Woman San Diego
Informing, Entertaining, and Featuring the Women of San Diego
Women of Distinction 2013
www.sandiegowoman.com
Ingrid Croce & Gina Champion-Cain
First Ladies of the Gaslamp Photography by Lisa K. Miller location Bertrand at Mr. A’s
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THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE,
A WORLD LEADER IN THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE OF ALCOHOLISM AND ADDICTION, IS SEEKING QUALIFIED SAN DIEGO AREA PARTICIPANTS FOR 3 IMPORTANT STUDIES. ALCOHOL ABUSE TREATMENT A study of two prescription medications to see if either will prolong the time that heavy drinkers can go without drinking while also helping reduce the severity of any relapse to drinking. This program involves 15 weekly visits and individual counseling.
MARIJUANA ABUSE TREATMENT A study to help people quit smoking marijuana. This program involves up to 13 weekly visits, prescription medication, and weekly individual counseling.
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ALCOHOL EFFECTS STUDY Volunteers who consider themselves heavy drinkers and do not wish to stop drinking can participate in this 7-week study involving a prescription medication.
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Eligible participants will receive study-specific physical exams, lab tests, and medication (or placebo) at no cost. Treatment study participants also receive study-specific individual counseling at no cost. COMPENSATION to help with time and travel will also be provided. Participants must be 18 or older. All your information is confidential. To find out if you qualify for study participation, please call 858.784.STOP (7867) or visit pearsoncenter.org.
Woman San Diego
Dear Readers, San Diego Woman takes great pride in sharing the stories of our local women: Women who overcome obstacles, create amazing businesses, donate time and money, lend a hand when needed, and raise incredible children to become the new citizens of our fine town. It is with great pleasure that we present a very special issue of San Diego Woman, our “Women of Distinction” issue. Our cover girls, Ingrid Croce and Gina Champion-Cain, are outstanding examples of the accomplishments that can be made by women in our community. These two wonderful women arrived on scene in the Gaslamp determined to help San Diego revitalize its downtown area. Both believed that a beautiful city like San Diego, with visitors who travel here year after year, needed a vibrant cityscape full of fun restaurants and entertainment venues. They both set out, in their own ways, to help create what we all know and love as The Gaslamp. Read both of their amazing stories. You will be in awe of the strength and determination exhibited by Ingrid after losing her beloved husband and musical icon, Jim Croce. Find out how Gina Champion-Cain’s idea of opening a House of Blues in San Diego became a reality. Both are not only great business women, but they are warm and wonderful individuals. Our issue doesn’t stop with only these two iconic San Diegans. Take some time to read the profiles of some more amazing woman whose stories will enthrall you. San Diego continues to grow in so many ways and one of the most important advances being made is in the medical community. San Diego has just become one of the few locations for the advanced science of Proton Therapy. Take a look at the new facility and the hospital behind it, not to mention the incredible physician who will be running the show.
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Our “Women in Business” Directory, a feature unique to our publication, has become a regular part of every issue of our magazine. Our goal is to make all of the women of San Diego aware of women owned and operated establishments, giving them the option to support these businesses and services. As they say…us girls gotta stick together. As always I would love to hear from our readers, because San Diego Woman is your magazine, Help us to make it your one source for everything San Diegan! Sincerely,
Judith A. Habert Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Subscription Information
Annual subscriptions available on request Please send name, mailing address, and check for $25.00 payable to San Diego Woman. Subscriptions can also be purchased online at www.sandiegowoman.com
San Diego Woman 11835 Carmel Mountain Road Suite 1304-346 San Diego, CA 92128 888 275 7125 858 735 5301 Disclaimer: Products, services, practices, websites or informational packets mentioned within our pages are in no way an endorsement by San Diego Woman, but are provided to our readers for informational purposes only. Privacy Advisory: Personal information provided by our readers will be used solely for the purposes of providing requested information and will not be shared.
Photographer: Lisa K Miller Models: Ingrid Croce & Gina Champion-Cain Thank you to Bertrand at Mr A's for use of his beautiful venue
Graphics/Magazine Layout: Sonali Soni www.sonalidesignstudio.com
Issue 2013
In Every Issue Letter from the Editor Letters to the Editor Bitchin & Moaning He Said/She Said Transitions with Carol LeBeau Women in Business Directory To Honor the Passage Ask An Angel Poetry Corner Building Better Presentations
Page 4 Page 8 Page 26 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 39 Page 40 Page 45 Page 50
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Women of Distinction Page 9 Ingrid Croce Page 10 Gina Champion-Cain Page 12 Patti Finnegan Page 15 Cheryl Phillips Raiken Page 16 Karen Dietz, PhD Page 17 Dawn Meadows Page 18 Dr. Sasha Bhor, DDS Page 20 Kara L. Gervais Page 21 Fall Festival Bates Nut Farm Page 22 San Diego Music Calendar Page 23 SOMA San Diego Page 23 An Unexpected Las Vegas Experience Page 24 Out Of The Orchard Page 25 Wheelchair Dancer’s Join Olympics Page 27 A Taste of Coronado Page 28 Rainbow Cookies Page 34 To Honor The Passage Page 35 Dr. Rossi & Scripps Proton Center Page 36 Fall Trends- Florals Page 39 Escondido’s Dedicated Mayor Page 41 What is Pranic Healing Page 42 Fall Fashion Trends Page 43 To Have Loved & Lost Page 44 An Adventure in Peru Page 48
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Inside This Issue
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Publisher/Editor-in-Chief editor@sandiegowoman.com
6 Sonali Soni
Creative Director
creativedirector@sandiegowoman.com
Woman San Diego
San Diego
Judith A. Habert
Woman
Behind the Pages
Judith A. Habert Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Sonali Soni Creative Director
Robert Tussey Copy Editing
Lisa K. Miller Photographer
Jaime V. Habert Entertainment Editor
Now find us on:
www.sandiegowoman.com 11835 Carmel Mountain Road Suite 1304-346 San Diego, CA 92128 888 275 7125 858 735 5301 Graphics/Magazine Layout: Sonali Soni www.sonalidesignstudio.com
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Robert Tussey
Robert has been a published writer for over thirty years and has been providing editing services for the past twenty-five. As a musician, he has written scores of songs. His life has revolved around his music and writing, often melding the two into articles and interviews.
Rob Weinberg
Rob is President of The MarketBuilding Team, has written two books on marketing, and authors a free marketing advice column called, Ask Mr. Marketing. You can subscribe to his free marketing newsletter at www.marketbuilding.com
Heather Shaw
Heather is fashion writer I am a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising with a Degree in Visual Presentation and Merchandising. After spending many years in the finance industry I am shifting my focus back to Fashion and Beauty. I'm excited to bring my knowledge of current trends and basic styling to women of all ages.
Linda Mullin
Linda Mullin is originally from upstate New York, and now resides in Poway, California with her husband and children. She enjoys reading and attending writer’s workshops. Her true passion is writing, and she is currently working on a suspense novel.
P H OTO G R A P H E R s
W R I T E R S
Lisa K Miller
Lisa is the owner of Photography by Lisa K, a custom portrait studio located in San Diego, specializing in the highest quality portraiture. As the mother of twins, Lisa shines at capturing moments in pregnancy and early life. She shares her talents with many local charities www.photographybylisak.com
Carol LeBeau
Carol LeBeau spent close to 30 years as a beloved fixture on San Diego News. Today she is enjoying her retirement, as well as a second career as an in demand speaker at functions throughout San Diego. In addition to her many speaking engagements, Carol is a columnist for San Diego Woman speaking about life after her news career.
A San Diego State University graduate has lived in San Diego since 1997. After graduating with a degree in Art, with an emphasis in Graphic Design, she put her skills to work in the real estate industry. After enjoying a successful career, she retired and began fashion writing and blogging San Diego events. She currently resides in Scripps Ranch with her husband and two young children.
