Enterprising women go live

Mompreneurs Online may have an active networking group in Long Beach pretty soon thanks to Jennifer Griner. She will be hosting a launch event soon and asks interested women who have their own businesses or are thinking of starting one to email her at jensweet1@gmail.com. She heads several businesses including Sweet Success Business Services

Help for Haiti Event at El Dorado Park

This Sunday, from 11 am to 3 pm at El Dorado Park, 40 in 4 Haiti Relief will attempt to raise $40,000 in 4 hours to be sent to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. There will be a drive-up donation booth and also, food, music and games for the kids if you'd like to stay and play

Healthcare not Weathcare

I found time to show up at the Moveon.org emergency rally for healthcare reform today at 7th and Bellflower. There were about 15 enthusiastic sign carriers and a lot of supportive drivers who honked and give us the thumbs up. Now I hope a few of those good people will write Feinstein and Boxer to remind them of the urgency of continuing to pressure reform naysayers and persuade them that change is needed.

Death and Walking

I'm trying to ignore taxes for the moment by adding another item to the list of the inevitabilities of adult life--walking! The LA Times had an intriguing column in the Health section today called "Hiking Helpers." The products featured were: a $230 backpack that allows airflow on your back; easily adjustable hiking poles costing $119; a jacket that converts to a bivy bag (no insulation) at a mere $299; and (finally something in my price range) the cutest little LED lantern for $7.98.

Also in the Health section in the LA Times today (the only section I skim from front to back each week), were several articles on end-of-life planning and hospice care. Death is not tops on anyonc's list of things to think about, but, hey, we all know it's gonna happen. A few helpful websites they mention: Five Wishes, Project Grace, and Caring Connections

Update meeting about Lagoon Restoration

City of Long Beach will hold a meeting to update the community on the progress of the Colorado Lagoon Restoration at 5 pm Thursday, February 11 at Lowell Elementary School. The project wil improve the habitat and water quality and should begin in March and be completed in October. Some street closures will occur during the project.

Healthy sea cruise

Just have to create a link to A Taste of Health which sponsors vegan and vegetarian cruises of the Caribbean with classes on nutrition and exercise for all ages and abilities. This year's cruise is from March 21 to 28 and sails out of Fort Lauderdale. The cost is about $2,600 for a couple

Eco-friendly inside and out

Grunion Gazette has an interesting feature on a local business called Soylar Candles. Owner and operator Irene Guoz not only uses natural ingredients inside her candles, she powers the process outside with solar panels on her roof. Candles can be customized with fragrance and color and there's free local pickup.

More Mind Expanding Websites

AARP Bulletin listed an impressive assortment of websites with lectures, podcasts, videos, etc. that offer free instruction.

ResearchChannel

VideoLectures

Harvard@Home

Hewlett Packard Learning Center

WonderHowTo

Howcast

TEDTalks


Nobel Prize Lectures


Forum Network

WEbMD Videos

HealthCentral

BBC Language Lessons

Food Network

LibriVox public domain audio books

NPR Jazz Profiles

Brigham Young University Online Genealogy Classes

History Channel

Swing and Sway with the Historical Society of Long Beach

Get out your saddle shoes and bobby sox Friday night for a nostalgic USO Dance with a swing band, vintage dress, and refreshments at the Historical Society of Long Beach, 4260 Atlantic Avenue. The festivities, which runs from 6:30 to 9 pm, mark the opening of a new exhibit called Produce for Victory: Posters on the American Home Front, 1941-1945, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and the California Council for the Humanities. Fifty-four posters will be on display through April 2 along with items from the Historical Society's Naval Preservation Initiative. Call 562-424-2220 for tickets.

