Confessions of a Nerd Girl Part X

Bleurgh. Still not feeling great today, but I am going to write this blog, dang it!!!

I have spent most of today reading the Sarah Dessen book I got from Borders at the beginning of the month. I hadn't really started it yet because I was still rereading all of Harry Potter, but I finished that last night. Sad. But Along for the Ride is a really good book. Sarah Dessen is amazingly brilliant, in that she always carries on fabulous dialogue while still managing to be deep and thought-provoking with her overall plot. The Truth About Forever is one of my absolute favorite books, and I've liked everything I've read by her.

I also keep thinking "I should really start packing." But I have yet to start. About 5 minutes ago I gave myself the excuse that I need to do laundry first to take stock of what I can pack away and what I should keep out to wear over the next 11 days. But it's really no excuse. I need to pack. I like packing. I'm just not doing it for some reason.

So I will let this blog become yet another tool for procrastination. :D Here we go. Confessions of a Nerd Girl. Part X.

1. I am way too fascinated by geography for my own good.

And by geography, I don't mean I just stare at maps. I do do that, but what I really mean is that I am fascinated by the human geography stuff--where people live, the history of various towns and settlements, how towns and cities have evolved over the years to fit the changing world, and why people live where they do. I never got to take an in-depth Geography class in high school, but I desperately wanted to. We all had to take World Geography as freshmen, and I loved the teacher. I vowed to take IB Geography as a senior, but then problems ensued. My IB French VI class (the only one) and the Geography class (also the only one) were in the same period. And I kind of had to take French to graduate, though that class kind of became a disaster senior year, so I wish I had taken Geography.

But anyway. That did not deter me from my obsession. And let me start by saying I do love maps. This started from a young age, when I got one of those "Your First Atlas" books. I had several map puzzles, knew far too many random facts about places, and was that girl in 8th grade everyone asked for help during Geography in our Literacy class,* because they didn't feel like looking it up.

In recent years, though, I've become more and more interested in the human aspect of geography (everything I just stated above). I spent a good portion of yesterday when I wasn't feleing well just randomly researching towns and cities in Colorado and then just clicking and clicking and clicking, looking at goodness only knows how many pages on Wikipedia. I had no idea how many ghost towns Colorado had, or even why a lot of towns are where they are, why some grew and some died out. It's fascinating. To me, at least.

So why am I not studying geography in college? Because...because I am much more passionate about marine biology. And while I love geography, I don't think I'd love any of the jobs I could get by studying geography. So I'll just stick to collecting maps and random facts. It's more fun that way.

I feel like this is one of the things that Wikipedia knows isn't quite a fact, but the editors of the pages were too amused to take it down. This too (about the town of Dinosaur in Northwestern Colorado):

2. I always paint my nails.

It's one of the few things that makes me feel good about myself. I like looking down at my hands and seeing the perfectly shiny polish there, even when they begin to chip. Also, it makes sure that I don't bite my nails. I used to bite my nails constantly in nervous habit, but now I don't, probably because of some psychological thing where I don't want to destroy the "prettiness" despite my anxiety...

Actually, now that I think about it, I'm more girly than a lot of people might expect. I do spend a good portion of my time in running shorts and Wrock T-shirts. I love hiking and running outside, I don't mind getting wet or muddy or dirty. I have gross feet, because I walk everywhere barefoot. Learning, reading, etc, are some of the most important things to me, and I definitely put getting to school on time before making myself look just perfect in the mornings. I really do hate shopping. Unless I'm shopping for books. :D I don't watch any normal teenager girly TV--I watch stuff on The History Channel and X-Files DVDs. I don't read any magazines other than The Economist and National Geographic. I had no idea who Snookie was until Hank mentioned her in his video. And I hate walking around in a bikini. I'd much rather wear my sporty one piece Speedo.**

That said, I love dresses. I own a ton of them, and I think I look good in them, as long as they're the right style. I always paint my nails. Most days, I at least wear foundation. I like getting dressed up, making my hair curly and finding the right necklace or shoes to go with an outfit. I like making myself look nice.

But I wouldn't say I'm a girly-girl. I'm a total nerd, and that's the first thing people see about me. I think. But even on the days when I'm running around in shorts and a t-shirt, dirt on my legs and my hair falling out of its ponytail, I always at least have painted nails.

3. I hate pants.

I hate jeans just because I don't like the way they feel, first of all. They always seem uncomfortably tight. Sometimes I wish I liked jeans, because they are so much more versatile. Day and evening, just a quick change of a shirt. I don't really like pants a lot of the time for the same reason I don't like jeans, but I also like skirts and dresses and shorts and the freedom they give a lot better. Unfortunately, on cold Colorado winter days, I'm forced to wear pants or leggings. I still almost always skip the jeans, though, unless I'm horseback riding. I love horses. :D

But in general, I'm with Maureen. No Pants!!! I wear dresses, skirts, and mostly shorts. Thank goodness I'm moving to Hawaii.

But here's some In Your Pants jokes. Because they're always fun:

Along for the Ride...In Your Pants

Dancing the Seas...In Your Pants

Dirty Dancing..In Your Pants***

Tomorrow, as promised, I will post Kat's Top Ten Reasons to (do Something). But it will probably be late, since I'm out all day! Yay! I now leave you with a funny picture:

Cheers!

Word of the Day: souse--to plunge into water or other liquid

Inspirational quote/photo of the day: "No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world." -Dead Poet's Society

Days until I leave for college: 11

*I don't know why we studied geography in Literacy. Literacy just became our class in which we studied anything that didn't fit into our core classes. My middle school was weird.

**I would come up with other examples of how I'm not girly, but I think you get my point. I'm not your typical teenage girl.

***I know this one is a movie, but it was sitting on my bookshelf, and it was too funny to resist.