Martha Perez
Martha stays busy with community volunteer projects, book club and fellowship groups, fitness and personal-growth activities, mentoring young adults, and advocacy in health issues. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree and ‘retired’ as a hospital administrator to care for her family. Writing poetry sparked her love of writing and she enjoys writing stories from a woman's heart point of view.
Jeani Zuber
Jeani spent close to 30 years as a successful professional in the marketing and business development fields, which included both medical and private sector companies. Presently retired she takes great pleasure in her second career as a gifted free-lance writer for several publications. She is currently writing a book.
Robin is a freelance writer living in San Diego. She has been published in online e-zines for her travel articles. When not sitting at her desk she can usually be found exploring the corners of San Diego. Her passions include writing, going on adventures and scrapbooking.
Johnnie Morphis Jaime V. Habert
Debbie Storms
Debbie has enjoyed many careers from accountant to air traffic controller. She believes life is an adventure to be lived to its fullest. Growing up in New Jersey, she learned life skills to help her practice that credo. Her passion for travel has taken her to many parts of the world. She is now focusing on writing about her travels and interviewing entertainers, which is a great combo!
Jaime is a music enthusiast is a music enthusiast and serves as Entertainment Edito for San Diego Woman. She has plans to pursue a degree in Business Management. She is a freelance writer, who takes every opportunity to write about the subject she loves.
Gerald M. Neff
Mr. Neff, is a veteran of the Peace Corps in Peru and of Vietnam. He is a world traveler and has over 40 years in South America and Asia, and a year in Australia and New Zealand. He has written various articles for local publication and looks forward to more traveling and writing.
Sarah Mullin
Sarah was born in southern California and lives in Poway with her family. She is attending her second year at Palomar College. Sarah enjoys reading and taking walks. She hopes to pursue a career as a writer.
Hannah Cunningham Hannah Cunningham is a contributing writer, humorist, and educator in the San Diego area. She relocated from Chicago 5 years ago after receiving a Masters in English as well as a Masters in Education and started her teaching career in Solana Beach. A writer at her core, Hannah's favorite hobby is finding and recording the humor in women's everyday lives and relationships.
Johnnie Morphis was born in Sikeston, Missouri, and attended the University of Illinois in Champagne-Urbana. As a young mother of two homosexual children, she moved to San Diego where she still resides. She is writing a novel called Tatooka to question the traditional beliefs on sexual orientation, prejudice among races, and the merits of living a solitary life.
Woman San Diego
San Diego
Lisa Matar
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Robin DohrnSimpson
Letters Editor to the
I was so happy to see Jo Dee Jacob on the cover of your magazine. My three girls were all in Girl Scouts and it gave them so much confidence and strength. A lot of this came from Jo Dee. She is wonderful! I don’t think you could find a better subject for your cover. She is the epitome of class and courage, and an excellent role model for the young women of San Diego. Karen from San Diego
How exciting! It’s about time women get something entirely for them. I loved learning about Tequila and finding out that we now have one we can call our own. Next time I am in the mood for a Margarita I am going to ask for Pink. Leanne from San Diego The article on How to Save the Postal System was very thought provoking….Best ideas I have heard in a long. Joey from San Marcos Congratulations to those involved in building the new USO. This organization has stood the test of time. Glad to hear that San Diegans appreciate an organization that has stood by our military through every conflict our country has faced. I will always be a supporter of the USO. Jill from Oceanside
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I took your advice and visited the Grand Tea Room. I am originally from England and setting foot in this adorable restaurant brought back such fond memories. I will be a regular. Annie from Escondido
I recently purchased the Belloccio airbrush system and I am so thrilled with it. My complexion looks flawless. It has given me so much more self confidence and it only takes five minutes to do my makeup now. If you want great looking skin, invest in one of these systems. You will fall in love. Regina from La Jolla Carol LeBeau’s column is always the first thing I read when I get a new copy of San Diego Woman. I love her words of wisdom. I took her suggestion and have added a lot of the foods mentioned into my diet and I already feel a difference in how my clothes fit. Thanks Carol Donna from Leucadia Thank you so much for your Women’s Directory. I will hold onto this issue so that I can support women owned businesses in San Diego. Lena from Scripps Ranch I never heard of wheel chair dancing before reading your article on the founder. How incredible it is that there is an organization that helps bring dance back into the lives of those who thought they would never dance again. Bravo to all those who take part in this wonderful event. Nancy from Rancho Bernardo After reading the features on Photographer Lisa and Creative Director Sonali, I feel like I know them. It makes it easy to understand what makes San Diego Woman such a great publication, great women who are behind the scenes. Laney from San Diego Girl Puhlease! was such a great article and so true. I’m happy that I am not the only one who feels this way. This is one of the best parts of San Diego Woman magazine, readers get to hear what other women are thinking. Sandy from Point Loma
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San Diego Woman Magazine’s Women of Distinction
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"Women Making a Difference"
Ingrid Croce Anyone who lives in San Diego knows her name, but to actually meet her and sit down and talk is truly a privilege. Being the widow of music legend Jim Croce, many gravitate to her wanting to hear more about Jim and their idyllic life together before his tragic passing in 1973. Their life was just beginning, and at the age of
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30, Jim left behind a beautiful wife and his pride and joy, his baby boy AJ who was barely two. Ingrid Croce is petite and beautiful with a spirit and business acumen to rival any Wall Street titan. She is what used to be called spunky. When she walks into a room it is suddenly afire with passion and energy. How, one might ask, has this woman come
By Judith A. Habert
through some of life’s most devastating events with such enduring positive energy and class? Ingrid, the daughter of a divorced couple, was a twin. She and her sister Phyllis were probably as close as two sisters could possibly be, though almost opposite in every aspect of their personalities. Ingrid joined every sport and activity in school (even though she had to deal with being moved from Dad to Mom and back again). She was outgoing and always had a large collection of friends. Phyllis was more reserved and chose to keep more to herself, but often shared friends with Ingrid, which pleased Ingrid. It meant that they could spend a lot of time together. Ingrid first set eyes on Jim Croce when she was only 16 years old and stuck in a snow drift. She was on her way to an audition at a local radio station in hopes of earning a spot as a participant in a huge hootenanny, which was part of the biggest contest festival of the year in Philadelphia: Ingrid, accompanied by five young cadets, whom she had joined forces with as the lead singer in their band, the Rum Runner, had their car stuck in a snow drift. Jim drove by and spotted this slim little lady with hazel eyes trying her best to free the car. She gazed over at him, was taken with his kind,sad, brown eyes and curly brown hair and gave him a wave. He smiled admiringly at her just as the car made its way out of the snow. A short time later they would come face to face when she found out he was the judge at the radio station. They won the coveted spot and went on to perform at the festival.
