Home Sweet Own Book 25

For Classic I reread Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I haven’t read this since college. It has been incarnated as a TV show, movie, radio show, and book. A series must be some sort of special to get that treatment and it proves true since the story still holds up.

It starts with Arthur Dent trying to stop his house from being torn down to make a freeway bypass. It turns out there are bigger problems, like Earth about to be destroyed to make an intergalactic freeway. I like how Adams has all of this intelligent life just as in love with bureaucracy as we are. It’s a good way to showcase the British style of humor used here, subtle and sarcastic.

Adams invents a fish that lives in your ear that can translate any language for you and a depressed android. He also shows us the world’s first ebook in the Hitchhiker’s Guide. The universe is so vast and with so much life that the book could never exist as a physical copy. Adams makes this point not by being profound but as a subtle joke about all the cultural minutia you should know.

It’s absolutely brilliant. If you haven’t read it yet, shame on you. What’s been keeping you so busy? Nope, not good enough. Go and buy a copy right now young [gender/species].

1) Fiction – A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King

2) Nonfiction – The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett

3) Sci-Fi – Redshirts by John Scalzi

4) Fantasy 

5) Mystery – Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer

6) Horror 

7) Memoir/Biography – Data, A Love Story by Amy Webb

8) Chick Lit – Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter

9) Feminist – Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan

10) Teen – What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

11) Holiday 

12) Essays – What Was I Thinking? ed. by Barbara Davilman & Liz Dubelman

13) Short Stories 

14) Library 

15) Animal 

16) Book about Books – Judging a Book By Its Lover by Lauren Leto

17) New – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin

18) Old – Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P. N. Elrod

19) Pop Science – Why Men Fake It by Abraham Morgentaler, MD

20) Near 

21) Far 

22) Graphic Novel – Love and Capes: Do You Want to Know a Secret? by Thomas F. Zahler

23) Reread – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

24) Wild Card 

25) Otherworldly Creature 

26) Free – Point Your Face at This by Demetri Martin

27) Noteworthy 

28) Bestseller – How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

29) Themed Anthology – Red edited by Kris Goldsmith

30) Steampunk – The Immersion Book of Steampunk edited by Gareth Jones and Carmelo Rafala

31) Movie-Book 

32) Media – Doctor Who: Touched By an Angel by Jonathan Morris

33) Travel – Love with a Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche

34) Food 

35) Classic – Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

36) Humor – Sleep Talkin’ Man by Karen Slavick-Lennard

37) Poetry 

38) Past – Stasiland by Anna Funder

39) Future 

40) Dystopia/Post-Apocalyptic 

41) Zombie 

42) Sports – Red Rising by Ted Starkey

Music: Who’s There by Smash Mouth

Nerd Blackface: Girls

As a nerd girl, I find a lot of the stereotypes about us personally offensive.

Firstly, we’re not Hope Diamond rare. I’m going to be spending the weekend with three of them. I organize a board game group, attend geek oriented MeetUps and go to a Dr Who happy hour. Any of these events can be up to 50% female. Yes, most nerd events are gender biased toward men but it’s not Where’s Waldo bad.

Secondly, we’re not ogres. I’m not underwear model sexy but I’m easy on the eyes. I have several attractive nerd girl friends. I see a variety of cute, sexy, pretty, and hot at any nerd event. Nerd girls are like regular girls. We come in all shapes and sizes. Not all girls will be pretty to all guys but if you don’t see one attractive female for the whole of a nerd event, there’s something wrong with you.

Thirdly, the hot girls who cosplay some sexy character at cons but actually know nothing of that fandom? She’s not a real nerd. She’s here with her boyfriend or best friend and wanted some attention. Most nerds, male and female, stop finding her hot and start finding her annoying once she starts talking.

