fractalnavel

some odd recent events (in no particular order) reinforce the idea that i'm not “normal”:

• i am setting up camp.  lady in the next site over asks, “are you alone? i never saw anyone set up camp alone before.”  how do you respond to that?  my sister-in-law suggests: “not anymore! what's for dinner ?”
• the next day, another group is setting up.  again: “are you alone?”.  at least they leave off the last part.
• waiting to meet up with family at a michigan rest area, i sit in my toy laden jeep, reading “dancing wu li masters”.  apparently this is suspicious behavior, as evidenced by the state troopers who park a few spots away and remain there.  not a big deal, but they don't leave until and exactly when a van load of people pull up and begin hugging me. (yes, they're the family members i've been waiting for.  smart ass.)
• also, see the conversation noted here: travels: more visiting
• and the comments here: All that and a bag of pretzels  and here: Requiem For a Dream.
• sometimes there are discussions with friends and family where at some point they slip (?) and claim that my single, not dating, never married status is evidence of dysfunction.  (neglecting to note that i've had about 14 years of long term relationships in the last 25.) (also note that these statements are most often offered as complete non-sequiturs, apparently with intent to be wielded as a club.)
• not recent, but relevant:  hell, a girlfriend even used to claim i was gay (go figure).  so did the girls in high school after their flirting led to nothing (to set the record straight: i was waiting for someone to show more interest than just flirting.  apparently they were waiting for the same thing.  i concluded they weren't interested.  they concluded i was gay.  *huh?*).

conclusions:

• apparently, it's a crime to be single, though perhaps not on the books as such.  yet.
• appearances of any sort are useless determinants of character.
• living on the edge is not where you go, it's where other people put you.
• it's probably a good thing i didn't get that mohawk.

of course, “normality” is not really the issue - “health” is (or should be).  seems to me that most of the unhealthy attitudes in this context have external sources.