More Walking Weirdness

Another man-on-the-street sighting (or is it mutant-on-the-street this time?) by the folks at the West End News in the Dumpster section of the March 3-17 print issue.

This time they've spotted a guy walking down Congress Street wearing a gas mask. Last time it was a guy in a straitjacket. Portland needs more of this.

I myself have very fond memories of walking home to our old Brackett Street apartment with Tristan from Brendan Evan's shop, Strange Maine. I remember, it was a bright sunny summer day, or maybe it was early fall. At any rate, it was nice out, and we strolled along, Tristan with a mannequin torso under his arm, and... well, let's just say there was a very amused tourist couple somewhere back in Japan showing their friends a photo of this wonderfully strange sight.

These things only really work when they are unplanned. We had been visiting with Brendan, and he offered us his somewhat the worse for wear mannequin torso (she is missing part of her nose and in general has a haphazard skintone). Apparently she was freaking his girlfriend out (as opposed to the giant furry spider that forms another staple of the store's customary decor, shown here). So we adopted her and gave her a new home. But we were on foot, so what other way to get her home than carry her, naked and worn? Yep.

For many months she peeked out of the front window of our first floor apartment in front of the Reiche playground. Brendan's girlfriend wasn't the only one she freaked out. When the Time Warner guys came in to install our cable, after seeing her in the window, three of them came in, just in case.