The DooDah


	Where the usual laws that govern vehicular activity in Old Town Pasadena
	are temporarily suspended for the benefit of the mentally deranged.


		Burning Man 2002 left me brimming with ideas for tweaks, finishing touches, and further plans for the couch. The least of these plans was entering the couch into the Pasadena DooDah Parade, for which I definitely needed more accessories. Sure enough, once I began looking for them, they appeared in droves. This little shop in Castaic is the absolute motherlode of tractor-trailer accessories. I think I need a big-ass hood ornament and some mudflaps. Yeah!


	Here is the finished instrument panel with an added flourish of upholstery. Indeed, a potpourri of electrical delights. The enclosure was fashioned from a cigar box and surplus fabric from under the seat cushion. Switches are for ignition, starter, various horns and lights, and sound system. And then there's the "froonabulator."


	Here we are on the morning of the parade, all dressed up in our Burning Man best. Our good friends Michael and Penny transported the couch to Pasadena, hosted our stay, and fed us protein shakes and coffee in the morning. We're ready to rumble.


	Here the couch has been checked-in, and is sitting in staging order just north of the parade starting point. Certain paraders smelled a faint trace of playa dust on the couch and came straight over to introduce themselves as fellow burners. Jolly good!



	So with an hour to spare, we headed toward the senior center, where a five buck stick-to-your-ribs pancake breakfast awaited all parade participants. While Karen discusses the finer points of parade etiquette, I'm sneaking another sugar into my coffee.


	Ladies and Gentlemen.... Start your contraptions! The parade has begun moving, and participants are being slowly metered out onto Raymond Avenue. Here is our party, just sitting and holding our place in line. Now would be a good time to use the bathroom.


	Finally, that big first step off the starting line has put us smack in the middle of 100,000 spectators. Here we see Kevin practicing for his future position as Mayor of Altadena, while I scan the instruments to decide exactly which secret weapon to deploy next.


	"From the perspective of your favourite couch, the world at times seems remarkably like one huge-ass television screen." - Marshall McLuhan


	The reason we have good friends is so someone we care deeply about is there to share our most prized moments with us. Sounds corny, but I had to build a motorized couch to discover just how true this really is.



	Okay, okay, bullshit! The real reason I built the couch is that I'm an exhibitionist, a publicity whore, and I can't stand being out of the public eye for more than a few hours at a time.



	Check out the Los Angeles local TV news coverage by clicking on the image above.



	Here's my headline: ---Man Eaten Alive By Gas-Powered Sofa, Passersby Unaffected---Does day-glo purple make my ass look fat?

This RingSurf ArtCar Webring Net Ring
owned by mark@pifflesquit.com.

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