Putting the Pieces Together • Melissa Arendt and the Art of Inspiration

Melissa Arendt refers to her work as “a fragmented record of life on earth.” At first glance, her pieces give the appearance of collage—dense, busy, eclectic—though in fact they’re completely hand-painted and drawn. Time and space are limited, and she’s trying to fit it all in. Art has been Arendt’s…

Miracle on 21st Street • Sacramento Couple’s Diner Dreams Come True

I’m convinced Jennifer Swiryn bleeds maple syrup. The 34-year-old former waitress, now co-owner of retro-inspired diner The Morning Fork, cannot stop showing her excitement about her restaurant dream coming true, even three months after opening. “I know, I’m creepy!” Jennifer laughs loudly in between happy tears as she stops a…

Rebel Roar | Ford vs Ferrari | Rated PG-13

I don’t know what I was expecting when the theater lights went down before Ford vs Ferrari, but it wasn’t this. The trailer hinted at a highly stylized Mad Men take on the Tom Cruise movie Days of Thunder, where some bonehead jock (ahem, Tom Cruise) proves himself to, well,…