Why I Love Portland, by Lyxzen Suicide



My hometown and forever home, Portland, is located here in Oregon. The Beaver State. Are there any other official state nicknames so overtly sexual? It's beautiful, really.

Driving to grab a post-roller derby bite to eat last night, my friends and I came to a police barricade, protecting not a construction area, nor some sort of traffic accident, but 5,000+ bicyclists in various stages of undress, cruising the streets in the annual Naked Bike Ride.



And rather than being upset at being held up, passengers in the cars around us cheered and honked in support, both in and out of their vehicles. Never have I seen so many varied body types baring it all with such enthusiasm. No shame, no ridicule, just thousands of little guys, big girls, awkward old men, gender-bending queer kids, letting it all hang out in celebration of their bodies and to bring awareness to bicyclists' vulnerability on the road.



Now, I know there are naked bike rides of all sizes all over the world, but the community spirit and sheer Portland-ness (it's a word) of this one gave me goosebumps. Nothing, though, like I'd have were I riding by bike without any clothes, I suppose.

Rewind: that morning, I accompanied my friend to an independent coffeeshop whose walls are lined with anti-corporate stickers, Bush-bashing articles, clippings about the benefits of mate, and a rotating selection of local art. A vegan scone (mine) and some coffee drink (his) later, we decided the only way to enjoy a day of sunshine was on foot.



Sights and interactions amidst the streets of downtown Portland included guerilla traffic-sign alterations; a bearded lady; a compliment from two homeless youth on my sunglasses (along with an unsolicited story about the bartering that took place before she acquired hers); a man with a blue beard and head-to-toe blue skin, standing at a waterfountain while putting what I assume were the finishing touches on his fingernails with a blue sharpie, and a line for Voodoo Doughnuts, wrapping down the block and around the corner.



Down the street at Portland State, the Farmer's Market was winding down, so we opted to continue meandering through Saturday Market and toward the waterfront, where we stumbled into the Pride Festival.



There's nothing like the colors you'll see in a sea of LGBTQ Portlanders and their straight[ish] friends. My favorite couple was the curvacious 50-something lesbian donning a rainbow tie-dyed tee, pushing her gray-haired, red Coca-Cola-inspired "Enjoy Vagina" t-shirt-wearing partner in her wheelchair. And it just makes my heart warm to see men and women so completely comfortable in drag, and not a single person surprised, confused, or even fazed by it.



Earlier in the week found me at an after-dark dodgeball game in a park off Belmont; an all-day videogame event at Ground Kontrol called "The Final Cowdown," where we ran into a favorite Rose City Rollers' derby doll, Twat Rocket (&wherein the barcade won $25,000 thanks to community support); &a late-night Cartopia excursion for cart cuisine &people watching. Do not even get me started on the roller derby that happened before the naked bike ride...



And yeah, Las Vegas and Hollywood might have Elivs impersonators, but do yours look like this?


Portland may not be the perfect city, but beyond the schizophrenic weather, I can promise you it's better than wherever you live.





In the interest of adventure, though, one of my best lady friends and I are road tripping to a handful of other cities the entire month of August! Some which we've never visited, &some that are already decidedly awesome based on previous trips, so we're poking through these cities, in this order:

We're planning on staying 1-3 nights most places, &4 or 5 in NY, LA, &SF. (Specific dates TBD this week!) I've had lots of offers to crash on couches, so now that the plans are a bit more in order, we need reliable &awesome people who really, really mean it! (We're planning to camp out here &there, so if a spare bedroom or couch aren't in the cards, we'll have a tent &will gladly accept an offering of your yard!)

Let me know if you can hook a sista up, please please!



Aside from all this planning &scheming, here's a rambly sort of look at the last couple weeks in LyxzenLand: Walking [mostly] normal, wearing pants &two shoes. Exercise. Multiple roller derby bouts (Air time! Overtime! HOLYSHIT!) Good food. Inheriting the Vegans group. Multiple trips to Ground Kontrol, discovery of a video game version of Lady Gaga. Silencia, Sweetheart, &Casper Time. Sunshine, convertible, bird-poop-ricochet. Sinferno, awesome SG members. Public library. Watching lady hit my scooter, knock it down, &drive off; ages on phone, only to find out it's basically totalled, Craigslist search for replacement begins. Another awesome cookbook from my wishlist, jumping for joy, promptly making Spanish omelets with roasted red pepper-almond sauce (Thank youuu!!), aforementioned assorted Portland awesome-ness, various card game battles.

&the photographic evidence:

WHEW!


PS: I'm starting a trial period for a new job Tuesday, but I'm still selling loads of clothes, cds, books, &other goodies in the meantime! All proceeds will benefit the Lyxzen-wants-to-eat-&-keep-her-apartment Fund.


-- HAY-OHHH! STUFFS I AM SELLING!! --
(SEE CURRENT BLOG FOR AVAILABLE ITEMS)

I love my life.