The weather's awesome, and there's tons of cool stuff going on this weekend. Prime time to get out and socialize, especially if you live in the heat of an old rowhouse with no central AC as many of us do. Friday check out Dan Deacon at 9 p.m. at Sonar as part of the usual Taxlo thing.

"Sex and the City" comes out this weekend, which better be better than the flabby "Indiana Jones IV." There are parties and fundraisers galore to get people in the door, watching the movie, swigging cosmos and spending money. Or you can just do what I'll probably do and watch it at the theater. I try to not watch things like this, but they put cocaine in the episodes, I swear.

The Sidebar will put on Curtfest again this Saturday with performances from Thee Lexington Arrows, Geisha Lightening and Blondsai (the band's final offering).

There might still be tickets to that tattoo thing at the BMA for Saturday, too. It sounds pretty rad. I might take a tour of some downtown condos to be aghast at the human warehouse people pay millions to block our view of the harbor with, or, um, just see a cool view. I want to go see the new Bromo Seltzer Tower, which opens this week, but you know...N.Y.C. is calling my name.

All this plus the Charles Village parade on Saturday...I know, I know, you can't read sarcasm.  

It's Memorial Day weekend, and I hope you're enjoying it. I'm in fabulous downtown Dewey, DE...wow, it ain't Monte Carlo, but it'll do pig, it'll do. It never fails to amaze me how jubilant everyone is on a holiday weekend dedicated to the dead. If you give someone one day off of work or school, you could probably remove one of his limbs and he'll still love you. If you're in town, I hope you're having a good one. Anyone making it to the Sowebo fest?

The week ahead seems promising, with Rock Band parties (I will not fail you bandmates), and Curtfest Part II at the Sidebar featuring Thee Lexington Arrows, Blondsai's last show and Geisha Lightening and the tattoo extravaganza at the BMA on Saturday.

Plus, Sunday Defekto's throwing a birthday party for his boyfriend. I know it seems like just a birthday party, but these people are a twisted and fun bunch, so I'm sure it will be the weirdest and best bbq I've ever been to.

Does anyone want to come have me serve them a drink at the Windup Space? I'm there this weekend if you feel like stopping in...can you tell I get lonely? lolz

Dizzy Issie's is closed....why??? I love the food there, and they started to get their act together, though admittedly the upstairs service is appalling, but someone please tell me all hope's not lost and the one of like two decent places in that neighborhood isn't dead.

Pygmy, Convocation, Gunna Vahm and someone called "Turboslut," YES! are playing at the new Talking Head tonight, which might be worth checking out even if they are under construction still as it's now inside Sonar. Think Zoolander, "The Talking Head is IN Sonar?" Friday through Sunday Sonar's also hosting Deathfest IV, which is always a hilarious parking-lot people-watching adventure if nothing else. The dude from Mountain Goats goes every year apparently which is and isn't really, really weird when you think about his music.  

Friday is Oxter, DJ Dubble8 and Your Daddy's Tiro at Joe Squared, an eclectic night for sure. When is it not eclectic in Joe's though? Something a dear music ed recently missed when ripping it to shreds for not being cool enough...(small rant follows, disregard and skip forward if you don't care). I mean, there are different kinds of cool, no? I don't like reggae as I may have mentioned before, but I don't think that people who listen to it suck, well kind of, but that's not the point. I'm just saying live and let live. Isn't it annoying how Whitey McVampire Weekend made African music cool again though? I'm hatin', sorry.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!! SOWEBO Arts and Music Fest. It's just awesome & around the Hollins Street Market in, guess where, SOuth WEst BaltimOre? It's from 12 to 9 p.m., so there's plenty of time to go check out the artsy crowd you missed if you didn't hit Pow Wow. Or if you're kind of boring, go see that actor from MASH (Mike Farrell) talk about his new book at the Library...lame.

My adventure in bartending turned out to be a crash course. It was sooo busy, which is great for business at the Windup Space, but bad if you were there Friday and wanted a Tom Collins because I don't know what's in that, ok? FYI, people have already been banned for drug use after opening night...I heart Baltimore^_^ But the good news is that most of the photographers who are showing there at my July 11th show Fourth Wall showed up to check out the digs, yeah.

Saturday I went to bed at 4 a.m. sober and sore from bartending, which is like watching people eat when you're starving, just mean. The next day, the famous brunch at Miss Shirley's consoled me though. Although if you hate bland, I wouldn't recommend the veggie stack which feels a little like they sucked all the fun out of eggs Benedict. I guess I could google it, but does anyone know why it's called that? Pals, please refrain form posting justfuckinggoogleit.com links...thanks.

Also Saturday, my friends over the age of thirty went to Preakness for the first time and came back as expected, scarred, disappointed and sunburned. And Speed Racer at the Charles was apparently awesome, but I yet again slept through it.

Sunday was another rainy one, and an impromptu dinner party attracted so many people, I had to go get more food, which I attribute to the bad weather. Plus the best thing to do Sunday was a burlesque show at The Ottobar and a Lithuanian festival. I drank vyritas anyhow.

Looking forward to the holiday weekend?

Anyone see that the BMA's having a tattoo show next weekend? They are so getting cool. They must need to get some butts in the seats and the Cone Sisters aren't cutting it anymore.  

Swing by the Windup Space Friday to hang out with me while I try my hand at bartending. Or go check out Tiger Army and their psychobilly at the Ottobar. Also at the Ottobar Sunday is a big burlesque show if you're into that scene.  

Saturday Michael Kimball (my neighbor and famous novelist, though I don't know exactly where he lives, yet) is having another installment of the 510 Readings (Baltimore's only dedicated fiction reading series) on Saturday, featuring writing by Geoff Herbach, John Rowell, Betsy Boyd, Adam Robinson.
The event is at Minas at 5 p.m. Plus Friday, John is going to be on WYPR's The Signal if you want a preview and you're not one of the people boycotting YPR.  

