Every year, as ya'll know, I've been on the parade committee, usually involved with the VIPit party. I've been a co-chair for three years, volunteer for a year. I'm not giving up my day job. I'm doing the VIPit party again this year (May 12th, contact me if you want to buy tickets and/or volunteer, I cannot emphasize how much fun we intend on making this party be), and it's going to be better than ever before because my co-chairs are Claudia and Jose. They call us "Team Solis" in the meeting minutes.

Anyhow... My friend Katie has decided that she wants to build an art car for the parade and then for Burning Man, and she has assembeled a crew of 30 or so people to make this happen. We have studio space, a piano, a commitment for used grease if we can find a diesel engine, and a lot of ideas. Our first meeting was last night, and I think I'm going to get an interesting education in car repair, maintenance, and construction. There was a lot of discussion about how to remove the chassis and how it's easy to operate a generator off the drive shaft of a vehicle, even if it's in idle. It's been a very, very long time since I've operated a welding torch.

I'm terribly excited about this. I've been around art cars forever and ever, but this year, I'm really feeling a larger committment to the parade than ever because of the free reign that Jose, Claudia and I have on the party and because I'll have been part of a team that builds an art car.

If anyone has a cheap 3/4 ton or full ton diesel powered vehicle, lemme know.

Tags: art, vroom vroom room