Hi everyone! It’s another blog post from the Uber Nerd of Bakersfield. I started training for my second job this week at the Boys & Girls Club, and I can't shake the feeling that people were staring at me or questioning the validity of everything I said. During CPR training, I stood closer to a dummy next to another person—a twenty-something doing the training. He looked at me as if I were a criminal. On the second day, we were asked to come up with "icebreakers" to help the kids open up. I thought suggesting, "What anime do you guys like?" would be a good idea, but two girls in my group stared at me as if I had just said something completely inappropriate. One of them said, "That is not appropriate to ask kids!" and shot me a look as if I were a pedophile that hasn't been caught. I replied, "Really? Asking kids what anime they like is inappropriate?" She insisted, "Yes!" So I asked, "How about asking them what their favorite movie is? Is that better?" With a smug tone and expression, she said, "Yes!" I can’t help but think about another guy in our training class who is around my age, losing his hair, and has a messed-up hand. I wonder why nobody questions him. He seems well-received and accepted, while I’m 51, in great shape, have two working arms, and look 19 thanks to my outstanding health. Yet, in this training at the Boys & Girls Club, I feel like an outsider. The others keep giving me sideways glances as if I’m strange. It’s sad to see how society has changed. Back in the 1980s, someone with a disability like losing a limb wouldn’t have been considered for a job working with kids, yet today they are embraced. Now, someone like me— a strong, young-looking 51-year-old with no gray hair—is treated like a pedophile. On the last day of training, I continued to get odd looks from the other trainees. When I mentioned that years ago, there used to be EpiPens with migraine medication that you could inject through your clothes, the trainer felt the need to fact-check me as if I were lying. It makes me think that if that one-armed guy had made a bold-faced lie, nobody would have questioned it. It sucks to be a "Chosen One". People really treat you poorly! Until next time, MAHALO!