We spend a day with the California Wildlife Center in Malibu, which rescues all kinds of animals, but this time of year helps the growing number of sea lions that strand themselves on the beach ... Marc Haefele applauds a new program that has LACMA putting on exhibits in other museums around the Southland ... The Blue Whale, now one of Southern California’s hippest spots for live jazz ... How to celebrate Valentine’s Day without paying a fortune for a fixed-price meal.
15 restaurants that don't force fixed-priced Valentine's Day menus on loving couples
On Valentine’s Day, most of us want a nice dinner out. We don’t want to be forced to pay $75 for lousy champagne, an overcooked steak drowned in truffle butter, and a disgusting double chocolate dessert.
But if you’ve left your dinner arrangements to the last minute as usual, that’s what you’re going to be stuck with. Team Off-Ramp have come to the rescue, with a list of restaurants across Southern California that would be great for a date, but don’t force you to play the Valentine’s fix-price menu game:
The Galley - 2442 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405 | 310.452.1934
Hopeless romantic? Longshoreman seeking mermaid? The Galley is the place to rest your sea legs. Not only is it the oldest restaurant and bar in Santa Monica but it looks like the inside of a ship once you walk in. The service is stellar, the potatoes are garlicky, and after you explore their “best of the west” wine list, they’ll have you singing sea shanties. Don’t mess around – head straight for two orders of Filet Mignon and worry that your date is more in love with their plate than you.
Lola’s Mexican Cuisine - 2030 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814 | 562.343.5506
For the past 10 years, Chef Luis Navarro has dedicated his career to learning and traveling through all of Mexico studying indigenous ingredients and the craft of the local cuisine. Lola’s offers contemporary fusion, which is a perfect blend of classics with a modern twist. From jalapeno infused bacon wrapped scallops, pork in blackberry mole, or butternut squash enchiladas. And everything is homemade from the salsa to the tortillas ... just like your abuelita would want it to be.
Gro Pow - Mission Grove Plaza, 497 E Alessandro Blvd # D, Riverside, CA 92508 | 951.780.1132
This one might be good for those brave enough to go on a first date on Valentine's day. It’s a restaurant, but you can start things off slow at the bar and become acquainted with your date. The bar has plenty of local brews to choose from, so, even if the date isn’t working out like you expected at least you know the beer is top notch. If you are ready to take things to the next level then grab a seat in the relaxed environment and enjoy noodle dishes, curries, fried rice, and other Thai specialties.
Pizzeria Mozza - 800 West Coast Highway,Newport Beach, CA 92663 | 323.297.0101
Nothing is more beautiful than a rainbow of colors on a dinner plate. At Pizzeria Mozza, the basil seems greener, the sauce redder, and the wine deeper. Owned and operated by chefs Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton Pizzeria Mozza in Newport is a high energy spot for some traditional Italian fare cravings. Yes, there is a location on Melrose and Highland but we are saying trek down to the OC for a little escape and maybe a walk around the marina to stave off a food coma. We recommend the meatball pizza (obviously) and the squash is in season and perfectly seasoned.
Little Beast - 1496 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041 | 323.341.5899
The cozy, corner restaurant in Eagle Rock is owned by former Chateau Marmont sous chef Sean Lowenthal and his wife Deborah. The space is very romantic, complete with candle lighting, intimate tables, and a beautifully curated wine and local beer list. If you do take your loved one, we definitely recommended the Stumptown coffee and milk soaked cake. There is chocolate, blueberries, and whipped cream deliciousness. The restaurant opens at 5.
Great Society Cider & Mead - 601 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802 | 562.270.5625
This is Southern California’s only pub dedicated to hard cider. (We took you there in September, remember?) With 20 ciders on tap there is something for everyone. New to the world of cider? Make sure you grab a few flights to share with your partner, and try a full range of flavors. You won’t just find the sweet stuff -- cider can be tart, dry, barrel-aged, and even hopped! Servers are well equipped to inform you on the best food pairings.
Paru’s Indian Vegetarian - 5140 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027 | 323.661.7600
But Off-Ramp! We are vegetarian and always feel alienated by this meat-worshipping holiday. Where will we eat? Paru's in East Hollywood, of course! Do not be deterred by the wrought-iron gate in front of the restaurant. Hit the buzzer and walk into an Indian oasis of beautiful orange curtains and dim lanterns and some smells that will have you grabbing for a menu right away. We definitely recommend the Yogi’s Delight! Also, don’t be afraid to eat with your hands.
