Viva - Saturday

Matching shirts are the best!

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to run over to the airport and pick up my old roomate.  We hurried back to the hotel and got her wristband.  We likely should have gone straight out to the car show but we hung out for a while in the hotel room and then got lunch and soon it came to be the scary hot part of the day.  Undeterred though we headed out and made our way through the vendors and eventually got to the cars.

I was wearing my new Re-mix wedges and my Whirling Turban corselette so I was feeling quite stylish and relaxed but the sun proved to be too much for us and we headed in for a break.  I was sad to miss Buzz Campbell after having seen him this summer at Cars and Guitars but the heat was just too much for this True North Gal.



My latest fav - a flat red truck!

 My friend tried to take a much needed nap and after changing and putting on more sunscreen and a hat I went back out to take some more pictures and I made sure I was there to see Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Boys.  They were awesome despite the sun it was just too good not to enjoy.  I even got to hear the new single they have out on 45 (Don't Go to Far With the Girl at the Bar).  I then went over to the Pool to catch the couples swimwear competition which ended up starting way late but was a good shady break with a mojito and a giant glass of water.  I made it back for Duane Eddy which was fun but still really hot and then my friend and I met up and went and saw the rest of the cars and listened to the Ventures.

The Fly-Rite Guitar Men!

After that we rushed inside to get in line to see Deke Dickerson's The Guitar Geek!  Which was truly the best thing I did all day.  Riddle with surf & even more celebrity this year.  We were 3 rows from the front and saw JD McPherson up close and personal without having to fight the crowds, saw Nokie Edwards and Duane Eddy close up and all the other performers in the line up that was just truly phenomenal.  Other things I have to mention was how much I loved watching TK Smith and Ashley Kingman play together!  This is the best and the sound is awesome and then when there was already too many awesome things we got to hear charming Sandy Nelson play the drums.  Cannot say what an awesome time this was but that was far from the end of our day...

After some food we made it back out in our evening outfits mine just my stand-by black halter dress to go see a bit of Wayne Hancock which was too crowded to really enjoy and after perusing the vendors a little we set ourselves up in a good spot to watch the dancers and see JD McPherson who was like a machine playing his whole album and never missing a beat.  It was then time to walk my friend back to our room after her already 18 hour day and I decided to get changed and go catch the end of the Big 6 and the Bellfuries who's CD I bought and had autographed!  After that it was bedtime for me as Sunday was now arrived and another days activities would start before too long.

Viva 15 - Wednesday / Thursday / Friday

I left for Viva late on Wednesday and had a stop over in Vancouver.  It was hellish all the way drove the rental car the wrong direction!  I almost kissed the bed in the hotel room when I finally got there.  So, Wednesday, arrived = accomplishment.

Thursday did some errands.  Went to Trader Joe's for groceries, went to Lee's for booze (got the new Absolut Grapevine which is heavenly) and some minis for good measure.  Got my wristband and wore my jeans and ivory/silver cowboy shirt to see Justin Curtis.  Ah music at last even had a chair to relax in.  Next went back to the room and freshened up my drink and got ready to go see Big Sandy and the original Flyrite Trio.  Amazing.  I cropped this from a video clip I took of Thru Dreaming.  TK Smith smiling is one of the best parts of the show as I it seemed he might of been happier playing from back stage.  Highlights included Kaw liga cover and flask and "Flask and you shall receive."  Had many good intentions of going back but to be honest I was plain tuckered out at this pointed and decided to save my energy for the rest of the weekend.

Friday I was determined to get some vintage shopping in before Saturday's action-packed agenda.  I made my way East to Buffalo Exchange and got a awesome black tooled belt for $10 and some gold shoes $10 regular $85 never worn (or at least not enough to where away the nordstrom tag).  Then it was off to the antique mall in hunt of all that is awesome -that turned out to be very little in my price range but I did get a collection of vintage Vegas postcards which I think might frame up nicely in my new house.  Then it was a quick stop at In and Out Burger before rushing back to the hotel to see the Charles Phoenix slideshow of pools and patios.  Fabulous as always (I know you know).

