I love quirky movies and Midnight in Paris couldn’t be quirkier. When this film was first released I had several friends who told me I had to see it. In my book, the only thing better than a good movie is traveling…almost anywhere. Well, Paris doesn’t fall into the “almost anywhere” category, but the moment I sat down in the theater with my popcorn I was reeled in—hook, line and sinker.

Gil (Owen Wilson) is a successful Hollywood screenwriter engaged to Inez (Rachel McAdams) who loves him very much or at least what their life together would be. Rachel’s parents are going to Paris on a business trip and have asked Gil and Rachel to tag along. Gil thinks this is a perfect time to work on his novel, Rachel wants to shop and party.

Having lived in Paris for a short time in his 20’s, Gil had aspirations in his youth to be a serious writer. Opportunities came and he realized he was a good screenwriter. The literary dreams were postponed and he woke up ten years later, successful and unfulfilled and craving Paris.

But he’s back and decides to leave Inez and her mother to their shopping and wander the streets seeking inspiration. Inez’ shopping turns into dinner parties with friends from America and his daytime meanderings become forays after dark. One night while sitting on some steps in a neighborhood, he’s not sure where, a group of partiers in a vintage automobile stop and entreat him in, in to a whole new world, a whole new era. This YouTube age writer finds himself meeting icons and idols of a bygone era.

His new found friends are F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway and all their friends. They meld him into their lives and their hearts. This is the life he was meant to live and all it took was a magical stroll through a magnificent city. Gil had found his groove amongst a lost generation.

I’ve never been much of a Woody Allen fan but he loves Paris and his love is epitomized in Midnight in Paris. The last time I was in Paris I spent most of the day riding the “spokes” of the city to the outskirts of town and back. The scenery is real yet ethereal. The plot is fanciful. I never found F. Scott Fitzgerald that day but maybe I wasn’t looking for the magical.

The take-away from this movie though, is that we need to learn to enjoy the present for all it’s worth. It’s a little like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, in the end there’s no place like home.

This is a loving embrace of the city, art, and of life itself. Midnight in Paris is charming, clever and wickedly astute. Allen said that he got a great enjoyment out of presenting Paris to the cinematic audience the way he sees it. To me, the way he sees it is literate and beauty filled and yes, quirky. This film is predictably unpredictable! For an evening of pure fantasy (it’s a little like falling down a rabbit hole) it’s purely delightful.

As always, I invite your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com.

Everyone has an opinion and most have, in one way or another, followed the career of Tiger Woods. He has climbed to the top, fallen from grace and is making his way back. Will it ever be what it was or will he even compete with the up and coming sensations that are apparently dominating the spot light on the world stage of championship golf?

The coming year will prove to the skeptics and harsh critics that he is still Tiger Woods, the man on the verge of becoming the greatest golfer ever. Fourteen major championships and only four more to tie Jack’s record of 18, Tiger is not finished. More than once he has reinvented his golf swing and gone on to dominate, much to the dismay of the critics. From Butch to Haney, and now Sean Foley, Tiger will once again, climb to the surface and break through.

Three surgeries, one divorce and another swing change later, Tiger once again has calmed the troubled waters while his life is moving forward, reminding all of us not to dwell on the past. Life moves forward, not backwards. Perhaps the healing started when he fired his long time caddie, Stevie Williams, and replaced swing coach Hank Haney with Sean Foley. Foley’s impact on Tiger has been holistic from the standpoint of mind and body approach. Not to mention another surgery demanding more time off for rehabilitation.

Certainly, the early pick of admirer and President Cup Captain Fred Couples instilled faith in him and pushed him to work even harder to prove his worth. Long time friend and partner Steve Stricker’s advise to release the putter reignited the feel on the green and the camaraderie shared with his teammates in the win “down under” has helped. Maybe all the above helped him believe in himself and gave him the confidence during the season finale win at his own tournament. Yes, his name was back in the winner’s category at the close of the year.

Even though many people turned away — from fans, to sponsors and just followers of the game — Tiger is rebuilding. Still having the fire to win, narrower stance to soften his thrust and torque on that leg and add length in years to his career, Tiger appears to be headed into 2012 needing golf and golf needing him. With another title sponsor along with Nike on board riding his coat tales, Tiger is a force in the world of golf, like it or not. It’s been two years since he lost that sponsorship from Cadillac, you remember when he crashed the vehicle and then soon after crashed the life as he and we knew it to be. Now he is climbing back up and the talk will soon, again, be about history, Tiger and how the two are on a collision course!