Maccheroni Republic - 332 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013 | 213.346.9725
Across the street from Grand Central Market on Broadway you might just miss this restaurant if you don’t look closely. It’s partly hidden by bushes and a parking garage, but the secluded location makes for an intimate experience. Artisan handmade fresh organic pasta is served up daily. Every bite has a ton of flavor whether you get the lasagna or pumpkin stuffed ravioli. There are plenty of desserts to choose from. Go for the olive oil cake – it’s an orange and blueberry cold pressed cake served with blueberry sauce and whipped cream.
Rio Brazilian Grill - 628 West Lancaster Blvd, Lancaster, CA 93534 | 661.860.4127
“All you can eat” doesn’t exactly scream Valentine’s Day, but if we’re being honest isn’t that the best part about dating ... you can basically eat anything and everything without being judged. If you’re in Lancaster for the holiday get stuffed at Rio Brazilian Grill. This is for all the meat lovers – chicken wrapped in bacon, filet mignon, garlic beef, Portuguese pork sausage, and beef tenderloin. There is plenty of good grub vegetarians too – onion ceviche, roasted jalapenos, and roasted eggplant. Keep the plates coming all night long!
Bunker Hill Bar & Grill - 601 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071 | 213.688.2988
Not only does Bunker Hill Bar have the regular menu, but you can take advantage of the happy hour too. Plenty of bar food and sushi at great prices. Make sure to ask for a seat in the patio to show you have a romantic edge. Right in the heart of downtown you will be surrounded by the buildings of the city. In fact, the restaurant is next located right next to the US Bank tower and offers an up-close view of this iconic building.
Mantee Café - 10962 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 | 818.761.6565
Are you sticking to that New Year's resolution with all your might? First of all, good for you! Secondly, Lebanese restaurant Mantee Cafe is a healthier, delicious option for a romantic night out, and they have a super cozy back patio. Owner Jonathan Darakjian’s family owns Al Mayass in Beirut which made it onto Food & Wine magazine's prestigious "Go List" of outstanding recommended restaurants worldwide, and Darakjian will definitely share this news with you. And please for the love of all things good, try their hummus and a plate of their namesake dumplings. Also, the restaurant staffs loves to decorate the interior for the holiday, so expect hearts and roses galore.
Bottle Inn - 26 22nd St, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 | 310.316.9595
Bring someone with nice eyes because the ambiance at The Bottle Inn lends itself to gazing. The lights, volume, and pressure are low. Tables are not cramped, the waitstaff isn't over-attentive; this is the stuff of movie dates right here. This restaurant is old school cool. Since it opened in 1974, it has stayed in the Petoletti family, has undergone next to no renovations and remains a date destination. It also happens to be the location of intern Rosalie’s parents' first date, and they will soon be celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. Who knows, maybe it’s something in the pasta sauce!
Parks BBQ - 955 S. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006 | 213.380.1717
Sharing something new can be very romantic. For those who’ve moved to LA from somewhere without a poppin’ Korean food scene, grilling your own meat at the table may be something foreign to your normal date night routine. If you want to try something new with someone you care about- please try Parks BBQ in Ktown! Anthony Bourdain says Parks has the best banchan (or sidedishes) he’s ever had.
Editor of the OC Weekly, Gustavo Arellano had some recommendations for all you folks in Orange County:
Do @MercadoModern in SanTana! Or @Pizzeria_Ortica in Costa Mesa! https://t.co/Fn8XzJohCu
— Col. Gustavo Arellano (@GustavoArellano) February 8, 2017
And no food list is complete without a recommendation from Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold. He sent Off-Ramp a love letter of sorts with some of his Valentine's Day suggestions:
Valentine's Day dinner is one of the three occasions on which I try to avoid restaurants: the other two are New Year's Eve and Mothers Day brunch. But I do tend to suggest one of the usual romantic suspects, even though I know that few are likely to survive the Night of the Living Two-Tops. I'm much more likely to cook. This year I'm thinking of scallops with capers and a lovely green garlic souffle. But I think it would be pretty romantic to put a split of Champagne in a paper bag and sneak off to Santa Rita Jalisco in East Los Angeles to feed each other delicious fried chicken necks. Or maybe head to Little Ethiopia, where you eat with your fingers and are bathed in incense - you can't beat Meals by Genet, but the new Lalibella is funky and nice.
