Geek Speak

I'm one of those geeky girls to whom technical aspects are part of their innate logic. I understand and talk tech, I think as programmers do, and when my brain should be quiet and contemplative, the gears are grinding and I'm working out mathematical curiosities, geometrics of the physical world, and sorting and cataloging my life experiences in some logical pattern so I can mentally explore how things relate to each other.

Like I said, I'm a geek.

My mental edit function is turned to "Low," so most of the time I blurt out whatever is going on in my head without giving much preface to what I'm thinking. People think I'm funny, which is great, but I'm not trying to be. I'm just blurting out a slice of my stream of conscience. I just happen to have a weird way of seeing the processing my environment.

A couple of years ago, I finally decided to stop dumbing myself down in order to fit in. My language took off, and I left people in the dust with not only what I said but how I said it. People I usually talked to suddenly found they had very little in common with me, and even less to contribute to the conversation, no matter how much I tried to encourage (or force) the friendship to continue.

I'm happier, though. Sure, I have to find a whole new set of friends with whom I can relate, but I'll feel less stress in not always having to change who I am and how I think in order to be part of the group. That's exhausting.

This evening when chatting online with a new friend, I mentioned that I'd love to find someone where I'd be able to talk tech without having to stop and explain myself all the time, and it would also be nice to not have to stop when people's eyes glaze over with the tech talk.

He said he can relate and also tends to talk tech.

Then he asked if I play Words With Friends.

Ok, first of all, I'm not interested in Words With Friends. I'm not so great with anagram-type games and prefer logic. (Yubotu is my favorite - a combination of the classic Battleship and Sudoku.)

Second, I couldn't fit the app on my phone even if I wanted it. When I bought my first and current smartphone, I was on a tight budget and purchased cheaper one without a lot of internal memory, so there isn't much room for apps. It was that or live with the dumbphone for another year.

So I said, "No, I don't play Words With Friends," then went on to explain, "My phone doesn't have room for a lot of apps, and I have to root it to change that. The idea of rooting my phone makes me a little nervous, since I'm not ready to replace it if it bricks. :( "

He replied, "I thought you wanted to meet someone that was reasonably tech savvy? So, how is it that games on your phone are new to you ??? Just asking ...."

As soon as I read his reply, I could feel it floating up through my hair until it was suspended just above my head. That big question mark. You know the question mark I'm talking about.

Let's ignore my mention of wanting to root my phone but being concerned I might brick it. I slightly suspect that this remark caused a flicker of eye glazing as it went right over his head

Ah, well. One does not know what one does not know.

/rant.