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New Technologies in Acne Skin and Anti-Aging: Restoring the Skin to Its Youthful Appearance

November 3, 2013 by Theresa Taylor Grutzeck Leave a Comment

Several months ago a client of mine of many years came into our salon to purchase her products and I noticed her skin was different. It was youthful, smooth and glowing like she just had a mini lift or a skin peel. Her youthfulness was so amazingly noticeable I was curious and had to ask her what she was doing to her skin to have such a beautiful glow. She then explained to me that she was getting J-Bio’s™ Intensif Concentre´ Human Growth Factor Serum micro-needled into her skin, while working as an R.N. at the office of Dr. Valerie Schneider M.D. Inc., Medical Aesthetics in Walnut Creek.

I decided to research this further and found that Human Growth Factors have been around for decades and that doctors have been using HGFs for wound healing, burn victims and to reduce scarring. Researchers also discovered by using the same method of treatment to aging skin, it also reduces fine lines and wrinkles and improves the appearance of sun damaged and photo-aged skin. I also found that it helps people who suffer from severe acne and pitted skin as it dramatically reduces inflammation and heals the skin from the inside out, restoring the skin to a healthy state.

To further this technology of Human Growth Factors, not to be confused with Human Growth Hormones, a totally different entity, Human Growth Factors in J•Bio™ Serums’ Proprietary ICG 9 Triplex, uses specialized growth factors from human fibroblasts, specifically chosen for their ability to enhance the skin. These factors stimulate the skin’s ability to repair the cells deep within the skin, replacing damaged collagen fibers with new ones and creating a proliferation of healthy, new skin cells. Doing a series of monthly J•Bio™ Intensif Concentre´ Micro-Needling treatments have shown impressive results in the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, increased plumping of the skin, promoting a smoother complexion, and leaving the skin extremely supple with an overall youthful glow.

In September I booked an appointment for a series of these treatments with Gretchen Ranhoff R.N., at Dr. Schneider’s office, as I’ve been battling with acne and breakouts for years and I also wanted to improve my skin. During my consultation, I learned that this procedure not only helps women and men with aging skin and acne, but it augments IPL and Laser Facials by greatly enhancing the results of these treatments.

I have so enjoyed my HGF treatments that after having just two sessions the acne that I was experiencing is now under control and my skin is much smoother. Needless to say, I was very pleased with the outcome. Both practitioners have a special passion for helping women and men of all ages and have dedicated their professional skills in using the highest anti-aging technologies available today. They are extremely accommodating and committed to giving you the very best in skin care.

Critters Are Eating My Salad

October 8, 2013 by Buzz Bertolero Leave a Comment

Q. The leaves on my red leaf and butter lettuce plants are riddled with holes. On a closer look, I’ve found these light green- colored worms feeding on the plants. How can I prevent these critters from eating my salad before I have a chance?

Ans. This small, light green worm is called a Looper. The adult lays its eggs during the morning hours that hatch into the worm. They’re active now through the spring. Besides lettuce, they feed on cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, collard, and many other cool season vegetables. Loopers complete the potential for a year round cycle of worm problems in Bay Area vegetable and flower gardens.

During the summer months, you’ll find the large Tomato Hornworm. These worms are often called caterpillars. It gets its name from the curved protrusion on the end of its body. Budworm is found on the buds and/or the open flowers of petunias, geraniums, and flowering tobacco. A caterpillar, looper, hornworm, or budworm is the larva stage of a specific type of moth. They have only one purpose, and that is to eat. After feeding on the plants they drop to the ground and go into another stage of their life cycle. Eventually, they emerge as adults.

It’s recommend to inspect the host plants often and treat the problem early on. Spinosad is the recommend control when a large number of worms are present as they kill on contact. They’re also easy to control with Bt but you have to be persistent with several applications. Bt is best applied when just a few worms are present. When ingested the critters get a fatal case of the stomach flu. Hence they continue to feed for a few more days. Spinosad and Bt are both a non-toxic and organic solution for edibles and non-edibles. They are available at most garden centers under many different brand names, so ask the nursery professional for the products at your favorite garden center.

