In preparation for his fourth Thanksgiving, Phil Kalata asked his (very patient) mother when the “movie with the laser swords” would be on TV again. Several years later he wrote his first piece of Star Wars fan fiction for a third grade English assignment. In the magical year of 1995 he discovered Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy of Star Wars books. He later surfaced sometime after 2001, having read and nearly memorized every Star Wars novel up to that point. He has since quit the expanded universe cold turkey and grown his horizons to encompass things other than Star Wars, D&D and Final Fantasy.
Phil is a geek to the core. He tries not to discriminate against anyone with geeky or nerdy passions but can’t help making fun of LARPers. He hopes to reign supreme on the Geek Hierarchy (google it if you aren’t familiar) and counts Hugo Weaving as his nemesis. He has also begun writing his first fantasy novel.
Nearly everything Phil does is associated with being a geek. He went to a private engineering college because it was full of geeks. While there he joined a fraternity for engineers, architects and scientists and started a science fiction and fantasy book club. He now works at a small vocational school in Chicago but is otherwise still quite geeky. On Friday nights he runs a D&D game. Other nights he enjoys cooking and playing video games. Phil tries to write a little bit each day in the hopes of eventually becoming a published author and quitting his 9-to-5 corporate position to write full-time.
He met the love of his life while still at university and somehow ended up marrying her. The patience she shows is limitless and she continues to inspire him every day. Though, she is still somewhat of a mystery. Phil has yet to puzzle out why she rewards his Friday night absences with delicious baked goods prepared while he is out.
Phil prides himself on the level of his geekness and claims he is at least conversant in nearly every form of geekspeak. His notable interests include: