Geek Love, Fan Conventions and Writing

My best friend, Danelle Duran, and I used to love going to the Star Trek convention in Denver.  We usually entered the contest and in 1988, we entered a silly poem on Klingon cuisine and eating habits.  (We still giggle when we say "It was still twitching!")  It took first place in the poetry contest.

I had the bizarre thought that we should put up the poem on the bulletin board with "Meet the Authors!" and our room number, but decided that was too conceited and didn't do it.  Little did I know that an Air Force officer, at the convention with friends, loved the poem, cut it out and spent the con trying to find us.

Fast forward tot he next year, and I was in tech training in San Angelo, Texas, and really missing my friends and anyone who liked Star Trek, so when I met Jeff Louie and found out he at least knew Trek, I dragged him to my dorm room and showed him my stuff.  He stopped me, said, "There's someone you need to meet."

He called his friend, an officer who was assigned to the local missile tracking station and bemoaning that he wasn't meeting his kind of woman in Texas.  He handed me the phone, "Talk to this guy!" he ordered.

"Live long and prosper!" I said.

"I'll be right over!" he replied.

Half an hour later, Rob Fabian showed up at my door, greeting me with the Vulcan peace sign. 

A few days later, we were talking about conventions, and I mentioned the poem.  Guess who still had a copy from when he'd clipped it at the convention?

21 years ago today, we made our vows at the Air Force Academy chapel.  The priest, who was from my home parish, had everyone give us the Vulcan peace sign as he bade us to live long and prosper.  And we certainly have!