Q. What causes the deep cracks on the surface of my Beefsteak Tomatoes and why do they take so long to ripen?

Ans, The cracks or depressions along the face of a tomato are a physiological disorder called Cat Face. It is very common in many of the Heirloom varieties as well as with old standards like Beefsteak. There’s not one absolute cause of Cat Face, but several factors do increase the risk of the tomato disorder such as inconsistent temperatures and genetics. We don’t find this problem in the newer hybrid varieties as breeding has eliminated the problem. There are two types of Cat Face. One produces cracks radiating from the stem end down the fruit while the other forms concentric circles around the stem. There is no recommend solution for this physiological disorder. They are still very edible even with this problem. Beefsteak is the latest ripening tomato variety in the Bay Area. It’s not unusual for them to ripen in September, depending on the summer temperatures.

Buzz Bertolero is Executive Vice President of Navlet’s Garden Centers and a California Certified Nursery Professional. His web address is www.dirtgardener.com and you can send questions by email at dirtgarden@aol.com or to 360 Civic Drive Ste. ‘D’, Pleasant Hill, Calif. 94523 and on Facebook at Facebook.com/Buzz.Bertolero

Go Bold… Not Boring

October 8, 2013 by Carolyn Rovner Leave a Comment

In my job as a wardrobe stylist and personal shopper, I’ve heard it a hundred times: “I hate my clothes; my closet is so boring!” And even before I’ve seen the wardrobe, I can predict what’s there: solid neutrals. Bottoms are khaki, black, white and denim. The tops are grey, white, black and brown. The jackets, sweaters, dresses and shoes …everything is neutral. Of course it’s boring, what else could it be? So, what’s a girl to do? Four simple words: Color, texture, pattern and shine.

This season, you’re in luck. Beautiful clothes are plentiful—just waiting to exhilarate your soul and energize your spirit.

Color: With luxurious colors in the fall 2013 palette, spicing up your wardrobe is easy (Photo #1). All shades of purple, red, blue, and green and are “IN”, so instead of another white blouse, try something in cobalt blue! Use your neutrals as a starting point, and then add accent colors to your outfit for POP. (Photo #2)

Texture: For the tactile individual–you know who you are because you touch every item on the rack while shopping—texture is everything. Texture adds richness to a wardrobe, so fabrics like tweed, silk, lace, leather, chunky wool, cashmere, fur, as well as embellishments like quilting, brocade, embroidery, feathers and fringe will make you feel like a member of the jet set. (Photo #3)

Pattern: “Pattern-phobes” fear clothing with patterns because they think that a solid color will be more versatile. And, to a certain extent, that’s true. The only problem is that now we’re back to square one—a boring wardrobe. This season, fall floral, hounds tooth (Photo #4), plaid, stripes and animal prints are abundant, and if you’re not sure about a print, you can always give it a try on a smaller scale, like a handbag, scarf or shoe, for example. If you like patterns so much that you dare to do what many designers are showing, and that’s combine patterns (animal print and plaid, for instance) in one outfit, then to you I say, “You are a bold and brave fashionista!”

Shine: Once worn for evening only, sequins, metallics, grommets and studs are now encouraged daytime wear. My current obsession is mirrored silver metallic oxfords from Bass & Co. (Photo #5). I think they’re fun and sassy, and will look great with jeans and colorful pencil pants. Think “Ellen,” but shiny!

Now, go shopping, incorporate the wonderful trends this season, and take your wardrobe to the next level.

For style tips and trends, subscribe to Carolyn’s blog at C2style.com/blog.

“You Must Remember This!”

October 8, 2013 by Ben Fernandez Leave a Comment

The movie “Casablanca” was released 70 years ago. I have seen it at least once each year since then, which means two things. 1) I am very old, and 2) I should probably make better use of my time. I am unashamed in my regard for that flick. I am sure there are those who don’t understand the regard that flick has for movie fans, so what can I do except feel sorry for them. People will say that they see something new every time they see it. I don’t, which is just fine. As you have always, done please indulge me. “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

1. Guarded (Peter Lorre) assures Rick (Humphrey Bogart) that the Letters of Transit are valid by stating they are signed by whom?

2. Signor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet) owns the rival saloon/black market in Casablanca. What is its name?

