The Nerd, the Geek, and the Dork

I've gotten into a lot of discussions lately about what the difference is between a nerd, a geek and a dork. To be completely honest, I really don't know. I usually refer to myself as a nerd. I don't really take offense to being called a geek; however, "geek" doesn't feel as accurate a description to me. I'm not a huge fan of "dork," but I take it when people call me that.

Most people seem to think that those three terms are interchangeable, but they really aren't. To me, "dork" embodies those individuals who are simply socially awkward. Beyond that they don't really have the obsessions that nerds and geeks seem to have. They're just awkward. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm incredibly awkward myself.

Here's an example of a character I would consider a dork:

 Zuko (the guy in red) from "Avatar the Last Airbender" would be considered a dork because he's incredible awkward. His awkwardness is extremely adorable (I often call him "adorkable," which according to TV Tropes is a type of character prevalent throughout the nerdy culture). As I said before, while dorks are extremely awkward, that doesn't mean being a dork is a bad thing. In fact, Zuko is in my top three favorite characters of that show. :)

Now, the difference between "nerd" and "geek" is tricky. Both of these have the social-awkwardness balanced by the obsessions. You might be asking why I think fixations balance out social-awkward behaviors. Well, one problem of the socially-awkward is the lack of conversation. You know that awkward silence that stems between two individuals upon first meeting. Yeah, I know that silence really well. Anyway, an enthusiasm for a specific topic can lead to a discussion which gets rid of that silence and with it, the awkwardness. Yay!

My opinion on where the two diverge comes from the extent of the obsession. Geeks live their obsession in spurts. They have marathons of Star Wars every so often, or they reread The Lord of the Rings once every year.  Nerds live their obsession on a day-to-day basis. Everything can be related to something in the show, movie, comic, book, etc. that they love. They always find opportunities to discuss their obsession. Truly, the amount of time an individual lives in their obsessions is what I think is the biggest difference between a nerd and a geek.

Here's my example of a nerd and a geek.

Nerd

Ted from "How I Met Your Mother" is a nerd because he lives the nerdiness daily. The gang spends a whole episode interrupting him with fart noises every time he references something nerdy. He makes up some pretty dorky jokes. He's a nerd for all intents and purposes.

Geek

Marshall is a geek. He's borderline nerd honestly, but I would still classify him as a geek. He has the Star Wars obsession just like Ted; however, he doesn't seem to live the nerdy life as fully as Ted does. The gang never makes fun of him for being too nerdy like they make fun of Ted. Marshall's pretty close to being a nerd but he falls a little short.

There is definitely a lot more to this nerd, geek, dork conversation than I've discussed here. I'm sure there are several arguments for what makes a nerd, or the requirements for being a geek, or even what encompasses a dork. They all have something to contribute to the definition of these terms; however, I'm not sure we'll ever have a completely accurate definition of any of them.

What do you think it means to be a nerd, a geek, or a dork?

Happy readings!

PS Images from Google.

In Which We Learn How Nerdy This Blogger Is

I got over 35 pageviews yesterday! How exciting! That is the first time I've gotten so many. I guess I should keep up whatever I'm doing. ...what exactly am I doing?

This is how happy I am!

First thing on the agenda today is a small rant: DON'T GET BEHIND ON YOUR POSTS. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO CATCH UP. It really is. I'm only two posts behind right now. Once I finish this one it will only be one but I'm not going to crack out one right after the other especially given how early in the morning it is. >_< So tomorrow I get to write two posts instead of one because I didn't catch up today. I know I keep saying that I'm going to catch up today, and then I just disappoint. You readers probably aren't disappointed in me. I appreciate that but I'm disappointed in myself. I set myself a goal and I'm not accomplishing it. That can be slightly frustrating, especially for someone OCD like me. Tomorrow is another day as Ms. Scarlett once said. As long as I finish the summer strong then it won't be like I failed my goal too miserably.

Not sure what's with the smileys today... O_o

Now the reason I didn't get to write two posts today as to deal with Treasure Island. We had our book club meeting today and I did not stay up all night last night trying to finish it. I had to get up early this morning in order to finish it before the meeting and that ate up all my writing time. Then, of course, I could talk about a book for hours even if I didn't like it. After the hours of talking, it was time to go play games until I got home a few minutes ago. You can see that today has not been conducive to writing blog posts, but I did have a lot of fun and that counts for great deal despite my failures with regards to this blog.

