Utah Arts Festival & Ingrid Michaelson

Good Morning Ladies & Gentlemen,

Thursday, I spent most of the day running around, getting stuff for my car so that I could spend today at my dad's fixing it up and getting it great for Vegas, so that I wouldn't have to worry about maintenance when it's pushing 120 degrees or something (and AC is a necessity). Then as the sun started to set, JL Clyde & I went to the Utah Arts Festival at the City & Country Building / Library area (remember Pride?) to see some art…and possibly purchase some. There were plenty of artists with paintings, pottery, pens, posters, spoken word, music of all genres, dance, and most importantly...gelato. Here are some pictures…

We may have a bug problem in Utah

if they appear to have brass exoskeletons

The City & County Building

I took this picture because it says "Sancho's Ass"

"Are you Sancho? No you are not...but I...am Sancho."

Stacey Board & her lovely folk music

You can't not like Belly Dancers

"Oh, so it's okay when a girl does it?"

Guess which one's the Joey Fatone of the group

Colosimo - "That's one Impressive Sausage."

They're playing an instrument of some sorts

Funky, jazzy music at sunset courtesy of Indigenous

This dancing old guy up by the stage was amazing

This band is called Insatiable

"Aw yeaaaah, it's time for a dance-off y'all!!!"

After the festival, we met up with our friend Filly who was working around Temple Square driving horsedrawn carriages and BS'd with her for a while (business was slow). When her shift was over, she drove us back to the stables (yeah, stables in downtown Slick City, who knew?) and then back home. It was awesome.

Meet Max

Yes, I am too cool for this ride

Don't fret, it's the Wingman letting me know he's in town

Friday, I did little else except work & ramble about the NBA Draft. Bubbles also found a bar in Vegas that she's going to take me to called Stoney's...and it has a mechanic bull with weekend bikini bull riding contests & seems like a decent cowboy bar. I'm a little excited for that...but yeah, still no word from Vegas on the new job.

Saturday, I spent the day at my dad's from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM in the heat (and direct sunlight mostly) giving my car a tuneup, good polish & waxing, rethreading hubcaps (f**ked up by last guy that rotated my tires), and did I mention the heat...because that's kind of important. It was hot. Big thanks to my dad for helping me out!!! Don't know what I would've done without him. He's always there for me...and I'm pretty sure that why I'm there for my friends & family whenever they need something. We're both suckers. Anyway, there was about an hour break during that time where we drove around town to get parts for his Harley. I may have mentioned that he's going to Sturgis in a month or so...and you know, I was interested in going...but then he mentioned that the friend that he's going with is "in tight" with ZZ Top...so instead of just going to see them rock the Black Hills...he's going to get to meet them. See? Karma comes back around for him too. Awesome.

After that, I was absolutely exhausted...and probably smelled like ass...so I took a shower and was probably battling sunsickness...but after a few bottles of water & sitting down for about a half hour, I was ready to go to an inpromptu concert with JL Clyde. At the Avalon Theatre, the sweet melodies of Ingrid Michaelson were to be staged...and yeah, I only knew the one song of hers on VH1...but "The Way I Am" is a great song & I like that folky love song stuff with heartfelt lyrics. Yeah, sometimes that stuff can be really cheesy...but then again, they're not just about money, sex, & drugs (I know, lame) but about how they feel about other people...and those seemingly meaningless images & moments that mean so much in a relationship, always being there for them when they're in need, and just that connection between two people...and that's hot. Oh yeah...and Ingrid's really cute too...and I think Ingrid's an underused name nowadays like Gretchen, Ethel, and Harriett. Again, probably not a good idea for me to name children. Here are some pictures...

Hooker @ Cost? I thought it was a furniture place

That's great...because I'm tired of paying the middleman

Everybody was told doors open at 6 PM...

This picture was taken around 6:30 PM...

About 45 minutes before the doors opened

It took a lot of willpower not to mess with the instruments

Opening act Greg Laswell was awesome

Great heartfelt songs...and a slowed down

cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"

I am NOT joking!!!

This guitarist has inspired to do the following:

Learn a few chords on a guitar - Check

Buy a few collared plaid shirts & wear them - Check

Refuse to comb hair - Mmm check

Let facial hair grow recklessly - Could take a while...

Join a band named after somebody else - Openings?

Become sexy to chicks at concerts - We shall see

That chick in the Upper Mezzanine is totally checking me out

Ingrid Michaelson...and her smiley bass player

The Ukulele...is ALWAYS hot!!!

Her backup singer/guitarist Allie is hot too

Great show everybody!!!

Greg & Ingrid came back to do a cover of one

of my favorite songs ever, "Fools Rush In"

After the show, I was still battling feeling pretty bad despite one of the best concerts EVER so we got some Coke Slurpees and watched "Harold & Kumar go to White Castle." It was the first time JL Clyde had seen it...and as with everybody else that I've ever watched this movie with (almost as many as "Fifth Element"), she loved it. Then I slept for about eight hours...in some of the most comatose sleep I've ever experienced. I don't even recall any dreams or anything, just how comfortable my bed is...and oh my, is it comfortable.

Anyway, not much going on today except working all night & drinking lots of water...but my car looks amazing. Maybe I'll have to get some pictures when it's all completed (still some polishing because I didn't get it all done before it got too hot to even polish in the shade before it got baked onto the paint. I hope that you all have a great weekend!!! Go check out Ingrid Michaelson & Greg Laswell in your town, it's well worth the twenty bucks that tickets are...and even an hour wait in the sun when there was a miscommunication in the start time. They rock!!!