3. Rick is reported to have run guns in the 1930’s for which country?

4. The first time we see Rick in the movie, what is he doing?

5. Where does Rick hide the Letters of Transit?

6. A young bride prevails upon Rick to allow her husband to lose at roulette, so that they can go to America. From what country do they come from?

Season of Hope & Joy

October 4, 2013 by Eric Johnson Leave a Comment

Ah, the change of seasons; those astronomical thresholds at which the Earth’s position, in terms of its rotational axis, change in relation to the solar ecliptic plane. In “non-geek-speak,” the different seasons are determined when parts of the Earth change from being tilted more toward, or away, from the sun. The cycle of spring becoming summer; summer turning to fall, leading to winter and returning, once again, to spring, is something we are all familiar with.

While these transition points have names and approximate dates (summer solstice, June 21^st; autumnal equinox, September 22^nd; winter solstice, December 21^st, and vernal equinox, March 21^st) the entire cycle is, for the most part, a gradual process of change. Regional weather patterns and temperatures change, as do the accompanying cycles of plant and animal life.

Of all the months, October seems to be the month when we feel the change of seasons most abruptly. The air becomes crisp, leaves turn quickly, and our activities tend to move more from outdoors to indoors.

Every civilization, past and present, has recognized the impact and significance of the change of seasons; some, so much so, many constructed religious beliefs around it. People have worshiped the sun and the earth and have attached spiritual meaning to the change of seasons. The fact that we mark the dates of the solstices and equinoxes is, in large measure, because these have been, and are still, dates of celebration for many cultures and religions throughout the world.

In my faith, the Earth, sun, and the rest of the universe for that matter, are merely parts of creation. They are to be appreciated, to be sure, but not worshiped. To my way of thinking, the seasons are something different: they are the clear words of God, speaking to us about change and hope and renewal, offered to us as proof of His very existence.

I reach out this month to anyone in pain; be it for a loss, or illness or anything else that threatens to steal your joy in life. Please, consider the obvious change in seasons as God’s personal message to you: He is real. He cares, and has shown you a way back to joy.

…since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

–Romans 1:19-20

Transforming Confusion Into Personal Clarity

October 4, 2013 by Trina Swerdlow Leave a Comment

When I’m working with clients, the power of the unconscious mind never ceases to amaze me. In my nine-years of private practice, I have continually offered tools that allow people to gather strength so they can gently gaze below the “top soil” of their lives.

During this personal “excavation process,” many of my clients gain access to their important internal resources, their own buried treasures, which often contain “sparkling GEMS.” These gems can empower a person’s vital self-awareness—and a greater understanding of her (or his) life lessons and soul’s purpose.

At a very early age, I began to explore my own unconscious and “inner landscape” through art. As young as three years old, I created art. My early “work” began with crayons and paper. Eventually, these simple art materials led to paint, canvas, clay, and then to “digital abilities” offered from a computer. Little did I know, however, that for much of my life, art was much more than simply a creative passion. The truth is, unbeknownst to me at the time, my creativity was a lifeline—a kind of unconscious, “self-help” therapy, allowing me to express my emotional pain and confusion. And, thank God I found this healthy outlet for my unconscious—or you might not be reading this article. If I had sought relief from alcohol or drugs, my path could easily have taken a self-destructive turn.

Unfortunately, in my family, a multi-generational collection of skeletons inhabited our closets and frequently rattled in my artwork. For example, I created the acrylic painting (see image) in the 1970s, before I understood the depth of my childhood challenges (and before having ANY access to psychotherapy or other personal growth tools). Now, looking at the painting with “open eyes,” I see clearly that it was a powerfully dark expression of my fear, emotional pain, and confusion.

On the other hand, this painting also contains an uplifting message. If you look closely at the cloud formation between the cloaked woman and the grandfather clock, you may see a “wispy rendition” of the mythological flying horse: Pegasus.

When I created this painting, the truth is, I had absolutely no conscious awareness of painting Pegasus into the scene. And frankly, seeing the mythological symbol in the clouds still gives me chills down my back—knowing that Pegasus is a symbolic bridge…connecting the earth to spiritual realms.

In the years that followed the creation of this painting, many more of my artistic expressions were also “silent messengers,” trying desperately to get my attention and understanding. And, I’m extremely grateful that after stepping onto a personal growth path when I was 29 years old, my art and my life began to make sense. I made sense. That’s when the messages of my artwork were finally understood on a conscious level—when confusion became clarity.

