Everyone has prized possessions, but for most of us geeks, they're not the usual items. I don't have any heirloom furniture or valuable objets d'art, but I do have lots of treasures. Geek treasures.
For instance, there's my Dharma Initiative Instructor T-shirt, which I got for my enthusiastic participation in a short-lived alternate reality game (ARG) that tied in to the TV show Lost.
There's my Blue Man Group painting, made during the course of a show I attended in Las Vegas, and even signed -- well, thumbprinted, and in one case lip-printed -- by the silent performers after the show.
And there's a picture of me (and a co-worker, who I've cropped out for her privacy) with K. Todd Freeman, who played Mr. Trick on season three of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The most recent addition to my geek treasure trove came courtesy of my fellow GeekMom Kristen Rutherford, who was the star of my all-time favorite ARG, I Love Bees. Learning of my superfandom, Kristen was so awesome as to send me a DVD compilation of all the audio from the game, as well as very cool extras. AND she sent along a very rare entry badge from one of the live *I Love Bees *events. Pardon me while I swoon!
Even my 3-year-old son is starting to collect his own geek treasures. He recently received a cap with the NASA logo on it, and he adores it. He calls it his "astronaut hat," and he even keeps it in his bed when he goes to sleep.
I know that material things aren't the most important things in life, and there are certainly things I take more seriously than my collection of geeky goodies. That said -- try to take one away from me, and you'll pull back a bloody stump.
Now, let us know: What's your top-of-the-list geek treasure -- either one that you have, or one you'd love to get?
Ellen Henderson is a novelist and web strategist. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and son.
