Come de-stress while helping those in distress. Healing Arts for Haiti will be held on February 12th at the Grand Hyatt, NYC where caring citizens can receive services from the healing arts community with donations to help Haiti. This brilliant idea was hatched by none other than Oasis Day Spa’s Bruce Schoenberg who generously organized this fundraiser to help the victims of Haiti’s recent earthquake.
Every dollar raised will be donated to UNICEF, directly helping rescue and relief efforts in Haiti. To make a donation to UNICEF now, click here.
No appointments needed, just come by and de-stress for a great cause.
Friday, February 12th, 2010
Noon – 8pm
Grand Hyatt – The Grand Ballroom
109 E. 42nd St
at Grand Central Station
SERVICES & ACTIVITIES AT HEALING ARTS FOR HAITI:
Massage
Reflexology
Mini-manicures
Make-up Makeovers
Acupuncture
Yoga
Pilates
Aerobics
Chiropractics
Tarot Card Readers
Henna Tattoos
Retail Store- unbelievable deals on beauty, gift and wellness products
Raffles for spa services, restaurants, events and more
Silent Auction- destination resorts, Las Vegas, sports memorabilia and more
Music with great artists from the Haitian community
Surprise guest appearances
This is an upscale event featuring bay area talent and designers.
Live Music, Sexy Fashion Show, Comedy, DJ and Dancing
~Black Tie Optional~ 21yrs & over. Theme Colors Red & Black
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Purchase Tickets in Advance for a $10 discount
http://babybemine.eventbee.com
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$30 general / $40 runway seating Advance Tickets
$40 general / $50 runway seating at the Door
$20 students/models
Due to the fundraising effort of this event, there will be NO GUEST LIST.
Donations to Haiti resulting from this event will be matched.
Call the restaurant for special event reservations.
(415) 978-8853
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After Party
Harlot
46 Minna St.
San Francisco CA., 94118
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Hosted by:
Sterling James
Featuring:
Featuring: DJ Supreme – myspace.com/djsupremeuk
Musician – D Lee Soul Revival – myspace.com/dleeselfportrait
Singer – Jonno – movingupwords.org
Comedian – Daniel Dugar – myspace.com/danieldugar
Featured Designers:
Monae – monae.com
West Coast Leather – westcoastleather.com
Anayma Wear – myspace.com/anaymadefrias
A La Folie Lingerie – visitalafolie.com
Sponsors:
KBLX – kblx.com
Jade Studio Productions – jadestudioproductions.com
BurgerMeister – burgermeistersf.com/
EPI Center Medspa – skinrejuv.com
Cross Marketing PR – crossmarketingpr.com
FOTS – fashiononthesquare.com
Dr. Terecita Dean – terecitadean.com
Traveling in southern Peru? Cusco and Sacred Valley are flooded and or experiencing mudslides. All trains are canceled from Cusco to Aguas Callientes. Nearly 2,000 from all over the world were stranded in Aguas Calientes and surrounding pueblos. 5 people killed. Tourists and the elderly are being rescued by helicopter slowly, about 300 a day.
Rearrange your travel plans until the rain subsides and the tracks are clear. Find more travel safety details at World Nomads
Share your experience with us if you are there now.
I spent the holidays in NYC this year (you can read my reviews here)returning mid-January to mounds of mail which I only recently finished opening. I know, it’s a feeb excuse for not telling you about this fantastic, party-throwing guide, Simple Stunning Parties At Home, in time for your Christmas/New Year’s get-togethers. But it will still provide indispensable help for upcoming gatherings such as Valentine’s Day, Mother/Father’s Day, a birthday, poker night, a hen-do, etc. Heck, you can even get a head start on planning your 2011 New Year’s gala.
New York- based event planner, Karen Bussen has written five books in the “Simple Stunning” series so she really knows her party ABC’s. The best part is that she can show you how to throw an A-list party on a B-list budget! Karen’s “less waste/more taste” strategy can help you plan an elegant (yet surprisingly easy and affordable) party in the comfort of your own home.
An example of her creative, inexpensive and mostly idiot-proof tips (that have inspired me to at least entertain the thought of entertaining at home) are:
-Dining alfresco almost guarantees thayour guests will have fun. For decorations, trim the table umbrella with icicle lights or plant some tiki torches in the lawn.
Since booze can really break the budget, Karen suggests filling old wine bottles with pre-mixed Sangria, Margaritas or lemonade, slapping on fun labels and storing in ice buckets.
PS. Her easy recipe for Manchego Jalapeno Cornbread alone is well worth the price of the book!