After that it was time to get changed and I decided to where my atomic diamonds dress.  I did my hair pinned up and had to mix and match my navy cardigan with my black Miz Mooz shoes (bad packing).  I checked out the vendors and ended up buying a pair of Re-Mix wedges despite myself.  I saw the Blue Collar Combo (all very cute and talented) and then Ruby Dee & the Snakehandlers (wild and crazy), the Planet Rockers (Eddie Angel :) ) and then part of Si Cranstoun before retiring.  Saturday was yet to come and things were shaping up to be awesome!

Tale of 2 Bathrooms or How to Lower Property Value

So it is almost a month now that I have been living in a house!  Wow time flies when you spend it moving, painting and destroying.  The tub surround downstairs is gone, the cement board is up, the tile is purchased and almost booked for installation and then we will be on to finishing the drywall, installing new lights, flooring and trim!

In the mean time I painted the hallway upstairs BM White Chocolate and the bathroom upstairs BM Pink Cadillac.  Unfortunately the glory that was my pink bathroom was short lived when it was decided that we should unclog the trap and found the ABS trap had been connected with a chrome pipe (which was completely corroded) to the cast iron drain.  The drain had insufficient slope which lead to the formation of what mostly seemed like a rock formation in the pipe.  This combined with the scary electrical we found lead to the removal of the wall and now my 2 bathroom house is a 1/2 and 1/2 bathroom house!  All because the sink was clogged and we thought we would clean it the "right way".

But hey I'm leaving in a week for Viva...what about that well hopefully somethings will be resolved this weekend and if not I have at least booked a hair appointment for Friday and I did manage to buy a dress so maybe just maybe by Wednesday morning I will have my bag packed and ready to go and maybe there will be one complete bathroom when I get home...

Here are some photos from this month:

note the hallway has no light (ie this paint was not helping)

ochre color taped off white chocolate to come

clean a trap lose a wall (grey pipe bottom of sink)

connector removed

beginning of the end of pink wall and notice lovely black door trim at least that was not for nothing... 

The wall is now gone stay tuned for the updates and I will try to grab some updated photos of the basement as it is progressing as well.  Working on my Viva calendar for now and will try to check back before I leave.

Home on the Range

Eek! 2 weeks 'til I am living on terra firma instead of in strata space.  I can't wait to get started sprucing things up.  I went tile shopping this weekend for the downstairs bathroom.  Here are some before pics to the reference upcoming changes.

On my list is good-bye to the crumby new addition white cabinet by the stove and hello to an old 40" stove.  Good-bye ugly super long brushed chrome bar handles on my original cabinetry hellow rejuvenation or ebay handles.  Good-bye burnt yellow paint and overscale fans.  I also have big plans for the yard and I can't wait to have a fire in the fire pit but all in good time I suppose.

 

 

and the crazy bathroom (if it is possible the goal is to move the toilet and sink against the wall as right now it is kind behind the tub) - tileboard is klassy with a k hopefully it will soon be tile.

inspiration for the new bathroom is this vintage poster I found at alltheposters.com

California Part 2

Well brave adventurers we are we set off once again on the bus headed to our hotel in Orange County.  Saturday was my free day so after we got to the hotel and got rid of our luggage I took off for Orange Circle determined to get the most out of my all day bus pass.

Along the way I unexpectedly found a Target and got supplies for Disneyland the next day which was great and some cheap Elf make up brushes (read $1 to $3).  I did finally get to Orange Circle though and learned that it is the geographical center of Orange County and definitely worth a walk through for the lovely mix of places to eat and antique malls and stores.  I once again had my handy retro shopping map but really didn't need it once I got there because it was easy to get around fun to wander.

I was thrilled to add a Cherry Red Bakelite bangle to my collection at 30% after some digging through a display case and generally thrilled just to walk about and see some of the coolest furniture on the planet at I place called Woody's (check out that ta-booth in the window) and then right next door a cupcake place that was feature on the Food Network mmm delicious :)

After wearing out my feet and my eyes I knew I better head home so I'd be ready for the big show the next day (Disneyland).  On my way to the bus stop however I was smitten by two more sights one of which I will catch you up on later but for now here are some last looks to hold you.

