In which I confess my nerdishness

I've been battling it for the better part of two decades. Sure, I've had glasses since I began 6th grade but I chalk that one up to genetics because when everyone of my aunts and uncles on both sides of my family - as well as my parents - has glasses it's inevitable that I'd eventually have them too. But having vision problems does not a nerd make. I also have a rather odd - to some - collection which my old lady has relegated to an upstairs closet in the far back of the house.

That collection consists of hundreds of miniature collectible tractors (cut me some slack, I'm a farm kid at heart - remember?). It took me 10-15 years to amass that collection and nearly weekly she asks me what I plan on doing with all those damn toys in the future. First off, they are not mere toys, I don't play with them like I would Legos if I was still in possession of Legos. The rowdy nephews don't get to play with my collectibles when they come by to visit and generally messy-up our house. And finally, they ARE NOT TOYS. They are worth more than my old car which she urged me to sell last fall. They are worth more than our shitty couch in the living room. Those fucking MINIATURE FARM COLLECTIBLES are an investment as well as a hobby. And when I finally hit the big time and we can build a house to our liking in the country so I can have my very own anger shed (a topic for another day) those collectibles will have their proper display room. But until then they'll have to reside in that dark closet where their beauty goes unappreciated.

Of course my oddness also extends to TV. Sunday night, when I should have been tidying up the living room and heading upstairs to brush my teeth, I found a documentary of sorts on CNBC about MacIntosh/Apple Computer. Yeah, I was actually watching something on CNBC and I sat for 45 minutes fixated on this rather compelling story about why there is such huge fandom surrounding Apple Computers. And I totally got it. I understood where the people interviewed were coming from. I could actually relate to these relative outcasts of society. Now I wouldn't camp out waiting for an Apple Store to open but I would love to attend MacWorld even now that Apple doesn't exhibit there or unveil products during the show each year.

And even more on the TV front, I own the complete series DVD box set of "Sports Night". Do you remember that show? It wasn't quite a drama but it was 30 minutes long but it also wasn't a comedy. It was a genre-bending masterpiece from Aaron Sorkin. It featured Felicity Huffman before she was a desperate housewife. It was relateable because it let viewers decide when to laugh because unlike its late-90s counterparts there was no laughtrack or studio audience. That series was like scripted gold.

Then there's "Lost". I can't take full responsibility for what became an almost obsession with that series. I didn't even watch the first couple of episodes of "Lost" but bored for something to unwind to, my old lady - soon after our wedding - sat down one Wednesday night in our smallish apartment to watch whatever was on. Being as I had no cable TV at the time, the offerings were limited but we caught a repeat of the premiere episode of "Lost" and I haven't missed an episode since. It's a given that nothing will get done around the house when "Lost" is on. I've collected each of the five seasons on DVD and am currently nearing the end of the second season as I try to pack in as much viewing as possible before the series ends in May. It's captivating because the story hops all over the place and spans not just thirty years but a couple of centuries as we found out at the end of the fifth season. The mysteries have me nearly obsessed the day after the show airs and while plenty of people will try to replicate this series, nobody ever will because it's the original and you can never beat the original.

And to further expand on my nerdishness, I also blog. Not just here but also maintain MinnPics which features awesome photos from around the great state of Minnesota.