If things were not hard enough for Ingrid and her baby boy, AJ, at the age of four suddenly lost his vision, due to a brain tumor syndrome and it would be years of medical treatment before the damage to his ocular nerve would be repaired and his sight was partially restored in his left eye. Just when you think nothing else can go wrong it undoubtedly does. Ingrid was unable to sing and also dealing with a blind child. You would think that with all that was going on in her life she would have been too devastated to go on. Instead this inspired Ingrid to move forward and find a way to make money to support her son. She knew she had to find something that she could be passionate about. She knew how to cook, and toyed with the idea of opening a restaurant. Ingrid adds, “I was a foodie, before the word existed.” Even though her background was in art and music, she was determined to find a solution to her monetary issues. A good friend knew she was thinking about opening a restaurant, and when she heard of a spot available downtown in the burgeoning Gaslamp district, she got right on the phone to Ingrid. Ingrid went to look at the possible restaurant location and was taken back to find that it was the exact spot that years earlier she and Jim had stood in front of and dreamed of opening their restaurant and Jazz bar. With one look she knew, and Croce’s was born. Over the years one of the great things about owning Croce’s was that it made her feel worthwhile and gave her a purpose. “I find if I don’t have a purpose in life I don’t have a life. I need a reason to get up in the morning. I love having the opportunity to have a job, and to me a job is a gift.” Over the years Ingrid has given her grandchildren a place to work and has done so with the children of many of her musician friends. “The musician community was a very small one in those
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days and most of the well-known performers of the time were all good friends. So if one of their children needed a job I was happy to be able to give them one. I gave my grandson a chance to work in accounting at Croce’s. I gave my granddaughter an opportunity to work at Croce’s. Arlo Guthrie’s daughter, Kathy Guthrie, worked in our office and as a hostess. Willie Nelson’s daughter, Amy, worked as a bar back at Croce’s.” Croce’s has become a landmark in San Diego. When it was first opened in 1985 the Gaslamp was just beginning to take shape. Much of its growth can be directly attributed to Ingrid and what she has done over the years to help build the area. Several years back she helped create Restaurant Week in San Diego, wrote a book about it, and has continued to be a huge force in its success. She has been a member of the California Restaurant Association San Diego Chapter, Restaurant Week Committee Chair, San Diego Convention & Visitor’s Bureau Board Member, and the Gaslamp Foundation & Council Board Member. Extremely busy with her restaurant and numerous charitable efforts, Ingrid felt her life was complete. That was until an unlikely event caused her to come face to face with the man who would become her second husband. One of Ingrid’s longtime employees was arrested and taken out of the restaurant one night. When searching for an attorney to help her employee, she contacted a friend whom she knew was dating an attorney. This attorney was busy and provided her the name of a colleague, Jimmy Rock. When they first met Ingrid knew there was something special about this man. After a series of missed encounters they began dating and in 1988 they were engaged and married. It was at this time Ingrid asked if Jimmy would put his law practice on hold to help her write Jim Croce’s life story. Most would think this a strange request, asking your current husband to write your deceased husband’s biography; and at the time he was a bit uncertain if he could do the story justice. He was willing to give it a shot and in 1991 the Jim Croce story’s first draft was written. However it would be 2012 before Ingrid felt ready to release this book. Ingrid’s love of music has never wavered and she currently has had the opportunity to watch her son AJ follow in his father’s footsteps as a fabulous singer/songwriter. At the young age of 15 he traveled to Europe and started performing at Jazz clubs in Paris. At the age of 19 he was signed to a record deal with a well renowned jazz label, Private Music. AJ is currently working on his ninth CD. Married and living in San Diego he has played with some of the jazz greats and continues to thrive in his musical career, encompassing many genres. Ingrid and Jimmy Rock are now starting the next chapter in their book, with the closing of Croce’s in the Gaslamp at the end of this year, and the opening of Croce’s Park West in Banker’s Hill. Leaving the Gaslamp was not an easy decision for Ingrid, “Leaving the Gaslamp is sad for us, but what makes it less sad is knowing that we have helped to invigorate the area. We now plan to invigorate a new community.” Croce’s Park West is scheduled to open in January. As with the original Croce’s, you will most likely find the couple walking hand in hand through the restaurant, greeting their guests and sharing their great food - and of course their many “Photographs and Memories.”
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Their paths would cross on a few occasions, since they both were in the same community of singers. Jim first approached her as a fan, asking if they could practice together some time. At first she hesitated, but when she saw him about to walk away, she grabbed back his attention with a resounding yes. They practiced together stealing kisses between songs. They performed together - eyes focused on each other and finally acknowledged what had been lingering there for some time. Having to overcome some reluctance on the part of Jim’s Italian Catholic parents who were hopeful that their son would find himself a good Italian Catholic girl, they managed to find a way to be together. They married and swore to be together forever. Ingrid sang with Jim and together they made some beautiful music. When Ingrid found she was pregnant, Jim was over the moon with excitement. They welcomed their precious son Adrian James (AJ) into the world; a world full of music and love. Life was good and was going according to schedule. They loved their life together, their son, their friends and the music they shared. Jim was traveling a lot doing concerts all over the world. It would be the last concert trip that would forever remain in Ingrid’s mind. His plane went down while heading home to his family. Several days after Ingrid and AJ returned home a letter was waiting. Jim had sent it before leaving Natchitoches, Louisiana. He apologized for his crazy schedule and foul mood and in words that would tear at her heart… “Give a kiss to my little man and tell him Daddy loves him. Remember, it’s the first sixty years that count and I’ve got thirty to go, I love you Jim” Recovering from such a devastating event was not easy, but Ingrid knew she had to move on to make a life for herself and her little boy. Ingrid recounted all of the great times she and Jim shared and fondly remembered the last Saturday night date they had spent walking along the streets of Downtown San Diego when Jim stopped at the corner of fifth and F trying to find a place to dine and listen to music. It was that night that they realized there was no such venue in the downtown area. Jim hugged Ingrid and said “Someday we should open a restaurant and Jazz bar right here and invite all of our friends to come and perform.” That was the last date they would have. Ingrid kept up her singing career until she developed a tumor on her vocal chords. After two surgeries it became evident that she would never sing again. This was jarring for a woman who had been singing since she was a little girl and had even sung on her Mom’s TV show when she was a young child. At this point, she was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life, and how to support herself and her son. Since Jim’s death, Ingrid was in court battling to get the rights to Jim’s music and the legacy that was rightfully due to his son and wife.
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Gina Champion-Cain Photos courtesy of Gina Champion-Cain
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There are some people who you meet for the very first time and feel as if you have known them a lifetime. Gina Champion-Cain is one such person. Upon meeting her, it was obvious from her big smile and intelligent banter that this woman was not only beautiful, but someone I wanted to get to know better: I was impressed with her kindness and concern for those around her, and her selfless love for this community she calls home. Gina Champion-Cain is a woman who has done some remarkable things in her life. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she first came to San Diego to attend law school at the University of San Diego. She graduated from USD with an MBA instead, realizing that she really was not cut out to be an attorney. Having grown up with a father who was a real estate developer, she found herself drawn to the field and decided to pursue a career in Real Estate Development. Unfortunately, times were not ideal for this choice, but as Gina would do throughout her life, she managed to take lemons and make lemonade. With an economy that was less than ideal for a real estate professional, she decided to concentrate on the large number of distressed properties
By Judith A. Habert
in San Diego. She would focus on purchasing these properties, rehabbing, and flipping them. It didn’t take long for her to become the go-to-person for distressed properties. Her command of this area of real estate did not go unnoticed. Before long Gina was swept up by a major international real estate company and placed in charge of their international retail development program. This division concentrated on purchasing distressed malls and repurposing them. In 1994, La Jolla Village Square Mall was one of her first endeavors. With a title conferred upon her of Executive Vice President of her firm’s Asian division, she would soon be traveling internationally to help design mega malls in places such as Osaka and Tokyo, bringing the “American Mall” concept to Japan. In 1997 the Japanese economy was faced with tough times and Koll, the company for which Gina worked, closed down its Asian division. Never being one to wallow in pity, Gina brushed herself off and realized that this was an opportunity to start her own business and American National Investments was born. Her most noteworthy purchase was of the Woolworth Building in downtown San Diego. The purchase was one that Gina had long dreamed of, and she knew exactly what she wanted to do with this property. As a frequent traveler, Gina loved to visit music venues across the country, her favorite being ’The House of Blues.’ She took a step back and looked at our downtown area and felt it was sorely lacking in good restaurants and music venues that would draw crowds and liven up the downtown area. After much negotiation with The House of Blues, her dream was realized and downtown San Diego would begin to shine. She subsequently bought other buildings downtown, doing what she could to further build up this blossoming area. “At the time, the Gaslamp was in its infancy. Its growth came with the help of such pioneers as Ingrid Croce, David and Lesley Cohn, Jack Berkman, and Bud Fischer to name a few. These were just some of the people we can thank for San Diego having a downtown area that attracts tourists and residents alike.” Although she would never say it herself, Gina too holds a spot in the development of the Gaslamp. Bringing the House of Blues to San Diego was a huge plus for the downtown area. In addition, Gina sat on the board of directors of the former Centre City Redevelopment Corporation and the Redevelopment Agency of Southeast San Diego. She does however admit to her love of the Gaslamp, “I have a passion for neighborhoods. I am not a suburban developer. I love downtown neighborhoods.” Three years ago, in Gina’s continued effort to revitalize San Diego neighborhoods, she came upon a site on Lamont Street in Pacific Beach. Her original plans for this property were to tear it down and create a mixed use project, but a problem soon reared its head when the residents of this neighborhood admitted to being devastated at losing their beloved Lamont Street Grill - the property she had purchased and planned to tear down. Gina, always mindful of the residents in communities where she builds, soon realized that she could not take this landmark restaurant away from its patrons. As she thought about this problem she decided there was only one person who could help advise her with this crazy idea that was creeping into her head, could she really open her own restaurant?
