Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,
 
It has been a busy few weeks… but a lot of fun too! This past weekend, Izzy & I had a booth at the Craft Lake City DIY Festival at the Utah State Fairgrounds! This is historically the largest craft fair in the state of Utah & with my wife’s amazing art still essentially new to the Beehive State, we were excited to let ‘em know about it!
 
We attended the event two years ago right after we had moved into our home… and it was pretty busy. There were lines to get in (we may have been early, I don’t remember) and hundreds of vendors of all sorts of craft from birdhouses to baked goods to quilts to watercolor paintings to jewelry to musical acts to upcycled picture frames to vinyl pressed shirts to skateboards to craft beer to tie dye and so on… along with a lot of different demonstrations by the artists & STEM students. It was a great time! Given the events of the past year or so, would it be the same?!? Let’s find out!
 
Friday was load-in day. Everybody’s routine is a little different given their situation… but for us, we load up the items in our Jeep (and in this case the Honda as well), drive to the venue early in the morning, unload our tent, tables, products & other staging items and start building our booth! A few years ago, in what we refer to as the “Year of Yes” we did between 40 & 50 shows in a year… so we’re able to set things up in less than an hour usually. We have had practice! Some pictures of the booth can be found at the bottom of this post.
 
Once we were loaded in, there were actually a few hours before the start of the show (I think other sections were loading in during that time), so we went and got some lunch before the festival opened at 5 PM & closed at 10 PM. There were some great bands & performers on the main stage (though their names escape me) and the crowd this first night was primarily vendors & people coming for the music. We still did pretty well though… so really excited for the BIG DAY TWO!!!
 
Saturday was the long day from 10 AM to 8 PM in the booth (though realistically 8 AM to 9 PM) and the temperatures were HOT!!! I was in a tie dye shirt & tie dye pajama pants… and it worked out pretty well… but we were hot. Spoiler alert: We ended up buying little four-inch fans for Sunday. As for the crowd, it wasn’t as big as 2019 obviously… but the crowd was amazing, enjoyed our stuff & seemed to have a lot of fun! The slowest part of the day was from 2 PM to 6 PM of course… because it was 100 degrees and no wind really… so I think they were hiding the building that had air conditioning. Hell, I stepped away a few times to cool down in there. Overall though, a great day, just a little sweaty.
 
Sunday was a pretty long day too from 10 AM to 6 PM in the booth, then tearing it down & driving home… but still a great crowd & a pretty good day! It didn’t seem as hot… but there was an overcast… from wildfires in the Western U.S. so the air quality was below nominal. We had our new fans at our side making the air move… and our new fans checking out Izzy’s art (see what I did there) so a great day! We even topped it off by selling our old washer & dryer for a pretty penny that night (around 11 PM). Sweet…
 
In summation, would we do Craft Lake City’s DIY Festival again? Yeah, I think so. The booth fee was pretty high for a show here in Utah based on others that we’ve done… but the crowd comes for the crafts, the venue is pretty good & well spaced out without being too distant overall, public transportation goes out there, ample parking, the vendors are amazing, the food was reasonable, heck even the beer was good!!! Shout out to SLUG Magazine & Proper Brewing for their Yacht Rock Hazy IPA & Stumblebee Honey Vienna Lager being readily available steps from our booth!
 
So what’s next for us?!? I’m glad you asked… we’ll be at an INDOOR event this Saturday, August 21st with the Utah Summer Dance Festival!!! Come check us out in the air conditioning & see some amazing performers with plenty of intermissions to refresh your drinks & check out the local vendors!!! The best part… it’s FREE TO THE PUBLIC!!! You have no excuses now!!! Come see us in the flesh!!!
 
Warmest regards,
 
Steve

Good Morning Ladies & Gentlemen,
 
Okay… where were we?
 
Day 5 – To Me, It Was a Tuesday
 
Basically I worked most of the day… and then Izzy & I watched some Olympics and went to bed early because she was driving home solo at 4 AM the next morning. I know, “Big whoop! You old! Why you going to bed before 10 PM like you a child?” Because hopefully that gets her home safely before the ravages of the Western United States ON FIRE get to her… driving solo… with me working in luxury… and gets her home before nightfall.
 
Okay, let’s talk about the Olympic Games… I’m digging some of these sports that I had never seen before, or only catch a few minutes of every four years or so.
 
Handball – Watched a game that was like… Egypt vs. France or something, and it’s basically like LaCrosse but with just your hands… and it was pretty fun. Later that day, I brought it up with a coworker… and found out that SHE WAS A PRO HANDBALL PLAYER IN FRANCE FOR OVER A DECADE!!! How did this not come up in conversation before? That’s the magic of the Olympic Games, I guess…
 
Rugby – Why isn’t this on television more? Why doesn’t America get in on this? I was watching Fiji vs. Argentina and who knew they built Fijians like this?!? Now, from what I can tell about the sport… is it’s basically like American Football… but with a somehow goofier oblong ball… and guess basically run the triple option with laterals while a gang of dudes are tackling them… but when they’re tackled, that’s just the beginning because they’ll either get the ball ripped from their hands, or they toss it to a teammate who starts running from a mob the other way… and they’re all built like brick outhouses with the only padding being like a nice cotton polo shirt and sensible shoes. I was entranced at how simple a game it was… and yet still gripping. I understand that New Zealand is the other big country in this sport but… never would I have guessed that a man’s man sport like this would come down to Fiji vs. New Zealand in the gold medal game. Kudos to you islands in the South Pacific! I hope to visit soon!
 
Table Tennis – Normally watching two guys play table tennis is… mediocre at best. However, you get people who have dedicated their lives to… essentially a child’s game… my friend, you are about to see some intense competition with hand-eye coordination that we mere mortals cannot understand completely. It’s like they can see two seconds into the future like Nic Cage in “Next”! Hmm… I smell a sequel to that movie… which if you heard our podcast about it… the movie didn’t even really have an ending, so a sequel would be a satisfying ending! Oh also, SPOILER ALERT: Chinese players win something like 90% of the medals all time in this event.
 
Bonus Tip: Added division for this sport… Just add alcohol! After each game, the competitors take a shot of the preferred spirit of their homeland (must be at least 35% ABV) so that by the time you get into the later matches of this Best-of-7 series, then you find out who the real endurance athlete with superior coordination is…
 
Dressage – Do you want to watch a 56-year old man ride a dancing horse around a stadium to Men Without Hats?!? There’s an Olympic sport for that!!!
 
3x3 Basketball – I had no idea this was an Olympic sport… and I dug it! One morning I watched the men’s & women’s bronze & gold medal games, which took like 30 minutes tops each because it’s a non-stop, ten-minutes on the clock, race to 21 points with 1-2 point baskets or highest at the end of 10 minutes wins! Teams of four, three in at a time, everybody is basically a mix of a ballhandler, defender, post up & long-range shooter for maximum strategy & versatility… I mean, as a lifelong fan of basketball, it was sweet to watch! There’s just one thing though…
 
Oh first off, the USA women’s team was fantastic! I knew all four players on the team including multi-national championship winners & lottery picks from the WNBA Draft who I guess just didn’t make it to the 5x5 Team USA, including #1 pick of the 2017 WNBA Draft, Kelsey Plum!!! They took home the gold in a great match! Kudos to them!
 
There was the men’s games though… but no Team USA?!? It was teams like Belgium, Latvia, ROC (no not Roc La Familia, but apparently that’s what Russia is going by this time) & Serbia… but no USA?!? Most of the players in these games were between 6’3” & 6’8”, good all-around players who shoot, defend, are quick & agile yet strong on the block… but where’s the 3x3 team of like… Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis & LeBron James who are 6-12 inches taller, stronger, faster, etc? I know it’s a different game from what they’re used to but… even if it’s three randoms from the league who worked together for a month or two leading up to the Olympics… GOLD!!! How long do you think the WNBA alums worked together? A week? Because they’re already familiar with the concept of a team sport? Anyway, get on it guys… there’s gold in them thar hills for 2024.
 