Here I go making excuses. All right, to make up for all these excuses, I'll tell you a funny story for this post. This story involves me admitting something very nerdy about myself. You guys already know that I am extremely nerdy. What I am about to tell you will only tell you EXACTLY how nerdy I am.

I...have recently...become addicted to...tabletop role playing games (RPGs).

hee hee... smileys are fun!

Yes, yes, I hear your gasps and I can imagine your wide-eyed stares. (Yeah, I'm talking to you, Mr. Smiley!) Some of you that actually know me might be thinking of never talking to me again. Alas... actually, you people and your gasps of horror have no idea what you're missing out on when you classify tabletop RPGs as "too nerdy." Trust me, I was once among your ranks, but I discovered the error of my ways this last semester. My only problem now is that I'm attending a college next year that doesn't have a games club so I shall be ripped from tabletop RPGs just as I have come to love them.

I should probably explain the joys of tabletop RPGs before I go into this story but I'm tired and I need some sleep. I'll use another post to talk about them in detail. For now, here's my story.

I'm currently taking part in a Firefly-themed tabletop RPG. Yes, I mean "Firefly" as in Joss Whedon's amazing show. My character is the mechanic and I created her to be somewhat dizzy. She actually has the complication "Leaky Brain Pan" so she can be pretty crazy. Anyway, the other night we were in this situation where we were trying to enter a warehouse, but this guard was in our way. The group decided to get in a fight with him in order to get around him. We all thought it would be over in a few turns, but everyone was rolling poorly. Our poor doctor got piston-whipped in the face and was bleeding profusely from her mouth and nose.

I rolled poorly so I had to go last even after the bad guy. Eventually, it got to be my turn and I decided to shoot at the guy since he had already started shooting at us. I made my roll to see if I'd hit him. I botched. In tabletop RPGs, "botching" means you rolled all ones. This also means that something funny is going to happen. We were all laughing because the scenario was turning into a bad situation and we were interested to see how it could get worse from this botch.

Our games master rolled a die to see who I shot. Can you guess? Yup, I shot our doctor who was already injured. This caused even more laughter. Having hit someone I had to roll damage which, in my case, is a d12. The highest damage I could deal was a 12. Laughing, I said "Wouldn't it be funny if I got a 12?" Yeah, I rolled a twelve.

 

I don't think anyone stopped laughing for 10 minutes. I couldn't breath I was laughing so hard. Our poor doctor couldn't believe her ill-luck. She lived and was able to walk back to the ship to get fixed up. The amount of awful that happened in that situation was just too funny and was only increased when I had to explain to the captain how our doctor got shot. My character would never have admitted to it being her fault but she got ratted out by the first mate. I think that moment was declared one of the funniest so far. I don't think we've laughed that hard since we began and I'm not sure if we will again. Oh, I hope so.

Here's a little scene of our Lego counterparts acting out the scene. Yeah, that's a pool of blood draw with expo marker. Poor doctor...

Hope you enjoyed my story. I'll have to explain tabletop RPGs in another post. Maybe that'll make this story a little more funny for those of you that don't know that much about them.

Until next time, happy readings!

PS All the smiley faces are from Google Images. They are not mine. I only used them for my own amusement...um, I mean, your entertainment. The last two photos are mine and depict actual events. Don't steal them... O_o  Aw, isn't my mechanic the cutest? :)

Look, It's Internet Grammar! Run Away!

Post two of the day and I think I'm going to talk about grammar. It's been pointed out to me that I make a lot of mistakes. I'll be honest, I know my grammar has been pretty bad in these last few posts. :\ You may not believe this but I am usually a pretty big stickler for the grammar. Many of these posts have made me cringe.

Why do I post them then? Well, that, my friend, is a very good question. To be completely honest, I have no idea. Who knows how many people see my horrible grammar on a daily basis (Well, around 20 depending on if they read it or not. At least that's what my pageview counter tells me. Yes, I'm watching you watch me... 0_o)? Given that it's on the internet, it's available for any body to see. So why am I not more careful? Well, I don't know you people. Actually, I know at least one (Thanks for reading my blog, Aunt Sarah!). You other viewers don't comment on my blog so how do I even know if you are even reading it?

