Comedy is a sacred thing. Laughing is vital for all around physical and mental health--for each individual and for society as a whole. Cultures united by broad smiles and irrepressible chuckles last longer in cohesive harmony ... No, I don't have scientific research or statistics to support my case, but I'm going off instinct to assume that people who laugh with one another probably won't fight with one another. (Or at least will choose less violent means should conflict arise.)

Santa Cruz is chock-full of culture and events, but the average "Joe Six-Pack" (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) thinks of the Crow's Nest as the primary, some even think sole, venue for  consistent standup comedy each week. Last night, I experienced a satisfying alternative.

Who knew you could go blue to get laughs? But, alas, our dear old Blue Lagoon, one of the highly underrated venues in town, sports comedy each Thursday night. And, it was damn good! And, it was free! And, it wasn’t a cheesy meat market!

People weren’t heckling for no reason in drunken displays of testosterone-fueled anger, nor were young waitresses in skimpy attire fluttering around to increase cocktail sales. By gollie, this was straight-up, stripped-down standup comedy. 

There were tables neatly arranged with candles, bar-side stools, and even pews arranged in the back for added seating. It was like a grassroots comedy church, and the preachers at this church were worth the listen.

Of the five Bay Area comedians in the lineup, I had the joy of witnessing three. Each was incredibly entertaining through highly diverse approaches, and the night ended with a classic clearing out of the room by a comic who took the extremely, extremely un-P.C. route. It was great! 

So, friends, I blog to announce that one can take flight, venture outside of the nest, and still land safely in a comedy venue downtown that will get you high on a sweet, organic humor fix.

United we laugh.

Open Studios can be so frustrating, because the amount of amazing artists in this town far exceeds the energy any one person has to appreciate it all. At any rate, I grabbed a bicycle and a few friends and peddled around Seabright to take in just that fraction of the nearly 300 artists on display this month around the county. Here were my personal highlights:

If you've ever wondered what goes on in the smoke-filled backrooms of the Santa Cruz power elite, it's mostly playing with Legos. Through various lies and manipulations, I was able to penetrate this inner sanctum, though with the promise that nobody's words would be repeated here, so I can't say where, how, or who. But I will talk about the Legos.

First off, the group of muckety-mucks was led by a facilitator who carefully pronounced the plural form of Lego without the 's', which must be very important to some Scandinavian brand manager somewhere, so please take note that one Lego is a Lego, and two Lego bricks are also collectively known as some Lego. Second, what these powerful figures were doing was not just child's play ... it was carefully described as adult's play, or, to conjure up another branded and trademarked term, Serious Play .

The idea behind Serious Play is that adults, given the chance to use their hands and engage their brains more fully, will come upon communicative stances and mental innovations that are otherwise stifled by people in suits armed with Power Point. As was explained to us (in, er, a Power Point), there is an erogenous zone between boredom and anxiety in which a person is learning just fast enough to be stimulated, and with just enough fun to be engaged.

Given the task of describing Santa Cruz -- what it means, what we'd like it to become, that sort of thing -- and a baggie of assorted Lego pieces, we each built individual towers that were then described with little stories we made up. The results were surprisingly intellectual, and the process truly effective at opening up new methods for engagement. However, there was also alcohol available, which is the original social and mental lubricant, so from a scientific standpoint it's hard to say if it was Lego communication or drunken Lego communication that won the day.

We got to keep the Lego(s), and I'm seriously considering bringing them to my next interview. How would a typical politician, or activist, or business owner react if, instead of being peppered with questions to negotiate, they were given the task of building a small tower with a little man on it to describe their feelings? I'm only halfway joking, and deadly curious.

And, of course, the thought did occur to me that what's good for Santa Cruz is good for the nation; how soon can we get Congress to sit down with a massive pirate ship playkit and start building us at least a metaphor for a better economy? Now that would be some serious play.

