MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – JANUARY 30,  2009

PARDON ME FOR feeling giddy. I’ve had an awakening, of sorts, since our last correspondence. I now realize that history is my destiny; that the secret to happiness is in knowledge — that can only be found on the History Channel.

Last week I shared with you the life-altering event that was my decision to sign up for satellite TV. Change indeed! In just one short week, I went from being a 10-channel loser to becoming an expert on the conspiracy to kill Martin Luther King, President Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald AND Hitler.

Suddenly I’m being invited to more cocktail parties than I can possibly attend. It seems everyone knows of my insatiable thirst for knowledge and my newfound ability to light up a room with my conversation. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – JANUARY 23 2009

IT’S BEEN AN HISTORIC week for my family and me. In fact, none of us ever thought we’d see the day when an event could have such an impact — on the country and the world.

Yet, it makes sense that something like this would send shockwaves across America , as it was decades in the making.

We finally signed up for cable TV.

Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – JANUARY 15 2009

IF “CHANGE” IS THE BUZZ WORD for 2009, then Montclair Village will have no trouble keeping up. Faster then the business association can print new maps, the list of shops keeps changing. Take the sudden closure of Jamba Juice, where even the sign outside was spirited away under cover of darkness. “Actually, we knew Jamba Juice was leaving,” said the head of the Montclair Business Association, Roger Vickery. “It’s how they did it which was surprising.” Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – JANUARY 9 2009

It’s the dead of winter. What else is there to say? There’s nothing exciting on the horizon, unless you’re a groundhog.

But perhaps we should look to the woodchuck for tips on handling post-holiday blues. Perhaps, like our furry friend, we should burrow and rest – before the pace picks up again in spring.

With this in mind, I made a reservation at the Whale Watch Inn in Gualala last weekend. A light rain was falling as I pulled up to the lodge, a forested retreat softly outlined in lights. Soothing music and a warm fire greeted me in the lobby, along with a glass of my favorite wine. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – JANUARY 2, 2008

NOW THAT IT’S January, let me be the first to wish you a Happy Epiphany. And while this is largely a religious observance, our family sees it as a holiday grace period.

For instance, we take down the tree on the Epiphany, providing it hasn’t already fallen down. It’s much lighter this way, because the needles have dropped into little brown piles on the floor. So have some of the ornaments.

We’ve also made Jan. 6 our new deadline for getting out greeting cards. That gives us 12 extra days of Christmas in which to chronicle our family’s many achievements in a card with a photo of the kids and the cat.

Finally, it’s an opportunity to have one last holiday party before tax time comes and spoils all the fun. I’ll be going to an Epiphany party and I hope you will too. After all, isn’t that New Year’s diet getting a little old already?

Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – DECEMBER 19, 2008

AN OPEN LETTER to my Oakland neighbors: I’ve been noticing the effort you’ve put into decorating your yards for the holidays and I want to thank you. The cascading blue lights are magical and the treetop twinklers are heavenly. I get goose bumps when I see icicle lights on the rooftops and candy canes lining your walks.

So you can see why I was concerned when a reader called with an alarming report: The lights were not up on Oakland’s Christmas Lane this year. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – DECEMBER 12, 2008

A rare December snowfall in the Oakland hills

Let there be light! Zillions of little LED lights are spreading holiday cheer across the land. The Oakland Zoo http://www.oaklandzoo.org/ got a big batch of them from China this year, and unlike last year, they actually work. Look for the Zoo Lights event to be one of the best ever – especially with the prospect of a dry December. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – NOVEMBER 28, 2008

THE HOLIDAYS are here and more than any past Christmas, I’m longing for the spirit of the season, the twinkling lights, the carolers and the goodwill among men.

And did I mention the shopping?

Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – NOVEMBER 23, 2008

“If the world is bringing you to your knees, you might as well stay there awhile.”

— The Town Crier

THAT BRILLIANT QUOTE came to me when I was having a chair massage at Kilalo Studio in Montclair the other day. With my fully-clothed body sprawled across the plush leather apparatus, I couldn’t have been more at peace. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – NOVEMBER 8, 2008

I FEEL LIKE a young schoolgirl again, having just returned from my daughter’s new college. When did she become so mature? Where did she find time to learn, not just the campus — the University of Georgia is huge — but the best restaurants in town?

As she led me around at a frantic pace, I pictured myself rushing to class and then off to a frat party or campus event. I imagined taking notes in a lecture while the guy next to me slept. I saw myself eating in the dining hall and having seconds on dessert. Continue reading →