This is...not normal. Nor is it normal that I spent the majority of my day yesterday reading 225 pages of The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor. Saturday, my coworker shared this link on my facebook wall. A few months ago my mother-in-law, the nicest Irish Catholic woman you know, printed out articles on zombies for me while she was at work. My mom dragged me to book group with her a few weeks ago to be "the zombie expert" during their discussion of World War Z, but cautioned that I wasn't allowed to "talk over everyone".
But today, looking at the picture of my zombie-fabulous friend eating her cat was the final straw in my geek coffin. I have become, slowly and over many years, the zombie girl. Coworkers I haven't spoken to in weeks stop me in the hallway to ask if I watch The Walking Dead. My tattoo artist smirked and deemed my latest tattoo (me as a zombie)...unique. This obsession started many, many years ago, but as the infected, zombiefied gray matter has hit the proverbial fan lately, it's become clear that I have become an amateur authority on the matter. The local "go-to" for all things zombie.
When I was eight years old, my father sat me down to watch Night of the Living Dead while my mom was out of town for work. Clearly, a solid parenting decision that he doesn't now regret. Ever since, well...at least once I stopped having nightmares and sleeping curled up at the foot of my parents' bed...I have had an obsession with the macabre. I started crying when, years later, I met George Romero and told him the story of my eight-year-old introduction to his genre.
Long story short, it's time to come out of the zombie closet. I'm the zombie girl and this will be the place for all things zombie. Ask questions, make comments. I'll bring you my reviews of zombie fiction, film, comics, television, video games, etc. I'll be attending zombie 5ks and Chicago zombie events. I'll bring you my reporting from convention floors and movie theater back rows. I'll post the occasional "top 5" list that will hopefully bring a chuckle to the monotony of your day, and maybe...just maybe...if you read for long enough, when the zombie apocalypse is upon us, you'll live through it along with me.
