# When You Realize You're a Hopeless Geek **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 9, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980 "2012-01-09T23:11:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/1 "2012-01-09T23:11:03Z")
I was doing a crossword puzzle today, and it asked for an eight-letter word for ‘‘game intermission.’’ My thought process went as follows: ‘‘Oh, that’s really easy. It fits perfectly. Wait, no, something’s wrong. Hmm. What else could they possibly mean? Ugh. You know, these puzzle books are often done by older people… maybe they have a weird or inaccurate word for it.’’ And then it hit me. They meant like an _actual_ game, as in HALFTIME rather than the bleedingly obvious geek answer I had written in: CUTSCENE The fact that the first type of game didn’t even cross my mind offered irrefutable evidence that I am completely out of touch with what normal people do. I knew you guys would understand. Now share your moments of stunning revelation. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/2 "2012-01-10T00:46:48Z")
When I realized there is no finer academic pursuit than mathematics. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/3 "2012-01-10T01:01:19Z")
I realized it when I named my little sister Anita, after one of my favorite urban fantasy characters. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/4 "2012-01-10T01:39:13Z")
When the delivery men brought in our new dining room table, hand-made by Amish craftsmen. I turned to my wife (who had bought the table without any input from me) and said, “honey, this is a **perfect** table for playing D&D!” ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/5 "2012-01-10T02:34:20Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > And then it hit me. They meant like an _actual_ game, as in > > HALFTIME > > rather than the bleedingly obvious geek answer I had written in: > > CUTSCENE I’m a massive, giant nerdlinger and your “obvious geek answer” doesn’t make any sense to me because it’s not an intermission in any way. A geek answer that would fit the clue would be… LOADING But that only has seven letters. Maybe… CONTINUE But that’s a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/6 "2012-01-10T03:01:32Z")
When my issue of Buffy the vampire slayer, season 8 volume 2 arrived in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/7 "2012-01-10T04:00:10Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I’m a massive, giant nerdlinger and your “obvious geek answer” doesn’t make any sense to me because it’s not an intermission in any way. Before I even opened this thread, based solely on the first few lines that showed up as a preview when I moused over the link, I thought “Well duh, it’s a cutscene. I guess **olivesmarch4th** realized she was a geek when she correctly figured out that this was the answer.” I actually do not play video games very much, but a cutscene is, like halftime at a sporting event, a time when the players must temporarily stop playing their game. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/8 "2012-01-10T06:27:42Z")
We knew before the baby was born that we were going to want to have a weekend away once she was five or six months old to keep the romance alive and have an opportunity to sleep on the same schedule for a couple of days. It needed to be something nearby and not too expensive. We could have decided to go to the beach or the mountains. We could have chosen to go to Atlantic City. We could even have chosen to go to a spa or something for the weekend. What did we decide? This March we will be participating in a murder mystery weekend. Yeah, we’re geeks. We’re cool with that though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/9 "2012-01-10T09:06:35Z")
When my wife and I sat in the lounge with laptops playing “Words With Friends” on Facebook (with each other) rather than getting the Scrabble set out … :smack: Si ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/10 "2012-01-10T12:43:24Z")
I bought this for my boyfriend for Christmas: [http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/dea2/](http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/dea2/) ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/11 "2012-01-10T13:56:19Z")
When I realized that my first reaction upon hearing the word “manometer” is to _sotto vocce_ “Doo doo de doo doo.” When other people in my nuc school class with me joined in, I knew I was in the right place. For anyone who doesn’t get it, check out [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_tupPBtWQ). ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/12 "2012-01-10T14:29:51Z")
I would never think that “cutscene” means “intermission.” Intermissions/Halftime is something totally different than the game itself, that you can skip without issue. Cut Scenes are typically integral to the storyline and if you miss them, you’ve missed something important. I know this because it’s inevitably the time that Mr. Athena comes to ask me a question, or the dogs need to go out, or the doorbell rings. In most games, you can’t pause cutscenes. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/13 "2012-01-10T14:59:41Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Cut Scenes are typically integral to the storyline and if you miss them, you’ve missed something important. I know this because it’s inevitably the time that Mr. Athena comes to ask me a question, or the dogs need to go out, or the doorbell rings. In most games, you can’t pause cutscenes. Right, but see I thought it was _them_ being clueless, not me. ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/14 "2012-01-10T15:40:40Z")
I realised when my kids where really young and asked how could santa get in the house if we did not have a chimney and howcome he left snow foot prints if it was not snowing outside. My explination… 'Well Santa eeleports in from the northpole and does not need a chimney now and thats why he left the snow in the house - do you know the worse part - my 3 girls knew exactly what I was talking about - not bad for a 3, a 5 & a 7 year old 🙂 I must have been watching too much ST with them as the grew up… ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/15 "2012-01-10T15:57:36Z")
> [@Hogfather65](#): > > I realised when my kids where really young and asked how could santa get in the house if we did not have a chimney and howcome he left snow foot prints if it was not snowing outside. > > My explination… 'Well Santa eeleports in from the northpole and does not need a chimney now and thats why he left the snow in the house - do you know the worse part - my 3 girls knew exactly what I was talking about - not bad for a 3, a 5 & a 7 year old 🙂 > > I must have been watching too much ST with them as the grew up… Should say Teleports… not eeleports ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/16 "2012-01-10T16:17:13Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > When I realized that my first reaction upon hearing the word “manometer” is to _sotto vocce_ “Doo doo de doo doo.” > > When other people in my nuc school class with me joined in, I knew I was in the right place. Being familiar with the Muppets is really, really stretching the concept of “geek.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/17 "2012-01-10T16:18:31Z")
My daughter was home from school for the holidays. We decided to meet at a restaurant for dinner. While waiting for her, I checked in on Facebook. While we were eating, she discretely checked her phone and commented on my check-in. While she went to the ladies room, I checked _my_ phone, saw her comment, and posted a (joking) scolding comment about her facebooking while dining with me. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/18 "2012-01-10T17:01:48Z")
> [@Hogfather65](#): > > Should say Teleports… not eeleports Pity. I was being entertained by images of Santa landing his new, more streamlined conveyance in a long, narrow oval with an E in the middle. Yeah, I don’t think I had any sort of sudden geek realization. It’s been pretty obvious all along. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/19 "2012-01-10T17:32:34Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > Pity. I was being entertained by images of Santa landing his new, more streamlined conveyance in a long, narrow oval with an E in the middle. And here I imagined ol’ Santa being spirited away by a team of eels. (Wherein I use this moment to pimp the artwork of a friend of mind: [Octosanta!](http://www.nocturnalsea.com/Octoclaus.html)) ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980/20 "2012-01-10T17:42:32Z")
> [@Hogfather65](#): > > Should say Teleports… not eeleports You’re right. That would be Aquaman. Santa elfports. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-realize-youre-a-hopeless-geek/608980.md?page=2)