December 2007

Another Carlsbad Bank of America Robbed

by The Editors on December 3, 2007

According to a story on NBCSandiego.com, a man walked into the Bank of America on Loker Avenue West Saturday morning December 1, “showed a handgun and asked for money from a teller.”

Police said the man left and got into the passenger’s side of a silver, four-door Nissan with covered license plates. . . The vehicle was last seen heading east on Palomar Airport Road.

Bank robbery: such a nice way to kick off a day of holiday shopping. It must make those difficult gift decisions so much easier.

[Link: NBCSandiego.com]

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TrikeWe’re not big fans of training wheels on kids bikes. In fact, we think training wheels are responsible for much of what is wrong with kids today. But that is another post entirely. Let’s just say this: if a child isn’t ready for a bicycle, then keep them on their tricycle. And, if they’re going to stay on their trikes longer, we found a really cool Christmas tricycle at Ella Grace, the children’s clothing store hidden away in the catacombs of the Village Faire.

The Sky King Trike ($249.00) is made by Air Flow, Inc. of Orange, California and is a near perfect replica of the original 1936 Sky King. It is 26 inches tall, with red powder coat paint and chrome insignias, solid rubber tires, adjustable spring seat, rubber hand grips, a working light, and it is all steel. It is the perfect tricycle for boys three to six years of age. For girls, Ella Grace also has the same bike in the Pink Princess model. With a trike this cool kids may never want to step up to a bicycle, but at least they won’t be out tilting around on training wheels.

Ella Grace, 300 Carlsbad Village Drive Suite 105, 760 720-1414.

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Santa Kicks Off Christmas In Carlsbadistan

by The Editors on December 2, 2007

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The Carlsbad Fire Department’s classic fire truck had a special passenger this afternoon as hundreds of kids and their parents gathered for the annual Carlsbad Rotary Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony at the Village Faire in the heart of Carlsbadistan. And who was this special rider? It was Santa Claus.

Img 1366Tree-lighting guests were treated to free hot apple cider, coffee and cookies, as well as a Christmas card making station for the kids. Santa actually allowed strangers to sit on his lap while elves snapped Polaroid pictures for the kids.

Before Mayor Bud Lewis officially lit the tree, the crowd enjoyed a girls choir from St. Patricks as well as several large groups of dancers including Jazzersize, Irish traditional dancing, and the ubiquitous Carlsbad High School Lancer Dancers.

We got cold and left before hearing the Mayor’s words to kick off the season, but we’re going to guess that they were wonderfully appropriate.

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Jazzercisers jingle bell rocking out.

Click the link below for more photos and video of some Irish Traditional Dancers.

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215As much as we hate stumbling through the over-stuffed grandma clutter of Linda’s Gift, we often find ourselves forced to squeeze through the maze of knick-knacks in search of that special treat or card. So you can imagine our surprise when we nearly knocked over a whole stack of large tins from Tea Forte.

Tea Forte’s individually hand crafted silken infusers reportedly provide the world’s finest method to brew a cup of tea. “The open weave of the fabric allows the water to flow freely around the teas, allowing the tea leaves to unfurl and the flavors to mingle in the large open form of the infuser.”

Each Large Tin contains 15 of Tea Forte’s stylishly designed silken tea infusers with the choice of Classic (three infusers of each: Black Currant, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Orange Pekoe), Exotic (three infusers of each: African Solstice, Bombay Chai, Ginger, Green Tango & White Ambrosia) or Sampler (three infusers of each: Black Currant, Chamomile, Citrus Mint, Earl Grey, & Oasis).

The holidays can often get a little out-of-control hyper and there is nothing that calms things down like a hot cup of tea. That’s why Tea Forte Large Tin ($24) is one of our favorite hostess gifts.

Linda’s Gift, 300 Carlsbad Village Dr # 115 (760) 720-7525.

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Banditos Rob El Torito Market

by The Editors on December 2, 2007

Two masked and armed Latino men robbed the El Torito Market at 3163 Roosevelt St. in Carlsbad at approximately 8:35 PM on Friday night December 1, according to a story on SignOnSanDiego.com.

One robber held a shotgun to the employee’s head and the second robber held a handgun to her ribs. They escaped with about $6,400 into an alley, where a witness heard screeching tires of their getaway car.

We think we’re starting to notice some kind of connection between Christmas and robberies. Is holiday consumption that important? Apparently, it is.

[Link: SignOnSanDiego.com]

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Lego Robots Battle at Legoland

by The Editors on December 2, 2007

Blr-Robots01Teams from 59 elementary and middle schools traveled to Legoland yesterday (December 1, 2007) to compete in the First Lego League Championship Tournament. The competition pits “children around the globe against one another in robotics building and programming competitions, team Hackn’Botz [from Burbank, CA] has worked on training and building its robot for the last two months.”

The students must work together to program the robot’s brain to perform different missions on a pre-made map. As an added theme and learning requirement, all the missions make a lesson in conservation and green living.
See, Legoland does occasionally give back.

Of course, none of this was free. Legoland still charges a $20 admission for team members and coaches and $25.95 for friends and family. How else are they going to pay for that new aquarium?

[Link: Burbank Leader]

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For the next 12 days (December 1-12) we are presenting the Carlsbadistan 12 Days of Christmas Gift Guide. Each day we will add one new gift idea from Carlsbadistan. Welcome to day one.

Glovables-1When it comes to a Christmas wish list, most women aren’t writing down a pair of rubbergloves. But they might if they knew about these Glovables we found at the Poached Pear on State Street in the Village. The Gloveables’ signature oilcloth gauntlet adds just a touch of spice to doing the dishes (think lingerie for housework) and are perfect for those 50s housewives or rockabilly girls in your life. They retail for $15.00 and are available in an array of colors and gauntlet fabrics.

Poached Pear, 2946 State St. (760) 730-9050

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