In the aftermath of holiday excess, it is comforting to sit down to a healthy meal at home…providing it’s something appealing and delicious. The good news here is that the words “healthy” and “delicious” need not cancel out each other.

I would be the last person on the planet to recommend dining on a tablespoon of cottage cheese and a few limp carrot sticks. (I’m all for maintaining high standards, regardless of the circumstances.) So instead of partaking in dreary rabbit food, how about something fresh and colorful, brimming with bright flavors and a variety of textures? How about a dinner where nearly every ingredient can be purchased at a fair price, directly from the grower?

Because we have access to excellent produce throughout the year, Californians are known for their inventive seasonal salads. I realize a cold dinner is about the last thing on anyone’s mind in January—but take a minute to walk through the farmers’ market and think outside the ice box. What if one of our salad’s main ingredients was roasted to cozy perfection in your oven?

There is a whole world beyond that wedge of crisp iceberg drizzled with blue cheese dressing or, far worse, those wilted lettuce leaves and anemic tomato slices drowning in a bottled vinaigrette. Californians know how to make the most of the most humble, any time of the year. With sweet chunks of roasted winter squash, crunchy toasted walnuts, and tart dried cherries, the following salad is hearty enough to stand on its own for dinner—and a worthy side dish for any potluck.

Make this the main event one Meatless Monday this month—accompanied by a warm, crusty loaf of artisan bread and a glass of crisp California Chardonnay to toast in a new year of good eating.

Honey-Glazed Butternut Squash Salad

• 1/2 cup California walnut halves and pieces
• 1 (2-pound) firm winter squash, such as butternut, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
• 2 tablespoons California extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse (kosher) salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons California walnut oil or olive oil
• 6 cups baby arugula leaves (about 7 ounces)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
• Optional: crumbled California goat cheese, blue cheese, or shaved Parmesan

1.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the walnuts in a small pan and bake, stirring once or twice, 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool; then chop coarsely. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
2. To facilitate clean-up, line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment. Combine the squash, olive oil, about 2 teaspoons of coarse salt, the thyme, and crushed red pepper on top; toss to mix. Spread into an even layer and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey; stir carefully with a spatula, and once again spread into an even layer. Return to the oven and bake until the edges are nicely browned and the squash is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 5 to 10 minutes longer.  (If desired, squash can be baked up to 2 hours in advance. Just cover loosely with foil and let stand at room temperature.)
3. To make the dressing: In a large shallow serving bowl, whisk together the orange juice and the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk in the walnut oil. Add the arugula, walnuts, and dried cherries and toss gently to coat. Taste, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Use a spatula to scrape the warm (or room temperature) squash and any cooking juices over the salad. Top with cheese, if desired. Serve at once.

Serves 4 to 6.
The Danville Certified Farmers’ Market, located at Railroad and Prospect, is open every Saturday, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. For specific crop information call the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association at 1-800-949-FARM or visit their web site at www.pcfma.com.

In August most NFL observers believed the 49ers would be one of the teams most hurt by the NFL lockout. The conventional wisdom was that a new coaching staff would not have sufficient time to install its playbook and the team would flounder as a result. Another long year was expected for the 49er Faithful.

Fast forward to January, and the 49ers have made the playoffs as NFC West Champions. This is their first trip to the NFL postseason since 2002 when Steve Mariucci was coach. Only one player, long snapper Brian Jennings, remains from that team. The 2011 49ers have had a remarkable year, regardless of their performance this month.

What were the keys to the turnaround? Here are the three leading factors according to Off the Bench:

• The environment fostered by new coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff
• A remarkably stingy defense led by All Pro linebacker Patrick Willis
• The ability of the offense, particularly quarterback Alex Smith, to hold onto the ball and cash in on most of its opportunities

Excellent special teams have also played a part, especially the kicking of David Akers and the punting of Andy Lee. Both have a chance to make the Pro Bowl. But specialists don’t get a chance to make an impact unless the factors listed above are in place. Let’s review them one by one.