special doggy grog prepared by her chef to keep her four legged patrons as happy as the two legged variety. So how does Gina manage to succeed in just about any venture she undertakes? “I know what I like when I go to a restaurant and what I don’t like…I hate waiting for my glass of wine…I hate it. I expect when I go to vacation homes there will be fresh flowers, wine chilling, and appetizers ready for me. I want a clean environment, so this is what I do with my restaurant and vacation rentals. When I go away I want to be able to cook for myself and I want to be sure that there are dog beds and dog treats for my dogs. I think customer service is extremely important to me, so I provide it to my customers.” We asked Gina what advice she would give to a new restaurateur starting out today. “It takes a certain personality to own a restaurant. You can’t want to be in it just to say I have my own restaurant, unless you are rich and want to throw away your money.
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As a huge music fan, Gina was aware of the long struggles Ingrid Croce had been battling to get the rights to her husband, Jim Croce’s music. It was before she even landed in San Diego to attend Law School that she vowed to one day meet this woman she so strongly admired. Shortly after her arrival in San Diego, a mutual friend introduced the ladies. The two women hit it off instantly, and a long term friendship began. Knowing that there was no one better to ask, Gina got on the phone with Ingrid and asked her how hard it was to run a restaurant? “At the time, I had no experience with opening or running a restaurant. I knew what I liked in a restaurant, but was unsure if I could open a restaurant, or even if I wanted to open a restaurant. When I called Ingrid to ask her how hard it was to run a restaurant, the first words out of her mouth were, ‘Don’t do it. Don’t even think about it. You have a good life now, why would you ruin it?’” In the end it was Ingrid Croce who would lend much support helping her every step of the way to build the restaurant she envisioned; The Patio. In the North East area of Pacific Beach. You will find that this restaurant is a direct reflection of the neighborhood which surrounds it. When asked to describe The Patio Gina quickly explains, “We celebrate sustainability, we repurposed most of the furniture and our food is farm to table. There is no storing or freezing of anything in our restaurant. Everything is fresh.” Along with the wonderful food at The Patio, comes a décor that is often referred to as Beach Urban Chic, with Sector 9 skateboards adorning the walls. The menu is eclectic, including good old American favorites as well as flavors of Asia and the Mediterranean. Gina prides her restaurant in its affordability, quality, good service and casual atmosphere. “You can come to The Patio in a tuxedo or shorts and flip flops.” Many of her patrons do just that, some as often as three times a week. Apparently, the restaurant business is now in Gina’s blood, as she is looking for several other locations throughout San Diego to house more Patio restaurants. Her key is to match the restaurant to the neighborhood, so it feels like home to its clientele. When asked how she manages to so closely duplicate the neighborhood in which her restaurants reside Gina adds, “I have always found that the best way to learn about an area is to talk to the taxi drivers and visit the dive bars. This is how you really find out about a neighborhood.” As if the restaurant business is not enough to keep Gina busy, she also owns the brand Luv Surf San Diego, which includes dog friendly vacation rentals in Mission Beach and Luv Surf boutiques that epitomize the surf culture with beach clothing and dog products. A true dog lover, Gina takes her two Golden Retrievers along with her where ever she goes. Her Restaurant is also Dog Friendly with bowls hand painted by an artist in Dana Point and a
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Photos courtesy of Gina Champion-Cain
The restaurant business is a business, and has to be run like one. People think all restaurants fail…and yes a lot of them do. Particularly if you aren’t on top of the numbers and have the necessary systems in place. I watch everything; I am on top of it all. I am a numbers person. And I ask for a tremendous amount of help from my friends in the restaurant business. Hours are long…but I love to work so it is who I am. My work defines me., I guess you could say that I’m a workaholic. Her love of people also shows in her ability to give back to her community with fundraisers and fund matching programs. When asked what it is most that Gina loves about her businesses she smiles. “I love the people. I mean even the crazy people, even the people who get mad at you for no reason: Even the people who you will never be able to please. The employees who drive you nuts and the employees you love. I love the people part of it. It is very gratifying to sit back in your restaurant and watch on a crowded Sunday when it is jam packed and people are laughing and having fun and eating and drinking and thanking the server a hundred times, telling them how they love the place. That is really gratifying. You are bringing a service to people every day and every night and they appreciate it.”
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Gina Champion-Cain
Ingrid Croce
“We sincerely congratulate these two extraordinary women whose consistent demonstration of hard work, integrity and community service has become enlightening examples for other women to emulate.� - Jack M. Berkman www.berkmanpr.com
Patti Finnegan
I went there on a sunny day but believe me, this is an ‘any kind of weather’ ice cream. The sun was shining inside too as Patti greeted us with a bright smile and undeniable enthusiasm for what she does every day. Patti Finnegan and Mary Ellen Faught found their labor of love in 1995 and to this day, they make everything on the premises and will tell you - they never skimp. Patti said (with conviction) that she does not apologize for the flavors because they are all real. The ice cream is made in the traditional manner, in fact, with the original 40-quart ice cream machine that is almost one hundred years old. It is with this machine that Patti and Mary Ellen learned to make Elmer’s recipes using all natural ingredients with his traditional method. Today the shop is adorned with 48 flavors: So much ice cream and so little time. Their creations wake your taste buds with the delectable results. A day in the world of making ice cream is a lot of work. Patti proudly states there is not an artificial ingredient in any of their ice creams or sorbets. They are all made on the premises and all ingredients are whole and real. The only change in the shop - other than more stupendous flavors is a new walk-in freezer waiting to hold the wholesome delights. Almost two decades later, they reached success on not only what they have done (keeping the tradition and quality alive), but by what they give back to the community. They have a wonderful sense of community and understand the importance of returning good fortune. They do that with their time and their delicious ice cream through many outreach programs. There is a poster from the Boys and Girls Club perched behind the counter thanking them for their generosity. If you are lucky enough to find Niederfrank’s at a festival, fair or catered event in and around San Diego, you can add some delight to your day. If you are interested add Niederfrank's to your function. Patti and Mary Ellen may just be able to create a flavor for you. The fresh products fill the work area of the store: Bins of fresh brownies made from scratch for the Double Dutch chocolate ice cream. Fresh Hibiscus flowers for the Jamaica ice cream. Fresh figs for the fig ice cream. Tangelos for sorbet and the handmade toffee they made the day before are just a few of the delights. Beer ice cream has been available at Niederfrank’s for thirteen years. Rounding off that category with their espresso stout can
make you wonder what other magic they will be blending next. Part of their labor of love is the joy of making new flavors as well as the original ones. Patti likes the challenge of getting to play with the flavors so they taste real. I tried the cinnamon because it is one of my favorite flavors. To my surprise I felt like I had never tasted the real spice. This was the most aromatic and full flavored cinnamon ice cream I had ever tasted. Patti encouraged me to sample more and each one was delightful. Niederfrank's ice cream parlor is a special place where you will find not only your favorites but seasonal flavors for an added surprise. It is worth the trip. Handmade waffle cones are only one dollar, handmade right there at the parlor. There is nothing like it. You are getting so much creaminess and flavor for your money. A single cone is $3.25, double $5.25, a hand-packed pint $6.50, hand-packed quart $8.50 and a pre-packed quart $9.50. The menu offers more delights if your heart desires a more embellished treat. Patti says, “If we are loyal to our customers, they will be loyal to us and we do that by keeping our standards high.” She was grinning from ear to ear when she told me that they want to hang their hat on a good product. Well, ladies you have hats fit for the Easter Parade on a product that we will be back for again and again. To eat dessert first! Niederfrank’s is open seven days a week. Cash only - ATM machine available. Summer hours are Tuesday - Saturday 11:30 to 9:00. Sunday and Monday hours, 12:00 to 6:00. 619-477-0828 726 A Ave. National City 91950
San Diego
You will truly want to do just that at Niederfrank's ice cream parlor in National City. This historic gem is located at 726 A Avenue. Upon arrival you will see the old-time sign above the entrance as you pass the outdoor café style seating. Once inside there is a hand painted mural on the wall of National City back when Elmer Niederfrank arrived from Germany in 1948, which is when he decided to make ice cream the way it was meant to be - the old-fashioned way. The old world charm does not stop there.
