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Oh hey it’s been a while. I moved and am now a housecub. I’m mostly settled, the new place is lovely, has no cats, and I get to have a garden plot. I’ve already planted acorn squash but have no idea how they’ll do in Oregon. This is a completely different growing scene than what I’m used to. I’m going to try potatoes for the first time as well.

I went to see my brother graduate from his nursing program, and of course I had to stop at Bonneville Dam to see more LAMPREYS!

They’re gross but cool in a way. Lamprey Pride.

It was Pride weekend here in Portland. I had fun! Because there’s a parade and a festival with cotton candy and I saw a bunch of people I got to catch up with. Of course it’s the season for dissent against Pride festivals for a few. This year’s article written by an angertwink is again about how we don’t need Pride celebrations. But it doesn’t speak for the majority of people who somehow manage to have fun at Pride.

This year I marched with the organization I’ve been volunteering with. The organization provides housing, medical services, and skills training to help homeless youth get off the street and back on their feet. Many of these youth are LGBT who were kicked out of their homes for being gay. Because that still happens even though some angertwinks still think we don’t need Pride celebrations. Anyway, a couple of heterosexual coworkers/allies brought their kids, dressed them up as small unicorns and put rainbow stuff all over their kiddie bikes and they all had a blast. I saw from pictures from DC Pride that a few straight allies marched with the Renegades to wave some rainbow flags and they also had fun. Perhaps we can learn from heterosexuals in these trying times: you should have fun at parades. It’s OK to have fun. And if you don’t think you’ll have fun then stay home.

This is just satire, but I really really really wish it was real:

Last weekend I went to the Mount St. Helens Ape Cave Lava Tube with some friends. It’s a popular attraction in the Mount St. Helens National Monument and the longest lava tube in the continental United States at over two miles in length. Here’s my spelunker buddies Shawn and Trevor ready to ascend at the main entrance:

A headlamp and/or good flashlight with fresh batteries is recommended. Warm clothes, pants and a raincoat too (it’s drippy inside). From the main entrance to the caves, I recommend doing the Lower Cave first which is an easier hike and gives you an idea of whether you can handle more. You turn around and go back to the main entrance, and from there can choose to do the Upper Cave. It’s 1.5 miles underground, but a lot of scrambling over rock falls and a little climbing too. It was quite a workout but the inside of a lava flow was cool. Then you hike back to the parking area above ground. This was the exit from the Upper Cave area:

The ladder out can be seen in the lower left of the image. Then it’s the same distance hike overland on the way back. A lot of the geography around the cave reminded me of Iceland, albeit with a lot more trees.

NBA player Jason Collins came out a few weeks ago with much applause and a few dissenters as expected. But it’s probably the start of a small flood of athletes in the “big three” American sports to come out as openly gay. Of course we are proud of Martina Navratilova for coming out when she did, but the sports media has been drooling for an active player in the NBA, NFL and MLB to do the same.

Blogs and media sites were abuzz with the news for a few days, but a line from this article about Collins in the SFGate caught my eye:

“Soon, the NFL, NHL and MLB and (yawn) pro golf and even, maybe, a gay NASCAR driver, a guy who surely already exists and who is right now completely terrified of getting shot if he even dares to look in the direction of Jason Collins. Poor kid.”

When I read that I was like “Hey, I know an out NASCAR driver and he isn’t terrified.” In fact he’s been out for a while and is building an impressive record at a track near my hometown and elsewhere.

Driver Justin Mullikin. ©2012 Mary Schill/Forte Design

I met Justin Mullikin of JM Racing in September when I was visiting my family in Wisconsin. He went to the same high school I did, albeit a lot later. I was amazed to learn that he was out in high school, something I never would have considered in the late 80s. But times have changed even in the flyover states and they’re coming out a lot earlier.

Justin was recently interviewed at Queers4Gears, a site for queer NASCAR and motorsport fans. You can find them on Facebook and Twitter at @queers4gears. I asked Justin a few more questions because I wanted you and the SFGate to know that yep, there is an out NASCAR driver. And if you make it to the end of the interview you will read Justin’s correct prediction on who won RuPaul’s Drag Race this year.