...wait, what if my appalling grammar has pushed you non-commenting viewers away? Oh dear, I hadn't thought about it that way. Okay. Okay! Here's the deal my dear readers, from now on I shall keep my grammar in check. No more crazy bad grammar. I promise. Maybe this will help more people follow my blog (hint hint). :)

It does make you wonder why people are so willing to put bad grammar on the internet givenhow many could see it. My guess is that it has something to do with instant gratification society in regards to the internet. Want an answer to that question? Crack open Google. You could have your answer in seconds. You use to have to go to a library and crack open a book. I'm not complaining about the endless amounts of information that's just at our fingertips but you have to admit it only fuels our desire to have things done now. Fast internet, fast-forward through commercials, etc. We live in a fast paced society so grammar is bound to take a hit. Why spell out the whole word when you can cut "before" down to "b4" and "okay" to "k?" Spelling quickly moves to: "Who needs that comma? They understand what I'm saying." And there goes grammar. >_<

Example where commas are important: Let's eat grandma.           

Seriously, commas save lives. So long live grammar!

All right, I'm off my soap box now. :) Sorry, I have an English minor and you gotta deal with it. I'm going to add a link to a really funny blogger who writes about internet grammar. In the post, she talks about the "alot." It is pretty funny and all her idea. Not mine. I just find her ideas funny. Then again, I'm a nerd. And I'm proud of it!

Hyperbole and a Half: The Alot is Better than You at Everything

Happy readings!

Let's Talk About Treasures

Suggestion, don't get behind on blog posts. You will NEVER catch up! It's extremely hard and can be considered somewhat painful. My goal for today is to finally get caught up. Only three pots to go! I can do this!

Currently I'm in the middle of Treasure Island. Just kidding. I haven't even made it to the halfway mark. >_<  Have any of you read Treasure Island? I'll be honest it wasn't a book I really ever had any desire to read. I can't really tell you why either. I've seen several movies based on Treasure Island: Muppet Treasure Island, Treasure Planet, and even a few movies that stuck to the original premise of the story, but I have never gotten the urge to read Stevenson's novel. That is a little unusual for me I have to say.

After I saw the musical Les Mis I wanted to read the book. I haven't yet, but the desire still arose. After I saw the BBC mini-series Cranford I wanted to read Elizabeth Gaskell's books on which the series was based. Most movies, shows, or musicals I watch inspire me to read the book they are based on if I already haven't, but not Treasure Island. Weird.

I  think my favorite Treasure Island movie I've seen is Treasure Planet. It just calls to my nerdy soul. :) Admittedly, it has been a while since I've seen Muppet Tresure Island and Tim Curry plays John Silver in that version. I don't think you can go wrong there. I <3 Tim Curry. I might have to rewatch it...

Seeing all these versions of Treasure Island has given me a general idea of the book's plot, and I have to say I'm fairly impressed with those movies. They fall in line with the book pretty closely. General plot-wise not necessarily the setting. Yet I'm looking at you, Treasure Planet.

Not sure if I can really say more about Treasure Island the book as I haven't finished it yet, but these are just my thoughts on it so far. maybe I'll get to the end and be absolutely in love with it. Probably not, but stranger things have happened.

Until next time, happy readings!

PS Images from Google.

There and Back Again, It Only Took 10 Years

I am so excited about this movie!!!!!!!! Sorry. Maybe that was a random way to open a blog post but I recently saw a trailer for The Hobbit while I was at the movie theater. That's the first time I've seen a trailer for it in theaters and for some reason it seem to make it more official for me. It also made me realize how close this movie's release date is! Just a few more months! :)

From my other blog posts you've probably realized that I love Tolkien and The Hobbit is one of my favorite books. I really enjoyed The Lord of the Ring movies that came out 10 years ago. The only problem I honestly had with them was what they did to poor Faramir. Shameful, Jackson, just shameful. But I'm still looking forward to his rendition of The Hobbit. I think he's chosen excellent actors!

Martin Freeman as Bilbo is a brilliant choice. When I first heard he was going to play Bilbo, I couldn't help but think of him as Arthur Dent in 2005's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. If you haven't seen that movie yet and want a good idea of how Freeman is probably going to portray Bilbo, you should definitely see it. Especially if you have doubts as to whether he can pull off the part because he definitely can!

