Weirdest Girl in the World

So today IT was at my desk and I was just hanging out, being my usual self and, while I know that I am not completely hilarious (even though I am) I kinda wanted to tap an invisible mic and ask, “Is this thing on?”

There is a big transition when trying to ease people into your weirdness at work. I was at BPI for 10+ years and everyone knew me. I would walk into to work in leg warmers and a Goonies t-shirt and no one would bat an eye. That was just me, an inappropriate for work/ age dresser. If I did that here, I am not sure how they would all take it.

Don’t get me wrong. Everyone here is pretty cool and laid back. I like everyone that I have worked with so far.  It seems like a free to be you and me environment. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t think I am super weird.

I have saved the ridiculous work outfits for further on down the road, if ever, I just don’t think they are ready for all of that just yet. But there are some things that are harder to hide.

Por ejemplo: The day that I was bored out of my skull and had nothing to do, I was reading a book. Dark Moon Rising  by Jonathan Maberry. It’s a science fiction book about zombies and vampires and a super creepy town. So I got the question “What are you reading?”

I don’t know why but I was little embarrassed about coming clean about the book. I wasn’t embarrassed to be reading the book but when someone asks you what you are reading they usually follow that question with “What is it about?” And then I would have to go into it, “Uhhh, it’s about a werewolf that died 30 years ago and came back to life in the soulless bodies of the undead and this wicked evil vampire cokehead,” that description is going to get a few side-eyes for sure.

Also, there doesn’t seem to be a tattoo policy here. For the first few months I kept them all covered just in case but now they might peek out from a shirt or something and I don’t go out of my way to hide them. I have seen people all over this building with highly visible tattoos so I take that as a “they don’t care” so I show mine with no issue. Explaining them, however, is a little different.  Especially when everyone I work is at least 10 years older than me if not 20 or 30 and have never had a tattoo in their life.

So when I explain to them that, yes, that is a skull with a “dad” banner they just kind of look at me like I just explained my recent alien anal probe and they go on about their business. And people always ask when I say it is a day of the dead skull, “Oh, I am sorry, did your dad pass away?” And then I have to explain, “No, he just likes skulls.”

If I could just find a way to divulge NO personal information to anyone until they know me well enough, that would be great.

I am not friends with any of them on Facebook but I have shown them pictures of the boys and such on my FB and in doing that, they saw the purple hair. It was brought up, “Is your hair…purple…in that picture?” They then ask if that was for a Halloween costume or if it was spray in or something and I have to explain, “No, no. I just wanted purple hair. It was permanent and I had it for about a year.” And in response I usually get a confused, “Okay?”

And, thankfully, no one has asked what kind of movies I like. I am pretty sure I would confuse and possibly frighten every one of them.

How do you get new people accustomed to your weirdness? Maybe I need to win them all over with baked goods?

Gah, getting to know people is the worst.