2007 - Page 467 of 521 - The Santa Barbara Independent

Cover Story By Indy Staff

A Return to Tradition

Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices,” observed the poetRalph Waldo Emerson. When it comes to weddings, it’s good to keep that in mind. The best of weddings makes people bonkers. We at The Independent believe that’s because of how far the whole wingding has drifted from its formal roots and etiquette. Everything costs a fortune, anything goes, and people seem to have forgotten all about manners and tradition.
So in this, our annual wedding issue, we’ve put together tips on how to get back to the basics of wedding decorum. Read about the history of bridesmaids; find out what really goes on at that age-old send-off known as the bachelor party; check out a return to style via Fashion Engagement photos; and get some suggestions of where to have a rehearsal dinner the whole correct-salad-fork-using family will enjoy.

By Barry Spacks

Dickinson on Stage

Worlds scoop their Arcs-And Firmaments-row
-Emily Dickinson, as quoted in poet David Starkey’s play How Red the Fire.
Poets like to write about their promethean forebears. But David Starkey, noted poetry master, anthologist, teacher, and widely published, told me that earlier in his career he didn’t like Emily Dickinson, who’s the subject of his new play, How Red the Fire, which opens February 22 at SBCC’s Fe Bland Forum.

Living By Heather Clisby

Peach Taffeta Nightmares

The “thrice a bridesmaid, never a bride” curse can be broken, I’m told, by being a bridesmaid seven times or more. Which means I’m back in the running.

Living By Indy Staff

$72 Million

Quiz

Uncategorized By Indy Staff

Quote of the Week

‘Putting it simply, it’s just plain uninformed.’

-Community Environmental Council’s Tam Hunt, on Robert Kennedy Jr.’s support for a liquefied natural gas plant proposed for the Santa Barbara Channel.

By Indy Staff

Four Short Books You Must Read

#1 Mr. Thundermug, by Cornelius Medvei, 112 pages: The short saga of a baboon who speaks perfect English, this fast read is hilarious, touching, and says something about the standards by which we humans judge the rest of the living world.

By Brett Leigh Dicks

Popular Genius

Aqualung. At SOhO, Sunday, February 18.

Two things quickly became apparent during Aqualung’s SOhO performance on Sunday night. The first was the compositional dexterity of Matt Hayes and his songwriting partner, Kim Oliver.

By Sheyla Molho

Smokin Fiddle

BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet. At UCSB’s Campbell Hall, Thursday, February 15.

What a wonderful evening this was to spend on the bayou. BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet played all night as though they were speaking their own language. And in fact, they were. Their Cajun-English is a dialect of French, and not the French language taught in schools.

Living By D.J. Palladino

The Pre-Game Show

All weddings have the same underlying rhythm: They move inexorably, like a wind-up toy, from great tension to big relief.

Living By Isabelle T. Walker

Man With a Plan

Governor Schwarzenegger’s Universal Healthcare Proposal Under the Gun

Depending on your fondness for matters of health care policy, either fasten your seatbelt or bring on the strong, hot coffee: The political wrangling over Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan to establish universal healthcare in California is beginning.

Year: 2007