Things to do this weekend of Mar 31-Apr 1, 2012

** Spring Fling at Filoli
Mar 31, 10AM-3:30PM, Filoli Gardens
http://www.filoli.org/special-events-and-exhibits/spring-fling.html

** Trains and Planes Display
Mar 31-Apr 15; Hiller Aviation Museum
http://www.hiller.org/model_trains.shtml

** BubbleMania
Apr 1, 11AM and 2PM; SF JCC
https://tickets.jccsf.org/public/show.asp

** Feast for the Beasts
Mar 31, 9AM-3PM; Oakland Zoo
http://www.oaklandzoo.org/Calendar_Item.php?i=22

** Egg-stravaganza: if you want to adopt a small animal:
Mar 31, 11AM-2PM; Oakland
http://tinyurl.com/7kyf2ef

** Picture with Easter Bunny
Apr 1, 10AM-2PM; Santana Row, SJ
http://www.santanarow.com/events/easter_photos

** Chocolate Seder
Apr 1, 3PM-5PM; Los Gatos JCC
http://svjcc.org/events/

** Mavericks Invitational Festival
Mar 31, 9AM-5PM; Half Moon Bay
http://mavericksinvitational.com/2012/01/be-a-part-of-the-mavericks-festival/

** Code of the West Gun Show
Mar 31-Apr 1, 9AM-5/4PM; Vallejo
http://www.scfair.com/events.html

EGG HUNT EVENTS:

** Bunny Fun Hunt
Mar 31, 10AM-1PM; Los Gatos High School
http://www.lgsrecreation.org/Pages/specialevents.html

** Family Dat at the Park: Egg Hunt
Mar 31, 9AM-11:30AM; Newark
http://www.newark.org/calendar-of-events/event/famil/

** Easter Egg Hunt and Pancake Breakfast
Mar 31, 9AM-11AM; San Bruno
http://sanbruno.ca.gov/

** Las Madres Spring Festival: Egg Hunt
Mar 31, 10AM-Noon, Morgan Hill
http://www.lasmadresmorganhill.org/

** Easter Egg Hunt (SF)
Apr 1, 11AM-3PM; Kezar Gardens
http://www.facebook.com/events/349786098397190/

School Statistics

Couple years ago I was interested to get a greater picture of neighborhood schools. I've created a table based on the data from http://www.greatschools.org website. Recently I've updated info on some of the schools. If you don't see the year, the data are from 2009.
There were no data for English CAHSEE (CA standard Exam) in 2009, so the number you see shows % of kids, who passed Math Exam. Currently there are data for both, Math and English Exit Exams (relevant for High Schools only). CST% shows percent of kids who passed STAR test at or above Proficient level.

All Elementary Schools data are from 2009.

I thought this info might be interesting for people planning to re-locate into this area.

Discounted subscriptions to Cricket magazines

When I grew up in Russia, my parents subscribed to a lot of different periodicals. Around 8 or 9, I started to receive my first newspaper. It was quite boring and political (Yes, can you believe it? Politics in a newspaper for 9 years old), but I loved it anyway.
Of course, selection of possible periodicals for kids in US is huge and hard to chose from. I'd like to limit commercials, but don't always succeed. My son loves to get magazine mailed directly to him. We've tried a few over the years.
I just received a promotion for Cricket magazines and want to share it, because that's the best price I've seen so far: http://www.savvysource.com/offers/theme/cricket-magazines-for-young-imaginative-readers-27/
Cricket has different magazines for different age groups. We've only had experience with "Muse", and my kid loved it. They promise to have no advertisement in "Cricket" magazine. There are ten subscriptions involved in the promotion, check them out and enjoy!

Things to do this weekend of Mar 24-25, 2012

** Daniel DaVinci, The Juggling Genius
Mar 24, 3:30PM; Santa Teresa Branch Library
http://www.sjpl.org/event/daniel-davinci-juggling-genius-1

** ABC to Drawing
Mar 24, 3PM; King Library, SJ
http://sjpl.org/tags/king-library

** Flower and Garden Show
Mar 21-25; 10AM-7/6PM; San Mateo
http://www.sfgardenshow.com/index.php/the-show/the-show

** Sidewalk Fine Arts Festival
Mar 24-25, 10AM-5PM; Belmont
http://www.pacificfinearts.com/schedule.htm

** Home, Garden, Culinary and Wine Expo
Mar 24-25, 10AM-5PM; Santa Cruz
http://cocoanutgrovesantacruz.com/public-events/hgexpo/