The remarkable part is, as soon as I had concrete “therapeutic tools” firmly available in my personal “tool belt,” my insatiable drive to create esoteric, eerie art transformed into a passion to help others.

That’s when I first glimpsed my “soul’s purpose,” and felt a calling to become a certified clinical hypnotherapist. And now, I’m able to share with others, some of the self-empowerment tools that changed my life.

Tools I offer include: hypnotherapy, guided imagery, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), sandplay, and dream work. These self-empowering tools can serve as profound bridges that tap into the unconscious mind—the “inner landscape.”

So, if you feel a desire to increase your personal clarity and better understand your important life lessons—and soul’s purpose—then call me. Together, we can gently gaze below the “topsoil” of your life, in search of buried treasures…and sparkling GEMS.

——————————————–

Join Trina and attend her Walnut Creek workshop for women and men: Managing Emotional and Compulsive Eating—John Muir Women’s Health Center: Wednesday, Oct 16, 6:30-8:30 pm. Cost: $40 (includes Weight Loss: 2-CD set). Seats are limited—register today: (925) 941-7900 option 3. For more info, go to www.TrinaSwerdlow.com & click: “Private Sessions & Workshops.”

Trina Swerdlow, BFA, CCHT, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, an artist, and the author and illustrator of Stress Reduction Journal. She currently has a private practice in downtown Danville. You can reach her at: (925) 285-5759, or info@TrinaSwerdlow.com.

Certified Clinical Hypnotherapy services in California can be alternative or complementary to licensed healing arts, such as psychotherapy.

Staging to Sell

October 4, 2013 by Stephanie Yeraka Leave a Comment

Selling your home comes with many decisions. How do we get the most for our home? Should we repaint? How much furniture should we leave in our home, if any? In my experience, the homes that sell faster show a potential buyer the possibilities of how a room can be designed. The potential buyer often has trouble visualizing a space when it is empty. Just having a few of your furniture pieces laid out can show the scale of a space and you save on moving expenses by not having to rent a large storage container.

De-cluttering your home is the first task when working on selling. Remove an excess of family photos from shelves and replace with books and small accessories you may have around the house. Clear off desks and counters that may be the storage place for your documents and mail. While these items are important to you, you don’t want potential buyers or “lookieloos” flipping through your papers. If you are in the market to paint and have a lot of bold accent walls, pick a neutral color for the whole home. When buyers are looking for a home, unfortunately pops of color on the walls can be a huge turn off. Paint is an easy fix, so spending the money to paint will allow buyers to see the home’s beauty and not fixate on the wall color.

Furniture pieces also need to be scaled down and rearranged. A living room should be comfortable and elegant to distinguish it from the family room. Create an inviting seating arrangement that complements the space, and be sure not to over decorate—less is more when staging a home. Lighting can play a huge part in showing the beauty and romance of a room. Bring in floor and table lamps for ambient lighting and dim any overhead lights if possible. Beds in bedrooms should be simple and elegant. Think “clean hotel look” when arranging bedrooms—everyone loves the ides of coming home to a retreat. Creating clean but livable spaces when selling your home is key. Contact a designer to get a jump start on your staging project for the most bang for your buck!

HOW TO HOOK YOUR READERS WITH RIVETING SHORT STORIES

October 4, 2013 by Anita Venezia Leave a Comment

Short stories have been popular since the 19^th century hooking readers with the likes of such pioneering Modernists as Edgar Allen Poe, Anton Chekov, James Joyce and O. Henry. In the 1990s, short-short story genres seized new dimensions with edgy, hooky titles to capture new readers, such as Flash, Sudden, and Micro Fiction. Basically, these genres are compelling postcard-style flash stories, to be read in one sitting; riveting with impact, and lingering in the reader’s heart.

This is no easy task. The short story must tell a tale of observation, with strong characters that may face death, sacrifice, danger, solitude, isolation, tough decisions or family upheavals. Storylines must make readers care; the ending must send readers over an emotional cliff with a defining revelation.

I read one such story as a teenager, and it has stayed with me; Guy de Maupassant’s classic “The Necklace”. The finale leaves one dizzy with remorse that a young girl slaved for a decade, in near poverty, to repay the loss of a borrowed necklace, perceived to be diamonds, only to discover the jewels were faux. A revelation, voilà!

