Last weekend, Curiouslaydee and I went to the Songkran Thai New Year festival in Hollywood. We drank Singha beer on empty stomachs, gorged ourselves on food from Jitlada and then watched some Muay Thai fighting before we fled the hot sun to sip Mai Tais at the Tiki Mugs book signing at 8-Ball.

Now, you might be asking yourself—Didn’t I just go to a Tiki Mugs book signing? Well, yes. Yes, I did. But this one was different because artists Crazy Al, Tiki Tony, Tiki Diablo and Squid had merch set-ups for their wares. And I mentioned the free Mai Tais, right?

The centerpiece was “The Collector,” a carved tiki by Crazy Al. I dig the fleur-de-pineapp-lys nose.

Squid’s excellent “Uncle Shrunkle” bowl. You lift the top of its head and put the straws in the brains! (Photo credit: Curiouslaydee)

I also really loved Crazy Al’s Kona Club mugs.

This repeat trip to 8-Ball also gave me the opportunity to pick up a few more random gifts for some folks. And I was pleasantly surprised to find plenty of new stuff among what I’d seen before. Those who weighed in on the telephone vs. the bed purse may be saddened to know that they both seemed to be sold out. But take heart, as I did end up with a very cool purse that day. Stay tuned…