Simone Biles – Congratulations to her!!! She’s already the GOAT & to take a stand on the highest stage to show that athletes are human beings with issues & not indentured servants to the masses at any cost is quite remarkable. There are others who are all “But she was representing ‘merica!” and yes, she was representing her country… in a game. She’s already won gold medals with broken bones, immense pain, being a part of a predatory gymnastics training facility AND being the f**king face on EVERY SINGLE AD FOR THE OLYMPICS THAT HAD TO BE PUSHED BACK BECAUSE MAYBE A GLOBAL PANDEMIC ISN’T THE BEST SETTING FOR IT!!! It’s a lot of pressure… for a game. Be like Simone… and chill out, get your mind right!
 
I’m curious… Did you step up to fill her spot on the gymnastics team? Nah, somebody else who has dedicated their life into honing an athletic craft subbed in for her so that they could live out their dream… while Simone took a very important step in securing her health & safety for years to come, when you’ll have moved on to the next whatever. It’s fantastic! I want more athletes to be able to transition to other things! I don’t like stories of them ending up like pro wrestlers pushed to the brink of insanity with crippled bodies & home lives. Enough of that! Kudos to Simone & the growing number of athletes who are realizing this simple fact – You are a human being… and you only get one go-around in this life!
 
Little Countries Done Good – Gold medals going to countries like Bermuda, the Philippines, even stories like Great Britain getting their first swimming gold since 1908 are what the games are all about to me. Sure, USA all damn day… but I like underdogs too… like the Jamaican bobsled team or someone who trains in a glorified storage unit to become a medal winning shot-putter or something… bring it on!
 
Day 6 – Fu** The Police
 
So yeah, as planned, Izzy left early for the drive home… and by the time I got into work & she was already past Reno… the Nevada Highway Patrol had given her a ticket for allegedly going 3 MPH over the limit & costing the out-of-state driver $193 plus processing fees. Was she speeding? Probably not… and let’s face it, you in f**king Nevada… your whole state is a salt flat only good for testing top speeds… so going with the flow of traffic & getting pulled over because you’re a lovely woman in a red Jeep with Utah plates because “you can come back in 5-14 days to contest it & I’ll just say that you were speeding and you have no recourse” is a pretty horrible way to live. Thankfully you go home and masturbate ferociously into a cup of your own tears, ya punk ass pig!
 
Aside from that, she made it home safe & sound! Kinda missing her already… but now I can starfish on the bed, so there’s that!
 
Anyway, more Olympics to watch… and Basketball Christmas!!! What’s that? Find out next time!!!
 
In accordance with Megan’s Law,
 
Steve

Good Morning Ladies & Gentlemen,
 
Okay… where were we?
 
Day 4 – Back in the Bay
 
Our first full day back in San Francisco had me working most of the day at the home base for the first time since last March… and obviously a lot has changed since then… but it was great to see so many people again! Working from home has been amazing, don’t get me wrong… but it’s completely different to be in the office with everyone, keeping up with their lives, sharing laughs, all that then when you’re even doing it over email or text. I think it’s the smiling faces… and the hugs, but more on that later.
 
Izzy was able to spend the day with her friend & fellow UniqueCorn Katie!!! I’m sure she’ll go more into that on her blog (insert plug for UntidyVenus) but I got to see her for a little bit after work, and then we went to Elevation 66 Brewing to meet up with some more friends. Now, for those of you who don’t know, Elevation 66 Brewing is an amazing microbrewery in El Cerrito (by SF not LA) which has incredible fine dining at affordable prices & fantastic beer! Highest of recommendations! This is also where Izzy & I had our first date, where we spent many an early mornings brewing with the owner Big D & assistant brewer at the time Big Ben, where we studied a lot for our BJCP sensory certification, and where I eventually proposed to Izzy a little over five years ago… so there’s some great history there for us.
 
