Portland has many interesting and viably "weird" destinations. I recently found myself reading a book called "Fugitives and Refugees," written by the author of "Fight Club." The author, Chuck Palahniuk, who grew up in Portland, OR, documented destinations that differentiated Portland from other cities. Whether it be Voodoo Doughnuts, on 3rd and Burnside, where "Voodoo" weddings regularly take place; Sunday night zoo bombing, where anybody is invited to meet in front of Powells books and ride mini bikes ("bombing" from the zoo into the city); or the drag show with Darcelle, a 72-year-old man who has been impersonating women for decades, Portland has a different vibe than many cities I've visited. I now find myself newly obsessed with Portland, OR, my hometown. I now have an itch to document many of these "weird" events and write a piece about what makes Portland weird, and more importantly, why individuals participate in these events. Is it because they're bored with their day-to-day activities and weird events provide them with a means of escape? Is it a way of rebelling against social norms? Or, are they, like me, just weird? I'm making it a summer project to document as many events as possible, conduct interviews and write a piece on not only what makes Portland weird, but why men and women who live so-called "normal" lives participate in these events. Events: Alter Egos (super heroes vs super villains), events at drunkenrampage.com, the Portland Urban Iditarod, and many more. I plan to attend and document each event with photographs, footage, and most importantly, interviews. My main question: why do people both participate and find pleasure in these "weird" events? On a side note, I highly recommend watching the FLUX documentary on Keeping Portland Weird - the crew did an excellent job of interviewing a variety of people in Portland and showing why Portland is weird. The documentary will be aired on OPB.