The Los Gatos Buzz

She's Back..........

2010-04-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

Burning Brightly

so what's next you ask?

L'A dieu au voi

2009-04-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

The beauty of Craigslist. Each and every time we get the bright idea to exit stage left for yet another adventure we have a typical (typical for us...not sure how that translates...) drill we follow. Order two of the door to door storage containers, fill with the usual suspects of beloved found articles from travel, books, artwork as well as a box of dishes, box of linens so where ever we are on the planet: it arrives to be opened like a mini time capsule. The rest you ask-where does it go? Good question as an 8 foot by 8 foot cube is limiting: The magic wand is Craigslist. If you build it they will come ala Field of Dreams. A mini pictorial of treasures available for sale, in our case Ikea furniture and random computer gear. Funny but it's being gobbled up as fast as I can post it. Hooray for extreme recycling! The question most people ask : But how can you mentally approach such a daunting task. For those of you who have moved a handful of times the concept is one you already embrace. To not embrace the concept is to remain tethered to your "stuff" and saddled with the responsibility or ability to convince yourself that the life you lead is the one you have choosen.

The only way I can describe being a serial mover is how the jones of the next adventure is as addictive as crack. New places means new food experiences, new artistic endeavors and new people to meet. For those of us in the nutty world of an all consuming passion for food a new adventure means new food cultures to be discovered. Think of it much like the ability to gather and collect bugs in a jar when you were a child, except now we don't capture such experiences we simply enjoy and in my case write about them then seek out the next experience. Which brings me to my most exciting news: the creative juju that I am funneling into my new blog that will be up and running soon. Bit of a paradigm shift from the suburban snore angst of my current suburbansubsistance. Think food, adventure travel, more food, wine, people, all surrouded by more food experience. Travel for me has always been about the food, oh and the scuba diving. Maybe photography too...you get it.

So with the madness that accompanies a move, I bid you all adieu... Thank you for reading, thank you for posting ( although I have given up the moderating weeks ago) and thank you for the life experience that will forever be a layer of my personality.

Hey Troll: Is that your nose or just happy 2 C Me?

2009-04-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

You know your old when___________. Yes, it has happened, the not so subtle sign that you may not have the complete skinny on certain things cultural. Yes, I can still rattle off most of the bands played on the radio but would I really possess that knowledge in a seemingly seamless way without the Shazam icon on my phone? Tough to say. Someone recently mentioned the term LARP or LARPing and for a moment I assumed it was some new beauty treatment or exotic massage. Wrong. Think adult games of pretend....wait that didn't come out quite right. Different metaphor: think dungeons and dragons but on a grown-up level ..too geeky ? Hate to place a value judgement but I think you catch the drift. Play a role and take it to an Oscar winning performance level while having fun within a scripted story-line.

Paint-ball had this type of cache a dozen years ago, although too boy centric to have a groovy feel.
Weirdly a handful of websites talk about the Live-action role play parts available and what they seek to get plugged into. Kinda creepy, but kinda cool. Like the opportunity to walk around a Renaissance Fair with a big Turkey leg to nibble while people yell nasty things at you? Well, you haven't lived until you have done this in part because it feels so great to whack someone on the head with the nibbled turkey leg after they call you wench. All in good fun I assure you.

The context of this discussion about LARPing came from a talk about its' sometime use as a tool
for therapy. Which reminded me of the time when both of my sons would sport super hero costumes (complete with capes) every day, and accompany me on my daily errands to the grocery, post office and cafe for coffee. Nothing like hanging with a superhero to attract attention. Clark Kent had it all wrong.

So, just for fun drop this newly learned concept into the next casual conversation, might be a nice mental form of fun. Funnier still is to see if the person would be game to play.

The Healthy Habit

2009-04-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

Organic. Can't dodge the label now even if you tried. Organic is not a new word in our household vernacular. What is new is the lengths products go to position themselves as synonymous with healthy wholesome and good . We also know that when you slap on that little seven letter word that starts with O (mind outta the gutter) the Other word: organic it's marketing piece for this positioning is typically the premium it demands. See the O word on the label: add another 20-30% to the bottom line. Mind you, I don't fight that battle, because I am a staunch defender of the farmer and the industry minions who support all things pesticide free. The beef so to speak comes from the inane marketing of things clearly not healthy, but when proudly displaying an organic tag line is made over magically ? Perhaps not.

Cigarettes. Yes, now even my favorite satirist Christopher Hitchens can embody the healthy marketing notion that he is doing something good for himself as he smokes two organic packs a day.

I became aware of this oddly positioned organic product from an insert in my favorite magazine, The Atlantic. Double truck magazine advertisement for you fellow marketing wonks- singing the praises of the American Spirit Cigarette, and it's use of Organic tobacco. I am not a smoker, but friends who do still smoke (yes, weirdly enough still on this continent) maybe even more weirdly in my own neighborhood- agreed to preform a taste test/price/value comparison.

The results? Since I am not affiliated with Consumer Reports, suppose I can share with you.. Local test results reported no difference in taste for a price premium, and the idea of smoking organic cigarettes really felt silly. Who do you suppose the market for this product? Surely not overweight Midwesterners who drink domestic swill and consider In and Out burger fine dining. The answer may allude us, but the marketing savvy gave me a laugh.

When Is 2 Much?

2009-04-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

TheParenting Continuum hosted a bag lunch discussion this afternoon with speaker: Dr. Tonja Krautter Raising Boys in a Digital World. Questions of what constitutes 'screen' time? How much is too much? What types of games are they playing? Does this interfere with the development of our boy's communication and socialization skills.

The focus was really how to maintain a healthy parent/child relationship while placing limits. Speaker Dr. Tonja Krautter, Psy.D., L.C.S.W, has been named one of the National Top Mental Health Practitioners in the nation, and has been mentioned as one of Cambrian’s Who’s Who of Doctors in the United States of America.
Dr. Krautter opened up the discussion with an interestingly positive notion concerning video game use. Sighting a recent study of how video games that involve high levels of action, such as first-person-shooter games, increase a player's real-world vision, according to research in the March Issue of Nature Neuroscience. The ability to discern slight differences in shades of gray has long been thought to be an attribute of the human visual system that cannot be improved. But Daphne Bavelier, professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, has discovered that very practiced action gamers become 58 percent better at perceiving fine differences in contrast.

"When people play action games, they're changing the brain's pathway responsible for visual processing. These games push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it. Ability to Perceive Changes in Shades of Gray Improves up to 58 Percent.. Amazing right?

Speaker Dr. Tonja Krautter also outlined the not so Rosie side of video game use: addiction.
The question looms- what makes a game addictive. Is it the gore & guts factor? Fantasy aggressive play as an outlet? The University of Rochester also posted the following study that shows: Violence Does Not Motivate Video Game Players. Motivation comes from the healthy pleasure of mastering a challenge rather than from a disturbing craving for carnage. A Harris Poll survey found that 8.5% of youths 8 to 18 who play video games show collective signs of addiction that psychologists know exist in pathological gamblers.

The responsibility is ours to hold game developers accountable. The rating system for video games along with the integrity of marketing to the appropriate age level needs to be policed, but by whom you ask? Us. We are the parents, and as we want our children to have a sense of adventure and quest for learning . Sometimes reminding the corporate game world to remember: blood, violence and inappropriate sexual innuendo does not help the bottom line.

Looking for more of a safety net to research this sort of stuff? My favorite site is Common Sense Media. I like to think of them as the Consumer reports for the parental demographic.

The most important tid-bit of information learned today, play the games before purchasing. Knowledge really IS power.

Business Class Seating

2009-04-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

I get it. My first "ride" in a big vehicle in many years...Crystal clear now why it is that so many women drive ginormous vehicles. No, it's not the obvious- not the extra legroom, or the ability to load it full of crap that you don't really need from Costco. The reason is clear: when riding/driving a Largemarge vehicle, size of ones' butt suddenly seems so very much smaller. My guess is that after many outings while driving such largess for the largeass psychological mechanics at work kick in to convince you just how "petite" one is behind the wheel. Of course it's flawed logic because next to this large leather seat is the expandable drink holder. My immediate thought, if this is the size of drink I might imbibe while driving there is no way in hell my behind would continue to feel as tiny in such a big luxurious seat.

I must apologize to any of you who resemble this statement. I am not making a value judgement here. Suffice to say that the beauty of democracy is the ability to make choices. I just thought I would share with the class that the ah-ha moment has arrived finally, I get it. Not saying that I will be coming over to the dark side of big comfy leather seats, just know that I understand and will ride shotgun with you anytime in the future.

Not Worthy

2009-04-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

How often do we take for granted all of the things that get accomplished with the sweat of others?
The orange blossom fragrance waifs through our pristine streets, after the immigrant labor has pedicured the landscape. Not much thought goes into the how, what or why of the economics behind the underbelly that grooms our quaint existence. Ever ponder the question of where and how this segment of society exist? Let me share a small bite from a day in the life.

My housekeeper ( legal status, pays taxes) resided here in Los Gatos with her two daughters (elementary and middle school ) until last month. When she couldn't renew her apartment lease she relocated nearby but out of LG . Her workday is still spent cleaning the homes of Los Gatans until she picks up her girls from school. I should mention that is the past tense, because as of two weeks ago she was forced to remove her daughters from the school district. Never mind that with less than two months of school left in the year, these children have been uprooted. Shortsighted and stupid are to adjectives that come to mind. Apparently a public school education is available to those of us lucky enough to wield our educational muster to support the change of circumstances. Unfortunately, this is something that did not apply in this particular case, yes I forgot....if one is cleaning homes, than one may not be in a position to argue the finer points of reason with our local school administrators.

Got a beef with that? Me too. Wanna share your frustration? Feel free to wield your mental muscle and articulate the short sighted approach with the school district. It's the right thing to do. Care to wager that this could conceivably happen to you or I if the same situation presented itself? Hate to say it...but the race card comes into play. Contact Fisher Middle School Principal Lisa Fraser, and Daves' Avenue School Principal Susan Von Felton. Wouldn't hurt to pen a quick email to the district superintendent Richard Whitmore. Think for a moment if your children were placed in this position.

Gavin 2.0

2009-04-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

Love that our local glamour pus, Mayor Gavin Newsom is tossing his jet black, hair gelled, smarty pants self into the gubernatorial mosh pit along with the other lightweights like Meg Whitman former CEO of Ebay, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (just recently re-elected for a second term.) Also running for the states' top office is the old school, nose hair sprouting crowd include state Attorney General Jerry Brown and Democratic Lt. Gov. John Garamendi.

Only 13 months to go before the 2010 gubernatorial primaries and the virtual world rocks with all things Gavin Newsom. What I love the most is the campaign strategy surroundings this newly announced campaign. To quote the Mayor of SF: "We can't afford to keep returning to the same old tired ideas and expect the same result," Feel the love radiate from your computer monitor with his three-minute YouTube announcement, part of the unprecedented "virtual fly-around" campaign announcement done entirely in the new media. Yeah!

His advisers hope the unusual new media-based campaign roll out reaches an estimated half-million computer users in the first 24 hours - which would underscore what Newsom has called a "2.0 campaign" for the 2010 Democratic nomination. A key target will be the "millennial" voters, those technology-bred Californians born between 1982 and 2003 - part of the largest and most diverse generation in history - who helped boost Obama to the presidency, his advisers said.

Never too early to get that merchandising out there... Tee shirts? Get 'em here!

The Pot-Hole That Ate Your Car

2009-04-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

My commute this morning was out of my ordinary hurry local scurry. Commuting 880 is not so bad as there is a car pool lane. I of course felt like the odd duck out among the steady stream of Prius drivers sporting yellow HOV stickers leading the parade of morning commute cars. Not so bad really. No complaints even with the driving habits. The complaint comes from having the ability to bust a move (not nutty speed mind you) but faster than the posted 65mph since we are talking rush hour traffic and not to point of the obvious, if this IS the only line of traffic moving then why not keep it moving?

The rub comes from driving conditions. The highways in Guatemala have fewer potholes than our local interstate. Pathetic.

So who do I bitch to ?

California has the worst road and highway pavement conditions in the nation according to The Road Information Program. Meanwhile Californians now pay the seventh-highest gas tax nationwide ( which btw I think should be even higher) 18.4 cents per gallon in federal gas tax and another 18 cents in state gas tax, plus 7.5 cents uniform state and local sales tax, plus any optional local sales taxes for transportation. Our golden state ranks next to last in transportation spending. California's $7.9 billion transportation budget comes out to only $251 per person. Only South Carolina pays less at $223 per person. Source: San Jose Mercury-News. Urban roads in Los Angeles are the third-worst in the nation, with 33 percent rated in "poor" condition. San Jose's rank fifth-worst with 30 percent rated "poor." San Francisco-Oakland's rank sixth-worst with 29 percent in "poor"condition. Source: Caltrans .

There is no surprise that driving on roads in disrepair accelerates vehicle deterioration and depreciation much like the mound of uneaten kid-snack lurking beneath my car seats. Triple A calculates that drivers in California’s biggest cities pay as much as $700 annually for repairs and early vehicle replacement costs. The national average is $400. I suppose the bright side is that my car is just transportation, and the only thing brighter would be accessible public transportation but I shall save that rant for a future blog post. Mean while, today was a spare the air day. Be nice to see people actually embrace the notion. Wishful thinking on my part.

....Is The Magic Number

2009-04-19T20:58:00.001-07:00

People always remind me how certain things come in three's. So this auspicious number did indeed pan out today. Hanging on the boat for the weekend is a nice depressurization from the normal world, and this
morning we awoke to a knock on the hull of Tramuntana. Coffee in hand we went outside to say good morning. The couple visiting came by to say " we wanted to see your boat because we too have been contemplating a catamaran for world cruising." Weirdly enough, the woman was someone who has sat beside my husband at high tech board meetings for the last four years. Neither realized the other was a sailor. Top it off, said couple just sold a Los Gatos home and live bay side of where we reside here on the water...weird. Next The Pacific Strictly Sail show going on here in Oakland which made for a fun outing of all things salty. These delicious little dingies that resemble a margarine tub sporting a stick were available to test sail. Needless to say the instant my 6 & 8 year olds' hands held that tiller the rest was history. The representative for these cute little dingies lives near Boston and as he mentioned the suburb, I mentioned a friend who lives in the same enclave.. yes, he knows my friend. Knows the whole clan actually....weird.
The trifecta of the day was meeting the man responsible for my present day life as I know it. Richard Spindler is the publisher of the local sailing rag Latitude 38. Latitude runs a crew list to connect sailors and crew, and when I relocated to San Francisco from Chicago I was told this was the best spot to meet other sailors. Fast forward sixteen years and voila- I met Rob and went went sailing as a beta test and the rest of course is history. Anyways... I had never met Richard and was delighted to introduce him to my family. I think he hears these kinds of stories often as it is the Bay Area and LOTS of sailors have met as a common connection to Latitude.

The truth is things really may arrive in three's... for me it may be my third and last cocktail of the evening as we sit an enjoy this sultry Alameda evening that feels weirdly like somewhere else.

Feeling Lucky?

2009-04-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

I am not one to play the lottery. Considering it a game for the mathematically challenged but with the announcement of a $5 donation, I rethought my bias on this one. Supporters enter a draw for several prizes including a day with the former US president Bill Clinton. As secretary of state, Mrs Clinton is banned from fund-raising but loyalists such as long-time Democratic strategist James Carville have stepped into the breach. I have decided to change my outlook on lottery chances- feeling lucky perhaps? The other prizes are tickets to the season finale of the hit talent show American Idol (boring...) and lunch in Washington with James Carville (could be fun) sounds as thought a pre-planned the day with Mr Clinton involves meeting him in New York and attending "several interesting events." I, of course have my own short list of fun things to do with Mr. Bill. Can you imagine how much fun one could have in a strip club with this chic magnet of a guy?? How about showing up at any event or concert- carte blanche seating and hob nobbing with who-know's-who.

Previous fundraising appeals have shrunk down the debt for Mrs.Clinton, she is still saddled with an I.O.U of $2.3m, which is owed to Mark Penn, a pollster and political strategist (whittled down from $25.2m .) The email that arrived today stated " Your contribution today not only gives you the chance at winning one of these fantastic prizes, it'll also help our dear friend, Hillary Clinton, pay off the very last of her campaign debt." Is it too soon to plan what to wear on my potential outing? I suppose sporting a blue dress may be out.

Green Is Good

2009-04-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

If you did not have an opportunity to get out today and enjoy all that is Spring, then let me give you a glimpse into a day in the life of a pitch perfect Friday. Dodging leaf blowers is not my forte as of late, but when is the last time you walked barefoot in that just-cut green grass ? Green fresh cut aroma should be bottled for the not so sunny days.. walking in freshly cut grass feels sooo good and is a great way to kick start the day. Followed by a very green lunch, packaged in, you guessed it- environmentally green packaging enjoyed alfresco. Segway to the afternoon, nothing like a little SFBay salt water lavage to clean up ones outlook on life-as if it could be any brighter. The quintessentially California vision of the great outdoors played like an infomercial today as everything unfurled effortlessly unplanned. What's not to like about a completely impromptu approach to life. Even if it is just for one day. Playing without a plan is a luxury, but what's a sunny Friday without a little diversion of deliciousness (pick your poison.) Don't feel bad if you missed the opportunity to enjoy the magnificent spring weather as tomorrow is supposed to be another stellar day-hooray!

String Theory

2009-04-16T08:55:00.001-07:00

I have my own duality of theme for string theory as of late. Creative genius reins in my little insular world, and with that a thematic course of action has lead to a path of cardboard boxes, duct tape, scissors, Popsicle sticks and of course string ending in an original artform developed by my artists in residence ages 6 & 8.

The imaginative play of kids remains the same regardless of societal norms, financial where-with -all, and geography. From experiencing kids in Thailand building "boats" from styrofoam washed ashore to my own mad scientists building cross bows from paperclips the concept is the same: left to imaginative play one will make due with what one has. I know this is not an epiphany for many but the idea that less is more in the current global crisis is at least comforting to put a happy spin on all things recyclable.

How does this translate to the adult world of responsibility? Supporting artistic programs like this one which inspires and serves up a creative twist for something as pedestrian as a trash can or bin. Our own community could certainly channel this type of creative juju. The Museums of Los Gatos is starting a Thursday Evening Lecture Series that brings a breadth of informational artistic concepts to light. The first of the series is April 23 from 7 to 9. Presenter Cathy Kimball will discuss art in the present tense. The community support of these grassroot endeavors ensures future success. Please consider attending, even if you have never felt "plugged" into the local art scene. Self actualization seems too airy-fairy but the idea is to stir a creativeness we all possess but maybe haven't tapped since the day of using paper and string.

At least that's my theory for what it's worth.....

Cha-Ching

2009-04-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

Is that baby giving you the finger? No worries..it's the mood dujour for many.
Feeling blue sorta boo hoo today as you mail your taxes to Uncle Sam? Apparently paying a huge amount of ones' earnings makes for happy campers, at least in Denmark where almost 70% of salaries are tax income for the country. It would be a curious beta test to live in a society where bankers earn as much as artists. So as we cry the blues today, this holiday for the IRS let's remember that it could always be worse. We could be Ukrainine. To be taxed in the Ukraine, is much like visiting the proctologist office. A global ranking of countries with the worse taxation system is awarded to this country. From a global perspective if anyone should be cranky it would be this part of the world which come to think of it the weather is just about as miserable. Prozac in the morning coffee is a lot like Cheerios for breakfast stateside. According to the WSJ America has a very small number of taxpayers -- the 10% of the country that makes more than $92,400 a year -- pay 72.4% of the nation's income taxes. They're the tip of the triangle that's supporting virtually everyone and everything. Why am I not Republican again?? Their burden keeps getting heavier. So take it to the streets, as many people did today. Tea Party antics this tax day against what the protesters believe are higher-than-necessary taxes and excess government spending, largely on the part of the Obama administration. The demonstrations mark the culmination of a movement spurred in part by a February rant from CNBC personality Rick Santelli that generated more than a million views on YouTube - and even a White House response. As you might recall, Santelli - surrounded by traders in Chicago - complained that Americans were being forced by the Obama administration to "subsidize the losers' mortgages" and called for a "Chicago tea party" to show his and others' anger. Gotta have a hobby.

Of course, the tea party that seems to have inspired the comment - the Boston Tea Party, that iconic 1773 protest in which Massachusetts colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor - was tied largely to taxation without representation by the British government. That's no longer an issue for most Americans ( well- maybe the District of Columbia can bitch.)
The antithesis of party mentality this tax day: the tax professionals, like KPMG have the most boring, non creatively packaged information available on the world wide web. I suppose it's tough to break outta that beancounter mentality and think left brain creative. At least spending time reading about the world of taxes globally could be a more appealing experience but then again I can't imagine I would be considered a prime end-user of the website.

