Strange Up Salem -- what it's about

Over on my new Strange Up Salem blog I've shared a version of what would have been my first Salem Weekly column (see here for why I'm publishing my paeans to strangeness in cyberspace rather than on newsprint).

Check out "Strange Up Salem! You know you want it."

It isn't only for those of us who want Oregon's capital city to, as I say, become more than a blandburger sandwiched between the spiciness of Portland and Eugene. My grandiosity extends way beyond that.

At one point in my life I worried about being considered strange. Now, I consider it a compliment. The most interesting people I’ve known, the most fascinating places I’ve been to, the most unforgettable experiences I’ve had -- they’ve all been compellingly strange.

This is why I feel qualified to preach a Strange Up Salem gospel: I’m strange, and I adore strange.

So much so, I've come to see strangeness as resting at the heart of many fascinating areas of human understanding that I love to learn about: neuroscience, philosophy, spirituality, land use, politics, physics, cosmology, psychology, artistry.

Strange is the key to everything! I've come to realize this. And now it's my unsacred mission to preach the Gospel of Strange wherever and however the strange spirit strikes me.

You can help out by clicking the Facebook "like" button in the right column. Don't think about it; just do it. Strangeness is spontaneity and freedom. So damn it, I order you to click on that button now!

Comments

[Laurie Dougherty]

But will Strange Up Salem make the buses run on weekends? Not having a motor vehicle is a strange phenomenon in this day and age in the good ol’ USA, but strangely enough, good public transportation is a hallmark of a great city. So, improve Cherriots’ service and increase the strangeness quotient. More people can give up their cars thus becoming strange; those who already don’t have cars can get out more to mix and mingle and share their strange vibes.

(above is cross-posted to Strange Up Salem)

Addendum to my comment on a related post where I said re: strange and the Theory of Everything that, given 4 types of quark (up, down, strange and charmed), “strange” is only 25% of the Theory of Everything: but - you’ve got “Strange Up” so you’re really halfway there.