CityWOOF

From the musical Sideshow, a musical about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who make a change from being a circus act to becoming famous stage performers in the 1930’s. Performing here are Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner as the sisters.

It seems that once or twice every year I have to be reminded of just how much I love Portland, Oregon.  That reminder comes in the form of a trip to someplace like, well…Houston or Dallas or Sacramento or Phoenix.  I’m just always so glad to be back here!

I’m sure there are other cities that I could fall for, and no matter where home is…it’s home and nice to come back to….but there’s something about Portland.

Anyway…Houston:

Sometimes I feel like the SNL character “Debbie Downer” on this blog…I guess I’m more compelled to post when I’m unhappy about something and need a way to vent.  Probably if I posted more often, there’d be a better balance of happy/sad.

Anyhoo, I had barely been in Houston for 3 hours when I got robbed.

I had changed out of my “airplane outfit” into jeans, cowboy boots and my Mr. Oregon Bear vest to try and look cute for the boys in the bars.  The clothes I had been wearing were in the back seat of my friend Steven’s car, and thieves broke in and stole them all.  They got:   My favorite comfy black denim shorts, my Lazy Bear 2007 shirt, my cell phone and, worst of all, my brand-new New Balance shoes which contained my $300 custom-molded orthotics.  They basically stole my feet…because without those shoes and the orthotics, it’s very hard to walk.   I was so pissed.

So, I spent Friday-Sunday in cowboy boots…hard on newly-built, recently operated-on feet!  Monday afternoon I replaced my New Balance shoes, and was able to walk again.

Saturday night was fun.  We didn’t go out to the queer bars, instead we went to Queer Casino, MCC Houston’s annual fundraiser event.  It was held at a nice big facility downtown.  There was a great dinner and dessert, and then lots of faux-gambling.  Each participant received $2000.00 in chips to gamble with and there were LOTS of tables:  Blackjack, Roulette, Craps…and I got to play Texas Hold-Em in Texas with real Texans!  It was really fun, especially since I turned my $2000.00 into over $60,000.00.  I do like to gamble and am pretty good at Blackjack. At the end of the night, chips were turned in for raffle tickets.  I didn’t win a raffle prize, unfortunately, but had a really fun evening.  Martha Wash from The Weather Girls was there and did a 1/2 hour show…It was fun to hear It’s Raining Men, my original coming-out song, live.

Sunday I sang at the MCC…I did 2 songs, one with the choir and one that Steven and I co-wrote.  I enjoyed the service and the church.  Everyone was very nice.  We brunched afterward with some of the congregants,  then went back home for a nap.

Monday we went shoe-shopping and to a matinee of 3:10 to Yuma.  Good movie.  Had dinner out in the gay Montrose part of the city and went to happy hour at some of the bars.

Tuesday, Steven had to work all day, so he gave me his car to run around.  I did a little shopping, and then took myself to the Midtowne Spa.  I have to say, it is one of the nicest bathhouses I’ve ever been in.  Very big, very clean, very friendly and playful.  I had some fantastic sex with some extremely hot guys.  And all on a Tuesday afternoon.  The Houston Midtowne Spa was a highlight of my trip.

So, all in all, I had a good time.  I was glad to come back home, though.  The weather there is SO damn humid, outside is like being in a steamroom all the time.  And the city is not pretty at ALL.  Texas is not a lovely state…sorry Texans.

I did call my cell-phone, and some crack-ho answered.  I cussed her out, but good.  She was tweaking very hard and could hardly speak, but she stayed on the line with me quite awhile while I bitched at her for stealing my stuff.  Then I called and had the phone turned off.

On the plane back to Portland, I was seated next to a sweet young lady who was making her first visit to the West Coast.  She oohed and aahed over the sight of Mount Hood as we flew past it, and I told her all about the Portland area, selling her on it as much as reselling myself on it.

I can’t say that I won’t be talking about wanting to move away from here again, but for now….great to be back.  I do love Portland.

Also have to mention the book I read on the plane, Dean Koontz’ The Husband.  One of the best novels I have read in many years.

I’m headin’ to Houston tomorrow with my cowboy boots and my titleholder’s vest.  Gonna do some singin’ and meet some big-city folk.

Everything is good here,  I am slowly lifting out of my languorous state and am feelin’ good about everything and everyone.

Will blog ya’ll all about it when I get back.

Yee hawww!

Summer is so nice in Portland. Been pretty warm lately.

They painted the apartment complex the colors of fall leaves, it looks really, really nice.

I’ve been living in a state of languor lately. It’ll cease very shortly, here (it has to). I think I haven’t let go of the head-space I was in while recovering from surgery. Time to pull it together and get out of the house, get a job, get back into life.

A week from today I will be heading to Houston, TX to visit my friend Steven. While I’m there, I’ll be performing at his church with full orchestra and choir backing me up on a number called “Christ in Me”, and then will sing the song we wrote together called “Why I Lift My Hands”. I wrote the lyrics, Steven the music. Should be a fun little trip…

The day after I get back, I am supposed to go on the Oregon Bears Campout…but I don’t know if that’s happening now or not. The friend I was going with and I were doing the “buddy bundle”, and he cannot go now because of a work situation. Plus, I don’t own any camping gear…he was borrowing all that from a friend. I can’t afford to buy a whole set of camping gear at this time. I really ought to attend, as Mr. Oregon Bear, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to now or not.

I deleted all the comments from “Rick”, some bitter queen who has been posting comments here for awhile. They were all negative, full of vitriol. I don’t know why this woman has become obsessed with me, but her last few comments were way over the line…I don’t need to be insulted on my own home page by some anonymous cunt. Rick, you aren’t welcome here anymore. It’s not that I have a problem with dissent or that I intend censorship, but you were just rude. Move on, girlfriend. You are marked as a spammer.

I got two requests to audition for local plays. Got an invitation to audition for the lead role in Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. I went for the audition, even though I knew I wasn’t up to playing that role. I think they knew as soon as I began the scene that I am not a trained Shakespearean actor…they were polite. “Perhaps you’d like some smaller part in the show?” Sure, I said. We’ll see. It’s a great company of actors….they do wonderful work.

Also got asked to audition for the role of a retired gay boxer in a reader’s theater play. Now that one I would have been right for! And I would loved to have gone for it, but it’s happening while I’m out of town next month. Dammit… Oh well, at least these folks were interested in me for plays. I’d love to break out of musical theater and try some other kinds of onstage work here in town. It’ll happen.

I feel good today. Been working out with weights and watching calories. Walking 30 minutes a day. I’ve dropped about 6 pounds. Now I just need to find some part-time job that is somewhat interesting and fulfilling and happens during the daytime.

I’d like to move downtown. They’re raising the rent here again…every six months it goes up another $25 dollars or so.

Big hugs to my readers. Except “Rick”. Special love to Shawn!