Remember cranky pants, the post office will be collecting/postmarking until midnight. Could be worse as you could be in Denmark, paying your taxes perhaps working at KPMG and dealing with that 24 hours of winter darkness thing. Could always be worse.

Amazon In The Police Business

2009-04-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Amazon is on the naughty list for the readers of all things feminist, LGBT and sexual-empowerment. The potentially "sexual" themes were removed from the sales rankings, which are numbers that show how well a product is performing on the website.

Angry authors and readers responded by launching a full-on social media assault, using blogs, Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness and to collect signatures on a petition. The beauty of petitions, especially online petitions like this one is the immediacy. Nothing like immediate satisfaction. The recent Mea Culpa from Amazon is laughable: we goofed as in technical hickup. I suspect Amazon was throwing it's weigh around as some sort of literature police and got spanked for it. Now the corporate marketing "line" is oops- we had a technical glitch. Yeah, right. It didn't take Amazon long to get the message loud and clear that it does not have the right to try and police what we buy. Amazon seemed to have forgotten that we’re the people it’s supposed to be serving–and right now I’m speaking as a consumer, Amazon seemed to be stripping the sales figures and accompanying rankings from GLBTQ books, erotica, and romance novels, particularly those with what they term “adult content.” Nothing pisses me off more than being told what NOT to do. I can't take on any more issues in therapy at the moment to address this zealot nature too, so what to do??

This is nothing short of discrimination; nothing short of censorship. This is nothing a business that claims commercial integrity at even the most basic level would do. Consequently, as a longtime Amazon customer, I look forward to an immediate reversal of this ridiculous and unconscionable policy. Otherwise, I will purchase elsewhere and encourage everyone else I know to do the same. Should you feel the need to vent, please feel free to cut and paste the following rant to the email listed at the bottom. Made me feel a bit better, maybe it will do the same for you.

Dear Amazon,

It has come to my attention that you are de-ranking books, supposedly on the basis of “adult content.” Apparently, according to the Amazon Dictionary, this is defined as books that have anything at all to do with GLBT characters, authors, issues, or references, with some general erotically-oriented works being roped in, as well. In the meantime, however, books on the illegal, inhumane, and horrifyingly violent sport of dog fighting remain ranked and appear on a first page search under “dog fighting”: http://bit.ly/18l70B. Further, a search under “playboy” yields as the first return “Playboy: Wet and Wild Complete Collection,” followed by “Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds,” and so on. At what point did “adult content” exclude nude women and dogs killing other dogs for sport? I choose to purchase my books from anyone other than Amazon, until this is addressed. Amazon executive customer service email is: ecr@amazon.com and the customer service phone number is 1-800-201-7575.

Curious about how this really translates? Here is an example, one of these books has been removed from Amazon’s sales rankings because of “adult” content; the other has not. “American Psycho” is Bret Easton Ellis’ story of a sadistic murderer. “Unfriendly Fire” is a well-reviewed empirical analysis of military policy. But it’s “Unfriendly Fire” that does not have a sales rank — which means it would not show up in Amazon’s bestseller lists. In some cases, being de-ranked also means being removed from Amazon’s search results. So this is the global, publicly embarrassing problem for the retailer which prides itself on its online community and ranking system.

It's cathartic to share this short minded censorship and inconsistent policing of what ought to be accessible to the book buying public. Interesting to see how it will shake out.

Adventure Upon The Highseas vs. Movie Option= News Coverage Unparrelled

2009-04-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

I smell a book deal for the heroic captain. When his book is optioned for a film I envision the scene of his heroic jump from the life boat with a knife concealed between his grit teeth as he jumps into the Gulf of Aden. Pirates shooting glow-in-the dark tracer bullets into the water. Harrison Ford might be cast as the hunky captain. Move over George Clooney Richard Phillips is the real deal.

Why this particular saga story lined on every major news agency worldwide? Even the puny Irish Examiner carried the headline. The true irony in all of this is the Maersk Alabama, an American-flagged and Danish-owned vessel, had been carrying humanitarian aid to Africa. Since the attack, Phillips and his captors had been floating in the life raft, out of fuel and shadowed by U.S. warships. I believe that because the crew fought back, and the captain has a certain photogenic quality, navy seals para shooting in, snipers hovering...stuff that readership is made of. Gimme gimme more. There is more. The soft-spoken captain had placed himself at risk in an effort to protect his crew, helping fight off the pirates and then offering himself as a hostage.
The pirates kept Phillips aboard the 24-foot lifeboat and repeatedly threatened him. They were seeking millions of dollars in ransom. "His courage is a model for all Americans," Obama said in a statement released Sunday by the White House.

Asked if he had any message for a public that had been captivated by his ordeal, Phillips was self-effacing. "The real heroes are the Navy, the Seals, those who have brought me home," he told John Reinhart, president and chief executive of Maersk Line.

Highseas vs. Movie Option= News Coverage Unparalleled. I am so smitten with Captain handsome...good manors too, whew.

What the main stream story doesn't carry is the non sexy bi lines from the other ships held for ransom. There's even a website that tracks the status. Perhaps if these pirates possessed a little more marketing savvy they would have their own website, with maybe a few corporate sponsors say maybe Haliburton or Blackwater.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy that the ships' captain is safe but what about the other poor saps still confined to the tanker awaiting who knows what. Nice to see a happy outcome to this ordeal. Can't wait for the movie version.

Egg-citing

2009-04-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Curse the Easter Bunny for the deluge of jelly beans that have magically found a home here in the confines of the boat bilge. For you non sailors, the bilge is the bottom of the boat. A dark potentially dank place specifically suited for lying down nice bottles of red wine. The temperature is near perfect whilst sailing non Caribbean waters. When we left France the first time around we had eight cases of Roussillon Reds squirrelled away. Jelly beans in the bilge just tend to rattle around before turning into gooey sludge. Certainly not as nice of a visual as those ageing bottles kept comfy in nearly pristine catacomb like conditions awaiting the uncorking, imbibing and sharing with other lucky travelers.

The egg-stravaganza is still in play as it seemed too much trouble this morning to go gather these plastic sugar bombs from a potentially watery grave as the lie in wait on the deck of the boat.

Sunny San Franciscan Bay is fog free and fabulous today. Happy Easter to those of you celebrating. My Easter bonnet this afternoon will be a baseball hat and SPF 70 as we sail around Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge.

Meowwwww

2009-04-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

The pomp and circumstance of all things gurrl-ummm delicious. I embrace all things girlpower as of late. Maybe it's the pussycat dance classes, maybe it's the wake up call of fleeting fabulousness. With a life of late too suburban blur and not enough urban renewal it's an overdue indulgence. What I do know is that should you require a day of mental pampering and perfect primping I am your go to girl for the short list. Why do you ask? Leave it to me to ask the questions, just realize that most of the Y chromosome are clueless when it comes to the details of deliciousness. Spring demands this: to be delicious. Okay, I made that up. I just seek a little rationalization for my splurgous ways.
(okay, that sounds like a pander but what the heck, if the shoe is custom made Italian have at it.)

Where to start, I say by deliciously self serving ones' self: The best facial- bar none is at Mary The'. Yes she has moved from her posh maiden lane spot of uber upscale Union square, to the decidedly downscale South Park. Price is still in the stratosphere but you definitely get what you pay for. Jeremy's is right around the other end of the park, so you won't have to venture far to score superb Manolo's at a fraction of the price Barney's sells them for. Btw This is the best place for shopping for chic boyz wear.. Manly men listen up, as you will not be over whelmed because it's only two floors with too many cute gay men to help you package your package. The bliss bar is now open at the W hotel. Nice mani & pedi, with cocktails how can one not indulge?

The best spot for lunch while you find your self helping to stimulate the economy is the cafe at SFMOMA . The museum gift shop next door has artist designed jewelry that is magnificent and affordable. Artisan expenditures that help the bottom line of this world class museum should make you feel so much better. Exit stage left and grab the number 30 Muni and head to North Beach. Time for that follow up cocktail, but with the added twist of historical literati. Imagine sitting where Jack Kerouac hung out with his unshowered and unshaven beat nick buddies at Vesivios. My fave spot is upstairs in the cozy corner over looking Columbus ave. Next door, a true breadth of historically relevant books live within the walls of City Lights Bookstore. If these walls could talk, it would be the best foreplay ever.

Where was I going with this circuitous route of a blog post? Dunno. It's a sunny superbly sensible reason to wander, and even nicer if less aimless. I think I like this new found angle of spring renewal..but I should call it what it is, urban renewal of the soul. I see the potential to partake a bit more often.

All Good In The 'Hood

2009-04-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

The best part of returning to ones' stomping grounds is the walk down memory lane. In my case as we saunter back to Tramuntana this evening, I remember a very different scene 14 years ago. AT &T Park wasn't here, just a big dirt hill directly north east of where the harbor now sits, not much was here in the 'hood. My typical walk down memory lane usually goes something like..." Hey, I loved that place Embarco( not even google remembers this place) that was most likely the most successful of the bunch of haughty dining establishments to ever inhabit that space. Oh, this was my favorite place for lunch until my bike got pinched from the front gate while I enjoyed that dessert. Ended up being a very expensive creme brulee.. Except most of the culinary hot spots I soo loved no longer exist. Sucks to be me. What ever happened to the neighborhood watering hole that was the defining piece of the neighborhood much like the well loved piece of furniture that no one wants to inherit but a certain piece of mind is accrued just knowing that it rests in the same spot awaiting our return. My Yacht club is still fab, but again...it's gone way tony from way back when it was a great place to park a couple of lasers' and enjoy an anchor steam for two bucks.

The sunshine blasted down on my old neighborhood here in the city. My children may be bigger, but Philip at The Java House is always happy to reacquaint my guys with his menu of greasy spoon options as we dine alfresco along South Beach Harbor. The rats with wings, aka sea gulls (or sea girls, as my guys used to refer to them, still without manors or patience.) positioned to grab my lunch should I decide to look left.

It was a great photo op day, so I was certainly in my element with crystal clear skies. Funny thing about the home of the Giants 1) Pac Bell Park 2) SBC Park 3.) At&T Park... I have photos of all phases of naming. So maybe things never did stay the same for very long.

Still delicious to step back into my old life... I just don't want to sound like my grandmother " I remember when blah blah blah snore."

Kfog kboom anyone? I know just the spot for optimal viewing. Some things never change.

Ports Of Call

2009-04-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Recent attacks upon ships in the area of Somalia make a slow news day a bit juicier. These types of news bites always bait me into discussions with people: is it really good judgement to sail with your family into international waters. The typical line of questioning includes this line of reasoning peppered with what happens if... We are planning such a trip at the moment. The threat of piracy has always been very real, and until recently pirates have pretty much only been interested in large container ships: ships loaded with palm oil, plywood, natural gas, and supertankers carrying all manner of freight are seen as an easy, slow, cash cow mark. Yachts are small fish relatively speaking.

The areas of most concern are located along with the waters off the coast of Somalia as is the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca, the stretch of water between west Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra for those of you nautically challenged. But remember, there are so many ports of call, so a few off limits- no problemo. Really. just mark em' off the list.

As sailors, we have heard of fellow sailors finding them selves in harm's way. The few isolated incidents included one due to the ship anchoring off of a prison island in Panama, another was a botched robbery attempt and the boat owner was pistol whipped with his own gun. And no, we don't carry firearms aboard. It was a big enough arm twist to allow my spear-fishing spear gun along, and even today it's a source of contention. I usually remind the captain of all the amazing meals and this sore point fades to black, except when I covet a larger version gun.

As much as I enjoy the unknown and appreciate the unexpected, we take calculated risks in life whether its' setting sail for Australia, or crossing the street outside of the cross walk. I don't venture alone into the Tenderloin District in The City to visit my favorite tandoori spot. I assume it's human nature to worry about what could happen. I just don't chose to live my life as a worrywart. Besides if my number is up I would rather be a more tasty obituary with a more interesting bi-line than being hit by a bus jaywalking. So as we plot and plan our next adventure, know that we always seek crew that feels comfortable bringing boat parts into exotic ports. Just leave the firearms at home.

R.I.P.

2009-04-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

An art form of great magnitude seems to be fading to black as newspapers fold. One of my all time favorite editorial cartoonists, Ed Stein produced more than 8,000 drawings, many of which have been syndicated to newspapers and magazines including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and Newsweek. It's like the end of an era for those of us who live and breath the political world. To quote Mr Stein, being a political cartoonist is the best job in a newspaper: "I don't know that there is really anything else as satisfying." For 11 years Mr Stein also drew a comic strip, Denver Square, for the Rocky Mountain News.

One of the cartoons he drew was after the Columbine High School shootings in April 1999, in which 15 people, including the two attackers, died. "After the Columbine shootings I did a series of cartoons in my comic strip. I think they really helped people focus their feelings and thoughts. It was cathartic for me as well," Mr Stein says.

Ed Stein's last cartoon for the Rocky Mountain News was one he had been thinking of for months, as he says they knew for a long time that the newspaper was not going to survive. But the actual idea only came to him on the last day, he says, when he realised that there were going to be a lot of people who would miss it the next day. Denver's Rocky Mountain News printed its final edition on 27 February. The paper had lost $16m (£10m) last year, as advertising revenue fell.

"So I just drew a man standing there in his robe with a cup of coffee in his hand, looking down his long sidewalk, which is totally empty, going where is my paper?" The art of the political cartoonist often gives a visual to help lighten the political mood of the moment. My favorite tasty morsel of the newspaper is always the op/ed section. The political cartoonist, much like the more modern day blogist must create something that strikes a nerve while delivering wit. A tidy visual for those of us seeking a visual component to an otherwise dry and staid story.

The delicious nature of political cartoons is only palpable when the political angst has reached a certain height of disgust. The last few months of political detail must be like manna from heaven for those who seek to sooth the soul of political maniacs who live and breath politics. I like to think of it as visual objectification of all things politically obscene. Thank goodness we have had the wit and artistic acumen of men like Mr. Stein. The newspaper business will most likely continue to morph into something we don't recognize, but the political satire of the cartoonist shall remain a delicious bite of reality that is fleeting. Let's savor the after taste of such heady delights, I know I shall miss this art form as much as I miss..oh I won't bother as it's a long list.

I like the quote from Ed Stein, it sums up the spirit of this soon to be lost art "If we [cartoonist] are not there, it is just one more thing that weakens democracy."

Change Your Attitude

2009-04-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

Sailors have a saying change your latitude change your attitude. My wanderlust has made that saying a part of my DNA. The true gift of travel isn't the cultural, it's the observered differences that let you know just how good things are-fill-in-the-blank, moment, time, place. Sometimes these are the tiny things noticed that become added to your system of doing things. Maybe it's the one ah-ha observance that never leaves your psyche and is utilized every time you get behind the wheel of your car (wishfully thinking a zen experience, but I need to be a realist.) We all take home something from travel that's hopefully not tattooed.
At the moment I am experiencing exotic island living, home to some of the best kite surfing available within this latitude (Alameda.) The best observations so far this week: the local asian market has just about the loveliest blood oranges I've seen all season. For the same price as a small bag from whole paycheck I can fill the boot of my Mini with 'em and eat these beautiful blood-red beauties until July. The other observance is more applicable to my kids. In a twist of spring break tradition they are attending a local camp in the morning. Yesterday when we arrived to find the half asleep campers stringing Cheerios on a piece of yarn my eight year old replied "how creative" as he rolled his eyes. My response to him- supplement his breakfast with the Cheerios if not in the jewelry making mood. The sociological juxtaposition was appreciated by my camp aficionados noting that Camp Kennolyn it isn't but hey- never know until you try something new...

Heir To The Air

2009-04-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I have a serious affliction that has to do with turning off all the lights in the house when leaving, or retiring for the evening. Never tire to tease my energy flaunting family members by referring to them as Mr. PG&E (jrs) not that I have seen any turn of the energy tide forthcoming but ya gotta start somewhere. Shift forward to life on the boat this week, and there is no need to be the nudge as all power is solar, and we live pretty much off grid (boats are easier to keep tabs on from a power consumption stand point.) The BBC today has a great story about the greening of the Empire State Building. Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, the Empire State Building was recently named America's most favorite building in the poll conducted by American Institute of Architects.

This green makeover is part of a $500 refit which the building's owners hope will attract bigger companies paying higher rents. Former President Bill Clinton's Climate Initiative has helped fund the project.

I thought it would be the common drill: change the light bulbs, turn down the thermostat but no... the building has an impressive list of energy saving measures like: reflective film upon each of the 102-story building's 6,500 windows, insulation behind radiators and improved lighting, ventilation and air conditioning. The plan is to cut the amount of energy used by 38% per year, saving $4.4m. Wow! that's some major dough. My house has the old wavy gravy style windows and I am always reminded by the progeny of PG & E that these old windows are completely inefficient. My retort, thanks to my friends at treehugger.com: In the end, the greenest window is the one that's already in the wall besides, love that look of the old glass.

I can't imagine my household is the only one to host these tug o war battles. I say fight all of those green battles equal opportunity. I just like the idea of such huge savings and saving the planet simultaneously even if it is one light switch at a time. Now if I could just convince Mr. PG & E that a new Tesla would help fight the good fight.

Safe & Secure

2009-04-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

The joys of technology. Yawn. I soo want to toss my laptop into the ocean, but being cognoscente of the ability to undo that little temper tantrum and the fact I'd be needing it tomorrow I shall refrain.

Remember when it was easy to wi-fi squat anywhere. Now everyone and her sister who has a wi-fi network has learned to secure them. Oh sure, an unsecured connection can be found but it turns the whole blog posting experience into an angst filled pissing match with no one to argue with...so unfun, unfruitful and unbefitting for a hot head who seeks out the ethos of the ether. I remember similar connectivity concerns way back in the early nineties. The City embraced the dot com clamour and those of us geeky enough to travel with a laptop for creative pursuits used Ricochet. This was the modem/antenna that used radio frequencies transmitted via repeater boxes placed around the city..many cities actually. I had proudly procured modem number 100. Her royal geekness gloats, but I loved the technology at the time because it seemed seamless and sound.

Fast forward fifteen years, now it's all about being a squatter and keeping ones fingers crossed that the data transmits before you lose your connection (ala yesterdays' mysteriously missing post.) A little mystery in life can be edgy and add spice, but the tried and true approach to not losing data is not traveling. Like that's gonna happen. So seek and yea shall find: thank-you one and all (three of you) unsecured networks with super delicious names to boot- sexualchocolate, neighbor_bob, and free4u. Merci recoup.

Award for best named secured wifi network: fuck_off... Well that's the point isn't it ....so why be redundant in the naming of your secured site you selfish jerk.

Hunt This

2009-04-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

Pass The Peas

2009-04-03T22:52:00.001-07:00

Call it a crazy marketing spin for Washington or another person fed up with the price of broccoli at whole paycheck...In mid-February, Tom Vilsack, the new secretary of agriculture, took a jackhammer to a patch of pavement outside his headquarters to create his own organic “people’s garden.” Two weeks later, the Obama administration named Kathleen Merrigan, an assistant professor at Tufts University and a longtime champion of sustainable agriculture and healthy food, as Mr. Vilsack’s top deputy.

For instance, the celebrity chef Alice Waters recommends that the federal government triple its budget for school lunches to provide youngsters with healthier food. And the author Michael Pollan has called on President Obama to pursue a “reform of the entire food system” by focusing on a Pollan priority: diversified, regional food networks.

Mr. Pollan, who contributes to The New York Times Magazine, likens sustainable-food activists to the environmental movement in the 1970s. Though encouraged by the Obama administration’s positions, he worries that food activists may lack political savvy.

“The movement is not ready for prime time,” he says. “It’s not like we have an infrastructure with legislation ready to go.”

Even so, many activists say they are packing their bags and heading to Washington. They are bringing along a copy of “Food Inc.,” which includes attacks on the corn lobby and Monsanto, and intend to provide a private screening for Mr. Vilsack and Ms. Merrigan.

“We are so used to being outside the door,” says Walter Robb, co-president and chief operating officer of Whole Foods Market, the grocery chain that played a crucial role in making organic and natural food more mainstream. “We are in the door now.”Whole Foods Market retained the lobbyist firm GLOVER PARK GROUP to assist in its efforts against proposed FTC rules that would block the company's approximate $565 million takeover of WILD OATS, according to TheHill.com (Nov. 17). Lobbyists working on behalf of the company are Joel Johnson, a former senior aide in the Clinton White House, and Kim James, a former aide to Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL). Glover Park Group, which is cited as having "deep democratic ties," will "[meet] with members of Congress to make them aware of FTC ...spoken like a true farmer. As Whole Paycheck fights the union influence. Yeah yeah it's your right to form unions, just not here within our mega corporate food conglomerate that was built selling over priced veggies from corporate giants. Nice. So neighborly...

The tide is turning. The first lady had a big chunk of sod ripped from the white house lawn this week to begin planting a kitchen garden that she will tend with the children. Maybe we shall see the rest of the nation follow suit. Salads for everyone!

Back Of The Envelope Estimate

2009-04-02T20:31:00.001-07:00

El Camino Hospital is preparing to take over the Community hospital on April 11. The public was invited to hear CEO Ken Graham and board chairman David Reeder to discuss finances and goals for both hospitals this past Monday..The new facility will be renamed El Camino-Los Gatos and will be viewed as an expansion of the Mountain View hospital. After taking over the 113-bed Los Gatos facility, El Camino will have a total of 512 beds and close to 1,300 physicians.Here is a list of El Camino's current cost estimates for the purchase and re-opening our Community Hospital :
Land and building: $45 million
Legal and consulting: $2 million
Equipment: $8.8 million
Pre-opening (IT, seismic updates): $5.3 million
Working capital: $5.9 million
Year one capital: $10 million
Total: $77 million

El Camino will also spend an estimated $22 million more by 2013 to meet new state seismic requirements. We need to make a mental note as community members that many services at Community Hospital are slowly starting to shut down in anticipation of the takeover. When it reopens July 11, the hospital will continue to offer medical and surgical beds, intensive care and OBGYN services, according to El Camino officials. The hospital also plans to expand spinal, orthopedics and urology services at Los Gatos. Not much on staff retention, or how pre-exisiting contracts will be administered. Why is this important you ask? Many of our local residents are employed by Community Hospital. It would be nice to see them receive an olive branch from El Camino. Anyone in the know care to share with us?I would be curious to hear, and remember- I can keep a confidence.

Feel The Love

2009-04-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Oh the pull of that ole friend Technology. I love stirring the pot even if in an extraneous way. The Santa Cruz New Technology group had an amazing turnout for a school night. The idea? Get more of the technology scene over the hill and park that brain power near the sand and surf. It was simply lovely to experience so many geeks sporting flip flops, talking source code and refilling my wine glass. The venue was occupied by Nextspace. A sort of incubator for all thing seed tech stage. Lovely place to kick start an idea even if it is under the radar of the sand hill crowd.

Creatively speaking, trends are trends are trends until someone steps up and seizes the marketing opportunity to spin it off into the stratosphere for it to hopefully morph into the next cool technology play.

The caveat being this is the 831 zip code so venture capital typically doesn't travel so far a field, but perhaps it should.. surf lessons for KP.... might be the hook they need to come over the hill. Think they might leave the tasseled shoes in the Tesla and slip on the flip flops to look local? Probably not, but nice thought ... second thought, no...there goes the neighborhood. Keep Sand Hill on sand hill, but let the creative reign in the land of the beach boardwalk.

Rest In Pieces

2009-03-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

Charlie Brown has nuttin on me today. My harbinger of bad news a broken wristwatch and perhaps my mismanaged calendar. I was in Menlo Park for a 1:00 an hour early. So much for the hurry scurry. I haven't had my watch in months, thinking that it's good to have my dual timezone watch ready and willing for any unplanned trips, I seek out a battery and a new band. I will return to the watch drama a bit later as my real angst lies with the Easter Bunny. So where else but The Stanford Shopping Center to commandeer the watchband, battery, score some saucy lingerie and stop in at Sephora for cosmetics. Oh- the photo op is set up with the rabbit-yeah!

Neat and tidy. Swat team swiftness.

Except that the Bunny frowns upon pictures with adults sans children. After much explaining about my doubting-the-bunny-existing 6&8 yr olds I was given the big frown (meaning: go away weirdo lady.) Fine. The bunny is sorta pervvy anyways so off to Victoria Secret where I have my own express line, except when I don't or they won't simply give me a catalog without charging me three bucks. When inquiring why it is I must over pay for thread with a bow ( amounting to underwear) AND the catalog ms. salesgurrl shares that the catalog is available free online.
Have you ever received just one issue of a VS catalog? Thought so. The amazon deforestation is part and parcel due to these tri-weekly catalogs of soft porn. I prefer the real thing, so I will take a pass on the Victoria Secret version.
My true saga of saturation: the watch band/battery drill. Macys right? Oh how wrong...... The woman at the jewelry counter informs me they have neither a battery or band for me so she sends me to Safeway. I can't even elaborate on this one. Enough said.

My last errand of the day, a tweak to my writing class. I stop off at Stanford before heading home except that this too is so pathetically not working. Hop back in the car, roll the windows down and shift gears under the heart pounding thump thump sound track of the Pussycat dolls. 280 is a welcome sight. Enter stage right the dart of a squirrel and a quick zigzag from the furry road warrior leads to a very pronounced double tire thud at 75 miles an hour. Rest in pieces my friend.

Did I happen to mention I had an off day?

Turn the evening around. Ice cream and a few brownies would take the edge off my curveball of a day. Brownies are frozen so a quick nuke session in the microwave e voila..caught on fire.

Good Nite. Is it humpday tomorrow?

Blow Me

2009-03-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

The things that truly make us happy can most likely be counted upon one hand, but I gotta say talking from a place of endorphins, sun, and sand it can be summed up in one small word.
compound word really- kite surfing. Invented by the french, this newish sport has the potential for a screaming good time. I know a bit about the French and the world of wind & water from when I took delivery of a french built boat we had commissioned in Canet Rousillon. The french call extreme wind, the Tramuntanas' ( our boat name) but to enjoy this wind, which is considered sportif means to throw caution to said wind and make the most of it. Sportif can have a double meaning depending upon the nationality of the person seeking to enjoy any sport wind related. Americans would most likely have a moment of reasoning only to decide that screaming across the wake of the ocean tantamount to suicide with sunscreen. The french on the other hand extinguish their cigarettes so both hands are available to hold on to the kite, then launch into gail force wind. Love those sportif french.

I liked living in France, even if it was very french. The meal/wine/linger/talk have another glass of wine then enjoy dessert followed by a glass of port/Sauternes just made sense to the gourmand in me. What does this have to do with wind driven sports you ask? Nothing really, other than all that holding on to a kite is really a lot of work, and work makes one hungry and well there we are, full circle in the scheme of things..

The other thing the french are know for is the ability to work a 30 hour week, but make it seem as though it's so much more intense. Again that's where that long lugubrious lunch helps. Eek out an existence, while enjoying that daily two hour lunch. Oh how I miss those daze.

So hail to the french, this new sport I have discovered (or yet to discover, when I strap on the surfboard and the kite) is so intoxicating, so fun, it is no surprise that it is attributed to the french. Now to mandate the obligatory lunchtime routine, I would be set.

Hail To The Impulsive

2009-03-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

When is a long runway too long? I suppose much of the decision is completely subjective. My runway is typically short. Really, quite impulsively short. My comfort zone is the unknown, so the concept of plotting and planning for the perfect thing leaves me feeling like a creative failure. This past Friday was a prime example. Spontaneous cocktails with a dozen neighbors showing up to enjoy the evening alfresco. Just as I have never planned for fun in the past, I shall continue on my quest for random fun and frivolity where and when it presents itself- but it helps to have willing participants... so thank you all who joined in on the sultry spontaneous cocktails. The dancing later on in the evening was certainly a highlight.

Sometimes planning is a necessary evil, maybe even required. Concerts come to mind. Leonard Cohen is touring for the first time in many years, because of the babysitter-school night logistics it is always this hoop to jump thru just to have an evening of well orchestrated fun. But ever notice how these well planned and plotted events fail to deliver the same jolt of satisfaction?

Listening to KFOG this morning I was stopped dead in my spontaneous tracks. A radio spot promoting the upcoming concert of Billy Joel and Elton John for a concert in November. So those of you who embrace plotting and planning- this is your event. With eight months to plan it should be completely welcome evening. Should you wish to turn a new leaf- there's always the last min ticket available on craigslist.

The Fun in DysFUNction

2009-03-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Director Sam Mendes knocks the ball outta the park again. Remember the little film that won best picture in 1999...American Beauty? I loved the sheer comet brightness of both screen play and cast. Certainly one of my top five all time fave flicks. The idea of yet another dysfunctional suburban story, Revolutionary Road told so spot on without missing a beat from the original book version, so elegantly written by Richard Yates and directed by Mr. Mendes. The screen version of this epic suburban tale left such an indelible mark on my heart. Translating an epic piece of literature to movie can sometimes leave gaping holes in story development. My question was: how can the film experience stay true to the book nature of loss, love and loneliness? Can it really be summed up within a two hour movie. The answer this time: a resounding yes.
When I first read the haunting book Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, I was still a city dweller. The description of such a mundane existence, dashed hopes and the muddled dreams of a bright young couple who find suburban life intolerable was as foreign to me as Mars. In the movie version Mendes takes the cruxt of the story: a couple that seems adrift in a sea of sameness, crying out for change, to break from the ordinary for this once extraordinary couple. The movie chemistry and book both chronicle the motions of life as if stuck in an emotional idle. Fast forward ten years....Geez- those shoes seem custom made for the suburban subset of my so called life.

If wishes were fishes is the thesis of this cautionary tale. Trepidation and denial lend itself to real life. Yates elegant manor begs for an introspective look at the unhappiness that lies just beneath the surface of suburban life. Thank goodness for safety nets. Life lesson learned from my own dabble in the mysteriously myopic world of 95030? Did I forget to mention my house is on the market?

War Stories

2009-03-27T15:59:00.001-07:00

The Webby Awards have morphed into something substantial. I remember one of the first we attended in The City, during the Willie Brown Mayoral fiefdom. The awards were hosted in the posh city hall duomo. Ahh- to remember the dotcom nuttiness and all that conspicuous consumption. Pass the baton to the next techie wave of glitterati and the webbys' now have a real heft of creative genius. Veiled meaning: sucks that when I attended these back in the neophyte days...it was marginally fun. Now it resembles real fun with a creative tour de force to match the cache. BooHoo. But wait, could there be an encore? I have a groovey start-up idea that has legs.. Helps too that my double E yummy hubby can help with the geek aspect.

Nostalgic waxing makes me sound like the war vet bevvyed at the bar talking about the days when blah blah blah...snore. Concept is the same but instead of war stories you get to be regaled with the infancy of the Internet and how fun it was way back when, blah blah blah, snore. Feel free to flee this blog...it's reminiscent of the song from Bruce Springsteen, glory days. I think you get the idea.

The tech bubble was a footnote in the timing netaphor/metaphor..... all about being at the right place at the right time. So as I script a new business plan for a start-up concept that involves text messaging it's like opening a time capsule of creativeness that might be monetized. Gotta like that concept. Just when you think you've gotten to the end of your Karmic rope, it's another emotional roller coaster of timing but how fun to put that seat belt on knowing that uncertainty means fun and fun is good.

Cat like agility helps, but mostly it's timing. I suppose i need to bust a move on my business plan vs. the stream of consciousness blogshere mental masturbation.

Nice Try

2009-03-26T09:05:00.001-07:00

It's that time again...planning the summer vacation hoopla. This year thought it might be interesting to throw a wrench in just to monkey with the plan at hand. One of my finest epiphanies: take Amtrak to visit the in-laws in D.C. Think the antithesis of George Jetson...jetpacks give way to riding the rails..I suppose what I really miss is the train schedule board before electronic schedules erased the sound of all of those numbers physically flipping. God I LOVE that sound. Those flipping numbers represented the sound of places to be discovered. So yes, nostalgia still makes me want to travel by rail. So 1880's of me.

Washington DC is an amazingly fun place in the summer. The romantic notion of arriving in our capital, into the glorious Grand Central Station- well, what's not to like? Traveling early in the summer one can circumvent the crowd gridlock at places like the Smithsonian, Air and Space Museum. The hook could have been the visions of a relaxing book filled journey. Where these visions took a U-turn was when I assumed the cost would be on par with air travel. Wrong. The roughly three day trip is about what it costs to take a holiday break in Mexico, like a really nice ten day holiday. Did I mention I only researched a one-way journey? Round trip is what I would spend to stay in Barcelona-for a month. Serious dough.

After spending more than my fair share of time riding trains all over the planet, suffice to say I was saddened by the cost of a cross country Amtrak journey. I wasn't after all planning an excursion aboard the Orient Express (which by the way, mile for mile may be a better value.) Certainly better ambiance but I digress. Maybe another option could be my childhood notion of high adventure. Hobo travel ala sack tied stick and can of beans. Okay, no beans-pate, nice olives and maybe some brie. Sounds curiously like a skit from Yogi Bear and his little buddy booboo but with a gourmet picnic. I was so sure I could sell this concept of spending the first weeks of summer as stylized cartoon characters. Highly romanticized I agree, isn't that the point?

Remember a few years ago, a big bail out of Amtrak kept the nations railway alive? Subsidization is certainly acceptable in my book as long as the investment might be amortized to soften the blow of ridership. Interesting figures about federal funding for different modes of transportation in the USA: while the government funded highways to the tune of $35 billion last year, and air travel received $14.5 billion, Amtrak receives a measly $1.3 billion - the same as it got in 1980.

Slate has an interesting article from 2002. Our own VP Joe Biden is a big supporter of Amtrak so you think more stimulus money/grenntech porkbarrel/good juju would be in store for this essentially government owned service. Nope.

Bottom line is I couldn't sell it. The looks from everyone at the breakfast table was as if I had fallen and hit my head. The eight year old suggested Jetblue, no red-eye. Yeah...I'll get right on that.

Brick & Mortar Wins

2009-03-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Do you think a name really matters when it comes to choosing an educational path? I was surprised at the sheer number of online universities as I have started down the exploratory road of returning to grad school. Could the online experience be equal to the brick & mortar university experience? The market for online courses and degrees has continued to grow in recent years in spite of an overall slowdown in the growth of Internet-related industries. It's tough to dodge the pop up window barrage of online ads touting the accredited programs that run the gamut of MBA to Public Policy to a masters of Fine Art ala basket weaving. A recent pop up for Slippery Rock University might have a different connotation on a CV for someone seeking a career in outdoor adventure. Why am I so hung up on a name? After all it's just that...Or is it. When you take into account the time, effort, and networking opportunities it sorta makes sense to question if the experience might be entirely different online vs old school. The Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation by Abilene Christian University - is a faith-based, 36-hour online program that prepares you to analyze, address and manage conflict effectively and professionally. My question is: does divine intervention add to the overall experience or help gain in-depth preparation for this field. Besides a larger question looms, just how in depth can this "study" be with just 36 hours of instruction. Do you get a recommendation from some higher power that makes the short time frame more enriching? Don't think so.
Could name equate to cache? I understand the attraction of an online degree program, but wonder about the core curriculum and student body make up. The big selling point behind grad school is also a new networking group with the added ability to springboard your skill set to a new plateau.Typically graduate school is almost entirely an endeavor with a power base of business contacts waiting in the wings, at least biz school. How does peer group translate online when the student base is global? Will widely-endorsed models of "blended" online learning, which require some face-to-face interaction, become the norm, or will most courses substitute chat rooms and bulletin boards for face-to-face interaction? One could look at the business networking from an online education as a facebook extension of a CV.

Ultimately it was a tough decision for me of brick & mortar vs. On-line. So as much as I enjoy
a glass of Full-Sail micro brew on a warm summer evening, attending the same named university was a non-starter. I settled upon the brick & mortar standby Stanford. Hey- what can I say, cache goes a long way.

Legacy Loans The New Laxative?

2009-03-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

Did I miss something? Slap a shiny new name on all those loans nobody wants ( I would call it sh*t) but the marketing folks have something even better- Legacy loan.) You and I know that renaming doesn't really change the true nature of what something really is. But the new moniker of Legacy loan sounds soo...lasting? Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s plan to remove banks’ distressed assets cleared its first hurdle yesterday as markets rallied. Geithner thinks that private investors will partner with the government to unclog the balance sheets of banks. Think of it as a kind of Metamucil for the banking system..Although taking into account how the markets reacted yesterday, enema might be a better description.
All key stock indices gained around 7%, with the Dow Jones index jumping nearly 500 points to close at 7,775 - its highest level in more than a month.

Listening to my fave-bearded financial economics wonk aka crushworthy Paul Krugman.. (winning that Nobel-prize makes him even sexier) Krugman used the following analogy of Zombies. Stating that Zombies(bad ideas) have won. Keep killing them but don't look behind the door- their back! The Economist blog carried this Krugman quote:

The benefits from nationalization come from (a) giving taxpayers a share of the upside rather than just a share of the downside, which is where we are now (b) ending the gaming of the system, even looting, that is encouraged by the current system of implicit guarantees (Simon Johnson has been very good on that) (c) making it politically and fiscally feasible to put in enough capital to revitalize the system. These advantages are there whatever you decide to do with junior bank debt.
That said, some decision must be reached on bank liabilities. Sweden guaranteed all of them. If forced to say, I would go the Swedish route; but of course we can’t do that unless we’re prepared to put all troubled banks in receivership. And I’m ready to be persuaded that some debts should not be honored — this is a deeply technical question.

Where's that magic wand when the FDIC needs it? It must feel like a daunting task (think Citi group.) The government is just a little too close to Wall Street for my taste. Free $ from the taxpayer, no quid pro quo.Bank stocks were the biggest winners yesterday with Bank of America up 26%, JP Morgan Chase jumping 25% and Citigroup ending the day with a 19.5% gain. Biggest' of big winner was Nasdaq-listed Frontier Financial Corporation, a regional bank serving the Northwest of the United States, which posted a gain of 52% - Always attractive to Wallstreet to obtain a non recourse loan, investors walk away. Cash for trash- really.

Can't Geithner take note? AIG should have undermined the Geithner task at hand. House financial services will hear Geithner Thursday....should be interesting. Will they flush Geithner? Could he be in over his head? Is President Obama squandering his credibility, backing this plan and praising his Treasury Secretary..

It's gonna be a very dangerous year. ouch.

Grit Is Good

2009-03-23T03:30:00.000-07:00

Mixed metaphors were the theme of the weekend. Sometimes the city is just the balm for my brain, except when it's not... my camera was not the usual extension of self, photo ops were missed while so many images left an indelible mark on my brain. The most haunting image is the angel that serves as the guardian of the double doorway arch on Larkin at Market St. Blackened bronze wings of this city sentry looming above the soiled blanket at the foot of her perch. Her careful watch over the person who slumbered at her feet the night before seemed auspicious in nature. The visual almost too much to comprehend as a symbolic sweetness of city grit and ethereal oversight.

Understand that a big part of my experience anytime, anywhere is chronicling experience on CF card (seems like the wrong film metaphor, but there it is.) Lots of empty store fronts, including Virgin Music. I remember attending the celebration when the flagship store opened in hopes of seeing my then crush Sir Richard Branson. The Haight Ashbury was less urchin filled than I rembered. Must be the state of the economy, tough even for panhandlers. Interesting to shop the vintage funkiness with my short guys in tow. They are little fashonistas in the making with a taste toward skate rat-and a dash of kitchy (navy peajackets from rough trade.)

Third time is a charm with a visit to the Academy of Sciences. My first two attempts to see the museum thwarted by throngs of people qued toe to toe the length of the front steps, except today the que had moved entirely inside. The crush of people took my breath away. The stroller- pushing- overly caffeinated parents to blame for the plugged walkways. Apparently walking is not so fashionable for the under five set, with SUV sized strollers parked in every free inch of space walking was an impediment for everyone. The new academy seems magnificent, I can't be sure as I only swam upstream until I couldn't cope. Note to self: Tuesdays. The day that's a bit less congested as members have an extra hour to enjoy..

All good things must come to an end. It's just a painful reminder of the temporary nature of life as of late. Fleeting fabulousness.

Land-Mines Of Organic Origin

2009-03-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Is it me or do people pick a canine based upon family resemblance? There is a great looking wolf hound who walks my neighborhood with his wolf cousin human handler look alike. Grey wire hair on both man and beast show an almost DNA connection. The simpatico relationship of man and beast that benefits both with the self satisfaction of company, and maybe shared grooming habits.
Uncanny happenstance? I think not. Nicholas Christenfeld and Michael Roy, psychologists at the University of California San Diego conducted a study of Pure-bred dog-owner resemblance. The study found pictures could be matched to their owners by strangers most of the time. When judges were shown digital photos of dog owners and given a choice of one of two dogs - they matched the correct pair 64 per cent of the time when the dog was a pure breed.

