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<editorsnote> Hi, I'm Jen Friel, and we here at TNTML examine the lives of nerds outside of the basements and into the social media, and dating world.  We have over 75 peeps that write about their life in real time. (Real nerds, real time, real deal.) Sit back, relax, and enjoy some of the stories!! </editorsnote>

 

 

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Entries in jen swedhin (189)

Tuesday
Nov092010

#Ignorance is a disease

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's JenSquared

 

Here is the video in question:

Oh man, where to start on this one.  First of all let me say that I don’t know this person, so I can’t fully infer her intent.  But I don’t think I am misreading this. 

I feel really sad that your intolerance has blinded you to the beauty that is a different culture.  Why exactly are these beliefs silly?  Because you don’t share them?  Honestly, which is sillier: believing that the mother’s blood is retained from birth and needs to be purged to become a man, or the belief that an invisible man in the sky took a rib from a man to create a woman? 

ALL cultures inflict unnecessary pain.  We pierce our daughters’ ears for the sake of beauty.  Our elite athletes train through injuries just for sport and entertainment.  Absolutely unnecessary.  While you may see their infliction of pain as unnecessary, I’m sure they disagree.  They want to become men, and that is their rite of passage.  It isn’t pretty, but they aren’t asking you to participate (which is more than I can say for most Westernized cultures).  Their beliefs, as hard as they may be for us to understand, aren’t ours to understand.  And there are far worse things they could be doing.  I think it is commendable that they aren’t being asked to murder, torture or rape rival tribesmen.  Body mutilation = historical, common across many cultures, and relatively harmless.

You are right.  I don’t want to shove reeds up my nose.  But it has nothing to do with the fact that I have a shred of knowledge about my anatomy.  It’s because I’m a puss.  I really think that as Americans we are fairly culture-less.  I know, I know, we do have culture.  I little bit.  We have traditions, and a few customs.  But the foundation of what we are as a melting pot means that in general we do not have a unique culture.  Unless being ignorant, intolerant and judgmental could be considered “cultural”. 

The loss of unique indigenous cultures is as devastating to our world as the loss of rainforest and oceans.  We just don’t see it as such because they are different.  We don’t get it.  And we don’t try.  We are missing out on things like spoken and written languages, customs dating back thousands of years, medicinal and ritualistic practices that could honestly hold the key to solving our greatest mysteries.  Somehow these people are surviving in the harshest conditions on Earth – without shoes, without the internet, without modern medicine, and without assholes telling them to change.  I have seen firsthand the strength, kindness and depth of soul that comes from an indigenous person.  Their connection to the Earth and the nature that surrounds them is something we could all learn from. 

Also…you aren’t okay with their rituals, but you beLIEve in spirit animals?  What the frick is that about? 

Ignorance is a disease.  And so is intolerance.  They may not kill you, but they are communicable, and they are dangerous. 

Education is also a disease.  A good kind of disease.  Like if there was a disease that gave you perky boobs or the ability to read minds.  This one is also communicable.  So catch it and infect your friends.  I recommend we all start a tolerance epidemic.  No more judgements.  No more ignorance.  No more distrust of the things we don’t understand. 

Unite with me, nerds. Let's start a new cult. 

#DrinkTheKoolAid

Find me on Facebook or Twitter and spread your disease.

 

Sunday
Nov072010

#Don'tJudgeMe

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JenSquared

You know what, no.  Eff that.  Go ahead and judge me.  Bring it on, I am so ready for it.  Here are some of the things I most commonly get judged for.  Let it fly people.

 

I love fast food.

I talk shit.  Like mad shit. 

I hate veggies.

I don’t eat spicy food. 

I am in a happy relationship.  Like super happy. 

My house is dirty.  And messy.  And crazy. 

I am mouthy. 

I rock a faux hawk.

I’ve never seen Star Wars.  Or Indiana Jones.

I like mainstream music.

I spank my kids.

I share my opinion. 

 

When I started writing this post I was fully prepared to defend myself, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I don’t have to excuse any of these things.  I’m fucking awesome.  So now that you have judged me up for my “negatives”, why don’t you go ahead and judge me for my awesomeness.

 

I am a good mom.  Actually, I’m a GREAT mom.

I’m also a great wife.

I can cook.  And bake.

I am very generous.

I am tough. 

I am an excellent friend.

I am tolerant and accepting. 

I’m funny. 

I have so much passion for so many things.

I’m teaching my children to be excited about the world.

I am good at what I do.

I always try my hardest.

I am a nerd.

 

So there you go.  If you want to judge me, pick something from list #2 first.  Or don’t.  Just know that if you want to pick at parts of me, there are lots of other parts that are great.  And whatever.  How about you just don’t judge me Mr. Perfect! 

Don't make me angry....

you won't like me when I'm angry....

 

Follow me on Twitter and make a friend for life!

 

Sunday
Nov072010

#PregnantBelly Follow-Up

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JenSquared

Maybe you noticed...I'm rebranding and sticking with @JenSquared.  Thanks crazy hacker, I get a redo!

So - now that you have seen the awesomeness that is my pregnant belly dance, here is a little follow-up.  Pregnant bellies lead to beautiful babies.  Seriously watch it, I worked hard on it. 

And buh-bye. 

Guess what?  I'm still on Twitter.  Be my friend?  Like me?  Make me feel good?  Or just watch for funny stuff.  Whatevs.

Tuesday
Oct192010

#Introducing ... Jen Squared!

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JenSwedhin

Hi hi hi!  I’m Jen.  Not the Jen, more like Jen2.  Or Jenn.  I’m not going to lie, I’m psyched out of my friggin mind to be sharing my love with you.  While I am a huge nerdwad, I’m a different breed.  I’m not into technology.  I’m not a total technotard, but I’m less than impressive.  I can do Facebook!  Win?  Maybe.  Twitter?  That would be a pretty much not so much at this point.  I have a solid 17 followers.  I know, I’m a pretty big deal.  I’m also not a gamer, a sports nerd, a social media genius, a straight-up pocket protector toter, or an Urkel reincarnate.
 
Here’s what I am.  I’m a science nerd.  Nature, specifically.  My mind just melts into puddles of love over words like caprophagy (the act of eating poop) and stereotypic behaviors (the unnatural things animals do in captivity), and don’t even get me started on why hippos are the awesomest land mammals.  I love me some life, and not in the way others do.  It’s not living life and experiencing junk that gets me hot, it’s actual life.  Birth, breath, and death.  Species, rainforests, weird shit.  I’m all about the organic, but organic in the traditional sense - anything of, relating to, or arising from a living organism.  Uuuuuuggggghh *big shivers*.  Yummy brain matter.
 
Here’s my second angle – I’m a mom.  Of three.  Yeah, no joke, three blossoming nerd children.  I know I’m not the only nerdy mom out there, right?  My biggest goal with my kids (after the regular junk – teaching them to be respectful, make choices for themselves, blah blah) is to raise them to be as nerdy as their parents.  A nerd to be isn’t someone that is socially inept or in serious need of a wedgie.  A nerd is someone that has an intense passion for something, and has the confidence and self-knowledge to explore and express that passion at every opportunity.  Who wouldn’t want a kid like that?  Well, my dad, but we’ll save that for another session…
 
I guess now that I’m done selling myself to you I’ll leave you with a photo of one of my favorite doods.  It’s a decorator crab – they pick up debris from their surroundings and sew it to themselves in order to blend in.  Nice try, sir, you need to own it, not fade into the crowd!
 
Um, and I suppose you could follow me on Twitter (you may be lucky enough to be one of my first 20): @JenSwedhin

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