Advice Goddess

Amy Alkon
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Advice Goddess

Q: If a guy is trying to amp up his attractiveness by working out, what areas of the body should he focus on? What do women notice and want? And how much of that can I get without any kind of surgery or dangerous potions?—Office Bod

A: If a woman says to you, “You’re like family to me,” it shouldn’t be because you have arms like her sister.

Women seem to go for the body shape that evolutionary psychologists Rebecca Burch and Laura Johnsen refer to as “Captain Dorito.” This describes the golden triangle seen in cartoonishly masculinized male superhero bodies: broad shoulders leading down into a small, tight waist and butt.

As for why women might have evolved to prefer this body type, evolutionary psychologist David Buss explains in Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind that ancestral women were obviously better off with a “physically formidable” partner, able to protect them and their children. The inner biochemical landscape of physical formidability is high testosterone. Accordingly, Buss notes that, in men, high testosterone is associated with a very masculine body and facial features (like a square jaw and more pronounced cheekbones).

Noting that high levels of testosterone compromise the immune system, Buss cites psychologist Victor S. Johnston’s observation that only males who are very healthy can “afford” to produce high levels of testosterone during their development. The bodies of less healthy males need to suppress T production so they can hang on to the limited immune resources they have.

As for you, when you hit the gym, your areas of focus should be your shoulders, arms and butt. However, you should do whole-body workouts, too, lest you end up pairing superhero pecs with broomstick thighs and calves.

Q: My girlfriends and I have had this experience numerous times: A guy who’s interested in one of us will suddenly stop texting us, but then reappear a few months later liking our social media posts. This just happened to me. It’s about three months since he vanished, and he’s suddenly all up in my Instagram. Why do guys do this?—Annoyed

A: You almost wish the guy would greet you honestly: “‘Sup, Plan B?!”

This guy might’ve initially been interested in you. However, chances are you eventually became what evolutionary psychologists like Joshua Duntley call a “backup mate” (basically the dating-and-mating version of a spare tire or the vice president).

Duntley’s work suggests humans evolved to identify and cultivate backup mates so we wouldn’t be left high and dry for long if our main boo died or ran off with the hot neighbor.

I know … so romantic. That said, it isn’t wrong to have backup mates. Research by Duntley and his colleagues points to many or most of us having them, though we’re often not aware of it.

The thing is, this guy’s disappearing and then sliding back into your life with likes on some of your Instagram posts is a big, red flag—a big, red, sequined flag with cop flashers on top. Character is revealed in how people behave when they feel they have nothing to gain from someone. Maybe this guy got the hots for some other woman and the lukewarms for you. Or maybe he just got busy. Whatever the reason, it takes minimal effort to make a kind exit—even saying, “I’ve got a lot going on right now, and I need to take a break from talking.”

When someone shows themselves to be a jerk, you may want to broom them out of even the edges of your life. This is clickably easy on Instagram, thanks to the block function. Blocking a guy like this should be a wise preemptive measure, considering his idea of good manners is probably prefacing the 2 a.m. “I’m horny!” text with a few likes on photos of your kitten in a tinfoil conspiracy hat.

Song & Dance

Harry Duke
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Song & Dance

Transcendence built its reputation on a series of productions featuring top Broadway and national touring company talent. Past shows featured themes explored through a series of stand-alone vignettes featuring song or dance. In this production, director/choreographer Roy Lightner overlays the music and dance with a narrative.  

It’s a simple narrative—the journey of life as experienced by three couples as they fall in (or out) of love. The twist in the narrative presentation is that each couple is represented by four performers. The couples are distinguished by costume color with one dressed in shades of red, another in blue and the third in green. One pair of performers handles the singing, the other handles the dancing. Each pair of couples occupies the stage at the same time, with the singing pair usually upstage and the dancing pair downstage. While not as confusing as it sounds, it does force the audience to split its focus which, in my case, led me to miss an important story point.

