Tale of Two Cities' Art Festivals

We ventured first to Bellevue's Festival of the Arts this weekend (I prefer the festival's original title, "Arts and Crafts Fair", but Bellevue probably decided it was too much a throwback to the hippie 70s and might encourage an infestation of macramé and tie-dye exhibitors). I'd only reintroduced myself to the fair 3 years ago after a 20+ year hiatus, and I was blown away by some of the artists' work.

My former college professor and mentor, Arunas Ošlapas, showed incredible new concepts in his "remade": fully recycled artwork. In addition to his amazing scrap-metal sculpture, he has introduced "quilts" - metal-and-scavenged-object framed artwork that I found so compelling that I just had to take a piece home with me.

There were many other pieces that affected me which I might have to revisit at a later date, among them the Mercer Mayer-meets-Tim Burton flavored work of Justin Hillgrove http://www.impsandmonsters.com. We also enjoyed the sounds and dancing of the above barefoot violinist and the timeless, never-disappointing indulgence of Fisher Fair Scones.

The following day we visited Renton's "River Days", of which the less said the better. Despite my growing affection for Renton, their so-called arts festival was akin to being the retarded cousin of the Bellevue show.

The After Hours

Going to see "Dark Knight" at Southcenter's swanky new movie theater Saturday, we passed by this Lucky Jeans storefront and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the gang of nekkid mannequins. It conjured up childhood memories of that creepy "Twilight Zone" episode "The After Hours", with Anne Francis' mannequin identity crisis freaking my 10-year old mind out but good. The window scene also had a Ridleyesque Bladerunner quality to it, as if Deckard would come running by, chasing poor, doomed Zhora.

Speaking of bladerunner chases, we had a surreal moment in Ballard yesterday, when we bore witness to a cop chasing a suspect of some sort near the Safeway at Market and 15th. Heavy afternoon traffic was slowly creeping along, when suddenly we see a cop car driving on the sidewalk next to the Safeway, chasing a disheveled-looking man, frantically looking for an escape route. The guy gave a panicked look across the street, as if salvation lay on the other side, and ran right out in front of my truck and the rest of traffic (which had by this time stopped to watch the bizarre scene unfold), followed by the cop car, lights blazing in hot pursuit. Adrienne and I looked at each other and shrugged. "I hate tourist season", she dryly quipped.

Que cinematic goosebumps

Regrettably, my willpower was weak, and I peeked at the "Watchmen" trailer online yesterday (many, many times), vs. waiting to see it as it should properly be seen: in the theater before "The Dark Knight" this weekend. However, that won't spoil the icing in my Batman cake - catching Christopher Nolan's opus at the new shrine-to-cinemagoing that opens in my 'hood today: The new AMC all-digital cinemaplex in Southcenter. Putting aside the irony of such a lavish movie cathedral being built in the heart of such a classless and even dangerous shopping mall (at least 2 shootings have occured in Southcenter's parking lot in the past year), I can't wait. If both the movie and the new theater are half as good as I've heard, I'll feel even better about refinancing my home 2 days ago and committing to sticking around this neck of the woods.

So this is 40

Ad and I shared back-to-back 40th birthdays this past month. Dad told me I could expect to lose my hyperdrive metabolism that allows me to snarf Top Pot donuts and snack on Kraft Mac & Cheese just before bedtime. We'll see about that - but I'm not giving up video games and superhero movies just yet. I don't yet feel that old.

Also not lost to old age (or is it, the new age?) is a taste for cocktails, live music, and an otherwise raucous good time. We caught The Red Elvises at Ballard's Tractor tavern Saturday, which was as good a commemmoration of turning the page on our 30s as I could think of. Sadly, I forgot the camera to capture the ex-Soviet surf rockers leading the Yankee capitalist dogs in song and dance.