 
Richard Armitage as Thorin is also another great choice. The last movie I saw Armitage in was the BBC mini-series North and South. He does an awesome job as the lead male in that movie. I'm interested to see how he will play Thorin. I think he'll pull of surly, obsessive dwarf very well. My only problem with him is the fact that he looks like a Klingon. Hopefully I'll be able to get past that for the movie. :)

I don't know when the first part of The Hobbit is going to cut off so I'm going to go ahead and talk about two actors I'm really excited to see. Those two would be:

Lee Pace and Benedict Cumberbatch! :)

If you've ever seen "Pushing Daisies" then that's probably from what you remember Lee Pace. He plays the lead character Ned. In The Hobbit, he's going to play King Thranduil, or for those less Tolkien-wise, the king of the Mirkwood elves. I think he's a great actor and I can't wait to see him in The Hobbit!

I've already gushed about Benedict Cumberbatch, but I know he's going to do a great job! He's a great actor and I can't wait to see him play Smaug especially after seeing his interaction with Martin Freeman in "Sherlock."

I seriously can't wait until this movie comes out! Yay! All right. I'm done gushing. Or at least on this post. lol.

Now to see how many more posts I need before I've caught up...

Until next time, happy readings!

PS Images are from Google.

Pixar does it again!

Saturday I had the opportunity to see the Pixar movie Brave. I've been wanting to see it since it came out but this was the first opportunity I had to see it. I know, waiting a whole week what a bummer. ;) As you've probably seen in the commercials for the movie,  it was done by the creators of Up, Wall-E, and Toy Story 3. Up and Toy Story 3 are my favorite, favorite Pixar movies ever! I also really enjoyed Wall-E so how can you go wrong right?

Brave was great! I really enjoyed it. Pixar does it again. I don't know if you've notice but Pixar films seem to deviate from the usual Disney set up. They're just good feel good movies. And their plots are alway surprising. At least to me. By surprising I mean the commercials never give you a great idea of what the story is about. And yet still somehow make it look good.

Pixar accomplishes the same thing with Brave. I'm not giving the surprise away though! Bwhahahaha. You're just going to have to see it for yourself! I definitely recommend seeing it. It was extremely funny and I enjoyed the overall plot. The imagery was beautiful! Extremely beautiful It made me want to go to Ireland or Scotland. Somewhere with rolling hills and magical forests. So pretty. The actors do a great job with their characters. I couldn't imagine anyone doing a better job. Merida was done by the same actress who played Evangeline in Nanny Mcphee.

I really like this actress. She's shown up a lot lately. She also plays Peter Pan in Finding Neverland. Soon you can see her play Dolly in Anna Karenina. She always does a great job and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Emma Thompson did the voice of the mother and Billy Connelly was the father. When she's not playing a 19 year old when she's 40 or in a movie with Anthony Hopkins, I like Emma Thompson. (If you can guess what movies I'm talking about, I might give you a prize! Especially if you don't have to look it up.) She does a really great job as the mother. Billy Connelly was fantastic. I love him. He's such a good actor. Honestly, all the actors did a fantastic job.

While it was a wonderful movie, I will admit that it wasn't nearly as good as Up and Toy Story 3. You should still go see it though. It's makes for some great laughs!

One more post and I'm all caught up! :)

Happy readings!

PS Images from Google.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Bet from the title of this post you're assuming I'm talking about this place. Am I right? Well, that's what you get for assuming because you're wrong! :P Nope, I've actually never been to Disney World so I can't give an honest opinion on whether it's the happiest place on Earth. I do know where I'm the happiest person on Earth. And that is here:

Or any bookstore or library. But 2nd and Charles has really cheap books. Seriously cheap and that is why I love it. It also has cheap comic books. Yay, I've recently gotten into those. I think I've collected 70 so far and over half of those are Fables comics. I also have some Sandman! I'm really proud of those. Yup, I'm a nerd and I know it. I can't help that I want to be like the main characters of "Big Bang Theory." :P lol.

Anyway, I love books and 2nd & Charles is a huge used bookstore. It's amazing and I love it because it fuels my desire to buy books. Okay, maybe I should avoid this place, but it's so awesome! Why would I want to avoid it? Okay, I see your argument. I'm currently moving over 450 books. If I wasn't so in love with this place than I wouldn't have to move so many books especially since most of those books probably came from 2nd and Charles. :P That's all I've got to say.

Done for now. And one step closer to catching up on my posts.

Happy readings!

PS. Pictures are from Google Images. :)