The songs and music used to support the narrative are the usual mix of Broadway standards and pop hits. Numbers from Rent, West Side Story and Hello, Dolly! are blended with songs by Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Bonnie Raitt, Whitney Houston and others. Most choices worked well, but I’ve yet to figure out what the show’s most emotionally evocative number—a terrific ensemble presentation of Kelly Clarkson’s “Broken and Beautiful”—had to do with anything.

Dancing styles range from the acrobatic to the balletic to the erotic, and there’s a delightful tap-dancing sequence set to “De-Lovely’ from Anything Goes.  

It was good to see some diversity represented within the couples, though all adhere to a heteronormative standard. Heterosexuals have never had a lock on love, and with marriage equality the law of the land since 2015, it would have been nice to see a more-encompassing representation of modern romance.

Those Dancin’ Feet shows that Transcendence is willing to take chances and, while they may not all succeed, they should continue to do so. It’s a terrifically entertaining evening of song and dance.

‘Those Dancin’ Feet’ runs Friday–Sunday through August 25 in Jack London State Historic Park. 2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. Park opens at 5pm, show starts at 7:30pm. $49–$149. 877.424.1414. transcendencetheatre.org

Song & Dance

Harry Duke
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0
Song & Dance

Transcendence built its reputation on a series of productions featuring top Broadway and national touring company talent. Past shows featured themes explored through a series of stand-alone vignettes featuring song or dance. In this production, director/choreographer Roy Lightner overlays the music and dance with a narrative.  

It’s a simple narrative—the journey of life as experienced by three couples as they fall in (or out) of love. The twist in the narrative presentation is that each couple is represented by four performers. The couples are distinguished by costume color with one dressed in shades of red, another in blue and the third in green. One pair of performers handles the singing, the other handles the dancing. Each pair of couples occupies the stage at the same time, with the singing pair usually upstage and the dancing pair downstage. While not as confusing as it sounds, it does force the audience to split its focus which, in my case, led me to miss an important story point.

The songs and music used to support the narrative are the usual mix of Broadway standards and pop hits. Numbers from Rent, West Side Story and Hello, Dolly! are blended with songs by Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Bonnie Raitt, Whitney Houston and others. Most choices worked well, but I’ve yet to figure out what the show’s most emotionally evocative number—a terrific ensemble presentation of Kelly Clarkson’s “Broken and Beautiful”—had to do with anything.

Dancing styles range from the acrobatic to the balletic to the erotic, and there’s a delightful tap-dancing sequence set to “De-Lovely’ from Anything Goes.  

It was good to see some diversity represented within the couples, though all adhere to a heteronormative standard. Heterosexuals have never had a lock on love, and with marriage equality the law of the land since 2015, it would have been nice to see a more-encompassing representation of modern romance.

Those Dancin’ Feet shows that Transcendence is willing to take chances and, while they may not all succeed, they should continue to do so. It’s a terrifically entertaining evening of song and dance.

‘Those Dancin’ Feet’ runs Friday–Sunday through August 25 in Jack London State Historic Park. 2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. Park opens at 5pm, show starts at 7:30pm. $49–$149. 877.424.1414. transcendencetheatre.org

Fall Arts Guide 2019

Charlie Swanson
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Fall Arts Guide 2019

It’s that time again: the season for jack-o’-lanterns, leaf raking, feasts, gatherings and a bounty of entertainment throughout the North Bay. From Labor Day to Thanksgiving, there are huge music festivals, live theater productions, festive art fairs and so much more happening in Marin. You can’t do it all, but our annual Fall Arts Guide lays it all out.

Events

Sausalito Art Festival

This year marks the 66th festival and features fine art from hundreds of acclaimed artists, an Art Tech Pavilion showcasing augmented attractions, musical entertainment from the likes of Blues Traveler and the Sun Kings, gourmet food and beverages and more. Aug. 31-Sept. 2. Marinship Park, Sausalito. Saturday-Sunday, 10am-7pm; Monday, 10am-5pm. $25-$30 and up; children under 12, free. sausalitoartfestival.org.

