This weekend really made me feel like a nerdy kid again. Granted, the only difference between adult Nick and young Nick is about 3 feet, but man was there a nerdy good time afoot. I spent my Sunday with my nerd brother-in-arms Adam Hunter at the annual Red and White Comic Book and Toy Show, followed by the Calgary Pinball and Arcade Show.

Firstly, the Red and White Comic Book Show is a great little comic book show held for over 20 years at the Red and White Club in McMahon Stadium. The emphasis here is on comics and collectors and there was no shortage of enthusiastic cos-players and their amazing costumes. I found some awesome Avengers comics I hadn’t seen in forever, lost to one of my many childhood moves. I also got this sweet shirt…

After leaving the comic show, we headed down to the Acadia Rec Centre for the Pinball and Arcade show. When walking into the building I heard a sound that is so blissfully attached to my childhood it made me think I was 12 again. The low roar of 100 arcade and pinball machines. How’s this for an idea, charge people a small admission fee and then let them play all the video games they want for as long as they want. Brilliant. There was the classics, Joust, Space Invaders and countless others. Even some I had never played. My particular favorites were the Star Trek the Next Generation, Dr. Who and Elvira pinball machines all donated by local Alberta owners.

So that was my weekend. If there’s a lesson to be learned it’s this: being a kid is awesome.