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as a new member of the tribe, I thought I'd offer a little game that allows me to both introduce myself as worthy of the geek/nerd/nrrd title, and offers a little fill-in-the-blank fun to get some action onto the board.
my name is ms. dynomite and I am a nerd.
I have a little story and it goes something like this...
a few months back I took my then-boyfriend to a party with a bunch of artists, techies, brainies and general kooks that I'm fond of. my companion was sociable and friendly and seemed to have a good time. so at the end of the night, on the walk home, I said "hey, thanks so much for coming to the party. my last boyfriend hated this crowd. he thought they were too weird and wouldn't come out with me. so it means a lot that you were open to it."
he replied "no, thanks for inviting me. I had a great time. I liked your friends. I mean they're geeks, but they're really nice geeks."
...long pause. gerbil wheel in my brain rapidly turning...
(gasp) my friends are geeks? omg, my friends ARE geeks! and I'm such a geek that I didn't even recognize OTHER geeks. which makes me an even BIGGER geek than they are!
and so goes my nerd epiphany. but while I may be a nerd, I'm a nerd with style, baby. "nerd chic", if you will. of course, my nerdiness is further exacerbated by my use of "if you will".
but my past proclivity for motorcycle boots, piercings and manic panic nicely tip me in the Riot Nrrd category. and my days of being picked on in the playground were over the day a crowd-surfing skinhead kicked me squarely in the head as he fell to the floor...and I responded by yanking him up by his collar, smacking him upside the head, and shouting "what the f*ck is wrong with you?!"
so that's my little story.
next....
my name is ms. dynomite and I am a nerd.
I have a little story and it goes something like this...
a few months back I took my then-boyfriend to a party with a bunch of artists, techies, brainies and general kooks that I'm fond of. my companion was sociable and friendly and seemed to have a good time. so at the end of the night, on the walk home, I said "hey, thanks so much for coming to the party. my last boyfriend hated this crowd. he thought they were too weird and wouldn't come out with me. so it means a lot that you were open to it."
he replied "no, thanks for inviting me. I had a great time. I liked your friends. I mean they're geeks, but they're really nice geeks."
...long pause. gerbil wheel in my brain rapidly turning...
(gasp) my friends are geeks? omg, my friends ARE geeks! and I'm such a geek that I didn't even recognize OTHER geeks. which makes me an even BIGGER geek than they are!
and so goes my nerd epiphany. but while I may be a nerd, I'm a nerd with style, baby. "nerd chic", if you will. of course, my nerdiness is further exacerbated by my use of "if you will".
but my past proclivity for motorcycle boots, piercings and manic panic nicely tip me in the Riot Nrrd category. and my days of being picked on in the playground were over the day a crowd-surfing skinhead kicked me squarely in the head as he fell to the floor...and I responded by yanking him up by his collar, smacking him upside the head, and shouting "what the f*ck is wrong with you?!"
so that's my little story.
next....
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Thu, November 4, 2004 - 9:22 PMThing is, a true nerd is so cool she doesn't ever worry about being geeky or being cool and the uncool people who worry about it all compensate by labelling us, the truly cool, nerds and geeks.
"Cool" people aren't nearly as interesting as so-called nerds and geeks.
Congrats on being geeky!
I know I must be a nerd because I totally understood "i [heart] huckabees" and I'm an artist and writer and techie myself. Moreover, I am want to unearth little used and archaic turns of speech and re-use. Among my favorite oaths are 'zounds and gadzooks, the etymologies of which I have naturally made myself familiar.
Anyhow, I've lurked long enough and you've inspired this wallflower to come forward and blossom. Thank you, ms. dynomite!
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Thu, November 4, 2004 - 9:23 PMThing is, a true nerd is so cool she doesn't ever worry about being geeky or being cool and the uncool people who worry about it all compensate by labelling us, the truly cool, nerds and geeks.
"Cool" people aren't nearly as interesting as so-called nerds and geeks.
Congrats on being geeky!
