Check out these restaurants that actually give you something nice for your birthday, for free!!!!

I got a chance to ride in the hills at East Bay Regional Park’s Pleasanton

Ridge, and the almond trees are in full bloom…I hope we don’t get a frost!

Carly Simon is giving fans and filmmakers an opportunity to have some fun with one of the biggest mysteries in pop music:   Who is the narcissistic target of her 1972 chart-topping tune “You’re So Vain“?

To read the complete story…click here

I didn’t….I thought they weren’t really trying hard enough to find the perfect venue to keep the Niners in San Francisco…and that they were gonna let Santa Clara just ’steal the Niners

I was wrong…way wrong…now I’m wondering why the Niners are chomping at the bit to stay in the City by the Bay…

a look for yourself…you decide…

How many of you can say…(when someone asks at the dinner table)

“Honey, what did you do today?”

and you get to respond…I learned the Bug dance with the artists from the latest creation of Cirque du Soliel’s – “OVO” and they said I have a really good bug face!

The amazing artists from the Cirque show – “Ovo”

Concord has decided to be frugal and more  environmentally  friendly this year…so in lieu of spending $20,000 for a cut, city Christmas tree, the officials of Concord decided to use what was already there in Todos Santos Park… The tree was scraggly to begin with, but at least it was green. It’s since turned an ugly brown.

You see, the well water the city is using is causing the tree to turn extra brown.  Well water has a substance called boron in it and, while that is great for grass, it is bad for this particular tree.  The experts say it will recover, but not until spring.

From a Concord press release, the city sounds proud of using an existing tree.
“We had to consider the City’s budget situation, and using a tree in the plaza is both less expensive and environmentally preferable,”  said downtown program manager Florence Weiss.

“Although the tree in the plaza is smaller in size than a cut tree and has been compared to a Charlie Brown tree, it’s large in spirit.”

Downtown Concord kicks off the holiday season at Todos Santos Plaza on Saturday, Dec. 5 beginning at 4 p.m. with Santa’s Grand Arrival, followed by holiday entertainment, the Mayor’s Sing-Along, and Concord’s Official Holiday Tree Lighting.

Charlie Brown’s Linus would be happy to hear that the City is sponsoring a companion blanket drive. The drive will benefit the STAND!  Against Domestic Violence shelter for women and children. New, washable twin-sized blankets and comforters can be dropped off any time through Dec. 11 at Sonoma Bank, 1900 Grant St. at Willow Pass Road.

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown….

Research from the Cellular Telephone Industries Association indicates that Americans send more than 110 billion text messages each month.

AAA reports that 21 percent of all drivers admit to text messaging while driving.

The Pew Research Center finds that a quarter of all teenagers say they send text messages, e-mails, or Tweets while driving;

A 2002 study showed that talking or texting on a cell phone while driving was the cause of at least 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries annually.

Motorists on cell phones or texting exhibit the reaction speed and coordination of drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding 0.08 — two drinks for most women, four drinks for most men.

A Virginia Tech study of commercial truck drivers show they were 23 times more likely to crash while texting.

And, sadly, more than one-third (34 percent) of 16- to 17-year-olds with cell phones admit to texting while driving, while just under half (48 percent) say that they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone “that put themselves or others in danger.”

Brain research shows that when drivers hold a cell phone, they “look” but they don’t actually “see.” They believe they are paying attention but are not.

The evidence is clear. More studies show that cell phone use while driving, especially by young people and especially texting, imperils the motoring public, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

I just did an interview with Jennifer Cullenbine the Executive Director and Founder of The Family Giving Tree…

I fall into the category of “high risk” because I’ve had a bout with an auto immune disease…remember “mono?”  Yeah, I had it as “Epstein-Barr” Syndrome a few years ago…so I qualify for the swine flu shot…didn’t hurt…but now…about 6 hours later, I feel a bit dizzy and lightheaded…which is one of the side effects…

I also broke a molar today…I feel like I’m falling apart!

Do you FB?  You know, Face book?  I love it…you can keep up with close friends and acquaintances with a brief look – I feel as if I know what’s going on without having to invest a 20 minute conversation…Is that bad?  I hope not…
What do you have planned for the weekend? Hmmm, not sure yet, so much to choose from. This is my favorite time of year…
I’ve yet to make it up to the Placerville area and Apple Hill. You can pick your own apples, eat apple fritters, buy apple pie…hmmm, I can smell it now.

Spend the Halloween Holiday with kids at the Dell’Osso Family Farm

Pumpkin Maze…and it is amazing…

This farm is jam packed with a dayfull of activities that will put a smile on your kids face, wear them out and enjoy a day in the country…

Check out their website for directions and everything from their petting zoo to zip lines, corn mazes to the tractor ride!