Coaching: The 49ers made several expensive mistakes before finally Harbaugh. Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary were often outmatched, outfought and outthought by their peers across the field. Reports have surfaced indicating that Erickson was unprepared, Nolan lacked confidence and Singletary was more style than substance.

Harbaugh, on the other hand, has been everything anyone could have hoped for and more. He is the first coach in six years to have put quarterback Smith in a position to succeed. He seems to have a knack for understanding when to gamble and when to pull back, and his defiant nature with the press and the handshake incident with Lions coach Jim Schwartz seemed to have helped rally the troops. For the last several years San Francisco looked like a team that hoped to win. The 49ers now expect to win, and a lot of that is to the credit of their head coach.

Defense: Through November, the 49ers gave up fewer rushing yards than any team in the NFL. They have three times as many interceptions as their opponents. They lead the NFC in fewest total yards allowed. Linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis have more than 100 tackles, and they have created 16 more turnovers than the team has allowed. Against the toughest competition, the 49ers defense has kept the team in the game and allowed the offense time to figure out how to penetrate its opponents.

Offense and Alex Smith: Until this year the most apt comparison to Smith was Giants pitcher Barry Zito. Both appeared to be expensive disappointments and impediments to winning. The Giants’ success in 2010 occurred when Zito was deactivated from the postseason roster. Smith’s emergence this season has ended such comparisons. Going into this season, Smith’s passer rating was 75.3, an historic low for a quarterback who had about four seasons worth of starts. This season it has settled in the low 90s, slightly above league average. Smith’s ability to run away from potential sacks helps slow down opposing defensive lines, and he is among the most successful quarterbacks in putting up points when the team crosses its opponent’s 20 yard line. He is setting career highs in most statistical categories. Harbaugh, a former Pro Bowl quarterback, is considered a catalyst for Smith’s success.

It might be premature to dream of a Super Bowl with the defending champion Packers in the same conference. It is not too early to declare that the 49ers are back among the NFL’s elite and that things should only get better as Harbaugh and his staff get more time to implement their approach.

The myriad jobs in the music industry is growing by leaps and bounds and too numerous to go into great detail here. However, here are a few jobs that may spark an interest in this fast growing field.

Mix Engineer
A mixer takes individual instrumental and/or vocal tracks and combines them. He assembles tracks and adds effects for sound quality and aesthetic enhancements. This position is extremely important in the final performance before mass production of the recording is offered for sale. An experienced mixer may take four to six hours to complete one song. If a compact disc (CD) has 12 to 15 songs it may take several days of concentrated work.

A degree is not necessarily required to do this job but college level or technical school training in audio design, recording arts and sound engineering are vitally important. Creative and technical elements of music production and genuine appreciation of many styles of music are important for this position.

Employment may be either a full-time position at a recording studio or a free-lance contractor in many venues. Entry level positions or internships are a good starting point for employment. Being a mix engineer is not a job learned from a textbook but rather by observing and working with an expert in the field.

Event Promoter
Creativity, tenacity and a knack for knowing what makes an audience tick are the staples of a successful event promoter. The basic job of the promoter is to create interest and a “buzz” in what is being promoted. Their object is to get people to buy tickets and get them in the door.

The imaginative promoter uses all the media – radio, television, print and the internet to create and reach a potential audience. Knowing the demographics in the local area is vitally important to promoting the event. Ticket sales can be increased by knowing where, how and when to advertise the event being promoted.

A successful promoter may benefit from an educational background in public relations, marketing and advertising, the entertainment business and production. Organization, communication, networking and good people skills are essential to the successful event promoter. Above all, it’s important to be creative, aggressive and really know your audience.

Other Industry Jobs
Music industry positions vary, some examples are:

• Music Copyright & Publishing
• Concert Management & Publicity
• Music Merchandising
• Record Label Development
• Retail Promotions
• Contract Negotiations
• Business Accounting & Finance
• Music Business Law
• Recording Assistant

Teaching
There are many employment opportunities available to college graduates with a degree in music, as well as those without a degree. People with music degrees usually fall into several categories: Performance, which includes Conducting, Music Education, Musicology, Composition and varied courses in the music industry.

