My Grand Confession

I have decided to take a very bold step this year. I am not sure that I would have been willing to do this before I went through with all of this introspection and contemplation. I figure there is no sense in denying myself. Well anyway, here goes:

I am a geek, or a nerd, whichever you prefer. (I'm sure that at first glance I don't look like one.)

Now, people who read this and know me are probably saying: “Tell me something that I don’t know about you.” They are right. I wasn’t fooling anyone but myself. Somehow, I thought that maybe I could hide it, but that was just nonsense.

As I have reflected on my life, I have found a lot of things that point to my geekiness (if there is such a word). Here is a partial list of my nerdy activities for your general information and perverse entertainment.

• I read voraciously.
• I can actually use words like “voraciously” in a sentence.
• I read science fiction and fantasy. (Yes, I read Lord of the Rings.)
• The non-fiction that I read would twist the minds of most normal, non-nerd human beings.
• I collected comic books from age 12 to age 30.
• I was the fat kid in the orchestra who played bass violin. (I was really good and made All-State.)
• I am a trekkie. The latest movie was amazing.
• I excited by and drool over new technology.
• I went to academic summer programs during middle and high school. In other words, I went to school year-round, willingly.
• I love to learn.
• I went to elite, private universities.
• I made a living as a computer technician.
• I possess a large, internal storehouse of useless trivia, with which I can regale you at the drop of a hat.
• I am BLOGGING.

I don’t think that I need to list much more. All of those things individually or combined point directly to my nerdiness. The thing that has changed for me is my attitude toward being a geek. I used to think that being a geek would exclude me from doing things that the beautiful people do, like having girlfriends or going to clubs or owning a really nice car. I guess I tried to hide my nerdiness from the world. Again, I was only fooling myself.

Now, I am ready to face the world as I truly am and admit that I am a nerd. And that is good enough for me. (This does not mean that I will be hiking up my pants and snorting when I laugh like Steve Urkel.)