Tomales Founders Day Parade & Celebration

The whole town turns out for this annual event, featuring a parade beginning at Tomales History Center and a theme celebrating sustainable farming in the tradition of early settlers in 1800s-era “Old California.” Sept. 1, in Tomales, Hwy 1. 11am-4pm. 707.879.8030.

Summer Stomp

Korty Productions and Parachute Days join forces for the second annual outdoor, all-ages affair featuring live music from California Honeydrops, SoulSka, Andre Thierry and others; with local food and drink vendors and reserved camping available at nearby Olema Ranch Campground. Sept. 7 at Love Field, 11191 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Point Reyes Station. 2pm-10pm. $15-$50. parachutedays.com.

Bolinas Museum Benefit Art Auction & Party

The museum’s massive fundraiser includes a silent and live auction, food and wine under the stars and dancing. Sept. 7 at Peace Barn, 70 Olema Bolinas Rd., Bolinas. 4pm-9pm. $125-$150. 415.868.8809.

Sausalito Floating Homes Tour

After a one-year hiatus, Sausalito’s floating homes community once again present an open-homes tour. At least a dozen homes will be open, and most of the homeowners will be on hand to answer questions about their waterfront lifestyle. Sept. 14, Gate Six Rd, Sausalito. 11am-4pm. $50. Floatinghomes.org.

Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival

The sculpture, painting, ceramics and photography of more than a hundred different local and international artists are on display at this 63rdrd annual festival, which also includes live music, a children’s grove of activities and more. All profits go to local schools and charities. Sept. 14-15. Old Mill Park, 320 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley. 10am-5pm. $8-$12; students and teachers with ID are free. mvfaf.org.

Sweetwater Late Summer Jam

Sweetwater Music Hall closes out summer with a dynamite lineup of popular rock, folk and alternative artists and bands like Jackie Greene and Blitzen Trapper and food and drink specials. Sept. 21, 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley. 6pm. $60-$95. 415.388.3850.

San Rafael Porchfest

The city’s historic Gerstle Park neighborhood is turned into one big block party featuring music by more than 60 bands and singer-songwriters on over two dozen porches. Sept. 22. Gerstle Park, San Rafael Ave., San Rafael. Noon to 5pm. Free. sanrafaelporchfest.com.

Mill Valley Film Festival

Presented by the California Film Institute, this 42nd annual event is always full of stars and features the best of independent and world cinema screening at several venues in Marin. Oct. 3-13. mvff.com.

The Best of San Francisco Solo Series

Known for his one-man shows, comedian, playwright and actor Brian Copeland hosts six of the Bay Area’s most beloved solo shows for an exclusive run starting Oct. 13. Marin Center Showcase Theater, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. All shows at 7pm. $25 and up. 415.473.6800.

National Bioneers Conference

Learn about groundbreaking ideas at the 30thth annual conference, featuring a program reflecting decades of transformative solutions and trail-blazing pathways that the growing bioneers community has developed. Oct. 18-20. Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. conference.bioneers.org.

The Milley Awards

Dinner and ceremony honors and applauds artists and art educators who were born in Mill Valley or who call Mill Valley home today. Categories include performing and film arts, musical arts and more; and this year’s recipients include Academy Award-winning aerial director of photography Phil Pastuhov, veteran musician Lorin Rowan and others. Sunday, Oct. 20, at Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley. 5:30pm. RSVP required. milleyawards.org.

Marin Symphony

Marin Symphony’s 68th season is overflowing with musical treasures. The symphony’s MasterWorks series opens with “Gluzman Plays Beethoven,” featuring violinist Vadim Gluzman joining conductor Alasdair Neale and the orchestra on Oct. 26 and 27. Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. Concert times vary. $25-$85; youth are $20. 415.473.6800.

Warren Miller Film Tour

Warren Miller Entertainment’s 70th annual winter sports film, “Warren Miller’s Timeless,”, features footage of ski legends at stunning locales. Nov. 9. at Marin Center, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. 8pm. Warrenmiller.com.

