Friday (July 2), 5:30 – 8pm (street closed at 6pm), Market St., Wailuku, Free

There’s a panging sensation at the back of my eyeballs, whenever I must suppress my misty pride for Wailuku’s Market Street. Sure it’s home to MauiTime, but it’s the composite of our cooler-than-cool neighbors that make this place so gosh-darned special.

Daytime strolls may best capture the street’s sunny charm, but for one night a month—when the sun dips low and traffic is stopped—Market Street proves why it’s the best host for full-effect First Friday fare. July’s festivities celebrate a special second-birthday for purveyors of HI-style hip, Maui Thing. Their Summer Line will make its grand debut down the catwalk, while Kathy Collins hosts and Willie K performs (6:30 – 8pm). If you missed last year’s baby luau bash, you missed out. That fashion show may well have been the best ever, on the island—and this year, they’re bound to outdo themselves (as seems to be Maui Thing’s way). Mana’o Radio will do a live broadcast from the show, and 15percent of sales at MauiThing will benefit the local station… Recently reincarnated, Wailuku Coffee Company (formerly Café Marc Aurel), celebrates their rebirth with grand (re-)opening festivities (thank goodness). There, Sheryl Renee & The Hand Jive Trio will perform (8pm), as a benefit for the Arts Education for Children Group. Too, check out Gene and Shea Argel at Café O’Lei, the Pam Petersen Band at Banyan Tree Park, a cash-prize poetry slam at Gallerie Ha, and ‘awa bar at Native Intelligence. Event Info: 808-878-1888, Booth Info: 808-249-9710, 1stFridayWailuku@gmail.com

I am attaching two designs here. The complete line up will follow when i can upload them.

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CRAZY COMMONWEALTH:

Resistance to the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has been expressed by the opposition to and supporters of King, alike. Signed into law by Ronald Regan in 1983, the holiday was first observed in 1986. However, it was not until 2000 that all 50 states officially recognized the holiday.

Why? Because there are places like the Commonwealth of Virginia, who are just plain cr/lazy. Until 2000, they celebrated Lee-Jackson-King Day.

Seriously. Like, Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.

I’ll give them this: they began celebrating Lee (a Virgina native, whose birthday is on January 19th) in 1889. Then, in 1904, they added Jackson’s birthday bonanza (January 21st) to the mix.

But I have a hard time believing that the 70′s were really so crazy that by the mid-eighties, adding King to the lineup seemed logical.

Since 2000, they’ve gone back to just celebrating Lee-Jackson Day (the Friday prior to MLK Monday). So maybe that was the plan all along? A more than fifteen-year ploy for a four-day weekend! (fo’ next time: furloughs are quicker and just as weird)

PEEK OF THE WEEK:

Here on Maui, it stands that folks will celebrate beyond that of mere (or incongruent) observance. At 8:30am, the African Americans on Maui group will convene the Stone of Hope Monument (200 S. High St.) for a silent march to Café Marc Aurel (28 N. Market St.), where the event will continue with “speakers African dancing and drumming and entertainment” until noon.

Make a day of it with a stroll (or roll) down Main to Kaahumanu Ave., to check in with the African American Heritage Foundation of Maui; who will meet at Maui Community College (310 W. Kaahumanu Ave.) for their “Peace & Justice March” to Ho’aloha Park (1 E. Kaahumanu Ave.).

Not only is the foundation serving a free meal to attendees, they are simultaneously conducting a drive for the Maui Food Bank. So in addition to preparing for the day by packing mats, hats, sunscreen and shoes, please be generous in your donation of non-perishable goods. While the march begins promptly at 11am, be sure to meet at MCC by 10:30. The event’s esteemed guest speaker, Reverend Robert Graetz, counted Rosa Parks among his close personal friends, authored Montgomery – A White Preacher’s Memoir (1991, republished in 1999 as A White Preacher’s Memoir: The Montgomery Bus Boycott), and who—along with his wife Jeannie (who will also be attending)—played an integral role in Alabama’s Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 – 56.  African Americans on Maui: 808-280-1394 / African American Heritage Foundation: 808-879-5313

