, after the movie was over, that we had both enjoyed it. And we did! But, because nothing can ever be peaceful for long…dad decided to point out how they skimmed over the drug addiction in the film. We argued for a solid five minutes. I downloaded and read the books…and dad was right. Of course, dad was right. Dad’s always right! And this, of course, inadvertently ruined the Great Mouse Detective for me as well…does that count as a bonus thing?

However, as time goes on, I’ve gotten my revenge. My comic knowledge is better than his…which, you know, counts for something. I’ve also had those thousands of literature classes so I can best him in some things. Sadly, I’ve not been able to best him in all things just yet. As we sat to watch The Dresden Files, I thought, hey, dad likes the books! The series will be great! It was a trap. It’s always a trap. Once again, I fell for it. Once the series ended I was subjected to a list of things that were wrong. Dresden's staff was wrong, he didn’t have the hat. The detective and he never had some weird romance….and on and on it went. But despite all this, I'm determined to find something my dad and I can share that he can't pick to pieces. I don't know what that might be, but it sure won't stop me from trying. Plus, hey, it always gives me a reason to spend time with him. Sure, he may rip stuff I love apart, but he's still my dad and he's still awesome. 

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