May 22, 2004
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Nerds
kateseyeview was discussing this subject, so I thought I’d throw in my take on it. About 8th grade (see photo) was when I first heard the term or its various equivalents. I qualified easily by being too tall, having acne, wearing glasses and homemade clothes, and being smart and an only child. It didn’t help that I preferred reading to sports. (The real clincher – that my parents were communists – was thankfully a secret.) Ten years later here I am
modeling for Moses Soyer, a well-known New York painter, with my daughter’s soon-to-be father who would become a world-famous tattoo artist. How cool is that? So I figure that nerds are actually people who stand out by following some inner spark that isn’t seen by the “in crowd.” Oh, let’s see I have the issue of Time with 100 Leaders & Revolutionaries in front of me for 2004 and here’s Bill Gates, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oprah Winfrey, Peter Jackson, the Dalai Lama, Yaoming, among so many others we’ve never heard of because they don’t specialize in being household names. Hmmm, quite a colorful, bright, creative, world-shaping group. Nerds all. All Hail Nerds! (P.S. I just have a hunch there’s a goodly proportion of nerds here in Xangaland).
Deep Thought: Grandpa used to describe the size of everything in terms of a calf. For instance, if he was describing a large dog, he would say it was “about as big as a calf.” Or about a car, he would say it “could seat four calves comfortably.” (Oh, that was another thing: how many calves could ride in something.) One time he was talking about a calf he had, and I asked him how big it was. He said it was “about three-quarters as big as a calf.” Sometimes Grandpa would tell time by calves. If you asked him how long something would take, he’d say, “About as long as it takes a calf to drive over here.”
Today I am grateful for Roads less taken
Comments (5)
I was(am) a nerd….
Loved this blog!
Hmm, I think for awhile I was a nerd going undercover (at least in my mind) as something far more socially acceptable than that. I didn’t really find my niche, as it were, until I began to realize that such titles mean nothing and are only used to prop some people up, and knock other people down.
I loved this blog. I think most kids feel like nerds even when they aren’t. I in fact think that kids are manipulated to do things they shouldn’t to avoid being called one. It is a sad state of affairs when it comes down to it. I walked to the beat of my own drummer all my life and I never thought of myself as a nerd, but looking back maybe I was considered that by others. No one ever said that. I guess I just really didn’t care what they thought on that score. Truly this is a great subject and a great entry. It is such a major focus now days. It scares me. I will have to have my daughter read it. I love the way you put it.
P.S. I think you were beautiful in both pictures.
Wonderful painting….wow!