induction to nerd-dom

when i was 4 my mom borrowed this packet of beginner readers material so i could learn how to read (this was before hooked on phonics). i was so excited to sit down and do all the exercises. mom and i used to write "poems" together.

my favorite computer game when i was little was "reader rabbit"--on the old original apple with the 5x5 screen and green monitor.

i was extremely shy through elementary, middle, and most of high school, and always kept my nose in a book so i didn't have to talk to people.

i love learning the "how" and "why" behind the "what"--i've spent hours thinking about one chemistry concept, or studying one anatomical/physiological function (like muscle contraction) until i fully understand it and can describe it in full detail to someone else.

small talk is my kryptonite. i am at such a loss for words in groups of people that i'll start talking about a book i'm reading (which normally includes some sort of genetic, anatomic, or scientific theme); i get so enthusiastic about it that i am oblivious to the lack of interaction by those around me. david has tapped me during dinner parties to make me stop.

this past semester i wrote a research paper on mrsa (methecillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), and got really down into the genetic nitty-gritty of how this staph strand developed. i was completely fascinated--when anyone asked me about my paper i'd automatically jump into how antibiotics work to inhibit bacterial growth, thus resolving an infection, and how bacteria implement amazingly sophisticated resistance mechanisms to counteract antibiotics, and how staph imported a distant gene called the mecA gene to stop methicillin-binding capacity......

some of you might think, "sure, that's just michal being ambitious, or precocious, or just a little quirky." i call it being a nerd. yes, i am a nerd. and tonight, i was inducted with 199 other proud nerds into nerd-dom. i was invited to become a member of phi theta kappa--the honor society for junior colleges. (utah valley state college may be a junior college now, but july 2008 it will become utah valley university!) to be a a part of this honor society, you need to maintain a 3.5gpa or higher throughout a certain number of credits. to be honest, i don't know what my gpa is...and i'm never quite sure of my credit number...anyway, david made it just in time from work (!!) and he took some photos of me being inducted. i'll get a certificate and lapel pin in the mail...yay!