This place looks amazing. Tonight I worked the door at a show there and saw three new bands. It was fun, a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I really enjoy the space. It has a great vibe and a very comfortable political setting, moreso than other places I've went to that espouse to be queer friendly. One of the bands, The Black Hankies was just what I would look for in a band to play at Autonomy. They had such awesome politics. I put some videos up here and here. I really hope they all come back.
I hung out for a lot longer than I usually do and really enjoyed it. There's a bunch of cushions set up in the corner that make for a great sleeping area. I put on my Goldfrapp Pandora station and chilled out. It was so nice. I think my housemates have done a fabulous job on the place and I'm excited about its prospects.
It was a good blog day today. I needed to go to someplace new so I checked out Bertie Lou's in deep south Portland, just off the Springwater Corridor. After a great bike ride to Clackamas and back, I went looking in Sellwood for a place to eat and found Bertie Lou's. It was an awesome breakfast place with a lot of different options, some vegetarian, none vegan. It was the character of the place that really appealed to me though. It was a nice diner place where I sat at the counter and the owner of the place was running the cash register. I had the Eggplant Benedict and got a 10% discount for riding my bike there.
Honestly, if it wasn't for my blog, I probably would have eaten at some place familiar. Yay for new things, places and awesome breakfast diners.
During my junior or senior year in high school, our civics teacher had us go through mock interviews with either him or the principal. I had to interview with the principal, who told me I don't keep good eye contact. I was nervous and unsure about it all. Since then, I've developed a lot of interviewing skills. My boss is also wanting to get my name out there more so she assigned me to conduct mock interviews at De La Salle high school this morning.
I've conducted mock interviews before (when I worked at the Archway) but it was with seniors. Today, I interviewed soon-to-be freshman. It was weird because some of these kids were my oldest niece's age. Overall, I was impressed with these kids. Most of them did better than I did waaaaaay back when. One or two of them were so confident, well spoken and had a clear direction...at 15! Others were a little more nervous and I found myself playing the part of the mentor and coming clean with them. I told them that they just needed to fake confidence, keep eye contact and act agreeable. I told them when they get the job, their performance is important but what will be noticed is if they show up on time and dress nice. Everything else is secondary.
It's weird being in this position to teach the kids what really goes on out there. I guess it's what I'm gonna be doing next school year for my internship so I better get used to it. It's good that I enjoyed it though.
Jennifer turned 31 today so we went to Rontom's to celebrate. I had been there once before but never during the day and I've never eaten there either. They have an awesome patio out back. They could have had better/more vegetarian options but the wait staff was great so it is hard to complain.
I've been getting out a lot these past few days. On Friday, it was the Nite Lite. On Saturday, I went to Iron Man 2 and went out to eat with my house. On Sunday, I went to Inception and then out to eat later on at Hungry Tiger Too. On Monday, Sophia and I hit Dovevivi for some awesome cornmeal pizza. Afterwards, we went to a mediocre movie at the Hollywood and then to Moon and Sixpence (for the first time) for drinks and some food. Today was Rontom's and then sleep. I am exhausted! It's been really nice hanging out with people but the heat's been keeping me awake so I haven't been able to properly rest. Figure that in with a generally busy social calendar and it's a struggle to stay awake. Still, it was definitely worth it to go out for Jen's big 3-1.
When I was a little kid, I loved Aquaman. When my friends and I would run around the yard and pick superheroes that we were pretending to be, I'd usually go with Aquaman. This is odd because he doesn't have great superpowers and it's ironic because I'm not a good swimmer.
I can remember swimming lessons being a type of punishment for me. I liked to go around and splash a bunch in the water but I did not like the structure of lessons. There were stages that we would go through until the instructor thought we had graduated to the next level. I didn't advance through these stages early. The pool once lost my sister Jackie's swimming lessons card and she had to go through each stage again, which she did in a matter of minutes. I remember being jealous and also thinking, "Take me with you so I don't have to go through this anymore!"
In community college, my friend Brian was a lifeguard at the Y. I would go there occasionally and screw around in the pool but was constantly taking criticism from him and our friend Mick about how I didn't swim properly. I guess it's the equivalent to me criticizing people with bad spelling. It really doesn't matter unless you care, which I don't. I know I can swim enough to survive. I will never be a Baywatch lifeguard though.
