New local publication is born by way of a matchbook
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” —Ernest Hemingway
Short, and not exactly sweet, those words are a ‘story’ that Hemingway wrote, and a tale that many, ironically, call one of his finest. The ‘story’ is six words long, 28 characters, deep, moving, and brilliant. This concept of ‘micro-fiction’ has been around for ages, and one local Santa Cruz writer has zeroed in on the allure of writing in a very small format. Editor Kyle Petersen has launched something called Matchbook Story, a quarterly publication that comes out in the form of a matchbook, with the inside flap telling a story in 300 characters or fewer. On Thursday, March 25, at 6 p.m. at local pub, Poet and the Patriot, Petersen will unveil his first edition of Matchbook Story, along with an author reading from the first story published in this new medium. Additionally, runners up will also be reading their 300-character stories at the event.

Santa Cruz honors its first Poet Laureate
At a book fair in seventh grade, Gary Young purchased Whitter Bynner’s “The Jade Mountain; Translations from the Tang Dynasty,” and Oscar Williams’ “Immortal Poems of the English Language.” Upon reading the books, he decided then and there that he wanted to be a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty.

Although he is not Chinese and does not live 1,200 years in the past, Young has come far in the way of recognizing his childhood dream. On Jan. 26, Young was named the first ever poet laureate of Santa Cruz County.

“What really is important is that the community said, ‘We have marvelous poets here, poetry is important in our lives, it’s important in our schools, it’s important in the community—let’s recognize that,’” Young says.

A small triangular kitchen looks out upon the bus lanes at Santa Cruz’s Metro Center. Here at Café Lena you’ll find breakfast and lunch plus smoothies, coffee drinks and candy.

Morning bus commuters enjoy a variety of toasted bagels with cream cheese ($2), turkey ($5) or spreads such as pesto and sun-dried tomato along with a 20-ounce cappuccino ($2.75) or smoothie ($3.75). I ordered a plain bagel with buttery hummus ($2.75) which was both filling and flavorful. (Don’t forget the napkins!)

For lunch, the list of sandwiches ($5) includes roast turkey and veggie pine nut pesto. Fresh salads ($5.75) such as Greek, Oriental Chicken, Caesar, and Chef bring the best of springtime to the workday.

One of the most diverse wine events to kick off the year is much-anticipated Ultimate Winemakers dinner – held at Shadowbrook Restaurant every February. Starting with wineries showcasing their wines with a general tasting in the Rock Room Lounge, guests then enter one of the dining rooms to have dinner with their chosen winemaker. Because the event is put on by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (SCMWA), attendees of the event know to go to their website to select a winery of their choice.

A March 12, 2010 press release from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner reported that the Sheriff’s Office has investigated “over 70 cases involving vandals throwing rocks through windows of cars, residences and commercial buildings” and urges anyone with relevant information to call the Sheriff’s Office. Damages from the vandalism total over $100,000. The Sheriff’s Office is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the suspects.

Fresh Monterey Bay fish steal the show at Moss Landing’s Sea Harvest

This week winter will finally hand the weather back to spring, and we will have more evening hours to work up an appetite in the arms of Mother Nature. It’s again time to enjoy biking, hiking and kayaking.

In Moss Landing, just south of Monterey Bay Kayaks, Sea Harvest Fish Market and Restaurant is nestled in the corner of an immense parking lot. Inside, tables lined up along large windows shared views of the mouth of Elkhorn Slough, where two dozen sea otters feasted and frolicked in the choppy water.

Experimental Xiu Xiu rewrites the rules
To adapt to shifting norms, the formula for producing mainstream music introduces “shock” elements that push pop music into the future. From Lady Gaga’s alien wardrobe and unknown gender, to Madonna dancing with a black Jesus against a backdrop of burning crosses, to the Sex Pistols’ prediction of “no future,” what unsettles popular sentiments is eventually incorporated into the mainstream.

So how long will it take for FM radio to rotate a Xiu Xiu track like “Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!)” from 2004’s Fabulous Muscles? Summoning the most desolate, dissonant recesses of experimental music pioneer John Cage’s catalog, the song—if you wish to call it that—paints a landscape portrait of a post-siege Fallujah. Quiet, malfunctioning electronics are randomly interrupted by bursts of feedback and clanking metal. Jamie Stewart, the brainchild behind Xiu Xiu, speaks over the ambience: “Did you know you were going to shoot off the top of a 4-year-old girl’s head … and her dad would say to you, ‘Please, sir, can I take her body home?’ … Why should I care if you get killed?”

What could four young guys from Salinas and Santa Cruz possibly have in common with one (insert uncontrollable gag here) Paris Hilton? Try a four-story mansion in the Hamptons. No joke. Last summer, the crafty garage rockers in the Mystery Lights enjoyed two weeks pimpin’ it out in an extravagant pad that’s also been used to house the Maiden of Vain. Flown to New York by the band’s Closet Trekkie Records, who signed the quartet after coming across its MySpace, the Lights fulfilled an agenda of playing nine East Coast shows and recording the entire time.

For those of you who’ve been anxious to hear any word on what DC has in store on the cinematic horizon past 2010, this past week was a godsend. “The Dark Knight” helmer Christopher Nolan finally broke his silence and talked everything from the status of Batman 3 to a potential approach to the Superman franchise (!?).

Here are some of the more revealing snippets from Nolan’s recent interview over at the L.A. times:

I support the lifting of the dog ban on a conditional basis … if there are dog disposal stations on each block with the plastic doggy-pooper-picker-up-er, that are clearly identified, and an ordinance that penalizes people who knowingly let their dogs poop and then walk away from it. In that case I would definitely vote to lift the ban.
Steve Rosencrantz
Santa Cruz | Geologist