Matriculate in your pajamas

Academic Earth takes you to lectures by noted professors from leading universities around the country. Courses from Harvard, Stanford, and other world-class universities are available for free on topics like Non-violence: From Gandhi to Martin Luther King or Science, Magic and Religion. No electronic sheepskins or mortarboards, but lots of thought provoking entertainment

Manana, En La Noche

Tomorrow, the Museum of Latin American Art will host En La Noche, where tours of the museum's current exhibits are spiced up with a complimentary wine tasting, a prix-fixe dinner, a no-host bar AND ongoing videos highlighting artists whose works are on display. This month, an L.A. band called La Santa Cecilia will perform Afro-Cuban flavored music and next month (February 18) Argentinian vocalist Sofia Rei Koutsovitis will present her blend of South American jazz. The event runs from 6 to 10 pm and costs $10 for non-members.

A New Voice in Long Beach

Swoops World Radio, an Internet radio station, promises to concentrate on Long Beach events and issues. So far, Long Beach Cyclists and city council member Tonia Reyes Uranga have been featured.

Long Beach Now Recycles Styrofoam-Woohoo!

Now, you can toss clean styrofoam cups and container into your recycling bin. Most other packing materials are accepted too, but not packing peanuts (which can be turned in to the UPS store or FedEx). Most fast food containers can be turned in as well as plastic cutlery.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

With all the brouhaha about Kindle, I'm slowly edging my way toward e-books. ManyBooks has a slew of out of copyright titles (i.e., old) that you can download in html and pdf among other format or transfer to a Sony Reader. There's some real gems like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Art of War.

Right now, I'm happy as a bug with the audiobooks available through Overdrive at the Long Beach Public Library website. Every title can be downloaded to an MP3 player and some can be burned to discs or even transferred to an iPod. There are classics but also a ton of recent bestsellers. I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and about to start on The Life of Pi. It makes driving and housework so much more interesting

A Place for the Imagination and the Soul

Grunion Gazette has an interesting article on the Immanuel Center for Conscious Living. The pastor, Rev. Jane Galloway, encourages creative expression as a pathway to spiritual growth. The church offers an art class for students at nearby Mann Elementary School as well as adult classes in religious growth and understanding. I'm particularly interested in the Peace Garden Meditation held every Wednesday from 7 to 8 pm.

The Chocolate's Coming! The Chocolate's Coming!

In perhaps my first repeat bulletin, I am happy and hungry to announce that the Chocolate Festival is coming to Second Street on February 6 from 1 to 4 pm. There'll be a pie-eating contest and a homemade dessert contest and live music, but I'm saving my appetite for the luscious, gooey morsels that places like La Strada and Sweet Jill's will have to sample. Ticket books of 12 for $10 will go on sale at February 1.

The Book Doctors are in

The Writing Spa offers mentoring for fiction and non-fiction for as low as $500. If I can just get this darned first draft completed, this could be a good step toward getting the plot under control. There's also a blog with advice and sample critiques.

A good book of writing prompts: Take Ten for Writers by Bonnie Neubauer

Awesome Portal for Cul-chah

Open Culture, mentioned recently in AARP Bulletin, is an awesome source of free online classes sponsored by universities plus free educational audios and podcasts, videos, e-books and much, much more.

Walk at Home With My Hero Leslie Sansone and Other AARP Delights

AARP is offering discounts to joining Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home Club. For $14.95, you get free videos, meal plans, streaming live classes and chats. There's 50% off selected DVDs too. There's also something about being a Walk at Home leader. Hmmm . . . I could do that.

There's also a $100 per stateroom discount for early bookings on MSC Cruises. A Canada cruise in the fall would be nice.

Writerly Dreams

Came across a flyer for "Booked in LA" a convention for mystery writers and readers sponsored by Left Coast Crime. The event takes place in Los Angeles this year at the Omni Hotel from March 11 to 14. Lots of L.A. writers, including Long Beach favorites Wendy Hornsby and Jan Burke (who's one of the guests of honor. Registration is $225, but there are volunteer positions.

