Virtually everyone knows someone who has had, or is being treated for, cancer. This disease has become a prevalent threat in our everyday lives. For those who have been around the treatment process, it can be a scary and challenging time for both the individual and their loved ones. At Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, the entire […]

This month marks a major milestone for travel to Ireland: one of the most popular European destinations for American travelers dropped all entry restrictions on March 7th and, last week, celebrated St. Patrick’s Day publicly for the first time since 2019. For a famously gregarious people, a momentous occasion indeed. I was there to cover […]

Fusing hard rock with their own edge, the LOC DAWGS band is tearing up venues from Santa Barbara-Goleta south through Anaheim, due to play at the vintage club, The Mint,in Los Angeles in March.  The group was birthed by multi-instrumentalist songwriter Christian Pelonis (Stolen Thunder and the Shaun Cassidy Band), who wrote, played, and recorded […]

Philip Stein doesn’t fit the standard mold of a polo club chef. For starters, his warm and friendly personality is devoid of the stuffy airs that one might assume is mandatory among those in close orbit to the regal sport. Now the Fieldside Grill’s executive chef, he was completely unfamiliar with the game – and […]

One of the gems presented in the short film program of the 2022 Santa Barbara International Film Festival was a 13-minute beautifully shot piece titled Kissy and the Shark helmed by writer/director Lola Blanche. In its brief running time, the film covers a myriad of topics that include nuanced views of interpersonal relationships, humanity’s deep […]

Two of our favorite pastimes have plenty to offer on their own. Drinking great wine enhances everything from consumption to conversation. Listening to music we love can lift our spirits and set the mood. Both also make us feel good. But what about putting these two actions together? And I’m talking about beyond just turning […]

The iconic multilevel campus of the historic Santa Barbara High School was my destination to meet James Claffey, English teacher extraordinaire. An instructor at the Visual Arts and Design Academy (VADA) division of the school he was highly recommended by a most reliable source: one of his students! In an attempt to make a timely […]

Every picture tells a story. On February 11, while researching a Black History Month story to report on, I had a phone meeting with the new Montecito Journal (MJ) Managing Editor Zach Rosen. That same day, Dr. Joseph Pineda DPM dropped off a photograph he had on his office wall to the MJ. Rosen said, […]

What’s an ancient, mindful practice people have engaged in all throughout time to help focus on the present, relax, and unwind when the threads of life get knotted? Correct: Embroidery! In past generations, the traditional sewing-art was a common, peaceful, and pleasant pastime most females knew how to do. The slow, meditative, and artistic stitching […]

“I was twelve years old when I decided I needed to change the world.”  Olivia Seltzer, an 18-year-old Santa Barbara local, was shocked and scared by the results of the 2016 election and by what that meant for her and her peers.  While attending Santa Barbara Junior High, many of Seltzer’s friends came from families […]