I Am... A Nerd

Nerd

noun

1. A foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious.

2. A single-minded expert in a particular technical field.

(oxford dictionary)

I LOVE to read. I adore it. Always have, hopefully always will. Apparently this makes me a nerd. I'm not bothered about being called a nerd; it's not an insult, it's a personality trait. When I decided to write this post, I looked up the definition of the word 'nerd' to check what I was essentially labelling myself, and I was (and still am) very confused and surprised at the definition above. I don't (think I) lack social skills, and honestly I'm not even relatively studios, let alone boringly so. Someone being interested in things which are typically 'nerdy' doesn't make them anti-social. I can watch movies/talk about books/obsess over a character with my friends, making me not anti-social (apologies for the double negative there, but had to get my point across). 

On the subject of studious-ness (studiosity? That sounds a lot like a Georgia Nicholson quote), I really don't understand why people who revise and study more than others are considered uncool. Believe me, I'm not one of them, I couldn't revise for a test that isn't the next morning if my life depended on it. But still, I kind of wish I was one of them, I'd definitely do better in exams if I was. People seem to always condemn others' pursuits for success, and their drive or motivation. This really doesn't make any sense to me, I admire those who can strive for greatness and do everything in their power to get there.

Back to the first point of nerds, I also don't believe that I'm single-minded, about anything. And I'm definitely not an expert in any field, let alone a technical one. I'm one of those people who's alright at most things, and not fantastic at any one thing, so by this definition, I'm not a nerd. 

But I 100% am. 

I hate how much I care about fictional characters and their fictional lives, I hate the way a good weekend for me would be binge-watching Harry Potter, I hate how I can't walk past a bookshop without spending an absolute fortune. 

But I love how an author can make you feel and care for someone who isn't real through simple words, I love the comfort of curling up and listening to the familiar Warner Bros intro, I love that feeling when you finally finish a book, only to glance over at your sky-high reading list. 

I love to read, I love films, and I love being a 'nerd', but this definition isn't what it means to be a nerd to me.