** All-American Cars and Trucks
Mar 24-25, 8AM-5/4PM; Pleasanton
http://www.good-guys.com/events/2012-events/item/all-american-get-together-2?category_id=2

** Meet the Zoo's New Peccaries
Mar 24-25, 11AM-4PM; SF Zoo
http://www.sfzoo.org/announcements/meet-the-zoos-new-peccaries

** Monterey Bay Classic Livestock Show
Mar 24-25, Monterey
http://www.montereycountyfair.com/pdf...

Cool deals

** If you missed discount tickets for San Francisco race (see the post below), there is another one in San Jose this Sunday, Mar 25, 2012. I was told by different people that those races are fun event for the whole family. You can get more info: http://www.goldstar.com/events/san-jose-ca/san-jose-challenge-1

** In case it will rain during weekend, here is an in-door activity: bowling at Homestead Lanes. Groupon offers discounted packages for three, four, or six people, with drinks and snacks: http://www.groupon.com/deals/homestead-lanes-2

Race around San Francisco

San Francisco Challenge: A race of wits around the city by the bay.

The San Francisco Challenge is an urban adventure race. Teams of two or more will race around the city, competing against other challengers for top cash prizes as you plot race strategy, solve tricky clues, and explore undiscovered corners of the city. Think of it as a 5K that tests your brains as much as your legs, with much bigger prizes and a whole lot more fun! At the finish line, there will be an after-party with cold water, a costume contest, food and drink specials and an awards ceremony for the winners. (Offer Expires 11:59pm, 3/18/2012)

https://www.goldstar.com/shows/540551/checkout/new

Cool deals

** If you didn't see "Totem" by Cirque Du Soleil, I would strongly recommend it. We went few days ago and the whole family really enjoyed the show. Goldstar offers discounted tickets: http://www.goldstar.com/events/san-jose-ca/cirque-du-soleils-totem

** For those who enjoy whitewater rafting, TravelZoo offers a good deal: http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/San-Francisco/Other/11830
I checked some reviews, positive in general, but seems like there are might be some issues with customer service.
I would recommend to check reviews before making your purchase: http://www.yelp.com/biz/w-e-t-river-trips-lotus 
More reviews for the same company, but operating at different location: http://www.yelp.com/biz/w-e-t-river-trips-sacramento

Things to do this weekend of Mar 17-18, 2012

** Spring Farm Tour
Mar 17, 10am-1pm; Deer Hollow Farm
http://www.fodhf.org/farm_tour_2012_flyer.pdf

** Xtreme Science Magic Show with Dan O'Brien
Mar 17, 3PM; King Library
http://sjpl.org/tags/king-library

** St. Patrick's Day Festival
Mar 17, 10AM-5PM; Civic Center Plaza, SF
http://www.sresproductions.com/sfstpatricksday.html

** Family Fest: Celebration of Birds and Spring
Mar 17, 10AM-3PM; Portola Valley
http://www.scvas.org/index.php?page=text&id=event

** Lego Models Exhibition
Mar 18, 10AM-4PM; Santa Clara
http://www.bricksbythebay.com/

** Persian Bazaar
Mar 17-18, 9AM-5PM; Cupertino
http://plancast.com/p/a11p/kahrizak-foundations-annual-norooz-bazaar

** St. Patrick's Day Celebration
Mar 17-18, 10AM-5PM; Dublin
http://dublinca.gov/index.aspx?NID=293

** Cinderella
Mar 18, 1PM; Villa Montalvo
http://www.montalvoarts.org/events/cinderella_fpas/

** Junior Engineer Day
Mar 17, 10AM-3PM; SF
http://ggmrc.com/about/events/
Location: http://ggmrc.com/about/where/

** Model Train Show
Mar 17-18, 11AM-6PM; Walnut Creek
http://www.wcmrs.org/

** Be a Leprechaun for the Day
Mar 17, Noon-3PM; Marin History Museum, San Raphael
http://www.marinhistory.org/

** PaddleFest
Mar 16-18, Santa Cruz
http://www.asudoit.com/paddle_fest/index.html

Bouquets to Art at De Young Museum

Once a year "Bouquets to Art" at De Young Museum:
Taking place March 13 - 17, 2012, the 28th Annual Bouquets to Art will feature 150 floral arrangements by prominent designers and garden clubs that interpret and complement the de Young Museum’s permanent collection.
General admission allows access to all galleries. Tickets are required for floral demonstrations and for seated lunches and teas; these include general admission. General admission is free for museum members.
http://bouquetstoart.famsf.org/

