Happy Saturday!

It’s another beautiful winter/summer day here in Marin County and it is almost Valentine’s Day!

Have you thought about what you are going to give your honey, your child, your best friend or your mom for Valentine’s Day yet? Want to give them something new and different? I have an idea for you!

Go to San Anselmo today!

Tamara Holland is having an Art Sale TODAY.

Where: 2 Florence Ave. in San Anselmo, CA.

When: Today, February 4, 2012 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

This has been the strangest winter I have ever spent in the Bay Area. The weather has been nicer than a normal Bay Area summer.

Here are some photos from the past week.

Took a walk during my lunch break today and happened upon this friendly seagull near the Bay Bridge.

View from the Golden Gate Bridge taken from my bus ride in to the city this morning.

View of Richardson Bay from the Tiburon Bike path. Amazing colors last night.
Wonderful winter walk with Marilyn LoRusso last night.

Dear Marin County Restaurants:

I am trying to decide where to plan the next TweetUp. Please help me make this decision. This is a GREAT opportunity for a local Marin restaurant to get new customers and lots of exposure. Please pass this information on to all your restaurant friends.

What does a TweetUp mean for my business?

It means I will be talking about YOUR business online to my thousands of friends, fans and followers and many of them will also start talking about YOUR business to their friends, fans and followers. (Lots of local exposure for your business.) It also means 20 – 50 (or maybe more, you never know) people will show up at your business ready to spend money. $$$ They will buy drinks, food and they will talk about YOUR restaurant to all their friends, family and followers.

A little Twitter birdy told me the media (ie. The Marin Magazine!) shhh don’t tell anyone will be attending the next TweetUp. They will be taking pictures and introducing our community to the world, which means YOUR restaurant will likely be introduced to the world via the prestigious Marin Magazine.

When the Marin Twitter Community comes to your business it is not a one time thing. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. When we decide we love a business we support that business, we go there often, we introduce our friends to it and we talk about it on Twitter, FourSquare, Facebook, Google+, Path, Yelp, YouTube, our blogs and anywhere else people will listen to us. (We like to talk.)

If you are interested in being THE restaurant to host this next fabulous TweetUp please contact me and convince me as to why we should do it at your restaurant. Maybe you want to offer us a free appetizer or a drink. Maybe you want to purchase a month or 2 of advertising on my blog —-> see the ads over there (I offer very reasonable rates), maybe you want to give us gift cards to thank us for all the promotions, perhaps you want to donate a percentage of the profits to a worthy cause, be creative. Give us an incentive or at least a thank you for shouting about your business to the world and for bringing paying customers and the media in to your business.

If you are interested in being the next restaurant TweetUp destination, please contact me and give me a reason to coordinate this.

If we have already had a TweetUp at your restaurant, we are open to coming back – just give us a reason.

I look forward to hearing from you! Please fill out the form below, send me a tweet or email me at sally @ sallyaroundthebay.com

Thanks!

@Sally_K

PS. Join The Marin TweetUp Community to hear about upcoming TweetUps.

Thank you for passing this information on to the local restaurants in Marin.

For more information on TweetUps see past blog post: What is a TweetUp?

]]> http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2012/01/calling-all-marin-restaurants/feed/ 1 http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2012/01/weird-winter-weather/ http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2012/01/weird-winter-weather/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:03:50 +0000 Sally_K http://sallyaroundthebay.com/?p=4447

This has been the strangest winter I have ever experienced in the Bay Area. It’s been sunny and beautiful. No rain. I know this weather is probably not a good thing but worrying and whining about the fact that we haven’t had any rain is not going to change the fact that we haven’t had any rain. I have to say I have been enjoying the beautiful weather and views. I think I remember last year we got some record rain fall and Tahoe got some record amounts of snow. Maybe it is just the earths way of balancing things out.

Thanks to this odd weather I have been able to get some beautiful photos.

Taken from the bus right after crossing the bridge in to the city.

Taken from behind the Ferry Building.

Taken from the bus while crossing over the Golden Gate Bridge in to San Francisco.

 Hope you are enjoying this weird winter weather!

