Larkspur’s The Lark Theater continues its revue, Side by Side by Sondheim, featuring a collection of Stephen Sondheim’s most beloved songs through May 25.
The show includes classics like “Send in the Clowns” (A Little Night Music), “Side by Side” and “Company” (Company), “I’m Still Here” and “Broadway Baby” (Follies), and more. The songs, performed by a talented cast of five (Ashley Rae Little, Ken Brill, Maureen McVerry, Simon Barrad, and Emma Roos), are interspersed with intriguing stories about Sondheim’s career and the shows from which the songs originate.
Showtimes are Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through May 25. Tickets are $50 and available and tickets are here.
For some feel-good local news, look no further than the Petaluma-based inspirational and philanthropic organization Humans Being Media. Through three decades of documentary filmmaking, Humans Being Media has consistently worked to change the world for the better, one movie at a time.
The transformative power of media is undeniable, and those who choose to use this power for good are the unsung heroes whose hard work holds up humanity’s most precious resources: community, charity, and, of course, hope.
Humans Being Media’s list of community collaborators includes Vivalon, which works to provide Marin’s elders with support in aging; Lifehouse, which assists citizens with physical and mental disabilities; and The Sonder Project, which empowers impoverished communities through high-impact, sustainable development.
“There are just too many wonderful clients to name here,” said Humans Being Media co-founder Vince Beeton in a recent statement. “Folks who are committed to improving the world through DEI, climate, housing, education, you name it. We work with organizations who are making an impact in impressive and broad-sweeping ways, but also in smaller ways that ripple outward. It’s awe-inspiring, and keeps us hopeful about humanity and our shared future here on this beautiful planet.”
Among these clients and collaborators is Homeward Bound, a local philanthropic group dedicated to helping eradicate homelessness in Marin. Homeward Bound began 50 years ago in 1974 and has since provided 905 people with shelter and housing. The current goal of Homeward Bound is to celebrate the organization’s half-a-century of philanthropy by building 50 new homes to match their 50 years of service.
Homeward Bound also just so happens to be Humans Being Media’s longest-standing Marin County client. And, according to the Humans Being Media press release, Homeward Bound is, “an extraordinary social enterprise who supports the homeless community with housing and so much more—job training, career ladders and opportunities to get a foothold and stay housed and employed. Since 2013 they have created commercials, capital campaign films, and mini documentaries about folks who have benefited from Homeward Bound’s excellent work.”
“I love working with Humans Being Media because of…their commitment to changing the world by telling very human stories of transformation,” said Homeward Bound co-CEO Paul Fordham.
For about a decade now, Humans Being Media and Homeward Bound have collaborated to share the touching stories of those affected by homelessness in Marin County. By interviewing individuals and allowing them to tell their truths about the path leading to and through homelessness, these organizations hope to help humanize the unhoused neighbors of our community.
“We [Humans Being Media and Homeward Bound of Marin] met accidentally,” explained Fordham. “We were creating family housing, and we wanted to document the demolition of this run-down old hotel and tell the story of its transformation…into a place to build housing for 14 families who had nowhere to go. We wanted to document the destruction and rebuilding of the site as an allegory for rebirth. So, Vince [Beeton], from Humans Being, made a short documentary for us, and folks really responded well to the video.”
“So, we came up with this mini-documentary style together and found a winning formula and have had such an amazing response,” Fordham continued. “Being able to document and share all these stories of change and transformation over this period we’ve worked together, it’s been really powerful and impactful on our work in a ton of ways.”
Fordham began his work in helping combat homelessness in England, where he was born and raised. Working in a local shelter/church basement, Fordham’s expectations and preconceptions of homelessness were shattered by his first day. When he later moved to America, Fordham brought his passion, expertise and sense of empathy to the States.
“The trends that I’ve seen in California in particular, and in the Bay Area, have really changed since the great recession in 2007,” explained Fordham. “The homebuilding industry collapsed and disappeared from California, and it never came back. There’s a small number of homes being built, but never at the rate it was before. In the past five years in California, we’ve seen a huge increase in senior citizens—people in their 80s and even in their 90s, in homeless shelters because what they saved for retirement isn’t enough for the current rental market.”
“So, we have a huge housing shortage, and we don’t have enough housing units,” continued Fordham. “When there’s not enough supply, the demand goes up. So, then there are more people renting, the price goes up and so on…then those folks at the bottom get squeezed out…”
Fordham noted that his hometown of Bath in England had about 30 unhoused individuals to care for across the entire city. When he began volunteering in California, that number skyrocketed into the thousands. He described this culture shock as the underbelly of the U.S. that one doesn’t see in Hollywood movies.
This Marianas Trench of disparity between the idealized Hollywood movie version of America and the real deal highlights just how far media, its impact and its ripple effect can reach. This is why the collaborative work of Homeward Bound, Humans Being Media and the unhoused human beings of the North Bay banding together to make movies to educate and inspire is so very important.
“These mini four-minute documentaries give a lot of information in a short time,” said Fordham. “It’s really wonderful to be able to help humanize homeless people through film. And watching these videos can help demystify homelessness and educate to make change possible.”
“If you watch these videos, you’ll see they’re just people,” concluded Fordham. “The solution is producing more housing on all ranges. Housing for sale, for rental, and subsidized and general affordable housing for everybody. We just need more of everything. And if you say no to affordable housing, you’re saying yes to homelessness.”
In a world where much of the news we see is at best rather dreary and often disheartening, media that highlights goodness and inspires it in others is increasingly invaluable. And the seemingly simple act of showcasing positive changes, like the local scale endeavors of Homeward Bound and Humans Being Media—well, it invites in us all a certain permission to dream about how we too could change the world and maybe leave it a little better before we go.
To learn more about Homeward Bound of Marin, visit the website at hbofm.org or call 415.382.3363. Those interested in more Humans Being Media content and collaborations, visit humansbeingmedia.com for more info.
WATCH Humans Being Media’s videos can be accessed using a smartphone and this QR code:
The 2023 Lahaina, Maui wildfires wrought havoc, claiming over 100 lives, decimating thousands of homes and ravaging vast swathes of land, resulting in a staggering $6 billion in damages.
More than 14,000 individuals evacuated the island, grappling with homelessness or temporary displacement, shuttling between hotels in a repetitive cycle. In contrast to fire-resilient regions like Marin County, Hawaii lacks the fire-adaptive landscape of the American West.
Yet, the relentless onslaught of uncontrollable wildfires in states like Oregon and California challenges this perception. Given the difficult task of relocating those displaced by natural disasters, Marin County must prioritize local preparedness beyond wildfires.
While Marin County has been fortunate to evade major disasters (unlike its northern neighbor, Sonoma County), memories of growing up there are punctuated by fears sparked by distant wildfires. Initially dismissed by parents, concerns escalated as smoke blanketed the skies, schools closed and the region awoke to apocalyptic scenes.
With climate conditions worsening, the specter of a wildfire breaching Marin’s complacency looms large. California’s recent history bears witness to the escalation of wildfires, with three of the state’s eight largest blazes occurring in counties bordering or adjacent to Marin.
Despite this, local discourse rarely centers on preparedness for the county’s most imminent threat. Personal experiences fuel apprehensions about the community’s readiness in the face of disaster.
Regardless of existing policies and organizations, doubts persist about families’ ability to cope effectively. The irony is stark: In a county marked by wealth and privilege, many may find themselves unprepared and vulnerable in the event of a natural calamity.
The aftermath of the Maui wildfires serves as a cautionary tale. Temporary accommodations in hotels and condos offered little solace, mirroring the challenges Californians would face in finding alternative shelter.
The housing crunch in the Bay Area exacerbates these concerns, with affordable options scant for those displaced by disaster. Marin’s affluence belies a stark reality: A significant portion of its population struggles with poverty, rendering them particularly vulnerable in times of crisis.
