When I was a kid, my family made regular outings to our local Barnes & Noble to hang out all day and read whatever we wanted. It was fun, free, and my dad knew he would be called over the intercom if one of us yelled or started bleeding. (FYI, we did buy books to make up for our time spent browsing.)

I guess it’s hard for me to blur the line between love and everything else because the last time I hung out with a guy, we watched that old classic Pirates XXX. It didn’t even occur to me until later that he was probably thinking of dead kittens the entire time to avoid an awkward situation. College has this desensitizing effect when it comes to romance.

Three-day weekends don’t really mean much to anyone in college. The extra day meant a lot back when attending class was a mandatory Monday through Friday ordeal, but when some of us don’t even have classes on Friday, having a three-day weekend really isn’t a big deal at all.

What started as efforts geared toward benefiting the students and faculty of UC Davis has now transformed into a complex issue, on which different sectors of the community are having difficulty coming to an agreement.

The Glasgow trio Zoey Van Goey released two singles – “Foxtrot Vandals” and “Sweethearts in Disguise” – in the past few years with the help of Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch. Last year they self-released The Cage Was Unlocked All Along, produced by Paul Savage (Delgados, Mogwai), which was re-released by Chemikal Underground in January.

Formerly known as Alphababy, Yukon Blonde changed their name, packed up their van and moved their belongings, band-mates and production from Kelowna down to Vancouver, Canada to head into a new musical generation.

Newly formed super group Them Crooked Vultures turn out their own blend of vintage rock and roll with a soothing melodic twist that will bring music fans to their knees on their debut self-titled album.

Chances are you’ve heard her but you just don’t know it. At 51, Sade Adu has been making music for 25 years, during which her music has been played in drugstores, dentist’s offices, jazz clubs and elevators. Soldier of Love is no exception to the type of neo-soul, jazzy music she has been creating over the past years, with even a touch of reggae in \

ART / GALLERY

The notorious Vagina Monologues are back, and will be showcased this Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Theater. An extra performance at 2 p.m. will be held on Saturday.

Watch out, prima ballerinas: The men of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo are in town.

TODAY