Arts & Exhibitions

O’Hanlon Center for the Arts

“Wabi-Sabi,” 16th annual exhibit celebrates the beauty found in things that are imperfect, uncontrolled and incomplete. Reception, Sept. 3. 616 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley. 4pm. 415.388.3128.

Toby’s Gallery

“This Sacred Land,” Black Mountain Circle presents a photographic exhibition of black-and-white photos by Todd Pickering celebrating the West Marin landscape. Reception, Sept. 7. 11250 Hwy One, Point Reyes Station. 2pm. Blackmountaincircle.org.

Gallery Route One

“Box Show,” Over a hundred wooden works of art packs the annual exhibit, which ends with an art auction on Sept. 8. Next, Steven Hurwitz presents “All of the Above,” several artists display in the ecology-themed group show “Eco Echo: Unnatural Selection” and Mimi Abers shows “Being & Nothingness.” Reception, Sept. 14. 11101 Hwy One, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.1347.

MarinMOCA

“50 Faces,” a collection of mosaic artworks that use a variety of media to create portraits of cultural icons like Frida Kahlo, Robin Williams, Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix. Reception, Sept. 21. 500 Palm Dr, Novato. 5pm. 415.506.0137.

Venues

Sweetwater Music Hall

The Funkin’ Truth, featuring Leo Noncentelli of the Meters, performs Sept. 5-6. Singer-songwriter Peter Yorn plays Oct. 13. The Mother Hips play an acoustic show and their annual Halloween bash on Oct. 30-31. 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley. 415.388.3850.

Terrapin Crossroads

New Orleans Suspects Erica Falls of Galactic on Sept. 13. Melvin Seals and JGB play three nights with guests including John Kadleck and Lesh Sept. 26-28. Folk duo the Milk Carton Kids perform on Oct. 5. 100 Yacht Club Dr, San Rafael. 415.524.2773.

Rancho Nicasio

The Sons of Champlin carry on their musical legacy on Sept. 2. Pablo Cruise returns to the venue for a show on Sept. 8. Ron Artis II & the Truth join Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs on Sept. 15. 1 Old Rancheria Rd, Nicasio. 415.662.2219.

Theater

Novato Theater Company

The community theater group, whose local roots date back to 1919, opens their season with Pulitzer-finalist and Tony-winning play “The Humans,” Sept 5-29. 5420 Nave Dr, Novato. 855.682.8491.

Ross Valley Players

Operating in Marin continually since 1930, the players present a season of classic works, starting with Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” Sept. 13-Oct. 13. 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. 415.456.9555.

Marin Theatre Company

MTC produces provocative and passionate works like season-opener, “Sovereignty,” about a young Cherokee lawyer fighting to restore her Nation’s jurisdiction Sept. 26-Oct. 20. 397 Miller Ave, Mill Valley. 415.388.5200.

Innocence Lost

Tom Gogola
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Innocence Lost

Jarvis Jay Masters has exhausted his final state appeal. The Buddhist author and death-row inmate at San Quentin had a hearing before the California Supreme Court in Los Angeles last week and did not prevail in getting the California appeals court to re-examine his case.

Masters was convicted of capital murder following the 1985 prison murder of corrections guard Howell Burchfield. He has long maintained his innocence and has published two books since his incarceration. His support base includes American Buddhist author Pema Chödrön and a coterie of capital punishment abolitionists around the country.

Masters’ case now jumps to the federal courts. Masters has been on death row for 29 years and his case is muddied somewhat by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambition to end capital punishment in the state. At issue for Masters and other potential innocents on death row is what happens to him if Newsom moves to commute all the capital charges to life-without-parole?

Masters’ supporters were looking for new legal representation for the inmate as his case was being heard in Los Angeles back in June. The court took a week to hear from interested parties that ranged from his Buddhist supporters to the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, which has adamantly insisted on Masters’ guilt and fought his release at every step.

