A&E

Why is it that every other article you see is entitled, ‘The 10 Best ______(fill in the blank) beaches, foods for a smaller waistline, ways to improve your libido, restaurants in the bay area, etc.? Simply put because we’re tired and we don’t want to think anymore. Just point me to the best beach and I’m there. You do the research (thanks) and I’ll be there, I’ll do that.

Season openers are always a great source of optimism but there is no greater fishing  opener than the ocean salmon season. This year’s ocean salmon season opener is being met with higher than normal expectations because of the tremendously high projection by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council for the amount of Salmon that are swimming in our oceans. This was based on the higher than normal jack (juvenile salmon) returns to the rivers last fall.  Many in the know are cautiously optimistic because their projections have been known to be wildly inaccurate. But to most, any good news is welcome especially regarding the health of our fisheries and is cause for optimism.

A cobalt blue vase in front of me holds a bouquet of spring blossoms: calla lilies, freesias, narcissus of several kinds. Yellow, red-orange, cream, whites, and their fragrance fills the air around me. I cut their stems today, a day of sun, clean air and cool breezes.

In a year of challenging and potentially combustible energy patterns, this month seems relatively benign. It would be easy, therefore, to overlook the more subtle influences this month. For example, Mars, having been retrograde since January 23, turns direct on the 13th. After a few months of relative inactivity, spending our time finishing previously incomplete projects, cleaning up clutter and messes and researching for new projects to begin in the future, the time has come to act. However, the overall feeling of drive and motivation, usually low during a Mars retrograde, is just beginning to increase. Don’t be impulsive. Mars is in Virgo, a detail oriented sign that is highly meticulous and discerning in its choices and behaviors. Start to put your new ideas into motion in a manner that coincides with the nature of Virgo.

A “Festival” is defined as “a gala celebrating some aspect of the community,” and there in a nutshell, is why the Fifth Annual Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival  (SDFF) has been honored as: