the portland pride pups of 2012

Andrew and I attended the Pride Parade this year. It was my first year watching it with a boyfriend. I also don't think I've sat through the whole thing before. It was LONG! I realized when looking at my many pictures, I took a lot of the dogs in the parade which shouldn't surprise anyone who's read this blog for any length of time.

However, the highlight of the parade for me was getting a bear hug, pictured below and the Gay is Good contingent. Here's some non-canine pride pics:

What else?
For my thing, Andrew and I drank at the Living Room Theater which is right next to the Red Cap Garage pride block party. I felt like I should go to the block party since I knew Sharron Needles from RuPaul's drag race was going to be there but then I just couldn't bring myself to go. I was too exhausted and didn't want to deal with crowds. Misanthropy wins out.

let's just bike naked

I bike a lot and I go on a lot of group themed rides where costume is highly encouraged. However, my favorite ride has to be this one where costumes and clothing in general is discouraged.

They are estimating that over 10,000 people. I don't think it was as big as the one in 2010 but it was close and it was bigger than last year. However, I think we were more spread out as I observed that Jesse and I were the some of only people in the immediate area when people were taking pictures. Oh well, I guess I knew the risks when I took off the uniform.

What else?

After the ride, Jesse and I went to Blow Pony. It was a typical Pony except they have the back parking lot open as a dance floor for the June Pony. Out there, Jesse and I dance in the light rain to "Starships" among other remixed songs. It was an awesome way to end an awesome night!

return of the pedi or the search for spokes (star trek vs star wars 3)

 

This ride has gotten a lot bigger since the last time I went on it. While many of the costumes (and of course the AT-AT walker) were impressive, I was a little disappointed that not more people were dressed up. Plus, I think that the Star Wars costumes were a lot more impressive because they are a lot flashier than the standard Trek uniform. Well, next year, I might just bring flashy back with Khan. Or I might cave and go with Star Wars. At any rate, I want to start on my costume earlier and not end up wearing polyester. It doesn't breathe! Sigh, the things I'll do to look authentic.

Here's my YouTube video of the ride:



What else?
Yesterday, we had the Gayest Ride of the Year. I love that this is a ride in Pedalpalooza but it's also usually the tamest ride of the year. I brought Andrew and my stereo this time though. I had made a playlist at work and then went home and zip-tied my radio to the front of my bike. I think that it went over great. I had a number of people asking me about it which was cool. I'll have to break it back out for next week's Lit and Loud Ride.

Also, today, I did laundry and decided it was too nice of a day to use the dryer so I strung up some string in the back and hung my laundry out to dry. It felt good to be able to do that instead of wasting the dryer energy.

the one, two, three punch

Life has been good to me for some time now. I don't know if you can tell by my posts lately but everything seems to be going right with me except for work. Well, work decided to take an extra big dump on me today. I was due.

However, I just read that holding a grudge is letting someone live in your mind rent-free. I don't get paid enough to think about work when I'm not there. I'm going to turn at least two of these negatives into a positive. I originally posted a list of the crap was dealt this morning. I went back and changed it though because I'm not going to dwell on the negative. It will consume me and I've got too much else going on to allow that.

What else?

 

My new thing today (because taking shit at work is anything but new now) was driving my first Car2Go. It lightly sprinkled today but I biked so much yesterday that I wasn't willing to put up with anything less than perfection today so I checked out the car. It was easy but a little scary to drive due to the size. To paraphrase my friend Michael, I'm used to driving around a leather sofa so this itty bitty contraption was a different experience. Still, it was convenient and, even though I didn't officially end my reservation when I parked, they called me (two and a half hours later) and said that they think that I meant to lock it. Since it was my "maiden voyage," they didn't charge me for the extra time. So my morning didn't turn out to be a complete failure.

'turo time

I got a chance to hang out with Arturo today. We don't get to see each other that often so I was happy to hang out today. I've been trying to arrange for time to hang out for a while now but it's been more pressing as of late because I wanted to ask him if I could borrow his car to go back to Nebraska this summer. However, right before he came over, I remember he had a stick shift so that won't work. Still we ended up going to Wild Abandon for my dinner time for the first time. It's a better brunch place.

What else?
I biked to Clackamas again for work today. It makes Monday a lot easier to handle.

I also reserved a car from Hotwire today for my trip back. It's cheaper than flying back at this point. Plus I'm excited to take Dean back.

on the edgefield

 

I took a break from Pedalpalooza today and went...for a bike ride. Andrew and I headed out to Edgefield for the day since I've never really spent time there. I've ate there quick with Ashes and Victory on the way back from the Gorge and I went there for Vampire Weekend a while ago but I've never just relaxed there. It's like a real vacation getaway. There's Scottish Golf Courses, a number of places you can get a drink, and a nice campus to walk around. I'd like to come back on a weekday sick day and just hang out when it's not so busy.

the doctor rides

A lot of times, these pedalpalooza rides are just about getting on a bike, in a costume, and presenting a solid unified front while making a spectacle of ourselves. That's one of the things I love about them. I figured this evening's ride, The Doctor Who Ride, would be not different except that most people wouldn't know what we were dressed as. However, this ride was a lot more about being a fan of the Doctor.

We started out having a quick contest. I went dressed as Rory because it was easy. However, when I went to line up with the others for the contest judging, one of the organizers asked me what I was doing. I had to explain my costume which is not a good sign. I'm in a couple of pictures above. Here's what I was going for:

I was the only Rory so I guess that's something.