Check out Karen’s website for more tips.
You just have to love Berkeley resident, Jane Juska, for having the “balls” to have placed the following personal ad in, The New York Review of Books: >”Before I turn 67, next March, I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like…”
After receiving over 60 responses, Jane wrote, A Round-Heeled Woman; My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance, a real-life, tell-all best-seller, (and I do mean tell ALL) about her ensuing amorous adventures.
As soon as actress Sharon Gless (known for playing equally ballsy rolls in Cagney and Lacey and Queer As Folk) read the book, she optioned it and knew she wanted to play the starring roll. It was a long, arduous task to bring it to stage, but you can now see the world premier of this hysterically raunchy, painfully introspective, thought-provoking play at San Francisco’s Z-Space, through February 7, 2010.
Sharon is sheer perfection playing the role of a woman “of a certain age” who bravely decides to go after what she wants. Gather up a gaggle of girlfriends and go see A Round-Heeled Woman. Be sure and save time for drinks somewhere after, because you’ll have lots to discuss.
Good cause and great music, it’s time to celebrate San Francisco talent and raise much-needed funds for Doctors Without Borders…..
Epiphanette is a San Francisco progressive rock/blues band featuring bass player Tiki Houseman, drummer Kelly Child, and multi-instrumentalist Dave Gursom. The trio is known for its complicated rhythms and soulful lyrics, written by Houseman (writing, besides the usual angry rock themes, economics).
Bass player Tiki Houseman’s first instrument was the violin, which she began playing at age 7 and took lessons from her great aunt, who played with Frank Sinatra, Elvis, and the Sacramento Symphony. She moved on to classical guitar, but fell in love with the bass when she became more attracted to rhythm and blues. Houseman writes the majority of songs on her vintage Fender Jazz.
She formed Epiphanette, a blues prog rock ensemble, in 2009 with keyboard player Mike Chase met while work-shopping her songs at a San Francisco open mic; Kelly Child joined them later.
Since then, Epiphanette has performed around San Francisco and added guitar to their instrumentation. Epiphanette features guest performers who add their own textures to the powerful rhythm section, powered by Tiki Houseman’s aggressive attack on the bass, and emotively broad vocal range.
Houseman’s Epiphanette lyrics are not typically intellectual faire. Besides writing about the struggles of relationships, she writes from an outsiders’ perspective. Funky and bluesy “Freaks” has become an anthem among San Francisco artists and is Epiphanette’s signature song. Said one local San Francisco promoter: “Tiki is an expressive artist who puts a microphone up against her soul. Who can resist THAT?”
Kelly Child is a San Jose percussionist and drummer who is steeped in early ‘60s Brit-pop/psyche sounds and has a passion for the topographic patterns of progressive rock. Playing for mod and garage bands in his early years and then moving into more complex and unconventional rhythms he has found a unique playing style and that expression culminates with Epiphanette. Kelly also plays with Tomorrowes, Hobby Horse, The 14 Hour Technicolour Dream: The Virtual Band (a side project headed by Steve Nardelli of the U.K. prog rock band The Syn).
Epiphanette puts on an energetic show. Houseman, who performed comedy for two years, draws that background to add levity to the seriously intellectual songwriting style. They can be found on Facebook and www.epiphanette.com
WHERE
El Rio
3158 Mission St.
San Francisco
WHEN
Wed., Feb. 10, 2010
8-11 pm
$10 cover benefiting Doctors Without Borders, Tax-deductible
Although this is a three day event, I’m leaving town tomorrow so I only had one day to power-taste my way through 80,000 specialty food and drink products. I started at 10:00 am and waddled out seven hours later with my stomach as full as Nadya Suleman’s right before she gave birth to octuplets.
Some general trends this year are: gluten-free products were on the rise (the most delicious example was the line of The No Bake Cookies that were loaded with chewy oats, peanut butter and chocolaty chew,) superb cheeses from everywhere– but the USA is now holding its own with the best of them. Bacon is the new culinary black, with the flavor popping up in popcorn, mayonnaise, and dessert (Vosage Chocolates highlight the piggy not only in its Applewood bacon + milk chocolate candy bar but also in its Bacon-toffee ice cream.) Superfoods are just getting super-er, with antioxidants, probiotics and larger amounts of vitamins and minerals added to all sorts of nonsensical products.
Here are some standouts from todays marathon:
* Hot Lips Soda -made from freshly picked fruits and berries. All the flavor and pulp without the seeds. Tastes like berry pie in a bottle.
