Friendship, Connection and Nerds

This week I had planned on writing a post about nerd appropriation or possibly my recent bad habit of book hoarding, however, something else has occupied my mind and seeing as how it’s the Wednesday night before my post is due, I figure I better write what I’m feeling. Bayana just left my apartment for the last time in what will probably be a long while as she sets off on a Chicago adventure. A few weeks ago she wrote about her Nerd Resurrection and it seems appropriate that I should write about my own. About a year ago, Bayana was in the summer break before her last year of college and came to me about possibly starting a blog – to her it was something to do to stay disciplined in her writing, for me, it was something to do with her.

I have frequently mentioned how I came late to my nerd identity but one of the things that changed for me was the social nature of my nerdiness. I remember when Bayana asked my mother if she could come stay with us for a week and I was nervous. What was I going to do with a high school senior for a week, even if she was a Potterhead? When she came she told me she just wanted to read and hang out – now, I think she was escaping the craziness of her younger siblings. So we set out to read Harry Potter and then watch the corresponding movie until we got through all of them. It was one of the most fun weekends I’ve had in my life and soon became a sort of tradition that we would replicate over and over throughout the years.

A large portion of my enjoyment of doing this blog and #WizardTeam is the shared sense of community I get from talking about the books, shows and movies I love with people who love them as much as I do. The first time I went to Comic-Con after I moved back home from college was as a volunteer, once my shift was over I wandered the exhibit hall alone and overwhelmed, the convention had grown and changed so much from when I went in high school. The next time I went was with a close friend and the amount of enjoyment I had increased exponentially. Even when I spent long stretches alone I felt more comfortable and open to experiences because I knew that I had support not too far away. I think this is essential to the enjoyment of things

I am a hermit and a curmudgeon, I don’t deny those facts, but the people I love, I love fiercely. Same with the things that I love. As much as I enjoyed reading Harry Potter when I was younger and how much I enjoyed the midnight book releases, I look back at those times and wish that I had Bayana with me to share in my excitement and to discover the books with me for the first time. This is the uncomfortable truth about being an introvert who spends most of my time alone – sometimes no matter what, we still need people.

My Nerd Resurrection was slow but my friendships and the ability to share my interests is the reason why I’ve been able to do more than I ever thought possible. Though we will still talk daily and have so many amazing plans in the works, I’m going to miss my hangout time with Bayana and impromptu marathon sessions. I will still have her in my life thanks to phones, emails, twitter, facetime – but there is no denying that all the fun had by being a nerd, even a hermit nerd, is increased when you have someone to share these things with.