Billboards are cheap, right?

Enter the grammar nazi once again.

We're driving home from a great weekend of fishing and hanging out in Ennis, Montana, and what do we see?  No fewer than 5 billboards for Young Kia, a car dealership in Kaysville containing a textbook grammar offense. I am seriously dumbfounded that companies will pay tons of money for someone to create them an ad, buy billboard space, print and post a huge billboard WITHOUT HIRING SOMEONE TO CHECK IT FOR CORRECT GRAMMAR.

Dear businesses: I will do this for you! For a very minimal cost!  Maybe even for free!  It's worth it for me to not have to see these atrocities on our streets and highways.  Who will think of the children?  Carly will, that's who.

My anger towards Young Kia had cooled slightly, but then today, while innocently watching a video on YouTube, what ad do you think popped up on my sidebar?

That's right.  Young Kia in Kaysville.  With the INDUSTRIES best warranty.  Really?  The fashion industry, the fast food industry, the steel manufacturing industry, the medical supplies indudstry....none of these have a better warranty than Young Kia, people.  And even if that's what they were trying to convey, their punctuation STILL would've been incorrect.  Let's break this down:

• INDUSTRIES' BEST WARRANTY:  The best warranty belonging to multiple industries
• INDUSTRY'S BEST WARRANTY: The best warranty in their industry (what they meant to say)
• INDUSTRIES BEST WARRANTY:  Doesn't even mean ANYTHING (what they did say)

The making of a masterpiece

If you've ever wondered what goes into creating a 6-foot tall graffiti painting, look no further than the above video.  My Mason was asked by the Utah Arts Festival to create a piece to coincide with the launch of their new logo / look.  Of course, he went above and beyond and created not only the 6-foot piece, but also the time lapse video showing the whole process.

Come see the original painting in all its glory at the Festival--June 23-26th in downtown Salt Lake City @ Library Square.  Mason will be at the URBAN ART YARD painting, helping kids paint, and displaying his latest works.

The hiatus is back off again

Rather than bore you with the whole "I haven't posted in so long!" post, I'll just cut right to the chase:  Lazy Bombay has been both busy and idle, but for good reason.  I'm pregnant!  Yep.  "Fo shiz up the spout," to quote our good friend Juno.  Mason and I waited a long time to take this incredibly big leap, so I'm half-serious when I say: I think we're ready for this.  We're so ready to meet our son.  We can't wait to chill with the little dude.  Nevermind that little thing called LABOR that has to happen before we can meet him. Let's just skip riiiiiiight over that part.

I'm due July 30 and I'm currently 32 weeks along.  That's 8 months.  8 MONTHS.  Don't let anyone tell you that women are pregnant for 9 months, because it just ain't true.  Women are pregnant for 10 months - 40 weeks - 280 days.  So even though I'm 8 months along, I still have almost 2 months to go.  I knock on wood very loudly and repeatedly when I say that this has been an easy pregnancy, but it really has.  I know these last 8 weeks will be the toughest, as my rapidly expanding abdomen only continues to do so (at an exponential rate), but I'm reaalllllly excited for this last phase.  Up until now, I haven't really even felt that pregnant.  I didn't vom a lot, I haven't been uncomfortable, and I've been working and camping and staying as active as I would be sans-belly.  However; there has been more going to bed early, and falling asleep mid-movie.  And there has been a lot more ice cream.

Here are the first couple of pictures of Lil Fetz:

Here's our first prego camp trip to Gunlock Reservoir:

And our latest camp trip--the annual trek to Crack Canyon (or The Old Door as we like to call it, for obvious reasons):

Of course, the pregnant lady should have the gun.  That's what I thought.

I seriously do NOT want this to turn into a pregnancy/baby/mommy blog, so I'll try to switch up the posting, but let's be honest--I might have certain things on my mind.

One night, two shows, musical bliss...



I'm on such a musical high right now.  Friday night, the stars aligned and sent me to two of the best shows I've seen in awhile.  First was fun. (for FREE) at the U of U's annual Redfest. I've long admired fun.'s frontman, Nate Ruess, for his live performance in his old band The Format. But this new endeavor has taken his songwriting to new heights, in my humble opinion. 

I've always said that I wanted to write a Broadway musical with Nate.  His songs have a whimsical quality, they tell a story, they lend themselves well to choreography, orchestration, gospel choir accompaniment, and they're full of theatrical pauses and climaxes.  Seeing him live on stage again totally re-ignited that little flame in the back of my head, and I tell ya, if I ever get around to writing that musical, he'll be one of the first that I send my script to.