Connie Pham lives in Southern California and is a teacher who runs an Orange County youth center. She heard about Masters two decades ago when she was a 16 year old being raised in a Tibetan Buddhist household. “I found a review of [Master’s] Finding Freedom,” she says and then found the book and contacted Masters at San Quentin to thank him for writing “such an inspiring book.”

Masters is also the author of 2009’s This Bird Has My Wings, which tells the story of his conversion to Buddhism while he spent nearly two decades in San Quentin’s Adjustment Center, a supermax-like prison-within-the-prison that houses some of the state’s worst capital offenders, in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.

In some measure, Masters’ case may not be well-served by Newsom’s declaration of a moratorium on capital punishment in the state earlier this year. What happens to a man who says he’s innocent on death row if Newsom moves to commute the sentences of the more than 750 male inmates at San Quentin who’ve been in a legal limbo since California stopped executing its citizens in 2006?

“One of the fears he’s always had regarding the moratorium is that everyone’s sentences are commuted to life-without-parole and therefore the appeals process is severely hindered or canceled altogether,” says Pham. “He’d like to appeal all the way through” the process, she said as the hearing was getting underway in Los Angeles. His case is all the more difficult to resolve because it’s a factual innocence case, she says.

Masters was already serving a 10-year sentence on an armed robbery charge in San Quentin when, then a young man, Masters is said to have gotten caught up with a prison gang that was intent on killing Burchfield. He was charged with sharpening the weapon that was used to stab Burchfield to death but has long maintained that he was set up and framed by other inmates who did the actual killing. Those inmates did not receive a similar sentence.

Masters’ legal team has long argued there was a rush to judgement over Burchfield’s murder and Masters’ role in it, but has not focused their legal efforts on proving prosecutorial misconduct played a role in what they say is his wrongful conviction.

The problem is that innocence is no defense against lethal injection. “In the United States, it’s not unconstitutional to execute someone who is innocent,” says Pham.

Masters’ case has been working through the courts for two decades and Pham believes it’s because of the power of the corrections guards union that he hasn’t gotten what she believes is a fair re-hearing that would re-examine the accepted facts of the case.

“The prison guards union is one of the most powerful unions in the state and we have every reason to believe that this is the reason why this has taken so long.”

From their perspective, she notes, “One of our own was murdered.”

Thanks to the activism around Masters’ case, support for Masters appears to be growing: He joined up with the ACLU and the Innocence Project in 2018 to fight California’s newly created lethal injection protocols. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! produced a recent segment that highlighted his case. Furthermore, his case was featured in the spring 2019 edition of the Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy in an article called, “Unrequited Innocence in U.S. Capital Cases: Unintended Consequences of the Fourth Kind.” The article profiled more than two dozen death row inmates with cases of compelling innocence. And, a biography of Masters by West Marin author David Sheff is in the works. Masters has himself continued to write his way through his plight: He recently penned a rumination on the Harriet Tubman $20 bill that highlighted his nimble intellect and passion for racial justice. He’s no fan of the Tubman $20:

“The most common currency used in drug sales in the inner city is the twenty-dollar bill. By far, it’s the bill of choice that does the most harm. It’s pocket cash that gives you that easy morning walk past the projects and across the street to the liquor store on the corner. The twenty-dollar rock of crack, hit of speed, or blowjob somewhere behind the apartment building because Mama doesn’t know what else to do to feed her three babies. Will the face of Ms. Tubman look out from each twenty-dollar bill at all of the addictions the currency is enabling in broken streets and broken hearts? Is Harriet Tubman being asked to be a slave all over again? I am pained at the thought, a pain that is never going away.”

By any measure, Masters’ claims of innocence will continue to face an uphill battle, and his supporters would just as soon not highlight the fact that his capital case involves the death of a prison guard. And Pham notes that his guilt or innocence in the charges is a matter of personal conscience and judgement.

“There is absolutely no way that anyone can know anything 100 percent because we weren’t there in 1985,” Pham says. “But somebody with his character and where he is—I couldn’t imagine someone like that falsifying their innocence because they are so honest and spiritually evolved.”