I know I must be a nerd because I totally understood "i [heart] huckabees" and I'm an artist and writer and techie myself. Moreover, I am want to unearth little used and archaic turns of speech and re-use. Among my favorite oaths are 'zounds and gadzooks, the etymologies of which I have naturally made myself familiar.
Anyhow, I've lurked long enough and you've inspired this wallflower to come forward and blossom. Thank you, ms. dynomite! -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Fri, November 5, 2004 - 11:58 AMI'm so glad I could lure you out of hiding! thanks for sharing.
and you hit it on the head...nerds are cool because they don't follow the standard rules of behavior...it's this oddness that labels them as nerds by the "cool" folks. but the "cool" folks are so concerned with fitting the typical cool profile that they actually become dorks. nerds however, transcend coolness with their indifference to cool. ;p
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Fri, November 12, 2004 - 11:39 AMof my geeky glasses, social ineptitude, and my mother dresses me funny. Actually, that last part's not true, I dress myself, mostly.
Anyway, hi, I'm new here. I enjoy drawing comic books and listening to unlistenable electronic squeaks and bibbles.
Anyone catch the Farscape movie? -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Fri, November 12, 2004 - 3:11 PMnope
but its funny people brought up the phrases of speech.
so, I'm at a bar with a friend and his circle, whom I didn't know. So as drinks are had, I start to slowly work my way into conversations, make intro's etc... so someone brings up something to do with physics, I jump at the chance to wow and dazzle the room, and at some point one of the girls at the table goes:
"Wow, you used 'nevertheless', that's pretty cool"
I had no idea I'd even said it. It took a few seconds for me to even understand. Further, I realized nothing else I had said had been heard.
As a last note, the nerd as un-noticed or un-recognized cool is, in my opinion, not totally accurate. I have known many certifiable nerds that let there social awkwardness turn into awkward crassness. Not good crass, but that kind of crass that makes you look around the room for fear someone is about to drop something on you. I'm sure others know what I mean. -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Fri, November 12, 2004 - 5:35 PM>> Not good crass, but that kind of crass that makes you look around the room for fear someone is about to drop something on you. <<
yes I do! but I believe that would actually be describing dorks, not nerds. :) see above thread. :) I think the difference is that a nerd has a self-composure, or is comfortable with their difference, and therefore not so socially awkward or abrasive. nerds are endearing. dorks are the people you want to shove in lockers.
>> I realized nothing else I had said had been heard <<
*L*
I think that mostly what makes me a nerd is that I get very excited and enthusiastic about things....definiitely not "playing it cool". and there are times that such enthusiasim leads to the point where I'm thinking "god just make me stop talking. at any point. just make me shut up before this gets worse. I can't believe I'm still talking..." -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Sat, November 13, 2004 - 7:01 PMLOL! Yeah... I can never get myself to shut up! haha.
I'm a nerd because of all the reasons previously mentioned. My ex's only way of describing me on a regular basis was "weird," but he was definitely a dork, by ms. dynomite's definition. He wanted so badly to fit in and be accepted, and I'm pretty sure I actually made him uncomfortable with my nerdiness on a regular basis... one time, towards the end, I was meeting him in public and thought it would be great and hilarious if I ran towards him, as if in slow motion, like in the movies when two people haven't seen each other in a while. I was sure this would get a laugh, but instead all I got as I got to him was, "Oh geez, you don't have to act like a crazy person!" To which I replied, "Yes I do! Don't you know that about me by now." Case in point, he was an idiot. Who needs those assholes who are allergic to silliness... they're just no fun!!
And as for the Physics, Chris, I would've listened to you! I can't say I understand a whole lot of physics myself, past high school level, since I haven't actually studied much of it, but one of my favorite things to do is to ask one of my physics buddies to explain this or that thing to me and then watch as they quickly surpass my threshold of understanding. It's still great tho, because even as they delve deeper into theories I've never even heard of, I still try to understand in some way, and I feel just a little smarter afterwards.
YES!! Nerds are wonderful.
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Sat, February 5, 2005 - 8:49 PMFor me being a nerd is being so ahead of the curve that everyone else has to run and catch up.
