The Arizona State Library has become a go-to digital source for Arizona history, lore and legend. Its new Digital Arizona Library contains over 500 old and new books, pamphlets, databases and timelines related to Arizona. You can simply go to the site, find something you want and read it online, or you can sign up and get some added features.

For instance, go to Reading Arizona and choose from 12 categories, like "Arizona Cities and Towns: A Historical Collection," "Native Americans of Arizona: A Historical Collection," "University Presses: A Reading Arizona Collection" and "Poisoned Pen Press: A Reading Arizona Collection."

You'll find seven books and pamphlets relating to Tucson, like "Arizona: The Wonderful Country, Tucson its Metropolis," dating from 1881. Most of the material on Native Americans is old and written by Anglos, though the 1906 book, "Geronimo's Story of His Life" says it's Geronimo's words "Taken down and edited by S. M. Barrett."

The "Current Issues" section includes the 2014 "Aztlan Arizona: Mexican American Educational Empowerment, 1968-1978" and the 2012 "Innocent Until Interrogated: The True Story of the Buddhist Temple Massacre and the Tucson Four." If you're up for Arizona-based mysteries, you'll find the David Mapstone Mysteries by Jon Talton, the Lena Jones Mysteries by Betty Web and The Drive Saga by James Sallis.

Not for everyone, but for the interested dabbler or the serious researcher, there's a lot to chew on.

In this week's deadtree issue of the Tucson Weekly, we did an an interview with Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl friends Bryan Sanders, Jimi Giannatti and Keli Carpenter. The interview was from a Day Drinking video we did with this NMWG crew about the ongoing online auction and the benefit concerts happening this weekend to honor Amy and Derrick Ross' work and raise funds for the Lupus Foundation.

In the Day Drinking video, Sanders and Giannatti (and thankfully a little later, Carpenter) share some NMWG memories and I left wishing I hung out with these guys more often.

Don't forget, the 2nd Annual Benefit for Amy and Derrick Ross: A Celebration of the Lives, Love and Music of Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl, is Saturday, Dec. 6 at Café Passe, 415 N. 4th Ave., 6 to 9 p.m. and The Flycatcher, 340 E. 6th St., 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Online auction continues through midnight, Saturday, Dec. 13 at www.nmwg.org.

In the video, Giannatti mentions a KXCI Locals Only interview Amy and Derrick did a bit ago, and how it captured the couple's love, relationship and of course, their music. So we reached into KXCI's archives and found it for you to have a listen, too, right here.

You might not need an excuse to drink, but in case you’re looking for one, Rialto Theatre has you covered this week. Between the Bon Vivant Club on Thursday, December 4 and the AZ Beerd Fest on Sunday, December 7, you’ll have your wine sipping and beer guzzling plans locked in.

The Bon Vivant Club, presented by R Bar, will feature tastings of “natural, organic and biodynamic wines” beginning at 5:30 p.m. The monthly series focuses on one specific region, showcasing wine’s ability to showcase that region’s story with five or six different wines. The 21 and over event is $20 and tickets are available through the Rialto Theatre website.

However, if you’re more of a hop head, you can sample brews from Borderlands, Pueblo Vida, Oskar Blues, San Tan, and Ska Brewing at the AZ Beerd Fest. Brews are just part of the equation for this event, though, as there is also a facial hair competition and live music courtesy of Hey, Bucko!, The Modeens, and more. The all ages event begins at 4 p.m. (you still have to be 21 or over to drink, obviously) and you can buy tickets for $12 through the Rialto Theatre website.

Greil Marcus is one of the deans of what we consider music writing these days, so when he recommends something it holds some weight. He's doing a column for Barnes & Noble (among other things these days) called the Real Life Rock Top Ten, which is more or less a list of stuff he likes. Somehow we missed it, but last week, among an episode of "The Good Wife" and a dry cleaning place in St. Paul, Minnesota was our very own Billy Sedlmayr:

Billy Sedlmayr “Charmed Life” (Fell City). Once Sedlmayr was everywhere in the Tucson punk scene; then for long years he was nowhere. This is his first solo album: a True Detective soundtrack after the fact. The case blows up with “Grapes in My Garden.”

It's a great album. I imagine Zia has it (right?), but get your hands on a copy before the year is through.

Looking for something to do on Thursday, December 4? Well, if you want to save a buck (or $46), then you might want to jump on the opportunity to snag some free tickets to Keller Williams with The Motet at Rialto Theatre. We have two pair of tickets will be given away and all you have to do is sign up with your e-mail on our fancy Free Stuff page for your chance to win (though next time we're probably going to make you wear a silly hat or something).



The winners will be chosen ay 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3 so you have approximately 24 hours to enter starting... now!

If you don't win and you still want to catch the show, tickets are available through the Rialto Theatre for $23. The all ages show begins at 8:30 p.m. with doors opening at 7:30 p.m.

If you've been riding around town without lights or a helmet, it's time to mend your evil ways and start riding the legal way. This evening beginning at 5 p.m. until supplies run out, Mayor Jonathan Rothschild will be handing out light sets and helmets to riders at the popular biking intersection of Campbell Avenue and East 3rd Street.

The giveaway is part of an initiative to promote bicycle safety on the streets by handing out lights and helmets every month in a new location. According to the Living Streets Alliance, more than 400 light sets and 65 helmets have been given away since October. 