Westbound

Pacific Sun
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Westbound

The term “cosmic American music” refers to a musical crossroads where country, folk and rock collide in a glorious psychedelia-kissed pileup.

So it goes on Way Out West, Marty Stuart’s latest studio effort that was produced by Fleetwood Mac (and former Heartbreakers) guitarist Mike Campbell. The deep-and-rich mystique of California culture provided a fount of inspiration for these 15 songs that found the Mississippi native taking his cracker-jack backing band, the Fabulous Superlatives, to the storied Capitol Records recording studio in Los Angeles to record a good chunk of the record. It’s a project that Stuart knew he needed to create on the Left Coast.

“Everything that came out of California captivated my kid-mind in Mississippi,” says Stuart. “[Way Out West] started with a song called ‘Mexico’ and the idea was that I wanted to capture a mood that was cinematic and reflected the space you experience out in the Mojave Desert. It would reflect that kind of openness with a little bit of a psychedelic touch to it. I also knew that I’d have a better shot of getting that kind of cinematic sound that I was looking for in California.”

With Way Out West produced, Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives are now on the road. And while Stuart’s deep ties to country music include cutting his teeth playing with bluegrass legend Lester Flatt as a mandolin-playing teen prodigy and later getting hired to help anchor Cash’s band, Stuart is eager to spread the gospel of American roots music. With the sophistication with which he and his Fabulous Superlatives play, the just-turned-60-year-old singer-songwriter welcomes the challenge of bringing fellow believers into the fold by way of a well-placed, live-music experience.

“I think there’s a time in every band’s life where they end up in a [creative] place where they’re at their peak if you go see them play live,” Stuart says.

“I think that time is happening right now for the Fabulous Superlatives, and it’s certainly giving us motivation to live up to the band’s name,” he says, noting that after touring as headliners, the group will open for Steve Miller this summer. “We’re introducing ourselves and our music to a new audience as well as inviting our old friends to come along, so that’s the mission at hand.”

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives play on Friday, Aug 23, at Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley. 9pm. $60 and up. 415.388.3850.

By Dave Gil de Rubio

A Clue

Pacific Sun
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Our racist president has falsely boasted more than 80 times that he passed the Veteran’s Choice healthcare legislation. The truth of the matter is that Obama actually passed the law way back in 2014. It seems that if you tell a lie repeatedly your base will eventually believe it.

So, it is with much regret that I must once again correct the record regarding one of your recent letters-to-the-editor concerning the closing of the Drake’s Bay Oyster Company, appropriately titled “Clueless” (8/14/19). The fact is that the oyster company was closed by the federal government, on direction from Obama’s Secretary of State, Ken Salazar. The former oyster farm was located in a national park. Neither the State of California nor the County of Marin has any authority to close an oyster farm in a national park, on federal land. This is the second time this writer has made his false claim about the closure of the oyster farm. He is entitled to his opinion, but like Trump, is not entitled to repeated falsehoods. Enough already.

The writer goes on to repeat lies about the former San Geronimo golf course, which will soon be a new county park. The truth is that the golf course would still be open for business if Niz Brown and her son, San Anselmo Mayor Matt Brown, had not brought a frivolous lawsuit that forced the county to stop the purchase of the property, resulting in the loss of a $3.5 million dollar grant. It seems like these people feel that if they can’t have “their” golf course, then nobody can have it.

If the county had not attempted to purchase the golf course it would have been sold to a private party, which would have ended golf and closed the property to the public right then and there. These certain golfers would then be demanding to know why the county didn’t purchase the course for them. But, when the county purchases the course and works hard to maintain golf operations right up to March 2022, perhaps longer, these same people bring lawsuits to stop the sale of the course, resulting in its closure. There is no way to placate this bunch. I just wish they would stop lying to the public.

