What is the event that has people so interested? Not politics, not the economy, but…
Rain!

Other desert regions may be similar, but in my experience Phoenicians reaction to the promise of rainy days is fairly unique.

Rain is rare enough that we take pictures

People go hiking, take walks, and dance in the rain. The children run outside and play. Phoenicians tend to appreciate rain, except when mother nature gives a year’s worth in one storm. The tendency of the desert to brew storms like that is why Arizona has a “Stupid Motorist’s Law“.

The “Stupid Motorist Law”, which corresponds to section 28-910 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, states that any motorist who drives around barricades to enter a flooded stretch of roadway may be charged for the cost of his/her rescue.

Example of why the law is needed:

The odds are not so good for Phoenix getting wet this weekend, but we can hope. At very least it will cool down. Since the Monsoon is officially over, I guess that will have to do.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do not expect free water, but when the temperature is over 100 degrees out, I expect it to be reasonably priced. We ended up not drinking nearly enough, and all told, we calculated that we spent $100 of the $150 we had with us on water and ice. I would love to know how many people they had to treat for dehydration. The Dos Gringos booth had $2 waters for a while, and we bought those until they ran out and started selling the $4 waters. I think my best investment was a $3 iced spray bottle from a vendor. Unfortunately I lost it during the Gogol Bordello show when a crowd surfer fell on me. The joys of an excellent punk show.

We did have a lot of fun, but we learned some things. One of the main things is to not take a slightly geeky 14-year-old near the front of a Flogging Molly concert. Between the mosh pit that started up next to us and the crowd surfers, we could not keep him safe and ended up having to push out of the crowd and escape. The crowd was restless after the shows were delayed by a thunderstorm rolling through. In true Phoenician style, I welcomed the wind and was sad it brought no rain to cool things off.

Resting in the shade tent around noon

Also resting in the shade tent- the white is suncreen dripping off in the heat

One way to cool off- Konal at the waterpark

I picked my fiance up from work, and we had some time before we needed to be there. Dinner was a priority, and after being unable to secure parking at the Cherry Blossom Noodle Cafe, we decided to go to Macayo’s flagship restaurant on Central. I polished off a Pollo Espinaca Enchilada, and Chris enjoyed his Chipotle BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad. We split a Strawberry Margarita, and even then didn’t finish it.

We ran to Borders at the Biltmore for some items, then looking at the time, realized we better get to the Firehouse. We had difficulty finding parking, and by the time we did, we were about 3 blocks away-by Burton Barr. I was feeling tired, so we skipped wandering the galleries, although I saw that the Fair Trade Cafe on 1st Ave & Roosevelt was quite busy. This was definitely a busier First Fridays than July 4th was.

Passing the artists set up outside, we found the Firehouse and went through the narrow and dark tunnel to the back, where the performance space is. We found one of the few seats and Chris got us a couple of sodas from the coffee shop/refreshments area there. It is a “Name your price” place. Chris paid $2.50 for 2 cokes as a way of tipping for the space. People wandering in and out, and a cast member passed out coupons for a show at Fetish Falls in Tempe the next day.

The Librarian and Cat from Sin Aesthesia

Then Magenta, Cat, the Green Fairy and the Librarian came out to work the crowd while the troupe got things set up. The show itself was quite mesmerizing. It was basically an almost vaudevillian performance of fire, dance, and sketches. Pandora Ladysmith was the emcee, with assistance from Rutherford LeStrange and Magenta. The dance was a fusion of tribal, fire and modern moves. The fire was energetic. The audience was participatory and engaged. There were comedic interactions galore. The modern Geek was one of the many freaks on display in this Steampunk flavored circus of delights. I was delighted to be spared viewing his entry in the swimsuit competition of the “Miss Sin Aesthesia Pageant.”

As with any performance troupe, there were areas of weakness as well. The sound was poorly managed, and the outdoor space made it worse. The microphones did not work, and Bunny, the bearded lady, did a wonderful rendition of “Fever” that you had to strain to hear. The person working the sound walked out halfway through the show. Some of the elements seemed a bit out of place with the theme of the production.

On the whole, though, even setting aside my bias as a friend of the cast, I have no regrets about going. It was worth 100% the sweat of an outdoor venue in September. And with that, I leave you with a few pictures. Tomorrow will detail our journey the next day to the strange and wonderful world of Fetish Falls. I bought a lovely corset with a $10 gift certificate Chris won from the Firehouse performance. If you want to check out Sin Aesthesia yourself, you can take a look at their Myspace Profile.

The Door to Sin from Sin Aesthesia Show

Peacock, Innocence & Esmeralda perform to Ludo's Love Me Dead

The Geek as a Circus Oddity on Display at Sin Aesthesia.

Quinn Dancing

Bunny Singing Fever

Tribal Sword by Velena

Innocence, Quinn, Peacock, & Esmeralda Start the Can Can

Chris winning the Door Prize- Photo by Me

Photos by Chris Seggerman. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

You just finish building a new freeway. So, what do you do with the freeway’s water retention basin? If you are the Town of Gilbert, you build a dog park there. We went to the opening of the dog park last night and it was just about the coolest water retention basin I have ever seen.

I loved the dog beach. As did the hundreds of dogs who came out. Gilbert’s park has a tot lot (most cities ban children from dog parks – Chandler) as well as the usual cool doggie features. My favorite was the dog fountain hydrant thing. Which is your favorite dog park?