The show itself was pretty fun (hahaah, I'm punny), but I was a little peeved at their setlist, as they left off two of my favorites: "Be Calm" and "Benson Hedges." However, they are coming to Utah again next month, so I'll give them a chance to right those wrongs.  I must admit that I felt a little old in the crowd, which sadly has been happening more and more at shows lately, but alas, I pressed onward!  I made it to the second row and befriended two 18 year-olds, and we jumped around and sang to each other for the duration of the set, as the sun set behind the stage. 

After a quick stop at Cafe Rio to refuel, we were off to show #2, Stephen Kellog & The Sixers at The State Room. I've never seen Stephen live, but when I saw a mandolin, accordion, slide guitar, and tuba on stage, I knew we were in for a treat of the country/folk/bluegrass flavor. Yummy.

Because my husband wears a bandana every day, like his Grandpa taught him, I of course noticed that all four bandmates were rocking a classic red bandana the moment they took the stage.  Pay attention to that detail, it will come into play later.

Stephen is so dreamy.  He's happily married and so am I, so I can safely say that it's a music-only crush, but I really did crush on him quite hard throughout the set.  His voice has a tonal quality that cuts straight to your heart and you just can't wait to hear what he's going to sing about next:  his daughter, his brother, a wild night at the bar, the whiskey on his breath, etc. You can understand each and every word he sings, and he delivers each one with his whole soul.

Their set was varied, energetic, soulful, and each member mastered more than one instrument.  It was pretty much musical (instrument) chairs....and I LOVE a band that can show their prowess in that way.  After their encore, they came back out on stage and tossed their red bandanas out into the crowd.  See, I told you it would come back into play.  Guess who caught one??  That's right!  Boo yah!

All in all, I left both shows feeling inspired.  Fed.  Uplifted. So let's hope all of that actually finds an outlet.  Today--I'm grateful for music.

Sampling summer before it's over....

Kiddo LOVES a nice, local, Kolsch-style brew!

Sweet home in the Uintas....

Just a couple of my favorite photos from our latest camp trip to the Uintas....

Peter Corroon by Mason Fetzer

Mayor Corroon is running for Governor!  The campaign asked Mason to paint an image of Peter, and the above was a result of an epic all-nighter.  

Medium: house paint, acrylic and spray paint on wood with a custom wood frame 

Dimensions: freakin' huge

I'll get some better pics up as I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of this paining before the election in November, but for now, I love the way my camera phone captured the artist and the subject.  This was taken at a St. Patty's Campaign Kickoff Party at The Depot.  The place was packed and the energy was high.  I have a feeling this will be an interesting gubernatorial election.  

PS- I hate that word: GUBERNATORIAL

Tardy Mardi Party 2010

Every year, the Utah Arts Festival throws a Mardi Gras fundraiser--The Tardy Mardi Party--a bit after the ACTUAL date (hence the "tardy").  I've attended the party for the last four years or so, but this was the best year yet, by far. A great addition was the photo booth, where guests could get an old-fashioned 4-photo strip, like the kind you used to get at K-Mart, but with an extra digital copy! I'm a sucker for these.

Another great aspect of the party was Mason's silent auction piece.  He donated this painting--"Knot Red"--hoping that it would get a few bids and raise some cash for the Festival.

It only got one bid, but one was all it needed--someone bought it for the high "buy it now" price before the party even opened to the public and gave others a chance to bid.  Woo hoo!

2010 U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix

That's the 2010 US Olympic Half Pipe team! We watched them compete, then saw the team announced at Park City Mountain Resort. We also happened to snag FREE 3-day ski passes at PCMC as part of the package.  Hello, those are $90/day. We skied all day and watched half pipe all night. It was bliss.  Of course, all this was brought to me by: Mason.

He painted the gold "medals" (the men's medal went to Shaun White!!!!).....

.....and also designed a hoodie for the event, shown below on a headless model:

The conditions were NUTS on the hill.  It snowed all day, but that meant lots of powder.

Seeing the riders that close was, for lack of a better term, SICK! Shaun White was about 10 feet higher up in the air than everyone else.

After two nights of competition, we watched a concert in the snow and saw the Olympic Team announced.  30 Seconds to Mars played and during the show, Mason and I realized that we'd seen a lot of shows in a lot of places and weather conditions (106 degrees at Coachella!)...but this was our very first show during a snowstorm.  A showstorm.