A lack of swift, coordinated action could spell disaster for marginalized communities. It is imperative that Marin County, with its ample resources, formulate comprehensive contingency plans to confront the looming threat of catastrophe.
Adrien Gonthier is a Marin resident currently studying history and global politics at the University of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Now in its third year, Marin County’s largest-drawing outdoor music festival returns with a lineup sure to please even the most avid music aficionado.
Curated by the fine folks who hold down the annual Noise Pop festival, Mill Valley Music Fest’s musical docket this year is quite impressive, with performances by Fleet Foxes, Greensky Bluegrass, Thee Sacred Souls, Margo Price, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Fruit Bats, Rebirth Brass Band, Danielle Ponder, Eric Lindell and Elliott Peck.
Said Michelle Swing, CEO of Noise Pop Industries, “Mill Valley Music Fest is coming back bigger and better than ever in ’24. Major kudos to the team for curating such an impressive and eclectic lineup, one that really stands out from the crowd and attracts music lovers of all kinds to Mill Valley.”
First-time concert-goers can expect myriad food options, craft beer from the immediate and outer-lying areas, a dedicated gaming area, a roller skating rink, art installations and a whole lot more in a setting like no other. Nestled in a redwood tree-surrounded plot, MVMF excels at providing fans with the consummate show experience.
Founding member Robin Pecknold has been steering the ship for indie rock greats Fleet Foxes since 2006. And although nowhere as prolific as his adoring fans would hope for—he and his collective have only released four full-length albums, three extended plays and one live record—their latest record released in late 2020, the simply and aptly dubbed Shore, has been their most enduring.
Recorded before and during the pandemic, it finally saw the light of day when the music world needed it most. In many ways, it signaled Pecknold’s need to control his surroundings when, in fact, everything around him was falling apart.
Standout tracks from their ambitious 15-track record include (but are not limited to) “Can I Believe In You?,” “Sunblind,” the short-but-sweet album opener “Wading in Waist-High Water” and “Maestranza” are filled with sweeping highs and lows. Shore treats its listener to large-scale sweeping melodies with a lovely array of instrumentation giving way to a newer, more emboldened Fleet Foxes experience.
Shore has also received numerous accolades both in the press and on countless independent radio stations all over the U.S. After ending up on myriad 2020 year-end lists, the record was featured in such disparate publications as Mojo, The New Yorker, Uncut, USA Today, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, SPIN, Stereogum and VICE, as well as on NPR. More importantly, the music found new fans at multiple radio formats.
For those fans expecting a repeat of their earlier output, it may be a head-scratcher. Marking their most complete collection of songs to date, it’s a heady and oftentimes depressing affair that always seems to find its own light at the end of the tunnel. Whether or not that is Pecknold’s intent, Shore is an all-inclusive affair that beckons to be enjoyed in its entirety rather than piece-by-piece, and especially so in a live setting.
And for the band’s many fans who saw them with My Morning Jacket at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley back in August 2023, their return is greatly anticipated.
Fleet Foxes play the Mill Valley Music Festival at Friends Field, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, May 11. Tickets start at $145 per day. 2-day passes are $239, and VIP options are available at millvalleymusicfest.com. All ages are welcome.
Jonathan Eldridge grew up in Washington State, but his career in higher education has led him down the coast to Marin. At the moment, he is the tallest college president in California, at 6 feet, 6 inches tall.
What do you do? I’m the College of Marin’s 11th superintendent/president.
Where do you live? My family and I live in Upper Lucas Valley.
How long have you lived in Marin? We have lived in the county for about 10 years now.
Where can we find you when you’re not at work? I may be walking with our dog in the neighborhood; at my daughter’s swim meets; at the college’s amazing music, theater and athletic events; or losing golf balls at McInnis Park.
If you had to convince someone how awesome Marin is, where would you take them? This may sound self-serving, but I’d take them on a tour of the college’s two campuses. Amazing views of Marin, great architecture, so many partnerships with Marin groups and agencies—and our students give a great sense of Marin’s bright, engaged future.