Today, I mustered up the courage to go to the PSU Rec Center pool. I have been to their hot tub many times (so many times that I have my favorite jets) but I have never gone in the pool. People are always doing laps and with good form and speed. I would look ridiculous trying, like a drunken seal with one flipper. However, it was hot enough for me today to go for it. I found out they have an open area which more closely resembles a community pool. There was only a few other people in the open area so I had a lot of time to float around. They have a bunch of water aerobic equipment there and I had already surpassed shame by getting into the pool so I gave some of the equipment a shot. I tried the water gloves which webbed my fingers and gave me a good workout just treading water. Since I paid for the membership to the Rec Center, I will definitely be going back.
What else?
I went to Vincente's pizza with Dom quick so we could have a drink before seeing Inception. It was well worth the $4.75. If you like Memento, go see this. I've been loving Christopher Nolan's work since Memento so I was eager to see it and it lived up to my expectations. Don't just go to see it expecting a FX extravaganza because it's a lot more story-driven than FX driven.
Dean vs the sprinklers...The other day on Infomania, they showed a clip of dogs vs sprinklers so I got out my droid today when Dean went to get some water or get sprayed trying...
I love Sneakin Out! Yesterday, Jesse told me they'd be playing outside Eugenios today for the Division/Clinton Street fair. I enjoyed them so much at the Duck that I decided to spend most of the afternoon watching them. I hung around at the fair until they started and got some Port wine ice cream at Pix. It was a fine afternoon that reminded me a bit of OCF, nothing to do but sit and watch an awesome performance in the afternoon.
I have never gotten car envy. I've become envious of bikes, jeans, shoes, skirts, arms, tattooes and maybe the occasional scooter but I've never looked at a car and really thought, "Damn, that person has a sweet ride." I've run my last few cars into the ground to where I got rid of them shortly before they've died out of me. My latest car still works, although it's been sitting in the driveway for a while now, uninsured. Not too long ago, Ashes insured it to compensate for his car's malfunctions.
While some people would not want two doors strapped to the roof of their luxury vehicle but I don't care. That's what a car is for. It's not art. It's not a status symbol. It's a one ton machine, capable of moving heavy items or hauling a lot of people around. And it has the potential to do mass destruction to the environment, pedestrians and cyclists, which is why it stays at home most of the time.
It can haul doors though. We went slow but steady and there was no damage to the car, not that it matters really. That's what it's for.
What else?
Awesome lunch today. Sophia and I split an Italian sandwich and a chicken salad sandwich from DC Veg while sitting in the grass on the waterfront. All lunches should be like that.
Ashes paid for the doors ($159) almost all in ones. He gave the clerk one five.
chocolate. I'm craving chocolate. Must be Tuesday.
I've been in a slump for the past few days. I blame this song and a lack of anything significant to look forward to after an exciting several weeks. I even had a good weekend but these past couple of days have left me bored.
However, I fixed it today with chocolate. I met Martin for drinks at Crush for their all day happy hour and two strong Chocolatinis. Tim later joined us and we all hung out for a bit. On the ride home, I swung by Whiffies and got a chocolate-peanut butter fried pie (for the first time) which was awesome. I'm feeling better now.
What else?
I gave in to PSU and decided to pay for a summer membership to the gym. I had a great workout today but it cost me $25 for a month membership. I'm not sure if I'll renew in the middle of August or just start using the apartment complex's gym again.
I went to Rigler School for the first time today to deliver books to a friend's class that she teaches. My work has this weird requirement for us to donate so many books a year and we're behind on our donations for 2010 so I hit up my friends to take books off my hands. It's a weird work chore but it's nice to have a job where this is what they expect out of us, giving books to needy school kids.
This was brilliant! Sophia, Jesse, his friend Alex, Melissa, Rabble and his family and I went to Trek in the Park today. It's a free production of an original Star Trek episode. This is their second year. They did "Space Seeds" which is the Kahn episode. I watched it online (accessible through IMDB) before going to the production.
The acting crew did an awesome job, getting the dialog, the tone, the music, the fight sequences and the sound effects perfect. It was so good. I'm going to bring my friend Jess back tomorrow for it.
What else?
Along with being able to communicate what I'm doing day to day to my friends, family and fans, I use this blog as sort of a on-line journal. However, I don't want everyone to know everything all the time. However, occasionally I want be able to look back and remember when I did what. So, this next bit is just for me. - Pop, green glow stick means go, a whole lot of metal. (Sorry to be so weird and vague. Maybe it's time I kept a handwritten journal again as well.)
It's hard to believe this place is in conjunction with the dirty dive I've come to love since I moved here. Rocco's Pizza is at the beginning of where the gay ghetto used to be and it's right across the street from Powell's Books so I've been there a lot. When my parents and grandma came to town within a year or so of me moving here, I took them to Rocco's. I realize in hindsight that it was not a great place to take visitors. However, I would bring them here.
Rocco's Bar opened up not that long ago and today was my first visit there. It's clean and has nice interior. It doesn't have the character that the Pizza Parlor has but it's still got the same cheap, doughy pizza. It also has mixed drinks though. Next school year, I'll be working two days per week at New Avenues which is right down the block from Rocco's. I'm sure I'll get to Rocco's Bar a lot more often.
What else?
I was at Autonomy tonight, helping clean. It's coming along so well.
When I was heading home, I was biking up Division and ran into a bike mob right around 12th Ave. They had tall bikes and a sound system and said, "Join us," so I did. We biked down the Springwater Corridor when they stopped and I kept going. It was nice to ride with for a while though. I miss mass rides.
I had to start off my day today in Clackamas so I rode down there first thing. I didn't take the I-205 bike path this time. I used my phone and found a nice path which wasn't so out of the way. It was nice and peaceful, albeit not so quick. However, when I passed Johnson Creek, before I got to Causey, I came upon this open area which was just pretty to see in the morning on bike. It let me start the day off on a good foot...or pedal as it were.
This little itty bitty card can store all of the photos I have taken over the last several years twice over and I take a LOT of pictures. It's crazy to think that so much information can be so itty-bitty.
My i-pod's been acting up and I was going to replace it but then I thought I should consolidate my resources and just upgrade the memory on my droid instead. I would like to be carrying less things on me eventually and my music is something I always have with me so I bought more memory at the verizon store today. I got a 16GB flash drive with the gift-card they sent to me for my phone showing up late along with a check of money owed from Nebraska. 16GB won't hold all of my music but my I-pod now doesn't either so it'll have to suffice.
These past six days (Wed-Mon) have been recharging, making the rest of the year manageable, like a a 15 minute break in an eight hour workday. Bastard and I put a find 'dot-dot-dot' on the vacation by hitting the Ritz together today. I say 'dot-dot-dot' because exclamation points are too abrupt, final and loud. I wasn't aware that the Ritz had 3 steam rooms until today. We took it step by step, from Mild to Medium to Hot until my nostrils burned. It was exquisite and made me wish the Ritz and the rest of the Fair came along more often. When I get back to the other world, I think I'll start a countdown calendar until my next break.
The pic above is from another night but all my electronics have died and need to be recharged.
What else?
Miracles do happen. We made it back from the Fair without breaking down!
Today was the cherry on top. Last year, I loved Fair but felt like I was robbed after Saturday when it started to rain. This was my first chance to experience a true full Fair Sunday. I did a lot of walking and took in a lot of shows with friends who were visiting Fair for the day. My favorite show of the day though was one I saw alone, Girl Circus which was just adorable and very well done.
Exhaustion hit by the end of the day. I think I fractured my little toe last week and it began to really ache today from too much walking. I miss my bike...and my dog. I love it here but it's about time to wake up.
What else?
Chris Chandler, Girl Circus (3 pics), Wanderlust Circus (2 pics), belly dancers and me pictured below.
Today was another great day for compliments on my outfit. However, the greatest compliment came by coincidence when an art troupe, Risk of Change, paraded by and told me to join them.