While I'm dreaming, I might as well mention One Writer's Place, an idyllic cottage in Cape Cod owned by author Jacqueline Mitchard. She offers workshops there for $1995, and you can also apply for one to three week residencies there. The residencies are free, except for a $150 to $250 cleaning fee. You don't need to be published, but you do need three letters of recommendation. It's not clear whether you send writing samples or not.

So Many Museums, So Little Time

Los Angeles Magazine featured a museum in Carson called the International Printing Museum. Besides displaying presses and fonts (on Saturdays only for $8 admission), it offers classes in things like letterpress.

Virtual Biking

To prep myself for the CSULB bike safety classes I signed up for in February, I'm reviewing a few bike-centric websites.

Bike Long Beach -- has a Bike 101 page with safety tips for riding at night or reporting a pothole, but it doesn't not explain the mystery of why the new "bike route" street signs have numbers on them

Los Angeles Dept. of Transportation -- has a downloadable 12-page brochure on bike rules and bike maps

Bike Commuters -- has a blog featuring hard-working bikes and bike accessories state-by-state bike laws

League of American Bicyclists -- has educational videos and a state-by-state directory of bike classes

National Center for Bicycling & Walking -- links to the Active Living Resource Center and other publications

California Association of Bicycling Organizations -- has news-oriented blog and articles

California Bicycle Coalition -- news on laws and advocacy

California DMV -- has rules of bike safety and links

Pedestrian and bicycle Information -- has maps and programs and free photos like the one in this post (pedbikeimages.org/photographer Dan Burden)

Panniers A-Plenty #2: Dogs Xing

Exciting news! I have already fulfilled my exercise goal for January -- two walks or bike rides for work (including grocery shopping) and two walks or bike rides for pleasure. I walked to Ralph's last week as well as the bike ride to the Alamitos Bay Marina Farmer's Market described in Pan(n)iers A-Plenty #1. For pleasure, I joined members of the Sierra Club who stride around Signal Hill every Tuesday and Thursday night. What they called a moderate pace was strenuous for me, but the night air and the view from Hill Top Park made it worth the effort. Today, I ventured down to the shoreline bike path with my husband and sons. It's been months since I went down there, but every time I go, I'm always delighted by little glimpses of the good life Long Beach style that come my way.



We cruised down Sixth Avenue, which heading west from Santiago is a cruiser's paradise (the steep climb heading east is well beyond my ability level). The road gently rolls up and down with the greenery "Little Rec" Golf Course and Colorado Lagoon for scenery. We had to detour around the mounds of dirt piled up around Ximeno for the excavations going on around Marine Stadium. Two of my favorite bike rides obstructed--what a bite!



Every time I cruise around Belmont Heights, I always discover a new residence I wish were mine. Given my current financial situation and lacksadaisical housekeeping routine, it's probably better that one of those beauties doesn't fall into my hands. Most of the streets in that neighborhood are narrow but traffic is light and stops are clearly marked. The main challenge is crossing Broadway. Ocean was also a little dicey too because the traffic light gave barely enough time for our group of bikes and a couple of bikes crossing in the other direction to negotiate the central island.



We connected with the shoreline bike path at the Belmont Olympic Pool. A swim meet must have been in progress because the place was buzzing. I noticed that Chuck's Coffee Shop (Home of the "Weasel" Locally World Famous) now has a designated bike parking area, and if all the cars trolling for spaces are any indication, two wheels are definitely the right way to roll at Chuck's.



As we headed out onto the bike path the Airship Ventures blimp floated above us and my husband just had to get a photo, causing a little conjestion for the bicyclists and pedestrians around us. Most everyone was mellow about veering around us. After all it's a sunny Sunday at the beach and the rest of the country is freezing cold, so Californians are ready to cut each other a little slack. I was surprised to see more walkers that bikers and even 4 or 5 roller bladers enjoying the sun. Thankfully, I remembered my shades.

