Coming Out Of The Nerd Closet--A Guest Post

But I wasn't ready for everyone else to know it!

I never had any intentions of coming out of the nerd closet. I was raised in a family steeped in a Star Wars/Star Trek/Lord of the Rings tradition. I watch Dr. Who, I want to be the mother of Ted Mosby's children. I get all of the Big Bang Theory references, and I spot all the easter eggs in Community. My nerd-dom has been a closely guarded secret...until I heard about HBO’s Game of Thrones.

My best friend was really into it. I had seen her tweets about the Starks and Lannisters. Dragon eggs, you say? What are horse lords? Kingdoms and sword fighting! This was just a rip off of Lord of the Rings. Clearly, a copycat, not worth my time. But I promised her I would watch the first episode when she sent me a link. 

Dragons and Kingdoms and Horse Lords..OH MY!

I watched all ten episodes in TWO days. Hour long episodes. Then I bought the books. There are five of them available so far. They are all around 900 pages. I just started the fifth one. I have developed my own theories about characters and their futures. If Daenerys Targaryen does not take the Kingdoms with fire and blood, I might start writing fan fiction. Admittedly, I am completely sucked into George R. R. Martin’s realm of “The Song of Ice and Fire.”

So what...I thought...I can keep this contained. Nobody knows how into Star Wars I am. Only those closest to me know that I would rather watch the trilogy than a chick flick. I don't want people to see me as the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. I don't want to be the quirky, bubbly girl that nerds-out to attract nerdy boys and then turns them into men, only to eventually lose them to sexy, non-nerd, women. I had no intentions to reveal my true colors. 

Until they recently came shining through. There I was at a bar: wearing a high-waisted skirt, stylish top, side-braid, and drink in hand. And I see it from across the room. Some guy is wearing a crimson shirt 
with the Lannister lion on it. I cannot get to him fast enough.

Like this...only not.

“You watch Game of Thrones?” I asked. He looked at me like I was speaking Klingon. “Your shirt,” I tried again, “Lannisters are the lions.” He smiled politely, and it hit me: he had no idea what I was talking about. In less than a minute, I stood there alone, now educated on how his shirt had to do with a soccer team. Oh God! It was too late! I came out in a bar! 

Suddenly, standing next to me was this baby-faced guy, who explained that he overheard my Lannister conversation, and that Tyrion is his favorite character. My nerd-dom outburst had pinged his nerdy girl/MPDG radar. We ended the night exchanging only names to Facebook each other and vague plans to perhaps watch Game of Thrones together sometime. 

I went home, washed off my “Hot Girl Disguise,” crawled into bed with my black rimmed glasses on, and read some more of "A Dance with Dragons."



(This Guest Post is brought to you by my friend, Sandi. Sandi is currently a Nanny in the High Country of North Carolina, aspiring to be the perfect combination of Ina Garten, April Ludgate, and Belle. She has dreams of meeting a man who can carry on conversations using only lines from NBC's comedy block. Aside from wanting to be Lena Dunham's best friend, she is a TV addict currently focused on GoT, Girls, Once Upon A Time, and Revenge. You can follow her on Twitter--@joybyrd)