I have been a nerd my entire life. I was the only female in my high school Dungeons & Dragons club. I would spit on Sweet Valley High and was reading Michael Moorcock instead. My literary heroes are Oscar Wilde (whom I sometimes pattern myself after by wearing a green carnation), Jane Austen (and I speak excellent Regency cant), and the Bronte sisters.
I usually describe myself as the gothic regency elizabethan faerie queene with a taste for long-haired poets, the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, thai iced teas and antique fountain pens.
I miss having a salon--anyone know of one in the L.A. area? -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Thu, February 10, 2005 - 12:53 PMI bet your wardrobe is spectacular! -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Mon, March 14, 2005 - 6:09 PMI get an incredible sense of well being watching a hard drive defragment . . . -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Mon, September 12, 2005 - 7:32 AM" I get an incredible sense of well being watching a hard drive defragment . . ."
LOL, good one!
And here i thought i was the only one who enjoyed this. You should try watching an old pen plotter working ... mesmerizing
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Tue, March 15, 2005 - 1:02 PMI love this thread because I can totally relate! I get to hear how weird or "unusual" I am all the time. It's too bad that so many people DON'T GET THE JOKE! People take themselves, and every situation so seriously, and don't see the humor in life!
Case in Point: in the middle of making out with an old boyfriend I had the undeniable urge to clamp my mouth over his nose and blow. Yes, could be viewed as unusual, but it was damn funny as well, and the situation needed a little levity! So maybe you had to be there, but it was funny, I promise.
This story may not be the best example. It makes me sound like a nose fetishist or something, which isn't the case.
So here is my confession: the reason I was drawn to this tribe is that I'm happy being a geek. I like that my dad taught me morse code when I was in the 4th grade and that I still remember it; I like that I'm able to question the reasons behind social conventions instead of blindly follow them; I enjoy spending time with other geeks because, truth be told, they are much more fun and interesting to be around.
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Sat, March 19, 2005 - 9:23 AMBeing a nerd means loving yourself so much you don't care what's cool. I'm a nerd because:
- I'm posting this
- I sometimes go into a record shop and buy *every* album an artist has recorded
- I wrote a soccer game for the Atari 800 at age 11
- As I learned the art of seduction, I went from too shy to pervert, with no in between
- My bass head is taller than my bass cab because it's so full of interconnected gizmos that light up with different colored LEDs
- The number of knobs and LEDs is a big plus for me, as much as I hate to admit it
- Then again I'll ramble all day about the sonic spectrum and sound dynamics
- I've seen "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" more than 10 times since it came out
- I've broken up with more than one person over political views -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Tue, March 29, 2005 - 11:31 AMMost of you seem to be techie/art nerds.
I seem to fall in another department (maybe geek?)
-Collected comics in the early 80's (now its graphic novels-much easier to handle)
-Likes sci fi, fantasy, horror literature and cinema
-Collects said genre action figures
-Knows enough useless trivia to win $8500 on a quiz show (it was a combined -physical stress/mental trivia show-the physical pooped out before the mental did)
-Plays video games (since Atari-I'm O.G.)
Seems most of the stuff I was ostricized for is now considered cool, but I'm still on the outside looking in. -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Tue, March 29, 2005 - 12:12 PMEleanor! Run away with me to Narnia!
No? Ok, well, do you still read comics? Which ones?
Are you psyched for the new Hitchhiker's Guide movie? I know I am. How about the rest of you? -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Tue, March 29, 2005 - 12:44 PMLast comics read: Y: The Last Man, Torso
Still groovin' on:
Astro City
Sandman/Death
Books of Magic
Watchmen
Sin City
Grendel
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Ronin
Miller's Electra
Hellboy
and of course: Calvin & Hobbes
Soooo excited about HGTTG. I expect it to be pretty good, since it's not an American production. Sin City this Friday-boooyaah! -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Tue, March 29, 2005 - 12:45 PMOooh, I forgot:
30 Days of Night -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Tue, March 29, 2005 - 1:22 PMAh, you know what you'd like, a comic called Lore, by Ashley (30 Days of Night) Wood and some other guy.
It's kind of a David Lynch meets Sandman. Check it out.
