Geek-Chic

My friend Sandy and I always end up talking ceaselessly about everything from religion & politics to which books were better than the movies.  The other day, while in the midst of discussing excuses for not putting clothes away and whether or not Harry Potter should have ended up with Ginny Weasley (she maintains steadfastly that Ginny was actually a "fan-girl" and therefore unworthy of our intrepid hero), we got talking about "Geek" vs. "Nerd" definitions. I honestly don't remember what sparked the conversation.  It might have happened about the time David Letterman interrupted us by making us think one of us had sat on the remote, which is really another story, and was partly our fault, anyway, for having the TV on and not paying attention to it.  Whatever sparked it, we soon realized we were understanding the words in different ways.  

It's worth noting, I think, that you are going to get a different definition for each of these depending upon whom you ask.  And then there is the fact that the definitions seem to have changed over time. When I was a kid in the 1980s and 1990s, I remember any smart kid was in danger of falling into the "nerd" category.  Any A/V (that's "audio-visual" to you young'uns out there - as in projectors & VCRs, mostly) kid was more likely to get dubbed "geek".  Therefore, my definition came down to "technology = geek" and "smart = nerd".  I was acutely aware of these labels, too, since I frequently seemed find myself pigeon-holed into the "nerd" department under this definition.  I specifically remember the shock that came over some of my friends in the 8th grade when they realized that this "brain" was beat out on a math test by one of the more athletic boys in our class.  I still define that as the moment of dawning realization that I was much more inclined toward language than mathematics.  

Oh, the need of young people to place labels on each other (and ourselves)!  I myself was many things other than just a "brain" or a "nerd," but found it a bit disconcerting to find my labels slipping.  Not that any of this happens in adult life.  (Please sense HEAVY irony here!) 

So, we, full-grown adults that we now are, proceeded to dissect just what these labels mean now. Sandy made a convincing argument that a "geek" is someone who has a passionate interest in something and brings that into pretty much all areas of their life.  This brought up images of "o-philes" such as anglophiles (people who love all things English or possibly British), techno-philes (people who love all things involving technology), bibliophiles (those who love books and reading), neo-philes (not people who love the Matrix movies,sadly enough, but people who love all things new)...and other "o-phile" labels which maybe don't have it in their names, such as  Janeites (those of us who love all things Jane Austen). I think you get the picture.  So, by all rights, these people could be called Anglo-Geeks or Techno Geeks, too.  I admit it makes sense.  Band Geeks. Theatre Geeks.  Movie Geeks. Science Geeks. Music Geeks. Science Fiction Geeks. Yup...makes sense. 

My only argument that could in any way be said to be against this is the group of people who are "creatively inclined."  The definition I had gotten of this group (in which I must include myself) were also varied, but definitely different. "Hippies", "Beatniks", "Poets","Artists" were among the more genteel labels applied. I always sort of saw myself as a "free-thinker" or a "flower-child."  "Bohemian" is another good one.  I have to admit, though, that maybe these really are just a sub-label of "geek".  Maybe "Word Geek" would fit the writers, poets, and bibliophiles in this group.

That leaves, though, the definition of "Nerd" to ponder.  Sandy's take was that this really related to social interaction.  A "Nerd", by her definition, is someone who is socially awkward. I can't shake the idea of someone who is smart associated with "Nerd", so we can't come to an actual agreement on this one, but we sort of agree there is another category, too.  The type of person who plays video games day and night and never gets out to do anything productive.  We pretty much agreed, and so did my video-game-playing husband, that this person just counts as "loser" for the purposes of this argument. 

So I broke down and looked them up.  Wikipedia says that "Geek" has varying meanings ranging from "computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts." It also suggests someone who is "overly intellectual." Wow. It does agree with my statement that the meaning has changed drastically over time. Apparently, though, the world derives from "freaks." The entry also says there no longer seems to be a true definition of it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek

A "nerd", however, appears to be an unsocialized "Geek" according to Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerd

Dictionary.com defines "geek" in much the same way, but suggests a synonym of "eccentric" which probably is the best way would could define geek these days.  Dictionary.com also defines "nerd' as "An intellectual but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit."

So, where does that leave us? Pretty much where we started. Go ahead and continue to use them interchangeably. Even dictionaries can't seem to tell "Nerd-Heaven" from "Geek-Chic" these days. But, as for myself, I'd still like to be considered a Word Geek.

