The Epiphany of the Century...

So I mentioned in my last post that I had discovered something pretty groundbreaking. It occurred to me mid-conversation with my friend, Leesh, a couple of months ago.

Have you ever REALLY considered the true implications behind the words "Nerd," "Geek," and "Dweeb"? Neither have I, until that fateful night. What follows is an account of what I discovered that night.

NERD: This is a word that used to carry a lot of negative connotations. These were the "undesirables", those people who wore thick glasses and pocket protectors. The kids who wore their pants with suspenders "Urkel-style" (Am I dating myself too much with that reference?) HOWEVER, in later years, the word "Nerd" has come to take on a more positive meaning. Nerds are the really smart people. They're the ones who have invented all of the extraordinary technology that the human race has become utterly dependent on.

Less specifically, I choose to define today's "nerds" as people who are really smart, love learning, and work hard to achieve their goals--whatever they may be. They're the thinkers, the innovators. You know, the Steve Jobs' of the world.

Most of these people are very socially functional, and quite well-liked by their peers. They are highly independent, and self-sufficient.

GEEK: Although it is possible for a geek and a nerd to overlap in a single person, I am separating the terms here for purposes of clarity. The geek is a person who is HIGHLY knowledgeable and passionate about something very specific. They aren't always successful academically, but if you ask one of them about their particular area of interest, get ready for the lecture of your life! You can find out more than you ever needed (or wanted) to know.

These specific interests are what give geeks their more official titles. Take for example the "Star Trek Geek". This particular person could take you from the beginning to the end of the Star Trek franchise and tell you all about every captain of the Enterprise, which one is the best (in their opinion), the actors who portrayed every main and minor character, and give you a point-by-point breakdown of every episode including plot twists and all the subtle nuances of every scene. Oh, and they could probably tell you about all of this in fluent Klingon.

There are all sorts of geeks out there. "Star Wars" geeks, computer geeks, "Lord of the Rings" geeks, "Twilight" geeks, conspiracy theorist geeks, gun geeks, paintball geeks, comic book geeks. And many of these different groups can actually be subdivided into even more specific groups. Comic book geeks can break off into their own favorite characters/stories...you get what I'm saying here.

A majority of geeks are self-sufficient. These interests are purely "extra-curricular". A geek often has a good job and a healthy social life. This label does not have to be a negative one.

DWEEB: Now here is where we enter the negative connotations. A dweeb is someone who is obsessed with and very knowledgeable about...video games. Computer, X-Box, Online, Wii...You name it, they play it. All day every day. It's all they think about. It's all they do. Dweebs are the grown-@$$ adults who live in Mom's basement and their "jobs" consist of part-time work for minimum wage. They use what little money they get from that job to pay for more video games and video game accessories.

These people have no social life outside of the virtual world. They can't hold a face-to-face conversation. Heaven forbid they ever go on a date! Dweebs are freeloading, anti-social, under-achievers. It's sad, really, when someone falls into Dweebism. It's not an easy lifestyle to pull out of. Don't be a dweeb. It's not worth it.
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Now, it is possible for these three labels to intersect.

Neeks: People who are smart and high-achieving, and then go to Comic-Con on a regular basis.

Gweebs:  People who are obsessed with one specific thing, and one or two video games--they still live in Mom's basement, but hold down a decent job and have a social life. (My own brother, "Mac", falls into the category of a gweeb. He's a good kid, really, and he wants to move out of Mom's basement, but he's still in college and can't afford it. Oh, and he needs to go on a freaking date!)

HOWEVER, it is important to note that you CAN NOT intersect Nerds and Dweebs. To try and combine them could possibly tear a hole in the delicate fabrics of the Universe and end life as we know it. They must forever remain separate, for the safety of humanity!
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So, now that you know the truth about these particular terms, what say you? Have you ever come across one of these people? Perhaps one of the cross-breeds? A Neek? A Gweeb, perhaps?

