Originally, I was going to write about one of my favorite quick meals to be found in midtown Tucson for under $10, the Tempeh BLT sandwich and a 16 oz. cup of Conspiracy Roast coffee (pictured above) at the Food Conspiracy Co-op on 4th Avenue.

As usual, Tucson had a different idea.

While I was groggily filling up my coffee cup, the woman next to me offered a cheery, “Good morning!” and I found myself wrapped up in a 45 minute conversation about Tucson, methods on achieving our lofty career aspirations and ultimately how to live a happy life.

Jawana Cox moved to Tucson two years ago after living in Alaska, Colorado and Virginia, and has been trying to get her holistic healing business off the ground while her husband finishes up his accounting degree. She has been tirelessly researching how to use LinkedIn, Instagram and other types of social media and watching webinars on small businesses for guidance on how promote hers, Wholesome Touch for Health, effectively.

Next on her list of things to do is teaching a series of four classes at the Food Conspiracy Co-op each Saturday in May about four interwoven topics from medicinal herb and essential oil use to removing stress from busy lives.

As the minutes ticked by and groceries were picked out around us, our conversation shifted from how we’re actively pursuing our careers to how we think about them.

Sometimes professors are feeling merciful around finals and let their evening classes out after only ten minutes. Quiet scenes of palm trees, olive trees and red brick buildings from my walk back to my car from the Marshall Building to the parking lot behind the Harvill building on the UA campus on Thursday, April 21.

In case you missed it, local basement bar Tough Luck Club—which is secreted below Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink—has recently earned a spot in Playboy Magazine's online "Bars We Love" section.

“We’re thrilled that our bar program just keeps getting better and better,” said co-owner Tyler Fenton in a press release. “We’re excited about Playboy recognizing the hard work of our team!”

Though the Tough Luck Club is known around town for its unique cocktails, it is a lot more than just a bar to the employees and regulars. 

“We want to be a place for anybody,” co-bar manager Stephen Ott told Playboy. “If you want to have a carefully made $14 cocktail or have a conversation about the spirits behind the bar, we will be happy to do that for you. Or if you want to come in and take some shots and drink beer with your buddies, that’s cool too. We’re a venue for both of those things. We like it that way.”

Reilly Pizza is open for lunch and dinner, and the Tough Luck Club is open from 5 p.m. to 12 p.m. on weeknights and Friday/ Saturday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

It's the end of the line, folks. This Sunday, April 24 is the last day of this year's Pima County Fair. We've got free tickets to the event, but here's the deal: You have to pick them up from our office on the Northwest Side of town by 5 p.m. on Friday.

If you're looking forward to some fun at the fair, enter below! We'll be calling winners throughout the day on Friday.

Even over the phone, I can tell acclaimed comics Ian Harris and Ty Barnett have been pretty good pals for a while. The two jokesters will unite at the Rialto this Saturday, April 16, for their "Divided Comedy" stand-up show, which explores their opposing and according opinions on hot-button topics such as politics, race, religion and parenting through comedy.  Harris and Barnett jokingly back-and-forth while they give me the down-low on their personal-professional friendship and their stand-up show they promise will "unite a divided nation through laughter." This interview has been lightly edited and condensed. 
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How did you guys meet? 

Ty Barnett: We met about 17 years ago when Ian was performing in Seattle and he said, "Hey, if you ever come to L.A., call me up and let's do something." Most people are full of shit when they say that. He was not full of shit. He let me come and stay on his couch with his then-girlfriend who's now his wife. He was my first friend in Los Angeles. 
Ian Harris: Yeah, we met when we were working together in Seattle and we haven't worked together since. That's why we made this tour. 

Any other reasons you decided to take this tour?

TB: If you look at our poster, Ian looks like a skinhead, it's true, but he's the furthest thing from that. Our viewpoints are different in some things, but they're similar in some things, too. The thing is, we've been able to maintain this friendship personally and professionally for 17 years. If we can do this, let's show these other people you can have different views about life and different perspectives and everything. It doesn't have to be one thing or the other. 
IH: We've gone back to the '60s in so many ways—telling people they can't be somewhere for who they are, judging people sitting at a counter for their genetics. We do some heavy topics and lighter topics [in the show], but I love to talk about religion and people's beliefs, [and] obviously there's a lot of racial tension going on in America right now. 

Recently, comedians have kind of avoided college towns like Tucson because they say University students tend to be pretty PC. What do you guys think about that, and will it affect your show? 