Short story writing may be difficult to navigate, as restrictions dictate not just good prose, but the compressed narrative of tight prose, knitted with contextually compelling characters and plots, often concluding with twists, revelations or epiphanies. Short story genres present solid reasons to read, prompted by minimal word counts.

Many short stories have 2500 to 5000 words, but Washington Irving’s enduring 1820s classic, about a headless horseman, “Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” is nearly 12,000 words.

Flash fiction, postcard fiction, and short-short stories require extreme brevity of about 300 words or less. Magazines often feature shorts that fit on two pages.

To make an extreme point: Hemingway is said to have written the most fleeting flash of a six-word story, on a bet at the fabled Algonquin Hotel. “Baby Shoes for Sale, Never Worn.” He won the bet.

Let’s explore what else short stories entail; bullets pinpoint some important aspects.

A short story starts as close as possible to the conclusion
Catch readers in paragraph one by developing powerful characters
Set the point of view with good, precise dialogue
Create setting. Where does plot take place? Time, location, context, atmosphere and background information
Set the story in context with strong, page-turner, “5-Ws” plots: What happens and where? When does it happen? Why does it happen? Who causes the action and what are consequences?
Define plot in one sentence; man is injured in explosion, gets hooked on pain killers, neglects children, wife divorces him, he leaves town, gets clean, becomes new person, returns home, falls into debt, fails, kills self to appear accidental, family starts new life with million dollar insurance policy
Create explosive narrative. Hook reader to story. Engage immediate attention
Mystery, empowerment, progression, causality, surprise, empathy, insight, high status. Character could lose everything, turning point, recognition, decision, resolution—the worm turns—outcome matters
Word count is important when submitting to competitions. Follow guidelines
Timing is crucial; crisis cannot start too early. Readers expect another turning point—cannot happen too late in storyline—they become impatient and vexed without a what’s next trajectory
Crisis must always be presented as a scene—it must happen when the slipper fits, when the crux of the story resolution is revealed
Create conflict and tension. Complications hook readers. What will happen next? Basic conflicts; birth, love, sex, work, change, God and death—the social balance of opposing forces with use of symbolism or metaphors
A story can be riveting by setting the spirit, mood and social mores of another time; zeitgeist if you will
Create a compelling crisis and climax—the rising action that reaches a peak
Falling action releases after the climax, deliver the resolution, conflict resolved
What does protagonist desire, want, need, yearn for? Realism holds a mirror to narrator’s anecdotes. Protagonist must choose moral actions before climax
Create unexpected consequences and emotional energy. Transition the story without jumping around. Readers will get lost
Cut scenes by omitting conversations we already know, do not repeat message. Readers will skip redundancies
Readers should not see what twist is coming, it should have elements of surprise
Show, don’t tell. Write images for reader to see, feel, and understand. Create dialogue that knits story to protagonist. Protagonist must not do things out of character. Surprises don’t work
Show, don’t tell example; ‘my father was funny’, better idea; ‘my father did hilarious things like streaking at football games, wearing nothing but a clown nose or crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue…’
Use the power of flashbacks. What happened in the past affects the present. Was the character in the war, police force, or a dangerous job? Does he react to loud noises, was he in an accident, does he have nightmares?
Keep an idea notebook; record overheard conversations, phrases, and images.

