Birthdays

10 Gift Ideas for the Nerd in Your Life

While fellow nerds and geeks know all the ins and outs of finding the best holiday gifts for each other, our family and friends that don’t partake in our particular interests can be at quite a loss when it comes to gift giving. I am here to help with a few reasonably priced gift ideas for that the beloved geek in your life.

SuperFight!

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$35.00

What can I say? We love fun card games that are both ridiculous and thought provoking. This is a perfect example. While the initial pack retails for about $35, you can up the fun with expansion packs. There are various, including a kid friendly version. One snag is that this product is only available through the website which is linked in the photo above.

Funko Pop! Figures

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$7.00 to $12.00

Action figures are pretty much a staple of nerd gear, but these adorable little things make us smile. I am known to have my own collection. While the Pop! collection doesn't cover all loves, it is certainly growing. I'm holding out for a Captain Marvel someday. It's still not hard to find something that the special person in your life can enjoy. Prices can very depending on retired products and availability, but most are still very affordable and found various places such as Amazon or even Barnes & Noble.

Nerd Wear

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$15.00 to $35.00

Geeks love wearing their love as well. I personally covet the above item from www.thinkgeek.com, but whatever the fav or your givee is, there is most likely a shirt of some sort. Where to buy something? Online is usually your best bet, but some stores like your local comic book shops or even Hot Topic partake in a little festiveness as this. Best plan for finding a shirt you need is to Google that character or name with t-shirt. It should point you in the right direction.

Blankets

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$20.00 to $40.00

Whether it is a long night of gaming or a marathon in front of the television, why not be cozy while it happens? I am a blanket fan, and I know plenty of people that are as well. Prices can vary depending on quality and size, but you can find decent ones within the above price range. I submit the power of Google to help you find something.

Glasses

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$20.00 to $40.00

We may be drinking a tall glass of milk or a tall glass of something else entirely, but our inner child gets into quite the tizzy if we drink form a cup with our favorite characters on it. It is mostly nostalgia for the good old days of sippy cups and collector's glasses from various fast food chains. We love it!

Travel Mugs and Tumblers

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$10.00 to $20.00

A lot of us would love to save money on beverages as far as tea and coffee go. If we could take things from home to the office without have to stop at the local coffee spot, we would probably be able to spend more money on things we don't need. Thus the brilliance of the gift. Also some of us have strict personalization rules when it comes to the office, and if it's not practical, it has no place. This is a great way to get around that little rule. Even regular mugs would help that coffee drinker get through the workday.

Cookware

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$30.00

It could be an apron or a utensil, but if we can nerd it, we will. The kitchen is not safe from this. Prices will vary depending on the item. The above is probably a great idea for that Trekkie in your life. Again Google is the tool of choice.

Calendars

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$20.00 to $40.00

We all need to know what day it is, and what better way to do so. They make calendars for practically anything. If your friends and family are like me. I always end up buying two, one for home and one for the office. I usually get myself a Dean Winchester one for the house and a Supernatural one for work. Keep in mind if it is a gift intended for the office. Make sure there is nothing offensive in it. Don't want to give that special someone the added bonus of a trip to HR. I always have to check my Supernatural ones for weapons and gore.

Board Games

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$30.00 to $40.00

Classic board games with our favorite fandom twists, are like gifts from above for us nerds and geeks. Clue, Monopoly, and Trivial Pursuit are known for these variants. Hell, I just found out Supernatural just came out with a version of Clue. Yeah, good luck getting a hold of that little gem this Holiday season.

Wall Candy

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$30.00

We love posters and art pieces, and artsy ones at that. The internet is filled with prints and original art pieces. Etsy is a great place to get original pieces from artist that want to share their love and talents. While it can hold the same drawback as Ebay, and what you buy may not be what you get, the majority of the sellers are legit and very helpful. Be warned that the prices can very from reasonable to high. But you are paying for quality and talent, so you judge that one on your own.

 

Thirty and Nerdy

Just twelve days in for my thirtieth year, and my life has taken one of the most amazing, mind blowing turns I ever could have imagined. Not really, the most exciting thing I accomplished today was doing household chores. The magical transition into thirty didn’t change anything that I thought it would, and honestly, that’s really okay.

When I turned twenty-nine last year, I began to panic a bit looking at my life knowing that it was nowhere near where I had imagined it to be. Thirty to me was a milestone, a point in my life where things should have been figured out. I had started a list of what needed to be done, so that maybe the last six years have meant something. I needed to become completely independent and get my own place. I needed to get a car that wouldn’t constantly fall apart on me. I wanted to finally finish the first draft of the damn novel that I have been trying to write for the past three years. I also put “maybe start dating” on the list, but for those who know me very well know that dating has never really been a concern for me ever. I just thought that I was supposed to have some kind of headway in that department by thirty.

I didn’t get everything figured out in time for my birthday, but I did hit a few. I did manage my own place and had a reliable vehicle thrust upon my person regardless of want, but these really only happened in the last couple of months. The novel is still sitting in the early stages awaiting real time for me to commit to it. As for dating, not so much. When I woke up the day after my birthday, I realized that it all didn’t really matter. I am pretty happy in general with who I am and where I’m at. It is by no means perfect. I want to write full time, but since it doesn’t pay the bills yet, I have to work. The dating thing has never been something that I have felt the need for. I’ve always felt that if it happens then it will. In the meantime I have things to do.

Those I guess would be the things that people would probably point their finger at me for and try to call me a failure. I could get called out on those or my weight or even my nerd tendencies. As responsible as I strive to be and feel I am, I am a very much a kid at heart. I believe that it balances me. If I wasn’t I would probably not be any fun for anyone. The flip side of that coin is that I could be considered immature because I still watch cartoons or that I wear t-shirts with comic book characters on them. We as people need this kind of fun to balance out the responsibility. Being too serious and over worked is hard on a person’s system, and mindlessly indulging the inner child at all times doesn’t allow for any growth. Thus you need to find the balance.

My parents recently came to visit, and my mother wanted to take me out and get a few things for my apartment for Christmas. I told her that I wanted a doormat, a shelving unit, and a clock. Pretty practical, right. Well when we got to the clocks I choose a Star Wars clock that has the original Star Wars cover as the main canvas of the clock. My mother checked, as she always does, if I was sure that I wanted it, and I said yes. I didn’t want a boring clock. I wanted something that would make me smile when I looked at it. My mother may have made a different choice for herself, but she knows that this is how I work. With a slight shake of her head and an amused smile on her face the place the clock in the cart.

Thirty isn’t scary, nor is it really any different from any other month I’ve lived through this year. I didn’t have to throw out my Buffy DVD’s or sign up for an online dating site in order to immediately get married and have children. There is no specified plan for this particular age. I am still me and don’t foresee it changing anytime soon, and least of all for some silly number. I am still a nerd girl and damn proud of that. Thirty-one isn’t going to change that either. I will continue to plan on being me. I really should have never questioned it in the first place. I perceived an expectation from society, and it just doesn’t work for me. I have no business trying to force myself into a mold that I have long decided was not for me. You know what I bought to commemorate this momentous birthday? No fancy jewelry for this girl. No, I bought myself a photo op with Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki at the next Supernatural convention. How’s that for thirty and nerdy?