Southern (California) Manners

Hi. Please note that I did not title that last entry, "The Best Entry Ever", or "The Most Clever Entry Ever" or anything remotely effusive...for good reason, no? I'd like to elaborate on the yeah! happy! good!ness that was yesterday, because yea verily, I do have many things for which to be thankful. Also, if I fail to find a topic, I will continue to malign the construction workers and the massive amounts of dust they are kicking up into my house, etc.

My job, as crazy as it can sometimes be, has been known to have a perk or two*. The pedicures I spoke of yesterday were as a direct result of a party thrown by these lovely ladies (who I work with as much as I can). I'd love to show you the cute little favor tree they put up with the cunning use of curly willow branches, ribbon and boxes of chocolate. Sadly, the chocolate elf (elves?) who lives in our house seems to have decimated my lovely little favors, leaving only a bit of satin-y teal ribbon and some cute little craft boxes.
*See: Post-wedding niblets, bubbly, lovely service, cake tasting.

When we'd finished thanking our generous hosts, Scott and I headed over to Dish Cafe to get a bite to eat. Although I enjoy knowing the food I put in my body is healthful, I am unlikely to put it there if it a) resembles tofu b) tempeh c) sprouted....whatever or smells suspiciously of bran and nothing. Far too many years of parentally-enforced health-food have sadly created a void in me that craves such nutrional dead-ends as would befit the eating habits of a picky four-year old. (Plus yummy cheese, natch.) Salad, for example, is a bust unless each bite is accompanied by some sort of cheese, nuts and berries - hold the dressing, no red onions, beets, or anything bitter.

We are awash in 'healthy eateries' here, but with many of them, I walk in, smell the patchtouli oil and the organic food substitutes, and walk right out again. Something about the smell of them makes my tounge and stomach just curl up and say, "Mmmm....You know, I'm not hungry any more, thanks for trying." Not so with Dish - it smells spices and food, real food, despite the conspicuous display of spray-on amino juice that is supposed to work better than soy sauce. Soy sauce, by the way....salty, but made of soybeans (a healthy food, the last time I checked) - so why would one want a substitute? Gaah! Any rate, back to Dish - we got a bison burger and a chicken burger and sat down to talk and watch an old Kathryn Hepburn movie.

Satisfied, we ran out to UCSB to go get tickets for Matt Costa - I ended up at Will Call with his brother, Eric, who was picking up up a couple dozen passes for he and his friends. I was safely ushered in after the following exchange:

Security Girl: "Do you mind being searched?"
Me (Carrying no purse, wearing a fitted shirt and pocketless black pants), "No, I've got nothing on me and no pockets. Search away." (I was wondering if they'd need latex gloves for this 'search')
Security Dude (Standing one foot away, in clear earshot) "Do you have anything in your pockets?"
Me: "I. don't. have. any. pockets. See?"
S.D. "Oh... ok. So do you have any weapons, drugs, or alcohol?" This is a college student, people. What the hell is wrong with people?

Opening for Matt were The Watson Twins - I only heard a few of their songs, but to my (admittedly unrefined) ears, they sounded a bit like what the Cocteau Twins would have turned out, had they been raised in the deep South instead of Scotland. They also had such a cute T-shirt that I convinced Scott that I had to have one, right now. Matt came on at around ten, looking puckishly handsome and a little shy. When he came onstage, there was a big roar of applause and a few shrieks of, "We love you, MATT!". His shy, soft-spoken stage persona seemed to almost try and shake off the fanfare, but I could tell he liked it.

I have to give a quick shout-out to Chiada and her hubby here - you two would really like this guy and probably the Watson Twins as well (if you don't already). Matt seems like a 21st century Paul Simon, with some rocker thrown in for the kids. He even played some harmonica, and really seemed to interact well with his band. Sadly, his vocal mike was really low (or the guitar mic was far to loud) for his particular singing style. At the end of the show, he invited the Watson Twins and their band up ontstage and they had a good old-fashioned hippy jam-rock session. All in all, we had a great time - I figure for fifteen bucks, I can deal with being served paper cup 'shots' of Coke and strip-searched at the door.

So...how was your Wednesday night?