It makes no sense to worry about things you have no control over
because there’s nothing you can do about them,
and why worry about things you do control?
The activity of worrying keeps you immobilized.
Wayne Dyer (via BrainyQuote)

To see regular morning sunrise photos, taken from the bus, on the Golden Gate Bridge, be sure to like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SallyAroundTheBay

Maybe I can’t teach an old dog new tricks but it seems an old dog can teach me some things, about life. I think I am going to take advice from my aging dog and slow down a bit this year. Poncho was a crazy puppy. He had a LOT of energy. Kind-hearted people always told us just wait until he is 2 and he will calm down. Well, he turned 2 and he did not calm down one bit. In fact he made it all the way to 10 without calming down much.

Now he is 11 making his way toward 12 and he is finally calm (most of the time).

Poncho used to go, go, go! Now he spends most of his time sleeping. He still likes to play, but not for too long. He still likes to go on walks, but tires sooner. He still enjoys seeing his doggie BFFs but hardly plays with them like he used to. His younger dog friends try taunting him but he usually chooses to lay down over playing tug-o-war, chase or wrestling.

He is losing his eyesight. His muscles are degenerating and I am watching the process of aging do its thing in the rapid way it does in dogs.

I get sad sometimes seeing him slow down knowing he may not be with us for much longer. But he is not sad. He is just living life, taking it as it comes and enjoying it as much as possible.

I wish I could be more like Poncho.  I spent the last year in the go, go, go mode and to be honest it was not a very satisfying year.

Instead of go, go, go I am going to try to slow, slow, slow. Life is flying by fast enough. I see proof of this when I look in the mirror and see the wrinkles on my face. What is the hurry?

I am going to slow down, spend more quality time with my dog in the sunset of his life and maybe learn a little bit from him on how to worry less and appreciate more.

I am not sure how I am going to do this but slowing down is my intention for 2012.

2012 is the year I am going to simplify my life!

2011 was anything but simple. 2011 was probably the hardest year I have had since coming out of the closet.

Let’s just say 2011 was a bit of a poopy year.

***WARNING*** TMI coming up.

With extended “family” drama taken to a whole new level, a sewage flood that took out a large section of my house (there was literally human poop floating around my house), to the undiagnosed-but-most-likely-Ecoli-poisoning I had that made me poop blood, 2011 was a poopy year.

Me sitting outside of Kaiser hospital with the poop test hat. Laughing to avoid crying.

My home after the poop flood.

All this poop turned out to be very cleansing. The shit of the family literally came to the surface and we are slowly cleaning it up. The great poop flood of my home was a symbol of my life. My home is now beautifully remodeled. The food poisoning gave me a serious cleanse and took with it those extra 10 pounds I had been carrying around.

Now that the poop has been washed away I am ready for a clean, simple 2012.

To start with I am going to intentionally plan simplicity in to my life and focus on the things I love: my family, friends, my dog, hiking, cooking, reading, blogging, tweeting, etc.

I’m going to…

• downsize my social life. Taking an idea from Lissa Rankin, I’m making a list of special people in my life that I want to spend more time with. I am going to say no to events and invitations that I feel obligated to attend and only say yes to spending quality time with the special people in my life.
• eat out less and cook more healthy meals at home.
• spend more time reading books, less time on the internet.
• more time hiking with my dog.
• more time blogging.
• more time serving others. (going to start volunteering)

What are your plans for 2012?

I just love this poem/story written by my favorite farmer Tara Smith from Tara Firma Farms.

Thanks Tara for your inspiring newsletter this week (and all that you do)!

Happy Holidays!

To all the Parents, Aunts, Uncles, Sisters and Brothers…What to get for Christmas…

Twas the night before Christmas

And all across the Farm

Not a creature was stirring

All quiet in the Barn

The children were nestled

Scattered about the house (four sons – 21, 22, 23, 14, a girl that is supposedly just a friend and another kid from who knows where)

My husband I were sleeping (hiding)

I awoke to a SNAP…one less mouse (peanut butter in the trap works really well)

Staring at the ceiling

Feeling the dread

Knowing I would soon

Be getting out of bed

Wrapping the presents

And filling the socks

Wondering if they would think it funny

If they were filled with Rocks

We don’t need any thing

We don’t need more stuff

We don’t need to waste

It’s all useless fluff

The packaging and paper

Our landfills are full

Our buying and buying

Needing more is just bull.

