Geek, nerd, dork. That's me!

I'm a geek. I know that, accept it, and embrace it even. Actually, I've learned to take it as a compliment. When I was little I just assumed everybody had the love affair with books that I did. I'd find an author I liked and then read everything they'd ever written. It started in second grade with Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and James Howe (Bunnicula series). There wasn't a book in the kids section of the school library I hadn't sat enthralled with. I imagined myself kind of like Matilda (a Dahl book). Not in the neglectful parent way but in the loving books and learning and, admittedly, trying to move objects with my mind. That last part never quite worked but, Oh!, did I try!

I didn't actually realize that other students didn't read as much as me until the 11th grade. I guess I'd had my nose in my books so much I wasn't paying attention.** I moved cities, and therefore schools, half way into the term that year. My teacher had assigned Stranger in a Strange Land to the class and, very apologetically, explained that I would have to get caught up to the rest of the class and would have a lot of reading to do in the next two weeks. I took the book home on Friday and started with my "required reading". On Monday the teacher, before starting the discussion, told me it was okay if I wasn't caught up yet but how far had I gotten? I told him "I'm done". "Oh", he said, "You're caught up already?" "No, I'm done. I finished the book this weekend". Most of the kids in the class looked a little stunned and, being mostly the popular kids, wrote me off as a geek on the spot. I guess I was the only one to do that. Seriously?!? By the end of the term I had read 6 more books by Heinlein, one of them to be included in my top 3 favorites permanently. Instead of feeling left out by the popular kids who'd written me off I felt bad for them, knowing what they were being left out of without books. I think this is part of why I like blogs so much. Some of you are readers, some not, but all of you write, and think. I feel like I'm not alone here in my love affair. Thank you all for that!

** On a side note, yes, you can read a book and ride a bike at the same time. You just have to pay attention with your peripheral vision over the top of the book. And no, I was not reading a book during either of the two times I was hit by a car. Well, either the time I was hit by a car or by the time one pulled in front of me and I hit it. And before my little sister starts laughing at me for hitting a car with my bike let me please remind you that you hit a BARN. Ok, enough of that. (You know I love you, Little-Little!)

** On another side note, that picture is a Bergsma bookmark. She has a ton of other great ones, too!