Be on the lookout for these interesting people. They could end up inventing the flying car (nerds), starting up a "Star Trek University" (geeks), or rotting away in a basement playing video games (dweebs). And now that you more fully understand these labels, you can start to use them properly. Teach your friends and families. We could change the world!

Hey! Didja Miss Me? Well, Pretend You Did!...

So...I've been a pretty lazy blogger this past month.

What with the end of Fall semester, Christmas, New Year's, and then starting up a whole new semester...well. You get the idea. Stuff tends to fall through the cracks. But allow me to get you all caught up now. Yes, yes I know. You're welcome.

1) End of the Fall semester: I loved my classes. They were so interesting and I learned a lot about my chosen career path. Oh and I GOT A 4.0 FOR THE SEMESTER!!! Oh yes I did! For the first time in my entire life I got a REAL 4.0. No A minuses or B pluses to mess up my GPA this time! WOOT!!!

2) Christmas: Fun. Family. My little brother called from his Church mission in New Zealand. He sounds fantastic. (It's hard to believe he's going to be home this upcoming fall! Can't wait to see him!) There was also WAY too much food--but well worth the calories. My kids got the ever-loving CRAP spoiled out of them. Mainly by Ty's Aunt Jitter. We're hoping she'll be able to come out and visit us sometime this year, the chiddlers really miss her. And so do we, to be honest. Anyway, Christmas was fabulous. I got spoiled too. :)

3) We all got sick the week of Christmas, a few days apart. Luckily, we all managed to be relatively healthy for the day itself. Sickness totally sucks, especially at Christmastime.

4) New semester: My classes seem to be fine thus far, but they will definitely pose more of a challenge for me than my Fall classes. I've only had about a week's worth of classes, but so far, so good. My only real issue with this particular semester is how late I have to be at school. I don't even get home until well after dinner-time. Blah! That's the tough part about being in such a specific program. There is limited staff. Every professor teaches multiple subjects, and each subject is ONLY offered once a year, and at one time. Zero flexibility. It sucks, but oh well. I'm just trying to focus on enjoying the classes.

5) AJ got sick again. Sunday morning (around 2 AM), she woke up and started vomiting. She and I were both up until about 4:30 before we got to bed at all, and then we only slept for a couple of hours before she was up vomiting again. On Sunday we stayed home from church and she pretty much spent the entire day sitting in my lap--refusing to let me stand up at all unless I took her with me wherever I was going.

When she woke up on Monday, she had zero appetite, and wouldn't eat or drink much of anything at all. She was so lethargic and miserable, I stayed home from classes yesterday. Thankfully, she is doing  much better today, but she's still not a hundred percent. Poor little thing. Whatever this bug is, it's really taken a lot out of her. I think it should be a law of nature that little kids aren't allowed to get sick. Maybe I can start a petition...

6) Last night, Ty got me one of the best gifts EVER. A nice new recliner chair, just for ME! He also got one just for him, and neither one of us is allowed to steal the other person's chair. Yep. Gotta love territorial-ous-ness. (What? It's a word! If it wasn't before, it is now!)

**Side note: AJ has decided that my recliner chair is actually meant for her. She's been curled up in it pretty much all day, only allowing me to sit in it so long as SHE is sitting with me.**

7) Ty came up with the BEST band name EVER!!! In order to understand this, you will have had to read one of my OLD OLD OLD OLD posts about coming up with decent band names. Go and read it, it's really short....

Okay, are you back? Right then.

Well, by following my brilliant formula, Ty came up with THE best band name ever. Are you ready? Really? Are you absolutely sure? Okay then: The Festering Leftovers!!! I KNOW, RIGHT?!?!? I've GOT to find a band and give them that name, just so I can see one of their concerts! Oh, and to collect the modest fee that would be charged for the privilege of using that awesome name...

Alright, time to bring this update to a close. However, I will be back sooner rather than later. I had an epiphany a few weeks ago that simply MUST be shared. Yep, go ahead and start pacing anxiously. It'll be worth the wait!