“That was some of the best banjo playing ever.”

Only in Portland! It was our first time at this bar in SE Portland and we had no idea what to expect. Actually, that’s not entirely true. Given that we had come to see an improve act based on Star Trek; The Next Generation, we had some idea it was going to be a bit whacky.

The person at the door told us that we could stay to watch Domprov at 10:00 if we wanted…. But that was waaaay past my bedtime, so we sadly missed seeing what Dominatrix Improv would be all about. The Star Trek act was pretty funny though. Deanna Troy did a good job impersonating the original. And Warp looked spot on.

Still, it was far too easy to become distracted by the décor and conversations happening around us. I conversed easily with a twenty-something couple out on a date (the same ones who said the overhear). We talked classic
video games, and it appears I missed a whole generation of the best game ever based on The Simpsons.

Scattered along the walls were Funhouse mirrors. I searched for the one that would make me look tall and skinny, but I think they hid it in the men’s room or something. But, while I was searching, I landed (only momentarily) in a private room. Every square inch was covered in clown faces of all sort. I wish I had taken a picture, but I was already feeling out of place in sooooo many ways I really didn’t want to call more attention to myself.

This is what I love about Portland, though. It is not so much that my city has such crazy venues; I am sure most big cities can brag of their fair share of pop culture. It is more that, as a 40 something year old mom, I would be welcomed in. I wouldn’t have to be dressed right, or have the correct zip code. I could sit and have a drink, wander around gawking, and even learn all about what it takes to be considered a great banjo player.

“Do you think it would scare the other squirrels away?”

We were out for an early dinner date with friends (yes, I admit it, I went back to EVOE:>) and wandered past a store window displaying large animal head masks. There was a duck and a rhino (I think). But what caught my eye was the large squirrel head.

It is that time of year when I again go into battle with the baby squirrels who think they will succeed where others have failed. I hear them scratching at the roof, determined to find a way in… but I am on high alert and will not allow them access.

Still, it is nice to know, if worse comes to worse, I have a back-up plan. I don’t actually plan to wear the mask. But you have to think, if they saw it in the dark of an attic, it would scare the heck out of them. I know it would me.

It is truly amazing the things you can find in Portland. A friend recently saw a mannequin head and bought it for teacher appreciation week (the theme was Portlandia). Before displaying it in the staff room, however, my friend used it for a practical joke. She stuck the head in bed before her husband came up and when he got there all he saw was her, in bed, with another person. Pretty hilarious.

Admittedly, I have not watched many episodes of Portlandia. But I am glad we have our own show. I am glad to like in a quirky town. I am glad my daughter will experience cultural (in not so much racial) diversity. And I am especially glad that, although the weather may be gray, wet and cloudy most of the year, we are coming up to the most beautiful season…. Our month and a half of summer, when the sharp greens, bright sun, brilliant flowers and soft breeze are like finding you have the winning numbers to the lottery.