* Activate Drinks The patented cap on top of this line of vitamin and energy drinks keeps the vitamins “hid in the lid”. For full potency, simply twist, shake and activate.
*One “don’t knock it till you try it” newbie came from charcuterie king, Fabrique Delices, who introduced us to the latest rage in Europe: Savoury Macarons–sweet almond confectionery shells that are filled with either goat cheese, porcini or truffles.
* There’s never a shortage of chili condiments on show but one standout was Chili Colonial’s unique Chili Crunch Condiment loaded with crunchy garlic, onion and the slightly smoky heat of chile de arbol.
*Salts were sprinkled throughout the show but the most exciting ones were offered by Secret Stash Sea Salts. Developed by Chef Joseph Conrad, this one-of-a-kind line includes flavorful infusions such as Almond Cardamom, Coconut Garam Masala and an intense Chorizo salt.
*Winner for the “Why didn’t I think of it” award goes to Northern California’s, The Smoked Olive ’s naturally wood-smoked extra-virgin olive oils. These versatile oils would dress up grilled veggies, steak, or even a plebeian deviled egg.
Other tasty treats from the Bay Area were:
* Twisted Vine Gourmet may be a brand new wine-country company but they’re already producing a line of classics with their wine-based marinades and sauces. The Chardonnay Chipotle Lime Marinade will magically turn you into a grill-master guru.
* Did you know that fava beans aren’t really beans? They actually belong to the pea family. And under the guidance of a new San Francisco company, Fava, they also make a deliciously healthy line of hummus and hearty dips. Try the Kalamata Olive Hummus on a baked potato or for making quicky bruschetta.
* California introduced “happy cows” to the rest of the world but local newbie,the Happy Goat Caramel company might have something to add. They proudly point out that “using only premium goat dairy and organic sugar give their caramels the incredibly unique and “udderly” irresistible flavor that makes Happy Goat stand out from the crowd.” and after happily chewing on a handful of them, who am I to quibble?
A few weeks ago, I decided to go to Europe to visit my friends. I had enough miles for a free ticket, and I planned on staying with my friends across Europe, so I figured that the trip was going to be cheap and easy. These two words, I have now learned, don’t go together when trying to trek across the European Union on a budget. You see, I only booked my roundtrip ticket from San Francisco to Paris. I planned to stay in Paris for a few days, then jet up to Dublin, or perhaps down to Berlin, then pop over to Stockholm. I have friends sprinkled throughout Europe and I thought it would be easy as pie to get tickets across the E.U., so I kept my schedule optimistically wide open. I’d heard of great deal on EasyJet and Ryanair and for some crazy reason, I thought that the airlines in Europe would be much more friendly and easy to work with than those in the US. Plus, I assumed (ass-you-me, remember) that it would a breeze to book airline tickets within Europe online.
That was mistake number 1, assuming reliable Internet access.
Don’t assume that you are going to get the Internet access you need to book tickets while traveling. You are better off booking ALL your travel before departing. I was hoping that I would be able to keep my itinerary a bit flexible, but since I did not have access to the Internet when I wanted to book tickets, I became a slave to technology. During one very frustrating morning of trying to buy airline tickets, I was about to push “purchase” and I lost Internet access four times. I gave up and went shopping.
Mistake number 2 was not reading the small print.
I booked a ticket from what I thought was Paris, France to Dublin, Ireland on Ryanair. I was so happy to see that I got a one-way ticket for a mere 39 Euros ($56 USD). Well, Ryanair does not fly out of Paris, it flies out of some random airport called Beauvais Airport (BVA), which is about 50 miles outside Paris. It was going to take me around 3 hours by public transportation to get to the airport.
Mistake number 3 was not checking the departure time in military time.
By the time I figured out that my flight was leaving from an airport far far away, it was the morning of my flight, which I thought was at 9 pm. Wrong. I looked at my email confirmation again and it said 09:00. My flight had already departed.
I was able to find another ticket on Aer Lingus for $300 USD. No savings there, but I had a date with a friend to see Carmen at the Dublin Opera the next night. She planned a beautiful night for us, and I did not want to let her down.
After I booked the Aer Lingus ticket, I thought that I should book the rest of my tickets while I had a pretty reliable Internet connection at the American ice cream shop Haagen-Dazs in Saint Germaine. When I searched for flights from Dublin to Stockholm eDreams.com continuously popped up. I decided to check them out. I booked a ticket from Dublin to Stockholm on eDreams with Scandinavian Airlines for 175 Euros ($254 USD). I got a confirmation email, and everything looked legitimate, so I decided to book another ticket from Stockholm back to Paris. I found a great flight for 93 Euros ($134 USD) on Baltic Air from Stockholm to Paris, so I booked it. Once again, I got my confirmation email.