Fourthly, the complete opposite of the above would be the fangirl. When she sees David Tennant, Jensen Ackles, Benedict Cumberbatch, young Will Shatner, or some other hot fandom star, she acts like a mainstream 12 year old at a One Direction concert. Not all nerd girls are fangirls. Some ladies may be totally chill around all but one celebrity. I’ve talked about how nerds embraced their unbridled enthusiasm. Fangirls take it a step too far.

Music: Cathouse Tragedy by Voltaire

Nerd Blackface: Do Be Do

I’ve talked about nerds having a trademark enthusiasm but what are we enthusiastic about and why? Most of our costumes are of preexisting characters or stem from a world someone else created. Nerds are drawn to these other worlds because reality is so boring.

We play games, dress up, read books, and watch movies because those have more adventure and intrigue than leaving our cubicle to discuss who was kicked off American Idol. We use our imagination to escape and stop the evil empire rather than watch the follies of Real Housewives. However not all nerd hobbies are created equal.

Nerd interests include but are not limited to: renaissance faires, video games, computers & code, tabletop RPG, MMORPG, LARPing, cosplay, books, comics, anime/manga, TV shows, and movies. Any nerd may be interested in all or none of these. None of them prohibit an interest in ‘normal’ things.

I know a code monkey and a tabletop gamer who love hockey. I know Rennies who love their guns and motorcycles (they had to get the boots somewhere). My friend’s ex studied martial arts and was seriously into anime. There are lots of people who cosplay characters from videogames beloved my muggles.

Nerd hobbies aren’t that different from ‘normal’ hobbies. Video games are immersive fantasy. The guy who plays Madden knows he’s not a football player just like a cosplayer knows he’s not Han Solo. Collecting Dr Who action figures isn’t that different from collecting plates or spoons. If you want to argue time wasting what do fantasy sports accomplish? Lots of hobbies can be classified as timewasters if you’re feeling judgmental. If you’re enjoying it and it doesn’t interfere with your functionality as a person, how is that time wasted?

Yes, there are some people who lose themselves in this because they have a hard time dealing with the rest of the world. They are the minority and you can find them anywhere if you look hard enough. You just see more nerds because we try not to judge each other. The rest of the world does a fine job of that already.

Music: White and Nerdy by Weird Al Yankovic

Relationship PSA: Women

I did one for the guys so it’s only fair I’m doing one for the women. Much as I hate gender stereotypes, men and women tend to differ in the same overall ways. Women are talkers, thinkers, feelers whereas men tend toward doers and grunters.

Don’t Overcomplicate Him Men are simple. They spend little or no time thinking about their feelings. A guy can sit and stare at the wall for an hour and not think about a blessed thing. He does not see any issue with this. If you must talk about feelings and where this is going, cut him a break. He may not fully understand his feelings or have the ‘emotional vocabulary’ to discuss them. Have these sorts of discussions only when necessary or not more than once a month.

Actions Speak Louder than Words This is a lesson that applies to all people but is paramount in your relationships. If he’s an inconsiderate jerk part of the time but is really apologetic and sweet when you’re mad at him, he’s an inconsiderate jerk. If he does something nice and thoughtful for you for no reason, he’s nice and thoughtful. If he says he really likes you but rarely calls you and doesn’t make much effort to see you, he doesn’t really like you.

Give Him Space Most men aren’t overly chatty. Hell, I am chatty and I still don’t have new stuff to say every day. Give him a little space on days you’re not together. Don’t text him four times and wait anxiously for a response. If he’s not responding, it’s for a reason. He can’t miss you and think about the ways you make his life better if you don’t go away. If he’s not talking to you for days at a time, please see above

Talk to Him Remember ‘men are simple?’ This means they don’t always think that hard and suck at subtle. If there is something you want, ask for it. If there’s something you want to do, say so. If there’s something that’s bothering you, don’t hint or be passive-aggressive. Tell him. You can’t get what you don’t ask for. “He should just know” only applies if you’ve said it five times before. Don’t like it? Date a woman.

Music: One of the Boys by Katy Perry