Nerd--Party of One?

I would like to confess, right here and now, that I'm a nerd (which can probably be deduced from my previous posts anyway), and I'm VERY proud of this fact. But it leads me to a very important (and slightly irritating to me) question: When did being a nerd became popular?

Comic-Con in San Diego is this weekend. I have yet to go...but in the past there was always tickets available leading about two weeks up and sometimes even the day of. Not this year. Comic Con has been completely sold out for at least a month. I started checking at the end of May for presenters/panels and booths. At the time the passes were already sold out, and no one I would eagerly want to see had announced their presence.

However, about two weeks ago (maybe a little longer) many of my favs announced they would in fact be in attendance. And, of course, I say to you again Comic-Con is completely sold out! Ugh!

Maybe I'm too frugal, but I just can't see dropping a couple hundred dollars with no guarantee that anything/one I want to see will be there. I just can't do it, captain.This is mainly because I know my luck--if I drop the dough before I see a panel I want to see announced, no announcement will ever come. I'm not saying that I can't find other panels and such to occupy my time; but if I'm going to drop money, I want it to at least be for something semi-specific.

But thanks to the currently trendy world of sci-fi/fantasy/horror/ and all things previously thought uncool (and my cheap ass), I will miss a screening of Jane Espenson's first episode of Torchwood accompanied by the cast (Hello, Captain Jack Harkness! er, I mean John Barrowman)! I will also miss Matt Smith and Karen Gillian at a Doctor Who presentation. Also Laurell K. Hamilton will have a booth...And this is where I kick myself for being said "cheap ass."

Although if anyone has access and wants to offer up an A-W-E-S-O-M-E(!) birthday present--the Torchwood screening would be a preference.