Embrace the Nerd.

I remember the day I realized I wasn't going to be "with it" forever. It was a shock to my then hard wired system. I must have slept through the shift in culture. It was the day I realized high performance, 4-banger, small vehicles overtook the 60's muscle cars as "cool."

The trend probably started in NY or LA but "The Fast and the Furious" made it mainstream in all corners of the U.S. Approximately 6 months after the movie came out, every poser from Erie, PA to Twin Falls, IA installed glass packs on a Subaru. The year was 2001.

We are experiencing something similar today, and this time I'm loving it. Nerds have taken over pop culture. I identify with this trend a hell of a lot more than tiny, uncomfortable automobiles.

I admittedly spent a great deal of my teenage years trying to be a "cool kid." For me the outlet was music. I looked the part of a heavy metal guy when it was cool to be one. I talked the talk, and it was as genuine as anything I have ever been since. Looking back, I was nerding out on music. I still do.

I've always had nerd quality in me. From comic books to Star Wars, it's been there. For that reason, today is a great time to be me.

A quick story: In fifth grade at Blessed Sacrament Elementary School, I was forcibly not "with it". My Grandpap (RIP and bless his heart) did not care, nor have time for, a 10 year old's idea of cool. I had big glasses, old man fashion and a buzz cut in an age of long hair and patched up jean jackets. The year was 1985.

One morning before school, a classmate called me a nerd. At that time, "nerd" was a big insult. It meant "outcast," and had the insinuation of plastic pocket protectors in a one pocket short sleeved button up. I was horrified.  

I was tall for my age and all knee caps and elbows. I must have looked like a red faced Muppet with smoke coming out of my ears that day. I lost what little cool

I had, and pushed the kid against a wall for the insult. It was the equivalent of Sky-net becoming self aware in my young life. I vowed not to be perceived as a nerd again!!!!! (Maybe it was my Tara moment?)

Fast forward 30 years. I find myself surrounded by comic book entertainment, video game geekism, sub-genre music trends and computer culture galore. It's a world I never could have imagined in my nerdiest dreams, and I'm happy to be in it. Today, the smart kids really do win. Thank God for that, because if  "cool" meant every man, woman and child wore saggy jeans, white t-shirts and flat brimmed ball caps, there would be no hope for us as a society. There are many names for that style of dress, "cool" does not come to mind.

I'm 40, so being cool is not a priority. At this stage, working to fit into someones definition of "cool" is stupid. I remember the pressure of it though, and do not envy anyone trying too hard to achieve it. It must be exhausting. For any adult struggling to make a life, being smart is the better option.

Tonight, I am watching "Gotham." Tomorrow I will listen to the "Nerdist" podcast. I am actively reading a book about the effects WWI had on Paris, and I'm seriously considering writing a blog detailing my take on the current acting gigs of the former cast from "Battlestar Galactica" (2004, of course). I've been tucking a little money away for a new Orient Blue Mako (because I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger on an Omega Planet Ocean Automatic). When asked what my favorite color is, I say "clear," and I mean it.

I may be nerdy in my interests, but that's how I dissect and reassemble the various forms of distraction put in front of me. I have friends that make me look like a December afternoon in comparison. 

"Nerd" used to mean "smart." It carried a negative undertone because the smart kids were less likely to be socially accepted and almost never in the "it" crowd. I like the idea of smart people being the "it" crowd. I'm sure that may not be the case in every situation, but I am absolutely positive the smart kids enable themselves to live cooler in the long run.

Traditional "nerds" can be very clicky. They argue. Nerds are cruel to less informed individuals about the topic of their obsession. It's typically not about what you know. It's what they know which matters (to them). Try to avoid a nerd fight. It's pointless.

Embracing my inner nerd is important for me to stay humble. "Geeking out" keeps my mind occupied in ways I see fit. I then type away about the topic I'm into that day. It's good therapy for me. 

The world is nerding out along side me with Star Wars coming next month. It will be a record breaking opening weekend. Cosplay and Kenner galore. Until then, we all fill our cups with Bond, Marvel and whatever Netflix binge catches the collective fancy. It's great to be a nerd today. Embrace it!

Nago