Multi-Media 1: Ode To The Brain by Symphony of Science

I will have another written post very soon, but in the meantime, I found this great video on YouTube : Ode to the Brain by Symphony of Science that is worth checking out.   It's important to remember that we are living in a golden age of media - we should take advantage of the opportunities we have to expand our knowledge through the written word, the spoken word, music and video.

Ode To The Brain by Symphony of Science

Hope...floats

(cracks knuckles) Okay...figured it was time for another post but I confess I have NO idea what to write today. Well, more specifically, I have no idea HOW to write today...

I've been thinking for the last week or so about the earthquake in Japan and the resulting Tsunami...and the continuing issue of the radiation leaks at the Nuclear plants.  My reaction has been complicated.  A sort of crashing depression and overwhelming fear. It seems like a diminished version of what I felt 10 years ago when the twin towers fell in New York.  And, that reminds me, I can't believe it's been 10 years already.  We have an entire generation now who does not remember what it was like before the twin towers fell or even what the actual event was like.  3 of my 4 nieces and nephews were born after 9-11.

There's this whole unformed, amorphous set of thoughts in my mind regarding all this.  I've spent a full week trying to organize them into some semblance of a blog post, but I am not having any luck with it.  Here's the gist of what I'm thinking:

News coverage of worldwide events now mean that things that happen on the other side of world now effect all people more than they used to effect us.
There is a definite theme in how we react to worldwide catastrophes.
There is a definite similarity in how I myself (and, I've noticed, others) feel about 9-11 and subsequent disasters.
The first reaction to world disasters is fear.
We're as prone to fearing these are signs that the world is coming to an end as our ancestors were.
Is the world coming to an end?
Is our world about to make a major change- not the end of the world, but perhaps the end of the world as we know it?
Is it appropriate to feel this level of sadness for people I have never seen, don't know, and probably never will know?
Should I be doing something about this (and, more importantly, is there really anything I CAN do to help)?
Should we be helping people in another prosperous country when we aren't helping people in our own country?
Should, and can, I help someone in Japan when I am not sure how I'm paying my own rent month-to-month right now?

I lean on my Christian religious beliefs in times like these.  Primarily the bit in the Bible where Jesus says "there will be wars and rumors of wars":

The Bible, Matthew 24: 6-7 : "And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places."

There are a lot of people who forget the part about "the end is not yet."  It's easy to see, though, why people feel that way in times of great distress. It feels like the world is falling apart. Upheaval.  Revolution.  Catastrophe. Change is hard; it's wrenching, even.  Often, it's in ways where we have no control - we lose our jobs or we get hit by Tsunamis.  And, yes, I see the similarities and CAN compare them.  Both are major events in life.  Both change our world overnight.  Both change how we see ourselves.  Both are painful.  Both test us.  And, maybe, both can offer opportunities to take new directions - perhaps opportunities we'd never have had without them.

So, I guess that's it.  For a week I've debated and sorted out the various thoughts regarding these events have come up with one thing: Hope. 

“In all things it is better to hope than to despair” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working.” Unknown

 (btw, the Title of this post is in honor of my husband, Doug...thanks Sweetie!)

Pay no attention to the woman behind the keyboard...

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"  - The Great and Powerful Oz in The Wizard of Oz

So I'm having this rather listless kind of day. Did you ever have one of those days when you just can't seem to get up enough energy to get anything done? 

My husband kind of thinks I should be writing this kind of stuff for my blog anyway - the normal stuff of what is going on in my life.  Part of it is that I don't figure many people will truly be interested in my recounting how I am dealing with being unemployed, feeling useless generally, or, well, being listless on an average day.  The highlight of my day today was taking a shower and reading the latest book out of a supernatural series I've been reading on the Fae (Karen Marie Moning ROCKS!). 

The truth is that, for me, on most days it is much easier to write about philosophical and moral issues that don't hit on my day to day life. On other days, it's easier for me to just put on the television and watch an old Superman movie or something - something that will take my brain back to a time when it didn't ever have deep thoughts about the world I live in.  For more than half my life now that hasn't been the case.  I find myself contemplating trains of thought like whether or not there could really be angels in our world; whether or not it might be possible for computers to evolve to the point where they could, in fact, annhilate their creators; or whether or not there could be a world that exists behind the reality that we believe exists.  Oh, and then there's always that one about whether there really is such a thing as reality or whether it's just a matter of perspective.  Now, honestly, with thoughts like these running through my head, could anyone expect me to really, truly write a simple "this is what I did today" kind of blog.