FO’ MO’:

Cool Blog Brethren: http://entrylevelliving.wordpress.com/2009/01/19/reflecting-on-mlk-day/

I adore vintage, especially if it’s circa 1920s through the 1950s.  I especially love the pin-up girls from these eras.  They are the epitome of glamour, with their smiling bright red lipstick, full bodies and impossible poses.  Sure, vintage pin-ups are becoming more and more popular within celebrity circles, but Christina Aguilar and Jenna Jameson?  Is this what real women look like?  I think not.  Marilyn Monroe fit up to a size 10, dammit.  What I love about Island Girl Pin-Ups is that they embrace and celebrate the female form, with all its curves and contours.  Island Girl Pin-Ups creates a space that is both comfortable and body-positive.  Island Girl Pin-Ups aren’t about covering women up, or making them out to be something they’re not.  They’re about uncovering and unleashing the inner siren, letting women’s true ferocious beauty shine through.

The Divine Ms. Monroe

Katherine Day (divine diva in charge of hair and make-up) and Sasha Prince (femme fatale with photography skills) have been glamming up and photographing real (beautiful) women for years.  And now, they’re celebrating (and showing off) with an art show at Café Marc Aurel.  Relive Hollywood’s Golden Age as you’re surrounded by vivacious women, fine wine and good music.  Marc Aurel’s dark corners will hearken you back to smoky, private jazz rooms where the bartender knew what you were drinking.   The girls will also be doing a live photo-shoot during the art show.  This way you can see all the behind the scenes glamour-antics for yourself.  However, these are some classy women—I doubt there’s going to be any wardrobe malfunctions.

Speaking of wardrobes, outfits will be supplied by Bohemia Boutique which (surprise, surprise) specializes in vintage/retro consignment.  They were featured in our local gift guide, too.

Can’t wait to until then to gaze upon the visages of gorgeous girls?  Check out Island Girl Pin-Ups website and blog.  What if you want to experience a pin-up shoot?  Live vicariously through Jessica Armstrong’s 2008 article, Pin-Up Girl, where she spent the afternoon sultry and seductive, right in time for Valentine’s Day.

Island Girl Pin-Ups at Cafe Marc Aurel Dec 19th (Sat.), 7pm

Shifting from sword-slinging samurai to the forbidden romances of historic heroines, my week’s adventures thanks to MTW, took a decidedly feminine turn. So, keeping with that theme (in a little mini section—an homage to my love for fashion magazines—I’d like to eventually add to This Week’s Picks…well, if it works out), these are my selections of the week that had me feeling as pretty as a princess, as lovely as Juliet…

“The Velvet Kiss” martini, Casanova, Makawao ($10); Lemon Coconut Sconce, Café Marc Aurel, Wailuku ($3); ‘Sugar Babe’ body scrub/’Love Lettuce’ Fresh Face Mask, Lush, Lahaina ($4.95/$7.95); Women’s Haircut with Toni, Soleil Luna, Lahaina ($45); Entertainment Weekly #1068 feat. “Jim & Pam Forever!” ($3.95).

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Okay… since the blogosphere realm is endless, I can blab all I want about stuff…  You can read or not read, and no paper is wasted! So, here’s a little extra info about the aforementioned sweet stuff:

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“The Velvet Kiss” martini, Casanova, Makawao ($10)

I ordered this martini before meeting with Steven, the owner of Casanova, who informed me it’s one of only two specialty martinis of his own creation. I felt pretty darned cool to have chosen so well; but to be honest, I picked it because of the name, as I’d just come from Seabury’s Romeo & Juliet (Because I like to rock my world as thematically as possible, I usually make choices based on irrelevant relevancies. Like when my boss @jenrusso brought me a hot pink iPhone case, I just HAD to wear my hot pink dress the next day… when “The Way of the Sword” issue hit stands, I thought it’d be fun to wear navy and orange. Wow. I sound shallow and coordinated. Likely the former, hardly ever the latter.)