Honestly, today's outfit was filler. When I was laying out my clothing for Fair, I decided that I would just do an all-black-and-white day. Fortunately, I did in on the same day as Risk of Change. I had just gotten out of a show (Kazum pictured below) when Risk of Change came parading by us. One of the troupe told me that I belonged with them so I left my crew I was with and abandoned all other plans and jumped in with them. While taking pics, I heard a few people surprised at my appearance, saying things like, "Was that guy with us at the beginning?" but I ran into several members later and was told, "We'll never forget you." I know I'll never forget the spontaneity of it.
What else?
When I was working at the booth, two random ladies came by and asked to get their picture with me. High compliments indeed.
I also saw a number of new acts. They're pictured below in the following order; Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim, Kazum (3 pics), Jason Webley, Yes Sweet Can (2 pics) and NANDA again.
Today, the familiarity of the functions of the Fair allowed me to access as many acts as possible. My morning routine consists of me walking into the fair from camp, hitting the Ritz, grabbing coffee on my walk back to camp, adding a splash of amaretto, making an awesome egg sandwich and going back into the fair to 'work' at our booth for two hours. I put work in quotation marks because, compared with work outside of the fair, this is easy and joyful.
I love Community Village. The above pic is part of the opening ceremony where we honor those who have passed since last fair by placing a piece of paper with the their name on it on this little tree. However, it's not just Community Village work at Fair which is enjoyable. Half of our camp does security work and I've heard that they love it too.
I did some security work today too just because Friday night is hard at the gate where most of our camp is stationed. There's a fire show outside of the gate which attempts to draw people out of the fair at closing time. However, when the show is over, the gate is swarmed with day-pass people trying to get back in for the nighttime festivities. I helped out tonight and so did several other workers who weren't on shift right then. I heard from a lot of the security regulars that it was one of the best Friday night Fair security experiences they've ever had. It's nice when Fair family can help out. I think I'll add this Friday security gig into my regular fair routine.
What else?
I saw many new acts today! However, the one that blew me away was the last picture, NANDA.
I could never wear a uniform. I love changing up my clothing periodically. Styles, colors and levels of formality have to vary day to day or I get in a slump. Part of this need to switch it up is seeing what appeals to different people. I'm a sucker for a compliment on my attire.
I decided to dress it up just a bit today even though fair doesn't technically start until tomorrow. When else am I gonna have the opportunity to wear a short pink skirt and thigh high pink striped socks in the woods?
I got soooooo many compliments between the skirt and the socks. The veggie dog cart guys hooted at me and asked me to 'show 'em my show.' It seemed like I got a compliment every twenty feet or so. That made my day!
What else?
This morning, I went to the Ritz for the first time ever. The Ritz is a large shower/sauna facility at the fair. Beautifully crafted with wood and no ceiling (except for in the saunas), it's well worth the six dollars for an unlimited visit. It costs more if you want a private shower but that's just silly to me. It's the same principle as the WNBR. If everybody's naked and cool with it, nobody's judging anyone else and everyone gets to feel comfortable.
I've made it. It was great to be on the land a few weeks ago during the work parties but there's a different energy here now. It's also familiar this year. Knowing the land, the people and the process is a bundle of comfort.
There are new people in our camp this year but it seems like a tighter family than last year. Meeting some of the new people was my new thing. There was also sleeping in my tent and, best of all, sleeping on a small mattress I pulled out of the RV and into my tent. It's definitely the best sleep I've had in a tent.
The first time I rode on a motorcycle, it was with my uncle Randy when I was in elementary school. I've had a scooter but a scooter is quite different than a motorcycle. Ashes bought a motorcycle a while ago from a friend and I've been refusing to ride it. Not because I'm scared of it but I'm just really pro-bike now and I don't want to be seduced by a motorcycle. However, because of this blog, I got on today. The picture above is the back of Ashes' helmet as we were moving so obviously I feel comfortable on it but I wasn't thrilled with it. It wasn't bad but I still love my bike more.
This is my first tent. I'm quite proud of it. It's easy as hell to set up and I got it using a co-worker's husband's employee discount at an outdoors store for like 65% off. I think I'm most proud that I thought ahead tho. I got it in March, specifically for the Country Fair. Today was just my first time setting it up.
I'm not one for sleeping on the ground but I'm bringing a whole lot of padding & Melatonin to help me sleep.
