Posted on November 21 at 5:40 p.m.

isla vista does house one of the best food co-ops in the entire country, as is said by the many travelers who frequent the little shop via word of mouth from co-op supporters far and wide.
as for iv being a bleak and dirty landscape, perhaps you, moretrailsplease, need to spend some time wandering around our town... aside from the unique people that abound, isla vista is still ripe with the passion and fervor that transported this tiny area into legend in 1970... and i'd also say that "dirty" is only in the eye of one who can't behold that some of the most beautiful things come in packages that look a little bit more disheveled and lived in than convention may consider.

On Family Friendly Isla Vista

Posted on November 17 at 6:16 p.m.

because of the copious amount of sesame street that i was plunked down in front of at day-care, i learned to read when i was 4 and started school a year early. though i'm not necessarily in favor of using television as a means of child-rearing, i am totally in favor of shows that can act as a liaison between "active" education and more passive methods. baby einstein was well after my childhood time, but you can be sure that sesame street will be in my childrens futures. thanks for another great musing :)

On Baby Einstein Refunds

Posted on November 13 at 6:51 p.m.

i'm sitting here trying to type this while kitty, my amazing and wonderful cat, takes up the space between my hands and computer. and i just wanted to say thanks for reminding me once again about why i love my cat (and her claws) so much. and for giving me some beautiful insight into the thoughts of one of my most favorite animals.

On Pet Psychic Talks to Declawed Cats

Posted on October 27 at 8:31 a.m.

thanks for the awesome write up! the event was successful beyond our wildest dreams! and we are forever grateful to all of the staff and volunteers who worked so hard to make this happen so perfectly.
anyway, thanks again for covering the event, it's nice to see isla vista generating some positive press. this event is a true example of what can happen when people come together to create something with no pretense and no alterior motives: just a day for the community to show it's smiling face!
just as a side note, the photo at the top of the page is really really big, and it's hard to see what's happening. maybe someone can insert a smaller picture?

On None

Posted on August 12 at 11:34 a.m.

any word on when the next bout is? or are practices open for everyone to watch? are they still fielding recruits? for some reason, i think that i really want to be in the roller derby. if anyone has any info, email me! oh, and thanks starshine! you always write on something that makes me smile...
melissananda@gmail.com

On Derby Dames

Posted on August 2 at 5:32 p.m.

va-jungle? va-JUNGLE? YOU ARE AWESOME. politics aside (and come on people, we all know that the s**t is hitting the fan, can't anything just be read for the fun of it?) this article seriously made me laugh for ten minutes. and on a side note, as someone who usually eschews waxing and shaving for the better part of the year (hairy can be beautiful), nina lafuente made my once-a-year- waxing appointment memorable and about as excellent as getting your body hair ripped out can be. so i'm happy that she was interviewed.

On Is Waxing Waning?

Posted on February 5 at 9:14 p.m.

we're selling carmen's book at the isla vista food co-op, feel free to stop in and peruse.

On New History of I.V. Published

Posted on July 29 at 10:58 p.m.

thanks, dad.
thanks audrey,
and thanks jaymie.
i love you all forever.
melissa

On Remembering Jaymie Rose Darrow

Posted on July 25 at 2:41 p.m.

thanks for the story, amy. good job :) just to clarify, and this is only because i know that jaymie is reading this wherever she is, she wasn't a self proclaimed hippie vegan (she's probably laughing about that). it was more of a hippie-at-heart kind of thing. i actually hired her based off of my favorite comment ever... "my roommates said that i'm not hippie enough to work at the Food Co-op"... thanks for the memories, jaymie darrow. i knew you'd change everything. you did. miss you, girl. love you always. and like i wrote on your facebook, if you decide to grow dreadlocks in heaven, i won't tell ;)

On UCSB Students to Remember Deceased Classmate

Posted on July 9 at 3:30 p.m.

at this point in these commentaries, i just want to say, as one of the Isla Vista residents that partied here as an unaware student and now live in the community as a tenant, tenant representative, cooperative business owner, community gardener, and general lover of most things isla vista... the general demographic of my town is most certainly young, immature, and overprivilidged. and that shouldn't come as either insult or surprise for anyone even somewhat connected with isla vista. it's not a bad thing or a good thing... as someone pointed out in comments further back, college is a learning time, and most people are here, using isla vista as a beautiful backdrop of learning in so many ways, academic and life. that's why some of us chose to return to iv... to be teachers. this article has done its job more than i ever thought it would: whether it is or isn't good journalism, it sparked a whole lot of thought and commentary. isla vista has long been a victim of negative press, inaccurate press, and mostly just unfair press. this article was a little bit of all of that, whether meant to be or not... but i know that i'm going to keep fighting my fight to make isla vista more than just a drunken college town remembered. and from my conversation with nicki, the author of this column, it sounds like she wants isla vista to be seen in more lights than the one that she chose to shine on the community in this article. i guess that she's learning, too... at least it made everyone think about isla vista a little bit more critically. this town has so much to offer, and there's so much happening here beyond the party scene. i just hope that those of you out there who won't look beyond the bottle as an identifying logo of this town will someday find the time to come to isla vista and find one of us real life people, making a permenant life in this transient town full of perpetual 18-22 year olds. we really do exist, and we really are happy to be here.

On I.V. Responds to the Gap Fire