Safe to Dance

“You can dance if you want to.” That’s the message the Santa Barbara City Council gave patrons of Sandbar by turning down an appeal and approving a dance permit for the State Street club Tuesday. The approval brings the grand total of dance permits for the State Street entertainment district to 21, out of a citywide total of 25.

One Young Author Speaks Up

Everyone knows teenhood is a tricky time, even in paradise. Still, when teenagers turn to desperate measures in our fair city, we wonder where exactly we went wrong and how we could do better. Often, we end up blaming socioeconomic injustice and a lack of support for the subgroup of young people we call “underprivileged.”

See Spiritual Warriors

The Santa Barbara premiere of the film Spiritual Warriors is Saturday, May 5 at 10:30 a.m., at the Paseo Nuevo theater. It’s showing for free with a Q&A between the film’s stars Jsu Garcia and Robert Easton to follow. Based on a book by John-Roger, founder of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, the film follows one man’s spiritual journey and battles against the “prince of darkness.”

My eBay Encounters

E-Bay was old news by the time I discovered it, but I was riveted; it was the great bazaar of the modern world, an endless procession of goods to browse and bid on. Cake carriers, comic books, costume jewelry, block print tablecloths, Italian espresso pots, Persian carpets-there was no product, it seemed, that couldn’t be bought or sold on eBay.

Here’s the Buzz

On the very same day that scientists announced an alarming number of the country’s honeybees had gone missing, I found them. Not the scientists; the bees. They were in my garage.

Positively State Street- Indies Only

FREQUENT FLIERS: If there is one thing Gillian Welch isn’t, it’s predictable. You never quite know where the Nashville-based singer/songwriter will turn up next, or who might turn up with her, for that matter. From Emmylou Harris to Willie Nelson to Ryan Adams, Welch’s vocals have graced the recordings of some of the best.

The Birthday Challenge

If your childhood was anything like mine, birthday parties were preceded by a thrilling period of anticipation and followed by a mild case of post-party depression. A day of playing hostess, eating frosting, and unwrapping presents that looked better with the wrapping on tended to leave me more drained than elated. In later years, I stopped trying to make my birthday a day to remember forever, and mostly, it was a relief, except that the little kid within me still wanted to be on top of the world for a day.

Peeping the Last Hurrah

Change is a funny thing. Sometimes we fight it-clinging to jobs, relationships, or hairstyles we should have ditched years ago-sometimes we seek it out, and sometimes it is forced upon us by, say, an act of god, prophylactic malfunction, or an eviction notice. While it can be tempting to freak out, I’ve found the better way to deal is to gather your peeps and throw a serious party.

1st Thursday Reminder

Don’t forget that tonight is the monthly 1st Thursday downtown art extravaganza, with galleries, music, and more all over town. Make sure to stop by Borders Books, too, because The Indy is sponsoring the band oso in our first Locals Only showcase.

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