Deciding to spend Sunday night downtown, my cohort and I poached a beer at 99 Bottles, spent an hour perusing the racks at Borders (we're wild people!), and ultimately headed over to the Nick with hot chocolate and chai in hand. Hitting up a late night movie, and a random pick at that, proved to be the right decision.

Insightful and fast-paced, Battle In Seattle is still on my mind. It delves into the relevant, albeit enraging, news we don't get to see on the "news." Although I found myself reacting out loud to various infuriating moments, the movie is, at its core, inspiring. Is it hippy-dippy shpeal about the power of one? Not too much. An intensely entertaining and educational blend of fact and fiction, the movie will have you leaving your seat to make your way to the front of a protest line.

Now, how can we get it shown in schools ... and Middle America?

God of Shamisen is going to be big in Japan. The local quartet just finished up a West Coast tour with a CD release party on Friday night at San Francisco's legendary Bottom of the Hill club. With obvious glee, the band blew the crowd's mind with its patented blend of virtuosity, cheese, and sly irony.

Forgotten in all the furor over the proposed La Bahia renovation was another major Beach Flats hotel project: the 150-room Marriott approved unanimously last night, 6-0, by the Santa Cruz City Council (Councilmember Tony Madrigal was absent). The project involves the demolition of three hotels (the Peter Pan, Super 8, and Big 6) and one blue house on Riverside Avenue at the intersection of Holden and Liebrandt. All the properties are owned by the Patel family, a third-generation local hotelier who will also manage the new building, slated to include meeting facilities, a bar/restaurant, and an underground parking garage in addition to the new rooms.

Opposition at the meeting was limited to union representative Mark Weller making a plea for the project to be staffed with union labor agreements in place, and a representative from the hostel asking for a monetary kickback in order to replace the low-income hotel rooms that will be lost with another hostel. Councilmember Mike Rotkin expressed concern at the lack of concern. "This is the eleventh-and-a-half hour to be bring up these issues. Why wasn't anybody at the Planning Commission with these issues? This is not the way to interact with city government."

The councilmembers tried to amend the approval with a few conditions that the developer actively seek local labor and work with the hostel, but nothing with teeth could be added without pulling the project.

A simulated photo of the new hotel.

Also approved was the 2120 Delaware project, in an item that garnered no public comment and only one quick speech from Councilmember Ed Porter about how the public purchase of the rail line mitigated one of the major neighborhood concerns with the project. The vote was a unanimous 5-0 in favor (Mike Rotkin abstained). 

[Editor's Note: The first sentence of paragraph 2 was changed on Sep. 12 to reflect Mr. Weller's concern about labor agreements for the hotel's workers, not building and construction. GT regrets the error.]

Saw the hottest team in town take on Oakland. The Santa Cruz Rollergirls continue to provide some high energy entertainment, and they've been rewarded by continuous sellouts at the Civic. The bout against Oakland, one of the most experienced leagues in Northern California, was unfortunately the first home loss of the season for our All-Stars, due mostly to the unstoppable jamming force that is Grr Lee Burly, but the home stars made a valiant mini-comeback in the second half, and Candy Hooligan continues to develop as an amazing skater who cannot be knocked off her feet. Crowd favorite Lulu Lockjaw also got a few jams in, wowing the crowd with her "hit first, ask questions later" approach to the game.

The technical aspects of the bout were a little off this time, as the announcing team and audio crew never quite found a rhythm during the match (perhaps due to the absence of usual announcer Lex), but not even that and a lopsided loss could take the fun out of Santa Cruz's favorite new sport.

Dinner at Caffe Lucio last night, trying to see the man at work kissing babies and yelling at the bar staff. He didn't disappoint on either count. The revelation was the Linguine Santa Cruz, an adventure I'd never gone on before, which came out with the awesome but functional plate presentation of all the mussels and clams encircling the pasta, lips up. Dessert had a cool look as well: the "grandma cake" (don't ask me to spell that Italian name) had a lemon center with a light crust and a generous dusting of powdered sugar, and came in sauces flared out from the triangular slice like flames.

That's our Lucio. Never boring.