Also to be honest, this martini was so good (and I was having such a good time) that I am unable to recall exactly what all was in it. I’m definitely going back soon for another, so will update), but it was a gorgeous, creamy concoction—white, light and sweet! An excellent pairing with their famous tiramisu ($7)—the smooth coat of chocolate on top (just underneath a pile of fluffy whip drizzled with more of the cocoa goodness), is divine.

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Lemon Coconut Sconce, Café Marc Aurel, Wailuku ($3)

OK. I practically live at Marc Aurel’s, these days and will probably talk about them quite regularly, if not already. Truth be told, I have this sick obsession with attaching myself to a local coffee shop (and have run myself into a ton of trouble as a result… another story, but not for another time), but if I can get deep, I really feel/find within Marc’s is my redemption. Everyone there is freakin’ the bomb. Oh, and they’re stuff is delish too. Oh, and I have more Ethiopian than erythrocytes in my red blood cells. Whatever…

Wherever I go—unless I’m hankering for something specific, which is rarely—I always ask what the servers like and stick with that. I’m not picky, so I’ll try anything (plus if I was picky, eating what they eat is probably the best choice). One fine day, on the verge of collapse, recognizing that if I didn’t get SOMETHING into my system other than coffee muddled up with a ton of sugar and half & half, I would surely pass-out and die…

Jill, with her bright blue eyes, was kind enough to recommend this awesome scone, and I am hooked! It’s moist and lemon-infused—sweet, but maintaining that classic scone bland-breadiness—topped with a health dose of shredded coconut, and further with lovely granular chunks of sugar. Ah, sugar.

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‘Sugar Babe’ body scrub/’Love Lettuce’ Fresh Face Mask, Lush, Lahaina ($4.95/$7.95)

Speaking of sugar, my Friday night was totally sweet. After a long-overdue haircut (which I’ll get to in a bit), I went on a little gallery crawl through Front St. One of my last stops was to Lush—located on the makai side of da street, near Ono Gelato. There, the girls hooked it up. OK, so they didn’t do much more than try to make a sale, but I love a bath products shop that’s eager to have you really TRY to the product.

Saleslady extraordinaire (I know, I know. You must think I’m a shit reporter… don’t know what’s in my damned drink, don’t know the name of the cool girl that helped me at Lush—though I asked. Hey, I was DRINKING!) lathered up my arms with divine scrubs, lotions and potions of all sorts and I left feeling like a pampered girl (it’s been awhile). Feeling like a girl is good thing, especially when you are one.

OK. More honesty: I didn’t actually buy the “Sugar Babe” scrub. I bought its cousin scrub—of a green color, that when used, looks like I’ve been grappling with a sea monster in the shower—that’s supposedly good for cellulite. Said cellulite seems to be appearing as rapidly as my money is disappearing. The actual “Sugar Babe” scrub is much cuter than the green thing I (happily) ended up with. With a red dot in the center (you crumble up the caked-product, using it bit by bit), it reminds me a lot of a crystalline manapua.

Even more honesty: I didn’t get the “Love Lettuce” mask either. It just sounds so much better with keeping with the theme (as I mentioned), and as much as I love themes, I (usually) love practicality more. The “Catastrophe Cosmetic” mask is what I actually bought, because the whole ‘catastrophe’ thing seems to fit the skin-bill better for me. Oh, but a note on the masks… They’re all fresh and ‘handmade,’ so you gotta keep ‘em in the fridge, and you gotta use it up within about two-week’s time. The fridge thing makes me want to put all body products in the fridge! How refreshing, in the heat, to slather on something icebox-cool?

A NOTE ON IMAGES: Okidoki… All the previous photographs are totally lifted from the web universe. For the section, I have none applicable, as the Lush manager wouldn’t let me take photos for marketing reasons (hey, I’ve done a hell of a lot of retail myself, so I totally get it). So, here are some photos from my other Front Street adventures… And, the rest of the images here on out are indeed mine! I don’t bring this up because I think my pics are anything cool (obviously not), just using own stuff makes me feel a whole lot better about things!