Things to do: weekend of Mar 10-11, 2012

** NASA Family Night: Destination Station
Mar 9, 5PM-9PM; Oakland
http://www.chabotspace.org/calendar.htm?date=3-9-2012&p=301723

** Taiwanese Glove Puppet Show
Mar 10, 3PM; San Jose
http://sjpl.org/tags/king-library

** Purim Palooza
Mar 11, 9:30AM-3PM; San Rafael
http://www.marinjcc.org/events/2012/03/11/jewish-holiday-celebrations/purim-palooza/

** SF Ocean Film Festival
Mar 8-11, Pier 39
http://www.oceanfilmfest.org/about/

** Winter Jazz Festival
Mar 9-11, San Jose
http://www.sanjosejazz.org/winter-fest

** Arbor Day Festival
Mar 10, 10AM-1PM; Mitchell Park, Palo Alto
http://www.canopy.org/pages/about-canopy/special-events/arbor-day-2012.php
Mar 10, Pioneer Park, Mountain View
http://www.mountainview.gov/city_hall/comm_services/forestry/arbor_day.asp

** Out and About Kid Festival
Mar 10, 10AM-5PM; Morgan Hill
http://www.southvalleykidfest.com/

** Innovator of the Month Workshop (3-12 years old)
Mar 10, Noon-2PM; San Francisco
http://creativity.org/explore/innovation-studio/

** All tickets are sold out for Science Safari, but you can still sign up for Geocaching Event in April: http://ysi.tikkl.com/campaigns/safaris-1112

Can you see Aurora Borealis in Silicon Valley?

Today may just be the day.

Image Capture of Solar Flare. Credit: NASA/SDO/HMI

The sun let loose an intense solar flare on March 6, 2012. The coronal mass ejection (CME) arrived at Earth early Thursday morning, around 5:45AM ET.
This eruption from the sun has been classified as an X5.4-class solar flare. X-class flares are the strongest classification of solar flares.
Fortunately, geomagnetic storm didn't reach expected heights, so our cell phones and GPS systems shouldn't have too much disruption. At the moment geomagnetic storm is rated G1 on a scale of G1 to G5. For farther updates you can visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/News030712-X5-4.html
There is something interesting that might come out of this largest solar flare that hits Ears in the last 5 years: DeAnza College Planetarium Director Carl Vonahnen said that "Aurora Borealis might, just might, become visible in Silicon Valley tonight". Of course full moon will not help us to see it, but try your luck this evening. Watch out for Northern Lights in your sky tonight.

Happy Purim and International Women's Day to everybody!

Events: Education for Parents

"Raising Resilient Girls"
Mar 9th, 7:30PM-9PM
Montclaire Elementary School, GLC Room

Simone Marean, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the internationally recognized Girls Leadership Institute (GLI) will cover:
- How and why girls are aggressive with one another
- The "Good Girl" phenomenon
- What girls need to avoid victimization
- The power of emotional intelligence
- The importance of mistakes
- The limitations of blame
- Seeing conflict as opportunity for change

"Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills" 
 by Ellen Galinsky
Mar 15th, 7PM-9PM
Mountain View High School

Ellen Galinsky is the past president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She is also a former professor at the Bank Street College of Education, as well as the author of Ask the Children and The Six Stages of Parenthood, along with more than 125 articles in academic journals, books, and magazines.
In "Mind in the Making", she identifies seven life skills essential to success—in school, the workforce, and life: focus and self-control, perspective taking, communicating, making connections, critical thinking, taking on challenges, and self-directed engaged learning.

