I’ve spent the past two days working 12 hour shifts at the hospital for my last quarter of nursing school, and in that time I’ve been reminded that my interests aren’t exactly the same as the average public. Take this exchange at the nurse station:
A nurse: So, do you work while going to school?
Me: Well, kinda. I work from home as a blogger.
All the nurses around me: *blank stares*
Another nurse: What’s that?
Me: Um, you know…writing about your life or a specific topic on the internet? Creating communities around shared interests?
All the nurses around me: Oh, uh, OK…don’t know what you’re talking about…mumble mumble…Hey, there’s a hockey game tonight, right?
I keep forgetting that not everyone likes to blog and share parts of their lives online. In fact, the average public may know about blogs, but I’m still on the geek edge of society.
I’ll admit to having some pretty varied interests that some might call strange. Some things you may or may not know about me:
– I’m an internet geek, but I’ve been known to dress up in medieval clothing. At one point I decorated my living room with tapestries and swords on the wall.
– I still like cartoons as well as sci-fi TV shows, and I love video games when I get the chance to play them. (You should have heard me squeal with glee when I got my new Nintendo DSi.)
– I can’t cook and I’m a lousy housekeeper, but I can knit and sew. So I guess I’m domestic in an upper class Victorian kinda way.
– I dislike soaps, but you can bet I watched the reality game show Who Wants To Be A Superhero? I also love Jeopardy.
– I was in a sorority in college (go AEPhi!) but we were probably the most unpopular sorority on campus. We were the Omega Mu’s of the real world. Our common phrase? “I never thought I’d join a sorority…”
– I’ve never been what you’d call “popular”. At the same time, in those few fleeting moments of my life when I was at my closest to being popular, I can tell you I found it boring. To be popular felt so bland and vanilla – I didn’t like trying to hide my weirder quirks to please everyone.
I know I’m not alone here, so let your weird flag fly – what are your quirks or odd interests?
No fair counting your husband’s weird interests – if I did that, my list would be twice as long!
TV….can take it or leave it. But not American Idol! I’m all about Idol and Ice cream!
With this broken foot, I keep running into doctors and nurses asking me “so what do you do for a living?” and I finally just started saying, “I freelance ….” blank stares….”like you know, I’m an author….” more blank stares…”you know, like a specialist…” their eyes light up, a specialist? in what? I say education and parenting – education because hey I do have a degree in that and parenting because duh, no one is a specialist in that but they buy it b/c the education part lures them in……it’s working like a charm now, lol, I then hand them a business card, hehehe
I support my husband’s collection of classic role playing games.
I played role playing games as recently as two or so years ago.
I’m an IT geek at work, but I don’t IT geek much at home.
I blog, like blogging, and am going to BlogHer, though I tell everyone I know my interests include freelance writing. Which sort of counts because I have been a paid blogger.
I knit, sew (but not as good as you), quilt, garden. I suck at sports.
I dressed up in Renaissance clothing with Christina.
I even got married in Renaissance clothing (but not to Christina.)
I was a professional Jester – no lie!
I am very much into reading Science fiction and fantasy.
I also love watching good sci fi on tv.
I am currently obsessed with playing World of Warcraft.
I knit and sort of sew when my back lets me. I plan on teaching my boys to sew and knit.
I blog.
I am very into Biology and know more useless things about that then any sane person really should.
I want to learn to play D&D
I have a major obsession with all things Tudor. I have about 40 books on the subject and in the past, paid an inordinate amount of money for an out-of-print book about Lady Jane Grey.
I would have to say nurses that you encountered are totally out of touch. I actually think anyone who doesn’t know about blogging these days isn’t keeping up with current events, so I think you definitely sounded like the less weird one in that conversation.
As for weird stuff, I’m a bit OCD and sometimes need to touch doorknobs twice and stuff like that.
Oh, and I’m also into leather.
Kidding.
And I have a weird sense of humor that most people don’t get considering that leather comment was from the movie Annie Hall.
I like to have dirty feet. I do. I enjoy being barefoot and seeing dirt on my feet.
I said it.
I love to read, and I always get made fun of about it bc really the only books I love are Stephen King and James Patterson.
I keep a journal, not just a blog and I write in it every day almost.
Sewing, scrapbooking and my biggest one that I hate to admit, I really love to do laundry and iron. I know that makes me sound crazy!
First, I used to blog CONSTANTLY and I still have my blogroll up so I figured I’d visit everyone and see who was still around. So here I am! Anyway, I actually didn’t get bored, so much as stressed with blogging every day but now I think I may get back into it. At least once a week maybe? We’ll see. Oh, and to let my freak flag fly – not many people would guess but I LOVE Shakespeare, I love Clay Aiken, and I still know all the words to Ice, Ice, Baby (PS Vanilla Ice lives around the corner from me!)
Good for you for doing what you love!
A couple of years ago back when we had money, I spent $200 on a dress so I could have something more authentic to dress up in for the annual renaissance faire.
I think that Dungeons and Dragons is awesome and more people should play. It’s a great way of expressing creativity as an adult.
I am really interested in crazy diseases like Ebola. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston is one of my favorite books. I also love disaster movies, even when they’re cheesy.
I’m new to the blogging world, just recently started one of my own! I’m also a scrapbooker and quilter! I am also walking in the local March for Babies – such an awesome cause that I wholeheartedly support as a NICU nurse!
I’m a member of an awesome mommy message board – you should join us! http://www.chatterscene.com/csboards/register.php?referrerid=155
I get the same blank stares when I discuss blogging. People just don’t get it.
I don’t get into the sci fi or fantasy stuff, but I read everything I can get my hands on and I’m addicted to really bad television. I would rather read a book than go out (for the most part). I also spend waaaaay to much time nerding out online.