We met up with Big Ben & his family, as well as Diana & Ryan from Happily Ever Aftermath… and just had an amazing dinner & drinks catching up! We made vows to keep in touch more often & shamelessly plugged Utah as their next vacation destination… but now, I thought I’d get into the Life Tips portion of the blog, as I share my tips on something that I haven’t always been the best at… Hugging!!!
 
How to Hug:
 
Okay, I start off with a brief history of my hugging habits & expertise. My father was a great hugger, as is my mother, so it’s in my genetic coding. However, another thing in my genetic coding is being 6’8” (two meters) tall and have been for quite some time… so there’s general awkwardness with that, as well as just being a teenager who didn’t know any better, so there was a learning curve. In my early 20s, there was also a coworker of mine who was known as “a great hugger” like it was one of the first things people noticed or brought up about him. It was quite remarkable… and so I was curious… and he shared some wisdom with me on the subject as well. Here are a few of the key things to keep in mind.
 
The Mindset – Look, not everybody wants to hug. Heck, you might not want to hug. If so, there’s absolutely no problem with that… entire cultures bow instead of hug, and they’re still super cool & respectful. Ninjas don’t hug. Neither did dinosaurs. You can still be cool & not hug. This tutorial is for those who maybe feel a little awkward when it comes to hugging, or are just a little self-conscious about it. You’ll know how ready you are to “dive on in there” and do it. If not, please feel free to bow, curtsy, nod, shake hands, elbow bump, vogue, whatever you’re comfortable with. If you’re going to in though… be confident about it… but respectful.
 
The Approach – This is very important, because this is where you’ll read through body language whether the person is interested in a hug. Obviously if they come out with arms stretched saying “gimme some love, you bastard” or something then it’s easy to tell that they want to hug. However there are some stigmas out there, and especially if you’re meeting somebody for the first time, it’s not a given. So how do you know?
 
Well… one thing I like to do… is when you’re approaching, you put both hands out showing slightly to the palms at about waste level… just to show that you’re open to the idea of a hug, but if they put their hand out for a shake, then your right hand is there ready to give that quick, firm shake. However, it’s also a gesture similar to when you’ve asked a girl to dance… just a simple gesture, showing that you’re open & vulnerable, but you won’t be offended if they start laughing & their friends join in scarring your gentle teenage psyche for decades to come. (smacks self) Sorry, don’t know what happened there. Yeah, a simple gesture that they will either reciprocate with the single hand for a hand shake… or both hands in a similar expanse implying they’re ready for engagement… or a single hand for the shake, then pulling you in for the bro hug format… but you have the handshake there in between to… I don’t know, probably make sure you don’t accidentally touch tips or something… but also an effective showing of affection.
 
The Actual Hug – Okay, you probably knew most of this stuff beforehand… but now we’re getting into the gritty. How do you give a good hug?
 
Step 1 – Don’t be afraid – Easier said than done, but chances are if you want to hug a person, you want to hug a person.
 
Step 2 – Don’t just jump in there, take your time! – If you’re reading this, you’re okay with observing the situation, reading the room, and lord knows if you both just jump in there then somebody could lose a tooth. As a tall man, I make the effort to come down the foot or so to meet at shoulder level. Timing is key so that you don’t come down with a shoulder rush as they’re jumping up to meet you and it ends up looking like some weird wrestling bump. Personally, I start coming down when they’re about six feet out, slow & steady, no injuries.
 
