ARTIFACTS - Shouldn't the saying be "age before wisdom?"

➔ On Sunday, Khenpo Karten Rinpoche, a Buddhist monk who opened the Manjushri Dharma Center in Pacific Grove, performs a water blessing for the winter solstice (and to honor one of the Earth’s elements) 4pm at Lover’s Point Beach. www.KhenpoKarten.org.

➔ The Asian antique emporium Orientations in Monterey contains a sumptuous array of furniture, art, artifacts, sculptures and gifts from China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. The collection is of such rich quality that it’s nerve-wracking to walk among it fearing you’ll knock something over and then will have to take out a second mortgage. It’s in the historic Marsh Building and is now showing Asian scholar stones from the Anhui and Hunan provinces of China. 655-9766, www.Orientations.us.

➔ The Arts Council for Monterey County is giving Philip Glass a Champion of the Arts award in January. Just wanted to say it again. Makes me giddy.

➔ A company called Studio Movie Grill has arrived in California – in Rocklin, to be exact. Their concept: dinner at the movies. While watching first-run movies, you can order and eat appetizers, entrees, dessert, with beer, wine, cocktails and spiked milkshakes. Imagine the pairing possibilities: Bloody Marys with Twilight, onion rings with the Lord of the Rings, mahi-mahi with The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Or not.

➔ First Night Monterey is coming. A reprise of the oceanic theme of last year, this time christened “SeaChanges, the Seaquel,” 22 performance sites (mostly indoors), the twilight procession, kids night out, art, music, dance, no booze but plenty of fun (it’s not an oxymoron). FirstNightMonterey.org for more.

➔ The Pacific Grove Art Center is getting ready for 2015 with some introspection and possible new direction. In a newsletter, Executive Director Teresa Brown touts something called the “Renaissance Campaign,” including modest changes like new carpeting and logo, and big ideas like opening an art supply store. 375-2208.

➔ It’s been 24 years since a group of arts advocates, as Arts Habitat, petitioned the Monterey County Supervisors for an arts district at East Garrison. That dream is still years away, but is looming on the horizon of the fast-growing development. Arts Habitat Administrator Shirmaine Jones says that the developer and Artspace Projects are in talks as Phase 2 gets underway. Maybe they can throw in a Trader Joe’s while they’re at it? 624-6111 to find out more.