BLERDNATION™

Favorites (hover / click to see name)

• music

  • Li Anne La Havas
  • Tribe
  • Sade
  • 4Hero
  • Astrud Gilberto

• movies

  • City of God
  • Requiem for a Dream
  • The Motorcycle Diaries
  • Like Water for Chocolate
  • Marley

• publications

  • Autobiography of Malcolm X
  • The Warmth of Other Suns
  • The Last Lecture
  • Quiet
  • The Alchemist

• I am BlerdNation because...

  I am BlerdNation because I can't remember a time growing up in school where I wasn't called a nerd. I was and still am an avid reader always immersed in a book. The phrase I liked best as a youngster was being called a 'cool nerd' or the nerd who could dance. I embrace it wholeheartedly. I am it, and it is me: Blerd.

• Who is your blerd role model? Why?

  Any person I come in contact with in my life regardless of age who personifies intellect, originality, confidence, assertiveness, and possesses an impressive style is my blerd role model. Word.

• How do you stay connected to other blerds?

  Social media, house music events where I get to dance and take in amazing 'tunage', book talks, and random moments out and about where there is a brief interaction and acceptance of each other. Those moments are the best!

• What’s your most awkward blerd moment?

  I have a top 20 1st place tie of awkward moments. It's a natural part of my life.

• What’s your favorite word/phrase?

  Good soul. Why? Whenever I connect with one, I get pretty warm, fuzzy, and excited whenever we meet.

• What are your goals/passions?

  At this moment in time, I think my next chapter will involve being fluent in French, traveling the world, and being able to utilize gifts in making peace and reducing conflicts in places that need it most. Not sure if that comes in the form of attending an educational institution just yet and getting a degree in International Relations, or flying by the seat of my pants and landing into a situation that allows me to be practical without school being involved. Helping others in some way had always been an interest of mine. I've not had an 'a-ha' moment when it comes to finding that 'perfect' career fit just yet. At this point in my journey, the way I live and treat people each day is my institution for higher learning. I seek to be a scholar of my own life.

• What are you listening to, watching, or reading that impacts you or that is giving you a different perspective?

  I am currently reading The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson that covers the lives of over 1000 black people interviewed who participated in the Great Migration taking journeys from the South to live on the West Coast, in the Mid West, and on the East Coast. It's given me a better understanding of people who were not fond of the era in which they were born and how they made their way and succeeded in a distant and unfamiliar land. I can only imagine how challenging things were while growing up in that time. It makes me even more grateful for those who paved roads ahead of me. It intensifies my search to create a way of life where I don't have to explain myself to people. I want to simply be and exist comfortably in my own skin. A quote I posted that sums my sentiments about this world from Iyanla Vanzant:

  " When you can look a thing dead in the eye, acknowledge that it exists, call it exactly what it is, and decide what role it will take in your life then, my Beloved, you have taken the first step toward your freedom. "

• Are there any famous, or not-so-famous, people that you think would be a great addition to BlerdNation?

  I have a pretty good list of not-so-famous people that I'd be happy to send your way. They do some amazing things on this planet! Their journeys fascinate me.

• What advice would you give to other blerds?

  Be yourself, and embrace your gifts and talents. Be a taste maker and proud of it!