Taylorsville Dayzz

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I'd like to start the day off by wishing a very happy 21st birthday to my good buddy Lindsay Lohan. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend her party at Caesar's this week anyway because of scheduling conflicts...but the party was cancelled anyway...and for good reasons. Ms. Lohan (possibly the future Mrs. Love) was been in rehabilitation for a while now & is hopefully cleaning up her act. What is it about these young, beautiful, and occasionally talented Hollywood startlets getting swept up in the lifestyle and making damn fools of themselves??? I fully support Lindsay in her quest for sobriety...and encourage others to do so...if you so choose. I understand that we all have our vices...and it's your decision to make. All I'm saying is...if you do decide to quit and would like a little help, I'm here for you...and I'm sure your friends out there would do the same. If you decide not to, I'm cool with it & I'm sure your friends out there would help you out too. Good luck & happy birthday, Lindsay!!! I'll text you later to see how you're doing.

Now, without further ado, my weekend at Taylorsville Dayzz. For the past week or so, it has been as hot as Adriana Lima's ass here along the Wasatch Front. Saturday was no different. The day started at 5:30 AM (after going to bed around 1 AM because my buddy Chris was in town) and we were at the park, helping to set up the Car Show by 6:30 AM. For those who aren't too familiar with car shows, the gentlemen (and occasionally ladies) who prepare these beautiful automobiles are a interesting breed. They take great pride in their vehicles (as they should) and are often particular about their car's location, conditions, time constraints, registration fees, but they're great guys & really enjoy talking about their cars, sentimental stories, & whatever else comes up. Two in particular that I'd like to mention are Dirtbag & Asshole, owners of a 1949 Desoto Club Coupe (won best in show) and were in the process of restoring a nice truck (I believe '66 Ford but I don't remember). They were kind enough to offer beer & chips to passerbys and were fun-loving cats. Check 'em out at http://www.dirtbagandasshole.com/.

After an hour or so of folding T-shirts and arranging the registration area, the Taylorsville Dayzz Parade started around 8 AM so we watched for a few hours. Personally, I don't really see the appeal of parades. Even as a kid, sure I enjoyed the candy & all, but waving to the mayor, police, fire department, cheerleaders, marching bands, etc. seem a little lame...especially when it's usually in the 90's temperature wise...and I don't fare too well in the sun. I'm not a ginger kid...but I like to think that I feel their pain. Anyway, after the parade, we had a car show staple event...the BURNOUT!!! For anybody who doesn't know, a BURNOUT competition is where car owners show off their ability to burn rubber off their tires using their souped-up engines. Entering the competition costs $20 (donation to McDonald House). You can win a trophy worth...about the same. However, you probably burn off several hundred dollars worth of tires & there's a risk of your transmission, driveline, or other parts of your car malfunctioning. Sure the payoff isn't much...but you always get a roaring applause from your fans. The winner was a Chevy Blazer...but he had stiff competition from a Diesel-powered Dodge, a Mercury Cougar, a golf cart, & a Chevy Chevette. My money was on the Chevette but they finished 3rd.

After the burnout, the car show officially began with spectators showing up to ask questions. My buddy Chris handled the questions at my car "Baby", a 1969 Pontiac LeMans that surprisingly got a number of votes for "Work in Progress" and is pictured here.

Here are some other beauties...

Luckily, the registration table was conveniently located by both a Snowcone Machine (gratis for volunteers) and a large shark slide and other carnival attractions. Big thanks to those ladies & gentlemen at the snowcone machine. Tiger's Blood rules!!!

For several hours we sold raffle tickets, T-shirts, & fridge magnets for a great cause, then the winners of the car show were announced around 5 PM. Around that time, I started feeling rather ill due to heat exhaustion (it's my fair nature) and my stepdad Lavar offered us dinner, so Chris & I hopped in the LeMans & got out of there. Sorry, I don't have a report about the carnival or the Beach Boys cover band or the fireworks...but it was really really hot...and I woke up early, so I went for the free food & temperate climates. We went to Brazas Brazilian Steakhouse. Great food, reasonable prices, & beautiful waitresses...what more could you ask for? Don't worry, as expected, Lavar had an alterior motive for his 'free meal' and it was to have me babysit my niece Kairi for a few hours while he picked up my mom at the airport. Here is an example of how cute she is...

...but I'm glad to give her back after a while. She loves her Uncle $teve but probably only because I'm around her a few hours here & there. We watched "Waiting..." and around 10 PM, I simply couldn't stay awake any longer...and I had to work at 5 AM, so I went to bed. Lame, I know...but I'm the kind of person who listens to their body...and if it says to sleep, I obey.

Sunday, I woke up to go to work and had a full day done by 2:30 PM. So then I went to my dad's to work on the windows of my car (one motor burned out & another fell off the track & was stuck in the door). It was still very hot...but after it was done, we ate brats & watched Family Guy. Good times...anyway, that was the weekend.

Fortune Cookie of the Day - "You have the strength to overcome obstacles on your way to success" - What does this mean to me??? Watch out American Gladiators!!! It doesn't matter who or what obstacles you put in front of me - Nitro, rings, a squishy pyramid, Gemini, nerf balls launched from a cannon, even hot body builder chicks can't stop me on my way to success...but I might slow down a bit for the ladies. Did any of you have an American Gladiator name picked for yourself as a kid? Yeah, me neither. That's just crazy lame. Who wants to be called Avalanche anyway? That's dumb.

Anyway, that's about it for today. More adventures to come this week...because as a previous blog entry mentions, I have a fun-filled Independence Week planned...with a wedding of my Wingman & his Brown Bear on Saturday...stay tuned.

P.S. I just got a text back from Lindsay and she's really enjoying her time at the rehab center. She's found a new love for Jell-O. Cherry is her favorite as you might have guessed. She thanks all of her fans that read my blog. Both of them. She'll keep us posted if anything cool happens. Maybe I can convince her for an exclusive with a good friend like Dr. Love. See what happens when you help friends through rough times???