We all stay up very, very late

Before there were geeks, there were nerds. Geeks didn't take long to get cool, largely due to the computer factor. Nerds were the epitome of uncool.

Nerds LIKED math and science and spelling tests, HATED gym class, wore glasses, had no social skills and wore odd clothes.

Imagine if Steve Urkel was really in your class at school, only not funny and without the freakish voice. That's a nerd.

We're the ones who were late for the bus because we stayed up late to watch (the original) Star Trek. We're the ones whose pants and sleeves were always too short or too long. We're the ones with the funny haircuts and the tentative smiles in the school photos.

The interesting thing is, most of us nerds grew up to be regular people. You might not be able to pick us out of a crowd now. (Especially if we're in a crowd of geeks. Hint: We'd be the ones without the pocket protectors.)

We mostly learned to blend in, to dress more normally, to talk to people, to be more comfortable in our own skins. That last one was the hardest.

Because inside, we still see ourselves as nerds. We feel like Miss Jane and Urkel when we really wanted to be Elly May and Will Smith. Even if we look more like Elly May and Will these days, we know what we were.

So here's to the triumph of the spirit, the wisdom of age, the benediction of experience. Here's to being nerds incognito.