It’s never enough

All the junk, all the stuff

It doesn’t make us happy

Myself I rebuff

It’s not about stuff

It’s not about things

It’s not about toys or gas cards or rings

It’s not about spending

Time in the store

It’s not about giving out crap

Anymore.

It has to change

We have to wake up

We have to think long term

The “stuff” we have to give up

So I took out a pen

And paper to write

I made several renditions

Notes to my boys that night

I wrote of how proud

I am of them all

How we laugh together

They are really a ball

I wrote of their wins

And how they show character when they lose

I wrote of honesty

And lack of drug taking and little booze.

I tried to explain

How a mother does feel

To see her children

Engage in a way that is real.

In the wee morning hours

I drank coffee and cried

The paper was stained

And the tear stains shown as they dried.

With so little stuff

Under the tree

I worried they would wake

And be disappointed in me.

I watched as they gathered

Around the lit tree

Each taking out their letters

Reading silently.

I watched them tear up

As the heart embraces

The emotion it feels

It showed in their faces

The love of a parent

So simple to give

It lasts forever

Any stuff it will outlive.

It takes only time

And a paper and pen

Give them a gift

They will remember when…and always…
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Your Farmer, Tara Smith

P.S. If you add a little cash to the envelope they’re really like it. (added by  @Sally_K) I want to be Tara when I grow up.

MyFaceSpaceBook
Have you seen the new Facebook Timelines? I just took the plunge and switched over. I don’t know about you but it is reminding me a lot of MySpace. Because of this I signed on to my old MySpace account to compare and I found an old blog post I put on MySpace in December of 2007. It seems I could just switch around the words Facebook & MySpace and the post would not seem outdated.

December 6, 2007

Myspace is starting to look more like Facebook… hmmmm. They added the new Friends Update thing… I still have found no one that can explain to me why they like Facebook better. My daughter’s just keep insisting it is better. Maybe I’m just too old to understand.

But for a second there I thought I was signed in to Facebook when I saw the Friends Update. I was like wait… I thought I signed in to Myspace… oh I did.

The world is morphing into one big sameness… MyFaceSpaceBook and Starbucks.

Did I tell you in Thailand I saw a MacDonald’s with the Clown standing in the Namaste position? and in Cabo San Lucas it was hard to find good Mexican food… I did however find Pizza Hut…

Okay, I’m done. Just wondering if anyone else noticed?

What do you think of the new Facebook Timeline that your profile is automatically going to switch to on Christmas day. Here’s an article from PC World: Facebook Timeline: 9 Things You Need To Know

I’m not sure if they’re going to be changing the look of the “like” pages yet. Do you know?

While you are there checking out Facebook be sure to “like’ the Sally Around The Bay page. Thanks!

PS. I think I like the new layout. It’s fun to be able to easily go back and look at past posts and photos. Great for walking down memory lane.

Thank you to Mike Wolpert from Social Jumpstart: Social Media TV for inviting me to be on your show to discuss my favorite thing in the world: Social Media!

Also, thank you to Marin TV for airing the show and allowing me the surreal experience of actually seeing myself on a Television.

It is my belief that the best way to bring balance back in to the world is to support local, independently owned businesses. What better time to do it than Black Friday?! There are SO many reasons as to why it is better to shop local than big box / chain stores but I will spare you my ramble.  ShopLocalSF lists some of the reasons here: www.shoplocalsf.org/org

Below is a list of local, independently owned Bay Area businesses, organized by area.

Last night I asked my Twitter, Facebook and Google+ friends to tell me their favorite places to shop in the Bay Area. The response from Twitter was overwhelming! Facebook friends offered a few tips and one Twitter friend responded on G+. Hmm what does that say about G+?

