stranger things (things about strangers)

stranger non-danger

dear friends, strangers, and more!

i’m very glad that you’re here.
thank you for choosing to spend your time here with my words.
and now, some stranger non-danger!

A) strange thing:

"hey stranger!"
-- something rarely uttered to an actual stranger

it’s a funny thing, that “hey stranger!” seems like a term of endearment that you would only say to someone that you truly care about. imagine if the reverse happened! like, what if you got into a cab and the driver (who you’ve never met before) says something like “hello my friend!” … can you even imagine? yes? that happens all the time? great then! i just imagined reality, and it’s a nice one. thank you for receiving, strange friends and friendly strangers!

B) stranger thing:

ME: *posts something sincere online*
STRANGER: stick to comedy
ME: hooray people want my comedy!
STRANGER: no i was being mean
ME: too late i took it as a compliment
STRANGER: give it back
ME: sorry i will not and also this is all sincere too
STRANGER: stick to not comedy or sincerity?
ME: i love you!

here’s an analogy that i hope you’ll enjoy. sometimes i enjoy freestyle rapping, which is coming up with lyrics off the top of my head. the two things i aim to do when i’m doing that: 1) rhyme and 2) make sense. if i come up with a line that rhymes but doesn’t make sense, i’ll try to make sense of it with the next line. if i come up with something that makes sense but doesn’t rhyme, i’ll try to rhyme with the next line. the best case scenario is when lines rhyme AND make sense at the same time. and i feel the same about being funny and being sincere in my comedy. sometimes i’ll say something that’s sincere, but if it’s not funny right then, i’ll aim to be funny REAL SOON. if i say something that’s funny but not sincere, i’ll aim to be sincere IMMEDIATELY. SINCERITY NOW! OR SOON! SOONCERITY! (sooncerity is a boon. verity!) i hope you find that this all makes sense, seems sincere, is funny, and/or rhymes.

C) strangest thing:

while walking, a stranger met my gaze and said “you take motrins?”
i didn’t answer and kept walking.
then she said “i have soup.”
not wanting to be rude, i responded “no thank you” and continued onward.
then, she called after me, and the story concluded:
“i’m on the phone!”

has this ever happened to you? or even better, has the REVERSE of this ever happened to you? are you the second half of the amulet in this story? or do you have a story like this, on either end? DO you take motrins? DO you have soup? ARE you on the phone? thanks for sharing!

D) stranger-est thing:

STRANGER: who writes your material
ME: you do

it’s true! sometimes! i mean, i write my material, and also sometimes strangers are contributors. and also, sometimes i am a stranger to myself. who even said that? a past version of myself? what a friendly stranger to my current self i was then!

and that’s all the strangeness fun for right now!
thank you for receiving!
now, for some FUTURE strangeness fun (upcoming shows)

Friday, Feb 17 in Boston, MA (THIS WEEKEND! SOON! HURRY!)
Friday, March 3 in Maynard, MA
Friday-Saturday, April 7-8 in Beverly, MA
Friday-Saturday, May 19-20 in Knoxville, TN
Saturday, April 1 in Randolph, VT

finally, here are some questions i have for YOU (if you’d like to share):

1) how are you? what is new and good with you?
2) have you ever had a meaningful interaction with a stranger?
3) have you had a stranger become a friend? what were the circumstances?
4) what’s a way that YOU are strange, stranger, or strangest, that you enjoy?
5) who writes YOUR material? and do YOU have any questions for me? and do you mind that THIS question is actually THREE questions?

PS that artwork is courtesy of the wonderful as always mckinley cox, based on a photo by the delightful as always mindy tucker! thanks for looking at it!