Register: http://ellengalinskymvla.eventbrite.com/
Info: http://mindinthemaking.org/meet_ellen_galinsky/

Things to do: weekend of Mar 3-4, 2012

** Free Family Day at SFMOMA
Mar 4, 11AM-4PM, SF
http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events/events/2042

** Purim Carnival
Mar 4, 2-5PM; Berkeley JCC
http://www.jewishgateways.org/events/2012/mar/4/purim-carnival

** Hakone's Garden Dragon New Year Celebration
Mar 4, Noon-4PM; Saratoga
http://www.hakone.us/events/upcoming-events.html

** Home Depot Kids "Build a Race Car" Workshop
Mar 3, 9AM-Noon, different locations
http://tinyurl.com/6v4o5yr

** Free Crafts for Kids
Mar 3, 11AM-3PM, different locations
http://tinyurl.com/89je8v9

** Science Night
Mar 3, 5PM-7PM; Palo Alto Museuim of American Heritage
http://www.moah.org/

** SF International Chocolate Salon
Mar 4, 10AM-6PM; Fort Mason Ctr
http://www.sfchocolatesalon.com/

** Summer Resource Fair
Mar 3, 10AM-3PM; SF
http://www.sfkids.org/content.aspx?id=12358

** Jewelry, Gem & Mineral Show
Mar 2-4, 10AM-6/5PM; Newark
http://www.mgscv.org/

** Hand Made Bicycles Show
Mar 2-4, 10AM-6/5PM; Sacramento
http://2012.handmadebicycleshow.com/2012-show/

** Family Overnight at USS Hornet
It's probably too late for Mar 2, 2012, but you can register for following dates:
http://www.uss-hornet.org/groups/overnightfamily/

Things to do: weekend of Feb 18-19, 2012

** Tulipmania
Feb 18-26; 10AM; Pier 39, SF
http://www.pier39.com/Events/index.htm

** Life Aboard a 19th Century Sailing Ship
Feb 18-19, 2:15PM-3PM; SF Maritime Historical Park
** Music of the Sea for Kids
Feb 18, 3PM-3:45PM; SF Maritime Historical Park
http://www.nps.gov/safr/planyourvisit/events.htm

** "Sleeping Beauty" by Moscow Festival Ballet
Feb 19; 4PM; San Ramon
http://www.ci.san-ramon.ca.us/parks/theater/calendar.htm#021912

** Chinese New Year Festival
Feb 20, 9AM-4PM; Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito
http://www.baykidsmuseum.org/programs-and-events/festivals-and-events/chinese-new-year-festival/

** Giant Pacific Octopus Week
Feb 17-26, Aquarium of the Bay
http://www.aquariumofthebay.org/plan-a-visit/visitor-programs-and-events/featured-events/giant-pacific-octopus-week

** The Art of Graffiti 1.0 Class
Feb 18, 12:30-3:30PM; 1:AM Gallery, SF
http://tinyurl.com/6rzofld

** The Klez-X: concert and dance party
Feb 18, 8PM; JCCSF
https://tickets.jccsf.org/public/show.asp

Pets

Since I remember myself I always wanted to have a dog. But my parents thought it was too much work, and tried to introduce different animals.

First we had guppies. I wasn't too interested until one day I noticed I have a lonely guppy in the aquarium and it's not looking too well. Imagine my surprise when next day I found 9 small guppies swimming happily. Since that day I remember that guppies are live-bearing fish.
After guppies my parents allowed me to have a bird, we started with a small goldfinch. Minutes after bringing him home I let him fly in the room. Poor bird hit the window and died in my hands. I was devastated and cried 2 days in a row. Next weekend I got another bird, it was siskin. Now I was smarter and never allowed it to fly in the room with uncovered windows. Siskin happily lived in our family for a few years until it flew away from our country home.
One summer day while living at our country house we discovered a turtle. It wondered into our yard and stayed with us for the whole summer, then somehow it managed to break a brick wall we've constructed for her (it wasn't cemented, but I'm still puzzled how small turtle could move heavy bricks) and wondered away.

Finally, the night before my high school prom, my mom asked me if I still want a dog. I couldn't believe my ears. Since that day I always have a furry companion at home.
Dogs are my absolutely favorite animals. But once in a while I'd add another pet to the house.
I've had few Betta fish, couple snails and shrimps. Now I discovered hermit crabs. Those are pretty amazing. One of my crabs just molted. When I brought him in from the store I've noticed that he is missing one of the legs. During molting he regrew the missing body part, and now happily climbing around in the aquarium (he couldn't climb while the leg was missing).
Our pets are wonderful addition to our lives, the only complaint I have is their short life span. Unfortunately there is nothing that could be done about it.
While visiting veterinary clinic few days ago I've noticed a chart, courtesy of F.L. Metzger, DVM of "Relative age of your pet in 'human years'". I always thought that to calculate relative age of a dog or a cat you need to multiply their real age by 7, but this chart seems to be much more accurate:

