Everybody, there’s something I need to get off my chest: I am a nerd. Yes, I am an avid Boston sports fan. Yes, I spend too much time at the gym. But deep inside I am as weird as everyone else. I say everyone because I have a hunch that I am not alone: behind our mainstream interest and normal-person façades, we all have our oddities—our guilty pleasures, if you will. Below are a few of my nerdy secrets most people do not know about. I hope that this post can inspire others to share their guilty pleasures as well because let’s be honest: being a nerd is a lot more fun than being normal! Be sure to check out part two and part three!
“Hmm, if I could just adjust my flux capacitor…”
I love Pokémon
As someone who spent his childhood trying to catch all 151, 251, and 386 Pokémon, I can safely say that I know way too much about these creatures. I structured my teams to counter anything the Elite Four could throw at me. Dragon type? No problem. Rival used Hyper Beam? I’ll just throw in a ghost type. I even bred my Pokémon so that they would know the most powerful attacks. My one shame is that I never trained my starter to level 100—I always turned to training other Pokémon when I approached the high eighties. Oh, and my crowning achievement? I caught 250 out of 251 creatures in Pokémon Silver.
I can name every single one of these.
I read classic literature in my spare time
Here’s another thing I have to admit: I have never read the Harry Potter books. It’s not that I don’t like fantasy or magic—I have spent 200-plus hours honing my Destruction and Alteration skills in Skyrim and Oblivion. The stories just don’t resonate with me. But do you know what does spark my interest? Melville. Ford Madox Ford. Hemingway. Twain. I love classic literature. It provides a window into a time that a history book cannot. A classic book lets you experience life in a different era, understand how people lived, how they thought, the types of….oh, I’m sorry, am I boring you? Please keep reading. Don’t leave.
Now this looks like a fun Saturday night!
Relativity and quantum mechanics are the coolest things ever
You probably don’t know many Economics majors who spend their time reading about Einstein’s theory of General Relativity. Even so, these numbers reveal fascinating truths about our universe. Did you know that time is relative? That mass warps the fabric of space-time? How about this for a mind-bender: people flying in airplanes age more quickly than people on the ground. All these amazing facts come from balanced mathematical equations. We may never be able to watch matter fall into a black hole, but the numbers tell us exactly what we’d see. Let’s go quantum: waves and particles are one of the same, and looking at photons and electrons changes them. See? Your fourth grade teacher was right! Math is cool!
“You may have explained why the sun shines, but you’re still a nerd. Nerrrd!!” (Bonus points to anyone who can explain what this means. Leave your comments below!)
So what are your nerdy secrets? Don’t be shy; please share them in the comments section below! As always, please like, share, or reblog this post if you enjoy it. Be sure to check me out on Twitter and Facebook as well. Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to subscribe for new content every Wednesday! IT’S FREE! Now go read part two and part three!
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Comment question of the week
What’s your guilty secret?
The Weekly Show 
I LOVE THIS!!! It makes me feel not-alone! Thank you
My inner nerd loves sci-fi, fantasy and science. Do you believe that classic literature can also be science fiction or fantasy? IMO, certain books transcend genre and become classic, for example, 1984 or Ender’s Game. My inner nerd needs a better disguise though! 🙂
Glad to be of service! Sci-fi can definitely be classic. Classics certainly shouldn’t be limited to a specific genre. What’s your favorite book?
There are so many good books out there I have a hard time selecting just one! However, I was truly inspired by Poul Anderson’s Boat of a Million Years. As a person who seeks out wild places, new experiences, original thoughts, etc, I feel I have quite a bit in common with the main characters. What about you?
Hmm, I haven’t gotten a chance to read that yet. Mine is Parade’s End by Ford Madox Ford. I’m a huge fan of WWI and WWII literature. The book is just amazing! It’s actually the only tetralogy I’ve ever read. I’m also a big fan of Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dawkins, and as of recently Oscar Wilde. I’ve just started making my way through The Picture of Dorian Gray.
I also love to read classic lit, the newspaper, an array of magazines, and I at least read the Washington Post every day… I’m definitely a nerd and proud of it! 🙂 I read the Catcher in the Rye at least once every few months because I can’t get enough & it’s one of my favorite books of all time. I’m also pretty much an old lady at heart because I collect antique objects from thrift stores like skeleton keys, vintage buttons, strands of pearls, neat marbles, pocket watches.. & old maps.. I love old maps! I also love to knit & crochet! I’ve been told I’m an “old soul” trapped in a teenager’s body.. I also spend way too much time drawing and sketching trees and nature.. but I am an art major- so I guess I have an excuse?.. I hope.. Anyway, once again.. your blog is awesome!! I already showed it to my parents and sister and they couldn’t stop laughing!! My whole family loves “the people to avoid at the gym”!! 🙂 and I love all the posts!! 🙂 Keep them coming please!
Very cool! It’s definitely much more fun being a nerd. I’m a big fan of chess sets and pianos, though they’re kind of difficult to collect. Any other favorite books? I’ve just started reading Oscar Wilde–he’s great so far! Glad you like the blog!
I love The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) of course– one of my favorite books as well. 🙂 I love playing chess and other board games although my favorite is Settlers of Catan and my favorite card game is Cribbage.
Here is something for you that totally resonated with my inner nerd: http://what-if.xkcd.com/1/
And classic literature is one of the things that make me happiest on this planet. War and Peace is not one of my favorites though. Anna Karenina is better. 🙂
haha baseball relativity is pretty awesome (and nerdy!)! My favorite book is Parade’s End by Ford Madox Ford. Haven’t gotten around to Anna Karenina yet. I hope it’s not as long as War and Peace!
Classic literature is awesome. Well for the most part…I tried to read War & Peace. I was unsuccessful.
haha, I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet, but I’ve heard it’s quite the book to tackle! I actually flipped through it in the bookstore yesterday. So long! Do you have a favorite book?