Dear Geeklings,

My, how quickly a year goes. Today is the one year anniversary of I Am Geek! Can you believe it? I’m still kind of in awe of the whole thing. I’ve been coming here for the last year to talk about anything my geeky heart contents, and you fine people have been there every step of the way. And the whole thing has me just bewildered.

When I started I Am Geek it was with the sole purpose of creating something where I could let my hair down so to speak. I’m clearly talking metaphorically here as I keep my hair pretty short. Except for that brief period in middle school where I tried to do the 90’s grunge look and that didn’t work out so well. We’re talking thick, greasy, wavy hair that never sat straight and always jumbled around my ears. Plus if I wore a hat, which is quite often as I have an intense love for hats, I would get that duck ass thing going with the back of my hair. Which wouldn’t have been a problem if it went away after I took the hat off, but it never did. The whole thing was a mess. Not a good look for me. Every so often I get these weird ideas to maybe grow my hair out a little, but as soon as it touches my ears I’m like “nope” and off to the barber I go. Sorry, I didn’t mean to go on such a tangent about my hair. Usually there’s not much to say about it. It’s short and grey. I digress.

As I was saying this blog/website was created in order for me to cut loose and talk about all my geeky passions. I would imagine that over the course of the year you’ve figured out that those passions cover a number of different topics, genres, and areas. I’m a bit all over the place and I Am Geek has become my platform to share those passions with you. The whole experience has been a blast for me, and quite liberating.

Over the last few years I’ve had to kind of re-build myself, and as I was in the construction phase I learned that the best way to be is to just be yourself. Why hide the things that make you great? Once I embraced that train of thought I became much happier and freer, and I’ve tried to bring that philosophy here to I Am Geek. I don’t claim to be a self help type person but I do promote individuality and being true to yourself, and this little site has given me a platform to encourage others to do so as well. Honestly speaking, the results have been phenomenal. Over the course of this year people have approached me constantly to discuss a topic I’ve written about or just talk about something geeky they love. That has been one of the highlights of this whole experience for me. Opening the door to others to talk about what they’re passionate about. It’s enhanced some relationships while introducing new ones.

I set out to build a community here. A safe place where we could all come and “geek out” so to speak, and over the course of this year I’ve found we do have a community here. Just because there aren’t comments in the comments section doesn’t mean that people aren’t talking. Whether it’s on Faceyspace or in real life I’ve had some great conversations with people because of I Am Geek and that’s something we’re going to continue to build going into year two.

Which begs the question, what is in store for year two? A lot of things my friends. I’ve got big plans. Look at what we’ve accomplished so far this year. We’ve had a number of guest posters who have used this site as a platform to have their voices heard. Some of these posts have allowed me to get to know people a little better, and others have opened doors to new people and outlets. So to anyone who has guest posted here, thank you. All of your posts have meant a lot to me on a personal level and I appreciated you taking the time to put something up here. It’s been a tremendous learning experience.

Right now the site sits at 250 posts which is crazy. That’s 250 different times my head thoughts have been put on a screen and reached your eyeholes. I’ve done blogging before and most of my other projects have gone a few months before they eventually died out. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to write it was just that I was using the wrong avenue. I Am Geek allows me to tap into the core of myself which makes posting easy and fun. I’ve never opened up the site to write a post thinking “ugh, I have to write today”. Every time I write something I have a goal, and granted some days are easier then others, I’m writing on the most consistent basis of my life. And that’s a win for me.

I Am Geek is my love child and I am so happy to share it with you, my Geeklings. From the very bottom of my geeky heart thank you for spending the last year with me. It’s been a learning experience, opened doors to opportunities I didn’t think possible (hello Fan Fest News where I have over 150 posts! That’s a lot of writing in a year), but most importantly it’s been a fun ass journey. Year two starts tomorrow and we’ve got a podcast to look forward to as well as more expansion. I want more guests posts. I want to get you guys more active on the comments. I want to start a dialogue. Let’s build on what we have going here and just attack the future. Tell your friends. Share posts on Faceyspace. Join the Faceyspace page (here). Follow me on Instagram and Twitter (@iamgeek32). I promise it’ll be fun.

In short, I just wanted to say thanks. It truly does mean a great deal to me that you guys come here and read my words. It’s humbling and exciting and the highlight of most of my days. I heart you Geeklings. Here’s to the future! Stay geeky.

Hearts & Kitten Whiskers

~ Kevin (Your Geek Master… is that a name that can stick or is it too pretentious? You guys got to let me know. Once I start giving myself titles that shit is going to go straight to my head. If you don’t cut me off at the pass then who knows where it’ll stop. Grand Master Geek? Your Geekiness? See what I mean?)