Last night I participated in Nerd Nite, Anchorage-style. Which is probably like Nerd Nite across the nation and in some other countries: Three speakers get 20 minutes each to talk about whatever subject geeks them out the most.
Also, there’s beer.
You can probably guess what I talked about.
Yep: personal finance. Specifically, why we lose our damn minds at Christmas and how to go about breaking the cycle. I was the second speaker, following a retired judge who spoke about Alaska judicial selection, which was a lot more interesting than it sounds. Then again, I’m nerdy.
The presentation I gave quoted one of my own books (the second one), musical genius Yogi Yorgesson (see below), and psychologist and author David Tolin.
Thanks to the Expo Hall at the Financial Blogger Conference, I was much more nerdy than the other speakers: black T-shirt with a big white “N” and“NerdWallet.com” on it, and a pair of horn-rimmed glasses with tape on the bridge (also from the NerdWallet booth).
I’d given a second pair of these specs to the emcee, and upon calling me to the stage she said, “It’s time to NERD OUT!” At which point we both put on the mended glasses, which made the crowd laugh.
Or maybe that was just the beer.
Nerdy is as nerdy does
Either way, it was a successful 20 minutes. I saw a lot of heads nodding in the audience (not from the beer!) and people poking each other as if to say, “Sound familiar?”
Here’s the nut graf* of the talk, so important that I bold-italicized it on the PowerPoint:
The success of a holiday celebration is neither measured nor guaranteed by the amount of money spent.
Keep that in mind when you start your own holiday planning. To reinforce that thought, listen to the song I quoted, from Yogi Yorgesson’s smash hit album, “Yingle Bells”:
At the end of the talk I gave out FABULOUS PRIZES!, i.e., more things from FinCon. I’d brought one item onstage with me, and asked if there were any David Bowie fans in the audience. Hands shot into the air, and I showed them a T-shirt illustrated with a piggy bank styled like the 1972-era Bowie:
Printed under the illustration was the legend, “Piggy Stardust – Make some ch-ch-changes!”
“I have two of these, and some other stuff. Meet me over there,” I said, pointing to where I’d been sitting.
One woman couldn’t wait; she barreled down the aisle and reached out imploring hands. I tossed her the shirt, and by the time I got back to my seat one man was sitting in my chair with puppy-dog eyes.
Can I read an audience, or what?
Acknowledging my limits
While the talk lasted only 20 minutes, I’d had to arrive early to coordinate with the tech person (nerd). By the time I’d given away some more items I realized that I had about zero spoons left. I’d already been weary (and coughing like a seal) due to the upper-respiratory-illness-plus-cold that laid me low during this year’s conference.
Although I was nerdy enough to be interested in the third speaker’s topic (mushrooms), I knew I’d reached my limit. Guiltily, I tiptoed out and allowed DF to lead me back to the car. At home I was decidedly wobbly at home and soon in bed. The only reason I didn’t sleep later than 9 a.m. this morning is that the phone rang and woke me up.
Being sick makes me grumpy enough, but this bout has really triggered the asthma. I’ve used my inhaler more in the past week than I have all year long. One incident during the conference really spooked me: I needed the inhaler but was coughing too hard to take a deep breath, so the medicine couldn’t get to where it needed to be. For a couple of minutes I weighed having someone call 911.
It’s maddening to have to admit that you’re not Superwoman. This is one of those times. Right now I’m wrapped in a warm robe and sitting with my feet up, drinking tea, and wondering how I ever used to work when I felt this crummy. Possibly because I was younger then.
And speaking of age: I have to get over this bug so that I can celebrate my birthday at the Talkeetna Bachelors Auction and Wilderness Woman Competition next month. Stay tuned.
*The nut graf is a journalism term that has nothing to do with the sanity of the writer. It means the paragraph containing the nut, the kernel, the absolute core of your article. And no, I don’t know why it’s not spelled nut graph. It just isn’t.
Donna, sorry the respiratory thing is still lingering. Just checked out Nerd Nite in my city… I’m so going to be at the next one! Sounds like it was an exciting, enlightening, exhausting night in Anchorage.
Glad there’s one near you. Maybe you could give a talk yourself, on how to make do. 😉
The older I get, the less I can do even under the best of circumstances. That is scary not to be able to take a breath. I have been there. I watch Justice Channel where they often have law situations and they mention Talkneeta. I jump up and yell hello to you. I wonder where there is a nerd night near me. Hope you get better soon!
Click on the Nerd Nite link, or visit NerdNite.org. Maybe you could do a talk on how to score amazing grocery deals.
I’ve never heard of Nerd Nite before this, wonder if we have them here? I’ll have to do some research.
I’m sorry you’re still battling the FinCon bug, I hope you get your strength back soon.
I have never heard of Nerd Nite before this posting. I will have to check and see if we have any such thing here.
Keep resting with the feet up and tea….it is bound to get you back up and on the move. Being sick (especially respiratory) is a harder thing to overcome after 50…your not alone on that one!
Sorry to hear you are sick. I hope you recover soon. I dream of joining you at the annual Talkeetna festivities some day. Nerd nite sounds like fun. Of course you were a hit!
And I hope you make it some day. Just remember our motto: “We’ve been thrown out of better places than this.”
As a fellow asthmatic I feel your pain! My current pulmonologist put me on a low dose (250 mg daily of time release) theophylline, which I had not taken for 30+ years. It seems to have made a real difference and, at such a low dose, doesn’t make me jittery. Good luck.
Actually, the lightning bolt look by Bowie is from the Aladdin Sane album, not Ziggy.
I’m annoyed at myself for feeling compelled to post this, but there we are.
Hmmm. That was the photo that came up when I searched for “Ziggy Stardust.” Maybe he used the same look/persona for more than one album?
(Piggy Stardust: Still funny.)
Oh, man! Hope you kick this crud soon!
Nerd Night sounds lovely. I’ll have to see if there’s one local to me. And if not, well, maybe there needs to be one. I could talk about how to assist–or just interact with–a blind person, or resources available for those with low vision/vision loss and those who want to help them. Or some other nerdy topic–I’ve got a lot of nerdy interests…
“How to interact with a blind person” sounds like a program that needs to be presented! As in “Don’t run up to a blind person crossing the street and grab his/her arm without asking.” Or, “If you have something to say to a blind person, ask him or her — not the person s/he is with!” And so on.
Do it! Do it do it do it!
That night sounds like it was right up your alley! And don’t worry, sick or healthy, you’re still slaying life.
You are so right about the holidays. The money spent on food or gifts has never hurt a holiday celebration. People being unkind, overwhelmed, stressed out …that hurts a holiday.
I hope you feel better soon. When I was in the ER for asthma, a kind pulmonary technician gave me his secrets to asthma relief. He suggested: no sugar due to inflammation, only warm liquids because cold ones constrict, no dairy due to extra phlegm, eat vegan because he thought it helped him but didn’t know why and get plenty of rest. I have tried everything but the vegan when my asthma is bad and most of the time it helps.
Well, I’ve certainly been pushing the rest and fluids — and they are helping. These days it’s pretty easy to sleep late because it’s so darned dark.
Thanks for your kind thoughts, and for being such a consistent reader and commenter.