Ok, so that’s something of a morbid title and while we’re not expecting you to pop your clogs any time soon and shuffle off this earthly coil, we thought it would be fun to start a Nerd Bucket List; a list of things that you should definitely do before you die. This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means – in fact, it’s anything but that. We just wanted to get you thinking about what it is you’d put on your list. Feel free to add anything to this list in the comments. We’d love to get your feedback!
Go to San Diego Comic Con
Yes we know it’s not about the comics any more, we know that the TV companies, the toy distributors and the publicity people have taken it over so it’s more like Entertainment Con than anything else. It’s jam packed full of people, the food is overpriced, you have to wait for two hours just to get to a panel and it’s a s**t-fight just to get to the toilets. So why go?
Because it’s San Diego Comic Con man! It’s nerd mecca and despite the fact that it’s overpriced and there are too many people and it’s not about the comics, those aren’t reasons not to go. Stripped back from all of the promotional stuff, Comic Con still has heart and that’s because of the people who attend year in, year out. People who have grown up going to SDCC and now bring their kids
It’s awesome. It’s one of the most hectic, fun-filled, exhausting weekends you’ll ever have in your entire life but it’s completely worth it just to nerd out on all the cool stuff that’s there. Artists Alley, the panels, the coolest cosplays you’ll ever see in your life, the people you’ll meet and make friends with for life, the sheer scale of the whole thing and of course, the swag! If you only go once, you should go. It will honestly stay in your mind as one of the best experiences of your life. Warning: Trying to get a member ID and a ticket will shave considerable years off your life, so don’t say we haven’t warned you.
If Comic Con really isn’t your thing and you’re just a die-hard comic collector, then you have to get to Heroes Con in North Carolina. Started 30 years ago by Shelton Drumm, Heroes Con is beloved by comic book fans for being ‘legit’. It should absolutely be on your list of ‘Cons To See Before I Die. It took place just last weekend so to get you in the mood and ready for next year, make sure you read the following articles. These will get your blood pumping and we promise you, you’ll have booked a ticket to North Carolina before the weekend is through!
Comics Alliance’s Chris Sims recounts his experience at Heroes Con and gleefully boasts about his considerably impressive haul at this years con.Readit and weep (literally).
Bleeding Cool’s Rich Johnson learned some valuablelessons this year on his first trip to North Carolina
Joe the Peacock, the man who let the cat out of the bag with his article on TheBestComicConventionyou’veNeverAttended.
Play a MMORPG - Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game
Sure it doesn’t trip off the tongue and these games might dredge up connotations of middle-aged men living in their mother’s basements but MMORPGs are so much fun! They’re also becoming a lot more mainstream now thanks in part to World of Warcraft’s massive advertising campaigns, so try one out before it loses its nerdiness. The beauty of a MMORPG is that you can create an entire back story around your character and completely immerse yourself in their world. Yes, it’s escapism but so what. Where else can you battle demons and trolls and have this much fun?
Learn Klingon
Even if you’re not a Trekkie, you should definitely try learning Klingon with its gutteral sounds and odd sentence structure. The language was created by Mark Okrand at the behest of Paramount Pictures for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek:The Next Generation.
You should pick yourself up a copy of the Klingon dictionary. For the collectors among you, you might like to try to source the first edition which was printed in 1985. If you can get one of those, let us know. We so want one!
Here’s something to aspire to: Okrand himself is said not to be fluent in Klingon so if you can beat him you will be one of approximately a dozen people on the planet who are fluent in Klingon. Now THAT’S an achievement!
Start a podcast
Inflict yourself on the internet with the intention of becoming famous for your in-depth knowledge of Kevin Smith films only to realise your fore-nerds got there before you. You can still have fun with it though. Invite your friends, make it a party. That’s the beauty of the internet – anybody can be famous for at least 15 seconds (look at Justin Bieber), you just need an internet connection and you’re set!
Solve the rubix cube.
Solve it without taking it apart or transferring the stickers around. Hours of fun, yes. Hours of frustration will follow though when you realise that this contraption was designed to baffle you and make you feel intellectually inferior. When you realise that you can’t solve it, feel free to wallow in your own misery by watching this youtube video of this three year old Asian kid who can solve it in 114 seconds. And she didn’t even have to leave the comfort of her high chair.
Back to back Star Wars
You cannot claim membership of the nerd club without having watched Star Wars back-to-back. Simple as. Even now, when we have 3D movies and special effects galore, you have to admit that George Lucas is a veritable genius for what he achieved at the time.
P.S: In case you were wondering, the term ‘bucket list’ comes from the idiom ‘to kick the bucket’, meaning to die – something of a euphemistic expression. If anybody knows the first person to die from kicking a bucket, we’d be most grateful if you would enlighten us. Answers on a postcard please. Or as the Klingons would say, “QIn ‘echletHom jang.”
‘Til Later 
