Being Quirky

Oh God. 

I've been meaning to write this blog for a while, but I wasn't sure how to write it without-

a) sounding faux-ohmygod
b) offending people
c) expressing the true heart of why I am stressed out and saddened by this.

Recently when I was in Berlin, I met a couple of LOVELY young chaps from Salzburg,  Super nice friendly guys.  As is the way, we linked up on Facebook.  This doesn't bother me- nice guys, new connections.  All good, all rosy, all super.

Chatting to one of the guys the other week, he commented that I was "quirky".  Uh oh.  Cue thinking too much, in detail, about what Salzburg Boy even said was a good thing.  Its just....quirky girls.  They annoy the living hell out of me.

When I was younger, I thought I liked the idea of someone a bit different.  In Friends, I liked Phoebe.  But as the series rolled on, her character, once rich with 'quirks', soon ran thin.  In the same way, as I got older and met more people, I realised the people who come to parties with top hats on, or the guy who declares himself to be 'the mad one'....well they just NEVER are, are they?  I view affectations of fashion, or mad flamboyant behaviour as a very thinly veiled disguise for not having a personality.  

My biggest peeve is when its all oh-too-transparent.  The law student pretending to be ditsy in order to appear cuter to guys. What?!  Who wants a dumb girlfriend? (Actually, don't answer that... it might be too depressing to fathom)

I am not sure if I have said it on this blog before, but it is for this very reason that I am always incredibly attracted to the polar opposite personality type- the aloof, quiet type.  These people frequently are the ones who genuinely are quirky, but don't have to parade it.  They are the ones who will mutter devilishly cutting one liners, which if you are lucky enough to hear, you'll laugh your head off.

That said, I am still waiting for the rest of the world to realise this.  Unfortunately, we are in an era where the quirky girl is king.  Outlandish quirky people...well, some are legit.  Hell, I don't think I'm quirky, but I know I am loud, and I do my own thing- I'm not trying to impress anyone, ever.  If you like me, great, if not, well, that's a shame, but I'm only ever honest, so?  

But jesus, I know that if I met me, I'd totally think I was one of the annoying ones.  According to that article I linked in I have the short kinda masculine name- Cat.  I have the bangs.  I have the musical proclivity- (yawwwwn, if I do say so myself.  Not that this world is fun- I have plenty of times had people giving off to me at parties because they can't find anything they know/want to play.  Cue feeling like a musical dickhead)  Love prowess?  I dunno if I would say I have this necessarily, but I certainly mostly do the chasing, because yes, as previously mentioned, I usually like aloof characters.  And if they happen to be a bit attractive as well, well, yes, I will probably fancy them.  Also-

I'm Loud
I keeps guinea pigs
I work in a theatre
I occasionally wear glitter legwarmers, or shit like that

Frig. 

We need a new word.  I need a new identity.

Or I need to chill out and accept that quirky doesn't have to mean a love child of Zooey Deschanel, Lisa Kudrow and Carrie Bradshaw, but is in fact nothing more than-

quirk·y/ˈkwərkē/

Adjective:	Characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits: "quirky charm".
Synonyms:	peculiar