Whoa, it's a single rainbow
Posted by lemonjelly on:
When it's the first thing that comes to mind upon seeing a rainbow, you know that's a good meme.
Shot from the San Marcos foothills.
Posted by lemonjelly on:
When it's the first thing that comes to mind upon seeing a rainbow, you know that's a good meme.
Shot from the San Marcos foothills.
Posted by lemonjelly on:
Got an MP3 player and earbuds? Like to dance? Know how to get to Alameda Park? You're in luck. Just Dance Free has got just the thing for you.
I'd heard snippets about this group, but didn't actually see much published info about it until just this week. Just Dance Free is an inviting gang of people who gather at the Park with a preset playlist on individual mp3 who dance together, immersed in the music, but silently to the rest of the world. I think this is really darn cool.
"We are a group of enthusiastic, energetic freedancers who gather up once each week to jump around and get down under the blue sky. Bring your friends, parents, kids, neighbors - anyone and everyone is welcome to join!!!
Here's how it works:
1. Download our newest dancetrack from the Just Dance Free blog onto your iPod, mp3 player, iPhone, music gadget.
2. Meet us at the park with your iPod and headphones.
3. We get together, press play at the same time, and wild free dancing begins!"
Here's their Facebook page.
And here's their blog page, including the mp3 playlists hosted on mediafire: http://www.justdancefree.blogspot.com/
I've checked out the latest playlist and it was good for pottering around the house, doing chores and generally being productive and bouncy. It includes well-known mainstream hits, remixes, pop, and good indie stuff as well. It looks like they want other DJs and music enthsiasts to contribute mixes, and they definitely want lots of people to join in the dancing at the park. I'm totally down with going!...er, but maybe not this week. Too wet!
Posted by lemonjelly on:
I have friends who are *still* rending their hair over the loss of our beloved Firebird. But I want them to know, Square One who moved in its place can help them through the grief cycle.
Square One's got their liquor license and have created a signature cocktail menu, priced so nicely in the $8-9 range. To complement it there's an expanded bar menu with little bites. I nommed some with a few friends recently. My favorite was the deviled eggs with whipped avocado and candied bacon (win!! and about $5.50).
There's no "happy hour" times, because the whole menu is basically happy hour prices, running to late night. I love that the downtown area is opening up later at night, with more and more options.
Square One
14 E Cota St
Santa Barbara, CA 93190
Posted by lemonjelly on:
This will be my last post about the Fishmas Bizarre because:
1. I've already done two posts about the event.
2. The event took place last weekend.
3. but I reserve the right to do another post because City2 gives me a voice to do so, and because I might come upon more photos worthy of posting.
Fishmas was great! The Fishbon crew pulled off their biggest event ever, involving performances of dancing, plays, fire arts, aerial arts, live music, live painting. And on the flip side, there was a street of artisanal vendors, local crafts, and the fire-shooting Pyro Bar artcar serving up libations for a weekend long fundraiser.
Friday night kicked off with the traditional SantaCon. While we are no New York City or Los Angeles or San Francisco, there was a plethora of Santas and festively costumed revelers that gathered at the Helena block party site who took over the Chase Palm Park vintage carousel. The carousel had to run three sessions for everyone to get a ride, so that's maybe 150-200 people, I mean, Santas. There was a surprise visit to the carousel from some folks of our well-known fruit juice and smoothie hotspot, the Spearmint Rhino, and lucky for them, the carousel has lots of poles. I have no photos of this, sorry guys!
Saturday was the start of the official Fishmas Bizarre, and it brought in visitors of all ages, both seasoned subculture types and many many curious newbies, thanks to some great write-ups by the SBNP, the Indy, Facebook event, and of course, the awesome weather that got people flocking to the beach. Fishbon sold Christmas trees, artists sold their art (for the first time, this Santa Barbara native bought a picture of the Mission), and people got involved with henna, facepainting, feather hair extensions and an awesome craft workshop where people made their own leather wallets.
At night the party erupted with the metal band Necrogoblicon which had the best head-banging keytar solos I have ever seen (note: these are the only head-banging keytar solos I have ever seen). Then, more fire toys than one can shake a stick at, including the fire sticks. The Pyro Bar also did its magic, sending up flames that drew people in from blocks around.
My favorite art installation of the night was one that may have escaped the attention of most. Everyone there saw the giant video projection of the spinning New York skyline up on the building wall, but it took a close look to realize this was not a digital loop. I followed the source of the light until I found it in a little corner on the ground: a normal sized snowglobe slowly turning, with a simple restaurant candle nearby for light. It was this snowglobe of dancing glitter, set by a small camera, that was being projected onto the wall. Seriously, I want one now.
One thing I really liked about the party was that it was a mix of mainstream types and Burning Man types. If this was the first time a mainstreamer got a snippet of the alternative artistic experience - and they liked it - then I think Fishbon accomplished what they set out to do. Oh, and the Mayor was there, looking cool wearing her sunglasses at night. And some gorillas. Bonus!
Sunday was a new scene, with local Etsy vendors joining in and more Christmas trees to sell. There was synergy between the event and the Cabrillo artwalk. And the weather was amazing again. Dusk came too quickly and the event wound down to a close, just as Santa Barbara moved en masse to the beach to watch the Parade of Lights at the harbor.
Throughout the event, there was some great food carts. The Mobile Café was there Saturday, selling burgers made with organic grass-fed beef for an amazing $4, and oozy delicious grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches on 9-grain bread for just $3. La Colmena took over at night, with a menu of $2 tacos - tortillas made onsite, fresh to order. On Sunday, I was introduced to the awesomeness that is Daniel's Mexican Food truck, serving up burritos, tortas, nachos for about $5. Tacos and sopes were less. Loved their creamy tahini-based salsa.