Eric Morey

Woodacre

Off the Rails

Considering the total mess that has resulted from the construction of the SMART train rails in downtown San Rafael, I hope this will be the proverbial last straw with local commuters. This nearly useless system is too expensive to ride and has already wasted millions that could have been spent widening 101. What use is a train which does not go to SF or the East Bay? The bifurcation of the San Rafael bus transit center has resulted in confusion and missed connections, and construction sometimes has pedestrians literally walking into the road to avoid it.

I’d like to encourage everyone to boycott the rail. Let’s make this fail just as bad as it possibly can.

Tony Bueno

Via PacificSun.com

Go Fish

Those of us who love the game of cribbage believe it to be the finest of all card games, so it’s disappointing to read in one of your letters that the writer believes that criminals like Bernie Madoff might spend jail time with a potential cellmate, Donald Trump, playing cribbage!

Gil Deane

Greenbrae

Be Happy

In the ‘50s there was a wonderful song on the radio (you all remember radio, right?) called “If You Want to be Happy,” which addressed this very topic (“Advice Goddess,” Aug. 14, 2019), though in rather crude language. Ugly isn’t the best word anymore.

Lou Judson

Via PacificSun.com

Wine Score

James Knight
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Wine Score

Too many would-be wine tasters feel they “don’t know enough” about wine to participate. Relax, it’s not like you’re going to have to take a test—except when it’s time for Swirl’s annual go-back-to-wine-school quiz, that is. It’s easy this year—all questions are based on the Pacific Sun’s wine, beer and spirits columns from the past year.

1. Inspired by Calvados, local makers are making:

A) Hard apple cider from Gravenstein apples

B) Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Sangiovese

C) Vodka aged in French oak

D) Apple brandy distilled from Gravenstein apples

2. True or False: Riesling from Australia is usually a sweet dessert wine.

3. A wine called a “claret” is most likely to have which combination of grapes in the blend?

A) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc

B) Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Blanc

C) White Zinfandel and Pinot Grigio

D) Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre

4. Drive up to Gustafson Family Vineyards, taste both Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling, and enjoy the view from high above:

A) Dry Creek Valley

B) Spring Mountain District

C) Napa Valley

D) Lake Hennessey

5. Match each IPA/juicy IPA with the brewery:

A) Thru the Haze 1. Sonoma Springs

B) Pulp Fission 2. Bear Republic

C) Juicy in the Sky 3. 3 Disciples

6. Picture round: This spring we visited a sculpture garden in the Carneros wine region. Which winery?

A) Robert Mondavi

B) Paradise Ridge Winery

C) The Donum Estate

D) Domaine Carneros

7. Choose all the right words for one point: Sonoma Distilling Company makes a (rye/vodka) with (peat/cherrywood) smoked grain in their new copper still from (Poland/Scotland).

8. How many of Sonoma County’s 62,000 vineyard acres are certified organic?

A) More than 35,000

B) At least 15,000

C) About 6,000

D) Less than 2,000

9. True or false: Vineyard operators are required to stop using the controversial herbicide glyphosate (Roundup) in order to be certified Sonoma Sustainable.

___________________________________

Answers: 1) D; 2) False; 3) A; 4) A; 5) A-2, B-3, C-1; 6) C; 7) rye, cherrywood, Scotland; 8) D; 9) False

9 points, méthode champenoise; 7-8 points, metodo Italiano; 5-6 points, pét-nat; 4 points or less, fizzle.

Hero & Zero

Nikki Silverstein
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Hero

What’s worse than locking your keys in the van? Locking your keys and your dog in the van with the windows rolled up in the middle of the afternoon. Mrs. S did just that at the Mill Valley Downtown Plaza and she was worried sick about her pup Louie.

Two women nearby saw Mrs. S in distress and jumped into action. They called AAA, the Humane Society and a locksmith and they stayed with Mrs. S throughout the ordeal.

Soon enough, the cavalry arrived and the van’s door was unlocked. We’re happy to report that Louie is doing just fine now, but we hear Mrs. S may need a few more days for her nerves to recover.

So here’s a heroic shoutout to the two Mill Valley women who helped Mrs. S and Louie.

We love good neighbor stories.

