I apologize if you're Russian, or if you love yoga and you feel I've insulted you by sharing the following pictures here and here.

Looking back at the Tucson birthday and underpass celebration on Thursday, Aug. 20, I feel conflicted that I didn't get to the festivities in time to see Mayor Bob Walkup sporting his gray formal top hat for the ribbon cutting.

I went out of my way that day to pick up my son and bring him along, figuring a bit of history was being made. As crazy as it sounds to some, my 8-year-old son loves Tucson. The idea of celebrating its birthday is cool to him. We even walked down the middle of the underpass before cars were allowed, giddy at the idea we were doing something we would never be able to do again (well, unless it's 3 a.m.).

Our late afternoon started with a walk down Fourth Avenue, a street we know well, because it's part of our neighborhood. We talked to a few people along the way, had hot dogs and gazed up at the tiki (my son was already complaining that he won't be able to go under it since it leads into a bar). I've been wondering if its Gitmo-styled head covering was to ease our landmark into his new home or prevent him from seeing what's really going on along Fourth Avenue—our own version of Lady Justice. I imagine it's coming off this Saturday when The Hut throws Mr./Ms. Tiki a welcome party. I'll be there for the unveiling and staying on to see the Mission Creeps.

As promised, here are some photos from last Thursday. We didn't get home until a little 9:30 p.m.

Question of the week: Is the Tiki a girl or boy?

Pat Brandenberg walked down Fourth Avenue quietly letting everyone know where she stands on healthcare. As I took her picture, my son asked her, "What are you?" "A Democrat," she replied. "Oh, I know those," he told her.

Here we go. I told Rafi this was the best way. "When will we get a chance to walk in the middle of the underpass again?"

Another view as we got to downtown. It was wonderful showing Rafi the Rialto Theater. We like to go see the kiddy bands they bring into town and I wanted him to see what a quick walk it will be for us now that we can take the underpass.

We watched a trolley come down Fourth and up into downtown. They worked all night bringing people downtown and back down Fourth Avenue.

This was the closest we got to birthday cake at Hotel Congress. The lines were long, and the place was packed. Then a friend made the mistake of telling us they were giving away ice cream at La Placita. Yep, our journey began to La Placita for free ice cream.

At La Placita, a guy in a shirt and tie passed out cups of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, and then we voted on our favorite custom Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Walking back from La Placita the sun was setting, but people were still walking everywhere. We caught the sexy leg/men in kilts contest in front of Flanagan's Celtic Corner on Congress. That was interesting and brought up plenty of opportunities to explain the difference to my son between traditional kilts (sexy) and man-skirts (sorry, not so sexy).

Lucky for me this bagpipe band was standing on the corner.

Snarling, but happy piano player in front of Tooleys. Earlier, Dinnerware next door, was a great place to bring the kiddies for painting projects set up on the sidewalk in front of the gallery.

Dave Slutes seemed pretty pleased as he stood in the middle of Hotel Congress' new patio out back taking in the crowd that came out for the party. The patio is nifty.

Those Dusty Buskers busking in the back of the Tap Room.

Stiltman balancing at Congress and Toole, while making balloon animals for children, like mine, out and about late on a school night just to wish Tucson a happy birthday.

Pretty kids grooving to the Buskers at Congress with their Stiltman creations.

Time to go home, but as we headed back to the underpass, we couldn't believe the number of people still coming through into downtown. Incredible.

We tried to catch a trolley home. It stopped, and the conductor popped out to say it was full.

Nothing like being reminded of regrets at the end of a good party. We never made it to have our portraits taken for the underpass project. As we noticed everyone looking for themselves, we mumbled to ourselves and bowed our heads wishing we had a chance to be a permanent part of this historic day.

Happy birthday, Tucson!

Be careful browsing on slate.com. There's some apocalyptic party-pooping going on, and if you ride your bike every where you go, have chickens in the back yard and closed your bank account, then maybe you're ahead of this end-curve.

For more end-time revelry, check out Josh Levin's series on how America is going to end here. You get to choose how you think it all goes down and keep track of what others are thinking, too. A nice community-building social media exercise that even mom might like.

You can also keep track on Facebook, which is probably the real reason America ends, but I noticed Levin doesn't mention that as a possibility.

The giant tiki head (pictured here at its former location at the now defunct Magic Carpet Golf) has been set in place in front of its new home, The Hut, the infamous tropical drink watering hole at 305 N. Fourth Avenue.

The monolith, which some reports say was the tallest sculpture in town, fits right in along funky and hip Fourth Avenue. And if The Hut makes the head accessible to patrons like it was over at Magic Carpet Golf, it'll allow for some wonderful nighttime viewing of the Fourth Avenue area.

In other Magic Carpet news, the giant bull has also found a home. I was hoping they'd paint it blue and place it next to the giant Paul Bunyon over on Stone Avenue, but it'll be just as awesome at its new home outside the The Maverick King of Clubs (6622 E. Tanque Verde Road).

What I like about Tucson is the heat, and the weirdness that the heat brings.

But, where is the heat this year? I feel almost sane, and that's insane!

I should be two-cacti-to-the-wind by now. My eyeballs should be chaffing. My chaffing should be on fire. My mind should be a cheese-melt. Instead, it's been in the 90s. What is this, Encinitas?!

I want my mind bent! I want to hallucinate! I want heat waves; mirages!

Once, in June, the rear-view mirror of my 1980s Chrysler LeBaron flopped down from the heat; the grease in the ball joint simply lost its viscosity, and the damn thing went limp. And, once, my Tupperware utensils snapped in half. I couldn't believe it! I didn't think Tupperware (registered and trademarked) would simply snap in half.

This season, however, has brought wimp-weather! I can still ride my bike without thinking about skin cancer. It's been downright spring-like, and I'm hardly a prune. Is this symptomatic of Global Cooling?

Of course, by the time I finish writing this, it'll probably be 120 degrees, and I'll be walking around downtown, going insane, imagining a giant Day of the Dead martini glass full of antifreeze and tequila ... oh, yeah ...

Here are some iPhone apps you'll want to have on hand this weekend if you're going to any of the Tucson Weekly's City Week picks:

Tee-John, The Bayou Philosopher

At some point during Saturday's Third Annual Night of New Orleans at Hotel Congress, you will be inspired to utter something "Cajun" (usually after a bowl of tasty jambalaya and that second Abita beer). It happens to everyone. The Tee-John app, created by Tee-Boy in Opelousas, Louisiana, helps you keep the swampy sayings authentic with a random assortment of Cajun quips, delivered in Tee-John's authentic Looosiana drawl.

This is a shoutout to parents as thrilled as I am that summer has arrived.

This is the last day of school for the 2008-2009 TUSD school year. Whew. We survived. I'm going to take advantage of this space and thank Ms. Quaranta and her team once again at Rogers Elementary. Ms. Q, as we call her at my house, is one of the best teachers of kids with autism in Tucson.

She's moving to Nebraska, and TUSD is losing a gifted teacher. She told my son early in the year something that meant a lot to him when he hit a few rough patches: I’m not giving up on you. Considering how many teachers have given up on him over the years, he really held on to those words.

Sure, TUSD has room to improve, but obviously there are good teachers out there, and we need to thank them as much as possible. We also have to wonder what our GOP legislators would have been like if they'd had teachers like Ms. Q.

Maybe they just needed someone to say, "I'm not giving up on you," since they seem so eager to give up on our kids' education.

An infomercial gets diced.

The Red House commercial is gaining popularity, with folks wondering if it's for real. Yes it is. Made by Internet comedy guys Rhett and Link. Enjoy!