Saturday, September 09, 2006

I am not a nerd

“Nerd, as a stereotypical or archetypal designation, refers to somebody who pursues academic and intellectual interests at the expense of social skills such as: interpersonal communication, fashion, and physical fitness.”

This definition was on the internet. I don’t remember where.

So was this test http://www.nerdtests.com/ft_nq.php

I took it and scored 5 percent, lower than 95 percent of the people who have taken the test. My results prove I am “definitely not nerdy, you are probably cool.” Odd, because I’ve been going around thinking I was a nerd all my life.
True, I don’t know what Pi means – nor do I really care – I don’t know how my computer works, and I buy my calculators at the dollar store so I can balance the checkbook.
But “probably cool” I don’t think so.
I have had moments of coolness. Like yesterday when I was talking to the young men volunteers painting the inside of the new Girls and Boys Club teen center. I commented about “plum bums” and examining themselves in “three way mirrors” and made the guys smile. But that’s just because I occasionally have conversations with my cool nephew, “Dogg,” and read Lisa’s blog.
But my son is a nerd. He is a glasses wearing, square root figuring, and computer game playing nerd. And he is proud of it.
Today I was singing to the tune of Batman (does the fact that I know the Batman tune make me a nerd or cool?) “na na na na na na na na NerdBoy!”
Faster than a dial-up modem.
More powerful than a Totally Awesome Computer.
Able to out think tall bullies in a single thought.
If he was still interested in doing Halloween, which he is not, we devised the perfect costume. We would get a T-Shirt and put Pi on the front of it ~ very much unlike the S Superman logo. Then he would pull his blue plaid pajamas up to his armpits and put tape on his glasses.
TaDa!
Instant Nerd Boy.
But, he wouldn’t let me take a picture of the nerd costume. So I guess he’s not 100 percent nerdy after all.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I scored 29 a nerd wanabe, Thats really funny. Everything I know about computers I have learned by playing with my acient handmedown desktop. Of course in my day I was definitly a "nerd" meaning I was totally unpopular and un cool. I still am. One ? they asked i couldn't answer correctly, because the answer wasn't given in the multiple choice answers. I actually took 4 years of math in High school. Algebra, Geometry, Intermediate Algebra and Trigamonitry. That was all the classes offered in our high school.

Anonymous said...

I think awareness that you are a nerd is one disqualifier. Its like awareness of humility. NOT humble. However we as a family have a nerd gene on our DNA that years of cool marry-ins have failed to eradicate. I personally think it's more about introversion than brains. I am sorry we won't get to celebrate the ners costume, it would be a nice photo to put in future family histories.

Anonymous said...

My score 17 not nerdy, but not all that cool either. I think I've always suspected as much.

My husband calls me Noogie...? said...

I got a 7 and fully admit I have never considered myself a nerd. Although it's in me because I read the comments before I took the test and was very sad to see that the verification would have been "zwerdy". I guess it must be that 7% kickin' in.

Gwyn Calvetti said...

Well, I came out 56% nerdy, but I chalk that up to the fact that my brain is capable of retaining lots of useless (unless I'm in a trivia match) facts, like periodic table abbreviations. A little nerdy, sure, but this much? People who know me think I'm fairly fascinating, go figure! LOL

Keiauni said...

I AM A NERD, and proud of it!!

Karen said...

I'm 3% nerd... interesting considering my love of aliens, zombies and ninjas!