The recent pull of puppy mania has gobbled up a handful of friends and neighbors. Statically speaking two families have dodged the bullet (thus far) with the piddle puddle, chew the Manolos, bolt out the door excitement of poetic puppy ownership. One family scored with the most adorable and well behaved puppy and the other family lucked into a guide-dog that had a small flaw. That flaw explains the beloved pet of friends who have hit the lotto of luv for their son. A sweet disposition pet for a super sweet boy, beautiful disposition a mirror match, kismet.

Sour grapes on my part? perhaps.. When the topic of my own failed attempt at the canine addition to our family, I remembered a vivid story of our ill-fated attempt to educate, crate train, and socialize said beast. To say this animal had a richer social experience than I was simply an understatement. Our puppy would bolt down the street to visit her many friends at the post office. All fine and good, but typically best to have adult supervision. This drama always seemed to present itself at the most inopportune times (kids in the tub, food on the bbq grill) the dreaded phone call the dog was there and could I retrieve her.. A friend had the most brilliant come back. Her reply: explain that you sent the pooch to pick up the mail....oh and stamps too..

So with the shopping process of temperament, exercise, and socialization needs it's amazing that anyone walks this potential path. The path to pain is strewn with puppy puddles and tootsie roll sized gifts left for the foot-traffic tracks of the unsuspecting. Boy do I NOT miss that. The good news, it's an evolutionary step in a family. The Obamas are poised for puppy piddle, but it is different when the dog-crate lives in the Oval office. My mother-in-law had funny stories about Buddy and Bill Clinton..karmic puppy personality traits shared with the overly happy to see you people person of the then commander-in chief. The plethora of problems were not lost on the first family as chew toys typically had a historic lineage so tougher to explain away.

Is there a cosmic force that attracts us to both people and pet? Seems like it must be, otherwise it would be more random, less storybook. The John Steinbeck novel Travels with Charlie comes to mind.

And now for something completely different.......

2009-03-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you still following this blog, not entirely bummed out/ pissed off/ disgruntled with the negative dark murkiness as of late, thank you for hanging around. Sorry to be so Sybil this past week but the lousy weather last week really did a number on me. Nothing a little sunshine doesn't fix..Hooray for Spring!

The air is thick with the smell of magnolia trees, the birds are completely swat team like in the build a nest- find a mate - have some fun mode. The soccer/baseball/bike-trike season officially starts today. Flowers flowers everywhere, even the cross street medians and street corners look fabulous. A big community yard sale is taking place at Bachman Park today. Hooray again for those of you organizer types who spearhead and execute these lovely neighborhood gatherings.. The world is a better place because of all that you contribute to the community. Thank-you one and all.
Hey- wait a minute...it's also time to break out the Rose'. The quintessential life as I see it with rose colored glasses but in a glass. The spanish rose wine from the Penedes region is preferable to local but The Novitiate Rose from Tesstarosa rocks but with a bigger price tag. It would be my remiss to forget that little pinot grape growing piece of Terroir Paso Robles, near pristine surfing at Pismo...decisions decisions...Enjoy the Spring Equinox.

The Beauty of Eavesdropping

2009-03-20T10:22:00.001-07:00

Cafe culture is part and parcel the people watching experience with a dash of eavesdropping. Is it to live vicariously? Secretly compare notes on normalcy? Bee a bizzybody?
Lately, it's none of the above. In fact, my wish list this week: headphones. Block out the mundane chatter at the next table.

My little get away to the cozy corner of ___ (you name it cafe..) Seems to always be filled with the same sweatpants clad women, discuss the following three items : 1.) nanny/housekeeper/gardener complaints. 2.) frustration with a class/routine/lunch scene at Courtside. 3.)Contempt for husband/boyfriend/partner.

The inane drone of these ladies who coffee/lunch while sporting the self loathing bag lady look complete with a baseball cap sans make-up seemingly lacking any wisp of care for presentation of self to the world. It simply boggles the mind that eavesdropping has become so pedestrian.
Could it be that conversation seems to be going the same direct route as the lost art of letter writing, dressing presentably- straight to the Smithsonian. Why? Maybe the "could care less" about looking and sounding so completely vapid? My guess: the water supply here in Los Gatos contains a stepford like additive rendering those who imbibe devoid of a singularly compromised sense of acceptable fill-in -the-blank_________ (sense of self worth, why bother, who cares about personal grooming.)

I know what you're thinking...Why perseverate on the mundane with all of the problems/diversions/real world concerns. Well the angst would most definitely fade if I had an outlet to channel this, i.e. intelligent prater to eavesdrop upon. This dilemma is unfortunately completely grey scale as I see it. Black & White has an edge- a mood, an opinion. An edge so welcome, but so foreign, so sadly missed.

My rant about this connect-the-dots exercise of cafe experience is a big mental vacuum. It's nice to people watch, but that's not enough.....

Glad that I brought this weeks' Economist with me, all is not lost.

Spectacular Sadness

2009-03-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

Sketchy reports of the death of a 15-year-old freshman girl rocked the community this week.

The only thing I can wrap my brain around as the details unfold around the latest loss of a young and promising life- how can we as a community prevent this sort of thing? Can we just say we can be a safety net for anyone, anytime, anywhere? How do we mobilize a movement to let our kids know that we value them, and that gasp...we as adults have our share of shameful-hurtful-open ended dreaded moments to last a life time. Speaking for myself, I could open the hall of shame.

The special assembly on Tuesday for the 1,800 students of Los Gatos High School was a somber moment. "Don't be far away," assistant principal Markus Autrey told students. "The point is to be together." Teenage years are tough enough without the compounded complexity of grief.

Only a week after students learned that senior Dennis Cyncor-McMillan had apparently drowned in the ocean south of Davenport. In December, Wildcat football player Michael "Mikey" Halpin collapsed at school and died. His death was attributed to a heart defect. The coroner has not released a cause of death in the latest case. I respect the privacy of the family at this time, it's unimaginable to even think what grief of this magnitude must be.

The tragedy has resonated through the wider community, At a time when the Los Gatos High marquee promotes Friday's annual Sadie Hawkins Dance and upcoming home games, Los Gatos High Principal Doug Ramezane discussed the campus' sense of loss. This latest tragedy is the third student death in less than four months, each one compounding the sense of grief, prompted the gathering where students were urged to "be strong together." It's important to keep the lines of communication open and express your concern, support, and love.

We all have the need for a confidant. If your teen confides in you, show that you take those concerns seriously. A fight with a friend might not seem like a big deal to you in the larger scheme of things, but for a teen it can feel immense and consuming. It's important not to minimize or discount what your teen is going through, as this can increase his or her sense of hopelessness. I like the idea of offering the available ear of other adults if discussing issues seems too scary to layout for family.

More than ever, places like The Venue need our support. We can indirectly affect change by providing a safety net, it's the least we can do.

The Big Squeeze

2009-03-18T00:13:00.000-07:00

Coming soon: High density development. Can this be a good thing for the community of Los Gatos? It certainly seems like a great idea to locate a high density residential development near public transit.
The Los Gatos Planning Commission has recommended that the historic Thrash House, better known as Emmanuel Convalescent Hospital be renovated by the Santa Clara Development Company who also want to build a 19-home subdivision on the surrounding property.

Three homes built prior to 1941, would be torn down along with the more recently constructed hospital building that sits at the corner of Los Gatos Boulevard and Caldwell Avenue. Eyesore comes to mind as you drive by, but the current state of this neighborhood is due in part to the lack of accessibility or parking. No doubt any attention to this blighted area (by local standards) could improve the condition of the neighborhood and would improve property values.

Depending upon what the last three years of due diligence looks like, a really interesting development could be beneficial, but the traffic and parking nightmares of 19 new homes in this neighborhood seems best described:shoe-horned. The data contained within the 2006 study shows the subdivision would generate less traffic than the convalescent home and hospital. What the study doesn't show is a true representation of traffic density represented by an additional19 homes each with multiple vehicles, making multiple trips on the boulevard during normal transit times. Without a specific snapshot of traffic, it will be impossible to assess the impact.

The bigger the development the bigger the impact to infrastructure. Typically communities that seek to assess the true snapshot of a planned community require an EIR (Environmental Impact Review.) As the name implies, it is a thorough review using independent data that gives the town an unbiased look at what to potentially expect. At the moment this in depth analysis doesn't exist at this time. It should.

How do we get the town planners and council to require this type of scrutinty and detail? Ask for it. Due diligence should be a pre requiste for any project, not just an idea.

Spring Cleaning

2009-03-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Be it spring or whatever reason a big mental box of nostalgic life experiences comes out each and every seasonal change. To say that this seasonal Pandora's' box is a complex cocktail of good, bad, and forgettable is an under statement. Timing. Spring really arrives this weekend. Maybe this is why we have this cleaning mentality? Ever try to tidy up your mental closet? As March 21st approaches, many people get in gear for “spring cleaning.” While physically cleaning your house or office is always a good idea, the concept occurred to me to make time this season for cleaning up actions and behaviors. Charm school was a lost cause for me, but it's never to late to start developing new good habits on etiquette today and by summer perhaps a few things will have changed. My own wish list includes how I get things done (or not..) and how to be more amenable to do things that are better left to tomorrow.
The following sniglet really resonates:

"Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they be come habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your DESTINY."

Sometimes it's risky to question the cosmic intervention of certain experiences that just happen to blow into your world like a piece of pollen? I suppose this would be an unwelcome metaphor to use for those of you suffering from allergies at the moment. I happen to be a student of things happen for a reason. Maybe because I don't have a crystal ball or intuitive second nature to serve as my mental tight rope to walk upon. It's all about being at the right place at the right time.

Just when you think you've gotten to the end of your karmic rope a cat like agility kicks in. Mostly it's timing, but sometimes it's other forces at play. For those of you still with me, thanks for hanging in there today. Swimming in my stream of consciousness is more fun with company.

My life=?

2009-03-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

Sniveling. You know the type of whining that comes from the over indulged..Welcome to my world. The pasta has too many fresh herbs, the cheese isn't asiago, and b.t.w. mommy- you purchased the wrong Tech Decks..

So I am taking a page from the Walter Reuther book of hardball- call a strike. Wash your own clothing snooty brats. While you're at it be content to eat cereal for breakfast instead of the Semifredddis Cinnamon bread transformed each morning into amazing french toast. Ingrates.

So the stories of Darfurian youth, the trick or treating for Unicef, hours spent working on behalf of a handful of non-profits to instill a sense of global responsibility.... looks like that's really working wonders for us. Uncle. What gives? Lead through example?? At a loss.......

In the spirit of it takes a village, I reach out for any wise (or wise crack) advise from the sages' of the childhood experience. Yes, it's true that I am having a sense of humor failure, but then again it's nothing a little holiday away won't fix. Solo. Sometimes it's just the fantasy of escape that's enough of a band-aid..

Stay tuned for something a bit more bitey a bit later today, and thanks for the opportunity to vent as this really is my therapeutic escape hatch.

Wound Too Tightly

2009-03-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

Watching the setting sun on San Francisco Bay while enjoying an evening mojito we noticed pet owners with dogs sporting sweaters and PFD's (personal floatation devices) for you non sailors...the discussion turned to the quirky nature of pet owners. Wing nuts.

My husband was quick to point out a wing nut moment of my own. More than a few years ago we had a parrot (dulce) that I found while we were sailing in Guatemala. Found being the operative word. The venue was a farmers market, and the bird was perched a top a hill of green beans. After paying twelve quetzals (about four bucks) I hopped back in the dingy and brought my market purchases back to the boat we were living aboard... open box-squak! The rest was history..The next ten years of our world focused upon this feathered friend.

Talk about being wound too tight. Rembering back to a business class flight to Paris that involved my loquacious peanut eating friend. This weirdness was met with a stream of loud off color remarks coming from the piece of carry on luggage containing my opinionated bilingual friend. All of this smoothed over with cocktails (for me) and peanuts for my feathered friend.

Glass houses. Lived in em most of my adult life, so it makes perfect sense to me to throw stones. What changed? Children.

If one has more important things to attend to, like the future wage earners to replenish the nations' social security kitty then a necessary shift of priority takes place. Nature vs nurture.

My feathered friend found a new home while we sailed the West Indies since she simply found my toddler sons' fingers irresistible. The end of the quirky pet phase but not a moment too soon. The energy and attention necessary is lost on me today as I fight to regain any sense of self I once had.
So Is it fair to throw stones? Sure, but only because those dogs sporting the PFD's were over dressed. The weather did not warrant sweaters and floatation.

A Softer Side

2009-03-14T08:04:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been moved by the sheer force of manliness. Completely broad brush statement but the Obama moment is still brightly guiding, giving me reason to tumble out of bed in the morning knowing that change is afoot. With the world feeling the squeeze of a global belt tightening a heightened sense of awareness seems pervasively welcome. Witnessing simple sweet gestures makes me wonder if the downturn hasn't given people a moment of pause, a moment to reflect and with that moment a bit more compassion, a tad more softness. The contemplative side of ones self shining through for a brief but beautiful moment. This past evening hosting dinner and local syrah the political discussion was impassioned and heated. God how i have missed this sort of exchange. Catnip.

Why isn't this something I experience everyday? dunno, I have a theory. Less absorbed by ones own world and overwhelmed by the crushing force of the economy gives people (men case in point) a more metaphoric experience to the mundane.

It's Horton Hears A Who on a global scale. Not so much fun living in Whoville.

I'll savor the changes that we experience everyday but also drive more thoughtfully, smile at others at the post office, chat at the gas pump.

Engage. We're all in this together. I suppose that means more dinner parties?? Lucky me.

Bye Bye Bernie

2009-03-13T04:08:00.001-07:00

It was a mixed gut reaction when I read the out come of the Bernie "Ponzi" Madoff mess. It seemed like a complete failure of the legal system. I can smell a book deal.
Plead guilty then throw a round a few mea culpas....only to be led off in cuffs to a state penitentiary to practice your Italian and rest your tennis elbow.
That's f*@ked!!
No jury trial. The world will never really know exactly what he had done with the money. Bye bye Bernie. You will soon be dialing for friends to come visit, but may need to find a few friends at your new home. Just remember when you play house in the big house it's better to be the dad, then again we would love to see you bent over for this one. Better get used to it.

From the testimony it seems as though the only thing he feels is regret that he got caught. The story about working the system alone also made big headlines, it's just impossible to believe that $65B gets "lost" at the hands of just one man by defrauding individuals, charities, trusts, pensions and hedge funds (that last one, bothering me not so much.)

I wonder what those in the inner circle of Wall Street think of this former chairman of the Nasdaq stock market? Mr. Madoff has been a Wall Street figure for more than 40 years. Curious who received all the jewelry, watches, and spare cash mailed from the penthouse the last few months.. maybe to a p.o box at the big house??

Madoff's 11 charges include four counts of fraud. In addition, he pleaded guilty to three counts of money laundering, making false statements, perjury, making a false filing to the US financial watchdog, and theft from an employee benefit plan.

On a happy note bonds rallied yesterday and U.S. stocks posted the biggest three-day gain since November as General Electric Co. said losing the top credit rating at Standard & Poor’s won’t hurt business and Bank of America Corp. said it’s profitable. Oil jumped 11 percent, and Treasury 30-year bonds rallied.

Onward upward.

Welcome To The Happy Zipcode

2009-03-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

Love a title. Stick a "something" on a poll and you've got yourself a_____. Today the buzz is all about (EHI.) Never heard of it.. me neither, but it's nice to know I have one/could get one/might want one I guess..

Gallup-Healthways Emotional Health Index (EHI) — a measure that weighs negatives such as depression, worry and stress against the positive feelings a person experienced the day before the survey. Done nearly every day in 2008 and still ongoing, the survey of 355,334 people is believed to be the largest, longest and most thorough poll showing how emotional well-being shifts with economic changes.

Thank goodness for the poll otherwise I might not have noticed:

*Americans' moods were ultra-sensitive to economic news. Well-being plunged on days when the Dow lost big and with reports of high jobless claims.

*A state's EHI correlated with high rates of death from ailments such as heart disease, says Gallup analyst Raksha Arora. States with a lot of open space or sunshine — Hawaii, Alaska, Wyoming — had some of the best emotional health even as the economy sank. Many poorer and Rust Belt states — West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky — were worst off.

The survey attempts to measure people's well-being. It examines their eating and exercise habits, work environment and access to basic necessities, just to name some of the criteria. It's not just about physical health, It's about their ability to contribute at work and be more productive, and it's about feeling engaged in a community and wanting to improve that community. What's not to love about this proactive approach? But what if it's still missing the point?

The massive survey involved more than 350,000 interviews. Examples of the questions include: Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday? Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your job or the work you do? Did you eat healthy all day yesterday? Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live? Check boxes yes, and satisfied moving forward.

The survey, which takes about 15 minutes, involved 42 core questions. Those taking the survey could get a score of up to 100. The actual difference between states wasn't great: The average score for the highest-ranking state, Utah, was 69.2 points, while the average for the lowest-ranking state, West Virginia, was 61.2 points. Geographic divides could be overstated and even the states with the highest scores had significant work to do to improve certain aspects of their residents' health and happiness.

Researchers hope the findings will help employers better understand what they can do to create more productive workers. Eventually, the data could even be used to compare health and happiness by ZIP code. The survey is going to be generated for 25 years, according to current plans. What I have yet to figure out is how can empirically derived data be the one stop shopping spot for all things bright and smiley? After I took the survey, scored well but still scratched my head as the survey says I am happy, who am I to question.

Time to toss my Prozac? Nah...I think the happiness survey misses the point. Can't put my finger on it but when I figure what that might be you'll be the first to know.

Clorinating The Gene Pool

2009-03-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

A Chronicle of Enterprising Demises Honoring those who improve the species...by accidentally removing themselves from it!

The new edition of the darwin awards is a funnier than usual read. New York Times best selling Author Wendy Northcutt has a series of books, and website that makes for a fun read. The website is as a tool for readers to submit stories for future awards. Stories submitted need an eye witness to substantiate, other wise they go to the urban legend section (still a fun read.) At the end of each story is a meter for readers to gauge it's entertainment value. A Darwinian approach to culling through the data she receives. Brilliant.

Now that spring has sprung, with it's longer days so too has a huge surge of testosterone. This past Sunday my 6 and 8 year old sons' were busy removing the trucks and wheels from a couple of old skateboards. Next came a roll of duct tape loops fashioned as bindings.

My inquiry was met with a series of grunts which I shrugged off as M.O.B. so I went back to reading the Sunday New York Times. My Week In Review moment was stopped dead in it's tracks by a vision of my six year old being counseled by the older brother on how best to approach a large set of hillside stairs while duct tapped to a wheel-less skateboard. Apparently they coined a new sport called "dirt boarding" and after spending an hour perfecting technique were ready for the X game equivalent- traversing the steep hillside stairs. Needless to say that my yelling squelched all the fun and the 911 call sure to follow. It was a darwin award in the making, staved off for another time.

Not to throw stones at the Y chromosome, but almost all of the darwin award stories are primarily men, doing manly things meeting their demise.

Yes, I know all about the shared genetic soup children inherit, it's just such a curious thing that typically men act upon whatever impulse it is to pick up a nail gun and improvise a game of nail gun tag.

Enjoy the beautiful weather, just don't do anything stupid unless of course you have someone substantiate the tale - then by all means, have at it.

If You Care....

2009-03-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

If you take away nothing more than the importance of attending this evenings' school board meeting, take note that the states' eduction woes are coming to our own community. Last month the school district created a forum for discussing the budget in detail. Except it wasn't, I mean discussed anyways... Not advertised, not mentioned. The "if you build it they will come" mentality seemed to have trumped good communication skills.
Not sure why I had high hopes for this sort of community safety net. It's nice to be on the same page, except when you're not..In fact the book has changed- so to over use this metaphor we seek to find out exactly how the school board will deal with these choices. Not an enviable position to be in.....let's see how this pans out this evening when the board meets at 6:30 (your second reminder...)
The aah ha moment for me came after the first "study" session where the school board and superintendent gave a very antiseptic power point presentation. The idea for this meeting was to look as though the communities concerns were incorporated when basically it felt like the board wanted to be make the hard decisions in a vacuum. Off base? Perhaps. I always wonder why we have big bulletin boards on the school campus, yet never see dates for important meetings like the meeting this eve.

Fast forward to today with the inevitable looming: staff cuts. Stories from school districts around the state now have a place to commiserate. Pink Friday. Eye candy colors and a beautifully designed website Pink Friday is a pink slip metaphor wrapped in lovely packaging. The content is a not so gentle reminder of what's in store for the states' already bruised public school system. The ingenuity is heart warming and in solidarity the color choice for Friday is you guessed it. Wear pink , March 13 to show your support for public schools, students and educators. Organize or attend an event at a school near you. Call or e-mail your Legislator.
Tell them that investing in public education is an investment in California's future.