What’s one thing Marin is missing? I’d like to see a more comprehensive approach to climate action, which includes scaling transportation alternatives, embracing workforce housing and working collaboratively across sectors.
What’s one bit of advice you’d share with your fellow Marinites? Take a class at College of Marin—there’s something for everyone!
If you could invite anyone to a special dinner, who would they be? My son, Jack, passed away from cancer 10 years ago at the age of 10.
What is some advice you wish you knew 20 years ago? Conflict can only thrive if you choose to participate in it.
What is something that 20 years from now will seem cringeworthy? Probably my entire wardrobe!
Big question. What is one thing you’d do to change the world? Ensure equitable educational opportunities for everyone.
Keep up with Eldridge at @presidenteldridge on Instagram.
Nish Nadaraja was on the founding team at Yelp, serves on the San Anselmo Arts Commission and wishes there were a class on Dungeons & Dragons he could take.
Gosh, you have to feel tremendous empathy for the heroic Rudy Giuliani, who is on the hook, so to speak, for around $150 million in defamation dough, has been indicted in Arizona for trying to swing an election in favor of his NYC buddy and is having a heck of a time living on a monthly budget of $43,000.
Plus, he’s kinda been late on disclosing his living expenses and sources of income to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court and, having been disbarred in New York state and the District of Columbia, has to fall back on living off his WABC talk radio program income.
It’s a story of unimaginable suffering, and I’m counting on the Sun to create a fund to help the poor man out.
If all Marin County residents make a one-time one-dollar contribution, that’s $252,660 to get him through his ordeal, at least until he screws up another disclosure and the Feds blow up his bankruptcy deal. We owe America’s Mayor at least that much.
One would be forgiven if, like me, they didn’t know that “kite” is the name of a local bird species. For all my years in this area, I assumed it was, you know, a diamond-shaped aerial toy with a string.
So, admittedly, I was confused by the handsome bird of prey depicted on the wine labels of Black Kite Cellars’ brilliant bottles. Am I bird-brained? Yes. But I also know how to enjoy a good flight. And one of the best places to land is Jasper House in—wait for it… Freestone.
Named for famed local historical figure Jasper O’Farrell, Black Kite Cellars’ newly opened tasting room is the first in the west Sonoma County town’s historic district and a much-welcomed addition, perfectly integrated off a block shared by Wild Flour Bread and Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary.
There, one can enjoy terroir-specific offerings expertly crafted by acclaimed winemaker Jeff Gaffner that serve to remind that world-class winemaking is alive and well in Sonoma County.
The newly opened Jasper House is the brainchild of Tom and Rebecca Green Birdsall, and the perfect complement to their family-owned Black Kite Cellars, which has produced site-specific pinot noir and chardonnay primarily from Sonoma County’s coastal appellations since 2003.
Architect Steve vonRaesfeld (vR|a Architects) and interior designer Julie Hawkins (Hawkins Interiors) created a space that’s at once sophisticated and bohemian. Those familiar with the vibe of Sea Ranch will feel right at home. And those familiar with fine wine will also feel at home and want to reside in the cellar.
Tasting experiences at Black Kite Cellars’ Jasper House include wines from the estate Jasper Freestone Vineyard (literally across a country road from the tasting room), as well as other Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley wines, each showcasing their unique individual terroir.
Some readers may be familiar with the oft-lauded 2021 Black Kite Cellars Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir, a medium-bodied, garnet-hued crowd pleaser with notes of black currant tea, a whisper of nutmeg and undergirded with a dry slate note that balances the cherry Life Savers tease on the tongue…
But do they know it has a sibling? Try the 2021 Black Kite Cellars Jasper Freestone Pinot Noir, which arrives on the palate with bright berry notes, a hint of spice and a gently herbaceous sigh shaded by winking minerality.