If your favorite independent locally owned shop is not on the list please leave a comment below and I will do my best to add it to the list.

I came across the 3/50 project which I think is a fabulous idea! They’re asking that we spend at least $50 a month at 3 different locally owned independent businesses.  Read more about it here: www.the350project.net  Their Twitter hashtag is #350proj You can follow @cindabaxter, the founder of The 3/50 Project on Twitter. If Twitter is not your thing you can also “like” them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/The350Project

Thank you for checking out my Shop Local list! I’m currently offering special (a.k.a. affordable) prices to local, independently owned businesses for sponsorships on my blog. If you’d like to place an ad like the ones you see to the right of this post please contact me for pricing.  —–>

Another suggestion I got was to shop at your local Farmer’s Market – great crafts and food gifts often available.

For that special holiday outfit you might only wear once try local consignment and thrift shops. You might just find the perfect outfit!

I’ve also included a few coffee shops and restaurants on this list because we need to eat, right?!

Please join me in taking the pledge to shop local as much as possible. #shoplocal

North Bay / Marin

Corte Madera
A Childs Delight (Toys)
Meadowlark Gallery
Rick’s Wine Cellar (stop in and have a glass or pick up a bottle for a gift)
The Book Passage
Tiller Diggs (home & garden,  jewelry & clothing)

Fairfax
Good Earth Natural Foods (healthy holiday meals & gifts)
Iron Springs (brewery & restaurant)
Revolution 9
Sherman’s General Store
The Hummingbird Restaurant
Various & Sundries

Larkspur
Coquelicot (antiques, home & garden, jewelry)
Lark Shoes
Marin Brew Co. (brewery & restaurant)
Modern Cookie Co. (opening Dec. 5)
Rustic Bakery
What Poppy Wants (boutique & vintage consignment shop)

Mill Valley
At The Top Salon (gift certificate or jewelry)
Dan’s Liquor (for your holiday wine or bubbly)
F. Joseph Smiths (massage, ask for Jessica B)
Mill Valley Market (for you holiday groceries)
Moss & Moss
Mountain Biking Marin (bike tours and clinics)
Pharmaca (not totally local but great alternative to the big box drug stores & wonderful products)
Red Dragon Yoga (clothing, gift cards, yoga classes to destress)
Tea Fountain
Title 9
The Book Depot
Two Neat (gifts)
Vintage Wines
Woodland’s Pet

Muir Beach
The Pelican Inn (restaurant)

Napa
Peju Winery (this is where you take your out of town guest – fun!)
Rancho Gordo (heirloom beans) <– now that is original!

Novato
Dr. Insomnias (coffee shop)
Class Cycle (bike shop)
Grazie Cafe Italiano (restaurant)
Moylan’s (brewery & restaurant)
Studio 4 Art (make stuff)
Marin Humane Society (adopt a pet, pet store)
Rustic Bakery

Petaluma
Copperfield Books
Della Fattoria (restaurant)
iLeoni (kitchen & gifts)
Knitterly  
Mrs. Grossman’s Stickers (great field trip for young children)
Nan Winters (clothing)
Shop Paper White
Tara Firma Farms (for your healthy holiday meal or a fun activity for the family)
McEvoy Ranch (body care products, olive oil, more)
Robindira Unsworth (jewelry, clothing, accessories)
Sorella (hair studio, fashion boutique)
Tuscan Gardens (home & garden)

Pt.Reyes
Zuma (arts and crafts)
Pt. Reyes Open Studio

San Anselmo
3  Ring Cycles (bike store)
Gathering Thyme (herbs & health care products)
Gioia’s Boutique (Clothing)
Great Acorn Co. (gifts)
Holiday Pop Up Shop (Dec. 3 Only)
Marin Coffee Roasters
Pure Joy Body work
Sidekicks (clothing)
Susan’s Store Room
Fig Garden (gifts)