By Debbie Storms
Photograph by Lisa K. Miller
Woman
Eat Dessert First!
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Cheryl Phillips Raiken By Linda Mullin Photograph by Lisa K Miller
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Cheryl Phillips Raiken is the co- owner and chef at Metro Catering. She began her business twenty years ago in San Diego, when she and her husband, Dean, established Gourmet Catering in 1993. In 2008, they re-launched their company in a new location into what is now Metro Catering. She began cooking as a young girl helping in the family kitchen. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Cheryl experienced the rich diversity of the city and neighborhood where she was introduced to fresh local vegetables and seafood, as well as a variety of ethnic foods. Her family enjoyed visiting the many renowned restaurants of New York, and, as she grew older, she and her friends would save their money so that they could treat themselves to an evening of fine dining. Cheryl attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in architecture. While studying as an undergraduate at Pratt and at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, she was able to travel to the Mediterranean where she studied the architecture and culture in the countries of the region. The fresh and healthy ingredients used in Mediterranean cuisine reawakened her passion for the culinary arts. Cheryl worked as an architect and designer until 1992, and having relocated to San Diego, she saw a need for quality catering in the area. She and Dean, who shares her love of good food, saw an opportunity for a successful business and in 1993 started Gourmet Catering. Beginning with boardroom luncheons, as word of the outstanding fresh food and service spread throughout the San Diego area, their client list expanded to include biotech, research and educational institutes, real estate development companies and financial and art institutions. After catering their early private party and corporate events, Cheryl felt that the business had become successful when people began
saying, “you’re the caterer with the good food.” She uses her design and planning skill for event planning of spaces: Her position allows her to creatively nurture her clients with fresh, delicious food in a customized environment. As Metro Catering continues to grow, their services are sought by people planning weddings, holiday celebrations, political functions and intimate dinner parties. Working together with event professionals such as, florists, musicians, photographers, wine specialists and valet services, Metro Catering will give each of their clients a unique, outstanding, and memorable experience. I asked Cheryl how she maintains a balance between her professional and family life, to which she explained, “I work with my husband.” Dean is Cheryl’s business partner and has previous experience in networking through his past relationship with Business Network International, (BNI). “They gave us the tools we needed to hone our skills,” Cheryl went on to say, “Structured networking can be an asset to business.” Though they are not currently involved in a networking group, Cheryl expressed an interest in creating contacts at events with San Diego Woman. Despite their hectic schedule, Cheryl and Dean make the time to support charitable organizations. Over the years they’ve worked with the Helen Woodward Center and the FACE Foundation, and The Southern Caregiver Resource Center. And just this past July they partnered with NAIOP who sponsored a gala fundraiser for MARSOC and the Wounded Warrior program. I asked Cheryl if, as a woman, she felt that she was treated differently in her profession. She replied that she does not, and “partnering with my husband, we work together to create relationships that are honest and long lasting.” “Being a woman in this profession allows me to nourish the mind, body, and soul through cooking,” she said thoughtfully. “Food is my passion, and I love exploring New World flavors and creating healthy food using innovative techniques.” On the subject of women advancing in their careers, Cheryl told me what she thought were important qualities for young women to have. “Patience, professionalism, honesty, and a good education.” “We mentor all of our young employees,” she explained. “We try to show them the importance of completing their education and making the right choices. We are still in contact with many of these young adults long after they have graduated from college and have careers of their own.” We asked if there was something she could change in her profession what would it be, and what is the one thing that has made a difference in her success? “People are fixated on price, instead of what is good for them, due to the growth of the fast food industry and manufactured foods and that’s a challenge, but our consistency in serving quality food with fair pricing has led to our success. Our mission is to create the best experience for every client, every time.” Inspired by her family, as well as the restaurants she has visited, the great chefs of the world, and her time abroad, Cheryl’s current goal for the business is to be recognized as skilled event planners, complete with catering services. Cheryl thinks that it’s great to have a women’s magazine here in San Diego giving support to local professional women. Metro Catering 6625 Top Gun Street #101 San Diego, CA 92121 858-626-2800
Karen Dietz, PhD and CEO of the company Just Story It started out like most of us with that burning question, what do I want to do? While volunteering for the National Park Service in Washington, leading walks and giving historical talks, she found her niche. “People transmit knowledge through time using stories, music, art, and architecture,” she explained. She was advised to return to school and earn her graduate degree in Folklore. After obtaining both an MA and a PhD in Folklore from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as earning a BA in communications from Marietta College, Karen taught academically for three years. In that time, she found that she did not yet possess enough life experience to be able to offer her students all that she could. With that in mind, she left academics. “I decided to give myself ten years to cram as much life experience in as I could.” So Karen did just that. She boldly decided to venture into the corporate world with no business experience and thirty six dollars in her bank account. Karen sought to integrate her skills as a Folklorist and oral storyteller in working with leaders and organizations. When she realized she needed mailing lists, she set out with a clipboard in hand, (This was a time before computers,) and made her way downtown where she scoured the bulletin boards and scribbled down contact information. With those numbers Karen set about starting her first training business in 1984. I inquired as to when she first felt she truly succeeded after having ventured into this new field, “When after I finished launching my first weekend public training, I was counting $10,000 in cash on my coffee table.” From there, Karen got into the consulting business where she commuted between California and Wall Street, working with organizational stories and change. However, she quickly realized that she couldn’t use the term ‘storytelling’ when dealing with CEOs, lest her profes-
By Sarah Mullin Photograph by Lisa K Miller
San Diego
sion be mistaken for one who reads stories aloud in the library. While Karen has background training in storytelling and oral performance art, she made it a point to say that a folklorist is not a storyteller, at least not in the context in which most people would assume. “It’s different in the business world,” she explained. “The stage is the boardroom and you need to move people to action, not just entertain.” Executives began to broach the concept of storytelling and implementing it into business practices; seeing it as a “cool tool” to use, and Karen was back in her niche. She described storytelling as a “pull technology,” in that it’s not simply a one-way street. “Someone’s telling a story, and someone’s listening; I don’t like the word ‘storytelling,’ it’s really about ‘story-sharing,’ because a co-created experience occurs.” Karen described storytelling in the business world as a means of influence and as a core competence for businesses. “Storytelling helps leaders bring alive corporate values and vision. It helps marketing and product development departments know their customers more deeply. Stories help organizations move successfully through change. Stories help sales people close more sales – just to name a few applications.” She also emphasized the importance of incorporating storytelling with leadership roles. “Stories are so densely packed with meaning, metaphors, and images; information can only go so far. Stories transfer both knowledge and