Mullikin’s interest in cars started at an early age, but he didn’t get serious about it until about 2005 on a whim. Eight seasons and a handful of cars later the 27 year-old Cheesehead is still on track:

- I see your racing season is underway. How long does the season last?

Our season began on April 20th and will continue through the first weekend in October with a 4 week break from the first weekend in September until October’s final event.

- While you’re in the Sportsmen division (sort of like NASCAR “minor leagues” if I understand correctly) do your results count towards NASCAR national title standings?

We are a points based series, meaning that every night we earn a certain amount of points. The amount of points that we earn are dependent on where we finish in the events. Points accumulated go to a standing that determines the champion for our local track at the end of our season. Along with earning points at our local track we also earn points on a national level. We are ranked nationally and compete for a national level championship in what is called the “NASCAR Whelen All American Series division II asphalt program.”

- You’re not just the driver of your vehicle – you’ve also rebuilt it yourself it for racing. Are there other people are on your racing team helping you do this?

I do have help at the track from a number of people, but for the most part I build my car, motor, paint and do everything related to the assembly of the car myself. My best Friend Bill also races and we have formed a team so to speak at the track so we share equipment and information with each other and help each other at the track and during the off season constructing the cars.

- What sort of background in automotive engineering do you have that helps you get a car ready to race?

Follow JM Racing on Facebook!

I actually have no formal training or schooling in automotive engineering. I was always interested in cars growing up and by the time I got my license and first car I just started teaching myself and learning as much as I could by doing things on my own. Throughout the years or vowing to only fixing my own car and learning as much as I could about them I have learned pretty much everything there is to know about the mechanics and assembly of a car.

- So you’re good with machines and can drive. Are you still an “athlete”?

This is a question that regularly comes up when talking about a person who races cars for a living or for a hobby. There is far more to driving in a competitive manner than just going fast and turning in circles. The thing that people don’t understand about racing cars is they do not drive like your normal everyday street cars. Driving a car at very high speeds with manual brakes, manual steering and a suspension that is designed for maximum turning ability takes a toll on your body. Along with the physical strength required to drive the cars comes the mental strength. It takes a high level of mental focus and nerves to be able to drive a car that is in a near constant slide at extremely high speeds. Not only do you focus on yourself when in the car but what your fellow competitors are doing. It is in no way like driving down the highway to the mall. We are driving around a track at 100+ mph inches from other cars (sometimes touching) and controlling a car that is sliding, moving around and just on the ragged edge of crashing at all times.

- You mentioned in the Queers4Gears.com interview that for the most part you haven’t had any issues with other drivers for being gay. How did you handle it when they did?

Only one direct threat of action has made its way to me that I am aware of. The particular instance was never said directly to me, rather to a friend of mine who also raced. Fortunately for him he realized that at the end of the day that a.) I was a better driver and b.) I was not afraid to retaliate on track if he decided to take it there. Retaliating on track is rarely something that you as a driver want to do because of the potential for danger to yourself and everyone else.

- When did you come out?

I came out when I was 16 as a result of a friend of mine sharing our personal conversations with other people at school. I made the decision that I was going to take ownership of the situation and make of it what I chose to.

- What do you think about professional athletes coming out? Should we expect someone in other NASCAR series to come out soon?

Anytime that a person who is gay can be portrayed in a positive and uplifting manner is definitely a good thing. From a role model point of view I can see no better thing than the young people of this country viewing successful athletes they can relate to. It’s not a question of if it happens, more of when. I think that it will certainly happen but only time will tell.

- Who do you think is going to win RuPaul’s Drag Race this year?

Its Monsoon season…clearly! [Jinkx Monsoon] is by far the most talented competitor to have ever been on the show.

- Another thing you mentioned in the previous interview was “I typically don’t care if someone who has no meaning to me has anything to say,” regarding your sexual orientation on the track. That sounds like a good approach to dealing with homophobic comments. “Water off a duck’s back” as Jinkx Monsoon would say. What would you say to other athletes considering being out in their sport on dealing with homophobia?

At the end of the day it’s your life, and you should live it exactly how you see fit without letting anyone else get in your way. Being gay is nothing that will stop you from achieving your dreams or having a positive impact on someone else. Be the best you can be!

