Geek Power

Sarah

Hooray for being a geek! My love of The X-Files paid off recently by helping me to win a contest on Miss Scarlett's blog (and what a fabulous prize it is -- Yarn Love "Scarlett O'Hara" sock yarn in the Armour colorway, a bit of Soak, an adorable sheepy tape measure, and a pattern from Wool Girl!)

It's funny how the meaning of the word "geek" has changed since I was a kid. If I were called a geek when I was ten (and I'm sure I was), the word would have been nearly synonymous with "dork" or "dweeb." All those words conjured up the image of someone with thick glasses, a faceful of braces, and a pocket protector. Now, being a geek, and even a nerd, has a certain cachet -- often, the implication is that someone is passionate and knowledgeable, and I guess those qualities have become "cool." I'm sure there are a lot of complicated sociological reasons for this, but I think the main thing is to just enjoy it while it lasts.

So, other than knitting, how do you get your geek on?

Comments

[maryse]

a few years ago, while at dinner with friends, they discussed with me sitting there right in front of them, whether i was a geek, a dork, or a nerd and concluded that i was mostly likely a geek. i was too smart to be a dork, too social to be a nerd.

[Gina]

As a geeky nerdy girl I was a magnet for every geeky nerdy boy. If only I had married one of them, I would be the rich wife (ex-wife?), as they all went on to do very well for themselves. I get my geek on as a tax preparer in between teaching statistics and yarn stashing.

[Oiyi]

Hehehe...I don't mind being a geek either, these days. But definitely not when I was growing up. I would have been horrified.

Congrats on the win! Great prizes.

[Suzanne V. (Yarnhog)]

There's a very simple two-word explanation for nerdiness being cool these days: Bill Gates.

(I want to have t-shirts made for all those skinny, glasses-wearing, brainiac little boys that read, "Bill Gates was a nerd, too." Not just because my son is one of them. But mostly.)

[Tracy J]

So cool! Getting stuff in the mail is fun. I was obsessed with watching that show for years. I collected the Barbie as Scully and Ken as Mulder dolls, as well as the movie figurines. I'm so geeky, I wouldn't know where to start telling ya.

[Miss Scarlett]

Yay! You got your gifties - I'm so pleased.

And glad you noticed that the yarn was Scarlett O'hara - I was so excited when I found that line.

It's really hip to be geeky -- not too sure if I'm that hip or not...most people that know me probably think the knitting and the blog qualify me for geek-dom.