The Importance of Feeling Important

I was 16 when I went to my first Wizard Rock concert. It was something I'd wanted to since I was about 15 and had first heard of the exciting genre of music about Harry Potter that was WROCK.

Summer 2007 consisted of me seeing my first concert ever. The first band I ever saw perform was The Whomping Willows followed by Draco and the Malfoys and, the band that started it all, Harry and the Potters.

It was a wonderful evening, an about 4 days later I went to another concert with The Remus Lupins. Afterward, I even got to go out and chill with the band. It was the most epic moment of my 16 year old life.

As time went on I went to a few more concerts - more specifically The Whomping Willows and Justin Finch Fletchley & the Sugar Quills's Whomp the House Tours. At these shows they played in people's houses. At the two shows I went to in 2008 he played at Squib Girl's house and I had the privilege of staying with them.

At first it was weird and awkward for me to sleep, eat dinner, and essentially just hang out with these people who I admired so much, especially since I wasn't much of a talker. But every time they saw me they would ask how I was doing and, if necessary, even ask what my name was.

For 17 years I had been reintroducing myself to people because I was often too quiet to make an impression which was fine.

But after what I believe to be 7 Whomp the House shows, a show I attended on Tuesday really gave me the self-esteem boost I'd been needing.

I walked in the door with my friend Jennifer, just like I had the last time I was there and I was immediately greeted by Matt (The Whomping Willow) with a wave and hello - something that had never happened before.

After paying my $7 for Haiti I showed off my less 24 hour old Hufflepuff tattoo which was then broadcast all over the internet via Livestream.

At this Whomp the House Tour, aside from the usual Justin and Matt, there was also Alex (The Remus Lupin's) and Stephanie (Tonks and the Aurors). I'd only met Alex twice and the last time I'd seen or spoken to him was over 2 years ago and I'd met Stephanie once. I didn't expect either of these people to remember me, but they did.

And wasn't just that they remembered my face, but they remembered my name and called me by it frequently.

Alex even remembered that I was the (self-proclaimed) 5th Marauder, something I'd mentioned to him once in 2008 when I last saw him.

And it wasn't just that this group of people that I admired remembered me - I feel happy and important when a teacher remembers my name on the second day of class or when a classmate can say my name without pausing to think about it. That makes me feel important.

It sounds ridiculous for people to feel important when people they barely see remember their name, but you know it's true.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our little worlds and trying to make ourselves feel important that we forget other people are longing to feel just as loved as we want to. The easiest way to make someone feel valued is to just remember their name.

It doesn't seem like much but when people don't remember your name you don't you feel like you weren't important enough for them to remember something as simple as your name?

So - remember names. Make someone feel like they matter because everyone does.

Fair Thee Well,
April

That Day I Didn't Have to Debate In Intro to Religious Studies Class

The moment that I became a nerd probably happen that magical moment that I was born. Perhaps there was something in air in the hospital that caused it, or perhaps there was magical nerd dust on the latex gloves that first touched me that caused me to break out into invisible nerd hives.

Whatever the cause was, there was no part of my life where I could remember fitting in with anyone other than my nerd brethren.

The first two movies I ever remember watching were "Nightmare on Elm Street" (the 1st one with that sexy beast Johnny Depp) and "Star Wars Episode: The Return of the Jedi". One of these movies scarred me for life and the other first hooked me on nerd culture.

The answer should be obvious.

There wasn't just Star Wars either. By the time I was 10 years old I was already questioning whether Kirk or Picard was the better captain, but also around this time I found something to pour my nerd wired brain into - Harry Potter.

It became, and remains to this day, the very thing that causes the nerdy thoughts to stick in my head.

In movies, being a nerd meant you typically wore glasses, you surpassed most of you peers in intelligence, everyday was a bad hair day for you, and you almost always ended up with that other nerd who'd been eying you.

Subtract the negative aspects of being a nerd: the bullies, swirlies, and the recurring sinus infection also stereotypical of my breed, and you have me in high school.

I always had my nose stuck in a Harry Potter book, glued to the TV watching a Harry Potter movie, or stuck on the internet reading (usually writing) Harry Potter fan fiction.

Eventually I found my way to the magical world of Wizard Rock: a genre of music dedicated to my one true love. There was no turning back after this. Wizard Rock led me to nerdfighting and deeper and deeper into nerd subculture.

Believe it or not nerds are a very intelligent brand of people; most nerds make me feel stupid. I spend so much of my time reading fantasy that I don't absorb much fact and tend to walk on sunshine.

Be that as it may, I can still hold my own (somewhat) to defend my beloved Harry Potter universe and other aspects of my nerd life.

I take an introduction to religious studies course. Today, our professor asked us all why we were taking it.

Instead of her and the rest of the class it was required, I gave another more heartfelt reason for it - I was a nerd who was in love with the paranormal. I spent my evenings watching LOST and Ghost Hunters, locked myself in my room to read Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia. The basis of most religions were on a deity or on the paranormal (as I learned giving a presentation about Shamanism today - whoa!).

Then she asked what I believed in, as she had of everyone else, and I said love was my religion. Did I believe in a higher power? Sure, but more than anything else I believe in love. And where did I develop this belief, she inquired.

Through Harry Potter and Wizard Rock.

One of my classmates found it curious that I wasn't Christian and that I related my religious beliefs to Harry Potter considering how a few crazy people out there lost their minds over thinking that Harry Potter was anti-Christian and was causing it's readers to also be anti-Christian.

*FACE PALM*

I thought perhaps it was my fault, I hated debating, so I should have known better than to bring Harry Potter and religion up in the same context.

So I explained, it wasn't Harry Potter that caused me to turn away from my protestant roots, to believing simply in the power of love. I basically believe in the same things your run of the mill Christian does - love everyone, love yourself, help those that need your help, be a good person, etc.

So, I explained without crying (which had been known to happen when I debated) how Harry Potter wasn't anti-Christian (the whole celebrating Christmas and Easter always caused people to shut their mouths).

And Harry Potter didn't suddenly cause me to lose faith in Christianity. My own brain did. And it wasn't like I went around trying to curse people (though I had been known to use the Cruciatis curse on a teacher [in my head] a fair few times).

Lucky for me, there weren't any serious anti-Harry Potter supporters in my class (though the girl reading her copy of Eclipse across the room shot me dirty looks every now and again. Silly Twinerds, though I was one myself for a while there).

No full blown debate ensued and people actually respected me for believing in love and good as strongly as I did.

Being a nerd has it's benefits. Sure it gives you a vast knowledge of the force and you learn all about the various types of dragons there are, but that doesn't mean you actually have the emotional constitution to speak to people.

I consider myself a Hufflepuff: I'm very meek, quiet, loyal to a high a degree and quite the coward, but today I was hit with a touch of Gryffindor's bravery - Go me.

BTW: Check out The Harry Potter Alliance and help donate money to Haiti. They've raised about $72,000 for Partners in Health and if they raise another $20,000, they'll charter three planes full of supplies to Haiti and name them "Harry, Ron and Hermione" in honor of the HPA. So, check it out and donate. And if that's not motivation enough then you could also win some pretty cool (nerd) stuff.

Fair Thee Well,
April