I guess I’m a little weird in that I enjoy weird people. Now I’m not talking about the talk-to-themselves-in the-subway-weird people, or the criminal-weird, but people who are just off the beaten path are my favorite kind.  Probably because I’ve really never had a normal life, so I’m not sure I’d even know what to do with a non-chaotic life full of ordinary people.

As for me, I’m mostly nerd-strange, as are many of my friends. The best thing about being a nerd, though, is that after high school, when we’ve finished our awkward misfit teen years, we emerge comfortably sans braces and bad skin as “smart and creative” adults instead – or most of us, anyhow. My friends and I are probably the only people under 30 involved in a book club, reading actual books from the library instead of on a Kindle. I can always count on my friends to warn me to “Beware the Ides of March,” leftover from Latin class long ago, or purchase our advance tickets to the midnight showing of Harry Potter.  We often find ourselves in some hour-long conversations about mutant vaccines, software engineering, or futuristic love. My friends celebrate the pagan holidays; we get our tarot cards read; we write, we act, and we play a lot of video and/or board games, and take bar trivia very seriously. As long as we’re having a good time, right?

I also love to people watch. Living in Salem is probably one of the best places to do that. Not only does my inner nerd love the history of the Salem Witch Trials, but I can actually sit sipping hot chocolate (ok, ok, it’s a martini or three) downtown and watch a coven of actual witches swoop by in their capes, off to their shops filled with potions and wands and yes, even a Chamber of Secrets (oh my!) October in Salem was chaos for us residents, but horrendous traffic aside, you gotta love a town that shuts down the streets for a zombie parade.

People are strange, when you’re a stranger. To be honest, they’re pretty weird when you get to know them too. But they’re also intelligent, funny, interesting, and kind-hearted. I wouldn’t trade my friends in for anything. I love you weirdos.

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