And let’s not forget the 2021 Black Kite Cellars Jasper Freestone Chardonnay, which hits the taste buds with a daub of lemon zest, a subtle sea kiss, apple flesh, pear and fresh gingerbread. It’s a beautiful, well-balanced wine and one of the many incentives to visit the Jasper House ASAP. And this is only the beginning. There are many more wines and many more ways to enjoy Jasper House—bring the flock.
Black Kite Cellars’ Jasper House is located at 12747 El Camino Bodega in Freestone and is open seven days a week, 10am–5pm. Tasting appointments may be made in advance or same-day. For more information, to book a tasting experience and to join the wine club with exclusive offers, visit BlackKiteCellars.com.
La Force, the solo project of Montreal-based songwriter Ariel Engle, appears at the Sebastiani Theatre May 14 in support of her new album, XO SKELETON. The LP has earned praise and support from such outlets as The Washington Post (“lush pop and R&B tunes where warm tones swaddle heavy thoughts”). Engle is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist in Broken Social Scene since 2017 and can also be heard singing on the most recent album from Big Red Machine. She is touring as the supporting act to critically lauded singer-songwriter-filmmaker Caroline Rose. XO SKELETON explores such heady themes as the finality of death or whether another person’s love can or cannot bestow a sense of protection. The show begins at 7pm, Tuesday, May 14, at the Sebastiani Theatre, 476 1st St. E, Sonoma. For tickets and more information, visit bit.ly/rose-laforce.
Petaluma
Too Cool
Cool Petaluma, a nonprofit that inspires local climate action through community building, invites all residents to attend its Third Annual Resource Expo at the Petaluma Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Dr. The event is from 5 to 8pm on Tuesday, May 21. At the expo, local experts will share resources and answer community questions surrounding five main topic areas: preparing for emergencies, rethinking consumption, transforming transportation, improving buildings and restoring nature. “This year will be bigger and better than ever, with a new live stage for demonstrations and mini-workshops,” says Natasha Juliana, co-founder of Cool Petaluma. “Supplied with information and inspiration, we’ll all find it easier to continue on our journey to becoming more resilient and planet friendly—block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood.” More info at coolpetaluma.org/expo2024.
Marin County
Public Works
Marin County hosts its first-ever Public Works Fair on May 18, coinciding with the 64th annual National Public Works Week. This family-friendly affair showcases the vital role of public works in our communities and Marin’s infrastructure (FYI: Marin Public Works oversees 52 public facilities, over 420 miles of roadway, 56 bridges and eight watersheds). The festivities begin at 10am and run until 2pm at the Marin County Fairgrounds, 10 Ave of the Flags, San Rafael, and will feature activities for all ages, including demonstrations and interactive presentations to hands-on experiences and photo ops with heavy-duty machinery. High school students and their parents may explore the various internship opportunities available. Live music, face painting, games and snacks abound—and are completely free. Motorists are encouraged to utilize the Exhibit Hall parking lot at 20 Ave of the Flags in San Rafael. Or hop on the SMART train to the Civic Center station. For more info, call 415.473.6530 or visit bit.ly/marin-pub-works.
Novato
Hypno Comedy
Comedy hypnotist Gary Conrad brings his brand of subconscious satire to Novato’s Trattoria Ghiringhelli for an evening in which “volunteers come on stage, enter a hypnotic state and then experience Lewis Carrollesque scenarios in which they transform into famous singers, dancers, comedians and sports personalities; return to being five years old; switch genders; misplace their body parts,” according to promoters. Conrad has been seen on The View and has shared the air with Danny Bonaduce, FOX-TV’s Mancow Muller, Crook & Chase, Opie & Anthony, Rick & Bubba, Don & Mike and Ed Lover & Dr. Dre. Additional bonafides include stage time with such legends as Tony Bennett, Barbara Walters, Cher, Lenny Kravitz and even the late Tiny Tim. The show begins at 8pm, Thursday, May 10, at Trattoria Ghiringhelli, 1535 S. Novato Blvd., Novato. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit garyconrad.com.