Mistake number 4 was not contacting my credit card company.
I have an iPhone, which costs a fortune to check voice messages and emails, so I kept it off for most of my trip. I even changed my voice message asking callers to send me an email or call me when I returned. But what I forgot to do before I departed was to contact my credit card companies and let them know that I was going to be traveling overseas. In the past it was never a problem, but since international credit card fraud in on the rise, contacting your credit card companies is a must. Without me answering my phone, I had no idea that CITI card was trying to reach me to confirm my numerous airline ticket purchases. Since they never heard back from me, they canceled my ticket from Stockholm to Paris. I did not find out this bit of important information until I was at the Stockholm airport ready to fly back to Paris.
Mistake number 5 was not confirming my ticket with the airlines directly.
I should have called Baltic Air when I was still in Stockholm to confirm my ticket to Paris, I should have let my credit card company know that I was traveling, but I did not do either. My mistakes created the perfect storm that brewed at Arlanda airport in Stockholm. My mistake cost me an additional $500 USD for a lousy ticket from Stockholm to Paris on a really crappy airline. When I was at the ticketing counter, I pulled out my laptop and showed the customer service representative my email from eDreams confirming my flight. What is so horrible to me is that I never received an email from eDreams informing me that my credit card company canceled my ticket. If I did, I could have done something about it. I never received anything from eDreams, so at that time I had no idea what could have gone wrong. EDreams had turned into a nightmare.
I scurried to all the different airlines and tried to book a ticket back to Paris for less than $500, they all just stared at me. In my perfect world, I envisioned a beautiful Frenchman helping me on an Air France flight for a mere $150 USD, but that was not reality. I am a very optimistic person and I really thought that the airlines would do all they could to help a stranded passenger get on a plane – but nope, no, not going to happen. Perhaps that’s why the industry is in the toilet, they do nothing to promote good karma. I even asked the rep at Baltic Air if I could buy a ticket to Paris for the same amount as I did through eDreams. No luck. I would have to pay the full price. So, an hour later, I boarded an empty flight to Paris via Latvia $500 poorer and very pissed off.
Lesson learned
I can’t look back now, if I called my credit card companies, did my research, booked my tickets before I departed and confirmed my flights, I’d be a bit richer and I wouldn’t need to write this article. So, I take full responsibility for my mistakes, but I feel that there were things that could have been avoided if eDreams took a more proactive role in their booking of my airline tickets. I have sent emails to both eDreams and Baltic Air, without any positive outcome (for example: a refund for the ticket price difference). I got a canned email back from Baltic Air basically saying, “Too bad for you.” Because of my utter confusion about my airline tickets (why did I get one ticket without any problems, but the other was cancelled without any notice when I booked them both within 20 minutes of each other?)
I will never use eDreams again. Their lack of customer service coupled with their inability to return my emails or calls leads me to believe that service is not a big priority for them. Plus, you might buy a ticket from them, it might be cancelled and you won’t know about it until you are at the airport. With all the other issues surrounding air travel right now, the one thing I want to be sure of is that my ticket is good and I can get on that plane departing to my final destination. Heck, you can keep your peanuts, I just want a flight confirmation.
TICKETS ON SALE JANUARY 11 —- FESTIVAL TO BE HELD MAY 21-23
Sonoma Jazz + Festival is pleased to announce that tickets will go on sale for the first of three nights, with the great Earth Wind and Fire headlining Saturday, May 22, in the big tent on Sonoma’s Field of Dreams. “No other band has been more requested to play the critically acclaimed festival in the Sonoma wine country,” enthused SJ+ Executive Producer Jim Horowitz. “We couldn’t be more exited about EWF, and what a great way to launch a new year, a new decade and our 6th year with this very hot show, which is certain to attract one of the most diverse audiences in our history!”
Earth, Wind & Fire were one of the most musically accomplished, critically acclaimed, and commercially popular funk bands of the ’70s. Conceived by drummer, bandleader, songwriter, kalimba player, and occasional vocalist Maurice White, EWF’s all-encompassing musical vision used funk as its foundation, but also incorporated jazz, smooth soul, gospel, pop, rock & roll, psychedelia, blues, folk, African music, and, later on, disco. Lead singer Philip Bailey gave EWF an extra dimension with his talent for crooning sentimental ballads in addition to funk workouts; behind him, the band could harmonize like a smooth Motown group, work a simmering groove like the J.B.’s, or improvise like a jazz fusion outfit. Plus, their stage shows were often just as elaborate and dynamic as George Clinton’s P-Funk empire. More than just versatility for its own sake, EWF’s eclecticism was part of a broader concept informed by a cosmic, mystical spirituality and an uplifting positivity the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the early days of Sly & the Family Stone. Tying it all together was the accomplished songwriting of Maurice White, whose intricate, unpredictable arrangements and firm grasp of hooks and structure made EWF one of the tightest bands in funk when they wanted to be. Not everything they tried worked, but at their best, Earth, Wind & Fire seemingly took all that came before them and wrapped it up into one dizzying, spectacular package.
