NEEK: A Definition

I find it exceedingly challenging to answer basic questions about myself. Weirdly, I actually don’t mind volunteering detailed personal information. I say weirdly, because that seems to go against my other personality traits (especially as per the Myers Briggs personality types). Maybe that’s part of my problem? I feel like I can’t answer simple questions when I meet new people. Questions like “where are you from?” throw me into a tizzy.

For instance, I could say I’m from Pennsylvania. That’s a fair statement. I lived there for both high school & college, which I’d consider major life events. However, if you go by sheer number of years, I should say Ohio. I was a kid in Ohio though, and I haven’t lived there any time recently. The most recent place was actually in Maryland, but that was so brief if you ask me any type of follow up question there’s a large possibility I won’t know the answer. Or even what the heck you’re talking about. And if I go through this whole explanation, it’s just weird.

You can see my dilemma. And why my answers can be a little inconsistent, depending which state I’m favoring that day.

This is a frequent issue for any sort of question that asks you to define yourself. Maybe I just overthink things? I dunno… I just know I find it really hard to identify with anything exclusively. My loyalties and answers can very by day, hour, or even minute.

ESPECIALLY when it comes to the nerd/geek/dork debate.

One of my friends recently shared a web series with me called Geek Therapy. It’s hysterical. I loved it. One of the videos really made me think though. It looks at the difference between nerds & geeks. I couldn’t figure out which side I was really on!

When you think nerd, you think of this

…a pale, glasses-wearing person obsessed with some type of intellectual pastime. Well okay, so sue me, but I love books. I read like books are going out of business (which they kinda are…). I read while I eat, I read while I watch tv, I don’t read in the shower, but I’ll read in the bath!

But does being a nerd exclude me from being a geek? 

Now some people might not easily know the difference between nerds & geeks. In fact, dictionary.com has the words “boring “ and “unattractive” in the definition for both (I’m not kidding, look it up). But when you think geek, the mental image is more like this

…a pale, glasses-wearing person obsessed with computers and games. Well I like games! Granted I typically fail miserably at every game I play (with the exception of The Sims, because you can’t really lose. You can kill your Sims, but that’s not losing. Especially if it’s on purpose…) but I sure enjoy playing them! Or, when I’m sick of level 1, watching other people playing them!

So why can’t I be both? In fact, I find it hard to believe that many people aren’t both. I think the driving factor for both geeks & nerds isn’t the glasses & paleness, but the interest and devotion (some would say obsession) towards something. And I think people that have that type of personality could very well have it for more than one thing. Maybe not every time. Maybe you only have one very clear interest area. But I’m sure more than just me can geek out over video games and still nerd over into books, science, or historical facts.

So what am I? Well, I’m a neek. A nerd/geek. A Nimble, Extremely Entertaining, Kick-ass kinda gal. What follows will be my confessions of my neek existence. Because I’m pretty sure I’m a whole different type of special. Even for a neek.