Volume I, Issue 29
December 22 - December 29, 1997

A couple weeks back I said that the Christmas season was all about disappointment. Well slap my forehead, I was wrong. The Christmas season is really about last-minute planning. (Next week I might decide it's about something else, but this week that there's what it is.)

This arts section's stories -- selected at the last minute -- reflect that. Cheap Son of a Gumball tells you how to get some groovy presents on the cheap without having to do so much as wait in line at Walmart. Just fill your pocket with quarters, head for the gumball-machine section of any crummy store, and voila -- all your shopping needs fulfilled in one swell foop. (If you're the sort of geek who likes to plan things out a bit more, read here.)

Christmas isn't the only holiday known for its last-minute stress. New Year's Eve is even worse. And because New Year's implies "party" more than "family," it can be infinitely more depressing when things don't work out because you didn't plan. So if it's nearing 11:45 p.m. on December 31 and you still haven't figured out what to do for fun, why not read this here article? It'll tell you just what to do. (Hint: watching TV while eating fast food is not an option.)

For those of you who do plan ahead, your holiday entertainment options can't be beat. Everything from dining on exotic foods to attending fabulous productions of "The Phantom of the Opera" or "A Lion in Winter" awaits you. Just buy your tickets early and show up on time, okay please?

Want to know what all these checkboxes are for? Click here to find out, or just ignore them.

Virgin Territory
Who's the most significant figure in Southwestern folklore? A fascinating Tucson tour demonstrates the answer. [13]
Margaret Regan

Now What?
A gallery of captivating links to keep your imagination churning while the paint dries. [14]