Now, to begin with, this isn't a heart-throb story. It's not one claiming prejudice. This is just an explanation of what I am. Who knows, maybe you know someone like me in your town. . .

I'm strange. Straight off, I'd like to get that across right now. I'm not ashamed of it; in fact, I kinda like it. Let me tell you what I mean by strange.

In the first week in October, for about three or four days, there was an influx of "doggie balloons," mostly red, in Natick High School. I'm proud to say that I blew up 99% of those balloons myself, and gave the others away to friends to do themselves. I was making balloons, selling some, but giving most away. I even taught a science teacher how to make them. I lost about $8, since I gave them all away, but that's not the point. I was thanked, called weird, got laughed at, and that's the point. People like me are just, well, very different. I don't mind. In fact, I like being different.

I'm the kind of person who will walk down the hall juggling (which I do), shouting unabashedly some quotes from cult classic Sci-Fi books, and return people's inquiring glances with stares of my own that say "Hey, just wait until I get warmed up!"

I guess it comes with the territory, though. I'm a professional magician (sounds good, doesn't it? It's not as good as it sounds...) I do kids' birthday parties, and you've got to have no shame to play with the kids. So, I just take my work to school with me.

I'm sitting here reading the newest 21st Century newspaper (flagrant plug time! It's a cool newspaper!), looking at all the articles about death, brain damage, cancer, and other everyday stuff that, unfortunately, has taken over both the American population and our newspapers. I see the same things in school around me, kids taking things too seriously. So, I decided that it was time for a good, old-fashioned dose of "difference."

For those of you who don't know me: there is someone like me in your school! Maybe you know him or her, maybe you are that person. If you are, then you can understand what we do more than anyone else out there. We are the jokers, the clowns, the ones with a comeback and snappy joke for every situation, not to mention the inability to be embarrassed. We are, it seems to me, a vanishing breed. Sort of like Christian Slater in "Pump Up The Volume." Not to say that I'm a famous movie star, but that's the type of awareness I'm trying to give people, a kick to the head that says, "Hey! You're in high school! Wake up! Have some fun with life!"

Now, I'm trying to end this with some "snappy snap" of a sentence, something to inspire you to get out there and be yourself, "do what you wanna do," and let other people around you adjust to your weirdness. So, watch out schools, here we come! n