Further along, we passed the volleyball courts. Nearly all of them were occupied, many with very attractive Misty May wannabes in sports bras and bikini bottoms. On the ocean side of the path, orange hazard cones marked off the dog beach. Happy pups careened in and out of the surf as their owners tossed balls or barked commands. "Dogs Xing" was stencilled across the bike path, but I had no canine encounters to slow me down. We crossed Ocean and headed up Bayshore. That street is VERY narrow and made even more challenging by the concrete wall on the beach side of the road. Motorists were very patient about sharing the road with us, but it was a relief to get back to Appian Way and its big fat bike lane. The rest of the ride was pretty mellow, except that I had a minor run-in with a lamppost as I was watching the cricket match in Marina Vista Park. One strand of my new bike basket was broken, but it looks like it'll hold up just fine.

More Senior Moments

Long Beach City College also has lots to offer those of a certain age. The LBCC Senior Center has announced its excursion schedule for the spring semester. Each tour costs $20 for the chartered bus plus any admission charge to the landmark. Reservations are accepted by phone from 8 to 10 am at 938-3048. I'm particularly interested in Norton Simon Museum on January 21, The Adamson House and Malibu Lagoon Museum on February 16, and a comprehensive Long Beach tour on February 18.

CSULB Offers Classes for over 50s

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), located on the CSULB campus, offers short term classes for people over 50 at reasonable rates. Topics include popular computer programs and everything from architecture to GPS. Prices range from $10 to $45 per class.

A Week of Peace and Unity

The celebration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will last a week here in Long Beach, sponsored in large part by Councilperson Dee Andrews. Today, activities include a clean-up of MLK Blvd., ground breaking for a Community Peace Garden at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, and the third annual Peace March from 5 pm to 6 pm. During the week there will be an awards ceremony and a lunch for local ministers as well as dialogues between police and youth. The culmination of all these unity-building events will be the Peace & Unity Parade Celebration which runs from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm on January 16.



Over the years, many people use the MLK holiday to volunteer for some helping activity. Create the Good network has featured MLK volunteer events on its website and California State Library has teamed with VolunteerMatch to create a user-friendly website for local links to volunteer opportunities.

Paws for Refreshment

The Long Beach Animal Care Services Bureau invites everyone to paws for refreshment at its Open House on January 24 from 10 am to noon. Visitors can review a report card on the past year as well as an overview of new programs and technologies available to residents in 2010 while they enjoy refreshments, tours or tour the facilities. Information on animal adoption, dog licensing, spay and neuter programs, and other animal care information will be available. The shelter is located at 7700 East Spring Street

Panniers A-Plenty #1

With all the new interest in biking around Long Beach, I've decided to chronicle some of the rides I take this year. My goal is to two at least 2 recreational bike rides a month and at least 2 bike rides to work or shopping a month. Conveniently, my husband proposed we ride to the Alamitos Bay Marina Farmer's Market this morning, so one down and 3 to go.

The cruise down Santiago brought a surprise when my son pointed out a new sign prohibiting right turns on red from Santiago to Seventh Street. It's the scene of many a traffic accident, so I guess that's a good decision.
We glided across Marina Vista Park and through a little used path by Spinnaker Bay. The well maintained concrete path is enclosed on both sides by gated communities and further secluded with trees and gardens. Always a serene couple of blocks before hitting PCH.

The outing provided the perfect opportunity to try out the new bike lanes on southbound Pacific Coast Highway. Traffic was light on a Sunday morning, but it was still nerve-wracking crossing the bridge just north of Marina Pacifica. A line needs to be painted to mark a bike lane across the bridge Watching for traffic turning into the big mall is also a headache. I don't see any easy fix for car/bike interaction here.

As we approached the intersection of PCH and Second, more pedestrians and bicyclists on the way to the Farmer's Market became apparent. One bicyclist was riding on the wrong side of Second Street and had a dangerous encounter with another bicyclist (with extra wide paniers) and oncoming traffic. Another really clueless pedestrian walked right out into traffic and was so busy talking on his cell phone that he didn't seem to notice people honking at him. It's important to remember that non-motorists can be as inconsiderate as motorists given half a chance.