See The Precinct on tour! 3 Nights Only!

FYI- If you don't yet understand my humor, the title of this post is completely facetious. I know that having three shows, three nights in a row doesn't REALLY constitute a "tour," but.....come on, how could I resist? 

Here is the info for our world tour, should you be interested in attending one or more of the many stops on this groundbreaking musical endeavor.

1.  Friday February 26

@ The building formerly known as FORM + FUNCTION

3232 S. Highland Drive

Salt Lake City
The Precinct: 8:00 pm

Mason will be showing art.  Hundreds (literally) of prizes will be raffled and silent auctioned off.  The whole event benefits The Road Home Homeless Shelter. 

2.  Saturday February 27

@ Vertical Diner

2280 south West Temple

Salt Lake City

The Precinct:  8:00 pm

3.  Sunday February 28
@ The Urban Lounge

241 South 500 East

Salt Lake City

The Precinct:  7:30 pm

Sundance 2010

So our little duo we call The Precinct got asked to play the SLC Festival Cafe again this year for Sundance.  Stoked.  Hello there, festival credentials and free film tickets, haven't seen you friends since last year...I've missed you! 

Even though I feel sheepish and creatively lazy that we don't have any new ORIGINAL songs, we at least have lots of new COVER songs that we can bust out.  And that's better than a stick in the eye.  Mason made us a flyer that nicely incorporates Sundance's logo / look for the 2010 festival and the venue:  The Beehive Tea Room.  We're playing from 7:00 - 9:00 on Saturday night, the 30th.

I got a great pair of vintage "lady gloves" (as I like to call any glove that extends above the wrist) as a hand-me-down from Mason's grandma, and I'm trying to get up the gusto to wear them to the show at the Tea Room. They are so beautiful.

  The attention to detail on vintage clothing is what keeps me thirsting for more. 

What do you think, can I pull them off?  It's for a show, I always like to kick things up a notch for shows...

No boys allowed.

It was an all-girl gathering of epic proportions when myself, my mom, my sister, sister-in-law, and both nieces went to see Ballet West's Nutcracker for Christmas this year.  Luckily, we were able to stay cootie-free because none of the boys were allowed to come with us, whew. I remember going when I was a little girl and being absolutely fascinated by the dancers, the costumes, and the whole magical experience.  Seeing these two beautiful little girls experience the ballet for the first time was an afternoon I'll never forget.

We went out for lunch and hot chocolate at the Beehive Tea Room, and then it was off to our seats!

The girls were attentive and captivated for the whole performance, and had a VERY difficult time deciding which of the many pretty dresses was the absolute prettiest. 

Thanks so much for the memories, ladies. 

The Holy War.

I'm Team Switzerland, and no, that's not a Twilight reference. The annual Holy War was on Saturday, and as a BYU graduate married to a U of U graduate, my stance is usually "I'm happy with either team winning." I cheer for BYU when they aren't playing the U, and I cheer for the U when they aren't playing the Y....but when they play each other, I don't really know WHAT to do. So I just wear purple and sit on the couch quietly, while Mason paces the floor and yells at the TV.

We watched the battle at my mom's house, and I just had to capture Mason's stance in the 4th quarter. Apparently, pulling your t-shirt up over your ears helps your game-watching prowess, cause Mason has been doing it since "John Stockton sends the Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals!"

Megapixels

So I finally done gone got miself one of them new-fangled telephone devices with one of them digitized camera thingamajigs built right in! I've been having a blast being able to take pictures on-the-go.

The question isn't 'who let the cat out of the bag?', it's 'who let the cat into the bag?'
Over the river and through the woods, to Thanksgiving dinner we go. I opted for a vintage brooch, a silk skirt and a (faux) fur scarf.
Puss in boots:
The Dead Weather at The Depot:

Owl City at In The Venue, through the over 21 barrier:
Blink-182 at UVU:
The road to Snowbird:Fell's Point, Baltimore:

Higher Ground Learning mural by Mason Fetzer

Higher Ground Learning moved into a new space and found themselves with a big, blank wall. Mason Fetzer, muralist, to the rescue. The mural is 100% spray paint and incorporates the urban/nature theme that Mase has been obsessed with as of late.

Here is a time-lapse video of the process. Stills are below the vid.






The mural debuted at the October Gallery Stroll, and The Precinct played at the City Library earlier that evening at another opening: