I CAN SEE the headlines now: “Montclair Boy Makes Good!” Yes, Roger Price is a Montclair boy who, at the age of 67, is becoming an Ironman. This is no easy feat — even for a spry guy like Roger. The Ironman Canada is a daylong, 17-hour event with a 2.4 mile open water swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile marathon run. I’m tired just writing about it.

But Roger is motivated by the money he’ll raise –for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. They provide the training and support and volunteers like Roger and two of his sons pledge to bring in donations. “The unusual part of this is that I am about 20 years older than any of the other athletes,” Roger says, adding that his love for running and biking goes back to his teen days of “commuting” to his job at Hunt’s Ice Cream Store in Montclair. “The long walk evolved into a jog and then a run (2- miles) and shortly into the Oakland High track team.” Roger went on to get a track scholarship at Cal.

Now he’s ready to run again — in the Ironman of Canada on Aug. 28. The only thing that will stop him is the level of donations it takes to qualify. He needs to raise $7,500 in pledges as soon as possible. If you’d like to help, you can contact me and I’ll put you in touch with Roger. It’s a great cause and it proves once again, that like a fine wine, some folks get better with age.

The link to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for Roger Price’s campaign in Ironman ’05 is www.teamintraining.org/participant/ price-156213.

MOVIE MANIA: With the cost of movies pushing nine bucks at the theaters, here’s a cheap alternative. Heck, it’s not even cheap — it’s free! The Montclair Library is using some of its Measure Q bond money to beef up its movie selection. So now you can check out classic thrillers like “Psycho” or westerns like “Unforgiven” –free for a week on DVD. What an improvement over the thin little selection of videos the library used to have. And I think most of those were donated.

BAG IT: San Francisco’s debate over a grocery bag surcharge has me thinking there must be a better way. Safeway Stores have one solution. They give you a rebate if you bring your own bags. Three cents for paper and a penny for plastic per bag. And what can you buy for small change these days? Not much, but if you save up for a year, you can make a pretty good run at the penny slots in Lake Tahoe. Even better, recycling bags is good for the environment.

HOUSE HUNTING: A new wave of housing has hit Oakland, and it’s being featured in AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) magazine. It’s called Cohousing, where residents plan their units and landscaping as a group — before ground is even broken. Once built, folks live in a friendly and cohesive community, even sharing nightly meals. Oakland has several Cohousing developments already, including Swan’s Market and Temescal Creek.

DANCING LADIES: You’ve heard of the Rockettes? Well these are the Mamas. The Samba Mamas, who meet every Saturday morning for the Latin dance class at Inside Out Studios on Piedmont Avenue. After an hour of hot Latin beat and sexy dance movements they head to the Broadway Terrace Cafe for, what else — a cup of java.