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Why Being Weird Is Awesome!

October 16, 2017/3 Comments/in Geek Culture, Health & Fitness /by TheJerd

I’m weird.

Not in a “I like to swim in a baby pool filled with tapioca” weird, but weird nonetheless.

I wear goofy t-shirts to the gym. I play Dungeons & Dragons and read an inordinate amount of comic books. I often prefer the company of people’s pets more than the people themselves. I have a bookshelf full of Japanese historical texts that I can’t even read without a dictionary. I am more than happy to cartwheel down a long hallway for no particular reason. I am fascinated by primates. I am a computer nerd, working a corporate IT job, who spends his nights and weekends putting on pajamas and fighting people. I get funny looks and people poke fun at me when I don’t drink alcohol and refuse dessert or extra servings at parties. And I think everybody should treat their life like one giant game.

Okay, let me rephrase… I am $@%&ing weird!

When I was younger, I used to try to fit in with the herd. To be like everybody else, because clearly majority rules and everybody else must know how to life except for me. (I hope my dripping sarcasm was evident right there…)

Then I went to my 20 year high school reunion.

How To: Train Smarter and Stay Injury Free

July 31, 2017/3 Comments/in Health & Fitness, How To /by TheJerd

The older I get, the more important it is to me to stay injury free.

Not to say that when I was younger I didn’t care about my personal safety, or health, it just wasn’t something I thought about because, should anything happen, I was able to spring back in almost no time.

Now? Not so much.

Whether you are an avid gym-goer of advanced years, creeping up on middle-age, or you are a beginner trying to put your couch-potato ways behind you, there are few things you need to know about how to stay injury free during your fitness journey.

So let’s dive in, shall we?

How To: Turn a Setback Into a Success

March 29, 2017/4 Comments/in How To /by TheJerd

Today I want to talk to you about setbacks…

Last year I applied to San Diego Comic-Con as a professional.

For those of you that don’t know, badges for the holiest of nerd events are separated into three categories: Attendee, Press and Professional.

I had been running this site for 4 years, published a book, given geek-fitness panels to packed rooms at east coast conventions, and been hosting a comic-book news and review podcast for 3 years. I figured I was a lock.

I was wrong.

I don’t know why being declined bothered me so much, but when I opened the email letting me know I had been declined due to not having sufficient credentials a feeling of failure washed over me. It was like every setback in my life decided to traipse out of the recesses of my brain and mock me. For at least a week I felt like a total failure; that I was never going to succeed…

I felt like I was wasting my time.

Of course that is total nonsense, but it took me a bit to remember to be kind to myself and remember that with the right mindset, not only could I move on from setbacks that befall me, but that I can also turn them into opportunities for growth.

Let’s talk about how to push past whatever obstacle you’re facing and turn it into a positive, okay?