Song of the Week: LA Chamber Orchestra, Kodaly, and coffee
I'm always astounded by the musical talent you can encounter almost at random in Southern California, whether it's a jam session at Colombo's on Monday night ... or when you're taking a coffee break in downtown LA and happen to catch two first rate classical string players giving a free concert.
Off-Ramp's Song of the Week: Zoltan Kodály's Duo for violin and cello, Op. 7
Specifically, on Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 1-2:15pm, in the 6th Street lobby at the Figueroa at Wilshire building.
That's when and where Connie Kupka, a violin and viola player, and her husband, cellist David Speltz, will be playing a wide range of classical works, for free. Connie currently plays with the LA Chamber Orchestra, and David was in the group when it was led by Sir Neville Marriner.
The program includes Zoltan Kodály's Duo for violin and cello, Beethoven’s "Eyeglasses" duo for Viola and Cello, Bach’s Solo Sonata for cello, and Haydn’s Duet for Violin and Cello in D Major; plus works by Baroque composers Jean Philippe Rameau and François Couperin.
This concert comes from LACO and Arts Brookfield, the least boring property managers in the world... remember, they brought us the giant illuminated rabbits. They call this an Acoustic Caffeine concert, with provided from Two Guns Espresso. The Acoustic Caffeine concerts happen the third Wednesday of every month in the 6th Street Lobby of Fig at Wilshire.
I don't have a video of Connie and David playing the Kodaly, so here's an awesome performance by two young men getting down on it: Stéphane Tétreault (cello) and Robert Margaryan (violin).
The annual race to save sea lions... and one who can't be saved
Some of the images in the slideshow, plus the text and audio, include graphic details about the death of a sea lion. It may be too intense for kids and some adults.
It's a beautiful day at Point Dume on the Malibu Coast. Torrential winter rains have paused, leaving the sky clear, the clifftop vegetation lush and green. Yellow wildflowers bloom on the bluffs like a promise of spring.
Then, Colleen Weiler spots something dead on the beach. The animal corpse is hard to see from the high bluffs, but Colleen has practiced eyes. "It is white," Colleen says, squinting into the sun. "And there appear to be some intestines coming out of it. And it's very, very decomposed."
Colleen works for the California Wildlife Center in Malibu. The CWC rescues distressed wildlife, everything from squirrels and raccoons to hawks and sea turtles to -- each year from January through April -- undernourished sea lions which have beached themselves on the Malibu Coast searching for warmth and food. Their numbers and condition, and the heroic efforts needed to save them, are harbingers for the state of the California coast.
And since sea lion and elephant seal rescue season has just begun, Colleen is at Point Dume a lot. "Point Dume in Malibu is special just 'cause the sea lions tend to congregate around this area," Colleen says. "And then the sicker ones will kind of go to either side."
Soon we're trudging down the face of the seacliff on rickety stairs. CMC Marine Program Manager Mike Remski says the Centers hauls ill and starving animals up these shaky steps all the time. "The biggest animal we've carried out of Point Dume is probably a 200 pound adult female sea lion," Mike says. "It's not easy. It's very heavy. It takes a lot of time. But with enough people we get it done."
At the waterline, the animal carcass is a disturbing site. It's a skinless adult sea lion, in an advanced state of decomposition. The tail is missing -- cleanly severed, in one surgical slice. "Not a boat," Mike says. Colleen agrees. "I don't think a propeller would completely chop it in half. A shark bite would be more ragged and not quite as clean..."
Almost reluctantly, Colleen and Mike arrive at a dark hypothesis ... but the most logical. "It is suspicious," Mike says. "I mean that could be human interaction right there. It could have been sliced in half by some kind of machete or knife."
If human beings did this, this remote stretch of California beach is a crime scene. This time of year the waters off Point Dume are blanketed with squid boats and net fisherman. California sea lions eat lots of squid, especially since rising ocean temperatures drove the fatty fish they prefer to colder depths. It's plausible this sea lion got caught in a squid boat's dragnet and was then killed as a convenience, or for its skin ... or even its penis, considered an aphrodisiac in parts of Asia.
Colleen bends down and plucks a whisker off the corpse. "From whiskers and fur we can actually get information," she says, "on age and sex, contaminant levels, what kind of toxins were in the animal. There's a lot that you can find in little random body parts."