Travelogue - California

Early Thursday morning I left our crazy cold snap and flew off first to Vancouver.  From there we made our way through customs and then go on a plane to take us to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana!

The weather was lovely when we arrived and we eventually caught a bus that took us down the highway to Long Beach.  I was intent on doing some vintage shopping and more than anything exploring what there was to see.  It was a long trip but we made our way to our hotel and saw all the coast on the PCH on the way!  On our travels we met a man from Seattle who couldn't get home because the airport was closed and who was staying in Laguna Beach.  He had all sorts of tips and advice and it was definitely a nice start to our vacation.

First thing Friday, we went walking about and found our way to the bus information place just north of the Pike on Pine and we bought all day passes and after a fine breakfast set about exploring.  We made good use of the shopping map I had printed from http://www.shoppersmap.com/

Unfortunately what we didn't realize was that things were more laid back than we had allowed for and all the shops on 4th Street weren't open until noon.  So we toured  the area for a bit I bought a cute purse at the AIDS Assistance Store for $3 and then we caught the bus up around the Signal Hill area where the antique malls are and thing were open.  I found most prices were commesuate with the internet but it was thrilling so see some things I've never seen in person here like all the Heywake furniture and cornicopia of signage.  I was looking for a thermometer for my new house and after reviewing the prices and thinking about how important it is to have the temperature in Celsius in Canada I went for a really cute reproduction piece along with some awesome deco stove S&P and some great 1940s postcards that I'm intent on framing.  One of my other finds was some vacation slides which I want to maybe turn into a cool lamp like Erica did http://www.ericamulherin.com/blog/2010/01/07/the-most-awesomest-lampshade-ever/ my slides aren't as cool and I only have 80 for now but it is a start and I'm hoping to collect some other older ones as I go along.

After having a snack we caught the bus back to 4th Street (seen here the corner of 4th and Cherry) and had a great time shopping I looked long and hard a vintage Mexican circle skirt but in the end decided I'd never be bold enough to wear it and instead picked up some great soveniers (robot ice cube tray! guitar spatula!) and swooned over more furniture pieces.

We had supper on our way back to the hotel at a place called Creme de la Crepe where we hit the end of happy hour and got to order off the lunch menu at or maybe after 4 PM.  It was delicious after a long day shopping and was not far from Downtown Darling which we checked out along the way.  After all that it was nice to get back to our room and put on some warmer clothes.  We went out and checked out the ferris wheel and pier and then came back to our room for some well deserved sleep.  Saturday we journeyed back to closer to the Airport in Orange County.

And then it snowed

Well the mercury has dropped to -29C/-20F but I soldiered on and walked to work today.  It is all good except for the fact that I like to wear my glasses to work and there is no practical way to wear glasses and a scarf and not have the glasses turn into a foggy mess but hopefully this won't last for too long.

I am waiting on the girl who has an offer on my condo but things look bleak on that front and I'm starting to lose patience. In the mean time the plumber who changed the sink valves last week needs to come back again and I am wondering if my car is going to start when I need to use it or if I should re-insure it as a block of ice.

I bought my ticket for Viva and it appears after much plotting and discussion with my friend I also have an extra ticket should someone want to buy one.  Flights here were on a big sale here for the last week so my flight is all booked and I booked the hotel way back in May so I'm covered there just for now on my own in the big city which is not the end of the world but frustrating that it is so hard to co-ordinate things with other people.

The sun is shining despite the temperature so that is the plus and my vacation to California is coming up and I found this cool site that has vintage shopping maps for places around CA so I'm pretty excited to put them to the test and see what I find.  http://www.shoppersmap.com/  The new house could use some retro-fittings so I will be bringing a suitcase with a lot of empty space to fill :) and hopefully getting some great deals to share.

When I get back it will be crack down on my diet time and get packing for the new place.  Hopefully the condo really will sell this week but if it doesn't I guess there's nothing I can do except keep busy and try not to think about it.  The change in the mortgage rate (drop 0.5%) has been a bonus so I guess it will all even out eventually.