Wine and grindz available for free at Front Street galleries (shown here: Higgins Harte International... well, I'm pretty sure. I went to nearly all of 'em and had already "had a few" by the time I snapped this shot). Additionally, on Final Fridays, there are strolling street musicians, chocolate and strawberries and special deals at all the dining establishments.

Mmm! Ono Gelato! Perfect on a hot Lahaina night!

Here’s the catalog low-down on both masks:

Catastrophe Cosmetic (Vegan!) : Calamine, talc, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Glycerine, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Oil, *Limonene Perfume.

Love Lettuce : Agar, Kaolin, Honey, Fullers Earth, Glycerine, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Shell Powder, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Meal, Lavandula Hybrida Extract, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, *Geeraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Perfume.

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Women’s Haircut with Toni, Soleil Luna, Lahaina ($45)

I love it when hairstylists are not only cute, hip and stylish, but have a great head of hair themselves. Toni at Soleil Luna was all those things and then some! Maybe the reason it’s been so long since I’ve gotten a haircut (May 28, 2008… Yeah. Gross.) is because one of the last people to cut my hair was no much older than me but totally going bald. Uh, no thanks? (Really, I haven’t gotten a hair cut ‘cause I’ve been impossibly broke and asking someone to deal with a head of hair twice as impossible/fro-like than the average stylist should ever have to contend with is, I feel, beyond insensitive… and rather embarrassing, every time.)

Whatever… Toni is freakin’ awesome. She was amazing to talk to and did a great job cleaning up the mess of a head I brought in. So, though it wasn’t a major overhaul of any sort (her client immediately prior, that I met as she departed and I entered, certainly did do the cut/color big deal thing… gorgeous), it’s so cool to have fresh ends and better-shaped bangs (the latter is still a work in progress), but most importantly, be able to chat with someone intelligent and entertaining.

How intelligent? Toni was going into med school before becoming a stylist (crazy hop, huh?!), and spoke fluidly about working in a hospital and arterial blood gas extraction. Way cool…

Gotta love all the MTW love, framed on the walls! Of four framed items, we had three!

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Finally…

Entertainment Weekly #1068 feat. “Jim & Pam Forever!” ($3.95)

Uh, this is only (my) most anticipated TV union since Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman! Teri Hatcher was totally my hero when I was 8 years old. (speaking of haircuts…) My mom had taken me into Fantastic Sams (remember way back when they were at the Maui Mall?) for a chop (I had epic long hair when I was little, but was convinced I had to have a bob like Hatcher). I remember all the ladies having a good laugh when my mom explained the rationale behind my hairdo desires. They tried to talk me out of it–and I wish I’d listened–because forever remain some very embarrassing photos of what happens when a Hawaiian attempts a ‘sleek’ bob. Yikes.

I also remember not getting to watch Lois and Clark get married (live), because my aunt and uncle were actually getting married that very night. We set the VCR to record, and caught it the next day.

The mag looks pretty perfect next to my "I (heart) Jim" mug--the very first personal item I brought to MTW and the only personal item I kept at the law office I previously slaved worked at. The daisy works pretty well too, which has been in there since Girl's Day (an attachment to the treat bag from my mommy).

Ironically, much the same has happened with my beloved Jim & Pam. Here it is, a week to the day since the episode aired, and it’s still awaits, unwatched, in my dwindling DVR memory.

The magazine, however, has been adorning my desk since I got it!

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Okidoki, Bloggeeks! Well, after this week, I think I’m well on my way to no longer being a tomboy. So, I’ve got that going for me. That said, I’ll call  it quits for this week’s vanity blabbering. Hmm… what theme fo the week to come?

A hui hou! - Anu

P.S. Love Letters: A very special mahalo nui loa to the lovable Matt Lane, for orchestrating a very special Friday night (and every Final Friday, among many great community events); the totally rockin’ Toni at Soleil Luna, for her hair hookups, time/skill-generosity and way-cool convo; the spectacular Steven of Casanova, for making me feel SO “at home”; and C.J.H., my R.L.S., for the mag.