I’ve been wa-a-a-a-a-y too serious lately, so I was glad to get an e-mail today that got my mind off the global warming debate and back to why I write for children.
My correspondent was a mother who is helping to arrange an upcoming visit to her children’s middle school. She told me that her daughter in particular thought that my work was “way cool.”
I hope I don’t offend any of my readers, but if you like this blog, you were probably a “nerdy kid” like I was when I was growing up. Only way back then, the word “nerd” wasn’t part of anyone’s vocabulary. But by the time I was a teen, “cool” was in, and I was obviously not. (Of course, how many teens actually believe they are “cool,” even when they walk the walk, talk the talk, and wear the clothes, which I didn’t?)
This morning at a bulletin-board website I share with a small group of other children’s authors, I remarked on the oddity of becoming “way cool” at my advanced age — no I’m not spilling those particular beans — and got a cute flirty comment from a woman who is about the same age as my children, announcing that I was indeed “way cool,” because I was a nerd, not in spite of it.
In fact, she continued, it was people like me who were responsible for nerds being cool these days.
Now I don’t know whether she’s right, but until I see evidence to the contrary, I’m choosing to accept her hypothesis.
That means I’ve gone from nerdy kid to “way cool,” and it only took me fifty years!
Yes it was.
We were saying it behind your back.
Congratulations on your new found coolness, long may it last. If you could put in a word to your new cool friends for me, I’d appreciate it.
My coolest friends are nerds, too. Meet one who has a tee shirt that says “Everyone loves a nerdy girl.” Hooray for nerds of all genders!
Fred Bortz — Science and technology books for young readers (www.fredbortz.com) and Science book reviews (www.scienceshelf.com)
I am a nerd
as you would say and i am the feartist thing from popular
i have to be the biggest one of that i teached my self html, java, c/c++
and have to be the least popular person ever
so if you can i need HELP
Nerds are the new black!! It’s super cool and fashionable to be a nerd today. Check out my blog for more on this….
we are very happy proud nerds. we get nose bleeds and migrains. we are the most popular people in school. we watch Red Dwarf and have seen every episode 200 times. we can recite whole episodes. we re-created the whole star wars collection. it was rather invigorating
i loved your article. you have lovely glasses were do i find a similar pair???
lots of knowledge
Ellie, Kade and Calv-Dog
you guys are exactly the same as me I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!!!!!. can i have an autograph and a poster of you guys together. I absolutely love that you guys are so nerdradical. nerds rock! i loved your comment. it made me nearly cry to read that there are people like me that get nose bleeds and watch red dwarf over and over again. the person called Ellie sounds like a nice person, i think we should meet up and talk all about red dwarf (i will bring tissues for our nose bleeds).
Yours sincerely
Albert
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
I’m not a nerd, at least, not in the traditional sense (i.e) I don’t wear glasses or pocket protectors or whatever stereotypical visual one can imagine. In fact, some people have given me the “cool” label without my solicitation. But I looove knowledge. And I looove people I can learn from, “nerds” who can teach me more than I can learn by myself or even with the help of my trusty BlackBerry. I love technology and the sciences. And this is why I love nerds. The men I fall in love with? n.e.r.d.s. Give ‘em to me. I’ll handle the superficial exterior “coolness” while concealing my inner nerd ~ you be that brainy guy with plenty of (ultra) coolness held within or even pouring out of your pocket protector. Celebrate your hotness!