A large contingent of bicyclists came over the Second Street bridge just as we were approaching the Farmer's Market. There must have been at least 3o people in a continuous stream coming down the steep slope of the bridge. The awesome sight made me think that maybe Long Beach really could become known as a bike-friendly place. My husband and son stopped to take photos and we got disconnected. Luckily, I brought my own bike lock, so I wasn't stranded.

New hitching posts have been installed around the Farmer's Market area, so I didn't have to lock up to a tree. Yet again, the city of Long Beach is stepping up to meet the needs of bicyclists. There aren't nearly enough to accommodate the troop of cyclists that I saw, but at least it's a start. Pickings are pretty slim this time of year at the Farmer's Market, but we got some oranges, tomatoes, and eggs.

On the way home, we noticed a green painted square at the intersection of Marina Drive and Second Street. A couple on bicycles there in front of the cars. When my husband remarked on it, the woman cyclist said it was called a "safe box." I'm not sure why it makes bikes any safer to be in front of traffic than to the side, but bike visibility is always a good thing in my book.

The view at the top of the Second Street Bridge was a California dream as usual--blue sky, sparkling water, and a glimpse of snow-capped peaks in the distance. The bike lane is clearly marked all the way across the bridge but the access ramp to Appian Way is a little hairy because it splits into a left-ony and right-only lane. What's a conscientious bicylist to do?

Appian Way is another perfect place for a bike cruiser like me--no slopes to huff and puff over, little traffic to worry about, and great views of Marine Stadium and million dollar homes with the sky and the mountains as a backdrop. My husband pointed out a seal near the beach in Marine Stadium, a sight I'd never seen before. We had to veer out of the parking area and out onto Appian Way because construction is still going on to improve drainage around the Colorado Lagoon and the area is fenced off. There was a little bit of a tie-up with bikes and traffic at the four-way stops around Fourth Street and Park Avenue near the fire station, but we powered through and made our way home

New Year, New Cheer

Well, it's taken three days, but I'm finally reviewing my 2009 goals and the results are just a hair above average. The big winner is this here blog thing. My goal was to post 10 times a month and I posted 365 times! The key to my success was to shorten the posts and stop adding pictures. However, I have been severely chastised by my husband (who just started blogging a month ago) that blogs without photos are boring, so I plan to integrate some longer photo posts with my event posts. These longer posts will have to do with my goals, so with any luck, I'll do better at fulfilling in the coming year.



Besides the blog, I had intended to:

• Finish the first draft of a novel-- I'm only about half done


• Set up an office -- I have a table stacked with folders, but need to sift through file cabinets and get an actual desk


• Reconnect with friends and family--I did spend more time with a few people I've known for a long time, but didn't make any new friends; I did join a book club and a writing group and volunteered at 2 places.


• Grow organic vegetables -- I took a composting class and made some compost mix; I got self watering pots and planted peppers and tomatoes and basil. The basil grew like wild fire, but the tomatoes and peppers were less than satisfactory


• Travel more -- I went to the San Francisco area, visited friends and family in Richmond, VA and western Massachusets and Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara, CA, had a "couples' weekend" in San Luis Obispo, and a 30th wedding anniversary week in a cabin near Glacier National Park (and blogged about it)


• Get a new job -- I applied for one job at CSULB


• Take better care of my health -- I've been pretty good in the last four months of maintaining a regular weekly exercises routine of 2 simple yoga sessions, 2 sessions with light hand weights, 2 half-hour or more walking sessions, and 2 meditation sessions; I have maintained my weight but not lost any

Some unexpected achievements this year were: listening to 25 recorded books, setting up a regular housekeeping schedule, and reading several writing magazines regularly.

So this year, I will pretty much attempt to do better on these goals than I did last year.