Here’s a recent video about my former rugby team in DC:

I miss the Cardozo practice field!

I just applied for a scholarship to the Netroots Nation progressive blogger gathering in San Jose, California. There is an LGBT portion of the summit frequented by the likes of Joe.My.God, and I’ve always wanted to go. And I umm…have a lot of free time lately so it would be a good use of my time, and keep me up on my blogging and social media skillz. And for the record, in addition to Crazy Cat Lady posts I do have a political section on this here blog. And how many of you readers were inspired to check out LGBT inclusive sports after reading about my gay rugby adventures? This is stuff I want to continue to do – often for you – and will also help me in whatever career I end up with if I ever get a job again.

So here’s an opportunity for you to help out. Vote for me here. I’m one of 110 or so other applicants for a scholarship that will cover registration costs and lodging. I can foot the airfare. While I doubt I’ll get 900+ votes to get into the top 5 before the May 7 deadline, it would be nice to see my ballot get bumped up from the bottom of the pack.

Otherwise, 30 of the applicants will get chosen for a scholarship after the voting contest. I think I wrote a good application so we’ll see what happens. Although if you all spent your slow Friday and Monday at work voting for me and I got over 900 votes, my head (and heart) will explode.

Thanks!

I had a job interview this week and I think it went well. It was the first interview since December and I think I did OK due to practice and simply being more relaxed about it. It was also for a job I’m well suited in public affairs which I did for four years in my last job. There are a lot of marketing jobs available in Portland supporting Nike, Adidas and Intel. I did some marketing work in the past and had some classes in it, but it’s really not my bag. Marketing is “you should buy this” whereas public affairs is changing the values, attitudes and beliefs instead of shopping habits. More like “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.” I like doing that, especially if it’s about something I’m interested in, like invasive species, livestock and crop diseases, or managing your stormwater runoff.

It’s marriage equality week in the Nation’s Capital. Hopefully a lot of positive changes will happen. Frankly I’m surprised it’s all happening so fast, but of course I’m happy about it. Here’s what I posted on Facebook yesterday:

“I see the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is using the slogan “Every Child Deserves a Mom & Dad!” for their campaign against marriage equality this week. Well, maybe they’re partially correct with that byline. But then I think about my mom who – as a single lady – raised three boys by herself. All three of them went to college, two with advanced degrees. We did fine without two parents.

Then I think about all my partnered same-sex friends who have been together for ages, several of them together for far longer than some of my hetero friends. Many of them have children from their previous marriages, or have adopted. But in most states neither they nor their children benefit from the 1,138 Federal benefits most married couples get which include significant tax breaks, joint health insurance coverage, hospital visitation rights, and many others. This is what the hubub is about this week. “Suck It, NOM!” is my slogan.”

After the awful bile of the Republican National Committee (RNC) convention last week, expected gasps of fresh air are already incoming from Michelle Obmama’s Convention speech:

“…and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love…then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American Dream.”

Everyone. From the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson et al:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I strongly believe in this virtue of our country, and it is a foundation upon which our country was built.

While I made the decision to move out of DC in June, I wanted to stay at my job until September to complete a solid four years at my job. I also stayed in DC until this week to be part of a marriage recognition ceremony of a friend’s union with his partner. Tonight he responded to Michelle Obama’s speech:

“I’m proud of my country and my president. And I’m extremely proud that marriage equality is something worth mentioning in a major party platform and on the stage at a national convention, over and over again, especially on my 18th anniversary with the best partner I could have ever asked for.”

This is what our country is about. The other party, the other candidate, are not part of this ideal. I hope you support 18 years, 2 years, or 40 years of these unions in the Pursuit of Happiness for everyone.

Oh no! Darth Sugarbakker is headed this way to suck up all the attention at my going away party in a week! You know it’s gonna be a mess – hide your kids, hide your boyfriend, and most of all hide your Just For Men! SHELTER IN PLACE – DO NOT GO TO BEAR HAPPY HOUR! SHE WILL BE THERE TOO!

Seriously though, our hearts and prayers go out to those affected along the Gulf Coast (except for Brett). I only hope she has prepared her rugrats and horses for the incoming hurricane.

