Dec. 21: 'Extreme' Movie, Board Games and Other Indoor Activities

Apologies to all those who traveled to Santa Monica this week in the hopes of a warm and sunny holiday break. We swear, it's not usually like this.

Yes, rain is on the brain—big time. Between the , , bus crash and the like, that's pretty much all we've been talking about here at Santa Monica Patch. Fortunately, all residences and businesses that had lost electricity saw it restored early this morning.

Two exceptions from Monday: a noteworthy protest that saw about 75 activists joining workers in their fight against the owner of Bonus Car Wash; and an interview with St. Monica Schools President Thom Gasper, who spoke about budget tightening and the role the Catholic schools play in the greater community.

But back to the weather (and events). Here's how today is shaping up:

Weather Forecast

• rain (but you already knew that)
• thunder possible
• high temperature: 57 degrees
• low temperature: 53 degrees
• chance of precipitation: 80 percent
• sunrise: 6:56 a.m.
• sunset: 4:49 p.m.

The Main Event

•  students are breathing a sigh of relief, as today is the last day of the fall semester and marks the finish of final exams. A virtual pat on the back to all of you.

The Runner-Up

• Starving students can reward themselves with a free movie:  will screen the outdoor-sports documentary Extreme at 7 p.m. Cowabunga, dude.
  

Other Happenings

• Senior citizens who enjoy writing in their free time can see what others think about their work at Write-Away, a support group of sorts. The Fairview Branch will be hosting that event too, from noon to 2:30 p.m.
• Younger people—specifically, kids in grades six through 12—can head to the  for an afternoon marathon of anime TV shows that's going down from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Children's Activity Room.
• And for the even younger set—babies and preschoolers—there's day two of the Montana Branch's special school-vacation program, happening from 2 to 4 p.m. Board games are on the bill.

Last but Not Least

• A handful of special retail sales come to a close today at Santa Monica Place. The stores in question include BCBGMAXAZRIA, Bertini, Ed Hardy, Foreign Exchange, Pandora, Sea of Silver and Tory Burch.

(Go here for more events happening today.)

This Day in Santa Monica History

• On Dec. 21, 2005, 10-to-15-foot-high waves battered Santa Monica Bay. Sounds like a walk in the park compared with what we're going through this week, doesn't it?
  

Check back every weekday, at 6 a.m. sharp, for the latest edition of The SM AM Report.

Did you take a great pic of SM in the early morning? Want to see it in The SM AM Report? Drop a note to Kurt.Orzeck@patch.com.