And yeah, Sin City's gonna rawk. -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Sat, April 2, 2005 - 5:12 PMI'm lurking on this thread and I'm now interested in the Lore comic. I'm going to check it out. I've got my own little comic collection as well. (I'm afraid that to me they will always be comic books.) -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Sat, April 2, 2005 - 5:56 PMThanks for the recommendation-I'll check it out. What I like about 30 Days was the illustrations by Ben Templesmith-my choices are usually aesthetically driven.
Wendy: what else would comic books be? Graphic novels (its just the entire collection bound together)? -
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This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Mon, April 11, 2005 - 11:35 AMEleanor, I think I may have misunderstood your original comic books vs. graphic novel reference.
Let's talk about semiotics. Did you mean the simple fact that it's easier to collect them now that the series is easier to collect now that they are being bound into "graphic novels," or did you mean that comic books are now more acceptable as literature because they carry the title "graphic novel" (which is what I assumed you were saying).
I'm probably muddying the waters even more. Never mind. -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Mon, April 11, 2005 - 12:35 PMWendy:
Actually the former-I do agree that comics will always be comics. Graphic novels are easier for me-I don't have to worry about "collecting" them (I used to buy duplicates-1 to read, 1 to collect). -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Mon, April 11, 2005 - 3:42 PMIt's now crystal clear, thanks. I was way off on my assumption.
I get a little miffed when some of the same snobs who used to snicker at me for having my face buried in a comic book now go on about the nuances of this or that "graphic novel."
Which isn't to say there aren't nuances; I just don't like it when elitists latch on to the latest fashion like they've always been there.
I guess I shouldn't be so critical. We've all been introduced to something we like through belated exposure... -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Mon, April 11, 2005 - 3:52 PMYeh, I was a bit puzzled at first when they started calling collections "graphic novels". I still call them comic books, even if they are in "novel" form-it's funny how mainstream it's all become, eh?
Cheers!! -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Sun, April 17, 2005 - 7:18 PMhahaha! As long as I can remember, comic books were cool. Funny how things change. But then again, I've always thought nerds were cool, so maybe that's just me (when I was younger, what was cool was what my bro thought was cool, and he's a real math/computer nerd/weirdo. I love him...). I am more of an art nerd/geek/dork, but I get along with nerd/geeks/dorks/weridos of all kinds.
Do you think I used enough slashes? -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Wed, September 7, 2005 - 8:08 PMI'm a nerd-lover. A geek-magnet. Every single one of my serious relationships (7) has been with either an engineer/uber computer genius, a math whiz, or a sci-fi freak (the lawyer counts too because he was hella smart and read every history book he could find). I have logged more hours watching the back of a bf's head playing video games than ought to be allowed by law. I think smart/talent is sexier than good looks, although I have only dated good-looking nerds. Does that make me shallow?
I am a nerd myself - I was valedictorian, never fit in with the "in" crowd, read comic books and played D&D, I have always been (and still am) a Band-geek and a drama-geek, and I am big into sci-fi and anime/toons....
Geeks rule! -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Thu, June 15, 2006 - 6:15 PMI am also one of those watching slightly off movies (Adaptation, The Station Agent, HGTTG,...), read sci fi (including comic books), do lots of puzzles, remember lots of trivia, etc
It hit when I was going through college especially library school that I am a geek, I always hang out with geeks and feel most comfortable with geeks--painfully shy as a child. I try not to say it too much around some of my friends because those get a little touchy.
i played D & D throughout high school, and thought it was normal that my brother could pretend to be a computer for one of the role-playing games and very good at it. Every really close group of friends I've had were also pretty nerdy. I was the "smart chick" and when any young man asks me about the AD & D manuals at the library, they seem delighted that I also played and don't think they are weird. -
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Re: I'm a nerd because ___
Mon, June 19, 2006 - 6:26 AMI think it is great that this thread is still going. I replied a while back and feel i must add more. Like many of you i enjoy: Comics, D&D, computers,...etc But i feel it is more about our strong will and morals that set us apart. Call it non-conformist or whatever. Embrace your inner geek! Enjoy the diversity that life has to offer!
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