I was raised by teachers, thinkers, readers and philosophers. (My father would never have labeled himself as a philosopher, but even the minister at the funeral agreed that's what he was.  The man wrote his family a "letter/poem" that he left behind for us that pretty much showed he was, afterall! ) Every thought I have is imbued with this background.  In the past, great writers liked to show off how much classical education they had by throwing references in everywhere.  I think I refrain from doing that, but it's nice to do it every now and then. The quotes I constantly throw out come from all over because my education comes not just from formal education, but just as much from popular education - TV, movies, modern novels.  I quote other people because there have been so many people who've come before me who SAY IT SO MUCH BETTER. The word is succinct - to the point, eloquent, lovely. 

Like many people out there, I am trying to find myself. I'm trying to find my own voice.  It's true, though, that "We don't find ourselves, we become ourselves."  I don't know who said that. I saw it on a Facebook Flair button a couple of years ago and immediately posted it to my profile (before they changed the profiles and now I don't know HOW to do that or even if I can).  The point is it's one of a myriad of sayings I have heard that speak truth in small, short sentences.  It's one of those phrases that goes toward summing me up, if such a thing is ever possible.

I am a changeable person. I am inconsistent. In fact, I used to say that was the only consistent thing about me.  I always thought of it as a bad thing, even as a felt a little surge of pride to be able to say it.  My husband says that, after 10 years of marriage, he still can't figure out what I'm going to do.  Well, I guess that's good, since I can't figure myself out after 35 years, either! Sometimes I do wish I could be "normal" and consistent and have someone know me well enough to know what I'm going to do.  There is a sort of safety and comfort in being predictable.  A little predictable is a good thing, just like a little unpredictable would be.  But it gets kind of lonely being constantly unpredictable.  There is no safe zone.  There is no comfort zone. 

The weird things for me is finding that I don't FEEL unpredictable.  I don't feel like I could go do anything at any time.  I feel boring. I feel, as I said, listless. Bored with myself.  I get up, I eat something, I watch TV, I play some internet games. It's not as if I am jetting off to Europe on the spur of the moment.  I might get the mail or I might not. I might get dressed or I might stay in my lounge pants all day.  Maybe I'll call my sisters and see how they and the family are doing.  Maybe I'll go to the store, but it's not like I'm going to go buy new furniture, even. And THIS is what my hubby thinks I should be telling everyone?

I read my friends' posts on Facebook - all about their kids and their jobs and their vacations.  THAT is what life is about.  I can sit and give you philosophical ruminations on the meaning of life, but THAT is the meaning of life.  The day to day workings of our lives. Our pets, our families, our struggles with stress. What should we have for dinner?  Should we buy organic or just local vegetables - how will it affect our pocketbooks as we try to do the right thing for the planet and our bodies?  Please - tell me all about how your daughter just crayoned the carpet blue! I'm not being sarcastic! Let me laugh and groan alongside you. 

I have no children. I may never have any children. It's not because I don't want them. It's because my body doesn't seem to work right and my world doesn't seem to either.  And this life...it's not what I thought I was getting.  I thought I would have a house full of kids, animals, and friends and family that thought deep thoughts with me.  I've known since adolescence that the world was full of shadows, but I never expected it to be this dark.  I'm not suicidal.  I'm disappointed.  Most of all in myself.  Because I think I could have made it brighter. I just don't know how.  I just have the vague sense that something went really wrong somewhere and it's my fault that it did. After all, this is my life, right?  So who else could it have been that was responsible?  No matter what's happened, it's my life to live. 

"If my life is for rent, and I can't afford to buy it, then I deserve nothing more than I get, 'cause nothing I have is truly mine." Dido

 Life isn't ALL black, just as it's never ALL white.  Just as the Brady Bunch/Father Knows Best bullshit is just that, bullshit, the deep, dark depressing stuff is never without light either.  There is ALWAYS light. Maybe that's why I'm unpredictable. I've seen the world in dualities since I was a teenager.  What goes on beneath the surface isn't all there is - the surface counts, too.  You need humour, but you don't SEE the humour if EVERYTHING is funny.  Categories like "drama" and "comedy" don't really fit into real life.  Nothing is just a romance or just an action flick.  James Bond has to go home and wash his socks at some point.

What we see isn't really complete reality. What we hear from people isn't all there is to them.  There are a million different realities, all existing at the same time.  We have to focus on one at a time to keep from going insane.  The trick is not to forget they exist while suspending our disbelief in the reality of the moment.

So, really...pretend the man behind the curtain (or the woman behind the keyboard) doesn't exist.  It'll keep your head from exploding...