The truth will out is one of those maxims that puts an asterisk on family lore. The mechanism of its outing can be a commercial genetic test, a lost and found letter, or—in the case of writer and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker David Rabinovitch—his own dogged curiosity.
For Rabinovitch, who lived in Marin County for decades (and now spends his time in Baja and the Pacific Northwest), the story starts with a legendary uncle who was essentially excised from his family history—until now.
There were breadcrumbs, however, and over a period of years, Rabinovitch was able to reconstruct a portrait of his charismatic uncle, Wolfe Rabin, which is captivating and ultimately tragic. The result is Jukebox Empire: The Mob and the Dark Side of the American Dream, an eminently readable accounting of an aspiring tycoon who partners with a racketeer to build a jukebox that makes millions, then takes the fall for the largest money laundering scheme in history.
Caught between the Mob and the feds in a plot to save the casinos in Havana from Castro’s revolution, Wolfe Rabin pulls the biggest money-laundering scheme in history, but his hubris leads to the conspiracy unraveling in a sensational trial.
Rabinovitch will appear at Corte Madera’s Book Passage next Monday.
“I’ve been incredibly curious to have a close relative, my father’s brother, who we never met. So it starts with that. And I have an incredible curiosity in all the work that I do,” says Rabinovitch, who’s no stranger to research-driven deep dives. His mini-series, The Secret Files of the Inquisition, required working with thousands of archival files relating to the Catholic church—in Latin. For Jukebox Empire, Rabinovitch obtained a “huge dump of files” declassified by the FBI. “Journalistically, it was very similar,” he notes.
“I’m like a dog with a bone that way; I can’t let go,” says the author. “But in terms of motivation, the deeper I got into it, the more incredible it became.”
Naturally, as a filmmaker, Rabinovitch initially intended to tell his uncle’s story onscreen. “I was writing a screenplay, and the more I got into it, I said, I can’t do justice to the material, the limitations of a screenplay, because screenplays are about what you leave out,” he recalls.
Now that the book is out and garnering raves (“…A scandalous, entertaining and worthwhile read” –Winnipeg Free Press), Rabinovitch and an entertainment industry colleague are working on bringing the story to a streamer near you.
“I think ultimately he’s a tragic figure. For someone who had so much promise, so much extraordinary ability,” says Rabinovitch. “He was one of those people, I think, that just lit up a room whenever he came into it. He turned his focus on somebody, and he had that charisma and that ability that made people want to believe him and want to buy into what he was promoting. So there’s kind of a turn. It’s a long, slippery slope, and I think he went down.”
When asked how he thinks his uncle would react to the project, Rabinovitch laughs, saying, “He’d probably want royalties from the book.”
David Rabinovitch will appear in support of ‘Jukebox Empire: The Mob and the Dark Side of the American Dream,’ at 4pm, Monday, May 13 at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When my friend, Jessalyn, first visited Disneyland as a child, she was smitten by its glimmering, unblemished mystery. “It was far more real than real,” she said. “A dream come true.” But after a few hours, her infatuation unraveled. She began to see through the luster. Waiting in long lines to go on the rides exhausted her. The mechanical elephant was broken. The food was unappetizing. The actor impersonating Mickey Mouse shucked his big mouse head and swilled a beer. The days ahead may have resemblances to Jessalyn’s awakening for you. This slow-motion jolt might vex you initially, although I believe it’s a healthy sign. It will lead to a cleansed perspective that’s free of illusion and teeming with clarity.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Keizoku wa chikara nari is a Japanese proverb that means “To continue is power.” I propose you make that your motto for the next four weeks. Everything you need to happen and all the resources you need to attract will come your way as long as your overarching intention is perseverance. This is always a key principle for you Tauruses, but especially now. If you can keep going, if you can overcome your urges to quit your devotions, you will gain a permanent invigoration of your willpower.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do you believe there are divine beings, animal spirits and departed ancestors who are willing and able to help us? If not, you may want to skip this horoscope. I won’t be upset if you feel that way. But if you do harbor such views, as I do, I’m pleased to tell you that they will be extra available for you in the coming weeks. Remember one of the key rules about their behavior: They love to be asked for assistance; they adore it when you express your desires for them to bring you specific blessings and insights. Reach out, Gemini! Call on them.