Step 3 – Positioning – Now, this can get a little awkward if you don’t know somebody or even acquaintance level. Now if one of you is taller than the other, it’s natural to think that short goes low with the arms & tall goes high… but that’s a quick way to the lover’s embrace & you may not be there in the relationship. So the obvious & easy thing to remember is Right Arm High! If you both go in Right Arm High, there’s minimal fidgeting & awkward things going on, no incidental bumping or grinding, and when the hug is complete, you just got the right cheek to right cheek facial touch instead of direct facial contact whether by kissing or face-butting. Quick, easy, simple… Right Arm High!!!
 
Step 4 – Take a moment, realize the moment, savor the moment – Now, how long does the hug last? A second per year you’ve been apart is probably good. Haven’t seen that person since the pandemic started? Give it a good few seconds. You’ll sense when they’ve had enough after that. Seeing your long-lost mother? Okay, take a quick 15-seconds. Unless it’s something like that, about a second is probably good.
 
Step 5 – Pressure – Go ahead and give it some pressure. Don’t break anybody’s back or neck or anything, but good second of high & tight squeezing shows that you appreciate the moment. It’s like saying “Hey, this is a hug… and I’m enjoying it. Hopefully you are too.” Which then heads me to another very important tip.
 
Step 6 – Don’t be a creeper – Ladies, can I talk to the guys for just a moment? Thank you. Gentlemen, especially the younger hormone-driven gentlemen out there, I know you’re probably reading through this information and taking notes about how you’re going to finally cop that feel on a cheerleader or something… and look, I know it’s hard (like all the time) but relaaaaax. Look, you get the reputation of being a “great hugger” then it may be implied that you’re also a “great fugger”. Now do I have your attention? Hear me out. You don’t go in there all grabby & awkward & “oops, I don’t know how my awkward face ended up there” because that’ll be THE LAST TIME they let your Axe Body Spray smellin’ ass near them… and word may get around… IF they even care to spread word about you. Now, alternatively, since you’re a smelly teenager, maybe each morning you take a light dabble of something cool & manly… I recommend Bvlgari Blue. It’s clean, crisp, but manly… and surprisingly affordable for what the name implies. How? BECAUSE YOU DON’T NEED A LOT!!! When the opportunity arises, casually use the tips that I’ve been giving above… and when they realize that you know what you’re doing… this is when you get REPEAT hugs in the future. They’ll think “Oh man, Dakota didn’t sweat all over me nervously & rub up against me when he hugged me the other day! He’s a real gentleman! I wonder if he’d make a good boyfriend!” Seriously, that’s all it takes apparently nowadays… because most teenagers seem to be trash. You don’t want to be trash, do you? So you get the reputation of being a good hugger… and the ladies want more hugs in the future. Willingly. Heck, they’ll be longing for the moment they see you next so that they can get some of that sweet, sweet huggin’ on their bodies. True story. BUT the way to keep it that way… is to not be a creeper and hug for that extra second or two where it gets awkward… read the room & let her lead the way. You’re welcome. Now just name your first bastard Steve.
 
Okay ladies, you can come back now! Where were we? Oh that’s right, remember guys, nothing but respect for their minds & always listen to their feelings! Well, I guess that about does it. If you have any further questions about hugging, definitely feel free to hit me up in those DMs on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @EILFMovies and feel free to share your stories… or if you have any insider tips on what makes a great hugger.
 
Until next time, keep it safe out there & enjoy the moment!
 
Steve

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,
 
So this blog thing… still not sure what you’d like to see her besides nudes, so in the meantime… we went on an adventure!
 
Day 1 – Drive Into Hell!!!
 
