Desperately Seeking Salem

Do you really like Madonna or are you obsessed with the ’80s or what?

I like to think that I can reinvent myself periodically, but I don’t need a coned bra to do that. I am, however, a child of the 1980s, and this is a film I was never allowed to see.  My writing is not motivated by desperation, but I believe we all feel it a little bit when looking for things to do in Salem. This blog is about figuring out Salem’s essential character.

Are you, like, a full-time blogger?

No. I write magazine features, columns, novels, and profiles of big corporations in Europe (that’s where the money is). Blogging is just one more way I engage with the world, and it’s pretty damn fun.

How much time a day do you spend blogging?

Way too much time. As in, I spend a lot of time thinking about what’s interesting enough to blog about. I am a perpetual editor.

Do you make money blogging?

Um, does anyone? Wait, some people do… remind me to look into that.

Are you pro-Salem or  anti-Salem?

I am neither nor. As my husband will tell you, I tend to love what I have, but I’m not a booster by any means. I am a storyteller and chronicler, I do not seek to take sides.

Have you heard about the [insert place/restaurant/food] in Salem?

Maybe, maybe not. Tell me all about it!

Do you really run past the State Hospital almost every day?

Yes. I like to get my inner fright on. That place is the best one in the city for leaps of the imagination and I find running past it very soothing.

What kind of culture are you interested in?

I am an equal opportunity cultural commenter interested in high and low culture — making for one mean, crooked unibrow of culture.

Will you blog about my [insert place/restaurant/food]?

Maybe. Tell me about it and I’ll add it to my list of things to do. Please do not ask me to go anywhere boring or to eat anything that tastes like licorice.

Why did you review my restaurant/place so poorly?

If you read the posts carefully, you will notice that they are not traditional reviews, or really reviews at all. Most of the food stories present a very specific perspective — mine. If you are interested in service reviews about food in Salem, there is a site called  eatsalem.com. But if you want a story, or jive with my worldview, read on.

You seem to eat out a lot. How do you do this without gaining 300 pounds?

I save up any extra money for restaurants where the servings are the size of an egg. Or I eat once a day. Or I go running past the State Hospital. Fear burns calories.