endless summer

On Wednesday nights in July the Santa Barbara Zoo hosts a movie shown outside on a huge screen under the stars. If you get there early, you can just relax on a blanket while the sun sets, watch the boats go by, throw a frisbee around, see the animals, and get some hot dogs or bbq ribs, wine or beer, and of course popcorn. I've been wanting to do it for awhile, and when I saw that they were showing Endless Summer on the final night, which I've always been meaning to watch, I knew I'd have to be there.

It was fantastic. The movie, the night, the setting... Wow.

In the photo below you can see some of the ocean view, and a boat going by.




And here's the moon and the surfers, chasing the perfect wave around the world...

the perfect bag

i've found it. been wanting one for months, to carry my things in while i bike, to fit my computer when i go to a coffee shop, to carry all the notebooks and textbooks i have now for tutoring, and for the newest reason, to hold my GRE study materials. it's my favorite brand. soft buttery brown leather. pretty pattern inside. pockets. large and small straps.

i discovered it in a consignment store. and they even gave me a generous coupon to use before i bought it.

what a steal. i can't wait to fill it and use it for years.

reason #1: it's cheap again.

I feel bad for these teenage boys studying for the SAT sometimes. Mostly in regards to the reading comprehension section. The passages are so boring to them most of the time. They have to read them and answer intricate and tricky questions about content, inferred meaning, tone, metaphors used, etc. There are passages about Japanese ants, a daughter's resentment-riddled memories of her mother, and about what it's like to be a senior citizen. They boys I tutor could care less!

Finally I thought today to try beginning one student's reading comprehension test prep with a more interesting first passage. Not from the CollegeBoard book or official online SAT study guide. But from one of my favorite magazines... GQ.

I assigned two different short articles for him to read, each one excerpted from a feature on "47 Reasons to Rediscover Europe". They had a much more relevant voice, interesting details, and it was much easier to discern the "tone." I know he preferred this to the ants passage.

After that, my student said, "You must really be into travel and Europe right?"

"Oh you know...a bit," I downplayed.

Plus, the other articles in this particular GQ were about a high school sex scandal, the greatest gory movies ever made, a top surfer who loves to get laid, and a lengthy piece about the atrocities of Khmer Rouge. Not my favorite issue ever, so certainly the travel feature was the best option, despite my particular bias.

by the bay

Last November, December, and much of January I had only one CD in my car. It played on repeat through all those weeks, acting as the soundtrack to a crazy time of change and excitement and lots of contemplating. (Believe me people, I know how emo I get sometimes. This site gets the bulk of it.)

Anyway, imagine my delight when I heard that Needtobreathe, the band behind my wintertime soundtrack, was coming to play a free concert down by the beach here in town! Bay Cafe was hosting yet another great show, and it made for a great Sunday night. I came in my bathing suit and a dress after a full day of fun, and enjoyed a glass of wine, warm air that lasted past sunset, and a truly soulful set that seemed to, as the guy next to us put it, leave the band members hearts poured out onto the pavement.

If you don't know them, you should.

"and a new day will begin"

It is so few and far between that I get to see stage performances, but whenever I do I'm reminded of how brilliant they are, how drawn in you become, how a great performer is a thing to behold. They throw themselves across the stage, sing while doing cartwheels, and are so utterly completely... vulnerable. They are singing their hearts out and making dramatic faces and wearing skintight outfits in front of thousands of people. It's truly a gift they are giving us, their talent and vulnerability give us the chance to be swept away in a story, carried away by songs like "Memory", or the chance to laugh and cry and cheer like I did when I saw Les Miserables. I'm so happy I won those tickets to see Cats... Another perfect summer night it was.

firepit friday

all day i'd been craving middle eastern food, and quite by chance i was able to end up at zaytoon's with friends to sit around a firepit and have kebab with rice pilaf and hummus and pita bread and sparkling wine and live guitar music. thank goodness it's not only friday, but a warm and beautiful one at that.

fast asleep