Okay, that’s overly dramatic, but Izzy & I were on a mission… to go visit her father for his 75th Birthday Bash! The catch is that he lives two Western states away and the Western United States is apparently catching up to Global Warming being a myth or something because it is HOT. Record HOT!!! We love to road trip. If you’re ever curious what a road trip with us is like… just listen to our podcast… for 8-12 hours. It’s amazing!!! We’ll see signs along the way, crack a few jokes, talk about ideas for new art & products, the next billion dollar enterprise that’ll catapult us to Rocket-Into-Space-In-A-Metal-Cock status and then… see BM on the side of a mountain, laugh hysterically & forget it all by the next time we gas up. We should start recording our discoveries… but that’s another time…
 
Here are some tips for a road trip:
 
Beverages – Pack a lot of water! Especially if you’re driving across Nevada & Utah like we were this trip. I’m not going to lie & say that we didn’t pick up beverages every other stop for something nice & cool… but having water in an insulated thermos is definitely good for breaking up the sweating. Added bonus: ZERO calories. You’re welcome. Now you can feel better about the one-liters of Mountain Dew you had for your morning coffee.
 
Food – You’ll definitely want to bring some snacks too. Try to make them healthy too. Let’s face it, the road trip diet of stopping at fast food places for burgers, burritos & deep fried cheese makes truckers out of all of us… so break it up with some nuts, maybe a protein bar to replace a meal you’re not really hungry for, or my personal favorite… dates! If you have dates at your disposal, they make for a great filling & delicious snack. Added bonus: With some real fruit in your system, you might be able to pass that triple meat breakfast in a timely manner, shaving minutes off your drive time with every movement.
 
Packing – We pack light. I know it’s not for everybody, especially families where children apparently need their own fully functioning entertainment system to not be absolute a-holes. However, for the two of us, we typically are able to keep all our clothes for a week or so, along with snacks & such, in a backpack. I also brought a suit bag because this was a work trip & they like me dressing pretty… but it can be hidden under an airplane seat, so barely noticeable. I’ll see if Izzy over at UntidyVenus can give you her full breakdown on how to fold clothes best & other little cheats, but packing light is just easier to move in & out of the vehicle when needs be too.
 
Entertainment – Obviously the best way to keep everyone entertained is to listen to the podcast Everything I Learned From Movies on your favorite podcatcher… but let’s say you have children in the vehicle that you’re trying to keep away from foul language, or you just don’t enjoy quantity & quality podcasting about movies. In that case, I would recommend a mild sedative for the children, as they’re just going to complain the whole time anyway & you obviously long to keep them away from the real world… and for yourself, perhaps another podcast, or a favorite album or two from back in the day. Yeah, let’s the kids know that you f**ked with DMX in the late 90s. That way when you’re judging their musical choices in a few years, you can always bring it back on them.
 
So yeah… we woke up early, left around 6 AM Mountain time, drove a lot, with stops along the way for breakfast in Tooele, lunch in Battle Mountain, and then a nice early dinner at Great Basin Brewing in Reno, Nevada. We had been here before a few times & always enjoyed their beers (Icky IPA & Wild Horse Amber are definitely worth trying out). The food typically isn’t bad either & this time we split a pulled pork sandwich & a Chicken Caesar Salad (again, putting in a little salad between your fast food fiascos will help you from getting those bubble guts later.
 
We then checked into our hotel, Aloft near the Reno-Tahoe Airport… and it totally plays into the old casino chic kind of style. There are some pictures below…
 
Slept like babies with the AC maxed out all night…
 
Day 2 – Further into the Pits
 
Did I forget to mention that there was a wildfire near Reno & the air quality was a half-step above turkey smoker? Okay, that was kind of important to leave out. It has become such an everyday thing in the summer months that it completely slipped my mind. Anyway, so with that in mind, we woke up late, loaded up on Jack in the Box (wouldn’t recommend it but we had forgotten after two years without it) for breakfast, and headed towards the Sacramento area to check into our hotel before it hit triple digits (didn’t work because it was there by around 10 AM) & then off to see Izzy’s family at her dad’s sugar mama’s gated-community home. I’ve heard a lot of non-flattering stories about Izzy’s father over the years… but luckily have only met him a handful of times in the decade we’ve been together. I mean… luckily he had other dinner plans the day of our wedding, so he had to leave after ten minutes. No complaints on that. However, I had never really got to witness him surrounded by his family & friends and… man, I see where he gets it from & I’m glad that Izzy is nothing like him.
 
