OK. So, I am a nerd. A computer nerd in fact, although in this day and age that is certainly an oxymoron. I was a nerd even before there were computers - I had science kits and microscopes and erector sets and (the most obvious and telling attribute) I got good grades. Through the years, my essential nerdiness has had its ups and downs, but here I am, retired at the beach, and still essentially a nerd.
Probably my greatest excursion from the ranks of nerd was my fraternity days in college. Yes, I actually got into a fraternity (Alpha Sigma Phi), and although it was one of the more oddball houses on campus, it was certainly not a nerd house. Nor was it completely the "animal" house - that fame was reserved, as I recall, for Sigma Nu on our campus. More on Sigma Nu later.
I was reminded of both my fraternity days and my nerdiness this week. The topic in question is "What word does John Belushi yell out in "Animal House" during the "Shout" dance at the toga party that makes everyone roll on the floor and gyrate?"
(Nota bene #1: Yes, I did go to college in the mid-60's; yes, we did have toga parties; yes, we did have food fights; yes, we did drink beer although greatly under age; yes, we did take advantage of our female party guests - ah, the good times!)
Anyhow, all these years (since 1978), neither I, nor anybody I knew of, ever knew what Belushi screamed. For a nerd, this kind of thing counts as a major secret of life.
This week, my daughter game me the DVD of "Animal House". I noticed (being a good nerd) that the DVD contained subtitles. This alone establishes my nerdiness, as I (a) figured out that there were subtitles and (b) I figured out how to turn them on. "Ah" I exclaimed, "now I can find out what the word was".
So, watching the movie, we finally came to the ultimate moment. There on the screen, was the subtitle "indistinct shout". Even THEY didn't know!
Well, it turns out, that apparently John Landis (the director) knew all the time. When interviewed for the "NBC Special 25th Anniversary of Animal House" this past Saturday, he gave away the secret. I rejoiced in knowing the answer now, in my twilight years, but then was again struck by the realization that I had spent my entire life as a nerd.
Well, not to take it too hard, I immediately asked myself the question "What do I do?" and, nodding, muttered the answer "Road Trip!" I sped to the Bob-mobile, hopped in, and proceeded to venture out on the streets of Oak Island to fix someone's Internet problem or virus infestation. Ah, the good times.
Oh, you want to know the answer? Its "gator" - apparently the name of a dance popular at the time, in which everyone got on the floor and imitated a gator. Now, didn't you just die not knowing? Could this be a sign that, oh, perhaps, you are a nerd?
(Nota bene #2: About Sigma Nu: There were (really) many similarities between my college greek days and "Animal House", one of the ironic ones was that one of the fraternity houses in which the movie was actually filmed was Sigma Nu - the animal house on our campus was a Sigma Nu chapter (Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport / Oak Island area. You can visit his website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail him at bsc@bobseidel.com).