AARP Welcomes It's Newest Member

2009-03-09T02:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Barbie! Our blond bombshell turns 50 today. Fifty has never looked so fabulous and the fact that the only shoe she sports is the high heel makes her a super star fashionista in my book.

I can't think of another toy that has evoked more negative juju from parents than our fave blond.
Why? Was it the objectification of the female form? Could it be the marketing or is it her choice of footwear?

Growing up I loved my Barbies. In my creative play they lived interesting lives as they traveled the world in their fabulous footwear always well coiffed. Fast forward into the 21st century, where Barbie's play on their own laptops, have their own cell phones and sport pierced ears.

The mystic of our birthday girl has been clouded by the popular and politically correct American Girl Doll that is a perky part of girls lives due in part to the marketing merchandising which includes a matching clothing line and accessories for little girls. How does that foster individualism? Barbie provided young girls who are now Baby Boomer adults an alternative to baby dolls and their domestic overtones.

Part of Barbie's appeal is that she has always had her highly arched foot in two worlds.

While praised for representing an independent, adventurous female, she has long been targeted by feminists who say she portrays women as sex objects. Barbie's unrealistic body, damaging to young girls who might struggle with body image and self-esteem issues? I don't perennially embrace that, but then again I am still a size six....(good genetics) but assemble a group of women together and inevitably the discussion of Barbie turns into a heated argument as parental hysteria knows no bounds.

Created by Ruth Handler 14 years after she and her husband Elliot started the toy company Mattel Creations, sales of Barbie reached 300,000 the first year. Introduced at a toy fair in New York City on March 9, 1959 as a teenage fashion model, Barbie, whose full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts, cost $3. Barbie was at once an instant rage and outrage.

Not to be outdone by American Girl, Mattel has opened a six-story flagship store in my fave of all fave cities: Shanghai. House of Barbie features a restaurant, spa and runway where girls can pretend to be fashion models. Horrified? Try to relax.... know that your attitude toward Barbie is what your children will emulate. Those Bratz dolls are aptly named and okay to play with?

With the present day pop tarts Britney Spears and Paris Hilton as well as celebrity magazines and TV shows full of train wrecks as role models Barbie seems rather tame. I wonder if a marketing study might show the necessity for Burka Barbie or lap dance Barbie -would this help with political correctness? Maybe not. Nice collectible.

The funny thing about emulation is how pervasive it is, especially in our own tony enclave where peroxide pony tails rein.

Lifestyles Of The Well-Heeled

2009-03-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

Some CEO's have a pretty narrow scope of what to do with all that cash. Larry Ellison likes to keep his America's Cup yacht in the reflecting pool at Oracle where it resembles an over sized remote control toy. Juxtapose Reed Hastings CEO of Netflix- our own local rockstar hitech titan who awarded a grant of $1.25 million to help Rocketship Education start seven additional elementary schools to serve children from low-income families in San Jose. Rocketship's goals strive to help all students achieve above grade level by fifth grade. Lofty goals by any school standard.

This makes Reed Hastings a bit of a philanthropic underdog in my book. He also supplied seed funding when the charter school was starting out in 2006. Education is front and center for him as the former president of the state Board of Education. What's so great about this? A lot.
It enables more charter schools coming to Silicon Valley with the help of more than $5 million in grants. The charter school is opening its second school in San Jose this August, with a third planned for the next year.

The beauty of charter school litmus test holds San Jose-based Rocketship Education as the shining example of "if there's a will there's a way" mentality receiving $3.8 million from the Charter School Growth Fund. Other visionaries for funding for the Charter School Growth Fund comes from a number of foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. The question looms? Why have no other hitech titans kicked in cash for these local endeavors?

You can't open a gull winged Ferrari around here without hitting deep pocketed geeks yet only one local name comes to the rescue. Lucky us to have such a generous soul locally and lucky us as a society to have these low-income children to receive an amazing education. Maybe Mr. Ellison could offer underprivileged children sailing lessons?

That Spring Thang'

2009-03-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

Is it the weather, sunshine blasting, highly caffeinated spring thang? Partly. It's the idea that those long days return starting tomorrow. Daylight Saving Time arrives mercifully tonight.

This is the third year we'll turn clocks ahead a month earlier than in the past, thanks to The Energy Policy Act of 2005. (Hawaii and most of Arizona are the only states that don't observe DST.) What's not to enjoy with the sun setting later and later. I can hide the knives! You know the feeling fellow winter doldrum haters...dark by 5pm the veil that creeps over your brain like fog because the sun doesn't shine long enough to burn it off?? Lucky you respite is on the way hooray! Throughout the centuries poets have described a sense of sadness, loss and lethargy which can accompany the shortening days of fall and winter. Many cultures and religions have winter festivals associated with candles or fire.

Benjamin Franklin first suggested Daylight Saving Time in 1784, but it was not until World War I, in 1916, when it was adopted by several counties in Europe after they initially rejected the idea. Historically, it’s all about decreasing the time from sunset to when people retire for the evening, therefore reducing household energy consumption. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, energy savings projected through 2020 adds up to $4.4 billion with 10.8 million less metric tons of carbon driven into the air.

But what about our body’s energy? In our sleep-deprived society where every second counts, sleeping one hour less may be more problematic than we realize. From an insomniac standpoint it simply means I read more.

This evening we break out the Rose' (wishflul drinking) aperitif toasting to new freckles and spring!........ Not a moment too soon.

Cross Over To The Darkside

2009-03-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the ole adage if you can't beat em join em rings true. Famous people have embraced all the dark side has to offer. Some wear it well, others not so much. Those making the grade in the dark arts: Darth Vader, Karl Rove, Dick Morris (toe fetish, Clinton Strategist) Ruppert Murdoch, Scott McClellan (Bush Tell all author), my husband (switched to a blackberry aka crackberry from the ever elegant iphone.)

Ever been tempted to cross over to the dark side? Me neither..except this past week when I read about an initiative underway seeking Town Council Term limits. My gut is that this is one initiative long overdue, and apt to be welcomed with open arms. The only caveat? The people who brought it to the helm.

On Febuary 11th our town clerk received a check and paperwork from former town councilperson Steve Glickman to start the initiative process. Just in case you fell off the potato truck last week, and are not privy to my own private Idaho like series of events with the a fore mentioned council person here's the recap. It all started with a very public verbal bitch slap in the form of a three minute angst filled shaming of councilperson Glickman due to his crankiness about censure and inappropriate use of power (dark arts thing shining through) then of course sprinkle in a few other public comments about the skatepark platform and self serving nature of it's placement during a re election year. We all know how that panned out.

But the dark side has ...gasp...a point.

Don't look for a big french kiss from me anytime soon Mr. Glickman..but it is a worthy cause to tackle-this time. Term limits would be a good move to unseat bumps (or lumps) like the decidedly un- dynamic duo of Joe Prizinski and McNutt. These two mind melds have the mental weight of a grilled cheese sandwich. The flip side: we loose a star council person of all supernovas' Ms Barbara Spector, and that would be a huge loss. Maybe too huge. Time to turn a new leaf in local politics? Stop teasing!

The last election was an eye opener for me. Smear tactics abound, money thrown around by the crown prince who now sits at the Dias...you remember. Do you think term limits could or would possibly change all of that? Quite possibly YES... Let's not forget the cost involved, in the ballpark of $60k of taxpayer cash to execute this initiative process.

When the weather clears, and you see me at the farmers market with pen in hand and clipboard perched on my hip, don't be surprised. You heard it here first.

Flat Tire

2009-03-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

The thing about ruts is that they're so rut like.

Tough to mentally motor out of them. My rut? Not to start a pissing match of my rut's deeper than yours because it's certainly not deeper than the rut GM finds itself in this morning. Looking for some reading to nod off too this evening? Look no further than the annual report prepared by Deloitte & Touche which raised “substantial doubt about the ability of General Motors to continue as a going concern.” Duh. Tell us something we didn't already know before that big cash influx.

It would have been more fun to have taken that taxpayer cash bailout over the ambassador bridge and blown it on strip club fun in Windsor Canada where the dollar still goes a bit far. Tiny bit farther. Shoulda coulda woulda. Dumb white guys.

GM warned last month that its auditors may raise doubts, and industry analysts said auditors’ statements may trigger clauses in some of GM’s loans, placing them in default but the company said in its filing that it has received waivers of the clauses for its $4.5-billion secured revolving credit facility, a $1.5-billion term loan and a $125-million secured credit facility. GM spokeswoman Julie Gibson said there is no clause in the terms of the government loans that places them in default if the auditors raise doubts about GM’s ability to keep operating. “That was not a condition of the loan. It’s not in the agreement,” she said. Nice. Lucky lucky us. Thanks again Bush administration.

Do you remember when Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson said at the time of the bailout that the government would be the only place the company could get financing for a Chapter 11 reorganization, because the credit markets were frozen. The worst-case bankruptcy scenario would cost the government $100 billion, Henderson said, because revenue would severely drop due to a lack of sales. GM deserves to be stuck in the mud. I can't imagine any more tax payer cash being thrown under the wheels to create traction. As for me, the sun shining today makes my mental rut that much smaller. Could be worse...we could live in Detroit.

The Dog Ate My Train Ticket

2009-03-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

So there's cutting corners at times when you really feel like you wanna tempt fate. Those corners include parking at a meter knowing full well you will never make it back to feed the meter, there's those times you hop in the Fasttrack lane, knowing that the bridge transponder lives somewhere in the cavity of your car, will it chime to debit my account or flag me as a deadbeat?
Ive always envisioned a karmic circle circling back around representing bits and pieces of the goodness we pay into mankind. Social pleasantries. Take pictures of tourists, throwing the extra buck to the Muni bus driver covering the guy behind you..but I need to think that through on a more transcendental level.

Could be a tall order without a magic brownie moment, but I digress.... karma....

Hopping on the VTA train today with my weekly pass (Cinequest) realizing It's not on my person...no worries as I have a handful of those wacky Sacajawea gold dollar coins (only available here, thanks VTA and the post office) apparently the VTA machines that spit those stupid coins out as change don't want to except them back for payment. Same machine, reverse the sequence... So after mentally arm wrestling with the ticket machine and seeing no ticket forth coming and the bell ringing on the train, alerting emanate departure I hop back on.
Likity split right after me the VTA "fare police" steps on board. How do I know it's the fare police? Black trench coats, FARE POLICE imprinted boldly (think DIA style) Always had a thing for policemen but this is a little too goth.

Of all of the trains I have ridden all over the globe, legitly purchasing fare religiously one would think a karmic bank had been built up fort knox sized magnitude putting the IMF to shame.

Today my karma ran out. Mr. Fare Police didn't care about my story, about where my ticket was only to say it was not on my person. No ticket=receive a ticket, ala gift of the magi. So sweet.
Not so much.

The worse part was the scolding- that and knowing I really did have a ticket, I wasn't a deadbeat fare dodger. Just an unorganized under caffeinated loser. Nicely dressed. Didn't matter.

The good news ? The system works. I am double dog sure the next time I step aboard any train, bus, plane, ferry I will double check to see my ticket. Does lightning strike twice? The odds are it will never happen again but be sure if it does I will also purchase a lottery ticket as a hedge to the odds pool.

Can't Contain The Excitement or Is That Contempt?

2009-03-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

The wait looks to be over for the General Plan Committee (GPAC). Sitting on their hands for the last nine months has given birth to ta da....a draft of the "new" general plan...but wait that sounds like immaculate conception. I know the question on the tip of your tongue - wasn't the idea of a community committee with diverse view points appointed for this data review. Gather, sift thru and prepare the rough draft that leads to ahem...a final rough draft. Cut straight to the final draft! Magically, as if a magic wand was waved and Poof- no muss no fuss. This draft is available for review and public comment until March 19th when public comments will end.
Huh? My thinly veiled contempt for the process is still an angst to be worked out, so here again I subscribe to the RX dose of what's good for you. Information.
Except information isn't easily disseminated in this supposedly transparent process of collecting data, community member weighing in (where GPAC comes in, in theory of course.) Not to be secret squirrel but another bright, articulate community member shared her angst with me recently about the wasted opportunity and abilities of the community demographic that I like to call kids, furniture, and big mortgage (KFBM)

Wonders of all wonders- GPAC meets, not really, no teasing. They will review this "draft" of which they had very little if any contribution on Friday the 5th..Two days away!

For the community to move ahead, it can't remain the high school musical that best describes the social variety I have come to loath here. The breadth of knowledge that GPAC represents equates to a loss of opportunity. To really embrace change, and give a critical eye to things that need objective. Window dressing aside, GPAC should be allowed to take the reins on this uber important task of General Plan Update...The "draft" prepared by staff that will be discussed needs more that two weeks of public review.

Baa aah bah bah. Are we sheep? Seems like our town government sure thinks so. Let's not let them try to pull the wool over our eyes. Contempt should be a community value in this instance.

Please chime in on this important process.

Where's The Push Back?

2009-03-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

For forty six years a hospital had served Los Gatos then in the blink of an eye it was gone. Surprisingly not much news or interest followed. Tenet Healthcare pulled the plug on our community last year without an exit strategy and laid off over 500. Locked the doors and left as a way of protecting it's own bottom line. So much for those "community" values Tenet talked up.
Close that chapter, and begin a new when El Camino Hospital of Mountain View administrators announced in December that they were in escrow with property owner Long Beach-based HCP Inc. a health-care real estate investment firm to buy the Los Gatos Hospital.
Now this potential safety net is in jeopardy.
A petition signed by 121 residents within the public hospital district, which includes Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, most of Sunnyvale, and a small portion of Cupertino is currently being circulated to stop the purchase. (Residents of the district elect the hospital board which approved the acquisition plan.)
During the Feb. 11 th Board of Directors of El Camino Hospital meeting petitioners were given three minutes to comment. Items discussed: concerns of bad timing to buy the $45 million hospital during an economic downturn, and that the facility will cost another $10 million to $20 million to bring it up to seismic standards, and more for start-up costs. Judy Twitchell, El Camino spokesperson is not sure of the cost of the earthquake upgrades, but said the upgrades could be spread out over several years. The hospital, she added, would not comment on initial start-up costs. The purchase would help El Camino meet its strategic plan by expanding services to residents outside its district. El Camino administrators said the hospital currently has $300 million in unrestricted funds generated from profit, and that taxpayer funds would not go toward the new acquisition. The hospital spends about $8 million collected in district taxes each year on community outreach and capital costs.
"El Camino Hospital has been very conservative and well managed over the last several years, and we really are in a good position to do this," Twitchell said. "In a tough economy, it is good to have a strong financial position."El Camino Hospital has the capacity and interest to help meet the health care needs of our neighboring community as administrators began negotiating last summer, but said they could release only limited information due to a strict disclosure agreement.
The closing of the Community Hospital affects property values, but more importantly services and outreach that benefit the entire community. This issue is worthy of your attention. Please consider attending the Wednesday, March 11, 2009 meeting at 5:30 p.m El Camino Hospital, 2500 Grant Road, Mountain View, California 94040

State your opinion for the record. Let's let the Board of Directors of El Camino Hospital know how important and welcome this transition will be. A little push back from our community is needed. Plus it would be nice to see if we have a pulse.

Fun With Ear Plugs

2009-03-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

In a household where you can cut the testosterone with a knife (my husband and two man cubs) What to do with all that manliness? Take it to the Monster Truck Jam.

As a transplanted midwesterner, who rode motocross after giving up dressage the love of all things loud has not left me after years of Californication. Suffice to say I have a bit more testosterone than girls are normally supposed to posses. Remember those headlocks from third grade? Still fun especially when you add high heels but that's for another forum. Back to testosterone and the always intimidating Oakland Alameda County Coliseum. Our nosebleed seats= birds eye views of trucks that resembled radio controlled cars in a sandbox. The surprise of the evening, two of the monster trucks [The Monster Mutt Dalmatian and Jurassic Attack] were driven by gasp.... girls... low and behold they drove those big trucks better than the burly crowd.

Surrounded by a sea of facially pierced parents with overweight kids sucking down sodas- what's not to love for a Saturday Night? Olympic gold medal people watching moment: brushed acrylic talons sporting day glow pink polish, gripping a huge hotdog in one beefy mitt and a domestic beer in the other.

Haven't had this much fun people watching since the hay days of Club Trocadero's Bondage- a go-go.

The sucker punch of the evening was the $25 parking fee. Overall evening fell into the opera box seat cost once you figured in the food, ticket price, and parking. Domestic beer still tastes like cold bathwater, but hey- when in Rome. The biggest distraction of the evening was a text message from a friend who was enjoying the Randy Weston show at Yoshi's.

Break with the day to day to embrace the unusual for an unusually great time. Just remember the demographic mix represents the same as the big time wrestling crowd.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

2009-02-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

A major victory was scored this week helping freedom of the press become a bit more free.

This week President Obama ended the ban on news organizations photographing the flag-covered coffins of American soldiers killed in Iraq as they return to the United States through Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. NPR has a great segment this week with families discussing the freedom of press issue and the grieving process

The last eight years ate away the true picture of war with the Pentagon keeping any photos of flag-draped coffins out of the media. Afraid the pictures would become a testament to the toll of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as of the sacrifice borne by those who serve in the military and their families. The ceremony known as the "dignified transfer of remains" performed nearly 5,000 times since the start of the Iraq is hidden from public view by the Pentagon. Air Force cargo jets land and taxi down the runway at Dover Air Force Base, Del., carrying the remains of fallen U.S. troops. After a chaplain says a simple prayer, an eight-member military honor guard removes the metal "transfer cases" from the planes and carries them to a mortuary van.

President George H.W. Bush's administration imposed the ban on media coverage of the arrival of fallen troops' remains at Dover Air Force Base during the Gulf War in February 1991.

This change will bring about the transparency missing from the reporting process. Nice to see the media given it's teeth back. As a photographer I hail this important policy change to bring a full story to the public.

A picture is worth a thousand words

My Name Is: Priti Manek

2009-02-27T15:04:00.000-08:00

TGIF. Let's lighten things up a bit. As we wait for the markets to cease the back flips for stimulus monies forth coming a little levity might bee the mental Burt's bees (chap stick metaphor) we all need. The BBC had a really funny article about unfortunate names.

The case of the name was changed to protect the innocent did not seem to occur to any of the following People:
Sue Mee

Pearl Button

Jo King

Barry Cade

Carrie Oakey

Tim Burr
Justin Case
Barb Dwyer
Stan Still
Rose Bush.

It sounds like a bad joke, but a study has revealed that there really are unfortunate people with the above mentioned names in the UK. Yes, it's true...we can't take credit for all of the stupidity on the globe. Just a bit. Just imagine having to introduce yourself to a crowd as Doug Hole or HazelNutt. I would hope that a line item exsists in the parents' financial spread sheet to cover therapy as the teasing would never end.

The names were uncovered by researchers from parenting group based in the UK TheBabyWebsite.com after trawling through online telephone records. When the parents of some of those people mentioned named their children, many probably didn't even realise the implications at the time. Spare a thought for Anna Prentice, Annette Curtain and Bill Board the next time you sign your name. The brits don't hold the bag on this: a string of Americans also have very job-specific names, including Dr Leslie Doctor, Dr Thoulton Surgeon and Terry Bull, Paige Turner, Mary Christmas and Anna Sasin.

All of this nonsense is reminiscent of Sunday morning shtick Click and Clack. But the research is more upsetting because the researchers who uncovered these catchy names actually assume these oblivious parents will access a baby website? I suppose dental care might be high on the parents list too so we have the perfect referral : Dr. Les Plack - a dentist in San Francisco.

Act Now

2009-02-26T16:54:00.000-08:00

The economy is bad when the pharmaceutical company's start sending sweet emails with rebate offers attached.

To augment my argument- Restylaneusa [parent company: medicis aesthetics] would like me to send off the box tops of this injectable spa product to collect 150 dollars. Typically the spa crowd isn't the same crowd clipping coupons or sending in rebates, but who knows..in trying times it's tough to say. It harks back to those nostalgic daze of collecting the cereal box tops for the prized piece o crap. Thinking back to the code decoder ring from Fruity Pebbles still pisses me off that it took a lifetime to finally ship..remember in child years 6 to 8 weeks was literally a big chunk of lifetime.

Not familiar with the product of which I describe? It's the backbone of the medspa crowd for filling in facial folds, wrinkles and most commonly lips. You really didn't think Angelina Jolie had a recessive gene did you? Should you seek out these enhancements, seek out Ms. Lynn Bartels. She trains the best and brightest in the use of these products and has an artistic eye unparalleled in the biz. How do I know? Suffice to say it's on a need to know basis.

So if you see me sporting the pole dancer (hey I resemble that statement) big pouty lip look you will know that I have succumbed to the sweet song of the pharma marketing dept.