I'm working on an embroidery for the new house 10 points if you recognize where this border comes from!  Until next time stay warm.

Year in Review

I've had a busy last few months so I'm here to chronical it all up before year end!

In August I stitched this little cutie for my friend E who was attending culinary school in Ottawa! 

It was a beautiful month and my mom and two younger nieces came in and we went to the City Hall fountain and had Spider-Man pop candy.

In September I drove over 3200 km in my rent Nissan Juke (which looked like an attack hatchback) all on my own.  It was a record for the most driving I have ever attempted on my own.  I drove to my sisters and then out to the coast took the ferry to the Sunshine Coast and did some camping.  I also brought my sister back home with me and we stopped in at my cousin B's new place out in the country.

In October I began seriously looking for a house.  I looked at likely over 25 different places and then early this month I found my new home.  I had my cousin B and her husband R with me for some of my expeditions and it was great to be able to have them with me at the final house inspection.  My new place is a 1947 cutie with a finished basement suite which I take possession of on the leap year which I think is super cool.  I also put my condo up for sale which I have to say was a Herculean effort involving more work than I ever want to do again and a continuing battle to put everything away when I leave for work every morning.

Also in December my bestest cousin came and stayed at my house and helped me do a lot of the repairs on my condo that needed attention.  He brought his sweet dog Robyn and it was a fantastic to finally have the crack by my window seamlessly repaired and the grout in my tile all solid again.  This is the wall after the crack was fixed and painted.  I wish I had taken a picture of that awful crack because now you can't tell it was ever there!

2011 was an interesting year as it changed a lot of things for me and made me appreciate my family even more than I already do. 

2012 looks to hold lots of excitement with the new house. a trip to California in January, and hopefully Viva again in April.  My primary goal is to keep a tight hold on my finances this year despite all the excitement and to work hard on staying healthy and getting healthier amid all the hub-bub.  I'm looking forward to spending the summer improving the yard at my house, bbqing, and learning about how to keep my taxes in order if I decide to rent out the top floor for a year to make some extra money before I retro-vate the kitchen and bathroom upstairs.

As a final note for the first time in years here up north I am of the feeling of this card I made for my friend Violet.  We've had an exceptionally warm winter this year and we even had rain yesterday!  So, I'm going to have to say at this point, "Let it Snow!"

Cheers,

Scarlet

This Weekend!

First off I have to say this has been the rainiest summer I can ever remember.  It has been tough on outdoor events but thank goodness for some luck on Saturday.

On Thursday at lunch I caught Los Straitjackets at lunch along with a performance by the Pontani Sisters in cute navy blue polka dot mini dresses.  Down the street there was also a host of odds and end including free slushies but this was just the beginning.  Plus, the parade to kick off the annual exposition (read travelling rides, etc).

Friday it rained like the ocean was coming to overwhelm us via worlds most boring rain.  Aside here: this is a dry prairie province we get storms with wind to tear your shingles off but drenching rain all day is not usually a summer feature.  So the bands had to pack it in on the street but when I got home I check to see about the show I was planning to attend and what do you know they were starting early because all the bands that didn't get to play in the street were going to play the show that night that originally was intended to only be Hillbilly Casino.

So I headed down early and saw Los Fabulocos, Lee Rocker, and Hillbilly Casino.  The place was filled with the bands and from my impression friends of friends because no one had any idea that the rain would work bring this.  It was amazing and I couldn't quite get over the talent in the room.

Saturday brought cloudy but decent weather and I headed out late on foot to hit the Farmer's Market and see more bands.  So, I wandered down and got myself a Liege Waffle from the waffle van.  They are so good I can't begin to explain.  I missed Eve Hell but caught more of Los Fabulocos and then lucked out and was one of a few people to catch the Du-Rite Aces from Calgary.  They sounded great and look at the back drop for all that awesomeness.

Next was Paul Pigat/Cousin Harley from Vancouver.  They covered some great songs and played some awesome songs from the new CD but the highlight from me was getting to hear them cover Ray Condo's Whatcha Gonna do When there ain't no Swing?