Israel on the house

If you or somebody you know are Jewish and 18 through 26 years old you might be eligible for free 10 day trip to Israel this summer. You can check for full list of eligibility requirements here: Eligibility Requirements
Registration for past applicants starts on Feb 14th at 12PM EST, registration for new applicants starts on Feb 15 at 10AM EST. 
Please check here How to register

Things to do: weekend of Feb 11-12, 2012

** Russian Festival
Feb 10-12, Sutter St., San Francisco
http://www.russiancentersf.com/festival

** Chinese New Year Parade
Feb 11, 5PM-8PM; San Francisco
http://www.chineseparade.com/

** Chinatown Community Street Fair
Feb 11-12; Chinatown, SF
http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/events/communityfair.html

** Migration Festival
Feb 11, 11AM-4PM; Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz
http://www.parks.ca.gov/Events/EventDetail.aspx?id=2599

** Chocolate and Beer Festival
Feb 11, 2PM-6PM; Richmond
http://craneway.com/Events/Details/li/3rdAnnualChocolateBeerFestival

** Screenagers: Bay Area High School Film and Video Festival
Feb 11, 3PM; Berkeley
http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/filmseries/screenagers_2012

Things to do

** If you have elementary or middle school age kids and never seen Physics Show at Foothill college, it's definitely worth a try. And you better hurry because tickets are almost sold out:

http://www.thephysicsshow.com/

Showtimes:
  Saturday March 3, 2012 - 10:00 am and 1:00 pm
  Saturday March 10, 2012 - 10:00 am and 1:00 pm
  Sunday March 11, 2012 - 10:00 am and 1:00 pm


** K1 Speed - Go-Kart Indoor Racing place opened recently in Santa Clara, right across from "Jump Sky High". They have separate races for kids and adults. Their prices are pretty high, but they do offer promos on regular bases.
They have one right now: $44 for Go-Kart-Racing package with 4 races and 2 annual race licenses: http://www.groupon.com/deals/k1-speed-san-jose

Schools and teachers

One subject that always struck a chord with parents is schools. Public or Private? We've tried both and I love to talk with other parents about their school choices. Those conversations also influenced my opinion. Still, what I'm going to say is highly subjective.
There are different types of private schools with different goals, I've only researched academic ones, so I would not know much about Montessori or Waldorf programs.

What are the usual reasons for choosing private school?
A) Stronger academic curriculum.
B) Advanced student body: if parents care enough to pay for education, kids will be more inclined to study.
C) Better teachers
D) More individualized attention to each student needs.

Surprisingly, if you compare with good public school, first 3 reasons would not hold.
A) Curriculum is comparable. While many private schools claim that they are a year ahead of public ones, the reason for that is often not a faster pace of learning, but skipping over certain points of subject entirely.
Of course, there is always Harker, the only school I know, which offers 3 different levels for each grade Math and English instructions. Now for the tune of ~30K/year those kids in higher level classes will get better education, while those in regular level classes just get the same education as kids in good public school.
B) You will find that parents of students in good public schools are just as fond of educating their children as parents of kids in private schools. Therefore there are a lot of education oriented kids in good public schools, and there are always kids, who are not inclined to bother with studying. And you can find them in public and in private schools alike.
C) In spite the budget crisis public schools offer very attractive salary/benefits packages for their teachers. Most private schools are not able to match those packages. Therefore public schools have a better pick of applicants.

Regardless whether kids attend Private or Public school, the most important and influential person in their life (beside parents) is the teacher. Out of curiosity I've compiled a list of all teachers my kids encountered during their school years. I was only looking at Elementary and Middle school teachers, and then only core subject ones in Middle school.
I decided to divide all teachers in 4 categories.
Excellent: those who really love kids and their job. Those, who invent new ways to teach that make kids burst with curiosity and run to school every day.
Good: those who are not Excellent, but not yet Indifferent
Indifferent: those who do their job but don't really care about anything else.
Bad: those who like to humiliate kids and show their authority
Out of 20 teachers my kids encountered during their schools years, 3 were Excellent, 4 - Good, 11-Indifferent, and 2-Bad.
Looks like a perfect picture of real life.

"Teenagers are not small adults, they are large children."

From the New Yorker: Parent says to teenage child: "It's you who don't understand me -- I've been fifteen, but you have never been forty-eight."

