embracing my geekdom

"To thine own self be true."
-William Shakespeare

"I yam what I yam."
-Popeye

I found out yesterday that I got an "A" in my first class in grad school. I was over the moon for a few reasons, namely:

1. I didn't think I had a shot at that grade.
2. I worked damn hard for that A.
3. It's grad school for chrissakes. I did well and I'm proud of myself.

I texted a friend (he has a Ph.D., by the way) about it and his response was hilarious:
"Hey Happy, that's terrific. (nerd)
You should be proud. (geek)
I hope you are out celebrating. (Like I'm one to talk.)"

My response was something like:
"No such luck. I'm in my accounting class right now.
And yes, I am a geek.
But a chic geek. With serious geek cred."

It's true. I've never made an effort to hide my intelligence. When I was younger, I was pretty obnoxious about showing my peers how much smarter I (thought I) was than them. It didn't make me any friends, but at the time, my social skills sucked (I'm an only child) and I wasn't a fabulous athlete or the prettiest girl in the class. For that reason, my brain became my stock-in-trade.

Nowadays, my interpersonal skills are much improved, I'm a well-balanced individual, and I've been taken down several notches. It's a function of discovering that although I'm a reasonably intelligent woman, I'm not the smartest person I know. I can think of at least 20 people in my immediate social circle who are much smarter than me, and I think that's a good thing, because there's a great deal to be learned from people like that.

Most of all, I'm at peace with my inner geek because I've realized that smart is sexy no matter how you slice it.