San Rafael
A Childs Delight (Toys)
Andy’s Market (great wine & chocolate selection)
Art Works Downtown
Bananas At Large (musical instruments & pro audio equipment)
Beads of Marin
Bedrock Music & Video
California Bike N Bean (bike store)
Celebracion Bridal (pretty dresses, tux rentals & tiaras!)
Clogs Unlimited
Dharma Trading Co. (fiber art supplies & clothing blanks)
Friends Books (used books, 100% proceeds support San Rafael Public Library)
Elegant Images Fine Art Photography
Gamescape (non-electronic games)
Jan Orcutt, Accupunture (remember to take care of yourself)
Marin Jewelers Guild
Merritt Chiropractic Center (might need this after all the shopping)
Pin Up Hair Emporium & Unique Boutique
Ponsford’s Place (Bakery)
Red Dragon Yoga
T & B Sports
The Magic Flute
Toni Tierney Baby Clothes (she often has great sales right out of her headquarters)
Via Diva (furniture)
Viva Diva (clothing)
Youth in Arts – Retail shop

Sausalito
Mollie Stones (groceries, gifts)
Sweet Ginger (Sushi restaurant, gift card!)
Downtown Sausalito is full of lots of wonderful little shops.

Sonoma
Bram Cookware
The Girl & The Fig (restaurant)

Santa Rosa
T & B Sports

Tomales
Fallon Hills Ranch (to buy your ranch raised grass fed holiday meal)

Online
Cowboy’s Fuzzy Duds
Bean Up The Nose Art
The Marin Store (Marin Magazine)

East Bay

Albany
Five Little Monkeys (Toy shop)

Berkeley
Berkeley Bowl (groceries)
Gather Berkeley (restaurant, gift certificate)
Kermit Lynch (wine importer on the larger side)
Tail of the Yak (gifts)
Fourth Street in Berkeley has lots of great shops

Hayward
Hayward Book Shop

Oakland
Calm, A Salon
Cole Coffee (local roasted coffee)
Glamour Paws
Laurel Book Store
Oakland Dish
Oakollectiv (local hand painted t-shirts, local designs)
Paws and Claws (pet shop)
Relish Catering (for your holiday parties)
Someone’s In The Kitchen
The Crucible (gift & art sale 12/10 – 12/11)
The Oakland Chocolate Factory (you can get my gift here)
The Wine Mine
Tootsies (shoe boutique, pedicures)
Walden Pond Books

Walnut Creek
Five Little Monkeys (Toy shop)
Walnut Creek Yacht Club (restaurant)

South Bay

Palo Alto
Books, Inc

San Francisco
A Childs Delight (Toys)
Cheekbob (pet store)
Christopher’s Books (Potrero Hill)
Cowgirl Creamer
Create More (Apple supplies, support & more!)
Farmers Market
Ferry Building San Francisco (lots of independent shops here)
Flax Art & Design
Green Apple Books – Inner Richmond. Clement at 6th.
Her Majesty’s Secret Beekeeper (honey!)
MSR museum (best #sf place for small children. Small place, lots to do & see, parents just relax @ entrance & watch them run. @thecara)
Pacific Catch (restaurant, gift certificate)
Palio Paninoteca
Rancho Gordo Beans (SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market)
Recchuti (Did someone say chocolate?)
Streetcar Museum
The Book Passage (ferry building)

San Jose
Hicklebees Books (mostly kids)
Streetlight Records

Thank you to everyone who sent suggestions!

Happy Holidays!

#ShopLocal

Please leave a comment and let us know what you got at your local independently owned store!

If you live in another area please make your own list and share it with your readers!

If your appliances break during the holiday season… don’t fret! Call Appliance Techs of Marin!

According to this video you might even get a date if you shop local.

*disclaimer I have not been to many of these businesses they are suggestion I crowd-sourced from my social networks. If there are any corrections that need to be made please leave a comment below.

**This is an evolving/growing list. I plan to add links to all the businesses and to keep adding more local, independently owned businesses. However, if I continue working on this tonight I may find myself disowned by my family. Thanks for shopping local.

PS. Please feel free to copy/use this list and pass it on to others. I’d appreciate a link back to the original list. Here is the link: http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2011/11/shop-local-bay-area/ Thank you!

Thank you for shopping local!