Wednesday, April 18, 2012

I am nerd.

I'm writing this as a part of a train of thought recently, both about myself and my interactions with others and having read an article recently that talked about how being a gamer is still not something that's socially acceptable to announce. So here goes.

I AM NERD.

I really am, and I don't use that term pejoratively. I'm a fiction hound and I love things generally considered nerdly. I've owned dice with more than 6 sides, I'm a hardcore gamer and I know more about the Star Wars extended universe than most people know about the original episodes.

And I enjoy it. While video gaming and nerdliness still carries with it a pejorative connotation, I don't much care.

But I do notice something interesting in my interactions with others. People ask me "Hey Joe, how's it going? What's new?" and my answer is usually... well, nothing. In my largely spartan lifestyle, I go out of my way to avoid drama, and most of my time is spent playing video games or coming up with new investment strategies and ways to make money to fuel my personal endeavors and other interests like Cars, Beer and such. In spending time wondering why I have so little to talk about when I'm prompted with that question, I realize that explaining some exciting battle I've had in a video game online with a few friends would seem underwhelming to most. I also realize that I go out of my way to avoid the kinds of drama that most people talk about when prompted with that question.

Now, it's not that I expect people to be fascinated by my hobbies, just that my normal lifestyle doesn't really translate to what others are so used to. (I.e., I haven't had a girlfriend in years because I don't care for the drama that usually goes along with it. Relationships have to involve someone I find value in as opposed to the relationship qua the relationship.)

So anyway, I'm a nerd. My WoW account makes other nerds jealous. I guess I go against the norm in some ways because I'm not as reclusive as some... oh and I look good with glasses on.


Next up: A theory on why human space travel may not extend beyond our galaxy or "Why the Matrix is a more likely future for humanity, than intergalactic travel."