Easy Prey

As was noted in the earlier post, we baked bread tonight and it was less than stellar. Still, it was an experience. It’s unlikely that I’ll bake bread too often anyway.
There were a couple of people who didn’t show up for the class, and a few others who were extremely late. This time Kathleen and I were on time. In fact, we were a couple of minutes early.
Even with the absences the scenery in the class didn’t get any prettier. I really can’t get over how old some of the people in the class are. One woman made a reference to the last time she tried baking bread…forty years ago! And her husband didn’t like it. How can you be married for more than forty years (or at least be old enough to have been married that long ago if you aren’t still with the same person) and just now be getting around to learning how to cook?
But whatever.
The other night on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” I saw something that was utterly horrible.
The thing to remember with most L & O shows is that at least some component is drawn from the real world (“Ripped from the headlines!”), which is what made it even more horrible.
The horrible thing wasn’t the main thrust of the story, but it was a primary component, and was at the heart of the major crime.
There was a woman, a reasonably hot woman, who would go to various conventions (Star Trek conventions, comic book conventions, etc.) and present herself as a fellow fan.
A fellow sexy fan.
Complete with outfits.
Outfits that showed the curvy, woman part of her, but which also showed that she knew her nerdy stuff.
Basically she would transform herself into every nerd’s wet dream: the hot chick who shares his nerdish leanings and his overriding nerdish obsession Every nerd dreams of meeting that chick.
So far as I know, Richard Pini, whom I’ve mentioned before (married a hot woman by the name of Wendy, who used to go to comic book conventions dressed as Red Sonja), is the only nerd to achieve that goal, as the myth of the hot nerd girl is just that: a myth.
In any case, this evil, evil woman would go to the conventions, find herself a mark, flirt with him, start dating him, get him to start giving her money, and then would ultimately con him out of his most treasured nerd prize (that first edition copy of “The Hobbit,” one of William Shatner’s discarded toupees or girdles, that copy of “Incredible Hulk” #181 [You get a million nerd hit points if you know what’s special about that issue], that original light saber still in the box, etc.) and disappear, off to her next convention and her next mark.
I just think that’s horrible. I mean, come on, what nerd wouldn’t part with his most treasured nerd trophy for the chance to score with a hot nerd chick?
And that was the worst part; they didn’t score.
It’s just so…mean.
Some poor lonely nerd who’s probably never had a pretty girl so much as smile at him has some hot chick descend on him like an angel from nerd heaven, she tickles him under his chins, tells him the smell of Stridex turns her on, and that she considers Twinkies a major food group, leads him to believe that he’s finally going to experience the fulfillment of his life-long Ponn Farr, and then he sees that his favorite action figure is missing and that the hot chick he was going to sneak into his parents’ basement to get nerdy with it (similar to getting jiggy with it...but with nerds) has disappeared.
Hell, even if he knows that she’s just out to con him out of everything he has of value, the nerd is still going to take his chances, thinking that maybe she’ll ultimately be taken in by his gentle, sensitive spirit, or that at the very least she’ll give him a sympathy hand job.
So conning nerds in that way is simply horrible. Don’t nerds get enough grief? I mean, come on, if you’re going to be a con artist, find someone a little more challenging.
Of course, that was part of the appeal for the woman. She liked breaking what remains of their nerdly spirits.
Meanwhile, though, I’m thinking, “Hmm….maybe I should start checking out conventions. Sure, any chick I might meet will probably just be out to get anything I have that’s valuable, but I’ll fool her; I have nothing of value. Also, my spirit is already broken.”
Really, I suppose the whole con is just an expansion on standard hot chick behavior. It’s not really that much of a stretch to move from flirting with a nerd to get him to carry your books for you or help you with your Trig homework to getting him to sell his Star Wars Commemorative glasses to pay for her mom’s expensive, life-saving surgery, or whatever other con she can come up with.
But whatever.
I did my taxes today (online). I’m going to get $921 back, which isn’t too shabby…until you consider that I paid in over $10,000 between State and Federal.
Doing my taxes via the Web was relatively inexpensive. Only $10 for the Federal, but $25 for State, which is funny, considering that my State refund is $25…
Anyway, not much else happened today, so I guess I’ll wrap things up for now.