I was a volunteer for the event, involved with sanding and priming trees, helping vendors, and lending my moral (and occasional immoral) support. It was a lot of work and it was a blast.
Posted by lemonjelly on:
The Ensemble Theatre has been putting out a number of good plays this year, and the final one for 2010 is the most entertaining of the lot, imho.
The Mystery of Irma Vep, by Charles Ludlam, challenges two actors to fill the roles of all the characters, which pits the talent of acting with the talent of timing all the costume changes.
I won't give any of the plot line away, except to say that it's lighthearted, witty, very funny, very clever, silly, and did I say it's very funny? And oh yes, the actors spend a lot of time in drag, belting out falsetto voices. And it's the closest Santa Barbara probably comes to the British christmas tradition of the pantomime.
If you've been, you know this is a good one. If you've not been, and are thinking about it, do not skip reading the program handout, it's an unexpected treat of creative composition.
The play runs from 2-26 December, there's still time left.
Posted by lemonjelly on:
A couple nights these last two weeks, the Fishbon gang has been gathering at the Pescadrome to work on their own style of Christmas ornaments. Armed with boxes of craft gear, oddball toys, ephemera, and loaded glue guns, we've been having oodles of fun churning out the trinkets, and the time flew by way too quickly.
My favorite from last week was a small diorama of Hermione ice blasting an evil insect in a winter scene.
I do believe some of these will be on display and perhaps for sale at the Fishmas Bizarre this weekend down in the Funk Zone.
Plus abstract trees!!
Posted by lemonjelly on:
Poor 6521 Pardall Road in Isla Vista. I remember you as McBurly's in the '90s, famous for your peanut butter milkshakes.
In recent times, this spot has gone through more business ventures than I can keep count. What's the deal? That block certainly gets a lot of bike traffic as folks flow in and out of UCSB. Props to John Dickson's dining site for starting to document restaurant closings, where I linked these business photos from.
* The Isla Vista Spot - don't remember anything about this.
* On the Side - closed before I had a chance to visit.
* Dirty's BBQ - the most recent incarnation, lasting a sad two months.
I feel like I'm looking at the same image, with a new title photoshopped in each time. Like there should also be a cat riding an invisible bike coming round the corner.
I'm pondering what new business will open up in that space, and what their name would be.
How about: Cursed, or Bound to Fail, or Under New Management. Maybe Big Bad Mojo, or Fail Shui?
Any more ideas? What would you open there?
Posted by lemonjelly on:
On top of the cool weather, now we've got rain. Again, this puts me in the mood for hot comforting soup.
This time it's a Chinese hot pot. A sort of broth fondue, if you will. When my mother would do a hot pot, she'd set a large bowl of bubbling simple broth over heat on the table and we'd have piles of raw meat, noodles and vegetables to drop into the broth, then scoop out with little metal mesh spoons and eat. At the end of boiling our goodies, we'd drink the rich flavorful soup.
Mama Lu's hot pot soup came with fillings but we still got a platter of glass noodles, enoki mushrooms, greens and a choice of meat. We picked the pork belly.
It cost about $15, and fed two. They also have a well-stocked $9 buffet if you want to bust your gut, but the hot pot came from the "special" menu and is a treat on a cool drizzly day.
Mama Lu
414 N. Milpas
Posted by lemonjelly on:
An LA friend forwarded me this article:
Worth the drive: film plus feasting
In the article is a link to santabarbaraca.com listing over 2 dozen restaurants from Montecito to Goleta offering special 2- 3- or 4-course prix fixe meals throughout the film festival that runs from 27 Jan - 6 Feb next year.
This includes finer dining establishments like the Biltmore, Wine Cask, Olio e Limone, to local hangouts like Harry's and the Tee-Off.
This is exciting news for food fans, and a great opportunity to sample a range of Santa Barbara restaurants.
But I am surprised and a little disappointed that I first heard about it from an out of town publication. It's not even in circulation amongst the local press releases that I could discern. I reached out to John Dickson's food blog and Edhat.com to see if they've received any information, but haven't heard back from either yet. Judging by the fact that the news is already published outside of Santa Barbara, I suspect that it's not common knowledge amongst the local media groups that would have the most interest in promoting it. Heck, I even glanced at nippers.com and couldn't find it. Admittedly, I don't use that site much, so it may be an issue that I don't know how to navigate it properly.
Long story short: do the SBIFF planners not consider this to be newsworthly for local distribution?
Final question: can I buy a 4 pack prix fixe for the honor of standing outside in a queue until the platinum diners are seated first?
Posted by lemonjelly on:
I don't know about you, but these last few nights have been cold for this thin-blooded Santa Barbaran.
So I've been filling up on hot comforting soup.
"Soooup!" beg the Clangers, holding up their soup mugs, waiting for their soup from the Soup Dragon's soupwells.
So this is Itsuki's cha siu ramen, a ginormous bowl for a big solo slurp-fest, or pair it with a few pieces of sushi and it's good to share, like I did.
Itsuki's been best for noodles for me, but I hear their curry with pork cutlet's awesome. Anyone have an opinion on this?
Posted by lemonjelly on:
Fishbon's brewing up some Christmas fun and the gang's down in the Funkzone getting busy with the saws and paintbrushes. And if you know Fishbon, you'll know it won't be something "normal" for Christmas.
I'll post more sneak peeks, as the projects and planning come together.
Got some Santa costumes? The whole event kicks off with SantaCon, the night of December 10th.
