theOlster.net

I’ve had a real weird couple of months. Updates to my blog have been totally non-existent, mainly because I’ve been so busy and no-one was reading it any way, although I did manage to completely loose the first comment I ever received… and that was before I read it! (if that was you, could you let me know)… But this is not why things have been weird.

Things have been weird because I’ve been having a tiny bit of an identity crisis. Although I’ve looked around and although the term identity crisis is a little too strong, I can find nothing better. I have slowly realised that I really am a Geek. So what!? I hear you cry. Well I didn’t know I was one. I didn’t even know that these days most completely sane, normal people actually think that geeks are cool. (according to the girls at work, this makes me cute?!) But there is a bigger story to tell here. At school I was a geek, I hung out with geeks, for a time. Then I realised I had absolutely nothing in common with them. They were materialistic morons, most of them too intelligent for their own good, but so shallow I just hated being around them! Of course at the age of 13-15 I got picked on for being a geek. This bothered me, but I accepted it as part of the territory. Then I discovered that a lot of my non-geek friends were just more interesting. So the fall of my geek label began.

I became a closet geek, in denial at the highest level. I actually began to turn into my dad, and became a ‘music geek’ which is something different altogether - not worse, just different. Anyway I’m using the term geek loosely, so I shall now refer to wikipedia.

Well, after reading that I know I need to specify more! The definition I refer to is this bit:
‘A person who is interested in technology, especially computing and new media.’ But this had no mention of sci-fi, although I suppose you could encapsulate it into technology.

Anyway, the biggest problem I have at the moment, I have no-one to talk to about geeky stuff. I talk to my wife about the latest Linux news, bloggers, and cool new websites, and although she tries I really don’t think she gets it. But I love her so much for trying. There are a couple of IT guys at work. But really, I could do their jobs with my eyes closed. They are basically the same materialistic idiots I knew at school, but somehow dimmer (maybe I just got brighter?). All they care about is the who has a great link to an Office 2003 torrent, or who has the biggest hard drive. And I think I have issues! I’ve also tried my real friends, but they couldn’t care less. Except when it comes to guitars or chess. But really, I love them to bits but that’s as close as they get.

I read wilwheaton.net, slashdot, listen to LUG Radio and subscribe to Linux Format. Last night I got so desperate I logged into Amazon and ordered ‘Just a Geek‘ & ‘Dancing Barefoot‘. But I need more. And then it hit me. I need to talk about this stuff. There is a great opportunity here, a mass group of people who could/may (if I’m really lucky)… listen. I need to pay attention to this blog, really use it. The time is near. (I hope!)

‘If you build it, they will come.’