Remember back in high school when the "cool" kids called you a geek? Or a dork? Or a nerd, dweeb, twit, or doofus? Maybe you were one of the cool kids.
The terms change with each generation, but the concept is the same. You don't have the right clothes or the right friends. You don't live in the right neighborhood or have the right car. In those tender teen years, it can hurt to feel like you don't fit in.
But at some point in the last decade or so, it seems like, in the words of Huey Lewis, it's hip to be square! So why do I consider myself a geek?
On TV, I've watched "Doctor Who," "Star Trek" (the original), "Firefly," "The Big Bang Theory," and "Lost." Though I'm not a hardcore fan, I've enjoyed the films "Lord of the Rings" (all three, and anxiously awaiting "The Hobbit"), "Star Wars" (all six, though the original three are the best), and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Some of my favorite actors these days are Nathan Fillion, David Tennant, and Benedict Cumberbatch. I just updated my calendar and noted the following "holidays" that I celebrate: Talk Like a Pirate Day, Hobbit Day, National Punctuation Day, National Grammar Day, Pi Day, and Towel Day. Oh, my... I know that the cake is a lie. Darn it...I just lost the game. I'm not big on video games if they don't involve Mario and Yoshi, but I have a basic awareness of "Halo," "Portal," and "World of Warcraft." I blog and tweet and Facebook. My phone has apps for both a lightsaber and a sonic screwdriver.
I know I'm nowhere near being a teenager. I'll never go to Comic-Con. I don't consider myself an expert on pop culture by any means. But I am proud to say I am a geek.
And if you understood even half of my references above, you just might be a geek, too.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Little Things You Never Forget
I wrote earlier this summer about some little things that mean a lot. You know--those seemingly minor events or interactions that hold a more special place emotionally than it would appear on paper.
I also wrote last month about my 30-year class reunion. Naturally, lots of memories were shared about classmates, teachers, the school, and the city. One friend told a story about her daughter's spelling bee. The girl missed a word, and her mom told her that she would always remember that word and never misspell it again. "Was I right? Do you remember your word? Mind was 'friend.' Can you believe it?" Yes, I remember: flivver (which I would define as sort of a jalopy). An English teacher read us a poem or story or something titled (as I recall) "Ford's Fabulous Flivver." But I never saw a hard copy so had no clue how to spell the word! Afterward, I remember another teacher telling me that I should have known it had a double "v" because of the short "i" sound. She gave examples with a long "i" like driver and survivor. Oh yeah? Well, what about quiver and shiver and river? But I digress. The point isn't that I missed a word and didn't win the school spelling bee. The point is that though I have likely never used the word in conversation in the 35 years since, flivver will never leave my brain.
There are so many little things from childhood and my teen years that, at first glance, don't seem that memorable. And if you asked, I probably couldn't even explain them well enough to make them seem important. But for whatever reason, they've burrowed into my brain. I remember...
...pinching my finger in the refrigerator handle
...chasing a fawn down the middle of the road, trying to get it to run to the safety of the woods
...leaving a "snack" out by the night-light for the Sandman
...the tire blowing out on the car as my mom was driving us home from a Girl Scout trip
...my brother making me laugh at "Mount Fuji Wuji"
...wearing dishtowels for capes at my cousins' house
...the spiders outside the windows at the rooftop restaurant on our vacation
...getting knocked off the teeter-totter in grade school
...sitting on Daddy's lap to "drive" the car into the garage
...the dish soap bottle with a string in it at Grandma's house (Trust me--it was a funny prank at that age!)
...the other grandma's riced potatoes (They just taste better than plain spuds!)
...my sister taking me to high school with her for some class project/discussion
They all sound silly, right? Maybe they are. Could I tell you any more specific info about any of the events? Probably not. Did I learn anything from these experiences? I doubt it. Are these substantial milestones in the development of who I am today? Not likely. But these are just a few examples of the minutiae that my mind has chosen to retain.
There are plenty of more significant events in my adult life. Once you graduate high school there are all sorts of things you'll remember forever. Some, you wish you could recall more clearly. Others, you wish you could forget.
It's simultaneously fascinating and comical how the mind works. We remember things for no apparent reason. But I know it's not just me. Come on, admit it. You've got those little details stuck in your head, too.
What's your flivver?
I also wrote last month about my 30-year class reunion. Naturally, lots of memories were shared about classmates, teachers, the school, and the city. One friend told a story about her daughter's spelling bee. The girl missed a word, and her mom told her that she would always remember that word and never misspell it again. "Was I right? Do you remember your word? Mind was 'friend.' Can you believe it?" Yes, I remember: flivver (which I would define as sort of a jalopy). An English teacher read us a poem or story or something titled (as I recall) "Ford's Fabulous Flivver." But I never saw a hard copy so had no clue how to spell the word! Afterward, I remember another teacher telling me that I should have known it had a double "v" because of the short "i" sound. She gave examples with a long "i" like driver and survivor. Oh yeah? Well, what about quiver and shiver and river? But I digress. The point isn't that I missed a word and didn't win the school spelling bee. The point is that though I have likely never used the word in conversation in the 35 years since, flivver will never leave my brain.
There are so many little things from childhood and my teen years that, at first glance, don't seem that memorable. And if you asked, I probably couldn't even explain them well enough to make them seem important. But for whatever reason, they've burrowed into my brain. I remember...
...pinching my finger in the refrigerator handle
...chasing a fawn down the middle of the road, trying to get it to run to the safety of the woods
...leaving a "snack" out by the night-light for the Sandman
...the tire blowing out on the car as my mom was driving us home from a Girl Scout trip
...my brother making me laugh at "Mount Fuji Wuji"
...wearing dishtowels for capes at my cousins' house
...the spiders outside the windows at the rooftop restaurant on our vacation
...getting knocked off the teeter-totter in grade school
...sitting on Daddy's lap to "drive" the car into the garage
...the dish soap bottle with a string in it at Grandma's house (Trust me--it was a funny prank at that age!)
...the other grandma's riced potatoes (They just taste better than plain spuds!)
...my sister taking me to high school with her for some class project/discussion
They all sound silly, right? Maybe they are. Could I tell you any more specific info about any of the events? Probably not. Did I learn anything from these experiences? I doubt it. Are these substantial milestones in the development of who I am today? Not likely. But these are just a few examples of the minutiae that my mind has chosen to retain.
There are plenty of more significant events in my adult life. Once you graduate high school there are all sorts of things you'll remember forever. Some, you wish you could recall more clearly. Others, you wish you could forget.
It's simultaneously fascinating and comical how the mind works. We remember things for no apparent reason. But I know it's not just me. Come on, admit it. You've got those little details stuck in your head, too.
What's your flivver?
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Don't Mind Me...
I decided it was time to try a new blog layout. So, I've spent the last hour or so trying different templates, moving gadgets, adjusting colors, etc. I need to sleep on it and decide if I like it or not. I just didn't want anyone (especially me) to feel that my page was looking stale!
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