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I’m taking a gamble here as I advise you to experiment with the counsel of visionary poet and painter William Blake (1757–1825). It’s a gamble because I’m asking you to exert a measure of caution as you explore his daring, unruly advice. Be simultaneously prudent and ebullient, Cancerian. Be discerning and wild. Be watchful and experimental. Here are Blake’s directions: 1. The road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom, for we never know what is enough until we know what is more than enough. 2. If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise. 3. The pride of the peacock is the glory of God. The lust of the goat is the bounty of God. 4. No bird soars too high if it soars with its own wings. 5. Exuberance is Beauty.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Cosmic energies are staging a big party in your astrological House of Ambition. It’s a great time to expand and intensify your concepts of what you want to accomplish with your one wild and precious life. You will attract unexpected help as you shed your inhibitions about asking for what you really want. Life will benevolently conspire on your behalf as you dare to get bolder in defining your highest goals. Be audacious, Leo! Be brazen and brave and brilliant! I predict you will be gifted with lucid intuitions about how best to channel your drive for success. You will get feelers from influential people who can help you in your quest for victory. (P.S.: The phrase, “your one wild and precious life,” comes from poet Mary Oliver.)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Is it possible to be too smart for your own good? Maybe, although that won’t be a problem for you anytime soon. However, you may temporarily be too smart for some people who are fixated on conventional and simplistic solutions. You could be too super-brilliant for those who wallow in fear or regard cynicism as a sign of intelligence. But I will not advise you to dumb yourself down, dear Virgo. Instead, I will suggest you be crafty and circumspect. Act agreeable and humble, even as you plot behind the scenes to turn everything upside-down and inside-out—by which I mean, make it work with more grace and benefit for everyone concerned.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In my fairy tale about your life in the coming weeks and months, you will transform from a crafty sleuth to an eager explorer. You will finish your wrestling matches with tricky angels and wander off to consort with big thinkers and deep feelers. You will finish your yeoman attempts to keep everyone happy in the human zoo and instead indulge your sacred longings for liberation and experimentation. In this fairy tale of your life, Libra, I will play the role of your secret benefactor. I will unleash a steady stream of prayers to bless you with blithe zeal as you relish every heart-opening, brain-cleansing moment of your new chapter.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the coming months, I will encourage you to keep deepening and refining the art of intimacy. I will rejoice as you learn more and more about how to feel close to people you care for and how to creatively deal with challenges you encounter in your quest to become closer. Dear Scorpio, I will also cheer you on whenever you dream up innovations to propitiate togetherness. Bonus blessings! If you do all I’m describing, your identity will come into brighter focus. You will know who you are with greater accuracy. Get ready! The coming weeks will offer you novel opportunities to make progress on the themes I’ve mentioned.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You could offer a workshop on the perks of wobbliness. Your anxious ruminations and worried fantasies are so colorful that I almost hesitate to tell you to stop. I’m wondering if this is one of those rare phases when you could take advantage of your so-called negative feelings. Is it possible that lurking just below the uneasiness are sensational revelations about a path to liberation? I’m guessing there are. To pluck these revelations, you must get to the core of the uneasiness.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): During the last 11 months, life has offered you unprecedented opportunities to deepen and ripen your emotional intelligence. You have been vividly invited to grow your wisdom about how to manage and understand your feelings. I trust you have been capitalizing on these glorious teachings. I hope you have honed your skills at tapping into the power and insights provided by your heart and gut. There’s still more time to work on this project, Capricorn. In the coming weeks, seek out breakthroughs that will climax this phase of your destiny.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Naturalist and author Henry David Thoreau declared, “We need the tonic of wildness.” Amen! In my view, you Aquarians especially need this sweet, rugged healing power in the coming weeks. Borrowing more words from Thoreau, I urge you to exult in all that is mysterious, unsurveyed and unfathomable. Like Thoreau, I hope you will deepen your connection with the natural world because “it is cheerfully, musically earnest.” Share in his belief that “we must go out and re-ally ourselves to Nature every day. We must take root, send out some little fiber.”
