Where In The World....

When I was a kid, I was a nerd. I still am a nerd.

My husband and I have agreed that there are certain parameters that define nerd versus geek.

Nerds know all sorts of trivial information. Nerds read the news and are pretty up-to-date with current events. Nerds make a lot of associations between things, events, dates, etc., so there is some sort of logical connection. To them, any way.

Geeks know stuff, but it's primarily based on Science Fiction. Most geeks are fans of either Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. No, or other geeky, sci-fi. Geeks like computers, video games and technology. They can be anti-social or have difficulty in social settings.

So, even as a child, I had nerdy tendencies. One of them being, I wanted to be on the PBS Game Show, "Where In the World is Carmen San Diego." I mean, I really wanted to be a contestant. For starters, the show centered around some of my stronger areas, academically speaking. And, in a way, the show made being smart or knowing stuff "cool." Well, I'm sure not everyone who ever saw the show thought it was cook, but it was to me.

These days, my husband tells me that I should try out to be a contestant on "Jeopardy!". And I'm like, "Babe, I'm so not smart enough to be on 'Jeopardy!'." Not only that, but in my opinion, the show doesn't award enough money. You rarely see anyone top, what? $40,000 a game... usually, it ranges around $20K-$30K. Maybe. There are those games that come down to just a few hundred dollars. So, if I wanted to win enough money to at least pay off my student loans--which is (nerdily enough) exactly one of the things I'd do if I got a pretty chunky windfall--"Jeopardy!" just doesn't cut it. "Wheel of Fortune" offers more, but you only have that 1 day, so you better make it count.

I'd like to hit Powerball, but I dunno... would it really be worth it to win more than what you need to be debt-free?