wisdom. Working with them helps leaders connect with others, to be authentic, and build trust.” In addition, Karen also creates hand-dyed silk panels representing some of the storytelling principles she employs with clients, and the practical advice surrounding them. These images help people remember what to focus on when Karen is not on site. I asked Karen what it was about her position that she loved, she hesitated for a moment and thoughtfully replied, “Experiencing people’s magnificence through the stories they tell.” She expressed her fondness for working with people, being moved by their stories and inspired by the challenges they had to overcome and the lessons they learned. She described it as a “True blessing.” Though Karen is a busy woman (working with mid – size companies and the Fortune 500, mentoring her clients, finishing her book, “Business Storytelling for Dummies,” which is due out in December 2013, and finding the time to work with charitable organizations such as Just In Time for Foster Youth), she manages to balance her home life with her work life in spite of how hectic things are. “In the end, no matter how busy work gets, my first priority is always my health and my husband.” As a woman in a male dominated workplace at the time, Karen had faced gender-based challenges such as not being taken seriously and at times was overlooked. She was also underestimated, but managed to use that to her advantage. She does admit that she has been helped by more men in the business world and that to overcome her difficulties she had to learn to speak up and assert herself in ways that would make them pay attention to her. Her advice to other woman in similar positions, “Never ever ever give up. If you are not having fun, make whatever changes you need to. Life is too short to not be enjoying it.Karen credits her inspiration to her parents. Having grown up in a military family with her father in the army, she gained skills not only in leadership and adaptability, but a thirst for exploration, and the ability to appreciate different people and their cultures. She includes her mentor from graduate school, anthropologist Dr. Ray Birdwhistell, who taught her to be more self-aware. Karen also spoke fondly of her colleagues and clients from whom she has learned so much. Karen has taken something she’s passionate about and built a happy, successful life.
Woman
Karen Dietz, PhD
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Dawn Meadows
Driving through the foothills of northern Escondido I wind my way past acres of sun-spilled, leafy vegetation. Dawn Meadows lives in a white stucco ranch-style home. Her husband, Greg, opens the tenfoot high iron gate and welcomes my entrance. Their three pups: Otto (Rottweiler) and Jack and Jill (Jack Russells) add their friendly barks. It appears as though Dawn is living a charmed life. In her early fifties, she is slender, tan, and beautiful. She has a loving, handsome husband who obviously adores her. Dawn and I head out by the pool, passing several gardens along the way. We indulge our olfactory senses in Dawn’s rose garden, first smelling the pink, then the red, the yellow, and finally the purple roses. We walk over to a couple of chaise lounge chairs and recline under a huge umbrella. Dawn provides me with a tall, cool drink of cranberry-raspberry juice. I know that she is a retired Marine, so I ask: “Did you really have to go to boot camp? What was it like to be a Marine twenty years ago?” She says, “It was more like thirty years ago because I have been retired for ten years. Of course, I had to go through boot camp, that pesky detail,” she confirms with a laugh. “It was tough to go through the physical and mental transformation.” “The biggest struggle was being a woman in a male dominated culture and, like many organizations, the ‘good ole boys club.’ Coming up through the ranks was not easy. The experience taught me to be assertive without being aggressive.” “So what have you been doing for the last ten years?” I ask. “I’ve been working for the government. I administer and manage a program called a 360 program. It measures the ‘soft skills’ of employees. Out of thousands of human behaviors, there are only a handful that can be directly tied to effective leadership. ‘Soft skills,’ generally determine the relative success of an individual’s efforts to lead themselves or others. “I administer a questionnaire called the ‘Leadership Effectiveness Profile’ (LEP). It’s a terrific online product that is a user-friendly assessment. The individual takes it, their supervisor, five peers, and at least eight others take it, whether they are clients or significant others, in order to receive feedback. The process is anonymous and the LEP focuses on the eight most often-cited behaviors or attitudes. "Jewels" “A person sees himself or herself one way and people perceiveMixed them another. The online assessment compiles a detailed report
By Johnnie Morphis
that compares the accumulated responses between Self Score, Supervisor, and Peer. The results give an eyeopening account of how an individual is truly perceived. I interpret the results and then recommend ways for overall improvement and ways to improve in specific categories. “I have used this product with military personnel. Marine Corps University asked me to administer it to senior grade military members. Of course, this is a big deal for me.” “Why do you think they trust you with such an enormous task?” Dawn continues, “I have a high success rate with the personnel I have coached. I served twenty years as a Marine. I have a degree in Counseling. I was blessed with an abundance of training through the civilian community while working in government. I held the position of Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist and a Training Specialist. Both positions required a great deal of training and taught me a tremendous amount about people, behavior, conflict management and how effective utilizing ‘soft skills’ are in the workplace. “Before embarking on my own I asked myself, ‘Why am I credible?’ I believe my life experiences contributed to my success in understanding people. I was abused growing up and, although I would not normally bring this up in an interview, I think it is important to reach people who have had similar experiences. I want them to know that they can take any experience and make it a positive. Let’s just say it was an inhuman way to treat a child until the age of seven when I went into the foster care system. “What about now? What are you doing now?” “I have a strong relationship with God. I believe when we find the thing that is effortless for us to do, that is the work we are designed to engage in. My vision is to coach people or businesses to their potential. I have seen just how powerful it is to have another person standing behind you, assisting you in discovering parts of yourself that have never been explored. When I ask people what is their passion, most people know what it is, but have no idea of how to get there. “I measure my own success by seeing people make positive changes for themselves, by seeing clients move in a direction that brings them confidence. My passion is to help others gain footing, to see their potential, and to move toward understanding themselves. I have never met a person who did not move forward. It gives me joy to watch these transformations.” “For example, people will get run over in some environments and many would benefit from learning how to stand up for themselves, whether to a man or to a woman.” I ask Dawn: “What would you say is the most important point of focus for a young woman trying to advance in her career?” “She must understand the power of soft skills. Communication, teamwork, conflict management, and assertiveness - to name a few, are paramount to advancing in your career and in your personal life. These skills have no generational boundaries. I ask Dawn one final question, “How do you feel about having a woman’s magazine in San Diego?” “San Diego is such a great city, and the women in San Diego are doing so many phenomenal things that, absolutely, the pairing is perfect to get the message out and to inspire and educate women by bringing them together.” I admit to her, “You are an amazing woman, Dawn. What if some of our readers would like to be coached and/or trained by you? Would they call or email you? “Please Media on email paperme at selfefficacydm@gmail.com.”
Elizabeth "Liza" C. Pille Financial Advisor Vice President-Wealth Management Portfolio Manager
at Morgan Stanley
I believe success in achieving important financial goals starts with a comprehensive wealth strategy. I will help you define what is most important to you and then formulate the strategies that are suited for your needs, whether you are accumulating wealth or investing for income, solidifying your retirement plan or devising a distribution approach that meets your lifestyle and legacy goals.
