Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Nerd Girls Rule


Mr. Wonderful IMed me yesterday to tell me Newsweek ran this story about chic female nerds. Apparently the media is now recognizing that it’s hot to be brainy. I love this not only because I admire intelligence (and wit, of course) more than anything in a person, but also because I am a nerd girl. I was on the yearbook staff in high school. I work for a tech company where we play Scrabble at lunch. And I’m psyched my eyes are starting to go bad because it may mean I’ll finally be able to get a pair of hip little plastic-framed glasses. Rock on dorkette sisters.

What else made me happy today?

That The Today Show ran a segment about Richard Louv’s new book on Nature Deficit Disorder. Being an avid outdoorswoman, I’ve long found it sad that kids today aren’t getting outside and experiencing the joys of hiking, camping, and simply being in nature. I would love to see Louv’s book, and the growing awareness of this issue, help facilitate change among our youth—and maybe more importantly, their parents.

And finally, I am twitterpated over the fact that The Dark Knight opens this weekend.

Last week, I bought tickets for Saturday afternoon for Mr. W and I. (The Friday night shows at the ArcLight were completely sold out!) I’m kind of surprised by how much hype there is around the movie, but I’m sure it’s all for good reason. Like the batsuit, that’s a good reason. And Christian Bale—who, by the way, I watched last night in Empire of the Sun and he was fantastic. And the dearly departed and phenomenal Heath Ledger. I’m sure it’ll be sad watching his last performance on the big screen. But I don’t think I’ll shed too many tears when I have that sculpted rubber suit counterbalancing my dismay.

I wonder if Mr. W is prepared for the sighs and “gimme some o’that”s I’ll be muttering throughout the movie. Or the fact that when we get home I’m going to ask him to paint his face with shoe polish, drape a black bed sheet around his neck and bust in through a window to attackingly save me from the evil villains of Gotham City. Of course, I will be so startled I will fall unconscious and require bat-to-mouth resuscitation.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's such a shame. Guys go for girls in glasses but, sadly, the reverse doesn't seem to be true. *sigh*

I never read the book, but I've heard of the concept. Always made me want to run off and join the Mono Lake group that takes kids into the outdoors.

Won't see the Dark Knight this weekend as I won't be anywhere near a theater. :(

And I won't touch that last paragraph with a ten foot pole.

Anonymous said...

Oh man, I hate wearing my glasses out; I feel like the biggest nerd.

Melissa Maris said...

GH and Jane - Glasses rule!!! Guys get the whole Clark Kent thing going in them and girls get the sexy librarian look. I seriously love specs and always have. I envy you two for owning pairs.

Anonymous said...

Oh, how I wish that were true. I can't wear contacts, and my prescription is near-sighted, which means the lenses have the effect of making my eyes look smaller than they are.

And how many women have you heard say "I fell for his eyes right from the start"?

Sad to say, my friend, I don't think you're in the majority on this one! :)

Anonymous said...

This nerdette blog is so timely, because I bought you a really nerdy present tonight. After I give it to you, you can take a picture and blog about it. You can have my glasses - I hate them. I'll make sure I don't pop by to say hi this weekend, after you and Mr. W see Batman. My eyes could potentially bleed.

Bretthead said...

My thoughts seem to be split evenly between:

Poor Mr. W

and

Lucky Mr. W

Jenn Martinson said...

Loves me some Christian Bale but his jerk-roles freak me out a little. He does them a little too well.

I wore fake glasses I picked up from Claire's until people who actually need glasses shamed me for it. It's not like I was taking a pregnant woman to a bar. Sheesh!


Cool Glasses-Wearing Men (For GH):
Bono
Kanye West
Hugh Grant
Moby
Steve from Sex & The City
Clark Kent
Harry Potter
Napoleon Dynamite
Asian dude from "Heros"

Anonymous said...

......aaaaaaand I realized after I shut down the 'puter last night that I'd meant to type "minority".....

TheCoconutDiaries - I appreciate the list. Now I just wish they (the classes, that is) worked like that for me!

Melissa Maris said...

Geekhiker - Do I need to give you another lecture on positive thinking? DO I???

Big Sister - A present? A nerdy present? Sweeeet. Mr. W loved the pin you bought us, by the way.

Wow TWA - Hahahaha I think his thoughts were similar.

CoconutDiaries - Do you know how much I love you for putting Bono at the top of that list?! (And for wearing fake glasses yourself!)

Amy Turpin said...

I've never heard of that book, but I want to get it. My brother read one that talked about the same topic a bit and mentioned that people don't say hi when they pass eachother on the street, but usually do when they cross paths along a trail. Maybe if everyone got out and did a little more hiking, the world would be a much friendlier place.

Michael C said...

Brainy and funny - I think that's what I find so attractive about Tina Fey. She's kinda the hot nerd-girl poster child woman lady, right? It's not just me that thinks that? I really hope I haven't shared too much.

Anywhoo, have a great weekend, because something tells me you will.

Melissa Maris said...

Mike Vandeman - I am an avid hiker and I always take my cell phone as a precautionary measure. I silence it because as you say - nothing ruins a hike like the ringing of a phone. However, if I happened to hurt myself, get bitten by a snake or attacked by a mountain lion, I sure as hell would want some way to call for help. So microwave rays or not, I think it's better to be safe than sorry in this case. Thank you for sharing your viewpoints.