The Human Rug

Stopped for coffee at Mojo’s and ran into Portland’s own Rug Aplin, named by Willamette Week as Best Balloon Artist Who Doubles As A Human Rug. He had a stylish new rug outfit that he was showing off. He repeatedly refused a chair, insisting that he belongs on the floor, and let me feel the new outfit, although at first I made the faux pas of touching him with my hand, when you are actually supposed to touch him with your feet. (He is a rug, after all!) Apparently this guy legally had his name changed to “Rug” a few years back. I had seen him walking around in my neighborhood a few times, but this was the first time I had met him. One of the guys we were sitting with outside said that they were teasing him the other day about getting a girlfriend and making a couple of throw rugs or bath mats. :^)