(My sister and I both love the musical “1776,” so when we take a family trip to Philadelphia, we immediately declare we’re going to sing “But Mr. Adams” in Independence Hall. Our mother puts her foot down, saying she doesn’t want to bring bail money. However, when we go to Independence Hall, we see the area where “But Mr. Adams” was set…)

Me: *under my breath* “Mr. Adams, I say you should write it. To your legal mind and brilliance we defer.”

Sister: *under her breath* “Is that so? Well, if I’m the one to do it, they’ll run their quill pens through it. I’m obnoxious and disliked; you know that, sir. But I say you should write it, Franklin. Yes, you. You–”

Me: “But—”

Sister: “You–”

Me: “But–”

Sister: “You–”

Me: “Buuuuut–”

(At this point, we throw caution to the wind, and proceed to belt “But Mr. Adams” at the top of our lungs while reenacting as much choreography as we can. By the time we end, our dad looks bemused, our mother is face-palming, and a tour guide looks impressed.)

Guide: “You know, I think that’s the first time anyone’s known the whole song. Most people just hum a few bars and call it good.”

(One of my coworkers has realized it’s May 4th, and has been letting everyone know as she says good morning.)

Coworker: “May the Fourth be with you!”

Manager: “Whatever. I’m not a Star Trek person.”

Coworker: “Yes, clearly.”

(I am an avid trivia buff, so while on a cruise, I go to most of the trivia events. One night, we’re sitting through movie poster trivia; the host has removed the titles from classic movie posters, which are shown on a screen, and the idea is to identify the movie. He then asks various bonus questions about each one. I am married, but my husband is not on the trip with me, so I don’t have access to his plentiful film knowledge. One of the movies in question is “The Force Awakens,” which I can identify easily enough, and I’m delighted that I know the answers to all of the Star Wars bonus questions. Once all of the posters have been examined and the bonus questions asked, we review the answers.)

Host: “Now, what movie is this?”

Almost Everyone: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens!”

Host: “Good! Make sure you specifically have The Force Awakens written down. First bonus question: what is the fastest ship in the galaxy?”

Almost Everyone: “The Millennium Falcon!”

Host: “Who is the co-pilot of that ship?”

Almost Everyone: “Chewbacca!”

Host: “And what is the name of his home planet?”

Me: “Kashyyyk!”

Host: “What?”

Me: “Kashyyyk.”

Host: “I… I actually don’t know what to say. I’ve been running this trivia game for weeks, and this is the first time anyone has actually known the answer to that question. Even I didn’t know the answer to that question.”

Me: “So… do I get the point?”

Host: “No one here can refute your answer, so yes, you get the point. I had no idea I was in the presence of the trivia queen.”

Me: “I’m a sci-fi nerd by marriage.”

Host: “No, madam, you’re just a nerd.”

(Everyone laughs and we continue the answer review. I do not have the highest score at the end of the game, so I don’t receive one of the promised prizes. However, the host approaches me.)

Host: “In honor of your remarkable knowledge, I have this for you.”

(He put a MEDAL around my neck. I’d sailed with this cruise line before, so I’d seen these medals in the past: a blue ribbon with a silver charm shaped like the cruise line’s logo. They’re usually awarded for the various athletic competitions. I thanked him for the gift, then immediately texted my husband at home to tell him what happened. For the remainder of the cruise, I was variously identified as “the Chewbacca lady” and “the trivia queen” by both staff members and other passengers.)

(This happens in college. I’m doing some homework in my dorm when my friend and roommate comes in.)

Friend: “Hey, do you want to see the movie The Witch with me tonight?”

Me: “That’s the horror movie that just came out, right? Sure. You wanted to see it?”

Friend: “A little, but the professor for my mythology and folklore course said we can get extra credit if we go see it, so it’s mostly that.”

(That night, we head to the movie theater. When we get there, I see a movie poster on the wall of the building for “Deadpool,” a movie we’ve both been very excited to see, and see that the release date was over a week ago.)

Me: *pointing out the poster* “I didn’t realize Deadpool was out already.”

Friend: “Me, either. Huh.”

(We go inside to wait in line, since we haven’t actually bought our tickets yet. Inside, there’s another very large poster for “Deadpool” that we can see from the line. After waiting in line for a couple minutes, my friend turns to me.)

Friend: “Hey, [My Name].”

Me: “Yeah?”

Friend: “Do you want to see Deadpool, instead?”

Me: “I was hoping you’d ask!”

(Needless to say, my friend did not end up getting the extra credit, but she had no regrets about watching “Deadpool,” which we both greatly enjoyed!)

(I’m one of the few female patrons of my local comic shop, and while the staff is awesome, the other patrons can be less so. I’ve just paid for my comics when the guy ahead of me pipes up.)

Customer: “Arrow? That’s not a real comic book. You need someone to tell you about real comics.”

Me: “Who’s Zatanna?”

Customer: “Who?”

Me: “Zatanna Zatara. Who is she?”

Customer: “I don’t know—”

Me: “She’s a magician, an extremely powerful logomancer, arguably the most powerful person in the DCU, and my favorite comic character. Sadly, she’s only ever appeared in an episode of Batman TAS and a couple of minor spots in Justice League, so only serious comic geeks know about her. And you didn’t buy anything but Marvel tie-ins.”