Dangerous Snow Globes

I'm taking a trip to Oregon on Wednesday to play for the Rogue Valley Symphony, so I'm thinking about whether I can get by with just a carry-on or if I need to check a bag. I decided to check the TSA website to see what the regulations are in terms of which toiletries count as liquid.... and there I found this entertaining piece of information:

Snow globes permitted in carry-on?

NO

Snow globes and like decorations regardless of size or amount of liquid inside, even with documentation.

I guess if I want to take my snow globe collection, I will have to check a bag.

Halloween in Santa Barbara

Oh, Santa Barbara. It's a funny thing. There are many things that I love about this city, but it hasn't quite managed to capture my heart. Of course it's a beautiful place with the mountains, the ocean, the warm weather and all. I do appreciate those things. The city itself is pristine and attractive, and there are many great restaurants and shops to go to. I guess my main issue is that there is an overwhelming obsession with money and status that can be felt in the air almost anywhere in town. There is so much focus on the cars people drive, the clothes they wear, what people do to stay in shape and looking good.... I spend a certain amount of time thinking about these things myself, but not much time. It's just not THAT interesting. I think this is the main reason that I would not want to settle down here. That and just simply the cost of living being outrageous, especially for such a small city.

Last night I went downtown for Halloween. I was a cowgirl. My outfit was not terribly exciting, but it was comfortable and everyone knew what I was - this may become my go-to outfit should I ever need to dress up again. I honestly could not remember the last time that I dressed up for Halloween. I know that my grandmother made me a great vampire cape which I may have worn at Eastman once. Before that I remember being a scarecrow in middle school and my friends were other characters from the Wizard of Oz. When I was very little I was usually an angel, fairy or princess. Not sure if I could pull that off now.

Strangely enough, going downtown for Halloween is what people do here to get away from the crazy party. The big party is in Isla Vista (see the picture above), where most of the undergrads from UCSB live. Many people said I should just check it out and see what it's like once, since I'm here, but I'm pretty sure I would have been mildly amused at best. My favorite part about going downtown was dressing up, seeing the other costumes, and spending time with friends, but I was not entertained by the out of control and drunken masses. I decided not to wait around any longer when I saw two guys in line for a hot dog get into a bloody punching match. My first and last Halloween in Santa Barbara.