Anonymous

Hmmm, that's an awful lot to answer. I'll see what I can do.

My beliefs about the creation of the universe are a bit ambiguous. I don't think that anyone can reasonably stand by any creation philosophy 100%. None of us were here when it happened, and what documentation there is was written after the fact. Frankly, even documentation isn't generally 100% reliable, otherwise those slips of horrid pastel colored paper that software companies use to add corrected information just before shipment wouldn't exist.

Regarding the possible expansion of the Universe, again I will have to answer with a resounding maybe. Sorry that I can't be more definite, but the problem with an enigma is that it's really hard to answer... by definition, in fact.

Have I ever been abducted by aliens? No. I know what I said a few paragraphs ago, but I lied. I'm sorry, but you know how it is. There I was, trying to explain my prolonged absence, and I couldn't think of a good reason, and I thought maybe Gypsies, but I think I may have already used that excuse, and well... I was on the spot, dammit.

Okay now. We've procrastinated long enough. Let's get to the real heart of the matter. This has nothing to do with aliens, or age-old questions about creation and the universe. This has nothing to do with Pink Floyd. The issue is really your self-image, and the problem is that you're in a vicious cycle from which you're going to have to break free.

You're shy, so you cling to geeky behavior. You're very conscious of your geekiness, so you become shy. Now, don't get me wrong, geek interests are a lot of fun, and nothing about which to be ashamed. I love Star Trek conventions, and a capella music, and IRC, and writing HTML, and I watch three hours of Gene Roddenberry's televised genius every Sunday night starting at 11:30. However, I do not suffer from a shyness that is debilitating to my social life.

You're going to have to raise your opinion about yourself. I can see the ability in you. You like to think, you like to verbalize, and you fancy yourself clever. You simply have to overcome the pockets of self doubt you seem to fall into when you contemplate interpersonal relationships. To do that, you're going to have to subscribe to the belief that the only opinion that really, truly matters is your own. This is not to say that you should be an insensitive, self-centered jerk who trivializes the opinions of others... you should be a person who can cope with rejection, and not be fazed.

I know it sounds mythical, but that attitude really does exist. I like to believe that I achieve it a good deal of the time... and if you disagree, big deal.