4350 La Jolla Village Drive • Suite 1000 San Diego, CA 92122
"Tax laws are complex and subject to change. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. This material was not intended or written to be used for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. Individuals are encouraged to consult their tax and legal advisors regarding any potential tax and related consequences of any investments made under such account. The Investments listed may not be suitable for all investors. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments and encourages investors to seek the advice of a financial advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment will depend upon an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives. Life insurance, disability insurance and long term care insurance are offered through Morgan Stanley’s licensed insurance agency affiliates. Interest in municipal bonds is generally exempt from federal income tax. However, some bonds may be subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT). Typically, state tax exemption applies if securities are issued within one’s state of residence and local tax-exemption applies if securities are issued within one’s city of residence. Bonds are affected by a number of risks, including fluctuations in interest rates, credit risk and prepayment risk.” 07/13 © 2013 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.
San Diego
858-597-7796
liza.pille@morganstanley.com www.morganstanleyfa.com/liza_pille/
n Financial Advice and Planning n Income & Retirement Planning n Life Insurance n Long Term Care Insurance, Annuities n Defensive Investment Style n Wealth Management n Municipal Bond Investment Management n Estate Planning Strategies n Financial Planning for those left behind n Techniques for Charitable Giving n Portfolio Management
Woman
Look to Liza for:
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Dr. Sasha Bhor
As a young girl, Dr. Sasha Bhor wanted to be a surgeon. When she studied her career choice closer, she found that there might be a profession which better suited her personality. She liked maintaining long term relationships with her patients and realized she could better accomplish that by becoming a dentist. Born in India, Dr. Bhor came to the states 14 years ago. She had completed her dental training in India, but spent three additional years studying at UCLA to earn her certification in the United States. After spending some time in group practice, Dr. Bhor decided to venture out on her own. “I like being able to spend as much time with my patients as I feel is necessary. It was harder to do this in a group practice.” A strong advocate of education, Dr. Bhor continues taking courses to become the best she can while offering her patients every necessary treatment option. “It’s not only how much you know, but it is how much you care about your patients. Knowing is as important as caring. Dentistry is a very intimate profession; putting your hands in a patient’s mouth and having them trust you to do so.” In her profession, Dr. Bhor often comes in contact with patients who have a great fear of dentists. To help combat this she decided to become certified in sedation dentistry. This allows her to treat patients with intense anxiety, patients who need complex extractions, or those who prefer to have several procedures done at a single visit. When you enter Dr. Bhor’s office you instantly feel a sense of calm. Her staff is not only extremely friendly and caring, but have been trained to answer any question you might have about the procedure you are having done. Education is as important for her staff as it is for Dr. Bhor. Many people view dentistry as an area that has not seen much change throughout the years. You will know this is not the case when you visit Dr. Bhor. Her office is filled with the latest in dental technology. The old way of taking a patient's x-rays has been replaced with the latest in digital technology. You can instantly view these on a computer in each dental room. This isn't all that is state-of-the-art.
By Judith A. Habert Photography by Lisa K. Miller
“In our office we now have Cadcam dentistry, which can design crowns and deliver them the same day. No impressions needed, no lab required. it is custom made to the patient’s bite. So you don’t need to go home with a temporary crown, but can leave the same day with the finished product.” In addition, Dr. Bhor has knowledge and insight into the importance of dental care that goes way beyond what most people know. Her thirst for knowledge recently led her to attend one of the most prestigious dental programs at LVI in Las Vegas. The course, which was run by renowned dentist Bill Dickerson, expounded the ramifications of treating patients with the old drill and fill method. Based on the theory that you can’t approach your patient one tooth at a time, but you must prepare a comprehensive dental plan for ultimate dental health. “The patient’s bite is of utmost importance. The bite is linked to the spine and can affect your posture. In training we saw how muscles can be in a compacted state by taking our own bites and when we wore the corrective unit it changed everything. One of my friends was having trouble running until she wore the prosthetic, which repaired her bite and allowed her to go from being able to run just half a mile to running 3-4 miles a day. Football players who wear these units have also been shown to perform better athletically.” When asked why she decided to open her practice in Rancho Bernardo her answer was simple, “I love RB, it’s a family community and I wanted to do family dentistry.” Dr. Bhor’s kind heart is evident when you speak with her. A recent patient who was in the Navy suffered extreme anxiety after some bad experiences with dental care while serving. He explained to her that he was in pain all the time. She knew his finances would not allow the extensive treatments he needed, so she graciously treated him with Sedation Dentistry at no cost, to help give back to someone who had given so much to our country. Dr. Bhor is proud of the practice she has built over the past three years, but the true shining light in her life is her husband and 5 and a half year old son, Eshaan. “I think becoming a mom has made me a better dentist. When I treat a child I better understand how to put their fears to rest and my staff always joins in to keep them happy throughout the visit.” When asked what her goals are for her dental practice she is quick to respond, “I want to grow my practice, possibly take over some more space and bring in all specialties of dentistry, so my patients can come to one place for all their dental care. Having a team of dentists on hand would allow me to keep an eye on the standard of care for each and every patient.” To new dentists, Dr. Bhor has some words of advice, “Be prepared for a hard life and a lot of hours, but it is a wonderful profession, if you know what to appreciate about it. There is anxiety in dentistry, you can do your best job and still people don’t like you just because you are a dentist. Be friendly to your patients and do whatever you can to put them at ease.” Visit Dr. Bhor at http://www.oasissmiles.com and click on her Facebook and Twitter links for additional information.
It is so refreshing to meet women who are focused, have goals with a plan and go for it. Kara L. Gervais is one of these women. She accomplished exactly what she set out to do and now enjoys being a successful attorney and a small business owner. My initial impression, upon arriving to the professional building where her law firm office is located, was how convenient and central it is within the Scripps Ranch Parkway corridor close to the 15 Freeway. This location with ample parking and Kara’s expertise, along with the comfortable environment and approach she provides can only ease the process of seeking legal counsel. The Gervais Law website www.gervaislawfirm.com, highlights her personal and extensive professional background and the services provided. “Growing up, I wanted to be a paralegal. I did not know exactly what it was, but I was always fascinated with the law. I chose criminal justice at SDSU because in the back of my mind I wanted to join the FBI. At the time, I believed having a law degree would give me a greater opportunity to get into the FBI. If not, I could always practice law.” Kara attended high school with a graduating class of seventy-five students in a small town in the state of Washington. After graduation, there were not many opportunities in Newport, her hometown, so she made the move to San Diego to attend community college. She transferred to San Diego State University and later was accepted to law school at California Western School of Law here in San Diego. Kara was the first in her family to graduate from college. She met her husband Vince, now a high school teacher and baseball coach, at the Olive Garden restaurant where they both worked throughout college. Their son Dylan, their only child, was born three years later sending another ball up in the air adding to their already perfected balancing life act. Kara and her husband juggled work and school with parenting duties by working opposite schedules in order for one of them to be with Dylan, because they could not afford daycare. Their son was their first priority while continuing their quest to accomplish their educational goals. “Quitting was never an option. Dylan was in first grade when I started law school and it was very challenging and hard work with a family.” Kara was determined to earn her law degree and completed her studies on time, graduating in the top twenty percent of her class. “My law school classmates did not know much about me. I was probably one of two students with a child. I did not socialize much.” When Kara’s name would come up for accolades and top scores they would often wonder who she was. While under the radar socially, her commitment to her goals and studies never wavered and in fact excelled all three years of law school. Kara never practiced as a paralegal, her dream in her early years. Her trajectory took her past paralegal straight into being an attorney and worked for a few law firms when she realized she wanted to be her own boss. “I wanted my own case workload and choose my own clients and deal with them my way. Follow my own work ethic and philosophy. For the last seven years I have been building my practice in a variety of legal matters, focusing mostly around civil litigation and real estate issues. While I pride myself on aggressive and assertive litigation, I counsel clients on preventative strategies to avoid litigation and early and cost-efficient ways to resolve disputes, including mediation and arbitration.”