Is it wrong? No, I suppose a little local stimulus helps my own "stimulus."

Y Drive The Yukon XL?

2009-02-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

How can the community with the largest amount of overtly large vehicles have a transportation problem? What's the problem you ask? A ninth hour fire drill to round up parents to participate in a school field trip or cancel. I found it incredible that the local MILF faction can't take time from all the prim and primp of running clothing daze filled with who the f*%k knows what. I see a sociological dissertation in the making, or maybe I shall use it for my J school application but here's the Crux of my bitch fest rant: Couldn't a few more of the Yukon XL crowd pony up their school bus largess and play martyr mommy for the day at the Children's Museum?

I know the next thought from you will be" why be upset about something you can't control?"
You should know that the list is long with many things I can and can not control but my antagonist side says be equal opportunity in picking battles. So large and small I pick them all.
What else do I have to do that's more important than loading kids up for a fun day at the Museum. Nada. I LOVE the whole ah-ha moment of herding kittens which is exactly what K and 3rd graders are. Sans a taser .

The real impetus for this rant?

I must confess it involved my Mini Cooper in the car line of Dave's Ave school for afternoon pickup basically parked in by two (U guessed it, XL's)... It felt like a vehicular gang bang. Crankiness ensued and forced smiles traded with the taloned, tanned, and pony tailed velour track suits. "Oh, soo sorry to park you in. We didn't see you. Yeah, it's tough with your head that far up your, forget it.....Deep breath...soooo zen girl (me) has a plan to enjoy her hurry scurry day tomorrow and report back any other funny suburban stories that involve yours truly.

2009-02-25T00:51:00.000-08:00

Cinequest goes live today..It's the best and the brightest of the independent film world (least in the concentric circle of the valley.)

It's all about the creative process and labor of love that encapsulates what goes into these little indie films and shorts.

Misery loves company, and what better place to go and wonk out about the solitary confinement that best describes the process of film editing. Imagine the scene from the Bill Murray movie Ground Hog Day with real time gnats eyebrow focus frame to frame to friggin frame (sorry about that little burst of angst) until you can't imagine watching the edited piece because your head will explode. All for 15 min [short format] of creative bandwidth.

Cinequest is a creative end run...movies movies movies. Quirky surprises abound and the ability to ask a film maker her reason for choosing a certain camera angle to tell the story makes it a mini tutorial & therapy session all wrapped up nicely. If only I could just get to my biggest sticking points with my last two little film projects: sound editing but instead of crying the blues to the deaf and uninterested I need to get downtown and partake. You should too.

Remember those lightrail transit trains run quirky schedules but drop you door to door. The highlight of this festival always seems to be the film shorts. Even if you can stop in for a small bite of the offerings, you won't leave disappointed.
The Chicago playwright turned movie director David Mamet had this interesting piece to share about the magic of creating movies. Mamet: “Now, we have two plans here. Which is simpler? Always do things the least interesting way, and you make a better movie. This is my experience. Always do things the least interesting way, the most blunt way. Because then you will not stand the risk of falling afoul of the objective in the scene by being interesting, which will always bore the audience, who are collectively much smarter than you and me and have already gotten up to the punch line. How do we keep their attention? Certainly not by giving them more information but, on the contrary, by withholding information-- by withholding all information except that information the absence of which would make the progress of the story incomprehensible.

This is the kiss rule. K. I. S. S. Keep it simple, stupid.
Kinda sounds like we could apply to real life too huh?

The Spark Factor

2009-02-24T03:13:00.000-08:00

The curious chemistry of attraction. Is it smell? Taste? Curious to learn what causes the spark factor?

I typically shy away from online polls but after listening to my crush du jour Michael Krasney interview Dr. Helen Fisher on KQED's Forum I made a beeline for her website because I was so intrigued.

A fun online moment. When is the last time you had one of those? Purely rhetorical..please no details. Her new book: "Why him? Why her?" Centers around research concerning the role personality and chemistry play in this intoxicating crazy little thing we all crave. Did I mention the unlikely idea of finger length figures in to all of this. Finger that one out. I know, I know it's wing-nutty but just stay with me for a moment. Let's say you or I for that matter know that we have the ability to shape our social outlet a bit by bending the norms, by knowing how other people view us or even how we view ourselves. Jeez, I really thought a larger piece of my personality was based upon being a red-head. Elementary years of teasing, jokes, and of course freckles
(yes, I like them today.)
What about our hard wired selves vs. environment.
Maybe we like certain things as a complimentary tip of the hat to Darwin.
Quantifiable? You decide....
Scientifically assured nutty professor- but continue with me for a moment.
Dr. Fisher has an online quiz. If you have any curiosity concerning the chemistry of attraction you will enjoy this. Go on goof off for a moment, you have permission. Here's what I wanna know after you imbibe my suggestion- any surprises??

Did the finished quiz tell you something you didn't already know?
Didn't think so.

Dr. Fisher's system is based on anthropological research that would dwarf the Manhattan project (Or for all post generation Xer's, the race to produce a 100GB MP3 player) Anyway, to simplify all of her complicated findings, Fisher boils the whole process down to the X's and O's of romance in layman's terms: The compatibility problems associated with four Fisher-defined personality types: the Explorer, the Builder, the Director, and the Negotiator. To give it some life, the text of "Why Him? Why Her?" is laced with personal and not-so-personal anecdotes and explanations about how different personality types interact or fail to interact in given social situations.

Could be the new iFun applet on my phone or simply the new tarot card.

Care to share your results with the class? Okay Okay, spin the bottle style: If you care to know it's all here, read this and my tea leaves then give me some feedback quid pro quo.

The Little Film That Could

2009-02-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

A night of glitz and glamour...We watched the awards last night from the bar at Restaurante Ducca in The City. Weirdly enough the hotel lobby boasted a bevvy of beefy adolescent girls attending something that reminded me of Tigerbeat magazine meets Princess party. But more on that later...
The highlight of the evening of course is that modern-day fairy tales due indeed come true, and last night Danny Boyle and his little indie film "Slumdog" drove that home in such a fantastic way. The little film that almost went straight to video, but was picked up by Fox Searchlight Films grossed only 98M vs. big gun Hollywood hit Batman of almost 600M.

My all time fave modern film American Beauty was unseated by Slumdog. From a film wonk perspective the editing alone won me over, but the beautifully crafted story and happy ending- well go big or stay home...Could not have been a bigger triumph of good vs. evil. It's a David & Goliath moment in a day and age of global mess, Mumbai in all it's glory and poverty trumped last night. The other triumph: Sean Penn and his exceptance speech for best actor. Shaming those who chose to support Prop 8, it was a lovely moment for prickly pare Penn. This is why I love him.

Bling bling my heart, best dressed last night: my yummy hubby french cuffed deliciousness and Zegna. Gotta run, room service awaits..

.....And The Oscar Goes To...........

2009-02-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

Why should movie stars snag all the statuettes?

While Hollywood suits up for the Academy Awards, POLITICO has been screening the tapes of the past 12 months in politics, looking for Oscar-worthy performances in the public arena. My favorite website has compiled the following list. Yes... It's okay to lift material as long as credited..
And the nominees are:
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Barack Obama ("Mission Impossible)"
John McCain ("A Bridge Too Far")
John Edwards ("Hollow Man")
Eliot Spitzer ("Analyze This")
Charlie Rangel ("Rent")
Rod Blagojevich ("Grease")
George W. Bush ("Gigli")

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Hillary Clinton ("Die Hard: With a Vengeance")
Caroline Kennedy ("The Wrestler")
Kirsten Gillibrand ("Snow White and the 11 Dwarves")
Nancy Pelosi ("House Party")

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
Bill Clinton ("The Good Wife")
Fred Thompson ("The Hunt for Red November")
Roland Burris ("Witness for the Prosecution")
Rahm Emanuel ("Meet the Fockers")
Timothy Geithner ("Crash")
Bill Richardson ("Bolt")
Tom Daschle ("Dude, Where's My Car?")
Judd Gregg ("He's Just Not That Into You")

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama
Condi Rice ("Stand by Me")
Michelle Obama ("Patriot Games")
Samantha Power ("Monsters Inc.)
Hillary Clinton ("Baracky")
Sarah Palin ("The McCain Mutiny")
Nancy Killefer ("Gone in 60 Seconds")

Best Costumes
Isabel Toledo
Jason Wu
J. Crew
The RNC

Best Director
David Plouffe ("The Candidate")
Barack Obama ("Rush Hour 2: The Stimulus")
Eric Cantor ("Mutiny Over the Bounty")
Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke ("Titanic")
Dick Cheney ("Gigli")

Broken Halo

2009-02-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

A discussion shared yesterday with a friend went straight to the heart of why so many of the social norms we carry into adulthood have been tarnished by childhood. The discussion point centered around Catholicism. As the child of Irish catholics, lent always brought welcome relief from the drunken family tirades so often experienced under the veil of Divine intervention while sporting patent leather shoes.

My life today is unfortunately void of the family trama-dramas that forged most of my personality. The unfortunate part you ask? Where did you think the old adage "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" came from...dis functional families perhaps but why take the "fun" out of dis functional? Parish the thought.

I still seek a shared vision of community, just not sure how to re create the vision.. Remember those delicious mushrooms we dabbled with in the early 80's? Certainly liked THAT vision but alas the only people to embrace that particular culture had the whole drug culture monkey on it's back. Not a great community to ingratiate oneself into.. The Episcopalians seem to be on the right track-open to individualism, embracing women and gays. Hey! What a concept, makes me wanna be a part of something so tolerant.

Dante's Inferno spoke to me the first read thru when I was 14 years old. A recent re read made me even more confidant that he was on to something really bold. I like bold.

So with Lent approaching, I will light a candle for Buddha, say a hail Mary or two, and toss down a few martini's to celebrate all thoughts and deeds Dante. Covering ones spiritual bases can't hurt right? See me sporting a forehead smudge this Wednesday? Never.

Ross Creek Review

2009-02-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

Last year a monumental environmental decision was passed down by the court concerning a local California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) case when a superior court judge overturned the approval of the development proposal on Ross Creek. The judge specifically noted “that the record contain[ed] sufficient testimony from local residents both at public meetings … and in timely written communications” to determine that the project may have environmental impacts that have not been adequately addressed. The time you took to write and appear before the planning commission and town council paid off.

A consultant for the town will now prepare an environmental impact report to assess the proposal and determine if the environmental impact can be reduced. On March 18th the town will host a “scoping meeting”. The meeting will allow community members and the planning commission to raise environmental concerns, ways in which the project impact may be minimized and potential alternatives to the proposed project. Please save the date, and attend with any questions or concerns you may have. Thanks to everyone for their community activism and continued concern.

Midnight Arm Wrestling

2009-02-19T16:51:00.000-08:00

“This might be the end for me” politically, said Sen. Abel Maldonado, who cast the deciding vote to end deadlocked budget in Sacramento today......

Our own 15th district Senator is the poster boy for change: Sen. Abel Maldonado our Republican senator received assurances that lawmakers would support an election reform that makes it easier to vote moderates into office. In return, he cast the vote that ended a three-month budget deadlock that threatened the state’s financial solvency and gave new meaning to the phrase “political polarization.” In the end, a deal was done.

Looks like the "lock down" all-night negotiations in Sacramento worked. In short it means California will probably resolve its $42Mbudget shortfall (raising taxes on consumption) and by cutting spending( $11M from education.) The state has delayed thousands of construction projects, required furloughs of government employees, and saw its credit rating fall to dead last among the 50 states.

If, as expected, the Assembly approves the budget, and if the Govenator signs it, as he has said he would new tax hikes will kick into effect – about $13 billion worth in all. Californians will pay an additional one cent in sales tax for every dollar spent on merchandise and services, raising the tax to 8.25 percent. That’s the highest rate in the nation.

“This vote assures that it’s not the end for the people of California.” quoting Maldonado. No Senator, just for you...might be time to polish off the ole CV and get a hair cut.

Local Treasures

2009-02-18T19:12:00.000-08:00

Spring is around the corner, and soon warm weather and open toe shoes which means the summer concert series that are quintessentially Los Gatos soon to follow.

The dynamic duo of Valerie Hopkins (Music in the Park) and Teri Hope(Jazz) are the tour de force behind Music In The Park, and the Wednesday evening Jazz in The Plazz series. Both of these women are icons of local philanthropy and without what they do for much of the year we would not have a seamless entertainment source here in our own backyard.
So my thoughts go out to the sultry summer scene that awaits. The organizing and fundraising these two women spear head is impressive and is to be applauded.

Can events be "too" successful? Apparently the town government thinks so. The town has strong armed the events in the past, and only the sheer force of elegant will from the organizing forces of each music venue succeeded by it's own gumption.
Why would the town government mess about with such bellwether good juju? I have my own theories, but most likely it's because an over paid staff member feels the need to micromanage.

Teri was instrumental in forming Los Gatos Music and Arts (LGMA), a registered 501(c)(3)non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire, nurture, develop, and produce educational programs, scholarships, concerts,and other artistic programs which promote music and the fine arts for the benefit of the community of Los Gatos. LGMA is a primary funding source for The Museums of Los Gatos and A Place for Teens. More on this new union to follow in another post.

Support is always welcome and you would be in great company supporting these fine events which now fall under the umbrella of Los Gatos Music and Arts. Barbara Spector just wrote a nice fat check to the tune of $5,400(monies she had left over from her campaign.) How's that for leading by example? Thank-you ladies, we are so lucky! Warm fuzzies abound.. We can feel the love for these ladies who really do embody a sense of community spirit and philanthropy unparalleled.
Thank you Arts Commission- This looks to be a kick-a*s season once again.
2009 Music in the Park line-up
June 21 "” To be announced
June 28 "” Tom Petty tribute performed by The Refugees
July 5 "” Mark Russo and the Classy Cats play big band sounds
July 12 "” Carlos Reyes on harp and violin
July 19 "” Santana tribute performed by Caravanserai
July 26 "” Houston Jones performs Americana/country
Aug. 2 "” The California Beach Boys tribute band
Aug. 9 "” The Unauthorized Rolling Stones tribute band
Aug. 23 "” Led Zeppelin tribute performed by Led Zepagain
Aug. 30 "” Journey tribute performed by Journey Unauthorized

Is Glickman The Grinch?

2009-02-17T15:06:00.000-08:00

I have a big guilt trip at the moment, shall I share? Before I headed North for the mountains I left a mountain of library books in the boot of my Mini. No biggie you say? Cha-ching...a weeks' worth of over due fines could mean a boon for the financially strapped library. So in the spit in the face spirit of my guilt, I propose we all as a community commit to overdue books as a solidarity movement against the grinch like vice of Glickman and all that dark cloud discussion about another costly petition drive.

My stir the pot attitude embraces the ability to use political activism for bringing an issue to the fore front. I may not agree with recent petitions we have experienced in our community, but the ability to organize with a message is indeed powerful. The problem is the message this time harms more of the community than it professes to protect. Organizers of the most recent petition drive will try and rally Los Gatos voters to put a measure on the ballot seeking to curb the town council's ability to spend money on capital projects. It could directly impact the town's plan to build a new library.

The initiative's organizers(Glickman and his mineons ) are calling it the Capital Expenditure Public Oversight Act. Feb. 2 a "notice of intent to circulate petitions" was filed with the town clerk's office. Initiative supporters need 1,871 registered voters to sign the petition for it to get on the ballot. Steve Glickman repeatedly voted against the library before leaving the town council last November.

Mr.Glickman said the initiative would not prevent the council from making appropriate budget decisions. "But when [spending] reaches a certain threshold, it requires voter approval." Funny- this seems to fly in the face of what that last initiative Glickman tried to strong arm us into.. but i digress. The meat of the initiative seeks voter approval for any facilities costing $15 million or more and in which the town's investment would exceed $5 million. The other threshold is $7 million for facilities that would be built and funded exclusively by the town. Seems smart in this global financial mess we all find so distressing? Not if you examine where the monies come from and where (poof!) they may disappear to. Approximately $16.72 million of the cost would be covered by redevelopment agency funds ($14 million from a new RDA bond issue), with $1.66 million coming from the town's general. RDA monies will go back to the state.
It really is a use it or lose it scenario.

Dark rain clouds seem to follow this former town council person who was publicly shamed because he was caught violating Code of Conduct Policy and repeatedly boo-hooed about the lack of a skate park. Why is this relevant you ask? It's not...I just enjoy the opportunity to remind you, and refresh any details should you seek refreshing. Hint: Mr. Glickman is the poster child of offenses of Town Code of Conduct (Resolution 2004-59) repeated ethics violations.

When I return from Spring Break and settle my debt with our library, perhaps we will have the "Currie Wing" of the new library financed..wishful thinking. In the mean time, The Friends Of The Library are worthy of our time (and donations..)

Cosmic Comic

2009-02-16T17:13:00.000-08:00

How could presidents day get any better than reading commemorative comic books? As a nine year old my crush on the incredible hulk lead me to believe that big guys could be softies, and just because you get blasted by gamma rays doesn't mean that you lose your sense of humor or sense of style. Bill Bixby as the 70's version of my hunk of a hulk was what Farah Fawcett was for the other camp.
What's not to like with a new presidential holiday offering “Gettysburg Distress,” as a new six-page adventure featuring Captain America and Spider-Man as they witness Abraham Lincoln deliver the Gettysburg Address. The comic, written by Matt Fraction with art by Andy MacDonald, will be available online at marvel.com/digitalcomics/presidents.
Marvel Comics will commemorate Amazing Spider-Man No. 583, in which the title character meets President Obama. That issue, which went on sale Jan. 14, was the top-selling comic book in January. On Feb. 25 President Obama will make two more Marvel comic book appearances. In Savage Dragon No. 145, written and drawn by Erik Larsen, Mr. Obama returns to Chicago, the home base of the title superhero, who helps provide security for the visit. In issue No. 8 of Youngblood, about a group of government-run heroes, the president puts the finishing touches on the team’s new roster.
Mad magazine may be gone,or at least the version that I adored. Politics and the punch of Captain America means that comic books have come a long way, and I have an excuse to purchase them for my children as my own guilty read slope side. A toast to Stan Lee and Marvel Comics and happy reading.

You Can

2009-02-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

Just when you think the weather can't get any worse, mother nature sends a curveball. With the car packed and the skis mounted like a plastic trophy atop of the pious prius it's the mental mantra: not rain, not sleet nor snow shall keep us from the slopes...unless the very real possibility of road closures.

Plan B, head to the boat...equally stormy with gusts of wind up to 45knots. Worry knot of angst slips away when we take a cozy refuge with the boat at the dock, until that too breaks away at 4;00 am. That feeling of being invincible is a fleeting one, so no matter how sheer tenacity plays out it will always be trumped by mother nature, tied to a dock floating out to sea.
It's always amazing to be gently reminded of just how little affect we can make when it comes to the great outdoors. Be it Pebble Beach, North Shore Tahoe or the SF Bay.. Stay dry today, and if you make it to the slopes, send me an email...we are making a plan to make a plan but feeling a little less than bulletproof.

The Placebo Effect

2009-02-14T08:01:00.000-08:00

Call it the placebo effect, but knowing that the school board is seeking dialogue just makes me feel better about the budget crisis. The time to weigh in is now. No excuses, just log in and make an effort to be informed.

http://www.discussions.lgusd.k12.ca.us/index.php

Enjoy that post chocolate buzz and bask in the light of your computer monitor for the few moments it takes to log in to the discussion board link posted above.

Valentine Taser Gun or Cupid's Arrow?

2009-02-13T07:03:00.000-08:00

Valentines is a loaded gun. Okay, I am a bit of a passivist but a bit of a sadist so Taser gun is more befitting. Sure love and flowers and candles make for a memorable evening, but that's my ordinary MO during the week (yes, I know..lucky) but still the question looms- to make a fuss?

I come from the no muss no fuss world for this hallmark of all holidays, party pooper I am not, but waiting for a certain holiday to profess my gratitude leaves me feeling like a fraud. If effort can be made each and everyday simple pleasures trump any heart shaped box of chocolates although don't get me wrong...I can inhale a box of chocolates with Olympic gusto. The Valentine pix fixe dinner menus always feel a little forced ( unless it's fleur de lys in The City.)

What I long for is the cafe experience, the glass of Cava as an aperitif in the evening with Mi amour in Barcelona celebrating La Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint George) patron saint of the six million inhabitants of Catalonia. This is easily the most most giddy and amorous day of the year in this most romantic of cities.