That being said, the party went VERY well. He made burgers that nobody got sick from, everybody was pleasant even when fighting for the attention of everyone around them, family drama was brought up anew in a potential effort to underhandedly start a commotion but… alas, no fighting! I got to catch up with my father-in-law’s sugar mama for the first time in about five years & she’s a sweetheart. Her twin sister was there too & equally sweet! No idea what she sees in him but… hey, I’m sure there’s some sort of trauma there I don’t want to delve into. We also got to see Izzy’s nephew & she gave him a rubber band gun to play with. It was a nice three-hours or so of watching a very interesting family dynamic play out… but with no explosion of emotion… at least before we decided to be the first ones to leave & open up the flood gates.
 
Bonus Tip: Never be afraid to be the first person to leave a party! Now I’m not saying be a dick about it or anything… but you know when the party’s starting to wind down, or the host & their rival are reaching that tipping point with their alcohol consumption & things are about to get weird… and when that point comes, everyone else can feel it too! Look at it as you doing them a favor… because they don’t want to be the first to leave. They don’t have the courage that you do! Be bold! Help them to leave before it’s too late! Heck, if you want, leave the party and just wait in your car for five minutes to watch more than half the party follow in your footsteps, and exchange knowing nods with one another.
 
So yeah, back to the hotel to sleep. The air quality was much better in Sacramento… but still not great… and still hot as balls… plus humidity. I guess that’s why they call it Old Sac.
 
Day 3 – Light at the end of the Tunnel
 
We met up with Izzy’s best friends (and frankly mine too) for lunch at Lazy Dog’s where we ate some chilequilas & had a beer (recommend both) but mostly caught up with our friends that we hadn’t seen in two years! They were originally getting married during the pandemic… but that happen… oh they still got married, but not the big princess wedding that was originally planned. Coming soon though. They’ve also been looking into moving to Colorado for some time… but again, things got pushed back because of world events. I won’t lie… I feel absolutely blessed that we moved when we did. It was a pain in the ass two years ago, it’d been 10x worse just six months later. I guess what I’m saying is… no time like the present to go towards your goals!!!
 
After catching up more at their new temporary house (fantastic by the way), we made our way westward to the last bastion of weather decency… the San Francisco Bay Area! We were meeting up with some other friends at a new restaurant location… but first… Sunday afternoon traffic from Sacramento to San Francisco… over 100 degrees… but luckily, it wasn’t as bad as we’ve seen… and when it was all over… we were sitting on the 65 degree coastline of Richmond, California at Black Star Pirate Barbeque!!!
 
Black Star Pirate BBQ is an incredible experience!!! First off, it’s barbecue… so you order your tri tip, brisket, ribs,  pulled pork, lamb, mac & cheese, baked beans, cheesy grits, beers, wine, whatever as you walk in… sit down… enjoy live music… overlooking the bay at a secluded sailboat slip… and just have a hell of a lot of fun surrounded by eccentric art pieces, fun & attentive staff, and hang with your friends. There are some pictures below too…
 
After dinner & some wandering around the grounds at sunset, we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge into the first FOG that we had seen in YEARS!!! I hadn’t seen fog like this in probably the last four years… two of which I was still living in the SF Bay area… but it was magnificent, if not a little white-knuckle driving… but worth it!!! We then checked into our hotel for the next week while I worked & Izzy played (hehehe) but that’s… another entry!!!
 
Until next time, check out the podcast & if you’re already subscribing, tell a friend, set it up on your mom’s cell phone the next time she needs help with something, whatever it takes, get us into your loved ones earholes! Also, if you need a little art in your life, check out UntidyVenus.Etsy.com for some amazing art by my lovely wife (and occasionally me)!
 
As foretold in the Prophecy,
 
Steve