nykola.com | bothering people since 1981

It doesn't take much to excite me. Shoe shopping, a book, bacon, a day-off, a buffet, a pedicure--it's the little things in life that get me going. Up until yesterday, I thought I was a pretty cool person. I mean, I dress myself fairly well, I've never been known to wear highwaters, I have a life outside of the Internet, and I can even go a few days without checking my email. I'd also add that I don't like Star Wars, Star Trek, or Star _ _ _ _ (insert nerdy science fiction show). I can't even see "Revenge of the Sith" because there is a high probability that I would fall asleep. Plus, I do not know what a "Sith" is, nor do I care. My cool factor is way up there guys, I'm telling you. Nerd isn't it my vocabulary. Up until now, I have resisted the title "nerd" because I am oh so much cooler than that.

Okay so yes I designed my website by myself and can quote you nearly every product Apple has ever launched, dates included. Yes I salivate in the Powerbook section of the Apple store, I think "pretty" is an acceptable adjective for peripherals. I even know what peripheral means. And yes I have been known to surf the web in the bathroom, and I even get laptopstomach once in awhile (for those who don't know, "laptopstomach" as I've coined it, is when you fall asleep in bed with your laptop on your stomach and wake up with a giant red mark where your battery pack has burned you.) It's happened to me more than once.

Yesterday however, sitting in a small room in a meeting, on a beanbag chair with Sergey Brin sitting on my left, while we're having casual conversation and I thought to myself, "Self, you are WAYYYY too excited right now. But it's Sergey Brin! Brin! Brin!"

And then it hit me: I am a nerd.

Savor it guys, because you will never hear or read me say it again.

"Life's not fair. And then you die."

My 8th grade home room teacher used to say to me whenever I would begin to profess how unfair something was, "life is hard and some people die"

Point well made Ambra.

Did you get to shake his hand?

I sure did. Because I and another girl were the only two people he hadn't met yet, he came up to us and shook our hands. I felt like a complete idiot because when he came up to me, I was sitting on a beanbag chair (from which the ablity to get up quickly can be likened to the plight of a pregnant woman...I might also note that I have gymnastics balls in my office and sometimes sit on those, so it's not uncommon for people to sit in untraditional seating). So he says "No no, don't get up" and I hesitated for a moment thinking, "Well, I better sit down then." So I ended up shaking his hand, mid-stand, mid-sitdown, mid pregnant woman beanbag squat. A minor thing, but I always like to stand when I shake peoples' hands, especially people I respect, even if it's not their preference.

He's completely a nice guy though--very smart and quick on his feet (i.e. calculates numbers in his head on the spot), but also very approachable. I found him remarkably humble for someone worth nearly $4 billion.

On a different note: Doesnt everything Google does turn out 100x better than existing products? I mean, once I found Google Maps, I forgot MapQuest, Mappoint, Yahoo! Maps existed. And, I even phased out the e-mail from my own server to my G-Mail account.

Oh yeah, did you get any stock options? I hear theyre close to $300 a share. Oh, I should've gotten that IPO..

Yes in a sentence: Google rocks. In oh so many ways. Email me offline, we can chat more.

But for now, I think I'll adhere to my long-standing policy of talking about non-self employed work in vague, nondescript concepts. Not that it went over all that well with my second to last employer anyway, but I'm sure you understand.

This little vingette however, was an epic revelation of my nerdom I just had to share. I will say this: I have giant bouncy balls in my office. How cool is that? Oh, and there is a blogging policy. As a certain pudgy San Antonio pastor might forcefully clap his hands and say, "Halleluah to the Lamb!" for corporate blogging policies.

The victory is won...LOL.

hehe, I would SO totally get excited to meet Sergey Brin too... so I guess I qualify for nerd-dom right along with ya! (Yet, you and I just have a toe over the line... we still have the rest of ourselves in the "cool" category.) ;) I wish we all could have brilliant ideas that manifest themselves into a tremendously successful company like Brin has... I keep hoping I'll wake up one morning and have the little light bulb in my head turn on with something really cool that no one else has thought of. Apparently, I'm not meant for that kind of "glory." I guess I am comfortable with that. :)

[I just wish I could pay off my college loans more quickly... it would be so freeing!]

Anyway, I'm glad that you are a little bit of a nerd... it makes me feel better. That, and the fact that you surf the net in the bathroom... even I don't do that. :) LOL

First off, Janna, you are made for that type of glory. You've got plenty of life ahead.

Ditto on the school loan deal. Don't even get me started.

A little clarity on the bathroom surfing...we're not talking magazine replacement here folks. What I do is bring my laptop in with me while I'm getting ready (doing my hair, brushing teeth, etc.) that way I can get email checking out of the way early on.

it's ok we are all nerds , (besides me) but i completely understand because i was in the airport a week or two ago coming home from little rock when i caught myself drooling over some random technology book ,and in my mind singing that terrable song from napoleon dynamite , the one that comes on after the credits keep rolling, i love technology. Yes i know very , very sad but it's me and i love technology ,------ momment of clarity------
I AM A NERD
love ya
Erik

so you surf the web in the restroom too? okay now instead of just feeling like a geek, i'm apart of a geek community. never thought my powerbook would ever "walk" its way into the restroom with me...but it has...and on more than one occasion

I'm a geek, but I've never taken my laptop into the restroom with me.

You guys are on a whole 'nother level of geekiness here. I'm talking Bill Gates with suspenders and pocket calculator geeky.

I am almost ashamed to associate with you.

I don't have a laptop.

And yes I've done plenty of web searching on my PDA..in the restroom. Nothing at all geeky about that.

This isn't going to turn into a whole "You might be a redneck" type theme is it?

If you've ever organized your Mac World magazines by level of technological significance... you might be a NERD.

Sorry...had to.

Anyway, outstanding blog. I plan to link it as soon as I remember my blogroll password. Doh. I find myself jealous of well organized, visually appealing and well written blogs such as yours.

You may well be a nerd, but you've got mad guns! Look at the arms on that girl!