If you’re an avid reader of Obsessive Beauty, you’ve already heard about the make up and skin care godsend in Santa Cruz called Beauty 360—a sensational emporium packed with lotions and potions galore. My fellow blogger Christa Martin and I have been testing out the sumptuous products. In fact, our only complaint may well be that there are so many choices that it is difficult to know where to begin. That’s why we’ve decided to road test a smattering of brands and products, virtual test rats as you will, to save you the wrinkles you may have gotten had you raised your eyebrows trying to make such decisions.

Larsson’s ‘Girl Who Played With Fire’ makes an incendiary thriller
There’s good news for fans of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The two protagonists in that film (played by the same terrific actors) return in the sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire, the second Swedish film adapted from the international bestselling crime suspense trilogy by the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson. But those expecting the kind of conventional buddy-buddy sleuthing arrangement found in most mystery franchises will be surprised. While both characters are drawn into the same investigation this time, they never dare to team up—the stakes are too high.

In her long, illustrious career in independent film, Tilda Swinton’s roles have ranged from the sublime (Orlando) to the ridiculous (Female Perversions). There are elements of both in her new film, I Am Love, a langorous Italian family drama she also co-produced; gorgeous location shooting in Milan and the San Remo countryside, and rapturous depictions of food, border on sublimity, but the overheated melodrama of the storytelling finally skews the film in the other direction. Co-scripted and directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film stars Swinton as Emma Recchi, a Russian-born wife in a wealthy Milanese family, whose businessman husband, Tancredi (Pippo Delbono) is about to inherit the family textile manufacturing business from his own elderly father.

This past weekend I arrived in Sacramento just in time to enjoy Sacramento’s 2^nd Saturday Art Walk.  The event was started by artist Michael Himovitz over 20 years ago as a way to bring art lovers together once a month.  Michael passed away 15 years ago, but his legacy lives on in a monthly event that now draws several thousand people each month.  The streets were lined with musicians, artists and vendors everywhere I went.  By nightfall there were thousands of people in the streets (which the city closes off) all with that celebratory air about them.

I met with Lucas Himovitz, Michael’s son, to get a tour of the various activities that take place each month.  We went to four or five galleries, all of which were packed with people and ironically, by 2^nd Saturday standards gallery owners thought it was a slow night.  As the organizer of Santa Cruz’ s First Friday Art Tour I was amazed at how many people were out enjoying both the local art and the street party atmosphere.  I met several local bands that had set up in parking lots and allies who have been playing the same spot for years and making a livelihood. Art sales were brisk and everyone was well behaved, even with a minor police presence.  Makes you wonder. This week I will be heading to Napa, Sonoma and Mendicino.  See you on the road.

“It makes you feel good to know that there’s other people afflicted like you.” –

Harvey Pekar 1939 – 2010

Harvey Pekar was known for being many things: A writer, record collector, husband, father, grouch – but more than anything else he was known simply for being himself. I first became aware of American Splendor (Pekar’s long running autobiographical comic strip) when the brilliant movie adaptation came out back in 2003 and I was immediately fascinated by his unique approach to a medium more well known for ripped up good guys beating up on ripped up bad guys. Alternatively, American Splendor focused on the mundane everyday aspects of life and the accompanying frustration that was inevitable. To put it in Harvey’s own words: “Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff,” and within the pages of his book it was that and much more.

The art of sharing power and responsibility to create community
Downtown Santa Cruz, a high school student takes clothes from a store without paying and is caught in the act. Instead of going to jail, she agrees to meet with a store manager to discuss the act and mutually agree on what to do next. 

An elementary school garden is destroyed by teenagers. During a restorative dialogue, the teenagers sob with sadness, realizing the affect they’ve had on the younger kids who put so much energy into growing their garden.

Plus Letters to Good Times…
The Baine of Our Existence
Love The Blue Marble
Take Another Look
Can’t we just all talk things out? Well, we can. And, as writer John Malkin illuminates in this week’s cover story, some locals are doing just that in the hopes of fueling a “restorative justice.” Think of it as the “art of sharing power and responsibility” all in an effort to create community. Santa Cruz is big on community, after all.  Send us your comments at le*****@gt******.com.

Eggs Benedict and Red Wine
Do ham and eggs and red wine go together? Well, why not! On a recent Sunday, my husband and I decide to go out for brunch. It’s already 2 p.m. when we leave home, so we head to the Red Apple Café in Aptos—knowing they serve breakfast and brunch until 4 p.m. and I have a yearning for eggs Benedict. I take along a bottle of Poetic Cellars’ Mantra 2007—a wonderful blend of 45 percent Syrah, 45 percent Mourvedre and 10 percent Sangiovese—because in my book, it’s all right to drink wine any time after 11 a.m.—be it with breakfast, brunch or lunch.

Fresh, flavorful ingredients bring color to the menu at Cafe Limelight
Whatever your appetite, the simple but inventive menu at Cafe Limelight meets numerous needs. A loveseat and plump upholstered chairs surround a coffee table, creating an ideal ambiance for an after-work wind-down with nibbles and a beverage. Local Bargetto Rosso ($6) paired nicely with a Single-cheese Plate ($5.95) and Salami ($4.50). French Comté, called the Gruyère of France, is a classic, hard, flexible cheese with nutty undertones. The earthy, dry Molinari salami was flecked with black peppercorns. The plate included dried cranberries, large kalamata olives, points of crisp, griddle-toasted bread, and glazed cashews encrusted with tiny sesame seeds.

Kickback Coffee House and Eatery slid into the Seabright neighborhood offering free wi-fi, organic coffee, and a mostly familiar menu. A bit of renovation created a comfortable space, where local art is for sale on the cleanly painted walls.

You’ll recognize the long list of breakfast burritos from Kickback’s predecessor Chill Out Cafe (which still operates its store on 41st Avenue) including numerous vegetarian offerings.

The hefty No.18 Spicy Bird ($7.05) is swaddled in a large, supple flour tortilla. Real cubes of flavorful roasted turkey are combined with scrambled eggs, grated potatoes, tomatoes, tart green chilies, mashed avocado and Swiss cheese with their signature spicy sauce.