Back at the California Wildlife Center headquarters Malibu, they’re training a half-dozen new volunteers. Both Mike Remski and Colleen Weiler began as CWC volunteers as they pursued advanced training in Marine biology. The head of the center, Jennifer Brent, says volunteerism is their lifeblood. "We have volunteers who are coming 50, 70 miles who show up on a weekly basis. They exhibit such a level of dedication and commitment to these animals its really astonishing."
Outside, four baby sea lions in a chain link cage are hungry for food and attention. They're cute and scrawny, and the first orphans of the season. But they aren't pets. They're specimens. I ask Mike Remski if rescued animals are named. "We do actually," Mike says. "Those animals are Number 1, Number 2, Number 4 and Number 5."
The pups are both starving and dehydrated. The smallest are force-fed water through a plastic tube. It's lifesaving, but disturbing to see. The pups accept it passively.
Heather Henderson, the Center's Strandings Coordinator, corals the pups, separating them as they squabble over food. She's shielded like a gladiator. A waist-high board hides her body from the pups. This guards Heather from bites. It also protects the animals from habituation to their caretakers.
"It's a loving relationship," Heather says, "but in a way where we want them to stay wild while we're loving them. They're very intelligent. They can become imprinted on us even when we're not intending for that. We have to be very cautious about how we behave. My best moment of the multiple hours of rehabilitation is watching them spin off and basically hoping to never see them again. That they're getting that second chance and they're going to thrive."
It will be six weeks before these pups return to the sea -- a nerve-wracking time for the CWC.
In both 2013 and 2015, Mass sea lion die offs overloaded every local marine mammal facility. CWC staff veterinarian Lorraine Barbosa was at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito for the 2013 crisis, and at CWC in 2015. She describes a creeping sense of horror.
"We would always start to get these young sea lions coming in," Dr. Barbosa says. "And instead of getting five animals a day we were getting six and then seven and then eight. So it kind of was a little bit gradual at the beginning. But then it just didn't stop. We just kept getting more and more animals. And then we were hearing that all the other facilities were getting more and more animals too. And then all of a sudden we were all like, 'Oh God. This is a crisis. 'There's something really major going on here."
Research indicates a warming Pacific Ocean is continuing to cause drastic shifts in both habitat and eating patterns for California's sea lions. "It has to do with the warming waters," Dr. Barbosa says. "The mothers who are nursing their pups were having to leave for longer and longer foraging trips to get enough food for themselves. Some pups were being abandoned altogether and some were just kind of leaving on their own because they were starving because they were alone for so long and they were starving."
Recalling the "unusual mortality events" of 2013 and 2015, CWC Executive Director Jennifer Brent is philosophical.
"Oftentimes the animals that we're dealing with are really sentinels for what's going on in the environment," Brent says. "People are not always kind to animals. We've seen animals certainly that have been shot, animals that were caught by nets. Last year, they found a sea lion that had been skinned alive and was still alive when they found it on the beach. So there's certainly people who are not kind to animals out there, who don't have the same compassion that are volunteers and staff do."
Still, the dedication of her co-workers gives Jennifer Brent hope: "I absolutely believe in the future of animals. I think that as we become more conscious of how we interact with them, as we have more opportunities to work with animals, we understand how we have an active role in protecting them."
1 great spot for live jazz in LA - the Blue Whale - and 6 classic live jazz albums you need to own
Sean J. O'Connell is a writer and jazz pianist who unearthed swinging ghosts in his book Los Angeles's Central Avenue Jazz. He writes for Off-Ramp, Downbeat, and the LA Times.
The Blue Whale just celebrated 7 years in Little Tokyo and has become - despite its location on the top floor of Weller Plaza - the definitive room for hip, progressive, youthful jazz. And the audience at the club has gone from 3 awkward dudes nursing a Pepsi for two hours to a diverse, packed, engaged crowd.
And like the Village Vanguard and Birdland in New York, or Shelly's Manne-Hole and the Lighthouse here in LA, more and more artists are recording albums at the Blue Whale. Several have already been recorded at the club, and on Friday, Feb. 17, and Saturday, Feb. 18, keyboardist Mark de Clive-Lowe is throwing an album release party at the club called "Live at the Blue Whale." Mark can get them dancing in the aisles but he can also play a straight-ahead Ahmad Jamal groove all day long.