Then I couldn't resist hearing Hillbilly Casino on the outside stage and they did not disappoint. Very cool.  Los Straitjackets and Lee Rocker were the next acts but I was tired by that point and got a snack at the restaurant festival set up in the Square

 and headed home. 

I can't say enough good things about Cars and Guitars it is great fit with Indy and I am really hoping they will continue it next year.  The street party was free and allowed everyone to see some amazing performances.  My wishlist for next year might be a beer garden on the street or at least a few tables and spreading the acts around downtown to places like New City that has the capacity for a bigger show or some cool restaurants that can put up a corner stage.  The Yellowhead Brewery was fantastic but because they are not usually open to the public there was no drop in people or patrons who saw the event was upcoming to the place.  The other option could be to sell some advance passes that could get you in to various locations. 

In the mail today...

So about 2 or 3 weeks ago while the postal strike was still here I saw amazon was having a DVD sale and decided to browse my options and this was one of the results. $8.50 for 12 classic movies that come in this gorgeous tin.  I can't wait to get home and make some popcorn!  The sets in tins are made by a company called popflix and I'm anxious to see how these are for quality as they had quite a number of sets available!  Including this one in an equally awesome tin.

 In other news I have been doing some embroidery again.  I had to take a break from it as it was  messing with my left arm but so far so good.  It is definitely my favorite hobby and my imagination runs wild when it comes to projects I would like to make.

I also wanted to mention my thoughts on the gel polish I tried out for Viva.  I will say this it lasted and looked good through out my vacation but by the time we were flying home it was driving me crazy and I just wanted to have regular nails again.  It helped my nails get longer but taking the polish off really made them weak so it wasn't really worth it.  There was no long term damage though and a little buffing with the Revlon Crazy Shine and lots of TLC with my OPI cuticle oil pen I made peace with the whole adventure.  I would do it again but only for something where you need multiple days of good looking nail polish and won't have any down time (ie Viva).  Next on my list to try though are those nail stickers.

My Heart is Racing

So yeah just in case you were wondering I work downtown and I love it.  There's a lot that goes on downtown at lunch and after work but today I just read something that put me a little over the moon about being at work downtown this summer.  Cars & Guitars  -finally a reason to care about IndyCar -a music festival that is showcasing some of the best Rockabilly acts around.

The act I'm most excited about is Hillbilly Casino.  Crazily enough I first heard them on Lisa Freemont Street's You Tube Channel but there is also going to be Los Straitjackets, Lee Rocker, Paul Pigat & Cousin Harley, The Pontani Sisters, Alberta locals  Eve Hell, and Raygun Cowboys and the best part is it is all free!  If I didn't live here I'd be jealous. 

I live walking distance from it all (read I can stumble home no parking problems, no DD issues).  All in all it kind of made a rather bland Friday extra special and I can't wait for things to get going.  Right now the Works is on in the Square but coming up is my next favorite festival because it is all the local restaurants out in the Square making me mini lunch things!  Eek summer you are finally here!

Dear Internet

Dear Internet - it is time I confess.  I have been collecting dishes like a mad woman for a while now.  It started as harmless browsing and progressed into hmmm I need to have a dinner party to justify this collection.

So, I'm coming clean.  I the Scarlet Slpper collect Franciscan Oasis and yes I think it is cooler than Starburst.  Please feel free to go and buy all the pieces I am stocking on ebay I don't need anymore.  Except the crescent plates -would sell my baby sister for some more crescent plates.  I think if Franciscan hadn't designed crescent plates I might never have started collecting the dishes in the first place -not to mention the giant coffee cups, those spoon rests, that covered casserole dish...can I get a Hallelujah?  Jimbo?