Caleb Stine and the Brakemen are having their CD release party at the 8x10 Saturday if you're down for some bluegrass-esque tunes. And despite my scathing review of Preakness, my friend Eric invited me, so I might actually go, but it's unlikely unless I'm bored or drunk and the weather's irresistible.

Sonar has Black Kids (the band, k?), Cut/Copy and Ponytail Saturday, as well.

The Bromo-Seltzer Tower (one of the coolest buildings in Baltimore really) is opening soon as an art space and cafe (June 5th), so something to look forward to.

Saturday’s Squidfire Art Mart by the Monument seemed like a success despite that it was a little cold and rainy. There were definitely fewer vendors than I thought there’d be, but that may be because they got chased away by the weather. There were still plenty of stands selling unique prints on tiny Ts (although they may not be unique for long the way they were selling). My new one is just tentacles, tentacles all over…need I say more?   

On the way to the drive-in, my key to a local art market was stolen by ponytailed glassblowers, a.k.a. hippies. Flippin' hippies. Iron Man was pretty awesome at Bengie’s though from what I saw of it before passing out in the car. I’m pretty sure they put sleeping pills in the soda there as most people fogging up their windows seemed to be asleep, in food comas and not making out. How sad. 

Sunday’s brunch at the Ambassador was a long one and filled with mimosa, just the way Mother’s Day should be: Mom free. Indian food and pour your own champagne tastes a hell of lot better than guilt-trip frittata, no? 

This week kicks off with local fave the Death Set at Sonar. Very down to earth, yet high-energy, rad shows if you’re feeling a “I don’t give a crap it’s Monday, I’m going out dancing” kind of mood.  

Friday we’re opening up the Windup Space to hopefully not too many people since I don’t know how to use the cash register or bartend, and I’m apparently only one of two people manning the giant bar. But I shall come through unscathed. Please feel free to stop by to heckle me. Or you can go see Tiger Army at the Ottobar. I mean a funky psycho-billy band or me dropping drinks? An obvious choice. Also on Friday, Wye Oak is gracing the Metro with their presence.  

Saturday’s Preakness, so if you’re anything like me, you’ll stay clear of that part of town and hope you don’t run into any of the in-fielders on their drunken way home. I went one year in college as a rite of passage. It was the year one of the drunk assholes who regularly attend the event jumped the fence and tried to punch one of the horses in the face. I love Baltimore. I may be biased because I got a third-degree sunburn that year. Ouch! 

Indie darlings one and all Black Kids, Ponytail and Cut/Copy are playing Sonar Saturday. Should be a decent night of Sonar showing you why Baltimore’s the world’s newest underground music sweetheart.    

Everyone hear that the Talking Head is moving into Sonar’s lounge…strange, right?

Has anyone ever been to Jack's and had their Fritz?? It's only the best cocktail I've had in forever, and it beats the hell out of their overly talked about chocolate mac'n'cheese. It has elderberry juice and champagne and other stuff (maybe a splash of heaven?) that makes it really refreshing, but not in a pansy sort of way. I don't really know what an elderberry looks like, but certain varieties can kill you. This one didn't, so we're good.

Friday Flight of the Conchords is in D.C. at Lisner Auditorium, but let's face it, we don't have tickets. I know some people who got them early, and I hope they die soon so I can go...jk.

Saturday there's a spring art mart around the Monument that you should check out because it's put on by the Squidfire people who make kick-ass T-shirts and cool stuff in general. Great gifts for Mom, if Mom loves brightly colored shirts with cute monsters on them.

The Thrushes are also having their CD release party Saturday at the Metro, a very cool band at a cool locale. Speaking of cool new locales in Station North Arts, the Windup Space is having a soft opening on May 16th so come watch me attempt to bartend..."cape cod? oh you mean Natty Boh can, sure."

Sunday is the fake holiday, Mother's Day. My Mom lives in NV, so I'm off the hook except for phone calls and flowers...The bf's moms is here though, so guess that's what I'm doing. Although I supposedly have a date with a friend to eat at the Ambassador (best brunch eva, Indian and traditional brunch buffet)...yeah, get fat Momma!  

It never fails to amaze me that Mobtown seems to need to have everything going on in one weekend. Every year, the first week in May is the weekend that kicks off the summer, but it can be frustrating because you'd like to do more than one thing. Course there's things like the Flower Mart at the base of the Monument in Mt. Vernon that you can pretty much just skip because it's for old people, and you can see flowers in the ground or on your grave when you're dead, right? (I say this acknowledging that I recently blogged about the tulips, but they're like Salinger, elusive and worth checking out cause they only come out for a bit).

I think you can skip the Kinetic Sculpture Race, too, if you've seen it before...fun of the goofy sort you only need to see once really.

The Maryland Film Fest and Metro's own version (Videopolis, where they showed some of the 48 Hour Film Fest, too) were kicking, with the hippies taking over the parking lot across from the Charles outside for the free screening of "Yellow Submarine" Friday night. Wonder what portion of the crowd was baked out of their minds??

Saturday's CCRG season opener at Du Burns Arena in Canton was hot, but we did get at least a thousand people in there I'm willing to bet despite this. Why the hell does the Du in Du Burns Arena have quotation marks around it? Can someone tell me how someone gets a nickname like "du"? WTF is that supposed to mean? Was the guy part cat or something?

Anyhow...I'm looking for a boat friend now that the weather's nice, so if someone out there owns a working boat that they want to take me out on (and, of course, you're not a serial killer or generally creepy), please do hit me up.