Twelve days into the New Year and here in our peaceful corner of the universe, so far the world hasn’t collapsed. No well-loved musicians pivotal in the formation of your grandparents’ teen years have died. No big howling winter storms have blown in. Ice has yet to freeze the Homer Harbor solid, although Mud Bay might be there already. The new baby count stands at two. Welcome to the world, Everest and Hope. We hope you climb big mountains and bring light to the world. We’ll try not to mess things up for you.
Things still could go wrong, Betsteroids. Holy Friggatriskaidekaphobia! Note tomorrow’s date. That’s just a random thing, but if you’re at all superstitious, take the usual precautions. Actually, you might just want to lay low on Friday.
The Betster makes no promises about the peace and serenity of the future. Heck, the B. toils in the newspaper business. When you enter the sacred profession of journalism, a managing editor has your naivete surgically removed and teaches you the guiding principle of the profession: “If your mama says she loves you, check it out.” Thus, yours truly remains cynical. Things might be OK. On the other hand, a supervolcano could explode, blanketing the world in darkness for years and ending civilization as we know it, or at least slowing down the internet.
Still, as we ponder the challenges of the universe, wise souls look inward to family, home and community. The other day as another political scandal raged, friends on Facebook passed around a simple message: pictures of a heart. That had something to do with breast cancer awareness, but the Betster liked the image itself. Spread love and hope and support. Keep family and community strong.
The daylight hours grow longer. It might snow this weekend. Maybe the northern lights will dazzle again. Just to sweeten the deal, you won’t be bored this weekend, not with all these cool Best Bets:
BEST COSMIC DESIGN BET: What patterns can you find in nature? What objects can you identify that suggest strong designs? Join Bunnell Street Arts Center Artist in Residence Mandy Bernard on a field trip looking for cool patterns from noon-4 p.m. Saturday starting at Bunnell. It’s all part of Bernard’s residency in which she and other artists look for patterns and install them at the gallery.
BEST CHILI OUT BET: What better way to warm up on a cold night than with a bowl of spicy hot chili. Homer’s finest chefs face-off in the Homer Women’s Nordic Chili Cook-off Fundraiser from 5-7 p.m. Saturday at Grace Ridge Brewing. Tickets are $10, including beer sampling for adults, and to taste the entries. Proceeds benefit the Kachemak Nordic Ski Club.
BEST AND WE’RE OFF BET: Fill up on chili and head over from 6-9 p.m. Saturday to Alice’s Champagne Palace for the Big Read Kick-off. Actors from Pier One Theatre will do a staged reading of one of the Big Read books, Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.” Learn about the Big Read and get jazzed for a winter of awesome literature. See story, page 8, for more details.
BEST BIG IDEA BET: The grand experiment in American democracy continues. For better or worse, the ideal endures — we hope. For Civil Rights Day from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday at Kachemak Bay Campus, join local writers and scholars for a reading and discussion, “Celebrating the Fundamental Ideals of Democracy.”
BEST TOTALLY RANDOM BET: Homer High’s Drama, Debate and Forensics team always shines. See some of their work from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Mariner Theatre with Random Acts of Drama, Debate and Forensics. Tickets are on sale at the door.
