It dawned on me the other day that I’ve done something terrible, something I never thought I’d do. I shunned my inner nerd. For the last several years, I felt like my nerdiness wasn’t wanted or appreciated. Many of the things that made me ME weren’t appreciated by others in my house. So rather than fight for my right to geek out, I just turned my nerd away at the door.

Now, my inner nerd is striking back, like the Empire. And I’m not about to stop it. I feel guilty for ignoring my nerd. After all, nerds are responsible for some of the greatest technologies we enjoy today. Bill Gates? Steve Jobs? Complete and total nerds.

Before I scare you off with visions of me with hiked up trousers and a pocket protector, I want to say that I’m not your “classic” nerd. There are different kinds of nerds (and geeks for that matter), but that topic would require its own post. I’m a refined nerd. I dress decently and can even look sophisticated when the occasion calls for it. I have good social skills. I like to talk about a host of things, including medieval history and literature, philosophy, books, and cooking. I can talk about non-nerd things too. Maybe the term for me is Renaissance Nerd.

How do I let my inner nerd out, you ask? (Actually, you probably didn’t and are wishing you never started reading.) Well, I watch all the sci-fi shows I missed over the last few years. I’ve got Battlestar Galactica to catch up on. I’m finally up-to-date with Fringe and Warehouse 13. Lost will get its own dedicated viewing week since I have four seasons to watch. And over the weekend, I watched the Star Wars marathon on Spike. All six movies, for two days straight, with a brief break to catch some of the Stanford game.

My inner nerd is almost satisfied. I have some books that need reading and then I will feel like I’ve repaid my debt for the years of deprivation. But right now, I have to alphabetize and categorize my cd and dvd collection. The disarray has been driving my nerd insane for years.