 

Zero

Lady with the German Shepherd, quit letting your dog chase geese on the Tam High baseball field. A witness says your dog was in hunt mode. While most of the flock managed to fly away, one unfortunate goose flew into the fence and fell to the ground. Not surprisingly, your canine jumped right on its prey.

We recognize Canada Geese may be a nuisance at times, with their loud honking and the bounty of poop they produce. Even the Audubon Society admits it. Still, these waterfowl possess their charms. Their perfect V formation in the sky is rather impressive and they mate for life, a trait I personally appreciate.

We feel grateful, Lady, that you eventually pulled your dog off the goose—although you took your sweet time and byy then, the frightened bird had suffered a bloody wing.

Thank goodness for the witness, who guided the wounded goose to the flock. He also checked on it 15 minutes later and found it was able to fly.

It was a close call, Lady. Your dog could have easily killed the bird. That’s why there’s this thing called a leash, which is used for dogs in general, but especially for dogs that have a tendency to attack.

 

email: ni***************@***il.com

 

Hero & Zero

Nikki Silverstein
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Hero

What’s worse than locking your keys in the van? Locking your keys and your dog in the van with the windows rolled up in the middle of the afternoon. Mrs. S did just that at the Mill Valley Downtown Plaza and she was worried sick about her pup Louie.

Two women nearby saw Mrs. S in distress and jumped into action. They called AAA, the Humane Society and a locksmith and they stayed with Mrs. S throughout the ordeal.

Soon enough, the cavalry arrived and the van’s door was unlocked. We’re happy to report that Louie is doing just fine now, but we hear Mrs. S may need a few more days for her nerves to recover.

So here’s a heroic shoutout to the two Mill Valley women who helped Mrs. S and Louie.

We love good neighbor stories.

 

Zero

Lady with the German Shepherd, quit letting your dog chase geese on the Tam High baseball field. A witness says your dog was in hunt mode. While most of the flock managed to fly away, one unfortunate goose flew into the fence and fell to the ground. Not surprisingly, your canine jumped right on its prey.

We recognize Canada Geese may be a nuisance at times, with their loud honking and the bounty of poop they produce. Even the Audubon Society admits it. Still, these waterfowl possess their charms. Their perfect V formation in the sky is rather impressive and they mate for life, a trait I personally appreciate.

We feel grateful, Lady, that you eventually pulled your dog off the goose—although you took your sweet time and byy then, the frightened bird had suffered a bloody wing.

Thank goodness for the witness, who guided the wounded goose to the flock. He also checked on it 15 minutes later and found it was able to fly.

It was a close call, Lady. Your dog could have easily killed the bird. That’s why there’s this thing called a leash, which is used for dogs in general, but especially for dogs that have a tendency to attack.

 

email: ni***************@***il.com

 

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Song & Dance

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Song & Dance

Transcendence built its reputation on a series of productions featuring top Broadway and national touring company talent. Past shows featured themes explored through a series of stand-alone vignettes featuring song or dance. In this production, director/choreographer Roy Lightner overlays the music and dance with a narrative.   It’s a simple narrative—the journey of life as experienced by three couples...
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Our racist president has falsely boasted more than 80 times that he passed the Veteran’s Choice healthcare legislation. The truth of the matter is that Obama actually passed the law way back in 2014. It seems that if you tell a lie repeatedly your base will eventually believe it. So, it is with much regret that I must once again...
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Hero & Zero

Hero What’s worse than locking your keys in the van? Locking your keys and your dog in the van with the windows rolled up in the middle of the afternoon. Mrs. S did just that at the Mill Valley Downtown Plaza and she was worried sick about her pup Louie. Two women nearby saw Mrs. S in distress and jumped into...
Read more

Hero & Zero

Hero What’s worse than locking your keys in the van? Locking your keys and your dog in the van with the windows rolled up in the middle of the afternoon. Mrs. S did just that at the Mill Valley Downtown Plaza and she was worried sick about her pup Louie. Two women nearby saw Mrs. S in distress and jumped into...
Read more
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