• Blog -- Continue short event-oriented posts and add longer pieces at least one a week focusing on my annual goals. Goal: 5 posts a week =260 posts (Continuing post series--Blog-a-rama--will feature blogs I like and why)
• Finish novel -- Set aside at least 5 hours a week for writing; continue to read writing magazines and books; set aside a long weekend for myself as a birthday present (Continuing post series--Scribblocity--will discuss thoughts about the novel and writing in general)
• Set up office -- break down office set up into doable pieces; (Continuing post series--Sanctuary--will examine what will make an office efficient and inviting for me)
• Friends and family -- Continue to volunteer; continue to look for opportunities to go out with friends; join at least one social group (Continuing post series--People who need people--will feature local volunteer groups)
• Organic gardening-- get out there and get my hands dirty; this year concentrate on herbs (Continuing post series--Down to the roots--will chronicle what's growing and what's not)
• Job--I will apply for Census job and at part-time agencies as well as investigate starting up a research business
• Travelling -- Visit New York City, take a camper trip with the family, take a long weekend by my self; take a trip with a friend (maybe Elderhostel); go on a cruise (Continuing post series--Road Trip!--will report on these trips)
• Health -- Continue exercise routine; do more biking and walking--2 pleasure excursions and 2 functional excursions per month; work up to having at least one vegetarian day per week (Continuing post series--Paniers a-plenty--will discuss bike and walk routes)

Weeks for Thrifty Eating

Both Los Angeles County and Orange County will both sponsor restaurant week in the next two months. Dine LA runs from January 24 to 29 and January 31 to February 5. Three course dinners will run from $26 to $44. In Orange County, February 28 to March 6 will be the week when top notch restaurants offer dinners from $20 to $40.

Click, click, yum, yum

Eat: Los Angeles, a directory of one-of-a-kind Southern California restaurants, has a new 2010 edition and a companion website with discoveries, deals, and events.

Dickens of a Festival in Riverside

Riverside holds its Dickens Festival from February 5 to February 7 with a marketplace filled with food, exhibits, vendors, and street performers in Victorian costumes on Mission Inn Avenue. Many events are free and others range in price from $5 to $25.

Fun Springs in Palm Springs

Anyone heading to Palm Springs for the film festival from January 5 to 18 should consider taking in the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies too. Performers from 56 to 86 spin, jump and high kick with the best of them.
The city will also host Palm Springs Modernism Week from February 12 to February 21 with architecture and home tours.

Bugs Bunny would be glad to hear

Holtville holds its annual Carrot Festival from January 30 to February 7. Numerous cooking contests, a midway and a parade are just a few of the planned activities

San Diego Goes to the Cats

January 23 and 24 are the dates for the Food and Water Bowl XVIII at Del Mar Fairgrounds. There will be 40 different breeds of cats (including household pets) in show competitions and agility competions. Admission is $8.

A Good Walk for a Good Cause

Jane's Walks and Jane's Rolls are being planned for May 1 and 2 this year. Based on the writing of Jane Jacobs who advocated integrating residences, shops, and businesses in urban neighborhoods, these walks or bike rides focus on local history, urban planning amd the simple pleasures of walking (or biking) and observing the riches that surround you. Could one be organized for Long Beach?

Serious Wanderlust

Next time I'm in Northern California (just got back from an Amtrak jaunt on Tuesday), I'm going to check out the teardrop trailers at Vacations-in-a-Can in Petaluma. The streamlined, lightweight trailers sleep two and rent for $130 for two nights. The company will deliver to any campground in Sonoma County with cooking and sleeping necessities included.

Some other tempting home away from home options are offered by HomeAway and VRBO, which lists homes and condos for rent by owner.

Greening away from home

Sunset Magazine had an interesting item about The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano. Based in a Victorian farmhouse, the group offers consultants on designing drought resistant gardens and cutting your energy bill as well as regular classes on things like making non-toxic cleaning products and organic beer.



The January issue also featured Rowbics Indoor Rowing, based right here in Long Beach