Sunday, December 7, 2008

Nerdlove

... So there I was, watching my prostate exam being streamed onto youtube as it happened. "Doctor," I said, "are you sure this is standard procedure?" He chuckled. "I'm not a doctor, I'm a tobacconist."


  • 62. My left foot is bigger then my right. A full shoe size bigger. It means I have to get the half-size between them both and have both feet be uncomfortable. ... What? This is "100 facts about myself", not "100 interesting facts about myself." What were you expecting? The age I lost my virginity? Nosy bastards.

To celebrate one of the most awesome ladies of the internet apparently having a read of my blog(nerdgasm-unlimited.blogspot.com/2008/11/rules-of-net-name.html, the awesome lady in question being Zendulo. If I need to link you to her youtube still (http://www.youtube.com/user/zendulo) you're obviously not a regular reader) I decided to discuss nerdomance.

First, let us define the nerd/geek among us. There are three stages of nerds.

1. The 'passable' stage. This is where the nerd has a great affinity for a nerd-topic or four, quite enjoying them and being very knowledgable about them, but at the same time it's in no way a requirement of this nerd's lifestyle. The Nerd may often try to hide their nerdiness, pretending they don't have any hobbies rather then admiting to their non-nerdy friends they collect little plastic miniatures. If push came to shove, they could put it all away and feel only a few twinges of regret.

2. The 'Lifestyle' stage. A nerd at this stage is 'out of the closet' as it were. They let everyone know what they're about, and if they meet someone with the same interests they'll gladly talk about it for a few hours with them. They love the lifestyle, but they're not obsessed, they can discuss things outside nerdom with ease.

3. The 'Obsessional' stage. At this point the nerd often focuses on a singular topic, but not always, sometimes they can embrace nerdom as a whole. This nerd is both admired for their will power and dedication, and feared for their bizarreness and odd nature. Their dedication to the cause leaves them a LITTLE underprepared for other sitations.

I like to think I fall squarely into the second stage. I don't even try to hide my nerdiness anymore, but at the same time I can function in situations that don't require it. Most nerds would be predominantly stage one, occasionally venturing into stage two for more widespread accepted aspects (major computer games like Halo or World of Warcraft, or movies like Star Wars).

In general, each stage of geek is after something different romantically, to fit in with the nerdiness they've let into their life.

1. For this geek, nerdiness or lack-thereof doesn't matter. If they hooked up with someone, but found they really disliked the person's hobby, they wouldn't struggle too much with a decision to shelve it.

2. The stage 2er isn't likely to put away a reasonably important part of their free time, even if the potential partner is pretty awesome. Instead the stage 2er requires at least some kind of respect for their choices, if not mutual enjoyment. After all, what could be more awesome then a lazy rainy saturday night in sitting next to a significant other watching awesome movies for 7 hours straight, both of you humming the theme tunes and riffing on what they get wrong?

3. Stage 3ers need people interested in their passion, nothing less.


As a stage 2er, I'd need someone with at least a degree of respect for my hobbies and interests. And I've discussed this both in the blog and in real life, if I'm proposing to a lady, I'm gonna do it nerd style. Either I'm gonna go down on a knee with the tip of my sword resting on the ground, or I'm going to wear a brown coat and make a Firefly-style speach. It's a difficult choice.


You know, the idea for this post sounded alot cooler in my head.

Well, I need to finish on a good note, so here:



Best Death Scene Evar.

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