Everyone should have a disaster preparedness plan in advance of an emergency. It makes me wonder what Brett’s preparedness checklist might look like:

• Copies of all current STD vaccination records
• 3-day supply of Cipro, Viagra and Wheat Thins
• 1 case of Just For Men
• 22 gallons of vodka
• 1 lemon
• Internet access and 52G of storage space for gratuitous pics of herself
• 1 liter of botox

Every page of this article was hilarious, even though I haven’t been to many of these places as they’re all straight bars: 25 Douchiest Bars in Washington D.C. I can’t confirm the veracity of any of the claims, but the City Paper already has a response regarding the douchiness of the Black Cat’s Red Room.

I can confirm that DC is getting douchier. Living within the borders of DC is no cheaper than it used to be, but it’s certainly become more popular. There’s so many places that “foodies” can explore after all! All of them riding their “fixies.” Wait, I’m confusing hipsters with douchebags. Or are hipsters now douchebags? I’m so confused…

Like I said no gay bars were mentioned in the above article. But can gay bar patrons be douchey? They certainly can. Check out Nellie’s on a Saturday night – scores of “masc bros” with low-hanging ballcaps there to reaffirm their masculinity at a “sports bar” but only before all the “queens” show up at around 10pm. Then they have to go because it’s become “too gay” and they gotta get back home to update their Grindr profile (“Discrete only, face pic upon request.”).

J.R.s isn’t so much douchey as it is simply a sad crowded watering hole for alcoholics. The drink specials there are legednary. OK maybe MOVA is douchey – it certainly attracts the nouveau riche willing to pay ridiculous prices for rail drinks. Secrets/Ziegfeld’s is too far away to be douchey – it’s simply distant. Town: another sweaty watering hole – douche levels depend on how many bridal shower parties are in the building at any given time. Oh wait…DUPLEX DINER IS DOUCHEY. As I once called it “a nest of vipers.” A wicked place indeed but their meatloaf plate is tasty.

This just in: Brightest Young Things reviews the 25 least douchey bars in DC.

These are the watergate steps which overlook the Potomac River, Arlington Cemetery and much of the Rosslyn cityscape. It is a favorite place to sit and watch the planes landing at National and gives a good view of the sunset. And there are often hotties running up and down the steps too, so it’s an overall favorite place to stop for a rest when I’m on my long bike rides around the monuments. Photos by M.V. Janzen.

I was going to post a more thorough retrospective on favorite places in DC modeled after the wildly popular DC Cribs series of blog posts, but life is speeding up quickly with preparations for my move and I expect to be very busy in the coming month. That Cribs series took a lot of time to write and ride around town taking pictures.

That said, I want to reflect on my time in DC, what personal outlooks have changed in my mind and what things have not. Aside from the infernal summer heat which I can’t do much about, what’s the biggest thing that annoys me about DC to this day? Some things I’ve actually gotten used to – like surly service at the checkout counters, or being asked “So, what do you do?”

What bugs me the most about DC and the Mid-Atlantic region is the general aversion to friendliness. Like the heat, I can’t change that part of the climate either. Understand that I grew up in one of the most friendly places in the country where people just come up to you at random and start yammering. But if you try that in DC you’re met with horrified looks of shock. When you talk to people around here it’s as if you’re trying to steal a part of their soul or something, judging by how they react.

I think there’s a reason for this aversion to friendliness. The only other times people come up to talk to you in DC is for you to sign some petition or to panhandle for money. So I guess that’s why people are so defensive in DC. At least it’s my theory.

This aversion extends into the bar scene. DC has a very strong happy hour culture, and most people tend to go out with their close circles of friends. So it’s hard to just come up to people and talk to them without some sort of context. You need to somehow have an ‘in’ with that circle of people to be able to approach someone in that circle.

Add the general local aversion to being approached and that makes meeting people challenging. People I have approached to talk to seem to think I’m a stalker ready to ask for their hand in marriage, which isn’t the case. I have been trying to simply start up a conversation and see what comes of it. Don’t be afraid guys – take it in stride and recieve an offer for a chat with grace. I have the sense to cut off a conversation if it’s clear it’s not going anywhere, but you don’t have to be a dick about it.