living
Scene in S.B.
p. 41
Books and Lectures
The Age of the
Packet Ship
O
“
On Saturday, October 25, Shadow’s Fund held its annual Pit Bulls on Parade stroll along East Beach in an effort to educate folks about the American pit bull. With tongues lolling and tails wagging, pits and American Staffordshire terriers pad their way down the sidewalk greeting tourists and locals alike. “The little staffie Apple (pictured in tutu) was the star of the show that day — flirting with firefighters and wiggling for everyone that she met,” said Shadow’s Fund’s Jill Anderson. Apple is adoptable from the Santa Barbara county shelter in Goleta (5473 Overpass Rd., 681-5285). For more information about the pit bull parade and Shadow’s Fund, visit shadowsfund.org.
Fundraiser
Junior League Monster Sale
Who doesn’t like a bargain? And it’s even better when the cash from the purchase goes to help a worthy cause. Well, the Junior League Rummage Sale covers both those criteria. Since 1934, the Junior League of Santa Barbara (JLSB) has hosted this annual shopping event, offering items such as clothing, sporting goods, furniture, housewares, and kid-related goods. Proceeds from the day go toward funding the works of the JLSB, a 90-year-old institution dedicated to “promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women and improving Santa Barbara through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers,” according to its mission statement. This year, the JLSB has added a pre-rummage-sale gala the night before the big event. For $10.50, folks can attend the First Dibs Pre-Sale Party Friday, November 14, 6-9 p.m. and peruse and purchase the perfect treasure before the crowds come in the following day. The actual Rummage Sale — which is free — takes place Saturday, November 15, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., at the Earl Warren Showgrounds, Exhibit Hall, 3400 Calle Real. For more information, call 963-2704 or see jlsantabarbara.org. —MD
Books
Introducing John Cleese
The Minister of Silly Walks, the Dead Parrot sketch, Basil Fawlty, “It’s just a flesh wound,” A Fish Called Wanda — these cryptic phrases invariably bring to mind John Cleese, the British comedian who has created an indelible mark on the funny bones of contemporary civilization. But who is the man behind the public figure? In his just-released autobiography, So, Anyway …, Cleese reveals details of his life from tot to teacher to Cambridge student to writing for the BBC to the birth of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Reading So, Anyway …, which is written in wonderfully candid prose that allows for asides and digressions, is akin to sitting in a cozy den while having tea and being told delightfully engaging stories, thanks to the author’s wit and thoughtful observations that infuse the book. Whether it’s skewering U.K. newspaper folks (“British journalists tend to believe that people who become good at something do so because they seek fame and fortune. This is because these are the sole motives of people who become British journalists”) or summarizing Monty Python (“The Flying Circus was always, despite its love of breaking comic conventions, and the originality of some of its content, recognizably a TV comedy show”), Cleese writes with the easy flow of a raconteur who is aware of — and appreciates — his audience. Santa Barbarans get the opportunity to actually hear Cleese tell his tales when he visits town as part UCSB’s Arts and Lectures series on Wednesday, November 19, 7 p.m., at the Granada Theatre (1214 State St.). For tickets and information, call 893-3535 or see artsandlectures.sa.ucsb.edu. — MD
Trivia
1 2 3
In which country did the term “high school” originate? ❏ Australia ❏ Scotland ❏ United States Which American author was educated in a one-room schoolhouse? ❏ Joyce Carol Oates ❏ Eudora Welty ❏ Alice Walker
Which high school was founded in 1892? ❏ Santa Barbara High School ❏ Lompoc High School ❏ Cate School
1837
answers: . Scotland; . Joyce Carol Oates; . Lompoc High School.
aff rson text by Indy St photos by Jill Ande
n a cold, drizzly November morning, Ely took the first tentative steps onto the gangway of the Hudson with great trepidation,” writes Robin Lloyd in his debut novel, Rough Passage to London. “The newly built 360ton ship was sailing to London that same day on its inaugural voyage, and the seriousness of what he was aboutt m.” to do was just beginning to dawn on him. The year is 1822, and Ely Morgan is a 16-year-old farm boy from Connecticut who joins the crew of a packet ship — sailing vessels that crossed the Atlanticc on a strict schedule, carrying mail and passengers — to escape his father’s brutality and to search for his older brother Abraham, a sailor who has gone missing. In evocative description, Lloyd reveals the harsh life of merchant marines in the first half of the 19th century, which includes battling storms, beatings from crewmembers, and attacks from river pirates. Lloyd, a former foreign correspondent for NBC and an award-winning television documentarian, didn’t have to look far for his subject: Elisha Ely Morgan is his direct ancestor, and it’s from the known details of his life that Lloyd spins this engaging historical fiction. On tour for Rough Passage, Lloyd is making a stop in S.B., where he will give a multimedia presentation depicting the history of packet ships — specifically the New York vessels — their routes, passengers, and the sailors of the era, using more than 100 maritime images. The presentation, titled The Age of Sail, takes place Thursday, November 20, 7 p.m., at the S.B. Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor Way. Call — Michelle Drown 962-8404 or see sbmm.org.
The year the first kindergarten, the Play and Activity Institute, was created. Founder Friedrich Fröbel coined the term kindergarten (literally “children’s garden”) in 1840. source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Fröbel.