HAPPY NATIONAL NERD DAY 

“Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.” -Bill Gates.

Yeah. National Nerd Day is a thing. When we were kids, that may have been an insult. But as an adult, for me at least, I’ve embraced the status. Perhaps maturity. Or perhaps the opposite, as it brings out the kid in me. And that brings us back full circle. lol.

When we think of a stereotype of a nerd we think of someone with broken dark rimmed glasses with tape holding it together. Sometimes the term nerd is reserved for the highly intelligent like Einstein. Some of our favorite celebrities are the smartest people with major degrees like, actresses like Danica McKellar (Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years) and Mayim Bialik (Amy Fowler of Big Bang Theory).

Let’s actually define the word ‘nerd’. Because nerd is sometimes interchangeable with the terms ‘dork’ and ‘geek’. Which are two other terms I’ve embraced as an adult.

Nerd: Socially awkward and an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit.

Dork: A silly, out-of-touch person who tends to look odd or behave ridiculously around others.

Geek: A digital-technology expert or enthusiast and a person who has excessive enthusiasm for and some expertise about a specialized subject or activity. 

How many times have we felt that way at one time or another. We may not dress like Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, or Howard from Big Bang Theory. We may not be as rich as Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg. We may not know what numbers follow 3.14 in pi (by the way it’s, 159265359). But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt socially awkward being silly about my obsession with Disneyland. Yep. I'm a Disney Dork. I'm a also a radio geek who collects recordings of disc jockeys from radio stations from all over the country that date back to the 1950's.

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I may not go as far as calling out someone on facebook for not properly using the words, ‘their’, ‘they’re’, and ‘there’, but I do flinch. I do still read and collect comic books, but I get lost with all the weird Marvel multiverse timelines. I wear shorts in the dead of winter. I tell great ‘dad jokes’ (my daughter is rolling her eyes right now). And I don’t care about the differences between dork, geek, nerd, or even dweeb. Wait. Am I a dweeb as well?

Famously said in the movie, Revenge of the Nerds, “I’m a nerd. And uh, I’m pretty proud of it.” Let’s wear the title like a badge and walk amongst the deniers of their own hidden enthusiastic knowledge of hobbies and activities and ah….stuff.

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