Honey

Agent and I moved to Portland almost exactly two years ago, not really knowing what to expect. I had a job all lined up but we didn’t have anywhere to live. We did our best to feel out the neighborhoods as quickly as possible and find a house to rent. We were living in a hotel for a few weeks before anything panned out, and then we found ourselves living in the Alberta Arts District.

I’m so glad we found our first house in the NE. Exploring other areas just further solidifies the fact that this is the neighborhood for me. There’s less traffic and more hippies, tons of queers, lots of diversity, and plenty of coffee and excellent restaurants. We’re close to everything we like, downtown, Broadway, Mississippi, Alberta. We easily hop on our bikes and jump on the “bicycle freeway” (Vancouver / Williams) and we’re on our way anywhere we want.

I love bike riding in Portland. I know that everybody says so, but I’ll gladly add my voice to the roar: riding my bicycle in Portland is the funnest. Seriously. There are mass bike lanes and residential streets. The terrain is super flat, so I’m barely ever out of breath. There are tons of fun neighborhoods to ride to, even just to ride around in and head somewhere else. And I never feel alone, there is always a pack of riders around me, making me feel extra safe and secure.

I love my job. And my house. These were the two reasons we moved to Portland in the first place: I was going to have an awesome job and we were going to buy an awesome house. Both of these things came true for us here and I’m really happy about that. Have you seen our house? It’s like a dream come true every day that I go home. I get to love my job all day and the people I work with and the stuff I work on (mostly) and then I get in my truck (or jump on my bike) and head home to my cute house. Sometimes it’s really easy to love my life. I really like it when that happens.

Portland is awesome because there is art here, and culture, and secrets you learn about only after you’ve been here a little while. Everyone is so nice, like REALLY nice, and they want to help you with whatever you need. There are always things to do and it’s fun and when the weather is good, this place shines like pure gold.

The winter is definitely hard, and if you’ve never lived in the Northwest, I can imagine that it would be especially difficult. I almost lost it this year about a month ago, with the constant gray and rain and dreariness surrounding everything all the time. It gets me down, even when I know the cause, I can’t help it.

Spring just happened to Portland last week. Flowers burst open and trees grew their leaves back. The sun came out, too. Things are finally back to normal. Portland is back to being the city I love.

It’s a clear, blue day. It’s one of those days that takes you by surprise, especially in the middle of February, like an old friend who comes to visit when you’re least expecting them. We’re astraddle our rolling steeds, our trusty mechanisms, and we explode outward from our house, spinning into the big, wide world.

(more…)

It’s time for another Dirty Queer Open Mic, taking place this Friday, January 9, at 6:30pm at In Other Words Bookstore (8 N.E. Killingsworth St.). It’s a big show this month, seeing as how it’s been two years since the very first Dirty Queer Open Mic ever. There will be door prizes and food provided by local businesses.

The last few months have been packed, so I’d suggest you arrive early. Here’s the full announcement from our very gracious host, Sossity:

can you believe we’ve been on this joyously crazy ride for 2 years
now? i sure can … dirty queer is a capital “R” relationship for me
and i’m in it for the long haul. which is different than the u-haul,
just fyi. ::grin::

i am so grateful and glad to be having this adventure with you all,
in this wonderfully weird city, and i hope you’ll all join me for
twice the dirty, twice the dork! kelli dunham will be here to co-emcee
w/ me for the first time since our very first dirty queer (as well as
perform a show the next night, info below). were it not for her
encouragement, participation and support, i don’t know that i’d have
been able to convince myself i could produce and emcee an event (being
as i’d done neither, before), so even though she had to leave after
the first month, she was vital in this adventure. i’m so very happy
to share the stage w/ her again!

we’ll also have food and drinks from local businesses like new
seasons, pix patisserie, cupcake jones, and haven coffee! i do still
hope to add organic produce and tea to those offerings, but am waiting
to hear from a few more potential donors.

as usual, we’ll be audio taping, and we’ll also have our official
photographer on hand to archive the evening. if you’d rather not be
audio taped and/or photographed, simply mark that next to your name on
the sign up sheet.

