With great nerd-dom, comes great nerd-sponsibility
When I was a child, I talked like a nerd, thought like a nerd and reasoned like a nerd. When I became an adult, I put the ways of geekhood behind me. I wished I hadn’t done that.
I’m Shannen Naegel, and as an adult, working woman and wife, I was jealous of those women who had the confidence to publicly expound upon the differences between the DCEU vs. MCU; while I hid my thoughts away in the proverbial attic.
But the real me was dying to come out, even when the world around me was saying that it should stay hidden. I remember once being told by a boss that I shouldn’t tell clients that I liked to read fantasy novels because that would make me seem “flighty” or not “serious” (read, “not competent at my job”). He suggested that I say I liked reading, but maybe something like nonfiction books about economics or communication (he had already shot down talking about board games or puzzles). I compromised by telling clients that I read all kinds of fiction. Then I found a new job.
Then there was the time one of my closest male friends made a comment that he had only known women to love Dungeons & Dragons because they were trying to impress a boyfriend. I told him I had played in high school and had come to it myself — no men were responsible for my love of 12-sided dice. Then I read him the riot act for thinking something was wrong with anyone who picked up a hobby because someone they loved introduced it to them.
It was one of my proudest moments as a young adult. By denying the validity of my love of D&D, my friend was denying me the joy of being comfortable in my own skin. That’s when I realized that my passions are what makes me, ME.
So I embraced my inner (geek) child and dove headfirst back into my love of all things nerdy. I found that sharing my interests with the people I love helped them to know and understand me better. And it helped me to get to know me better too. I learned that my geeky interests are an important part of my life, and it’s important to me to have the world get an accurate reflection of who I truly am: A proud, successful nerd.
Along the way, I realized that there are plenty of women like me who want to hold onto their love of geekdom, but don’t know how to find the time, energy or confidence to do so. Thus, A Geek At Home was born. I hope you use this site to re-embrace your inner geek so that you’ll ultimately live long and prosper.