About Oblivious Nerd Girl
The updated short version:
#ColorYourTroublesAway Organizer of coloring events in Los Angeles|#TFAL#TFALpodcast This Filipino American Life podcast @tfalpodcast|Writer of Obliviousness
Follow me on instagram (@obliviousnerdgrl) for daily obliviousness and teaser sheets for Color Your Troubles Away!
The old short version:
Elaine Dolalas is the writer behind Oblivious Nerd Girl Hood Chronicles . She is happily trying to figure out the secret of life through writing, volunteering, and most importantly avoiding cleaning her room.
#ColorYourTroublesAway Organizer of coloring events in Los Angeles|#TFAL#TFALpodcast This Filipino American Life podcast @tfalpodcast|Writer of Obliviousness
Follow me on instagram (@obliviousnerdgrl) for daily obliviousness and teaser sheets for Color Your Troubles Away!
The old short version:
Elaine Dolalas is the writer behind Oblivious Nerd Girl Hood Chronicles . She is happily trying to figure out the secret of life through writing, volunteering, and most importantly avoiding cleaning her room.
The long version:
Who Am I?
Originally posted here
I’M JEAN VALJEAN!
Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. That’s the drama kid in me.
I realize I never introduced myself. I simply went straight into stories. Here is my attempt at a bio.
My name is Lainey. I am the Oblivious Nerd Girl of these Hood Chronicles. This blog is my own “Back in the Day” story.
I am currently in my thirties. I live in Los Angeles. I once wrote a novella through The Undeniables: Writer’s Workshop (laughing through the tears) I am still working on a fiction story that began through The Undeniables Secret Writer’s Workshop (laineywrites). Writing is my thing. With enough beer, karaoke is my thing too.
Married to Mike, my own personal Strawberry Farm Boy from the 805. ONGHC is inspired by friendly arguments that we would have about suburb life. I would argue that I grew up in a suburb, but Mike would insist that I did NOT grow up in a suburb. He would say that I grew up in the “hood.” The text message convo on my first post is me realizing that yes, I in fact did grow up in the hood. I have resigned myself to this fact.
My parents were new immigrants from the Philippines. I am an only child. People tell me I don’t act like one. I think it is because most of my extended family lived within a five mile radius of each other. This meant I had a plethora of grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins around. These people were the village who helped raise me. I say my obliviousness is attributed to the fact that I couldn’t get into trouble with these folks around. The nerdiness was all me.
I actually did grow up in an area that is similar to The Oblongs. There are power lines like behind my cousins house. Their backyard is a wash. I remember warnings where I was not supposed to play outside because of Stage 1 Smog alerts. I regularly ignored these warnings. When Cartoon Network used to air The Oblongs I would laugh and say ” Hey! That’s the Valley.” Mike would chuckle along with me, but then say adamantly, “Yeah, You grew up in the hood!’
My parents did not believe in public school. I went to a fancy private school called Pinecrest, where I got to know the good life from pre-school til third grade. Pinecrest had field trips, smaller class sizes, and after school activities. Then I went to what was the cheapest catholic elementary school and high school in the San Fernando Valley, St. Genevieve. St. Gen’s elementary school was 40 students to a class. No field trips EVER. And after school activities meant going to the Panorama City Library and pissing off the librarians OR going home. My high school was the school you got sent to when you had been kicked out of other high schools. There were bullet wholes in Mr. Carter’s Algebra II classroom for several years. The principal refused to fix that window. I went to St. Gen’s because my cousins went to St. Gen’s. We were each others babysitters. Goodbye fancy expensive private school. Hello overcrowded and broke catholic school.
I grew up in neighborhood called Sepulveda. I really didn’t think it was that bad. When I was in 8th grade the city name changed to North Hills. This was because Sepulveda had a not so nice reputation, so people in charge thought North Hills would class things up. The name change didn’t work. My cousins and friends have told me that they have been asked if they wanted to buy drugs(specifically coke and/or crack) in my neighborhood. There used to be an abandoned church turned into a crack house next door. I frequently avoided eye contact with the transvestite hooker who lived in said crack house. I still thought my neighborhood wasn’t that bad.
Yup. So that’s me. Lainey of Oblivious Nerd Girl Hood Chronicles.
Who Am I?
Originally posted here
I’M JEAN VALJEAN!
Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. That’s the drama kid in me.
I realize I never introduced myself. I simply went straight into stories. Here is my attempt at a bio.
My name is Lainey. I am the Oblivious Nerd Girl of these Hood Chronicles. This blog is my own “Back in the Day” story.
I am currently in my thirties. I live in Los Angeles. I once wrote a novella through The Undeniables: Writer’s Workshop (laughing through the tears) I am still working on a fiction story that began through The Undeniables Secret Writer’s Workshop (laineywrites). Writing is my thing. With enough beer, karaoke is my thing too.
Married to Mike, my own personal Strawberry Farm Boy from the 805. ONGHC is inspired by friendly arguments that we would have about suburb life. I would argue that I grew up in a suburb, but Mike would insist that I did NOT grow up in a suburb. He would say that I grew up in the “hood.” The text message convo on my first post is me realizing that yes, I in fact did grow up in the hood. I have resigned myself to this fact.
My parents were new immigrants from the Philippines. I am an only child. People tell me I don’t act like one. I think it is because most of my extended family lived within a five mile radius of each other. This meant I had a plethora of grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins around. These people were the village who helped raise me. I say my obliviousness is attributed to the fact that I couldn’t get into trouble with these folks around. The nerdiness was all me.
I actually did grow up in an area that is similar to The Oblongs. There are power lines like behind my cousins house. Their backyard is a wash. I remember warnings where I was not supposed to play outside because of Stage 1 Smog alerts. I regularly ignored these warnings. When Cartoon Network used to air The Oblongs I would laugh and say ” Hey! That’s the Valley.” Mike would chuckle along with me, but then say adamantly, “Yeah, You grew up in the hood!’
My parents did not believe in public school. I went to a fancy private school called Pinecrest, where I got to know the good life from pre-school til third grade. Pinecrest had field trips, smaller class sizes, and after school activities. Then I went to what was the cheapest catholic elementary school and high school in the San Fernando Valley, St. Genevieve. St. Gen’s elementary school was 40 students to a class. No field trips EVER. And after school activities meant going to the Panorama City Library and pissing off the librarians OR going home. My high school was the school you got sent to when you had been kicked out of other high schools. There were bullet wholes in Mr. Carter’s Algebra II classroom for several years. The principal refused to fix that window. I went to St. Gen’s because my cousins went to St. Gen’s. We were each others babysitters. Goodbye fancy expensive private school. Hello overcrowded and broke catholic school.
I grew up in neighborhood called Sepulveda. I really didn’t think it was that bad. When I was in 8th grade the city name changed to North Hills. This was because Sepulveda had a not so nice reputation, so people in charge thought North Hills would class things up. The name change didn’t work. My cousins and friends have told me that they have been asked if they wanted to buy drugs(specifically coke and/or crack) in my neighborhood. There used to be an abandoned church turned into a crack house next door. I frequently avoided eye contact with the transvestite hooker who lived in said crack house. I still thought my neighborhood wasn’t that bad.
Yup. So that’s me. Lainey of Oblivious Nerd Girl Hood Chronicles.
In The Beginning...
Oblivious Nerd Girl Hood Chronicles started as a writing project on tumblr. The handle "hoodnerdgirl" seemed to represent who I wanted to convey. A nerd girl who grew up in the hood. But as the stories were written I realized "Oblivious Nerd Girl" is more who I am. To check out older posts visit hoodnerdgirl.tumblr.com.
