Some Aspects of Santa Cruz

Yesterday was Valentine's day, and neither me, nor my friend Ilana had a date (doesn't matter to me, but she dearly misses her loved one who remains in belize). So, we decided to be eachother's. After she picked me up from my friend Ben's house (where I have been staying), we went to her house in the redwoods where a Valentine's party was taking place. It was the epitome of an SC gathering. It consisted mostly of artists in their late 20s, sipping tea and apple cider, passing around fresh baked cookies, eating vegetarian food, and beating a pinata shaped like a human heart (wrapped in duct tape, which was symbolic of the constraints society has placed upon the creative expression of human emotion). It was full of pieces of paper with wishes written upon them by all the guests, as wells as organic chocolate, fruit leather, and bags of mint tea. It was shaped more like a punching bag, and after five people took their turns swinging with only a dent in the right ventricle, it was proclaimed a testament to the indestructability of the human heart. Finally though, someone swung it off of the string it was hanging on, upon which a girl just picked it up and ripped it open, showering its contents all over the spotless beige colored carpet. Ohaos ensued amidst hoots and hollers.
One value I find most prevalent here (in SC) is the importance of staying child-like, of being able to have fun and enjoy oneself by being intellectually silly and spontaneous, and being entertained by others' own displays of randomness.
While staying here in Santa Cruz, I have been spending the night on my friend Ben's floor (which is surprisingly comfortable). Ben is one of the nicest people I know here, and is a fervent tea addict from Texas. Though he doesn't look fervent in the picture below, it might surprise you to know that he drinks approximately 7-9 pots of tea a day out of tiny cups. We used to work at the same office (for the company written about in the previous post), and when we would get bored, he would start speaking in either a Texas, Austrialian, Polish, New York, German, or Mickey Mouse accent and usually I could not contain myself (you can tell by the picture taken with the masks in the background that he is very worldly). He lives close to the Felix Kulpa art gallery, which I think is worth writing about. It is run by my friend Robbie, who used to host an open mic at a local coffeehouse, until it was taken over by a brewing company, (which eliminated all of the local art work displayed on and around its interior). Most of the art work at the Felix Kulpa gallery is constructed out of found objects, like the guitars lined on the wall in the picture below (Robbie made them). One friday out of each month, they play "pyro-drums," which are contraptions that spit out fire when you "play" them with a stick. The result is a bursting bassy sound accompanied by a torch like flame that can reach heights of up to ten feet or so. They are quite a spectacle to observe, and usually a small crowd gathers in the court yard to witness the show. Other unique inventions shown at the gallery include a steel barbeque shaped like an armadillo (you lift the top half of its body to reveal the grill inside its belly), 2.5' by 3' wooden gears mounted on the wall like paintings, and motorcycles made out of old parts.