(My fiancé is with my family for Thanksgiving dinner. My parents have a large dog that has to stay in the kennel during mealtime, because he begs too much. He keeps making strange noises because he wants the food.)

Fiancé: “You know what I just noticed? The dog sounds a lot like a Goron!”

Me: “Honey, your nerd is showing.”

Mom: “Wait, he sounds like a what?”

Me: “A Goron. They’re one of the creatures from the Legend of Zelda games.”

Dad: “In that case, yeah, your nerd is hanging out all over the place. I might have to mop up the floor because you’re oozing nerd all over my dining room.”

(Shortly thereafter, one of my aunts asks me if I have seen the latest ‘Harry Potter’ movie.)

Me: “Yeah, but that was a while ago. I had a big marathon, read all seven books and watched all the rest of the movies within two weeks!”

Aunt: “Wow. That must’ve been hard.”

Me: “It was a little time consuming, but worth it. What I’m excited for now is The Hobbit. I’ve been giddy over it ever since I found out it was being made into a movie. And my roommate and I are going to see it in IMAX, because then we’ll get to see a nine minute preview of the next Star Trek movie!”

(There is a short pause while my family looks at me like I have six heads.)

Fiancé: “Honey, your nerd is showing.”