Combine that with the traditional weekend Wine and Song events around the Plaza and an expanded SJ+ after-hours program of live music following the main stage concerts, with two other big nights to announce and you’ve got a fantastic weekend to anticipate. Proceeds from Sonoma Jazz + enhance, promote and support local music programs in the Sonoma Valley schools, with over $460,000 raised to that end to date. The festival is produced by Jazz Aspen Snowmass, now entering its 20th Year, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit institutions supporting world-class annual performance and education programming.
Sonoma Day is this Monday! SJ+ is offering Sonoma locals an early opportunity to purchase tickets for the Earth, Wind & Fire show on Monday, January 11. Great seats will be available ONLY to purchasers with a Sonoma mailing address. These tickets can be purchased beginning at 9am Pacific online at www.sonomajazz.org . You must type in the code word LOCAL to be allowed to purchase and enter a valid Sonoma mailing address. Tickets will also be available for locals on Monday at Sonoma Valley Music, 521 Broadway in Sonoma starting at 10AM.
Tickets for the Earth, Wind & Fire show will go on sale to the general public Tuesday, January 12 at 9am Pacific at 866 527 TIXX (8499), or through www.sonomajazz.org ; also on a walk-in basis at Sonoma Valley Music, 521Broadway in Sonoma.
Not to worry, you can go check out some of the Olympians at work while they train at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre located in the city of Abbotsford, Canada.
The Japanese Speed Skating training camp for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be taking place from January 26 – February 3, 2010 on the international-size ice rink at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre.
Etsuko Suzuki, an Abbotsford resident who speaks Japanese, has been selected as the Community Host for the team and will be assisting them with everything from choosing a restaurant to finding local souvenirs. “I am honoured to be a part of this once in a lifetime experience and can’t believe its all taking place in my own backyard!” says Etsuko Suzuki.
“Having Olympians training here in Abbotsford will truly inspire our local athletes to continue to dream big,” say Mayor George W. Peary. “It will also give those community members who don’t have tickets to the Games a chance to see some Olympians in person.”
The public is welcome to watch the Japanese Speed Skating team train during any of the dates and times below.
Tuesday, January 26*
8 am – 10 am
4-6 pm
Wednesday, January 27
9:15-11:15 am
4-6 pm
Thursday, January 28
9:15-11:15 am
5-7 pm
Friday, January 29
9:45-11:45 am
4-6 pm
Saturday, January 30
10 am -12 pm
4:45-6:45 pm
Sunday, January 31
10 am-12 pm
5:45-7:45 pm
Monday, February 1
8am-10am
2:45-4:15 pm
Tuesday, February 2
8am-10am
2:45-4:15 pm
Wednesday, February 3
8am-10am
2:45-4:15 pm
* Jan 26 & 27 morning practices may be canceled if athletes are suffering from jet lag. It should also be noted that a practice session could be canceled without notice if a speed skater becomes ill or injured.
On January 31st from 1:30 – 2:30pm a public Meet n Greet Event will be held at The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford, located at 32388 Veterans Way. The team will be available to meet the public in the Great Hall. Families can also partake in the free Sunday Family Arts session from 1 – 3 pm and make paper cut out cards to wish the Japanese team well.
The Russians are coming:
The Russian Figure Skating team will also be training in February at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre. More information on the Russian Figure Skating training camp will be released soon.
For information on the training camps, the Torch Relay Celebration event, Abbotsford Live Site, other Olympic-related events and volunteer opportunities, visit www.abbylivesite.ca.
You just have to love Berkeley resident, Jane Juska, for having the “balls” to have placed the following personal ad in, The New York Review of Books: >”Before I turn 67, next March, I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like…”
Although this is a three day event, I’m leaving town tomorrow so I only had one day to power-taste my way through 80,000 specialty food and drink products. I started at 10:00 am and waddled out seven hours later with my stomach as full as Nadya Suleman’s right before she gave birth to octuplets. 