The majority of music graduates enter teaching careers in public schools, community colleges and universities. Public schools require a bachelor’s degree and a teaching credential. A master’s degree is essential to teach at a community college and teaching at a university would generally require a doctorate degree. University level curriculum is very specialized into several categories:

• Performance – music majors with intensive study of instrument or voice can lead to jobs in professional orchestras, bands, choruses, church jobs, pop and rock ensembles and more.
• Music Education – program preparing college students for teaching careers in elementary, high school or college.
• Musicology – the study of music history and literature usually leads to teaching positions in colleges and universities.
• Composition – the study of composing and arranging prepares one to work as a freelance composer or a composer and arranger for professional organizations.

There are many avenues to a fulfilling and enjoyable career in music. One has to have the passion and interest and go for it. There are no shortcuts and the road isn’t an easy one but it can be a very worthwhile and satisfying life endeavor.

Please submit your questions and comments to banddirector01@comcast.net
Visit our website at danvilleband.org for up-to-date information about the Danville Community Band.

The Rotator Cuff muscles (four muscles in total) are the primary support structures for the shoulder. Therefore, even minor dysfunction associated with these muscles can create pain and decreased performance of everyday tasks. A Rotator Cuff injury can be caused by many everyday activities. These activities include traumatic events (e.g. fall on an outstretched arm, “yanking” of the arm), repetitive motion (e.g. throwing a ball, carrying children) and chronic improper posture (e.g. operating a computer, driving).

There are three major types of Rotator Cuff injuries that we treat successfully:

1. Rotator Cuff Muscle Tears:  This is a partial tear of one or more of the four Rotator Cuff muscles. Rotator Cuff muscle tears are often accompanied by deep achy pain in the shoulder and arm weakness.
2.  Tendonitis:  Tendons are at the ends of each muscle and attach the muscles to the bones they move. When there is inflammation of these tendons it is called Tendonitis. The symptoms of a Rotator Cuff Tendonitis are often trigger point pain at the location of the tendon irritation accompanied by deep, achy pain in the shoulder and arm weakness.
3.  Rotator Cuff Impingement Syndrome:  Chronic injury of the Rotator Cuff can lead to a “pinching” of the nerves passing through the shoulder. This is commonly referred to as a Shoulder Impingement or Rotator Cuff Impingement. Symptoms often include numbness, tingling or sharp, shooting pain into the arm or hand.

HOW DO I HEAL MY SHOULDER PAIN?

The most common forms of medical treatment for Rotator Cuff injuries are anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections and surgery. Although meds and injections may reduce the severity of pain associated with rotator cuff dysfunction they are not a long term solution and may do more bodily harm than good in the long run. Surgery is a last resort and should only be used if there is irreparable damage to the shoulder that cannot be handled with proper rehabilitation.
THE NATURAL APPROACH

First: Heal the Damaged Tissue
Ending the pain caused by a Rotator Cuff injury requires stopping the cycle of inflammation that is creating the pain. Class IV laser therapy is an excellent method for this, because it is presently the only modality that can both reduce inflammation and heal tissue simultaneously. During Laser Therapy the infrared laser light interacts with tissues at the cellular level, increasing metabolic activity and improving the transport of nutrients across the cell membrane. This creates an optimal healing environment that reduces inflammation, swelling, muscle spasms, stiffness and pain. As the injured area returns to normal, pain is relieved and function is restored.

Second: Correct the Shoulder and Postural Mechanics
Long term pain relief of shoulder injuries involves rehabilitation of the shoulder, neck, thoracic spine. Shoulder rehabilitation is achieved by utilizing specific postural adjustments, stabilization exercises and postural correction taping in order to re-establish proper motion and strength of the shoulder joint. Ongoing strengthening and stretching exercises are used to rehabilitate of the musculature of the shoulder to ensure lasting results.

GIVE US A CALL
If you suffer from chronic pain it is worth your while to spend some time figuring out which of any number of factors are contributing to your pain — we will help you explore which combination of therapies will help you heal it. The good news is — you can do it without drugs, and you can get back to the activities you love!

Dr. Niele Maimone, DC is the owner and founder of Align Healing Center in Danville, CA. She has been active in the natural health & wellness community since 1999. For more information or to set up a free consult call 925.362.8283 or visit alignhealingcenter.com