family of nerds

"i want 'Just Case2' *its a video game..." my "baby" sister, in a discussion about her upcoming birthday. [she meant just cause. she never checks her spelling before sending] it amuses me that she thought i wouldn't know what it was. i know i've mentioned that i was kind of a closet nerd, but i really don't know how people didn't know. i belong to a family of nerds!

my mom is a software engineer with a master's degree in math. she loves mathematical theory, but there wasn't much of a career path for it back in the 80s. so she learned c++ and got a job at westinghouse. then she bounced around a few companies before landing at her current job. still programming, even though she doesn't particularly like coding. she likes star trek and dune (and reading in general)

my dad is a "retired" engineer (electrical? mechanical? one of them). he started a phd program at pratt, but then this bundle of joy came on the scene. he also got a job at westinghouse, but left a few years after the northrup grumman merger. then he taught tech ed to middle schoolers for five years. now he does home improvement (mostly for friends) because he doesn't understand the meaning of "retired". he also seems to collect busted up computers and old ass textbooks. oh and he likes star wars

my brother has loved legos since he was old enough not to put them in his mouth. he graduated from legos to k'nex at some point, but i don't think he fiddled much with bionicle. he's always been interested in the way things work; mom used to read him car mechanics guides as bedtime stories. he also loves video games (90s sega genesis to 1st gen xbox) and manga. we share a common interest in bleach

my sister is probably the biggest secret nerd. an xbox 360 was one of her dorm room requirements when she transferred. she plays halo sometimes like it's her job, and she got me hooked on need 4 speed. she dates and befriends gamers. otherwise, she's very covert. she hates reading in general, but will see the movie adaptation of anything. she's a harry potter fan, and (i'm pretty sure) secretly likes the LOTR trilogy

do you see what i'm working with, people? considering the things i hear about kids today, i'm surprised how easily i got through school. i've never in my life been made fun of or singled out for being a dork. kids have been to my house and met my family. there's plenty to mock :p and i wasn't one of the cool kids. although, it's hard to say you're popular when you've been going to school with the same 50 kids since kindergarten. somehow i got along with everyone despite being a potential target on so many levels [quietest kid in the class, overweight, only black student for five grades in both directions... oddly, i got more shit from the girls in my dance class for all of those things, but that's a whole other post]. i was one of the lucky ones (my poor bestie got teased for the dumbest shit in the 6th grade), and i found my niche(s) in high school. college was more of the same, finding my nerdy soulmates. now i even have a boyfriend who gets me and is also a huge nerd...

where was i going again? i got distracted by an announcement about the nintendo 3DS :)