Scientific Nerdiness

I have recently noticed that specific things related to science, or sometimes just plain 80's throwback, make me very happy.

For example, my favorite old-school accessory is a glow-stick bracelet or necklace - I have a small stash in my dresser drawer for special occasions.  Consequently, anything that glows puts a smile on my face.  A recent purchase from one of my fave websites, ThinkGeek.com, included the Fire Jewel necklace (which has an LED inside to make it extra sparkly, and could be used in case of a power outage) and a green mushroom USB push lamp (which has two LED lights inside and can be powered by my computer or 4 AA batteries).  Science, technology, AND glowiness?  Oh, heck yeah.
Epic win for 80's related science nerdiness.

I also love things that magnify.  When I was a kid, my dad showed me how to properly use those big circular magnifying lenses, a la Sherlock Holmes, and I was hooked.  I wanted to see EVERYTHING up close.
Then I discovered my dad not only had a detective-like magnifying lens, but a MICROSCOPIC lens!  Now, I'm not talking the kind you see in your university lab class.  This was hand-held, and couldn't view at the cellular level, but it did make everything extra, extra detailed.  I was fascinated by yarn and carpet and printed ink on paper, my skin... even scabbed over scratches.  Dried blood looks really cool that close up.

Closely related to magnifying tiny things is magnifying far away things, and thus I took an interest in binoculars and telescopes.  In my child mind, they weren't quite as fun as magnifying glasses because while they gave me the ability to see things at a distance I normally couldn't, they didn't let me see what the individual hairs of a doe's fur looked like from 100 yards away.

That would have been AWESOME.

Still, when Dad introduced me to viewing the moon and planets, I took a keen interest because of all the detail I could see compared to the glowy orb I normally observed in our clear night sky.

Oh, hey, there's that glowy theme again. :)

Amusingly, I remembered this because ThinkGeek recently added an awesome looking mini spyglass necklace to their collection of geek accessories.

Other scientific nerdy tendencies involve chemistry, my favorite science class in high school and college.  It involved algebra, and I liked algebra, so there's a happy connection there, but I was also fascinated with how one could combine two different things (elements) with completely different properties and make a substance unlike either.
EG: Sodium and Chlorine to make salt.

And there was the explosive potential of some mixtures, like potassium and water.  Thanks to Mr. Shelton for fanning the flames of chemical pyromania at an early age. :)

Ergo, whenever I see a periodic table of elements shirt on ThinkGeek.com, I get a good chuckle because I GET THE JOKE.  Such as their Element of Surprise shirt.  *giggle

I'm also a nerd about literature and geek pop culture, so shirts or jewelry or plushies relating to Lord of the Rings or Star Wars or Star Trek or Firefly, etc. are a must have.  I have a Legolas mini plush sitting on my desk next to a Spock plush, and I'm saving up for a pair of Mjolnir dangle earrings that just came back in stock.
Y'all have at least seen The Avengers, right?  Right?  Thor's mine, just so you know.
Ooo, Batman earrings...

Anyway, I've realized ThinkGeek helps bring back a lot of memories for me, and they make my geek self smile a lot.  I think that's why I shop there so often.

And because I can get gift cards for their site from my employer.  HUZZAH!!

Images are not owned by me.  Credit to ThinkGeek.com.