+wimseyguy Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 (edited) <snip>You could still be a nerd or a jerk. <snip> Since many of you profess to being a dork/geek nerd you probably already know that Dr. Seuss coined the word 'Nerd" Main Entry: nerd Pronunciation: 'n&rd Function: noun Etymology: perhaps from nerd, a creature in the children's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950) by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) Date: 1951 : an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially : one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits If this is true than how can it be uncool? I am not a nerd nor a dork. In fact I am a very lo-tech cacher although that is changing with the new 60C as my birthday present . My wife does think my obsession with this activity a bit odd, as do my parents, brother and sister. On the other hand my brother in law, nieces and nephews always looks forward to our time together because they think going on a treasure hunt with uncle wimseyguy is . In addition as the first member of my family to not beocme a lawyer in two generations they think most of my choices in life a bit odd. Now where did my drummer go? Can one be NORM outside the AS thread? Edited March 6, 2004 by wimseyguy Quote Link to comment
+SBPhishy Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 Hey Jamie-Z, here's Jay-Z. Are you guys related? Quote Link to comment
+Klondike Mike Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 no one has called me a dork or geek. I think they gave up on trying to figure out what I do with all my time on the computer long ago. But now at least it involved getting out of the house more often Quote Link to comment
IronMaiden Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 (edited) At first I thought my hubby was being a "dork" for doing this. Then I went caching with him and I started to think he wasn't such a dork. Our 16 year old son (who sometimes is called IronSon), has gone on a couple of night caches with Ironman114 and he seems to like it. But just the night ones The rest of our family, they all think we're dorks. But we have fun together. Edited March 30, 2004 by IronMaiden Quote Link to comment
Dorkus&Co. Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 My family has known I'm a dork for many, many years....long before I ever discovered geocaching...... Sounds familiar Quote Link to comment
+reveritt Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 If your teenager is embarassed by you, then you must be doing something right. Quote Link to comment
Pipanella Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 None of my friends or relatives even know enough about geocaching to figure out what it is, let alone think I'm a dork for doing it. Give them time.......... Quote Link to comment
+hikemeister Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 My wife thinks we are nuts for spending so much time geocaching, planning new caches, etc. She definately is not into the sport -- did not even get excited last weekend when I got my 200th find and my son hit 100! Can you imagine. Quote Link to comment
+rusty_tlc Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 My son was enthuastic about geocaching for about three months. Then he thought it was a totaly uncool that I goecached. Then I let it slipt to his new girlfriend, and she thought it sounded great and wanted to go along on our next outing. The jury is still out but I suspect that the tide may be changing soon. Quote Link to comment
+Latitude 26 Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 My family has known for years that I am a "sicko". I am a fireman, and by nature, a lot of us are sickos (in a nice way)... If they knew of my geocaching, they would say I am a sicko "propellorhead" - but definitely not a DORK or NERD. The dog just looks at me funny! "Bassmedic" Quote Link to comment
+Texas-Gal Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 My family knows my dorky side- heck, I got my love of gadgets from my dorky Dad- but I still don't think they "get" geocaching. I embrace my dorky side that geocaches and plays GameCube just like I embrace the part of me that loves sports and worships college football, and the part of me that can't get enough glitter nail polish and shiny lip gloss and listens to Britney Spears. I learned in college not to deny any of that - I worked for the Texas Football department, was in a sorority, and designed web sites. I even taught some of the coaches how to use the internet, and got some of my sorority sisters excited about football. (I don't think the football players needed to be educated about sorority girls, though) I think it will be difficult finding a guy who can understand all three (girly, sporty, geeky) sides of me. Embrace the geek! Quote Link to comment
+protocoldroid Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 i'm not sure if i get the point of geocaching across to all of my family / friends. sometimes i just sound too technical in the first place, and i just get tuned out! my family does think it's neat though. my younger brothers tagged along once, and my parents were impressed that a GPSr was accurate enough to find a small box in the woods ...and they'll always think of me as a geek, dweeb and a spaz -- but in the endearing way possible Quote Link to comment
+JohnnyVegas Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Not unless I have been upgraded recently. Quote Link to comment
uperdooper Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Not unless I have been upgraded recently. best answer yet. Quote Link to comment