My dream is someday I will live in house with coved celings and a built-in china cabinet and there will live my Oasis and my Eva Zeisel Harlequin (opps you aren't supposed to know about that) we will eat off of everyday except well you know the extra minty things those I will keep in the cabinet for holidays ;)

Did I mention that Oasis can go in the dishwasher and micro?  Incidentally, that's what  made me give up on the Zeisel well that and I could never win any at a reasonable price.  So yeah I never wanted china.  I never cared about dishes I thought pottery was for hippies but then a I saw Oasis and am going to have to rid myself of my magazine collection so I can justify lugging around these dishes for the rest of my life.  Don't tell anyone okay?  And avert your eyes or refer me to a 12 step dish program in my area :)

Travel Log Part 2

Post script to Saturday.  On Saturday I got asked to dance by a guy named Jose he was drench in sweat but friendly enough.  I think it was a bet to see if I would and normally I would have jumped at the chance regardless but my feet were killing me from standing on my new shoes.  However, he convinced me and then was sorry as I kind of blew him away.  It was fun and funny and since I am recording this for my own senility I thought I better not forget that detail.

Sunday.  On Sunday things were calmer on Sunday and slightly melancholy as approaches the end but those who remain really area all about the music and this is a good thing.  I had been waiting for Sunday because I wanted to see Kim Lenz more than anything and I really enjoyed the All Stars last year and was excited to see what this year held.

K. wanted to get out so we got up on Sunday and went to the Strip.  We visited the gardens at the Bellagio and loitered about Caesar's Place before returning in time for a retro slide show tour of DisneyLand! with Charles Phoenix it was awesome and made me green at the thought of being able to visit Disneyland as day trip kind of attraction.  Living in Canda it is the story of most kids elementary school lives to get to go to Disneyland.

Next up was the jiving contest.  It was packed in the ballroom but I found a place to capture the scene -however the energy seemed to be kind of stalled. It was not at all what I was expecting but from what I understand things this year were rather atypical and that usually it is more exciting.  The couple who won were super cute though and we saw them later when we came downstairs to see Kim Lenz.

That night I wanted to be comfortable so I put on my good old black halter dress and some sparkly accessories.  We were meeting up with a guy we met on Friday night but he was way more interested in talking to K than me so I was mostly worried about getting downstairs late.  However, we were early and K. was less than impressed but it was all worth it.  Kim Lenz is as awesome in person as she is on her CDs and look at that cute skirt!

Next up were the All Stars which was MC'd by Big Sandy. I was thrilled to hear Clyde Stacy sing Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor, Al Hendrix looked cool in his fedora and I really enjoyed seeing Young Jessie, and Roddy Jackson.  The thing that made it even better though was all these performers were back by what they call the "house band" which also includes some of the best players in the hotel that weekend all of whom appeared to be as excited and happy as the crowd.  It was cool to see Deke Dickerson playing saxophone (like what can't he play), Ashley Kingman, Bobby Trimble from the Fly-Rite boys up there as well .  I was pretty wore out though at this point and closed up shop at this point in favor of getting some rest.

Monday, was gorgeous but my feet were in severe need of rehab at this point.  I did a pretty good job of not getting them blistered (I am predisposed to this) but it was like they had carpet burn or something.  I had soaked them in cold water in the hotel room but that didn't help enough.  The real solution came when I put on my new favorite summer sundress and headed down to the pool where after finding a shady spot in the deserted paradise I soaked my feet in the lovely cool water for the better part of an hour waiting for K to come downstairs.  It seems she was not feeling well though and never made it.  I had been all set to do some power shopping that day but in the end we ended up going back to the strip late in the day and seeing the northern part of the strip up to about Circus Circus where it gets all creepy.  From there we caught the bus and I finally got to see Freeemont Street! which was awesome we stopped on the way back to get some food and made it back to the hotel at last to crawl done the long hallway one more time.

We checked out and left for home the next AM.

Travelogue VLV 14

So finally this is what I did on my trip to Vegas.

This year I stayed at the Orleans from Wednesday to Tuesday AM with my friend K.  The flight was uneventful we went through customs in Vancouver this year which was different and flew with Air Canada instead of Alaskan Airlines (last year).  We arrived Wednesday and took the shuttle from the airport to the hotel.  All was fairly quiet and we went down to Brendan's for a drink before calling it a night -this was not my preference but I played along.  We faced out to the strip from the 18 floor which was awesome but our room was pretty much at the end of the hall and it was a long trip to our room from the elevator.