Ideas are all around you, write on a regular basis

Collect stories from casual conversation, mannerisms, idiosyncrasies, strange people, and news. Ideas are everywhere
Don’t waste dialogue, make every word count. Purge redundancy
Make reader see character, feel anguish, see what characters are like
Convey the pain. The reader must enter the story, become part of action
Build a character in your mind, stick to it. Make reader want to meet/love/hate her. Do not bamboozle readers
Create characters with name, job, age, ethnicity, appearance, residence, favourite colour, friends, drinking patterns, phobias, faults, pets, religion, hobbies, single, married, children, temperament, love/hate, secrets, strong memories, illness, nervous gestures, actions, speech, thoughts, sleep patterns. Does protagonist fidget, pick at nails, cross and uncross legs, scratch face, whistle, hum, or clear her throat? Is she anguished?
Who tells story? Is it told through eyes of a first person, second or third person; me, you or him? Plan plot at onset. Write story-line backwards as an exercise
First person unites reader to writer; “I awoke when the earth shook the first time. By the second wave of shaking, the roof was falling on me. Panicked, I grabbed my infant boy and made for the door. Josie didn’t make it. They found her crushed body near the crib under fallen rafters. I will never get over it. It was then I hit the bottle. I will never forgive Mother Nature for her hatred.”
Build a strong denouement—the winding down phase before the ending
Create the resolution, story must be resolved or readers will feel cheated
Never write an action-filled story and then finish with “and then he woke up…” Never cheat readers with cheap twists. Dreams kill a story unless relevant to character; “she dreamed he was beside her, but when she awoke, he was still dead…”
An ending can be either literal or symbolic; “her eyes looked towards the hills, that decisive day ended her dilemma to leave him,” or, “she drove into the fog never to understand why it all happened.”
Endings can be a monologue; “I wish I had known what was to happen, but then again I wouldn’t have a story to tell, would I?”
A short story is compact, tight, no subplots, and no loose ends at ending. If the story ends with a climax, it must show how the finale affects the protagonist and have elements of powerful surprise, or readers will be let down
Write, write, write and write. Read, read, read and read Chekov, Hemingway, James Joyce, Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolf, Joyce Carol Oates and every short story you can access
You will grasp the rhythm, the routine and learn how to craft a short story from the masters of fiction. Short stories are great exercises to confine writers to tell a good story with minimal word count, and improve the use of only the most important words
Form skeleton of storyline, set the stage and then flesh out with dialogue and description that will take readers to higher dimensions
Confine story word count 250 to 300 as exercise, and then write same story with 400 to 500 words. Read both and compare.
Write every day and soon the best stories will float like cream on your body of literary work.

Lottie’s IS your Grandmothers Ice Cream

October 4, 2013 by Toby Tullis Leave a Comment

By now, anyone who has read more than two of my articles knows that I am a sentimental softy perhaps born in the wrong era. I work in technology, but close my eyes and see the 20s. I see coal-fed trains cutting through the center of town across the sandlot where boys with big cuffs and t-shirts play ball. I see deep-welled Ford pick-ups with wooden running boards hauling milk in lead bottles. I see long counters with stools populated with people sipping straws while they peer at the man in the lab coat and bowtie pulling the handle of the soda spritzer. I see hand-turned cylinders spinning larger cylinders of ice and rock salt. I open my eyes and taste that ice cream, here and only here.

Part of me feels like I have been looking for Lottie’s since my own contingency of friends in the 80s would go the Wilders house on our block and take turns spinning the ice cream. Little did I know that Deb Phillips was doing the same thing in Los Angeles.

Lottie’s is owned by Deb Phillips and Ceaser Angobaldo, and like so many of the places I find to write about, was established on the foundation of passion. “Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.” (Thanks Dad. Great advice)

Lottie is Deb’s maternal Grandmother and the exact person that belongs in the “happy place,” I see when I close my eyes. She baked, that’s what she did. Then she taught her daughter, and then she taught her granddaughters. The best part is, it stuck with all of them. The girls are all involved in food—be it preparation or education, they have not strayed from Grandma’s lesson.

After some time in the culinary program at DVC (the reason that we got her from LA), Deb realized that she needed something more focused than “food” preparation and eventually found herself at Penn State University, taking a short course on ice cream; learning the technical and machine side of the business. On April 23, 2013 she opened her doors in Walnut Creek and began to share her life’s passion with consumers.

Here’s why I choose Lottie’s. I have never considered myself to have a sweet tooth. I don’t seek dessert. I will pass on cake more often than I will accept it. I bought Blowpops from the ice cream man instead of popsicles; however I have a need (not desire) to visit Lottie’s on a regular basis and my wife and child help reap the benefits.

They make everything just past the counter, on-site, every day. They pasteurize their own ingredients, right there. They cook their own praline peanuts and toffee right next to the batches. This is why they make only four or five flavors daily.

One thing they do that will not be seen, and not be talked about but will allow the consumer to understand why, on quick inspection, their scoops may look smaller than the competitors’, is they literally pump less air into the process. Trust me, this matters! What we get in return is flavor that will (it did for me) blow minds! What else we get are people without a sweet tooth changing their song for the first time in their lives.