This April holiday is like Valentine's Day "The Day of Lovers," La Diada de Sant Jordi. The main event is the exchange of gifts between sweethearts--men give roses, and women give a book to celebrate the occasion. Roses have been associated with this day since medieval times, but the giving of books is a more recent marketing ploy. In 1923, a smart bookseller started to promote the holiday as a way to honor the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare on April 23, 1616. Barcelona is the publishing capital of the Spanish-speaking world and this heady one-two punch of love and literacy was quickly adopted.
On Barcelona's principal streets, Las Ramblas, and Pasig de Gracia hundreds of stands of roses and makeshift bookstalls have been hastily set up for the occasion. By the end of the day, some four million roses and 400,000 books will have been purchased in the name of love. Now that's something to make a heart pitter patter.

So what's the ideal scenario to make the most of Valentine's day?.................................... Skip it, no not really. Enjoy. A signed book is always a sweeter gift for your sweetie btw.

California Get-away Get-away

2009-02-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

Chronicling the bourgeoisie is a rich and significant literary tradition. Jane Austen, Anthony Trollope and Edith Wharton measured the exquisite tension between love and money, integrity and comfort, holidays and adventure investigating the lives of women and men who used income as a measuring stick and marriage as a social upgrade. What would they write about today as the foreclosure pages pad the back of each weeks' Weekly and the adjectives to describe the current economy become scarier by the moment?

The current news leaves no mental escape valve, I can't even plan a sailing voyage to down under where koala bears fight for their little singed hides as flames engulf the island.

You can run, but you can not hide as the old saying goes. How true do you think that statement is? Think about all that Northern California has to offer, spring break is next week. Never been a better time to escape.. a little mental muscle of course will be necessary to actually shift gears into the escape mode but I think we are all capable.

Calistoga has great deals at the moment, and it's a perfect mix of kid friendly or sanctuary depending upon your mood ring. Tahoe skiing was reported to be stellar just a few short weeks ago. Craigslist is packed with adverts for rentals. This season people are actually returning calls AND willing to negotiate. How's that for good juju? A city hit always contains my creature of habit short list, which includes Angel Island (we sail, but the ferry shuffle is fun.) Alcatraz ROCKS this time of the year, sans crowds and abundant wildflowers..you will have the place to yourself. Sunday morning brunch at The Ramp always a good choice. Best bloody Mary's and amazingly tatted & pierced service staff make for some of the best people watching while perched on the patio of the china basin boat yard (yes, that boat thing again.) I have my pet list of city vibe, should your interest be peaked. Send a quick email and I will elaborate a larger list.

All else fails, a little R & R on the home front with movies streamed from Netflix- e voila! It's a room service like moment from the comfy confines of the couch. Although if I opt for the home front holiday next week, I may lose whatever shred of sanity still available. What are you planning for the school break holiday, care to share?

The Checks' In The Mail...

2009-02-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

Or maybe not if you are the local government waiting for payment. California's budget woes will sweep over the state's 58 counties this week when they get promises instead of checks for $89 million in anticipated payments for services. Will an IOU offer a sigh of relief... nope, rumor has it that normal March payments might then have to be delayed for a month if no budget agreement has been reached. Things may get a little interesting around here.

Many counties are planning to go to court as soon as that first payment is missed. San Francisco will join a lawsuit set to be filed by San Diego and Sacramento counties, arguing that state CFO must release funds that already have been appropriated by the Legislature in the state budget.

Nothing like spending money you don't have to get money that the state can't give.

I personally like the gumption of Los Angeles and Colusa counties. Tight fisted controllers hanging on to tax payments and other funds that normally go to the state, while Riverside County plans to ask the courts to allow it to close social service programs until California resumes its payments. Interesting to see how this will play out. Think Los Gatos is insulated from the affect? Think again....

A Transparent Approach

2009-02-10T03:18:00.000-08:00

Wanna see who voted to support and finance Prop 8 in the Bay Area, Orange County and Utah? Well the beauty of google maps meets the ingenuity of using public political donation information that is all a part of the transparent political process has birthed eightmaps.com

This is the most striking example of how information collected through disclosure laws intended to increase the transparency of the political process, magnified by the powerful lens of the Web, has given a powerful jolt to political activists everywhere. But is this the right way to go about educating and using the information disseminated? Could this creative application be undermining the same democratic values that the regulations set up to promote. With tools like eightmaps — and there are bound to be more of them — strident political partisans can challenge their opponents directly, one voter at a time. Yes, I suppose this recent developmental tool for politicos and public alike could discourage people from participating in the political process altogether but it also educates us with a deeper understanding of where political campaigns get the momentum to become a tsunami like force.
Iconic extremes painted upon a google map with zip codes- simply brilliant in examining extremes to which political transparency can be taken. The credit goes underground with whoever the creative activist is that brought eightmaps to light. Preferring to remain completely anonymous is noble, and if you are local- I'd love to buy you a beer and toast you but alas with the application registered anonymously through GoDaddy, I can't imagine the opportunity to buy that well deserved beer but to be sure, this blogger will take a very careful look to ensure my dollars do not support the local small minded and bigoted who helped get Prop 8 pushed through.
I don't consider hate mongering a neighborly value, and will gladly promote any and all information that supports equal rights in marriage. Love shouldn't be legislated.

Dance, Dance Little Sister Dance.

2009-02-09T03:41:00.000-08:00

When SSRI's fail, the health club scene tastes like the crust from the bread nobody wants to eat- and your creative mojo has left you what's a girl to do?

To continue feeling like ABC gum isn't a choice anymore.
A saucy dance class straight outta MTV is just what the doctor ordered. Never was a big fan of that train wreak of a pop tart Brittany Spears but what the hey....I can't keep from doing a mental dance rehearsal to her catchy little bubblegum sound so something clicked for me after this recent class I attended. After way too many years of not working "it" an epiphany of sorts made the decision for me. Embrace what moves you and consider it a cosmic kiss of colossal conscience for being lucky enough to think a little less linear and have a creative outlet where and when you can. A feel good for those of us seeking the fortune cookie answer sans the calories.

What's not to love when we girls can embrace all things flirty and feminine in a non judgemental arena... It's the endorphin rush that you crave with flattering lighting.
Catnip? No.. a local studio listed on my can't get enough side bar to the right.
The age demographic is all over the board (hooray) plus social variety a refreshing combination. Add in a flexible schedule, mix with equal parts opportunity and ingenuity voila it's the perfect cocktail... Can't forget to mention the ability to "drop" into classes on a whim to supplement my new habit. If everyone and her sister knows just how funky-fun- fabulous these classes are, well yours truly will be a bit bent outta shape if she can't score a spot in a class but this was too good not to share.

See ya 'round ladies...If your typical hang is court side, you don't know what you're missing. But as my friend Kyle likes to point out, the chickens all congregate in the same area. Why the veiled euphemism? I bet they don't dance to Womanizer by pop tart Brittney Spears. Meow.

Window Dressing With A .ORG Domain

2009-02-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

Inquiring minds want to know why the town government would dedicate time and community effort, enable a web presence and even register lggeneralplanupdate.org domain and then systematically cancel each and every meeting ?
The GPAC Committee has met twice. As I have written in past blogs, this is a committee that is complete window dressing. Many of these "committee" members have shared frustration and dismay at being appointed to serve in a volunteer capacity, make the prerequisite time available only to be blown off for the past eight months. The following is directly from the town website:
General Information:
On February 4, 2008, the Town Council approved a preliminary work plan and schedule for the 2010 General Plan Update. Part of this process involved the development of a General Plan Update Advisory Committee, comprised of the existing 9-member General Plan Committee (GPC) with up to 10 "at-large" members to provide broad communtiy representation. The General Plan Update Advisory Committee would be a separate committee from the GPC whose sole function is to advise the Council on the General Plan Update process. On March 3, 2008, the Council adopted a resolution officially establishing the General Plan Update Advisory Committee.

Committee Role:
The responsibilities of the committee members are limited to the review of General Plan issues previously identified by Council and minor modifications of existing policies. Specifically, members of the the Committee will be asked to:

Attend regular meetings at least twice a month
Participate in Public Workshops
Identify outdated information in the existing General Plan
Address key topics as determined by the Town Council, including: the environment, recreation, and the needs of youth and seniors.

Meetings:
The Chair of the General Plan Committee shall serve as Chair of the General Plan Update Advisory Committee. The advisory committee will determine its schedule (it is anticipated that the committee will meet twice a month). Committee members are expected to regularly attend meetings and public workshops. However, it is understood that on occasion, a committee member may not be able to attend a meeting. Three absences in a calendar year may subject the member to expulsion from the advisory committee upon approval of the Council.

So why bother? Well if you care to question, I say go straight to the source. Pick up the phone and call our Community Services Director and get the straight story. If you are able to get a return phone call and actually end up with an explanation we would love to hear. The lingering question for me is: what happens when a committee member may not be able to attend a meeting but what is NOT understood is what if the meeting is unavailable to attend? That's a new paradigm shift.

...Let's Look On The Brightside

2009-02-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

Workers took their first unpaid day off yesterday in response to California's deepening fiscal crisis. What do the DMV, Fish and Game, Food and Agriculture, Calpers (the biggest U.S. public pension fund) Social Services and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing have in common? Are they all partaking in Fresh Air Fridays ala the local elementary school children?

No, something a bit more fun: Furlough Fridays - all 200,000 employees. Why is this a big deal? It's sort of like Canada sending home it's work force. The International Monetary Fund says California has the world’s seventh-largest economy, with a $1.5 trillion GDP. The governor has declared a fiscal state of emergency, enabling him to order the furloughs of state employees for two days a month (first and third Friday's of the month) through June 2010 amid California's budget crisis. State parks, which generate revenue from entrance fees, will remain open, as will state courts, the secretary of state's offices, California Highway Patrol offices and campuses of the University of California, Cal State and California Community Colleges. Public safety employees are exempt from the Friday furloughs and can schedule their days off differently. Back of the envelope estimates show a savings of $1.4 billion through June 2010, the end of the next fiscal year - certainly not chicken scratch.

The Republican governor and the Democrat-dominated Legislature remain at an impasse over how to balance the state's budget. Any word on the Legislators taking unpaid furloughs? Thought not. Just when you thought your DMV experience could not become any more unpleasant.

I see a PR move for the Govenator. Bulging biceps sporting a cardigan sweater ala Jimmy Carter and setting the example with his own office up in Sacramento. Do you think he gave up his own admin? How about the smoking tent?

How might this affect my world? I see my friday matinee movie being over whelmed by these furloughed friends. On the bright side at least the local economy gets a mini boost.

Hey Jump in!

2009-02-06T01:45:00.001-08:00

Swim my stream of consciousness...it's not so bad once you're in.
Lately my brain is swimming in so many different directions that I have decided today is a perfect day for a matinee movie. Nothing like playing hooky in a dark theater, solo. Love the simple pleasure of enjoying a movie for the sake of sanity and a rest from the ebb and flow of everything mental. Oscar nominee movies abound, and no I have yet to polish off the list but when I get in a mental funk the best antidote is a brainac documentary or better yet a foreign film...Gotta really pay attention. Plus the lighting always seems better in cine sans english.

Perfect pitch timing on the movie jones. The San Francisco Indie film fest kicked off it's 11th season yesterday. The website has delicious deals: sfindie.com the festival runs thru the 22nd. Fret not local cine fans not wanting to make the trek into The City as we have a seamless transition to the local San Jose indie filmfest Cinequest on the 25th running films until March 8th.

The quality and quantity of local cinematography makes me happier than a handful of Prozac.

Filmfest passes and movie bios can be found at cinequest.org

Any suggestions forthcoming on anything rent worthy is always welcome. The Nixon/Frost film was well done, and inspired me to rent the original interviews available on DVD (thx Netflix)- yes, it's true I really know how to have fun. David Frost was a cuff linked early crush from my elementary school years. Seeing the movie simply reinforced those pigtailed memories of a time when others had crushes on David Cassidy and Donny Osmond.

Once weird, always weird: guilty...breathlessly guilt.

Transparent Process The Color of Mud

2009-02-05T05:21:00.000-08:00

This past Tuesday evening 200 community members and fellow parents attended the LG school board "workshop." It was an interesting study in contrasts. Articulate questions from parents kick started the meeting. The idea of self policing and review standards for teachers was brought up by a parent.
Many in the crowd advocated small class remain a non negotiable. Class size at 20, was a marketing pitch we all rode hard when the bond measure was up for vote and passed. Textbooks and the need for a change in Math curriculum a major and necessary hot button issue, discussion about the potential pink slips to teachers, music staff, admin staff. Although I do wonder if the superintendent has his own admin, and if that position might be under consideration as a potential cut as well.
The glow of honeymoon wanes for the superintendent. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. From a budgetary stand point, any complaints (gee, imagine that) would be the lack of time & numbers. Instead the power point presentation was a bit too snoozy lacking any real bite of quantitative to back up the qualitative.
When questioned about a few of the data points, Mr. Whitmore was unable to regurgitate any of the figures or data necessary to carry home the points in the presentation overhead. My initial reaction was to ask, why would these numbers be so unfamiliar to him? State and school district knee deep in the business of nothing but budgets. You might imagine the numbers perhaps rolling rote from his tongue, so much practice.
A spread sheet with a few key points teased out of the mix to give all involved in this apparently "transparent" process a clearer picture of just how grave the situation is. In our community, I assume we would be hard pressed to find those non savvy to the spreadsheet. The state is still at a standstill with it's budget too.
Lastly, a few community members could not attend the meeting because they missed the "memo" about the venue of Dave's Avenue vs Fisher. Apparently the note left on the door of the district school office read Fisher...we have no way of knowing just how many missed out due to the mix up.
What's next? The time line is Friday (tomorrow) for submitting a rough draft of revisions with the public opinion taken into account, Feb1oth will be a "draft revision" for the board and staff. March 10th is the next regular meeting with a final draft for the community. March 15th is the deadline for any notice for potential termination of staff (teacher) positions submitted to the state. The superintendent said that he didn't have time to incorporate the suggested items from the teachers since he had to write the draft resolution by Friday, huh? They kept stressing that the public can continue to comment till March but it sounds as if those comments won't necessarily be documented, kind of frustrating. One savvy parent sounded off about the meeting simply serving as a box to be checked off a list.

Sorry about the cliffnote version of the event but should you seek a forum to learn, discuss, and digest the issues with the school board members and district please email Richard Whitmore rwhitmore@lgusd.k12.ca.us or phone him; 408-335-2000.
A community user group or open online forum would be a welcome tool due to the depth and breadth of the subject matter, but noticed most of the eyes at the table looking a bit glazed over at the suggestion so.....perhaps you can email the board and superintendent any ideas you may have. Maybe you'll have better luck. I hope so for all our sake.

So after you read the presentation of this "transparent" process it should be clear as Mud.

"If The Shoe Fits" or " Is Custom Made"

2009-02-04T05:35:00.001-08:00

Criticism; to accurately describe the negative. Irony; an interpretation of something negative to accurately share details with a dash of dry wit. Snark; a lazy and referential stab as a knowing reference sent to inflame or injury. "If you don't have anything nice to say about anyone, come sit by me dear." My favorite quote by Miss Alice Roosevelt Longworth. She would have been my modern day best friend if not considered the trend setter of snark in her time.
Snark: The title of a new book by David Denby and a fascinating interview on Michael Krasnys' Forum show this week is worthy of your attention, really. Why take heart?
Since my personality is to throw gas on the fire whenever necessary or seemingly in need of a fuel boost sometimes just to watch the carnage burn, free throwing anguish metaphorically speaking is part and parcel of what i love about the blogshere. Well it just seems to go hand in hand..this blog is a natural extension of an itch that never goes away.
To quote David Denby “The trouble with today’s snarky pipsqueaks who break off a sentence or two, or who write a couple of mean paragraphs,” Denby notes, in a snarky aside of his own, “is that they don’t go far enough; they don’t have a coherent view of life. Spinning around in the media from moment to moment, they don’t stand for anything, push for anything; they’re mere opportunists without dedication, and they don’t win any victories.” Well that sums it up for me. If the shoe fits, I suppose I shall wear it. What Denby’s really talking about is consciousness, the idea that writers, thinkers, commentators ought to have a point of view. This seems obvious enough, but it tends to get lost in the noise of constant conversation, all the commenting and cross-posting, the tiny feuds and insignificant disputes. I do agree with Mr. Denby, we don't want to legislate the web but the web has liberated the dark side.
How to teach grace or good on-line manners to people like yours truly? Good Luck.

Time to lob the rhetorical question, what would the written word be without William Shakespeare and his sense of snark? Another saucy snarktress Maureen Dowd goddess of snark in my book and a bright spot in the blight of editorialized media. My favorite author Jack London named his boat "The Snark" Okay okay sure my standards have on occasion slummed but the pejorative makes my suburban subsistence less of a snore and a bit more palatable. You wouldn't be here reading on if it were any other way. ( All four of you.)

Where does one draw the line with the teasing? Pointing to the flaws of local government is taunting but isn't this part of the public discourse? Our local political scene sorely lacks any critical eye. The emperor has no clothes analogy taken to the village affect.

So wtf ? Is it wrong to be snarky ?

Not gonna win any points for Miss Congeniality. Lost that hope long ago.

Hooray 4 YSI

2009-02-03T06:51:00.000-08:00

Twelve weeks ago the community had a 911 call from YSI. The great news is that the community rallied and the goal was met this week. Our local spirit of philanthropic endeavors is alive and well. One family kicked in a $5oK pledge..But I was surprised that in this well heeled community that takes a no holds barred approach at putting it's well manicured foot on most things civic only this one large gift. No complains or rants, just surprise. Assumed or hoped that we would see more of that scale of grandiose giving. Well thank you one and all, large or small. The goal was met. Long live science! Summer schedules are available online and the ability to make class e-reservations for local educators also available on line. A little love note for you: If you pledged to the Campaign, please watch your email or regular mail for a pledge payment notice. Fulfill your pledge by mailing a check to YSI, 296 Garden Hill Drive, Los Gatos, CA 95032; payment by check saves the credit card processing fee.
Or, fulfill your pledge commitment online by clicking this link. You can also call in your credit card information to 408-356-4945.

Here Comes The Ax

2009-02-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

This is a big week in the hamlet of the cats. State of the Town is this evening and a discussion of the budget and proposed cuts to the school district tomorrow evening. With the Govenator still at an impasse on the budget for the state, we can be double dog sure that the writing on the wall can mean only one thing. Not that I have a crystal ball, but we have been spoon fed the economic indicators now for a long while. Knowing this, why the three day notice of a budget "workshop" from the local school board? Seems to me a longer run way would be required, heck think outta the box, set up a gmail or google group for the community to weigh in on these uber important issues and have a launch pad for the Tuesday meeting? It is no surprise to me that the current statistic lifted from the school board website states the following: The LGUSD Board considers the concerns of parents 79%. Ouch. I thought spanking was unfashionable, but it certainly feels like we are getting bent over somebodies' knee?? No?

I thought for those of you sans children at the moment and not privy to the school email list would enjoy the letter from our school Superintendent Richard Whitmore.
Sorry if it causes your blood pressure to rise, as it did mine... or maybe you live in the other camp, and your eyes will glaze over reading it- either way we are in for a rude awakening. Something that affects us all. I hope to see you at the meeting tomorrow. It's in our best interest to ask the critical questions because if we don't no one else will. Dave's Ave School, 6 p.m.

