I'm All About The Nerd Play (a.k.a. Takot sa Bola)

So I'm a nerd. That's what they used to call me in school. Didn't like it then. Love it now. For the most part.

Used to hang out in the library sniffing old hardbound books on the occult, the paranormal and science fiction. My library card was my best friend. Well, I had a few friends, but it never occurred to me then that they were nerds, too. Or various other iterations of nerdidity, i.e., dweebs, geeks and dorks. Just guys I played RPG and traded comic books with. Watched some porn with. And got punished with for not bringing our Phys. Ed. uniforms.

If I'd never met beer in college, I'd be an even bigger nerd, and God knows I probably would never have met Nike or had Noah or get this awesome job I now have.

So now I think I have just the right amount of nerd in me, although it's something I've been questioning all the time since becoming a dad. Noah's growing up fast and, while it's amusing to see how he takes after me in many ways, it also terrifies me --I'm afraid I'll soon be in for a humiliating experience.

Like, God forbid someone accidentally throws a basketball my way one day while we're walking the dogs and I fumble it in front of my son. It almost happened last week, but I was smoking, so I had an excuse not to try to catch it. I got Noah to run after it and toss it back to the players. And, whew, it wasn't a bad throw.

I suck at physical activity -- wait, let's narrow that down. I suck at sports. I am horribly, hopelessly uncoordinated. All the action I've seen at Wii Sports Resort or Arkham Asylum or Final Fantasy or Soul Calibur in Xbox do not qualify as sport activities. And it's been years since I played frisbee or a mean game of badminton or climb a mountain (which I only do to get drunk at the top).

So my dilemma, while I've taught my son to be this imaginative, wisecracking charmer, who the heck is going to teach him to play basketball!?! Sure, there's summer clinics and P.E. in school, but what will I say when he asks to play a quick pick up game with me?

I have these ready answers:

1. "Uh, ok, turn on the Wii."

2. "Not right now, son, can't you see I'm busy benchpressing these boxes of comics?"

3. "Later! It's almost time for How I Met Your Mother."

I wonder how long I have til he susses that his dad's just a big nerd. I'm praying it won't matter. Because I really do live for that gleam of admiration in his eyes.