Top Ten Signs You Are A Geek

[Galadriel55]

We Downers are a good bunch of people, seeped in Tolkien to a varying degree of geekiness*. You might know Middle Earth geography better than the geography of your own continent. You might speak Quenya as a second language. You might have studied the behaviour patterns of orcs. As for myself, I know the lineages of most major Tolkien characters better than the lineage of any real-world ruling family ever.

Geeks are a noble and admirable people, whose immense contribution to the enrichment of our world deserves attention. Rarely do these curious people limit their worthy aspirations to one field. Geekiness simply oozes out of them, spilling over multiple fields of interest. Geeks, here is your chance to be proud of it and confess what stuff fills up your mind!


*Note: I appreciate that there are non-native English speakers on the Downs. For the fun of it, I decided to see how Google defines "geek". I got:

1. an unfashionable or socially inept person.
2. a carnival performer who performs wild or disgusting acts.

Let me assure you that geeks are no such thing, they are just super obsessed and excited about their obsessions.



So share with us what you geek out about, whether it be Tolkien or other things!

To throw a few statements out there, in no particular order:

1. You know you are an anatomy geek when upon seeing a circle within a larger circle your mind jumps to the conclusion "axon of a myelinated neuron".
2. You know you are a math geek when you try to solve math problems often shown in the background in school or college-related movies.
3. You know you are a Tolkien geek when, upon coming to a large room filled with a couple hundred posters, you immediately recognize and run over to a tiny Map of Middle Earth.
4. You know you are a biology geek when you and your friend wear matching "I <3 genetics" shirts for the hell of it and pretend to be homologous chromosomes.
5. You know you are a Tolkien geek when you liken city layouts and architecture to places in LOTR.
6. You know you're a Tolkien geek when you feel the urge to compare characters from just about every other book (most recently Les Miserables) to a Tolkien character.



Your turn!

[KarlPeredhel]

You know you are a Discworld geek when you start calling things you hate "Abominations unto Nuggen"

You know you are a Tolkien/Discworld/Fantasy geek when something goes wrong and you curse/pray/blame/plead to Eru, Ul, Offlar, Aldur, Belar, various Valar and The Seven.

You know you are a Tolkien geek when you associate book characters with the kids you teach to help remember their names and still end up referring to one of them as Luthien.


Also, how (if at all) do you differentiate between a nerd and a geek? I've always been called a Tolkien nerd.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by KarlPeredhel

Also, how (if at all) do you differentiate between a nerd and a geek? I've always been called a Tolkien nerd.

Geek is more fun to say. Geeeeeeeeek!

But good point. I don't know. I think "geek" is a term of more general interest - "nerd" is more about factual knowledge, while "geek" can encompass activities, actions, posters, habits, etc. Being a nerd overlaps with being a geek.


To add to my list, as a A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones Show geek I modified the expression "stinks to high heaven" into "sucks to seven hells", which I actually use as a part of my daily vocabulary.

You know you're a math geek when you start doodling math puns or deriving formulas on the margins of your notebook. (When going over my old history notebook, I found three pages at the back filled with a repeated derivation of the quadratic formula).

You're also a math geek when you want to one day write a math textbook and call it "Calculus Without Limits". (Well, one of my French books was called French Without Borders,and there's a student organization on this side of the pond called Engineers Without Borders. I don't see why a book or a club or something can't be named Calculus Without Limits. )

EDIT: Oh! And another Game of Thrones one. When you nickname a small enclosure on your uni campus with a few trees in it "the Godswood", and the word Godswood has to be said in a Sansa Stark accent, as she speaks in the show.

[Pitchwife]

You're a Tolkien geek if you react to disruptions of your daily routine with the words "What new devilry is this?"

You're a Star Trek geek if

• you tell the colleague relieving you when your shift is over "You have the bridge, Number One."
• you say of someone who talks very quickly "They're talking at full impulse."

You're an Elder Scrolls geek if

• things stink to High Hrothgar for you (instead of high heaven).
• as a driver dealing with a tricky traffic situation you cry out "Nerevar guide me!"

[Galadriel55]

You're a geek of too many books/authors/fandoms when:



...And you never end up leaving the last book's world.

Remind me again, how many times exactly did you read Lord of the Rings?

[Galadriel55]

You know you're a Victor Hugo geek when you pretty much know your favourite passages from his books by heart... in at least three languages. (Thank God Tolkien didn't write his books in French! )

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

You're a geek of too many books/authors/fandoms when:



...And you never end up leaving the last book's world.

Remind me again, how many times exactly did you read Lord of the Rings?

Leave? I'm supposed to leave???

[mark12_30]

You know you are a Tolkien geek when fourteen years after the first movie came out, you still have-- and wear regularly- the elvish and hobbitish clothes you bought just after the release of the first movie.

[Axbolt]

Originally Posted by KarlPeredhel

You know you are a Discworld geek when you start calling things you hate "Abominations unto Nuggen"
.

I do that all the time! Espeshaly homework, and the color blue!!!

You know your a tolkien geek when you can read Dwarvish runes more easily than you can English (and you start calling English common tongue)

You know your a discworld fan when you start talking like a nac-mac-feegle, Crivens! (wait, is that a swear word, am I even allowed to say it on the forum???)

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Axbolt

You know your a discworld fan when you start talking like a nac-mac-feegle, Crivens! (wait, is that a swear word, am I even allowed to say it on the forum???)

I have no knowledge of Discworld, but the word isn't censored, so...


You know you are a Tolkien geek when a random side reference to Tolkien in any other area is the thing that makes your day.

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Remind me again, how many times exactly did you read Lord of the Rings?

Over the years, the question shifts from "how many times did you?" to "how often do you?"

Originally Posted by Axbolt

You know your a discworld fan when you start talking like a nac-mac-feegle, Crivens! (wait, is that a swear word, am I even allowed to say it on the forum???)

B'evek, I never thought about that! Isn't "Crivens" a common Scottish interjection?

Anyway, you're also a Discworld fan when, on leaving the house, you tell your significant other/roommate "I'm offski!"