this month:

>> door prizes from mama mia trattoria and optic nerve tattoo and
piercing!

opticnervearts.com
mamamiatrattoria.com

>> a special anniversary door prize - a gift basket from long time
supporter size queen clothing!

sizequeenclothing.com

>> sex q&a about dossie easton

>> it’s possible we’ll be ASL interpreted again, but word is still
out on that one. should that come about, i’ll send out a follow up
email immediately.

coming soon:

>> the dirty burly bitch show
>> the rescheduled date for VERB: a dance party ACTION to save in
other words

we’re sure to hit capacity (we had 114 of you gorgeous
queers in november and 99 in december), so be sure to come early
whether exhibitionist or voyeur! bringing your own folding chair is
not a bad idea, either. as always: sign up starts at 6pm and is first
come, first serve.

and don’t forget to mark january 23 on your calendars as well. we’ll
be doing a special fundraising event for bitch magazine, combining the
dirty queer format with interludes of professional burlesque by local
beauties, like my lovely co-host, sahara dunes! same time, same
place. (bitchmagazine.com, saharadunes.net)

as always, the money from the door at dirty queer goes directly to
support in other words - the nation’s last surviving non-profit
feminist bookstore in the united states. show your support for this
vital resource however you can, and get involved! (inotherwords.org)

if you’d like more of kelli while she’s in town - and how often do
you get to see an ex-nun, skateboarding, gender queer comic? - check
out the show info below.

hope to see you all there!

sossity

“Almost Pretty - Kelli’s One Hour Stand Up Show @ Haven Coffee.

Date & Time: Saturday January 10 at 7 PM.

Synopsis: Come see my one hour stand up show, the only such show in
Portland this year…with all new material and special dramatic
reading of “White Gloves and Party Manners.”

Location: Haven Coffee 3551 SE Division St Portland, OR 97202.

More info: This is a RECESSION SPECIAL Comedy Show. Meaning admission
is sliding scale (5 to 10 bucks). As a special bonus, attendees can
also buy either a copy of my first CD “I am NOT a 12 Year Old Boy” or
my “Almost Pretty” (tne new release) for just five dollars. ”

In Other Words Bookstore is presenting an evening of many talents tomorrow, January 7, at 7pm. In Other Words is located at 8 N.E. Killingsworth St. If you’re in Portland and you enjoy music, spoken word, and dance performance, you should definitely check it out.

Annah is an electro-acoustic/experimental musician and radical/queer/femme antagonist from Oakland, Calif. She performs using a variety of mediums including a looping system, kitchen utensils, gas masks, overhead projection images, found objects, her body (mostly her throat) and more.

Adhamh Roland is St. Louis’ homegrown taste of radical shenanigans in a queerly folk fashion. Adhamh is part of the Riot Folk collective and has been strumming and singing in living rooms, bookstores, universities, basements, protests, youth groups, theaters, parks, bars and on sidewalks around the States, including touring over 3,500 miles by bicycle….

Franciszka Fierce: Spoken word is one way of saying it. Open heart magic surgery is another…. Franciszka is part humyn, part elf and devises fantastical arrangements and combinations of the English alphabet as a way of putting our hearts back into our bodies. St. Francis uses word art as storytelling, word art as healing, and loves to work word art as a collaborative process.

Chane attempts to bring dance to unexpected places. Chane returned to working on movement/dance in 2006 with Conduit Dance in Portland. Recent works are Convergence with KO&Co, Translations with Faith Levine, Flirt not Fight at Freakshow-a-go-go, Cubed at Ten Tiny Dances and currently City Dance with Linda Austin.

Brenna Sahatjian has songs sprouting in her stomach. She plays original folk tunes involving guitar, cello and piano and is part of Riot-Folk, a radical collective of folk musicians. She is noted for her unique guitar style, the dense poetry of her lyrics and multi-instrumental recordings on which she accompanies herself. She is currently playing as Voidface, a trumpet and guitar duet band.