28 September 2009

The Pseudo-Nerd

pseudo-nerd |ˈsoōdō nərd|
noun informal
- an insecure individual searching for self-identity by adopting a label to which they conform very loosely : the teenage pseudo-nerd babbled about Harry Potter.
- one who wishes to attract the attention of the nerd population by copying their superficial mannerisms.


There is an unfortunate trend in current teenage society toward the school of thought that nerdiness is cool. This makes very little sense, because by definition nerdiness is thought of as a label for weird people. Its synonyms are bore, dork, dweeb, nimrod, geek, drip, loser, and (*snicker*) techie. Put succinctly: You cannot be cool and nerdy at the same time.

I have dubbed this phenomenon the pseudo-nerd. Here follows a list of criteria for the purposes of distinguishing the pseudo-nerd from the true nerd.

- Nerds slip casual references to things in the realm of nerd-dom into conversations to see if anyone reacts. This: "Ooh, +2 to Sneak Attack"; not this: "OMG YOU SHOULD PLAY DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS."

- At least half of the music on a nerd's iPod is from movie soundtracks, and when asked, they can identify a favorite composer. (Hans Zimmer FTW.)

- Nerds use words like 'facetious', 'surreptitious' and 'plebeian' in casual conversation with perfect ease, not out of a desire to draw attention to themselves but because they feel such a word is appropriate. They will also combine these with expressions like FTW (for the win) and w00t.

- Nerds own t-shirts with things like Einstein's Theory of Relativity emblazoned on them. Or, alternatively, "I prepared Explosive Runes this morning."

- Nerds do not curse conventionally. Instead, they say things like, 'curse it', 'blood and ashes', or 'by the seventh level of the underworld!'

- You will come across the occasional nerd who can solve a Rubik's Cube in sixty seconds flat with their eyes closed. (I know one of these.)

- Nerds, when conversing with their fellow nerds, can often be highly confusing in the way they address each other. This is due to the fact that most nerds have two names, real-life and internet, and they respond with equal alacrity to both.

- 'Fantasy author' is a synonym for nerd.

- Nerds bake cakes on September 22. (If you don't know why, you're either a pseudo-nerd or a non-nerd.)

There's even a test!

(Fankoo potr for helping.)

25 September 2009

Found it

Only two days late after all.

Apologies for the lack of Starbucks picture; I forgot my camera. It's generally instrumental in the taking of pictures.

Finished Rebel Angels. I'll probably go on to read the third book in the series, but I've found them a bit unremarkable in general. It's a boarding-school fantasy involving a heroine with innate magical ability, some wailing over arranged marriages, and the usual headstrong characters with feminist tendencies. Easy to read, but the characters don't get much development and the plot doesn't offer many surprises.

On that note--plot surprises--this is a shameless plug! Fringe succeeds masterfully at NEVER being predictable. Thursdays at 10 pm MST!

23 September 2009

What I Was Humming Today

12:30 pm - The Super Mario theme
3 pm - Rondo Alla Turka (Mozart)
4:30 pm - Stars by Switchfoot

I'm anticipating some thinly veiled hints soon, so...

Um, and also, this is the first time I've been late with a header. I vewy sowwy. I thought I had a Feet of Shadows fall header hanging around somewhere, but a few searches of my computer with the key words 'fall' and 'feetofshadows' reveal nothing.

I'm a bit too lazy right now for philosophical ramblings, so this post falls into the category of An Update on My Life. What am I currently up to?

A) I'm working. At the library. This has required the purchase of some comfy but NOT CHEAP shoes. I'm still recovering from the effects of spending that much money on shoes at one time.

B) I'm hanging out on the Starbucks patio when on lunch breaks at work, sometimes nursing a fancy coffee drink (I allow myself to actually buy something once a week) and sometimes just loitering with a book. Tomorrow, this week's designated Starbucks Day, I plan to start officially documenting my visits with a picture. Then, ideally, I can blog a weekly Starbucks Picture so that you may all observe the variance of the weather, my drinks, and the weight of the jacket I'm wearing. I know, fascinating, right?

C) I'm yelling my plot opinions at the TV. The season premieres of several shows I like were on this week and last, including Fringe (I've added a Fringe blog to the sidebar), Bones and NCIS. During Fringe and NCIS I took to shrieking, "She's not dead!" and, in both cases, she wasn't. Hah.

D) I'm serving as an Apprentice (my own name) at youth group, since I'm too old to attend now but they do need leaders. Apprentice = junior leader. It's been a little weird so far to shift from being a youth to a leader, but I'm trusting that in time it'll feel a bit more natural.

E) I'm churning through books. Lately I've read Sunshine by Robin McKinley (in brief: PWNS Twilight as far as vampire books go. I love McKinley's writing style to pieces. There was one bit of a scene that was rather TMI as far as I'm concerned, but that's about the book's only offense), A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (a bit unremarkable except for the author's present-tense style), and Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (and it almost killed me). I'm in the process of reading Rebel Angels by Libba Bray, Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko, and Living the Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney. (EDIT: And Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley. As of today.)

F) Lastly, I'm tentatively starting a second part-time job sometime fairly soon. Watch for more about that in the future.

Another feature I may start incorporating is What Was Melda Humming Today? because the variance of songs that play in my head while I'm at work is astounding. I think that if I started keeping a list it might be amusing. Watch for that too.

11 September 2009

September 11

I like to avoid the peace symbol. On bags, t-shirts, whatever. (Though to be entirely fair, I have a pair of boots that have some cross between a peace sign and a heart on them as a pattern.) It's not that I'm anti-peace. It's more that I am not pro-peace-at-all-costs.

Pacifism would be okay if the world was perfect. It's not. It's all very well to be committed to peace personally, but if the guy on the other side isn't, all your commitment to peace is going to get you is a black eye and some missing teeth.

I support America in continuing to fight a war against the terrorists who gave it a lot more than a black eye on September 11, 2001. I support a war that protects freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and justice.

I'm not pro-war. But I believe that there are things in this world that are worth fighting for. So did every American and Canadian soldier that has died so far, protecting their country and believing that every human being deserves the same rights we are blessed with. They died because they believed that. I don't know if I would have the same courage.

I stand behind the soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq - may their courage prevent September 11 from happening again, and may Americans (and Canadians) never surrender freedom because they want peace.