Anyway, after the contest we headed to Pizza Schmizza to see the Dalek statue there. Then we went to Voodoo Donuts for some custom made Doctor Who donuts. It was then on to Rose and Thistle for a long Doctor Who trivia game in which I met some fun fellas. We made one more stop quick to see a phone booth in the yard of a house even though it wasn't blue like the TARDIS. Finally, we concluded at the Tardis Room at Fish and Chips for my first time there.

It was a long experience but it was a lot of fun. Dressing up as Star Wars/Star Trek is fun and more recognizable but the truth is I'm a bigger Doctor Who fan than I am for either of those shows. Still, this year's Star Wars vs Star Trek ride is next week and I already have my costume ready.

What else?

Andrew was a sweetie and waited for me near the Tardis room even though we were running over an hour late. We ended up eating late at night at The Delta Room which is very similar to the Delta on Woodstock except this one has yummy vegan collard greens!

who wears short shorts (and wears them well)?

Life's too short to be modest. Today, Tim and I went on the Short Shorts ride for the first time. He also picked me up earlier and gave me my first smart car ride to my first time at the Bakery Bar. I will do all of these things again. :)

beer buds

I met two co-workers, their brewing significant others and Andrew today for happy hour at Beer Mongers. We then went to the Commons Brewery for a beer tasting (it was my first time). Sampling is nice because I have a hard time making up my mind usually but everybody else appreciated the difference in the beers. Eh, give me a rum and coke with a splash of grenadine and I'll be just fine.

pedalpalooza 2012 - the kick off ride

Last year, this was the only ride I went on (but actually missed) due to getting shingles right afterwards. This year, the pedalpalooza kick-off ride only the beginning and no contagious disease is gonna stop me!

The pic above is from Bike Portland's website (he's such a good photographer). I gave Jonathan my first bike interview yesterday before the ride started. Here's a link to his article and pictures. There was maybe 250-300 people riding last night. I love this so much! We had a great time taking over lanes, biking over the Steel Bridge as the bikes with speakers provided a nice soundtrack. Afterwards, we ended up at VeloCult (my first time there) for the after-party.

The next three weeks are gonna kick ass!

highbrown eyebrow

I got my haircut today at Bishops and, for the first time ever, the person cutting my hair asked me if I would like her to trim my eyebrows. Have I gotten to that age? My eyebrows are generally pretty faint but I think I may have had one or two wild hairs in there. Odd but memorable so I tipped more. I like it when new things happen to me and I don't have to always seek them out.

four pac men enter, one pac man leaves

Today's new thing was just pure fun. I had to head downtown to deposit the check for my car so I decided to head to Ground Kontrol on the way back. While I was there, I saw they had Pac Man Battle Royale. Sophia had told me about playing this game in Vegas so I immediately let her know that G.K. had it. She said that her and her boyfriend would meet me there. In the meantime, I played three other Pinball games and read some DMZ at Powells while I waited. Out of three pinball games (Simpsons, Lord of the Rings and Star Trek), I liked Star Trek the best. However, it didn't compare to Pac Man Battle Royale!

Also, I used the Ground Kontrol bathrooms for the first time since the renovation. They are now my favorite bathrooms in town.

What else?
On the bike ride down, I took the Eastside Esplanade. A fire boat was spraying water in several direction in the river, including on the waterfront. I had to get to the bank before it closed though so I decided I could ride through the water. I was instantly soaked. It was like the rain not that long ago except it was gross river water. I biked a little extra to dry off.

Before hitting the arcade, we went to Kenny & Zukes for my first visit. I can't say that it was wonderful but it was interesting enough to bring me back some day. I also went to Super Supplements and was pleased to find that they have Dean's glucosamine treats there cheaper than the store.

AND BAM, I'm caught up with my blog!!!!!! I didn't think it would happen again. Fortunately, Monday was REALLY slow at work. :)

moby's last voyage

I sold my car today!

I let the insurance go on it two weeks ago because I don't need it insured in the summertime. I have been toying with the idea of getting rid of it but I didn't want to do any upkeep on it to get it in selling condition and then have to work to get someone to buy it. However, my friend Michael had heard through another friend that I was thinking of selling my Lincoln and he asked me about it. I gave him a good deal on it and he took it. Today, I drove it for it's last trip to his house. I brought Dean with me because I think Dean loved the car more than I did.

Really, this was a very reliable car. It never gave me any problems whatsoever when it came to starting. I just don't need a car, especially not a car this large. I may look at getting another vehicle sometime down the road but for now, I'm just going to enjoy being carfee which is almost carefree.

What else?
Justin, Jennifer and I met for drinks at Whiskey Soda Lounge. They make the best whiskey sours I've ever had but they don't have a lot of vegetarian options for food. 

bugsy the musical

Today, I went to Raven's school's play. They put on a musical number called "Bugsy Malone Jr" as part of a program developed through the NBC show, Smash.Otherwise, I guess they don't even have a music or theater program. It's so sad that the arts aren't given more attention, especially considering how much these kids seemed to enjoy doing this. It was a good play and the perfect length for a kid's play, clocking maybe an hour.

What else?
While waiting to go to the play, Andrew and I biked around the Mississippi area, heading to Marine Drive/Blue Lake bike path for a bit of exercise before returning to Mississippi Studios for some food.