2019-12-11 - Texts and Nerdery

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Imagine my surprise when I saw who won me for a day. 🙂 Would you like to discuss plans via text, or just come by at some point?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Well, who could resist the potential of listening to you read the dictionary all day?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Either or. I can certainly come by to chat.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : I'm at work. Maybe text for now and if I get home at a decent hour we can get together and figure out what you'd like to do with me at your disposal for a day?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : I can work with that. How's work?

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Trees haven't tried to make a break for it; so far so good. Mostly just walking from tower to tower, check on the occasional camper. Zeus is loving it. How's your day?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : That's a good sign. Pretty good. Holiday shoppers coming and going, but aside from that, have time to write a bit.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : I didn't realize you were a writer? 🙂

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : I used to keep it a secret until pretty recently. I don't publish under my real name.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Hmmm, interesting. What sort of stuff do you write?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Mostly urban fantasy, supernatural creatures in a modern setting.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Everyone I know is a nerd 😉

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Is that a bad thing?

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Not at all. 🙂

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : So I take it that you eschew all things nerdy, yourself?

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : I don't actively avoid them, I just tend to spend most of my free time outdoors. I am not opposed to being drawn into nerdier pursuits, though.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : No? And have you been drawn into any nerdy pursuits since you seem to be surrounded by nerds?

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Not unless you count dressing up as Luke Cage for Halloween

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : That's a little nerdy. I think that counts.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Well, I guess I have been pulled towards nerdiness, then 😉

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : It's okay. I think the whole bassist/park ranger thing protects you from a certain degree of nerdiness. You'll have to accumulate more nerd cred before anyone mistakes you for one.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Very good point.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : We'll try not to rub off on you too much.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Why, are nerds bad influences? :b

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Yes. Terrible. Nerdery leads to strange obsessions, mutterings that confuse the townies, and lack of sleep. Dangerous.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Hmmm, and here I thought all the talk of D&D corrupting the youth was just nonsense. Where do I sign up for the obsessions and lack of sleep? Those sound promising. 😉

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Oh no. The corruption is real. I'll bring the forms when we meet and you can sign your soul over to be seduced by the dark side.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Obsession, sleep deprivation, and seduction? I'm beginning to think ppp culture has been misleading me on the subject of nerds.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Those are some of our best kept secrets. If everyone knew, everybody would want to be a nerd. Can't have that.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Very wise.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : So, what's an outsider have to do to begin the slow corruption into nerdery? Besides the appropriate paperwork :b

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Well, we need to identify possible areas of interest which can be cultivated into unhealthy obsessions. That is step one.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : There are many types of nerd. Book nerds. Science nerds. Role playing nerds. Historical reenactors (can't help there.. i don't get them either)

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Hmmm, why don't you introduce me to whatever your favorite, most approachable flavor of nerdery is, and we take it from there?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : I, personally, am a book nerd. Conveniently, I own a book store. This makes feeding my habit pretty easy.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : And an occult nerd. Weird stories, myths, unusual faiths and practices, hauntings, and various supernatural phenomena.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : You know, between the writing and the book store, I suspected that might be one of your preferred flavors of nerdery. Supernatural phenomena. Yeah. Remind me to introduce you to Kelsey at some point if you don't know her already.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Kelsey with long blonde hair that owns a couple of dogs?

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : That's the one

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Yep, we've met. Saw her at the firefly club not too long ago actually.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Seems we have a couple of friends in common

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : So it would seem. We clearly have excellent taste in people.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Clearly! What else do you have excellent taste in?

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Besides people? Music. It's probably the only other thing I have strong opinions on.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : So tell me about your favorite music.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Favorite is such a hard thing to define, though. Favorite band? Favorite album? Favorite song? Favorite genre?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Anything you want to tell me about your taste in music, and your opinions on the same.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Favorite band is The Decemberists, hands down. But my favorite album of any variety is the Hamilton soundtrack. And to add to the contradictions, my preferred genres, as a rule, are rock and alternative. So make what you will of that.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Are they really contradictions, though? A genre preference covers a wide variety of individual songs, while an album is a cohesive unit. I rarely like a whole album of any particular artist, so a favorite album means that that collection of songs has a particular appeal. Then there is a favorite band, which can encompass a lot of factors such as how good they are to watch live, total number of songs enjoyed across their body of work, personal connections to their songs, the band members, etc.. there's a lot of reasons to like each separate thing and not all of them will always overlap.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Maybe not full contradictions, but if I'd said my favorite genre was rock, you'd probably have been forming some preconceptions about favorite bands, at the very least.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : My favorite book is Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, but my favorite Author is Neil Gaiamn, overall. My favorite series, however, is the Moon in HIding/Child of Saturn, etc.. series by Theresa Edgerton. Genre is harder. It shifts based on my mood at any given time.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Not really since I barely know what qualifies as what genre right now aside from maybe some super obvious things like Rap and Opera. I tend to just like a bunch of individual songs, sometimes a bunch by the same artist.. but I'm so completely random when it comes to music, I don't even know how to quantify it.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : That's fair. Music has largely become a big, delicious melting pot lately.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Delicious melty music.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : What about your musical tastes? Current favorite songs?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Currently been listening to Movement (Hozier), Young God (Halsey), Tonight Tonight (Hot Chelle Rae), I'm So Tired (Troye Sivan) pretty often.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : ...I don't know any of those songs. And only know who 2.5 of the artists are lol

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Then you should listen to them sometime. If only so you can judge me for part of my playlist.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Judging seems harsh :b But yeah, I'll put them on my 'to listen' list, for sure

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : I wasn't entirely serious. 🙂

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Too late, they're on the list, no getting out of being judged now :b

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : I think you've known me long enough to realize I fear no judgment.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : ...fair enough.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : My sister is kind of a d&d nerd. Does that fall in your sphere of interests, or not so much?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : I have never played but there was a group that did at the high school when I was there. They were a bit older though.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : What's on your 'Must Read' list?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : That I must read or that I think others should read?

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : The second one.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Good Omens - Neil Gaiman, The Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Shakespeare's Hamlet and MacBeth, Les Miserables (Unabridged) - Victor Hugo, poetry by Lord Byron.. I could probably write a very long list if I gave it any thought.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Oooh, I've been wanting to read Good Omens. Admittedly mostly because of the Amazon series.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : At the risk of sound hipster -- I read it a long time ago, before it was an Amazon series. 😉 But yes, the Amazon Series has been good so far.

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : I haven't finished it yet.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : I'm definitely not judging you for hipster-ness :b I haven't finished it yet either! Maybe add it to the maybe list for our date?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Sure. Speaking of which, we should plan that.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : yes, yes we should! Want to come by tomorrow and hammer out details?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Sounds like a plan to me.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : Brilliant!You know where I live. I work in the morning, I'll text when I'm home and available?

(TXT to Garrett) Elias : Sounds good. I'll see you then.

(TXT to Elias) Garrett : I look forward to it. 🙂