Streak of Nerd

Via text chat with a (nameless) girlfriend, I was telling her how happy I was for her and her growing family about her (still secret) good news. She was sharing her angst about a big public reveal, given that she anticipated some potential negative reaction from some folks. I kept reading her message over and over again, and kept having the same thought: "I feel happy! I feel happy!"

So I text her back and said: "I keep reading this and thinking about that Monty Python part in the holy grail movie where they are collecting bodies after the plague and they try to get a man who was not quite dead yet and he kept going 'I feel happy! I feel happy!' I feel happy for you."

And she replied, "Huh. Never was much of a MP fan."

And it occurred to me: Golly. I really have a streak of nerd in me.

Don't get me wrong. I celebrate the nerd. I love nerds. But pretty much, basically, my whole life I thought I was pretty darn cool, but then something happens that reminds me that I am, in fact, a great big nerd.

For instance, I was a cheerleader in high school (pretty cool, right?) But I always spent half time with my nose in a book, and over last summer the former editor of the literary magazine where I worked reminded me that I taught her the touchdown dance. I was in a sorority in college (that's pretty cool, right?) but would often freak out my sisters in the sorority dorm when I would return from a bird field in head-to-toe camouflage. Working at the University many years ago, I rejoiced when I learned the interim dean would be coming from the College of Engineering, because I was convinced I was the only one who could speak Nerd.

I love Lord of the Rings. I waited in line to be one of the first to see the new Star Wars films (on several occasions). I named my cat after a sci-fi character. I absolutely geeked out on a season of Star Trek. And, by God, I love Monty Python.

One summer, we had our exchange student, Hiroshi, who lived in my room while I took up residence in the living room pull-out couch. And every night I would watch Monty Python's Flying Circus on MTV, then retell the stories to the children I babysat for the next day. It would make me cry with laughter and still makes me laugh. How many times did Heather Cross and I watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail over the years? And even as I type this NPR just did a segment on Monty Python - it's a sign. Monty Python is the funniest ever.

this maybe what i think is the funniest scene from the movie. 'i built this castle with my own hands. everyone thought i was daft to build a castle in the middle of a swamp, but i built it anyway. it sank into the swamp. so i built another one. it too sank into the swamp. so i built another one. that one burned down, fell over, and THEN sank into the swamp. but the fourth one stayed up!'



thank you, monty python, for making my childhood just that much funnier