Since my kids were born I've started reading children's psychology books. I've read about behavior of babies, toddlers, kids, and now teens. Most of the books came recommended and were very good. None however prepared you for all the eventualities of life.
I've read so much about teens, I thought I was ready, but when this crazy age arrived, it was still scary and confusing. My easy to talk to, and handsome kid suddenly became this angry, sullen, and pimply creature, who would not allow me into his room.
I was not sure what to expect from Dr. M. Bradley's lecture "Loving your teen without losing your mind".  This lecture was part of speaker series provided by Mountain View/Los Altos High Schools foundation. 
Dr. Bradley immediately put everybody at ease. He started by saying that "teens brains are under construction". When you remodel your bathroom and you enter it in the middle of the demolition process, what you see is not pretty. And that is what happening with teens brains. According to Dr. Bradley, "teenagers are not small adults, they are large children". Adolescence does not end until 23 years of age for girls and 25 - for boys. That's an average age when  frontal lobes, that are responsible for decision making and social behavior, fully develop.
Dr. Bradley talked about neurotransmitter instability - crazy blow outs, so well known to parents of most teens, followed by absolutely normal behavior 10 min later, while parent still trying to catch his/her breath. Doctor talked about teens impulsiveness and the fact that teens take our worry about them as criticism and disapproval.
Dr. Bradley also mentioned that marijuana, which is relatively harmless for people older then 22 years, is extremely psychologically addictive to teens.
One thing that struck me the most: parents tend to withdraw from their kids lives during teen years, it's an easier way to cope with their craziness. But this is the age, when kids need us more then ever. So, don't stop! Keep hugging, keep reaching, keep loving! Bribe them to go for coffee or a long ride, talk to them even if they don't want to talk back.

A few pointers from Dr. Bradley:

• Best time to talk with kids is late at night, never in the morning. Their biological clock are set differently.
• Stop fearing conflicts with your teen. But remember: don't rage, don't raise your voice. Try your best to remain calm, but firm. If you can't remain calm, leave the room, and later apologize. 
• When explaining your point of view, be concise: kids in general don't have enough attention span for lengthy speeches.
• Pick your fights. Develop a system, like in airport security, and don't spend too much energy fighting things of less importance (those in Yellow or even Orange):

        - Yellow: messy rooms

        - Orange: grades
        - Red: drugs, sex, violence

And remember like everything else in life teenager years will also pass. I want to finish with another quote from Dr. Bradley: "Don't raise an Ivy League student, raise a parent for your grandchildren".

For those who interested to learn more about Dr. Michael Bradley, here is the link to his site: http://docmikebradley.com/

 

          

California Foie Gras Ban

Image from http://thetastysidetolife.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

Do you like liver? Personally I don't. I remember my parents tried to convince me to eat it. I've tried. I hated it and decided to never try again.
So when my friends suggested to try a piece of duck liver in a pricey French restaurant, I was less then enthusiastic. I was sure restaurant called it foie gras just to disguise that it was a liver. That was more then 15 years ago, and on that evening I became a faithful foie gras lover.
I love it hot and I prefer it cold, but coming July 1, 2012 I will not be able to get it again in my favorite state of California.
The legislation to prohibit the sale of foie gras in California was signed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004, but included a July 2012 deadline to give producers time to come up with less cruel methods of producing foie gras.
Unfortunately it's not possible. The whole reason why somebody who hates liver might love foie gras is the difference in taste and texture. If I wouldn't know how foie gras is produced, I would never have guessed it's a liver.
Do I feel sorry for ducks and gees, that are forced fed to create such a delicacy? I guess no more then for cows, and pigs, and lambs that will be slaughtered so we have meat on our dinner plates.
I do feel sorry for the fact that starting July 2012 I will not be able to order my favorite dish in any California restaurant.

Things to do: weekend of Feb 4-5, 2012

** Antique Toys Exhibition, 1870-1930
Museum of American Heritage, Palo Alto
http://www.moah.org/

** Cow Wow, Morning Farm Tour, Guided Night Hike
Lots of interesting activities for kids and adults at Hidden Villa Farm in Los Altos. They fill up pretty quickly, so you need to sign up in advance.
http://www.hiddenvilla.org/calendar

** Wildlife Walk
Feb 4, 8AM-10AM; Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, Palo Alto
WildlifeWalkInfo

** Water Magic Show
Feb 4, 1PM-2PM; Los Altos Library
ShowInfo

** Sycamore Grove Mushroom Foray
Feb 5, 1PM-4PM; Livermore
http://www.bayareamushrooms.org/calendar.html

Valentine Sweets Tour in Los Altos

February's first Friday is Valentine Sweets Tour in Los Altos: February 3, 2012, 6PM-8PM

