My name is Brandon and I am a NERD

I was reading this article in GQ Magazine about getting over trying to be cool. It was funny. This man was 39 years old and still worrying about the latest bands or pretending the Fellini films are interesting. I spent a good bit of my life pretending to like things because I thought they would make me look cool. The fact of the matter is that no matter what I do or what I listen to or how I dress, I am still a big ol' nerd. Now, don't get me wrong, I am a very witty and artistic nerd who has exceptional people skills. I guess you might call me a well-adjusted nerd, but a nerd nonetheless. This "struggle" has come back to the forefront of my mind since our student ministries pastor has asked me to attend the National Youth Workers convention later this fall. Am I cool enough to go?

After a while, it just gets tiring to keep up the charade of faux coolness. I mean, it was something when I was teaching at the university because my students would bring me the latest bit of whatever and that kept me in the loop. Now, recently I have begun to work with the under 18 crowd and will soon be teaching at the community college (I got word that my class has made for the fall, so there is no going back now) so I may become cooler by association, but that is not really my own coolness now is it? Like many of my posts, this ephemeral desire to be cool and my resolution that it is too fleeting for me to worry about, goes back to my issues with being liberated from the fears that I have carried with me most of my life that I now feel I have abandoned. Praise God for that!

Speaking of coolness by association, have you heard about this study that says obesity may be socially contagious, that if you are around obese people you are likely to be obese yourself and think that one can be fatter than they should be. I am in the wrong profession because most ministers are overweight. I think most people think I look thinner than I am because they expect their ministers to be on the heavier side of healthy. And on that note, I have discovered that my blood pressure is higher than it should be. A couple of days ago, I took it at Target and it was high. Now, it is more moderate, where it usually is, but still higher than it should be. So, I have joined the crazy herbal folks and I have started taking an herbal supplement that is supposed to be guaranteed to lower your blood pressure. We will see. If I grow a third nipple or an eye on the back of my head as a result of my homeopathic remedy, I will let you know. I must admit that I am frustrated by this turn of events. I have a long family history of heart problems, but really thought they would bypass me. And, besides all that, I have lost 65 pounds, drink a gallon of water everyday, exercise for 45 minutes a day, and very seldom use salt. I guess we cannot get past our genetic code. I hate genetics.

Back to being a nerd: I have decided to embrace this part of my life. I admit I like to read books about archaeology and Biblical history. This alone is enough to make me a nerd. When I plan a vacation or trip, I plan it so that I can go to a good museum rather than a good beach (now, this one is not as nerdy because I go to the beach every week or so now). I would much rather watch the History Channel than ESPN (I could care less about any sport). I read the New York Times every morning. Does this make me a nerd? I prefer a trip to the bookstore than a trip to the mall. I used to try to care about sports, but that has become way too tiring to keep up and I believe this makes me a nerd. I would much rather have a conversation about politics (a little left leaning) than a conversation about NASCAR and this makes me a nerd.

So I am coming out as a big ol' nerd, one who is content to be the life of a very witty, well-spoken party. Vive le nerd!

BTW~I am NOT a dweeb or a geek and there is a big difference between a nerd and one of these poor, unfortunate souls. I do not speak Klingon or Elvish. I do not dress up like a hobbit or a Vulcan. No pocket protectors here, thank you very much. Though there was a time when I though mispronouncing words in foreign languages was funny (and I should never have mentioned this because it only solidifies my claim to nerdiness).

So, my question is: Are you still the coolest thing on earth or have you embraced your inner nerd. If you have embraced your nerdier nature, I have some lovely adult contemporary music for you to listen to.

Peace