IH: I like college towns, college cities because the people we get aren't usually the students, they're the professors, so it doesn't [affect the show]. It used to be that college was the place where you weren't PC—it was the place to go and expose yourself to things not in your small town. Nowadays, it's not that, but you still have [students] who are open-minded.
TB: Neither one of us will say things [in the show] that people will look at as offensive. We're not coming at it from a standpoint of "You're wrong in what you believe, you're stupid in what you believe." It's more "Here's an idea of how you can look at this." People shouldn't feel worried about being offended, you know—we know how to tailor to our audiences this material. We've been in the business for 17 years. 
IH: I'm always telling friends and family who come and see me [perform], "Watch out, I'm going to offend you!" And I've had people people come up because they didn't agree with something I said, [but] I've also had people come up to me and say, "I didn't find that remotely offensive. It was cool." 
TB: That's part of comedy, and that's part of saying something worth saying. 

Could you summarize the show in a few words or a phrase? 

TB: The perfect mix of two opposite sides of the spectrum coming together for a hilarious night looking at all the stuff you're scared to think about. 
IH: Also, the very unique part about our show is we literally come together on stage and do an audience Q&A. If you've always wanted to ask a black guy a question, if you've always wanted to ask an atheist a question—here's your chance ... Sometimes we'll ask the question in a serious way, and sometimes we're going to ask it in a funny way. 

Anything else you'd like to say about the show? 

TB: You're going to laugh. And if you don't like to laugh, you're dead inside. I'm sorry.
IH: We know there's a ton of stuff going on this weekend in Tucson, and we get that. But (A), if you like comedy, this is one of the best shows you're going to see and (B) nothing like this has ever come through Tucson, to my knowledge.
TB: And if you don't come to the show, the terrorists win. Don't let them win. 

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"Divided Comedy's" doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8. The Rialto is currently offering two-for-one admission on Ticketfly for $10 per person, or $20 per person those who don't want to buy two tickets. Get yours here. For more event information, check out the Rialto's website. 

As I explained in my first Best of Tucson blog of the season, we're changing things up a bit this year and ignoring votes for nonlocal institutions. As "local" is now implied in every category, we removed the descriptor from many of the category titles‚ including Best (Local) Actor. 

But APPARENTLY the message didn't quite sink in because, among a handful of nominations for our incredible local performers, we've received a barrage of votes for Hollywood actors. 

To my knowledge, Will Smith and Seth Rogan weren't in the latest Gaslight Theatre production.

Go see some local shows, pay attention to the cast list and come back and vote for whomever blows you away. 

Blake Lively is not going to be the Best of Tucson Best Actor. Try again.

What goes together better than cheap records and hot dogs? Nothing, apparently. 

Fill your weird record-hot-dog fix at Tucson Hop Shop and 4th Ave. Deli's spring record swap meet (more like swap meat, am I right, ladies?) this Sunday, April 15. 

All jokes aside, the event's Facebook page promises attendees thousands of various, stupidly low-priced records to pair with 4th Ave. Deli's dogs and, of course, Hop Shop's diverse beer selection. DJ Buttafly will spin and Oskar Blues Brewery will showcase some of their taps, too. Don't worry about finding a babysitter—the event is all ages, and there will be games and crafts to entertain your kids (or you).

The fun starts at 2 p.m. and runs until 6. Get more information here. 

We're still early in the Best of Tucson voting process, but we're seeing some runaway successes already. There are a few categories where I can look at the results and say, "yeah, I bet I can guess who is going to end up in the finals." 

However, there are still more than a few categories that are all tied up. Now, I can't tell you who is neck and neck right now but these are the most competitive titles:

Best Art Classes
Best Charity Event
Best Photographer
Best Auto Repair
Best Game Store
Best Blog
Best Home Furnishings 
Best Local Clothing Designer
Best Day Spa
Best Hair Salon
Best Kid's Clothing
Best Diner
Best Veggie Burger
Best Smoothies
Best Sandwich (the actual sandwich)
Best Contemporary/Fusion Restaurant
Best Eastside Restaurant
Best Downtown Restaurant 
Best Chef
Best Menudo
Best Botanica
Best Musical Act
Best Happy Hour
Best Comedy Night

Get excited for ferris wheels, fried food and a petting zoo, because the county fair is coming to town.  

Admission is $8 ($4 for children 6 to 10, free for children under 5) BUT it could be free for your entire family if you enter our ticket giveaway. 

The fair is open April 14-24, and our tickets are good for any day, so get a look at the entertainment calendar to decide when to go. Remember to bring some cash for parking. The fair is, of course, taking place at the Pima County Fairgrounds (1300 S Houghton Road).

Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance in conjunction with Park Place mall holds their 5th annual Chalk Art Festival on Saturday, April 9. The festival was held both Saturday and Sunday and featured 16 professional artist murals, two community participation murals and two "KidsZones" sprinkled throughout the mall.