Manuel’s turns 50, farmers market steel head pairs with Pinot, and a Birichino Malvasia
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Happy Birthday, Manny
Witty Snicket
When he’s not writing immensely popular books for children, Daniel Handler turns his irreverent strangeness to novels
Best Slaid Plans
Give Slaid Cleaves a decade, and he’ll tell you how you feel
School Daze
As applications pour into UCSC, the university gets more selective
Two Fish Bound by a Golden Cord
Until March 20, (Spring Equinox), Earth and her kingdoms (mineral, plant, animal, human) experience the influence of Pisces, sign of the World Savior. Whereas the task of Aquarius is as world server, the Pisces task is saving the world—tasks given to the two fishes. Pisces never really enters matter, and as the last sign of the zodiac includes all the signs. During Pisces, having gathered all the gifts of the previous 11 signs, it is a good time to prepare for new initiating plans when Aries (sign of beginnings) begins. No wonder Pisces, like Scorpio, is so difficult (both are ruled by Pluto, planet of death, new life, regeneration, transformations). Both signs (with Scorpio drowning in dark and deep waters) find life on Earth a hardship, disorienting (from the spiritual perspective), at times feeling betrayed. Life is a paradox, especially for Pisces.
Each zodiacal sign represents and distributes a different phase and facet (12) of the Soul’s diamond light, Pisces is the “Light of Life itself, ending forever the darkness of matter.” It takes two fish to complete this work (creating eventually an extraordinary human being). One fish turned toward the material world (in order to understand matter), the other fish toward the heavenly world. Around the two fish is a silvery cord binding them together. The two fish are forever bound until all of humanity is redeemed (lifted up into the Light). This is the dedication of all world saviors (Buddha, Christ, the NGWS). Thus the sacrifice and suffering experienced by Pisces. Knowing these things about Pisces, let us help them all we can. Sometimes all of humanity is Pisces.
From The Editor
Plus Letters To the Editor
Picchetti Winery
After enjoying its contents, I couldn’t throw away the empty bottle of Picchetti Winery’s Red Table Wine.
Surfing is Life
How surfing helped a local therapist improve his practice
Sea Change
Mavericks competition enters new partnership, shortens season
Happy Birthday, Manny
Manuel’s turns 50, farmers market steel head pairs with Pinot, and a Birichino Malvasia Like many food lovers—and wine lovers—in town, I miss Manny and Alice Santana. Manny was an Olmec-huge, sexy guy who adored life and all the good things in it. Alice was a smart and funny woman, loaded with exquisite taste and enough...
Witty Snicket
When he’s not writing immensely popular books for children, Daniel Handler turns his irreverent strangeness to novels What happens when a writer’s creativity can’t be contained by one identity? Best-case scenario: he or she finds success under a pen name. Just ask Daniel Handler, or rather, Lemony Snicket, the beleaguered writer and narrator of A Series...
Best Slaid Plans
Give Slaid Cleaves a decade, and he’ll tell you how you feel When Slaid Cleaves started writing songs, he would just come up with new verses to Hank Williams’ tunes. Once he had three or four verses, he would change the melody slightly, and— voilá—he had a song. “I used to feel guilty about that,” Cleaves...
School Daze
As applications pour into UCSC, the university gets more selective Nearly 55,000 hopeful students sent in undergraduate applications to UCSC this year—a record number, and a sign the university is a hot ticket for students looking for a world-class college experience. This year’s lucky students will begin getting letters of acceptance on March 15. Yet despite...
Surf Safari
Santa Cruz’s Gary Conley on chasing the swell around the entire African continent on his Suzuki motorbike
Two Fish Bound by a Golden Cord
Until March 20, (Spring Equinox), Earth and her kingdoms (mineral, plant, animal, human) experience the influence of Pisces, sign of the World Savior. Whereas the task of Aquarius is as world server, the Pisces task is saving the world—tasks given to the two fishes. Pisces never really enters matter, and as the last sign of the zodiac includes...
From The Editor
Plus Letters To the Editor In Anne-Marie Harrison’s story this week about Gary Conley, the Santa Cruz environmental consultant who became a globetrotting adventurer, Conley calls surfing a “medium of connection with people.” It’s an unorthodox description, and yet one that gets closer to the soul of surfing than “sport” or “hobby” or any of the...
Picchetti Winery
After enjoying its contents, I couldn’t throw away the empty bottle of Picchetti Winery’s Red Table Wine. There is no label, just a beautiful gold peacock feather painted on the bottle, and the word pavone, Italian for peacock, written next to it. Elegant bottles such as this make attractive candle holders, especially when the wax has...
Surfing is Life
How surfing helped a local therapist improve his practice As a lifelong surfer who is also in private practice as a therapist here in Santa Cruz, I am often struck by the parallels between surfing and therapy. When I am surfing, I view waves as opportunities rolling through the sea, ever-changing as they interact with the...
Sea Change
Mavericks competition enters new partnership, shortens season It doesn’t look like much at first. The infamous wave at Mavericks builds slowly—then steepens. All of a sudden, a massive wall of water—sometimes over 50 feet in height—comes crashing down, and you’d better have gotten the heck out of the way. “It comes out of deep water,” big-wave...