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I have four questions and homework assignments for you, Pisces. 1. Is there a person in your inner circle who is close to ripening a latent talent that would ultimately benefit you? I suspect there is. What can you do to assist them? 2. Is there a pending gift or legacy that you have not yet claimed or activated? I think so. What would be a good first step to get it fully into your life? 3. What half-dormant potency could you call on and use if you were more confident about your ability to wield it? I believe you now have the wherewithal to summon the confidence you need. 4. What wasteful habit could you replace with a positive new habit?
Larkspur's The Lark Theater continues its revue, Side by Side by Sondheim, featuring a collection of Stephen Sondheim's most beloved songs through May 25.
The show includes classics like “Send in the Clowns” (A Little Night Music), “Side by Side” and “Company” (Company), “I’m Still Here” and “Broadway Baby” (Follies), and more. The songs, performed by a talented cast of...
For some feel-good local news, look no further than the Petaluma-based inspirational and philanthropic organization Humans Being Media. Through three decades of documentary filmmaking, Humans Being Media has consistently worked to change the world for the better, one movie at a time.
The transformative power of media is undeniable, and those who choose to use this power for good are...
The 2023 Lahaina, Maui wildfires wrought havoc, claiming over 100 lives, decimating thousands of homes and ravaging vast swathes of land, resulting in a staggering $6 billion in damages.
More than 14,000 individuals evacuated the island, grappling with homelessness or temporary displacement, shuttling between hotels in a repetitive cycle. In contrast to fire-resilient regions like Marin County, Hawaii lacks the...
Now in its third year, Marin County’s largest-drawing outdoor music festival returns with a lineup sure to please even the most avid music aficionado.
Curated by the fine folks who hold down the annual Noise Pop festival, Mill Valley Music Fest’s musical docket this year is quite impressive, with performances by Fleet Foxes, Greensky Bluegrass, Thee Sacred Souls, Margo Price,...
Jonathan Eldridge grew up in Washington State, but his career in higher education has led him down the coast to Marin. At the moment, he is the tallest college president in California, at 6 feet, 6 inches tall.
What do you do? I’m the College of Marin’s 11th superintendent/president.
Where do you live? My family and I live in Upper Lucas...
Rude Boy
Gosh, you have to feel tremendous empathy for the heroic Rudy Giuliani, who is on the hook, so to speak, for around $150 million in defamation dough, has been indicted in Arizona for trying to swing an election in favor of his NYC buddy and is having a heck of a time living on a monthly budget of...
One would be forgiven if, like me, they didn’t know that “kite” is the name of a local bird species. For all my years in this area, I assumed it was, you know, a diamond-shaped aerial toy with a string.
So, admittedly, I was confused by the handsome bird of prey depicted on the wine labels of Black Kite Cellars’...
La Force to Be Reckoned With
La Force, the solo project of Montreal-based songwriter Ariel Engle, appears at the Sebastiani Theatre May 14 in support of her new album, XO SKELETON. The LP has earned praise and support from such outlets as The Washington Post (“lush pop and R&B tunes where warm tones swaddle heavy thoughts”). Engle is perhaps best...
The truth will out is one of those maxims that puts an asterisk on family lore. The mechanism of its outing can be a commercial genetic test, a lost and found letter, or—in the case of writer and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker David Rabinovitch—his own dogged curiosity.
For Rabinovitch, who lived in Marin County for decades (and now spends...
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When my friend, Jessalyn, first visited Disneyland as a child, she was smitten by its glimmering, unblemished mystery. “It was far more real than real,” she said. “A dream come true.” But after a few hours, her infatuation unraveled. She began to see through the luster. Waiting in long lines to go on the rides...