Dear Parents:
We’re entering into the budget development cycle for the 2009/10
school year, and as you may have heard at your school site or from
other parents, there are new constraints emerging on our district.
There are the continuing pressures on the budget from enrollment
growth – for which we receive no additional unrestricted funds to pay
for additional classrooms or teachers – and from the ongoing impact of
salary increases and “step and column” (career salary advancement)
movement. Salaries and benefits comprise 84 percent of the
district’s budget. Our reserves have been significantly reduced from
this tightening of the revenues and increased operating expenses of
the district.
On top of the natural pressures on the budget, we now also have to
consider the impact of the economy on our local schools. The Town of
Los Gatos and the City of Monte Sereno are taking a close look at
their revenue projections for property taxes, and those property taxes
are the dominant source of money for us as a “basic aid” district. If
the forecast for property tax revenue growth is reduced, we face a
further deficit of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition,
the state budget is in unprecedented territory; the amount of money we
receive from the state – albeit relatively small – is in jeopardy for
both the amount and the categories in which we receive the funding.
We’re also fearful that our local fundraising efforts to support our
schools will find a dampened reception in the face of the recession.
What does this mean for our district?
It does mean that the governing Board of Trustees and I will be
engaged in a discussion about possible reductions in force, or
“layoffs,” in addition to other budget savings we can find in any of
the categories of expenditure. I know from my short time here that
the Board values each employee and his or her service to the district,
and I know from my own observations and work to date that we have high
quality staff in every department and every school. We enter into
this discussion with the goal of protecting each and every job that
exists today, and would enact reductions only with the deepest regret.
As a practical matter, we need to provide preliminary notices by March
15 to certificated teaching employees; those notices are not final
until May according to education law. The March 15 deadline
necessarily drives the timing of our budget deliberations. Because of
the uncertainty around the state proposals, we do not know yet where
we will have flexibility to use existing sources of money, that are
now restricted, to support our general fund needs. For instance, K-3
class size reduction rules are likely to be changed but we don’t yet
know how. We are also waiting for more clarity on the revenue
forecasts for our local sources of funding, including the property
taxes and redevelopment fund. All of this uncertainty may require
notices to prepare for a worst-case scenario. Our general approach
to the budget at this time is to prepare for the worst and hope for
the best – and take action to help facilitate the best outcomes.
The Board will begin its discussion in earnest at its February
workshop, which takes place February 3rd at 6 p.m. at Daves Avenue
Elementary School, located at 17770 Daves Avenue – please note the
change in location. The sole item on the agenda will be a budget
discussion. At their regular meeting last week, the Board walked
through an exercise in prioritization to help the district office
staff develop budget proposals. One of the primary outcomes of that
discussion was that no budget reductions are “off the table” or
protected by Board direction. This upcoming workshop will not be a
decision-making forum, but a chance to deliberate, set direction, and
hear public comment.
I want to emphasize that there have been no decisions yet, and there
is ample time for many voices to be heard in this process. There is
also not an absolute expectation that notices will be required; it
depends on a host of factors that include the revenue forecasts, the
state actions, and even normally routine decisions such as
retirements. My best guess at this time is that a number of notices
will be required but we are all working to protect each and every
position in the district.
You will be hearing shortly from the Los Gatos Education Foundation
about its annual campaign, and your continued support of LGEF, Home
and School Clubs, Art Docents, and other booster groups helps us weather any storm.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. If you
are looking for more detail, take a look at the board packets on the
lgusd.k12.ca.us web site; Maggi Reser and Matt Mullikin in our
technology office have built a great system to access our Board
presentation material and the past presentations on the budget are
available there.Best regards, Richard Whitmore Superintendent

What do Zappos & Girl Scout Cookies Have In Common?

2009-02-01T08:05:00.001-08:00

It's February, which means my fave Girl Scout Cookies will be here soon!

But wait...do Thin Mints need a social networking site?

Intrepid Girl Scouts - and their status-updating parents - think so, and are Facebooking their way to increased cookie sales this year. “It’s amazing what this tool has done” to quote a mom.

Duh... a bit more traffic than the farmer's market on Sunday mornings, imagine that.

Brownie Nicole Newton, Facebook sales=Going Places Plush Pony. The 8-year-old had hoped to sell 85 boxes of cookies to earn the prize, but was stuck at 83 when her mom, Beth, posted a frustrated status update - “I’m tired of selling Girl Scout cookies” - and sold a fast 10 boxes. Do you think knocking on a few more doors would have been less than effective? “She actually sold 93 boxes. It was all because of that horse,”

The organization frowns upon an e-commerce site for its iconic cookie program because the point of the sale must be the girls. Well a quick E Bay search debunks that notion. eBay returns at least a hundred listings for Girl Scout cookies. Some sellers claim that they're selling on behalf of their kids. The Girl Scouts of the USA sell about 200 million boxes of Girl Scout cookies every year, generating about $700 million in revenue. And although resales are a violation of the organization's policy, the Girl Scouts has not contacted eBay or sellers about pulling down the listings.

This February Girl Scouts will have a lighter burden to lug around. As the costs of baking and transporting the group's famous sweets shoot through the roof, the Girl Scouts of the USA has decided to package fewer cookies into boxes of Thin Mints, Do-si-dos and Tagalongs and to shrink the Lemon Chalet Creme cookies.

In order to give the customer the product they're used to, instead of raising the price, this was the only alternative: lowering the weight of the cookies rather than asking the customers to pay more," said Michelle Tompkins, a Girl Scouts spokeswoman.

Girl Scouts now blog, and spend way too much time on Facebook but traditionally sell the cookies to practice setting goals, managing money and working in teams. Each local council sets its own price, sometimes as high as $4.50 a box, though the nationwide average is $3.50.

Would have been nice to learn that the partially hydrogenated oils were axed too, but I suppose that will be a future battle.

Lose The Shoes

2009-01-31T07:58:00.000-08:00

Wow...the power of the perfect pedicure. My friend Krysten invited me to a mid morning rendezvous...delicious! The perfect spot is tucked neatly behind Willow street. Certainly yelp worthy. Why share the details of such pedantic and pedestrian particulars of day in the life of the local MILF crowd? Well... seems like a shame to keep these delicious details to ourselves. Plus, all of the lascivious email senders should understand that there is an outlet for self indulgence. Sans the callous.

The warm weather reminds us of all things fun and fabulous specifically geared to the micro climate that is ours and ours alone. So ladies, sport the fun foot wear. It's too lovely not to envision spring and what better way then too sport some toe cleavage. Love that! Yes, I know it's only Feb1st but my good friend just jetted home to Maine and ten inches of fluffy stuff...

Fear not. Spring awaits so why not enjoy a windows down, radio blasting bare foot drive thru the hood....

Toe job never translated to T.G.I.F. till yesterday. Thanks Krysten-

Fun & ART with Heart

2009-01-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Idea-less this year? It's a Saturday this year, so what a perfect evening to enjoy a glass of wine, amazing hors d'oeuvres by Pat Smith and her team Extravaganza. Art. Great Art that directly supports the local Museums of Los Gatos. Unlike other fundraisers, take home a piece of juried art included in the ticket price.

Touch My Heart will be held this year at the Art Museum on Tait & Main. This event was
sold out last year. Truly great art was part of every ticket sold...people took home original pieces which was included in the admission ticket price.

Our Museums offer programs through out the year, including the museum explorer program for
local elementary schools. The caliber of the Art Museum and History Museum raises the bar for the local cultural scene. Supporting the Museums by attending Touch My Heart is a win win for all involved. Tickets are $120.00 available by calling 408.354.2646 . It will be a memorable evening.

The Touch My Heart Theme is "All you need is Love" ...well that and Lingerie is always a sure bet.

Tiny rant coming. And that is that last year St. Mary's Church decided to hold an event the exact same eve as Touch My Heart...after a mea culpa and a year later it's deja vu...so do me a favor, just boycott the St.Mary's event on principle.. one time happenstance perhaps, but twice is just plain rude.

Cosmic Critter Karma

2009-01-29T06:27:00.000-08:00

The experience of pet ownership is something everyone should enjoy. We have ventured down this path more than a few times within the past few years. I have found the quickest way into a community is either a dog or a kid. We scored with both groups. As you know both groups are very very different, either group being overly protective and the other being overly involved unless of course the groups cross pollinate and then you have a neurosis something really different and almost unparalleled in obnoxiousness. I am sure at various times in my life I have fallen into all the above categories.. What makes my experience different?
Maybe bad luck, perhaps poor choices but i think it's more cosmic critter karma. Call it the circle of life, or just dumb luck but pets don't last in my household. First experience; a dog. Well researched, thought out, but ending with the chosen prodigy exiting the scene each and every possible opportunity. The canines' name should have been Bolt because this is what she did at every chance she got. The door only need be open an inch, and you could just say goodbye.
The remedy: a new family for "Bolt." Next came the five fluffy chicks. Cardboard box and heatlamp under the Steinway was about the cutest planet pet game come to life (unlike the Nintendo version.) We painted the hen house pink for the "girls" only to learn that the bobcat that resides in the 'hood enjoys organic free range chicken....and one by one the flock became a lone hen. Hedwig was the lone survivor, following me around like "Bolt" never would. I was smitten. I know, I know- chickens are not too smart. Hedwig however learned to use the doggie door at night and would sleep in the now vacant dog crate. Amortize the investment of dog door, and crate. Win win. Plus everyone slept better being safe and sound, especially Hedwig.

Then the two adopted kitties from the Petco. Our rescue girls, also ended with mysterious consequences. Maybe we live in the Bermuda Triangle of emotional mayhem .
Enter another group of chicks the following spring- yes same story, The weird part this time was the Guantanamo Bay environ..bullet proof. Or so hoped but was not.
Enter another birthday, e voila! Fish. First the Koi outside( raccoon snack) then the small tank and guppies/angel fish and you guessed it- all gone to that big fish bowl in the sky.

The final chapter? Hope springs eternal with a happy ending of the 3rd grade class project involving crayfish. Mr. Claw is livin' large where the guppies once swam. He is both interesting and entertaining ( why we have pets) and I suppose should things go south we could also saute him with a little butter and garlic and be done with it. On the other hand I may end up never eating another crayfish gumbo as long as I live. True love, or just smitten with a crustacean- you chose the byline.

Why Bother?

2009-01-28T06:04:00.000-08:00

The General Plan is up for a complete review to be finalized in 2010. The General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) could actually be more lame and infective than even The Committee Services Committee. Hey- Why throw stones you may say? Well the whole idea of a General Plan Committee was to give the community an organized voice with teeth or was it?? The GPAC group has met a whopping TWO times in the last 10 months...
Lack of Agenda items is a popular reason thrown out. But wait! Isn't the idea of a GPAC to add issues to the local "list" as formulation of the town general plan goes forward? I know what your thinking- why do you even care. Well since you thought the question, I must in an ESP fashion reply. Since my telepathic skills are a bit rusty, I shall just spit it out: The General Plan is the town charter. A legal document that the state of California requires all municipalities to follow.
If every county and city in California is required by state law to prepare and maintain a General Plan wouldn't you think that the process would be taken a bit more seriously here in Los Gatos?
This is completely rhetorical because if the town was placing a huge importance on land use issues and smart growth practices then the precedence for meetings would be to hold them and not have a lack of agenda items. It's extremely insulting to all of those members within the community who do indeed care about land use issues. If no one calls the town on the carpet, the empty agendas continue and when 2010 rolls around, the easy answer will be to push through whatever issues are the hot button points and hope no one makes a fuss.

......and by the way The GPAC meeting scheduled for this evening, you guessed it- cancelled.

It's A Mad Mad Magazine World

2009-01-27T05:30:00.000-08:00

The news yesterday read like a Mad Magazine piece. The only difference is the following snippets of the seemly unreal were lifted from the front headlines of the BBC news.

No spoofing, these real life stories begged for a new byline , so how could I resist? Only the headlines have been cheeky-fied. Should you have better bylines please send'em.

"Woman gives birth to litter of puppies":The medical team had scheduled a Cesarean section for seven babies, but doctors were surprised when an eighth came out."Lo and behold, after we got to Baby G, which is what we expected, we were surprised by Baby H," said Dr Karen Maples.

" 117 Votes Can't be Wrong" Mr. Blagojevich, who is ignoring his impeachment trial and spent Monday in New York on seemingly every television talk show he could find, complains often about this historic Senate trial. Those watching it unfold were befuddled Monday that he refused to show up."Even if he's proven innocent [of the criminal charges], I don't think anyone will trust him to do his job."In contrast to the Senate, the doors to the House chamber stood open and unattended. House lawmakers adjourned after their 117-1 vote to impeach Blagojevich, and other legislative business has been put on hold pending the outcome of the trial. Are you questioning who held out with the one vote not to impeach? His sister in law... Yes some things never change in politics.

"No Smoking, Even After Sex "
In Belmont, Calif., a quiet Silicon Valley city that is now home to perhaps the nation’s strictest antismoking law, effectively outlawing lighting up in all apartment buildings.

"? " I just couldn't pin this one down- but the choice of using the noun forest vs. bush??
“I feel like a pioneer at the edge of a giant forest,” Chivers said, describing her ambition to understand the workings of women’s arousal and desire. “There’s a path leading in, but it isn’t much.” She sees herself, she explained, as part of an emerging “critical mass” of female sexologists starting to make their way into those woods. These researchers and clinicians are consumed by the sexual problem Sigmund Freud posed to one of his female disciples almost a century ago: “The great question that has never been answered and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my 30 years of research into the feminine soul, is, What does a woman want?”

"It’s enough to make you laser off your VW ankle tattoo."
Brand loyalists love VW, at least in part, because of this authenticity. And here comes a minivan — a minivan! — draped in the mantle of deceit. The 2009 Routan isn’t engineered by Germans, unless you count the ones who used to work for DaimlerChrysler. It is merely a rebadged, slightly rebodied, mildly retuned Chrysler minivan.

" Still Has Communion Money"
Netflix, one of the biggest buyers of online advertising, couldn't find discounted Web ads as of the end of 2008. What does this say about the presumed slump in online advertising? " Boohoo- Is this why they support nothing locally, Cheapskates ?"[AllThingsD]

...now go on, have at... a few new bylines would brighten my day.

Gung Hey Fat Choy

2009-01-26T08:05:00.000-08:00

and another one bites the dust...

The Peabody Gallery is leaving downtown Los Gatos. Bummer. I loved the nostalgic Dr. Seuss artwork and sculpture. Good karma comes to the Museums of Los Gatos in the form of an extended run of it's gallery space on Santa Cruz Avenue.

On a happier note... Happy Lunar New Year

The Year of the Ox, which starts today will be the most peaceful year globally since 2000- (Ancient Chinese secret.) I am very good at keeping secrets but the only peacefulness I enjoy is at the acupuncturist with a ton of needles prodding me to become more zen. Zen is good so I shall embrace the year of the ox.

The global outlook will be helped by the fact that incoming U.S. President Barack Obama was born in a "yin earth" year, like President Abraham Lincoln. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou are also "yin earth" people. More zen...This is a new generation of leaders. They are more calm, humane and charismatic, so toast to all things calming this Chinese New Year. Peaceful in my household = Club Penguin.

Speaking of humane and charismatic, Author James Vollbracht will speak tonite as an articulate ambassador of communal bliss. 7-9PM at LGHS Theatre. Admission is free, James book Stopping at Every Lemonade Stand, How to Create a Culture That Cares for Kids is an inspiring read. He will also be available for book signing. Not to bore you with the details, but I have expressed a pocketful of exuberance around this little gem of a book in prior blogs. Anyone who needs a pick me up; seek out this book-or you can always seek me out for a Q & A on SSRI's pros/cons...feel good and do good- what's not to love!

....what a way to kick off the Lunar New Year! "Gung Hey Fat Choy"

My Muse

2009-01-25T07:31:00.001-08:00

A lone unicyclist sporting a creative lid and aviator goggles with his latte in one hand and feet afleet as he peddled swiftly thru early traffic off Park Street is the vision that kickstarts my day. The creative vibe of another community is like a magic elixir for me. The weekend mojo of my Alameda hang' on the boat enables me to deal with the brain dead vibe of all things suburban bliss' and lately this IS the kiss of death for me at least creatively.

Case in point. The Renaissance School of Oakland held a children's film festival as a school fundraiser. The venue: the art deco theatre 0n Saratoga street located within the old navel base here on the island of Alameda. Local film makers came to share wares with the audience (mostly the 4-12 yr old crowd.) A few film directors from Pixar, just over in Emeryville came to support the local endeavor with first run film shorts.

The difference? Well first off no behemoth vehicles rockstar parked..no clear MILF factor ...and no pretense. Spring is in the air! Money was made! No pomp and powdered noses. Not one single basket of cosmetics or spa services available for auction. How refreshing. LGEF take note please.

The quality and community spirit here made me proud to be apart of this community even if it is only as weekend wannabees. The good news about creativity is that it can be sparked by the most inane things, maybe it's time to learn how to ride a unicycle.

Party Like A Rockstar

2009-01-24T07:57:00.000-08:00

The local teen hang out The Venue was the host to a film crew from MTV last night. The occasion? The band Undergone, as a fly on the wall hipster day in the life film sequence was shot by the New York based Viacom crew for an upcoming "Teenumentary." The ironic thing about all of this? As the Venue barely gets by, with the table scraps from the town budget, a film crew scouts and sets up on the QT that will garner national exposure. Great job Mike Loya and The Teen Center Crew...might this be the catalyst to legitimize the importance of just what the Venue means to the 300+kids who utilize it daily?

The great thing is...this is just the sort of exposure the town could use.. A little cache from the non AARP crowd adds a bit of a knife twist the next time the Venue goes begging (literally) for the town to lend more support for the well deserving age demographic of the under 18 crowd. The town should and could throw a bigger bone to them but it has yet to happen. Nothing like a little national exposure to rub your nose into it. Worthy of much much more but getting by because of need and the creative where with all of Mike Loya and his minions.

As for the band, not only are they great musicians...they are genuinely nice guys for local rockstars (I hope you guys really were old enough to drink those beers I bought you in the airport lounge last week ;)

Congrats to you all for being front & center last night...The mere existence of the Place for Teens is a bright spot in our community, it's just too bad many don't know it.

Under The Knife

2009-01-23T06:40:00.001-08:00

The state budget crisis looms like a big rain cloud while legislators are scrambling to reduce a deficit expected to surpass $40 billion by next year. While lawmakers in Sacramento have not settled on a plan, government-funded institutions — including schools — are preparing for massive cuts in funding. Effect to the school budget here in Los Gatos? Haven't heard.. It would be nice to know that perhaps movement was afoot to inform the community. Informational meetings would be a great start... I heard from another parent that staffing cuts have been discussed at the elementary school levels. Potentially teachers and classes being reshuffled. Anyone else hear rumblings that may substantiate the rumors? Please share with the class...

The school board website was without mention of any potential reorganization. No mention of how state budget cuts factor in to the local scene. Although the 37 page pdf of the 08-09 budget gives us the following nugget lifted from the report: The 2007-08 local property assessed valuation growth has dropped significantly from 2006-07 levels. This represents a drop from 10% to 5.7% or a loss of $929,000 in local property tax collections. The report fails to offer any true analysis of how the shortfall will be made up.
The budget also outlines 2008/09 district revenues are projected to increase 2.6% with no clear indicators of how or why. Expenses are projected to increase 2.6%, no surprise other than the numbers match. Why the wash? Any accounting wonks out there care to help me out? The most puzzling piece of data from the budget was a projected 4% assessed valuation growth for the school district. If all economic indicators are falling like a knife then where will the potential growth come from?
The proactive approach would be to get the community involved sooner rather than later. Even if it's just a Q & A session to help quell the fears.
Overly optimistic: Always. Gotta be a bright side: somewhere, somehow. Just wish we didn't live in a complete information vacuum.

Could our community be the Truman Show, but with foul weather? Hope not.

What Do You Notice In Your 'Hood?

2009-01-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

Community is having a safety net with your neighbors. The banana nut muffins that show up on a doorstep as thank you for hosting a recent get-together. Community is parents standing on the corner of hwy 9 & Alemendra street shepherding the neighborhood kids safely across the busy stream of traffic..this is a daisy chain of sorts because it's typically a subset of the same moms, at various corners to act as safety sentries. This two fold approach accomplishes a few key components of community..Lots of kids on bikes and scooters every morning, lots of self absorbed blu tooth heads..a complex cocktail because each has the ability to safely multi-task but too often I notice near misses. Could be the kid on the bike or driver fault..Societal norms have shifted..the sense of responsibility has shifted too or at least the consideration of responsibility mentally has shifted. Someone else/ somebody else will do it.
Every morning I see the same gentleman walking his dog from Bruce Avenue towards downtown. Always out, no matter the weather. Walking stick in hand, yellow lab meandering along the sidewalk. Seeing him and the yellow lab will always be a comforting sight to me. Community means looking out for this guy, and the kids on bikes and moms with strollers. My preachy diatribe is just to remind us to try and lose the "Me First" mentality. Note to self: just be a bit less self absorbed behind the wheel and see how many things you notice today that make our neighborhoods what they are.

Art Meets Wine

2009-01-21T05:19:00.000-08:00

With record temperatures and blasting sunshine, what better way to play hooky? I gotta few ideas for you and top of the list: a local winery tour. The round of applause goes to La Rusticana and Oenophile, blond bomb shell Aeilta Leto, proprietress of our wine tour.

A trans formative experience eight minuets from downtown LG. Didn't know such fab offers lived aside the gauche french chateau wanna bee's off of Kennedy Road.? If you have anyone in your life who enjoys wine, but more importantly art and the ascetic of the Los Gatos mountains up close and personal, then this is a data point to file away. The ability to mentally transport to Tuscany and offered as an anniversary gift, birthday gift or just a nice treat for a group of neighborhood friends ( what we did Friday) is yours.

For someone who didn't fall of the turnip truck yesterday, has sailed over 10,000 ocean miles and lived in a handful of globally gorgeous cities- gotta say- this is a must do local experience. Ms. Leto is taking appointments now for private tours so the opportunity is now yours. 408-768.9496, for booking.

Glad to let the cat outta that bag. Some things are just too good not too share.

The Wait Is Over

2009-01-20T02:05:00.000-08:00

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