Plus Letters to the Editor
Face it, your face was perfectly designed so that you can laugh. Try this at home—totally safe. In the meantime, it never hurts to laugh at others. (Relax, I mean, in a the good way.) GT writer Kim Luke explores that and much more in this week’s cover story, in which she asks: “What’s So Funny?” Like … really? What is? Where’s the “funny” in Santa Cruz? Is there any? Or do we, as a collective, take things far too seriously? (Snap out it.) Experience Luke’s journey beginning.
As for me, I’ve been amused by several things lately. My mood swings notwithstanding—I am a walking miracle having taken no prescription meds in my entire life, although this may be the season to start—I found myself dropping off some mail to somebody the other day. The man that answered the door looked like he goes to the gym seven times a week. “Huh—you look like you go to the gym seven times a week,” I joked. He shot me a look. “I do,” he said, with all seriousness and invited me in to exchange our swapped mail. I took one look inside the man’s home and was taken aback. Gym man was a hoarder. Everything was unkempt. Clothes everywhere, boxes stacked to the ceilings. Old newspapers and a Windex bottle here—I’m sure it wasn’t touched in three years—a bunch of dirty laundry there. Old magazines strewn about. How, I wondered, could a person who is so exact and particular about their own body, somebody who goes to great lengths to keep it in order, be so disordly, so sloppy in his home? All this to say, psychologically, I found it funny. I find us—that’s right, we humans—to be funny. Funniest of all? Look in the mirror. If you can’t laugh at yourself, well, the time has come.
Don’t freak out. Just get over yourself.
In the meantime, find yourself some “funny” this week …
Greg Archer | Editor-in-Chief
Letters to the Editor
You Say Potato …
Regarding the mountain biking story, while I rode in those hills as a kid, we used to ride up from Santa Cruz through UCSC and then down the hill. This was back when bikes were heavier than now so that is not an issue. What we have now are truckloads (just drive Hwy 9 and check out the parking lots) rallying up Glengarry (where my family lives) like it’s a free “bike lift.” Some neighbors think that there’s an underground taxi truck scenario happening, but it doesn’t matter. What does matter is the amount of destruction that is happening to private and state land. The other excuse, “there are no signs” is moot because everybody knows that it’s illegal to ride up there. Ripping signs out and playing stupid is vandalism and perpetuates the problem.
Many of us in the neighborhood didn’t even know there was a meeting about this problem, and if we did there would have been more land owners that would have described an abuse that needs to stop. This is not Squaw Valley, this is San Lorenzo Valley – respect the locals and the environment.
John Hardy
Santa Cruz
Best Online Comments
On Kyer Wiltshire/’Nice Shot, Man’ by J.D. Ramey
Thanks for this interesting article. Wiltshire’s book makes me smile every time I pick it up. What is his secret? The answer perhaps lies in this quote I came across a while ago: “I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation, I don’t find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing the edges. ~William Albert Allard, “The Photographic Essay”
Kyer, keep up the good work!
Peter Cornelius
Boobie fetish yes, art no. Shame on you Good Times. What’s next—Thomas Kinkade? This is not good photography and his web site is lots of just tits or just an ass in a thong. No face or body. Art erects the mind, porn erects the d*ck.
John Cunningham
On ‘Migration Destinations’ by Amy Coombs
Wow what wonderful research you’re doing to protect our marine mammals. We understand that knowledge is power. And we need power to conserve and protect our ocean life that depends on sciencetists to educate the public and big businesses.
How many endangered and extinct species have been saved by researchers and marine biologists?
Keep up the great work and thanks for educating the public on your findings. It’s because of knowledge like this, we can make new policies that protect our oceans and keep them clean and healthy.
Sabrina and Paris
Why don’t you guys just leave these poor creatures alone and don’t put any stuff on them to try to know where they are. What if somebody put a thing on you so they know where you are at all times—wouldn’t you hate that? because I now I would. Thank you for listening and hopefully you listen to my advise.
Sam Kim
On ‘Wines, Vines and Our Economic Times’ by Jessi Hamel
I started taking Sue’s wine classes (at Cabrillo) in 2006, and haven’t stopped. I really did get sucked in. They were awesome! And hard. As a result, I sold my business in 2009 and changed careers. Now I work full time at MJA Vineyards doing all the PR, marketing, events and wine club management. There’s no way I’d have this job without taking the wine classes. The business relationships and friends I have now are all because of my love for wine.
I’m in a winemaking group that started as a result of the winemaking class that Sue helped create. We started making our own wines during the 2009 vintage and have increased our production each year. We’ll enter our wines into the County Fair this year in the amateur category.
To say that wine classes is frivolous is ridiculous. Ask any of us.
Go to Facebook: “Save Wine Education at Cabrillo” to post comments and help support the wine classes.
Cathy Bentley-Smith
