ifkristian was the stereotypical image of a computer nerd , she 'd always thought she looked the typical shy academic type : dark brown hair , impossibly straight , which she had long ago given up trying to coax into curls and now wore pulled back into a single thick braid ; light blue eyes , almost gray , usually framed by reading glasses ; no makeup , because she did n't know how to apply it ; sensible clothes , tending toward corduroy slacks and denim skirts .