I'm Officially a Nerd and I Like It

A hint of nerd...
I've always liked to read.  Usually I have a fictional book, a self-help or spiritual book, and some kind of academic book going all at the same time.  Right now the fictional is the second book of the Wrinkle in Time Series, A Wind in the Door.  It's a SUPER easy read, but really fun.  The spiritual book is an awesome book my friend Tekila gave me when Rob and I got married - The Power of A Praying Wife.  I'm a few chapters in, and I LOVE it.  It's by a woman whose husband is a minister.  The academic book is Buying Your First Home.  It's such a huge purchase, I needed to do more research!!!

The nerdiness is starting to emerge...
I first discovered NPR in 2009 when I was living in Utah County.  I was driving more and more to visit the schools I was working with and found that their news was really interesting and in quick bites.  This was only the beginning of my obsession with Public Radio.  The funny thing about Public Radio listeners, they make fun of themselves, but those that might make fun of them for real, usually don't know Public Radio even exists.  I find that humorous.  

So it started with NPR news, and then I found Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.  I am OBSESSED with this show!!  It's a humorous news quiz show.  Apropo, as I started listening to NPR with the news right?  Here's how it goes-
Host: Peter Sagal - funny guy, and good at keeping the others on track
Scorekeeper and Judge: Carl Kasell - Okay, he has the BEST voice.  AND if you win one of the games, he will record your voicemail message!!  Can't you hear it??  In Carl's voice- "hello, you've reached Lindsey Erwin's phone, please leave a message."  Ha!!   I seriously sent this Valentine to someone once: Carl Kassel Valentine
Panelists: Comedians!!  How can you get better than making fun of the news with comedians?
Games: Okay it would take forever to put the games into words, but basically they quiz the panelists and people who call in, about the week's news and then make fun of it.  Do me a favor and listen to just one show, just one- you'll be hooked:  Latest Episode

You've seen it now, right? The nerdiness? Yeah...
I knew it when I told our friend Preston (one of Rob's best buddies in DC), about the podcast, Stuff You Should Know, and even before I could tell him what it was about, I had to explain what a podcast was.  Fail.  As I've been driving hundreds of miles for work, I've listened to A LOT of these podcasts.

Hosts: Charles (Chuck) Bryant & Josh Clark are ridiculous.  They research a topic to the nth degree and then they condense what they learned into a hour.  They banter, and get off topic, but it's interesting, and I've learned SO much!
Topics: So far I've learned about How Pollen Works, How Cicadas Work, 10 Easy Ways to Save Money, Drag Queens, Truth Serum, How Burning Man Works, How Grief Works, I could go on...


So the final nail in the coffin of nerdy is a recent acquisition: Another NPR show - Ask Me Another  Now, I will admit, this is not as funny as Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me.  BUT it's still fun to play along and quiz yourself.  I've linked to the best one I listened to.  Actor Justin Long is the guest (He was the bartender in "He's Just Not That Into You".)

How They Define Themselves: NPR's exciting new show featuring puzzles, word games and trivia played in front of a live audience.
My Take: You might think, I don't know trivia, but mostly, it's entertainment trivia- movies, songs, books, etc.  There is a host that's a comedian, but again, not as funny as Wait, Wait.  They have an amazing guitarist/singer/songwriter that makes up a lot of the clues in the form of songs.  It's pretty good.

So it's finalized, I'm a nerd.  I read three books at a time, I listen to Public Radio and podcasts, and Rob is always laughing at me (in a loving way) when I get all excited about kitchen stuff.  (THANK YOU again to everyone who gave us wedding gifts and gift cards/money.  We got the kitchen stuff of my dreams!!  Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, a cupcake/cake carrier, a French Oven, a REALLY nice set of knives, and more!  I'm SO ready for Thanksgiving :) :) :)

A note: I stink at spelling, grammar and proof reading, so don't think my nerdiness encompasses any of that!!  And yet, the nerdiness I do have, I embrace, and you should embrace your nerdiness too- whatever it centers on.

Another note: I used Siri to write down my notes about this blog while I was driving home from Houston, and every time I said nerdy, it wrote DIRTY!!!  Read through the blog again with the word nerdy replaced by dirty and you'll laugh.