+Red Clover Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Most of my family find me dorky. However, considering that my 3 bro and 1 sister are fighting drug and alcohol addictions as well as several others in my family Im PROUD of my addiction. Its legal and heathy. Now my cousin.. oh man he is a cacher waiting to happen. We used to hide stuff around the house and right clues ect. We're just trying to get the schedules to jive so I can take him on a hunt. He likes the thought of the puzzle, multi caches. But I know once he gets out and finds his first cache he'll be another total Foaming at the mouth lost to the cause of caching type. I cant wait! Quote Link to comment
Pipanella Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 That reminds me........ For Christmas one year, I made up clues for our kids to find their Christmas presents. They had the first clue, which led them to the first present, which contained a clue to the next present, etc. They loved it! Quote Link to comment
+JohnnyVegas Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 (edited) That reminds me........ For Christmas one year, I made up clues for our kids to find their Christmas presents. They had the first clue, which led them to the first present, which contained a clue to the next present, etc. They loved it! That reminds me At the that last Family easter get together I hid some plastic eggs full off candy and let the kids use my GPS to find them, They had a lot of fun with it. Edited March 31, 2004 by JohnnyVegas Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Anytime I start something outside of our box of comfort, they think I'm a bit weird. But they got used to it when they saw I enjoy it and am getting out on the trails more often rather than just talking about it. They used to make fun of me for taking my GPS everyplace with me, now they expect it. They know I don't like to spend a lot of time in the malls, so I'll drop them off and then go hunting in the general area until they call and say they are ready for home or a meal. Now... My daughter thinks it natural that I would ask for her help on some caches because of some math or chemistry skills that I might lack. We even got her boyfriend in on a cache machine before a blizzard caused us to err on the side of caution and get home early. My wife will join me when the weather is fair and the walk isn't too demanding. Quote Link to comment
+trippy1976 Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 I've been told I need to "Get a Life" In some small way it is less geeky than my Star Trek fandom and serves to mask that... so I think it's a wash really Quote Link to comment
+Team DEMP Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 My family isn't embarrassed, but I don't have teenagers yet My kids (8 & 10) come with me. My wife tells everyone. I've taken neighbors kids with me. They think it's cool. I think I'm doing a cache for my kids Girl Scout troops for some sort of badge. I've done it with my brother who since went and bought a GPS. I have co-workers that I have turned on to it and have started. I think it might be how it's presented to others. Also, being a teenager, anything someone in your family does isn't "cool". Quote Link to comment
+Red Clover Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Sorry for being off topic.. but Trippy did you ever get your apology for that "get a life" line? Quote Link to comment
+topotracker Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Our teen kids and friends are definitely concerned about our constant lack of availability. They think we are going through some sort of life change that hasn't yet been discovered or documented. Every time we take our daughter or son caching with us the hides end up being those real easy kind that we never have when we are caching by ourselves. Naturally they just walk right up to them like kids at an Easter egg hunt. It really makes us look like dorks when that happens. We try to convince them that there are some real challenging hides out there that are challenging and stimulate the mind but they just pat us on the back and say "you bet ". We've since learned to utilize their brilliant minds for a higher and somewhat devious purpose. We wait until we get a few micro caches that totally baffle us. Then we stuff the kids in the car and sic them on em. This tactic is actually working! They still think we are dorks but at least they have gained a little more respect for the sport of geocaching. Quote Link to comment
mires Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 IMHO Geocaching is silly. (oh well I’m getting my first GPS in 2 weeks, so maybe then I’ll change my mind). The whole idea of mature people running around with they hi-tech toys searching for some kind of “treasure” don’t sound that smart But, in other hand it is yet another little reason to go and spend some time outdoors. And some additional time hiking don’t hurt, at lest me . BTW I remember when I was teen I used to be embarised by my parents all the time (and they don’t gocache . Even now sometimes I do. And IMHO it’s a normal thing. We do belong to a different “culture”. Quote Link to comment
WH Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 My family has thought of me as a dork for YEARS. Caching just added to it. Quote Link to comment
Bobthearch Posted April 2, 2004 Share Posted April 2, 2004 Your family thinks you're a dork? Simple solution, get a better family. If that's too much hastle, you should reconsider your current policy of telling them what you do. -Bob Quote Link to comment
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