Well, damn: R.I.P., Leonard Nimoy

I'm sitting in the Admirals Club at DFW.  The day started rough and continued rough, with my sinuses plaguing me with either a cold or an allergic reaction, little sleep leaving me exhausted, and a rough first flight making me feel only worse.  None of that got me down. 

Then I read that Leonard Nimoy had died.  That got me down. 

Nimoy accomplished many things, but like so many SF fans, I loved most his work as Spock on the original Star Trek series, which I watched as a boy.  Spock was tailor-made for a geek boy like me to love.  Brighter than those around him, but poorly socialized.  Stronger than anyone else--but only when they really needed it, so his powers were hidden.  Clearly more interesting than Kirk, but never getting the girls--though one could argue that was his choice.  He said he had no emotions and acted most of the time as if he didn't, but you could always see them, just below the surface.  Every geek boy I knew wanted to be Spock.  I sure did. 

I know the Star Trek reboot made no sense, and Nimoy's presence in it as the original Spock caused some of those plot problems, but I didn't care; I loved seeing him in the role again.  Ditto the second J.J. Abrams movie. 

I am sad that Nimoy has died, but as long as anyone who remembers the original Star Trek is alive, his Spock will live. 

At the risk of being another cliche--no, with the certainty of being another cliche--here am I, in the DFW Admirals Club, remembering Leonard Nimoy and Mr. Spock.

Yeah, I am that big a geek and that big a Spock fan, and I'm okay with that.

Damn.