Joon Lee admits he didn't pick the best time to start a businesses, especially one in an obscure corner of an obscure mall in downtown LA. "I built it Winter 2009. It was bad timing. Everything was going down. And we had many nights when there were more employees than customers ... for at least a year. I was thinking at least two years, I'm gonna lose money for sure." Why has he succeeded when other jazz clubs have failed? "First of all you have to believe in this music. And then you have to believe in this community."
Mark says, "There are some clubs where you're fighting with patrons who don't want to hear music, or staff who wish it was the rock night. When I play The Blue Whale, creatively it feels like a safe space. Whatever I want to do - and I've seen this with other musicians, whatever they want to do - is accepted by the audience and the venue. The staff culture here is really strong, supportive, and friendly. The space is made for music; the only reason for it to exist is for people to perform their art."
Make sure to listen to the audio, because it starts and ends with people performing their art: Sean's stellar rendition of "All the Things You Are" and Mark's meditative "You Don't Know What Love Is."
And if you're just starting your jazz collection, here's a sextet of classic live jazz albums you need to include, and Sean's tasting notes.
1. & 2. Duke Ellington: Newport 56 and Dizzy Gillespie: At Newport
Jazz doesn't get enough credit for being fun. Clearly these 2 bandleader-innovators enjoyed the hell out of pushing their bands' buttons.
3. Wes Montgomery & Wynton Kelly - Smokin' At the Half Note
Pure exuberance and swing for an energetic crowd. The band is audibly loving every minute.
4. Dexter Gordon & Wardell Gray - The Steeplechase
Live albums permit a lot more excess than a studio date would ever excuse. But when the crowd is pounding on the stage, blow, Daddy-o.
5. Bill Evans Trio - Sunday at the Village Vanguard
An exquisite performance from the trio but also a master class in attentive listening from the audience.
6. Lee Morgan: Live At the Lighthouse
The definitive beachside jazz club hosting pure fire. A double LP totaling four tracks!
The Blue Whale is in Suite 301 at Weller Court, 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. It has a full bar, food, and is open every night at 8.
"Dear Hesam, we arrived." A son's waiting game for his parents at LAX
32 year-old Hesam Moazzami was excited to see his parents. He had been living in the states for 7 years and he wanted to show his parents the life he'd built for himself. Then, when the Trump administration issued an executive order barring refugees and people for 7 Muslim-majority nations from entering the states, the family's plans for the future went dark.
Hesam tells Offramp producer Taylor Orci that his mother, 65 and his father, 72 were stopped at a U.S. customs checkpoint in Abu Dabi and told they weren't allowed to go any further. His father, in the early stages of both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's was detained along with his wife with"only with one blanket and some water" at the airport.
"They kept them there for 20 hours. In the meantime, someone that spoke a different dialogue of Farsi... they came and said 'There's a paper you need to sign,' the way it was represented was it's towards their benefit-- if they sign this moving forward their process would be easier." Moazzami told his lawyer that what they signed was allegedly a withdrawal of application of admission to US to obtain their residency.
He told Offramp producer Taylor Orci about, after already undergoing a vetting process that took upwards of 10 months, what it took in the oncoming weeks to get his parents into the country.
Watch below: Hasam and his sister reuniting with their parents. Video courtesy of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center.
East meets West in more ways than one in a LACMA exhibit at Vincent Price Art Museum at ELAC
Off-Ramp culture critic Marc Haefele reviews "Chinese Ceramics from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art," at the ELAC Vincent Price Art Museum through July 22.
They’re humble in purpose, yet timeless in appeal. They’re among the oldest of manufactured objects, and the signpost of all civilization. They’re just … pots. Simple, useful, and strikingly beautiful.
Pots go back 20,000 years: that’s the age of the world’s first known pottery, recently found in central China.
That earliest work is not present in the LA County Museum of Art’s fine new Chinese pottery show … which is happening at East Los Angeles College’s Vincent Price Museum. But, first, what is our mighty LACMA up to, putting on this perfect little display of its own treasures at far-flung ELAC? I’ll get back to that one in a moment.
Meanwhile, this show, with its 50 examples of China’s singular art dating from 2500 BC to the birth of Modern China in 1911, is a terrific sampling of the signature product of the world’s most enduring civilization.
