Strange breed

Engineers are special individuals.  In my five years at University their odd behaviour has never ceased to provide me with significant entertainment during the dull lectures that I (for some reason still unbeknownst to me) have chosen to take.  It has recently come to my attention, worryingly, that as time has gone on I have become immune to, one could argue even accepting of their unusual ways and that a dose of reality is only administered when I drag (literally) one of my non-engineering friends into the lions den, so to speak.

As my friends look about them as if fearful that one of these strange creatures will, at any given moment, attack them, I stroll unconcerned through the throngs of boys playing world of warcraft on their laptops.  When my friends clutch their course-books ever closer, on guard to strike any offending party who would dare to approach them, I chat away, seemingly oblivious to the disturbing realm that I have forced my friend to enter.  As they gall at the myriads of laptops and pokemon/pikachu/yugimon cards I pass by blissfully unaware of how strange these might seem to those lucky enough not to do engineering.

The fact that I know what a LAN party is, I have discovered- is not usual, and my ownership of 3 graphics calculators has my older brother seriously concerned.  For me, I think the realisation of just how 'normal' this alien world had become to me came when I was no longer outraged by the wide-spread fashion crime that is sneans (sports sneakers and jeans).  Sure, I was a little disturbed, however the anger that used to consume me to the point of actively evil-eye-ing and loudly remonstrating those who sported such a look was gone.  I had become immune to the crime as I had become so surrounded by it; it had in short become acceptable, non offensive and OK.

'Sneans' are the go-to look for any serious engineer.  The wearing of the sneaker enables speedy travel, not only between lectures, but also gives you the edge when hurrying to the last computer in the labs for your online gaming session.  While some might say they sport the snean for comfort, others would argue that it's aesthetics cannot be beaten- the dark denim providing a stark (yet exciting) clash against the white leather and metallic piping of the sneaker.  Hideous?  Yes. Indeed, and yet, for me, beautiful in one way.  A motif for the nerd, the world over- I'm smart, but speedy.  Unstylish, yet- oh so practical.  I've decided the 'snean' is OK. 

Even as I try and distance myself from the typical engineer, like a mother looking at her less-than-attractive child, I feel some love and admiration for these scurrying nervous wrecks who live vicariously through their computer screens and avatar personas.  Long live the nerd!

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