Check for additional info here: http://www.losaltosfirstfriday.org/

Routes of the tour:

Shopping Bags

I happened to visit the store in San Jose today. When I got my credit card to pay for the purchases, clerk asked if I want to buy plastic bag for 10c.
Just then I realized how lucky I'm to live in the area not yet affected by this new trend. For most people lack of shopping bags is just a minor inconvenience, or even a welcome sign of their participation in "saving the environment". Not for me.
I arrived in USA more then 20 years ago from the country that does not exist today: Soviet Union (USSR). There were few things that really impressed me in my first month in the USA. One, was a selection in a meat section of a supermarket. It's not that we didn't have meat in the USSR, it's just that I never knew there are different parts of beef: sirloin, steak, fillet, etc... Seeing so much of meat at the same time was quite impressive. But even more impressive was the fact that I didn't have to carry bags with me to every store. The bags were included with purchase.
Unfortunately the time flies and things change. Today I know about foie gras and kobe beef, and I need to start carrying shopping bags with me again.
I even nostalgically remembered net shopping bag, we used to have in Russia (it was called "avoska" in Russian). At least it didn't take any space in the purse.

Ano Nuevo is state park located on Hwy 1 between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. Each year thousands of elephant seals arrive here to have babies, find a mate, and reproduce.
I wanted to visit Ano Nuevo for many years, but each year I would remember about it during peak of the season (Jan/Feb), when it was too late to attempt to buy a tour for a weekend. Tours are sold up to 56 days in advance. And weekend tours are usually gone within a day.
While discussing with friends, when would be the best time to visit, we couldn't understand how it was possible for elephant seals to have babies in such a short period of time: they arrive in Dec, they are gone in March. On the other hand, eleven month long pregnancies didn't make sense either. Now, after the tour, I know that elephant seals have so called "delayed implantation". The egg gets fertilized but does not embed in the womb till female elephant seal safely reach her home in Alaska and get some food in her belly. Elephant seals do not eat during their trip to Ano Nuevo. Time at Ano Nuevo, it's seals' time to reproduce and rest: they don't sleep the rest of the year.
The picture usually worth a thousand words, so I'm going to post few pictures from couple hundreds I've made during the tour.

Time to rest

Those babies are already weaned

- I'm bigger!, - No, I'm bigger!

Be mine Valentine!

Babies are fed for 28 days, after that they are on their own

I like you!

High School Speaker Series: Loving Your Teen Without Losing Your Mind

Having a teenager at home is almost like living next to a live volcano: you never know when it's going to erupt. I like to hear professionals on the subject, while not always helpful they are often enlightening.

High School Speaker Series: Loving Your Teen Without Losing Your Mind

Dr. Michael Bradley

Mountain View High School Spartan Theater
3535 Truman Ave, Mountain View

Feb 2, 7PM-9PM

Find out:

- How the enigmatic teen brain works (and how it doesn't)
- The Ten Commandments of Parenting
- The three top ways to earn your kid's respect (and the three top ways to destroy it).

Event is free but you need to register in order to attend: Eventbright_Registration

Weekend of Jan 28-29, 2012

Sometimes I love to spend a weekend at home alternating between good book and internet, but most of the time I feel guilty to allow my kids to sit in front of the computer/tv all day long.
There are multiple sites to let you know about all kind of events to take place around us. But it's so many things happening at once, checking those sites might be overwhelming.
I'm planning to post few interesting places/events to visit each weekend.


Things to do in Silicon Valley this weekend:

** Lunar New Year Celebration
Jan 28, 10AM-5PM; Children's Discovery Museum, SJ
http://www.cdm.org/viewPage.asp?mlid=5&m=1&y=2012&d=28&e=469

** Jigsaw Puzzle Building Competition
Jan 28, 9AM-5PM; Redwood City
http://www.jigsawjava.com/SpecialHolidayHours/JigsawPuzzleCompetition/tabid/89/Default.aspx

** All-breed Dog Show
Jan 28-29; Cow Palace, SF
http://goldengatekc.com/

** John Cage's MusiCircus
Jan 28, 1:30PM-5:30PM; San Francisco
http://www.calartsf.net/

** Julia Robinson Math Festival for grades 6-12
Jan 29, 9AM-noon; Berkeley
http://www.msri.org/web/msri/static-pages/-/node/277