Flock Together

When I joined the ACLU a while back and wondered if there were any activist meetings in my immediate locale, they directed me toward a little site called Meetup.com. Through said site, one can start (or join) a group based on a common interest, and attend local meetups with like-minded folks.

For example, if you happen to be a die-hard fan of Norwegian pop sensation a-ha but find yourself obsessing alone, simply type “a-ha” into the Meetup.com search and you’re likely to stumble across the "a-ha fans Southern CA Meetup Group" (14 members strong). Same with 17th Century Spanish Drama or Traditional Amish recipes or…well, anything at all, really.

Every week, I’m tickled to receive an email informing me of the various Meetups taking place near me—i.e. the “Studio City Stitch & Bitch” and the “Universal Order and Biojoy Fellowship.”

This morning, it occurred to me that I find this weekly list strangely comforting, as it drives home the fact that no matter how odd our interests/guilty pleasures—we are not alone.

Other groups in the LA area include:

• Druid Meetup
• Orlando Bloom Meetup
• Southern California DEPECHE MODE Devotional Group (159 members)
• The Apollonian Poets (20 members)
• KEEROOV Kosher Eth-E-co-logical Raw Organic Optimistic Vegan (29 members)
• UFO Meetup
• Order of The Perfectly Manicured Papaya - SoCal Chapter (52 members)
• Los Angeles Vampires (199 members)
• Metal Detecting Meetup
• The Be Totally Free Meetup Group (23 members)
• Dude Check This Out! Meetup
• Godzilla Meetup
• BARF Diet Meetup
• Hula Hooping Meetup
• Wonder Woman Meetup