When I look at a plastic, never-been-changed flavor board that says “ginger ice cream,” I usually get a mammoth scoop of something that has a faint suggestion of something ginger, deeply buried. But when I look at the hand written (that day) chalk board at Lottie’s that says “ginger,” the hair stands up on my arm and I seriously have to ask myself if I’m ready for this.

Deb says it best: “When you narrow the focus within, you can be infinitely creative.”

Lottie’s Creamery

1414 N Main St, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Phone: (925) 472-0723

Stamps In My Passport

October 4, 2013 by Harry Hubinger Leave a Comment

Those of you who follow my articles regularly will recognize that I am constantly surprised by the changes that occur – or maybe that are occurring – to places that I have visited and spent time exploring. The so-called “Arab Spring” has brought many of these changes to mind. Perhaps among the most dramatic of these is the ongoing evolution taking place in the country of Egypt. Daily I am reminded of my visits there, particularly to the city of Cairo itself. Travel back a decade or so with me, and let’s watch what can happen in a few short years.

It was January 1992 when we first set foot in Cairo. Our path to Egypt was a bit convoluted. San Francisco to Frankfurt was our routing, and we stayed outside of the airport in our favorite little town of Kelsterbach. This stopover helps us to overcome any jet lag that may plague us.

Our eventual destination was Nairobi, and as we planned the trip we noticed that should we somehow fly from Cairo to Nairobi we would follow the Nile River from near its mouth to a point near its source. We jockeyed our plans around a bit so as to make that flight during the daylight hours. The thought of seeing the Nile from end to end delighted us, so the reservations were made.

As an afterthought we felt it would be fun to spend a few days in Cairo as long as that city was on the agenda – and so it became a stopover in our plan.

Being a little unsure of what to expect in this exotic city, we decided to break our rule of staying in local hotels and booked reservationsat the Nile Hilton Hotel. How fortuitous! The hotel was sparkling clean and exceptionally beautiful, as most Hiltons are. But its location was superb.

There is a wide boulevard which borders the Nile River on the east side called the Nile Corniche Road. The hotel sat squarely on this highway, and our room on the umpteenth floor gave us a magnificent view. Just to the south of the hotel was the El Tahrir Bridge over the Nile. This bridge crosses the highway and ends two blocks away in Tahrir Square – a location which has dominated the television screen the last few years. But more of that later.

The bridge was lit at night as was the square, and we found ourselves walking through the square on many occasions. There was also a small island in the center of the river which was used as a public park. After dark, we would wander around the park where we could see families congregating and lighting fires to cook their evening meals. The smell of smoke and the cooking of food completely filled the air.

Another of our favorite spots was the Coptic Christian Hanging Church. The ancient architecture, the priest in his ornate robes, the wonderful tapestries – all still linger in my memory. I wonder how this structure fits into the chaos that has recently occurred there.

Out the rear of the hotel was a sizeable parking lot. The area was used by hotel guests, the ever-present tour buses, and as a parking lot for the Egyptian State Museum. This museum was a treasure trove of history, and although the presentation was marginal, the material was magnificent – giving one a sense of the long history of this country, going back some eight thousand years.

We roamed this city freely, along with visits to the usual tourist attractions, i.e., pyramids, Sphinx, mosques, etc. But alas, a decade or more has passed, and the city we traveled in has had a history of violence and turmoil. The first warning occurred some four or five years after our visit. A car bomb went off in the parking locale next to the museum, and several people were killed and many more injured. The latest catastrophe to this landmark occurred on August 17, 2013 when the museum was looted and much damage was done. Valuable artifacts also were stolen or destroyed.

As I mentioned earlier, Tahrir Square is the center of one conflict after another. This serene sanctuary is less than six hundred feet from the hotel we stayed at – but it is now the flash point for demonstrationson a regular basis.Although we walked in this area any number of times, the pictures of the crowds on television in this square were in total contrast to our memory.

I don’t know how it will all end. I don’t know if the change is for the better or for the worse. I will leave that for the future to decide. What I do know is that I’m glad I went there several years ago, and I’m glad I’m not there right now.