I'm not sure why precisely, but I really really enjoy his company. I learn so much from him, and he speaks 10 languages, etc. Sometimes we just talk about math and science and music and architecture and how it all fits together. He's teaching me a bit of Chinese, also. It reminds me of being on the East coast (where I went to school), and some of my friends out there (a lot settled in Boston). They're really bright people, and I've struggled to find people like that out here in LA.
Going to N@s@ was a treat for me, because it's literally a place FILLED with these sorts of people from all over the world. I literally had a smile on my face the ENTIRE time. But it's isolated, so unless you work there and move around in their circles, you don't necessarily have day to day interaction with those sorts of people.
Really bright people tend to be a sort of focused, multi-faceted sort; I can't explain it. Most schools want you to do one thing, and most people are okay with that...Hammer a nail over and over and make a career out of that, performing the same formula over and over with minimal effort. People at the top in terms of intelligence (from what I've seen) are always DOING, but they have this kind of well-rounded intelligence in which they have immense curiosity for ANYTHING they can deconstruct mentally. A friend of mine who is a member of MENSA was essentially just taking HAM radio just because...that's how bright people are. It's not enough to tell them "You are an X"; they're always doing or trying something. Another one who is absolutely brilliant not only started his business (and makes a bunch of money with his product but he also plays golf and likes mathematical puzzles...just because, and is always tracking the ISS(that's the International Sp@ce station, btw)) will have something just pique his interest and he will just remove himself from the group and sit in a lone 60's type chair, thinking in a way whereby if approached, can seem standoffish. It's something you can't fake; you're either like that or you aren't.
They are always up to something, and will focus immensely on learning something new and learning the most obscure bits of knowledge about anything they are deeply focused on. I haven't found a lot of those people out here outside of the h@cker community.
Anyways...
It suddenly dawned on me, that hmm....my friend may be right...maybe I am a nerd! Ha!
It would explain why people at DefC0n are so nice to me, and why this has been such an awesome experience so far; chasing eng!neering. I've heard that they can be quite nasty if you aren't a good fit, and nerds (or geeks) aren't known to be very kind if you don't fit and don't 'get it', particularly if you are dull. Maybe I was one of them from the beginning; I've just found home.
I can legitimately ask questions and I don't feel like I'm "trying". It's just natural. And it's fulfilling.
This is the first time I've never really attached a time-line to something I was doing (as in, I need to be a professional artist or whatever in X years). I just want to keep going, and just want to continue my entire life. I find myself looking forward and not asking around "what are you taking" in terms of classes or whatever; I don't need validation...I just keep going on my own.
Most of the time I feel misunderstood...a bit alienated. This was always a problem with the artists, because they thought they knew me based on themselves, but in some ways, I think they really didn't know me at all.
I used to find a lot of the artist people to be really dull, quite frankly. I felt like I was dumbing myself down. They weren't 'well rounded', so there were just some things I could never talk to them about. And of course, they had the dreaded mentality of "I hate math". I don't...hate math.
But meeting these people, I feel like I can finally be myself. We have the same sense of humour, and some of us have read the same books and all of that. It is just crazy.
My dad said that it's clear that I've been having a roaring fun time, and it's true. This has been THE best time ever. I've been SO happy this year; it's been QUITE wonderful! Not to say there hasn't been times of difficulty and struggle, but on the whole, it's been very rewarding. It seems like things are finally..finally paying off in some teeny tiny way after years of work. And it's fun.
So...with that being said..I had to take a test. And it confirmed yup..I guess I am a nerd LOL.
Also, I'm going to I/0 this year..which I am STOKED about. They asked us to make a character, and told us we may see it on the livestream. It's just a mix and match activity (it's not made from scratch or anything), but I made one after my friend, L!am, who is also a huge nerd..I love him to death because by the end of the first class, we literally gravitated towards each other. I thought he was the coolest, and we've been inseparable since in Algorithm class. I LOVE that class; everyone in that class is EPIC. I LOVE Algorithms!
Liam's sort of a hacker/security guy; he has an old computer that he built from scratch that runs Windows 95, but he is deadly with it. It's also wonderful that the three of us (the prof calls us "the smartest" Ha) have flip phones; we all refuse to buy smart phones. Liam also LOVES chess; he's quite good at it! During class, he will be playing Checkers or Chess or Solitaire while listening, because his mind always has to be doing something. It's hilarious.
This has seriously been one of the best, most unbelievable times of my life, and I am so grateful for all the wonderful people, cool times past and to come.
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