It's not just about safety though. Riders caught without a white headlight visible up to 500 feet away and a red reflector visible up to 300 feet away can face fines of  $184.

So basically, go grab some free lights or pay $184— tough call, right?

Nikki and Matt Thompson have been running a catering business called 2 Hearts 1 Kitchen in town for about seven years, but now the couple is ready to bring their take on New American cuisine, which she defines as “traditional American with a random international splash” to the public.

“We’ve always wanted to have our own place and create our own food since we met in culinary school,” Nikki Thompson says. “The romance of owning our own restaurant has kept us going.”

Now, the Thompson’s dream is in sight with their forthcoming restaurant Nook, located at 1 E. Congress Street. Thompson says they plan to be open the first week of February, but until then, she and her husband are enjoying the time they get to invent dishes.

Thompson says to expect breakfast and lunch on the weekdays and brunch on Saturday with unique dishes like a huevos rancheros omelet. She is also excited to bring some of her culinary experience in Hawaii to her menu at Nook. One such dish will be a her take on prominent Hawaiian chef Danny Morioka’s loco moco (a layering of rice, burger, egg, and gravy), which she traveled back to Hawaii to perfect. She plans to make her loco moco with bacon and cheese.

Although the couple plans to open Nook in February, Thompson says they likely won’t be able to serve liquor, beer, or wine until at least May when their license is approved. After that, she says to expect a full “boozy brunch” experience.

Equally important as the food, Thompson says she’s focused on creating a relaxed, casual, and comfortable atmosphere with friendly service at the forefront.

“We want the vibe of the restaurant to be like you’re hanging out with your family, eating in the kitchen,” she explains. “You can have stark white walls in the house, but it’s the family that makes the ambiance.”

Thompson says Nook definitely won’t have those white walls, though, as she plans on featuring local artists in the restaurant.

“I was born and raised in Tucson. Tucson is my heart and my gut,” she says. “It’s important to bring it all together.”

For updates on Nook’s progress, you can follow the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.

I'm gonna blame this on the schools. Whenever things happen with kids, no matter what it is, people like to say it's the schools' fault, so I might as well follow suit. I guess I've got to give a share of the blame to all the sex and violence in the media too — you name it, TV, movies, music (especially rap!), video games. They're so far over the top these days, it's gotta be affecting the kids! Oh, and don't forget parenting. You can't let the parents off the hook for their kids' behavior either.

For example, we've got to blame schools, media and parents for the rate of violence among youth these days. According to a recent op ed in the Star,

. . . arrests for serious violent offenses by juveniles have dropped about 60 percent from 1994 to 2011. Juvenile arrests have receded faster in the past 10 years than adult arrests. Property crime by youth also has sunk to its lowest point in 30 years.

Wait, what? You mean kids today are less violent than they were 20 years ago? That's not the impression I get from the media, or from adults complaining about "Kids nowadays!"

OK, but things have got to be worse in other areas, like bullying, teen pregnancy, drinking. Right?

. . . peer victimization, harassment and bullying — despite their ubiquity — have been abating in almost all of the surveys. Suicide, too, is less common.

[snip]

Not only is the rate of teenage pregnancy down to record lows in the United States, but the percentage of ninth-graders who say they have had sexual intercourse has declined from 54 percent in 1991 to 47 percent in 2013.

[snip]

The number of teenagers who have been drunk in the past year is at a record low and the drop for eighth-graders is particularly remarkable.

What the hell is going on? How can I complain about how awful and depraved today's kids are if the stats make them look so good? Haven't our schools turned into jungles? Hasn't the increase in depictions of sex and violence in the media turned kids into raging ids? Aren't parents being too permissive, or too overprotective, or too . . . something or other?

If things were going the other way, if the stats were trending for the worse, people would be quick enough to blame the usual suspects. So I guess, given the direction things are going, we've got to say, "Congratulations social, cultural and educational institutions. Way to go! Whatever you're doing, keep it up!"

If you’re looking to take part in one of Tucson’s most endearingly festive annual events, the Downtown Parade of Lights is currently accepting float submissions.

Now in its 20th year, the holiday parade has a long and bright history in town of getting people together to look at a locally made light show. If you’re ready to put on your best Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen costumes, get the old Polka band back together, and cover your truck in as many lights as you possibly can, you should probably sign up to be in the parade this year.

Entry for float makers is $35 this year with possible cash prizes if your submission wows including $500 for the best in show and $250 for the best musical group. All those planning on entering must do so online by Friday, December 5.

The Downtown Parade of Lights will brighten up the streets of Armory Park starting at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 20. The event is free to attend.

While everyone else is fighting over discounted Soda Streams and comforter sets online today, you can spend your hard earned cash wisely by snatching up cheaper tickets for Dianne Reeves’ performance at the Tucson Jazz Festival.

Tickets to see the three-time Grammy award winning jazz vocalist range from $35 to $65, but by using the code SAVE15 at checkout, you can get 15% off your ticket purchase.

Reeves will perform at the Fox Theatre on Sunday, January 18 at 7 p.m. The all ages event is presented by the University of Arizona’s jazz series.

The Tucson Jazz Festival will take place Friday, January 16 through Wednesday, January 28 at several different venues including the Fox and Rialto theatres. For more information on the festival, including a full list of concerts, visit the festival’s website.