The first thing you notice is how artistically developed the very earliest pot in the show is. Covered in dark spiral polychrome patterns somewhat reminiscent of the Mediterranean Minoan ware of a full thousand years later, it’s highly sophisticated, and suggests a long artistic tradition, but it dates to nearly 500 years before China’s legendary first civilization, the Xia Dynasty. It tells us that centuries before China even had national unity, it had great art.
The 2,500 BC pot - the museum says it is Neolithic, but some historians would put it at the dawn of China’s Bronze Age - is in the first of the show’s three galleries, where the stress is on materials and techniques. The second gallery emphasizes history and narratives, the third the 700 years of Chinese ceramic exports, first to Asian neighbor countries, then Europe, then the young US.
I wandered among the galleries, imagining clipper ships full of the dinner ware especially designed for western homes, replete with anomalous intercultural images like a European-looking hiker striding through a Chinese landscape, or the bowl with a very Asian-looking King Poseidon complete with trident and his Queen Amphitrite, backing a preposterously bogus-looking red and gold coat-of-arms. A Chinese artist who had probably never seen a westerner was doing his best to paint a scene that would delight said westerner. Well, it delighted this one.
So did so much else on hand—like a sky-blue pomegranate-shaped vase; a laughing, unglazed palomino horse from around 100 AD, intended as a funeral ornament; a sensuous taupe-glazed statue of the Buddhist bodhisattva Kwan Yin (a transgender deity who changed from woman to man on the way from India to China). A vividly colored vase illustrates the characters in the famous 22-hour classic 1598 Chinese opera “The Peony Pavilion”. Another depicts the philosophical fiction classic “The Eight Immortals of Huohiwan.”
And again, this is a show at East LA College’s Vincent Price Museum, put on by LACMA. It’s one of the first of LACMA’s “Neighborhood Partner” programs, mounted with the help of the James Irvine Foundation. Opening night was thronged with locals, not just the Chinese-Americans of Monterey Park, but Latino families from nearby East LA. Great Art knows no boundaries, right? I think shows like this, which carry LACMA’s riches out into the county’s 5,000 square miles of cosmic diversity, are worth far more to the community as a whole than the $600-million museum building project LACMA is proposing to drop on Wilshire Boulevard.
5th graders know what love is, tell commentator Hank Rosenfeld
To me, love is stubbing out a menthol cigarette in a cup of coffee, an empty bottle of whiskey by the side of the road, a shuttered motel in 29 Palms. That’s why I loved my job at a Santa Monica elementary school. The 5th graders there kept me sane when Valentine’s Day approaches. They don’t have those kind of memories … yet.
I ask Krshna, "What’s your definition of love?" Without blinking, he says, "The definition of love is me liking Sophie." Not "a" definition or "one" definition, but "the definition." It’s crystal clear.
5th graders have lots of crushes. Not that they are all as willing as Krshna to talk about them. And of course they’re too young to understand what Strindberg called "the inevitably primal confrontation between men and women." They’re too busy playing. They’re 10 or 11 years old, running around with their shoes untied. And my job is to help them with their poems that go, "Love is like a hot fudge sundae."
When Amy tells me quietly, "Love is a strong thing. It’s when two people really care about each other," I think of that quote about love from Martin Buber. He called it "a vague instinctual overwhelming feeling."
If the girls are a little quieter, the boys who want to talk really want to talk. Noah and Vincent grab the mike and basically start doing a radio show.
Noah: Valentines isn’t about who’s the coolest, the hottest. It’s about who you love, right, Vincent?
Vincent: Right. You have to spend time with your girlfriend or your loved ones and you have to just realize how beautiful Valentine’s is.
Noah: I mean if you don't have Valentine’s Day, if you’re married, how will you ever say to that special person “I love you?”
Wasn’t it Blake who said, "we’re all here to bear the beams of love?" That may seem a bit above the pay grade of an average adult, but children send out those beams without even trying. Krshna, before he went back to class, left me with this. "Love is a real right thing and I think everyone needs love to feel happy and stuff like that. And I hope Sophie becomes my girlfriend, and I hope you find love Mr. Hank."
O Krshna, I don't think there’s anything in that grab bag for Mr Hank. I was in one relationship for six years. We used to break up every Valentine’s Day. We’d get back together around Easter or Passover; something to do with resurrection, or guilt.
But the 5th graders are studying the circulatory system right now, and in the standard California science book, it says that the heart is actually hollow. But when it gets to beating and rhythmically pumping the blood around the body, well, it feels alive.