Thursday morning we took the bus out and about as I did not rent a car this year.  We went to Trader Joes and Target and I got Hot Sticks finally as I had not been able to locate them in Canada.  Waiting for the bus however I sunburned my purse straps into my arms.  It took a while but we got our supplies for the week and we were glad to get back to the hotel.  Las Vegas is incredibly windy and this year it was also hot.  K. really wanted to do some outlet mall shopping since she was low on summer clothes so we then headed over to the mall.  I did not enjoy this part of the trip but I owed it to her to as she was a sport about staying at a hotel that was completely over run with people. 

When we finally got back to the room K. was wiped out but we got our wristbands and looked around at the vendors and then I walked her back to the room and got dressed up.  I decided to wear jeans my first night and a pink western shirt.

I didn't intend on seeing them but I got upstair in time to see Pacho Jose -I was really in awe of how many people were on stage it was a sight to behold.  I then headed over to Bienville and caught Lauren Marie who I really enjoyed she was backed by the Horton Brothers so that was also cool.  I can't remember if I saw anything after that though because I was pretty burnt out from all the activities earlier in the day.

Friday arrived and I was excited to go and get our tickets for the Burlesque Show.  I had breakfast in the room and was ready to roll.  The line up was insane and wound around the casino and out the doors by the pool but in the end we got in to the show we wanted to see and all was well.  After we got our tickets we got some refreshments (K was all about the pre-mixed Clamato & Beer and I found the most delicious pina colada mixed drink at the Coast Liquor store which we ended up making a regular stop).  Next on the agenda was the movie Deuce of Spades - I picked doing this because I knew K would never be up for the Jiving Class.  It the movie was okay and very cool that it was done all independantly but I would also like to mention that the theatre had some of the best real butter popcorn I've had in my life and we used our coupon so it was a super deal and they had refills!

Next up was The Charles Phoenix slideshow it was awesome.  I caught it last year by accident on Sunday and was determined not to miss it this year as it is the funniest most relaxing thing to do at Viva.  Shortly after that I ran back to the room we got ready and headed for the Burlesque Show.  It was my first time seeing the Show and K. was excited to catch it.  I must admit it was very entertaining and I was glad we made time for it. 

After that we caught part of the Medallions, Jessie and the Orbits,  Joe Bennett, Big Sandy, and the a bit of the Sureshots & Ezra Lee before retiring.

Saturday was another big day and I was not about to slow down.  I got out to the car show around 10 and went through the vendors and came back to have lunch with K. then we went back out to the cars we came back in just before 2 and caught Cash O'Riley (who's CD I bought), and Jinx Jones both acts were a welcome retreat from the afternoon heat.  After that I rested for a bit before hurrying out to see Jerry Lee and capture a few more pictures before heading to Deke's Guitar Geek Show.  Jerry Lee was awesome and it was truly the coolest thing to be there to hear him in person -he definitely still has it.  Deke's show was hilarious and awesome it was cool to see the different performers and guitars and it was something I regretted missing last year.  After that though I didn't get back to the shows until it was time for the Roy Kay Combo.  I was really sad I missed Gizzelle but alas there's really only so much you can fit in a day and Saturday was my fancy dress day so I felt like I need some time to shower & dressed after all the car show dirt and sunscreen. 

After Roy Kay it was back to the main showroom to catch Deke Dickerson and what I can only call the crazy hooligans.  It was amazing and hilarious.  Then came the Caezars who's music was great and who it was cool to see around the hotel all weekend but I must admit I like better on CD than I did live.  I think it is because one of my favorite things is how much performers normally smile and these guys don't (except for the drummer) they reminded me of a Morissey album cover with all the posturing going on but hey the music is great and they are all young so cool if you are not old like me ;)

I will follow up with Sunday later and maybe some of the odds and ends I bought.  The collapsible cooler was awesome I think next year I might bring two as it will leave more room for random things and beverages.  This is me on Saturday in my favorite dress of the weekend and the gold shoes I bought on a whim for $30 from a vendor that day!