My pocket protector doesn’t make me nerdy, it increases my productivity.

I can’t be considered a nerd anyway; I don’t have a pencil in my pocket protector. This was the justification I gave to my HR person today. She just laughed and walked away. I actual have a ruler (with a sliding clip), a small flat head screwdriver, three pens (two black one blue), and a green highlighter.

Leaving my beer-pong championship days behind I have leaped head first into the idea of being as productive as I possibly can. It is as though I’m attempting to now make up for how undedicated, unorganized, unproductive, inefficient and unmotivated I have been since, well, since I can remember. Taking courses at one of the Big Ten universities before I could drive didn’t really instill the necessity for good study habits in me.

Two weeks into my employment here I was overwhelmed with all the work, projects, and meetings that I needed to keep track of, so I bought a planner.

Three weeks into my employment I purchased a PDA. I chose a Palm Tungsten E2. I chose a PDA over a Black Berry for personal reasons; mainly peer pressure (from those friends still at school) to not be seen as nerdy. Just two weeks after my PDA had arrived my cell phone lost its ability to hold a charge, and therefore function, so I should have just sucked it up and purchased the black berry. Either way, it was a huge upgrade from my overstuffed planner.

I have now developed a game plan for this forthcoming mega-revamp of my entire life. New place, new people, new situation, I might as well add new habits to that list.

Organize. I took all my stuff and created a home for it, maybe not the cleanest more well placed home, but it was a home none the less.
Purge. When there was a home for everything, and everything was in its home I began to go through it and purge what I didn’t need. Articles and notes from courses I have previously taken were scanned into my computer and organized using the Campus Productivity kit in filemaker. I was able to reduce about 80 magazines to two CD’s containing back up files.
Reorganize. I utilized various storage methods, mostly small, open top, plastic boxes. By keeping everything put away I was able to free up a lot of space, which would have otherwise been consumed my pils of unorganized papers. If I needed an article I would have to spend 45 + minutes searching through magazines, whereas now I pull up my database, and select the .pdf I need.
Maintain. So I don't have to do it again.

For those of you who are familiar with Industrial business I am 5s-ing my life.

Yes, that’s a tin next to my pocket protector.

While I was up north this weekend I made a life changing revelation; you can’t hide who you are, even from yourself.

My best friend I were at a party playing beer pong. She came back from getting the house pitcher filled and I could tell she was irate; we don’t actually need to talk to each other anymore to know something is up. She points to this scrawny guy in the corner wearing flip flops and camo pants, and informs me that he offended her. She used other words then offended. He had apparently told her to shut up when she was at the keg trying to fill the house pitcher up. After dominating another two games of pong this jerk makes his way over by us. The other team makes a cup, and my friend pours it down his sweatshirt while he isn’t looking. He blames me and starts calling me extremely rude names, and I snap. I’m ready to give him a well deserved black eye but he starts running for the stairs to get out and my friend holds me back, I calm down and realize that you can’t hide redneck.

Two hours before that I was trying to convince people that I wasn’t suppose to be a nerd for Halloween; that I wasn’t actually dressed up at all.

Walking, or stumbling more of, home I thought about how I got to this point, where some people think I am a nerd and others find me intimidating. I use to be nerdy my freshman/sophomore year of high school. That all ended when I met my first real serious boyfriend. I came to enjoy this lifestyle; I have always been interested in mechanics and working with my hands (I’m a farmer’s daughter) so I adopted his back woods ways. I headed off to college to study Agriculture Engineering. According to most of my friends the only thing girly about me was my long, curly brown hair. I got the nickname Bubba, and soon after met my best friend Nutt. We are not like most girls. We have achieved ‘awesome’ status in the guy’s world; something many girls strive for and never get near, so most of them hate us. We have ourselves, and we’re not complaining. We met sophomore year of college, fresh out of long term relationships with ass holes, and discovered that we are pert near the same. We became each others momentum to live life to the fullest, and have a good time. We don’t deal with drama, or stupid girls who immediately get intimidated and don’t like us because we can hold a conversation with their boyfriend longer then they can. While we both date and have had our respective boyfriends we aren’t the kind of girls who can’t live without a boyfriend. We aren’t friends with the guys because we want them; we are friends with them because they share the same interests as us. We are generally considered redneck girls. We are ourselves, and we don’t apologize for that, and we don’t back down if there is trouble. We cowboy up and face it head on.

Then I got a job and entered the 'real world', where I dress professional, wear makeup, and do my hair everyday. My polo’s and dress shirts are all accompanied by my pocket protector (I’m not a nerd, I don’t have a pencil in it). I have adopted the idea that how you dress reflects on your competency. But it is not me, at least the me I use to be. I have been in sort of inner conflict, the nerdy me versus the redneck. I have noticed that when I dress nice I’m more approachable, have more self confidence, have a sense of belonging to the group, and feel more intelligent. Even at the party this previous weekend, besides when defending my outfit as not being a nerd costume, I talked to more new people then I ever have at a party. Generally when I have a dip in a few creepy guys will tell me that it is hot, but it tends to be off putting. This past weekend I had a dip in, and no one thought twice of it. I am more approachable, more confident, and more influential, because I have finally found myself, a nerdy redneck. I know who I am. Goodbye quarter-life crisis.