Why Real Estate law? “Real Estate law chose me!” After graduating from law school she worked in a firm that specialized in this area and Kara liked it. Her practice areas are in Real Property, Homeowners Associations, Dispute Resolution/Litigation, Land Use and Business-Entity formation (limited liability companies, partnerships, corporations, joint ventures). Business law being most relevant an area for women desiring to become small business owners just like Kara. Having career success does not come without some challenges. “Being a woman attorney and practicing litigation is challenging. You are constantly underestimated when you walk into a courtroom. More and more women are entering the litigation field, however it is still male dominated.” Kara said that women tend to shy from litigation to avoid game playing, strong personalities and egos. She educated me on the two types of legal workloads involved. Transactional work entails an out of court process of reviewing contracts, leases, purchases, sale documents etc. Litigation work brings you into court in front of a judge. Kara specializes in and practices both. Being a small business owner is important to Kara because she loves the freedom to develop her business while having flexible hours to be with her family. “Being your own boss is the best thing ever and you can specialize and keep growing your business!” A typical day includes meeting with clients, a lot of writing/ reading, mediation and arbitrations and court appearances. The law profession has changed over the years with more women practicing law and Kara believes it is 50:50 now. “There is a difference in the way male and female attorneys practice law.” She works with more female attorneys than ever before and really enjoys it.
Diego WSan oman
Kara L. Gervais
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When did you know you had succeeded? “Probably when I graduated from law school. It was so much work and my son was so young.” She also considers a success how she maintains her relationships with clients. “It is more than getting them good results for me. Maintaining contact with them is important to me.” Kara advises clients to be proactive and how to stay out of litigation. She recommends preventative steps instead of reactionary means by teaching seminars to real estate agents and brokers. It’s such a daunting task for many to find a lawyer. What process does she recommend? Knowing what type of attorney is needed is imperative she replied. Make sure the attorney practices in the field you need. The San Diego County Bar also has an attorney referral service that can help by contacting them at (800) 4641529 or www.sdcba.org to be matched up with an attorney. Kara emphasizes to prospective clients looking into legal services “a good attorney will admit if she or he is not the right one for you. “ This is key in choosing an attorney. When she is not working Kara loves to go to the theatre. It is no wonder why she volunteered and was an officer for the Drama club while her son Dylan was in high school and currently a junior in college studying theatre arts. One can see the pride in her eyes when speaking of her son and his theatre experiences. She also attends high school baseball games to watch and support her husband, the baseball coach. “It is important to me that I support him and his passion.” She also loves football, and is involved with fantasy football every year. She loves to hike all over San Diego and because her profession entails so much reading (briefs and contracts, etc) she does not spend much time reading books although she did point out she still makes time to read San Diego Woman Magazine. “I like reading the magazine because it touches on a little bit of everything!” Maintaining balance in her life now that she and her husband are empty nesters is a priority since losing herself in her work can happen so easily. “I force myself to go home to have dinner with family. To travel and to visit family in Washington.” Kara gives this advice to young women, “ Go for it! Don’t care what other people tell you. Don’t let people tell you, you can’t! Don’t buy into stereotypes.” Great advice to women of all ages from someone who has walked the walk and turned potential obstacles into stepping stones to do exactly what she set out to do so many years ago.
Fall Festivities at Bates Nut Farm
By Jaime V. Habert
When Summer is winding down, the fun at Bates Nut Farm is just beginning. Bates may be named after its humble start as a family owned walnut farm, but now, it’s better known for its GIANT pumpkins, hay maze, farm animals, and family-friendly festivities. While Bates is open year-round, the pumpkin patch opens to the public on September 25th and continues until October 31st. This is not only a great place to purchase those much needed pumpkins for fall decorating, but also an opportunity to take some classic pumpkin patch photos of the kiddos. Feel like a night out without the kids? Bates has you covered. Weekend concert events in October bring Country and Louisiana Blues style music to the farm including acts like The Working Cowboy Band and The Bayou Brothers. Gourmet food truck events are a newer edition to the scene and offer patrons the opportunity to taste culinary delights from Polish pierogi to New England lobster rolls. Specialty food items are also available at The Bates Family Store. Herbal teas, homemade fudge, gourmet hot sauces and soup mixes, and organic preserves line the shelves. If you are not in the mood for a snack, just head on back to the gift shop. Unique home décor, fashions, and trinkets are the perfect pick me up on a lazy fall day. “This all sounds great”, you may say, “but what about Fido?”. Well, not to worry, he is also included in this year’s entertainment line-up at Bates with their “Howl O’ Ween” event. “Howl O’ Ween” is a pet-friendly affair where your furry friend can get all dressed up in their Halloween costume and participate in a parade and costume contest. Visit Bates Nut Farm any day of the week as the nut farm, zoo, and picnic facility is open to the public from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
San Diego Music Calendar By Jaime V. Habert
The Wanted Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay 10/17/13 7:30 PM
Paramore Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl 10/23/13 7:30 PM Cody Simpson House of Blues San Diego 11/02/13 4:00 PM David Cook The Griffin 11/02/13 7:30 PM Switchfoot Balboa Theatre 11/05/13 7:30 PM Janelle Monae House of Blues San Diego 11/06/13 7:00 PM Selena Gomez Valley View Casino Center 11/08/13 7:00 PM
By Jaime V. Habert You may have passed it many times on your way to the Sports Arena or weekend trip to Kobey’s swap meet, but SOMA is definitely a stand-out amongst the punk and hardcore music scene. SOMA music venue was created by Len Paul in the 1990’s and originally had a space on Union Street in downtown San Diego. The name “SOMA” comes from its location South of Market Street. This original venue was witness to such iconic acts as The Ramones, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Weezer. The current location on Sports Arena Boulevard, formerly a multiplex movie theatre, is where San Diego artists are getting their chance to become amongst these icons. SOMA prides itself on raising awareness of local artists with allowing all San Diego artists first dibs on becoming opening acts for their concerts. You can send your band’s demo and press kit to SOMA and have a shot at performing for such acts as Story of the Year or Bullet For My Valentine. This chance at your big break isn’t the only reason SOMA deserves praise. Having a very strict alcohol-free policy allows SOMA to maintain its “all-ages” venue title. With this being such a unique quality of a punk, hardcore, and alternative-rock club, SOMA provides an outlet for many fans that normally wouldn’t be able to gain entrance. The atmosphere at SOMA, however, may not be for everyone. There is no seating and your view is based on a first come, first serve basis, with tight quarters being the biggest downfall. That being said, the punk music culture is defined by crowd interaction. Standing, fist pumping, and “moshing” occurs frequently and allows for listeners to really “feel” the music. It goes without saying that SOMA gives its patrons the opportunity to experience music like nowhere else. With
Pearl Jam Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl 11/21/13 7:30 PM Drake Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl 11/24/13 7:00 PM Michael Buble Valley View Casino Center 11/26/13 8:00 PM JAY Z Valley View Casino Center 12/07/13 8:00 PM Icona Pop House of Blues San Diego 12/15/13 7:00 PM
such a unique venue right around the corner, I know where I will be spending my Friday nights. Main Act Date & Time Ticket Price Sleeping with Sirens 10/16/13 6:30PM $23.00 Scream it like you mean it 2013 10/19/13 5:30PM $20.00 Streetlight Manifesto 10/26/13 7:00PM $15.00 New Found Glory & Alkaline Trio 10/27/13 6:00PM $27.00 Asking Alexandria 11/22/13 5:30PM $25.00 For more information and additional concert dates, visit www.somasandiego.com.
San Diego
Jason Aldean Sleep Train Amphitheatre 10/18/13 7:30 PM
Iconic Punk Venue Brings Edge and Opportunity to San Diego
Woman
Jack Johnson Balboa Theatre 10/18/13 7:30 PM
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By Glenda Batzer
An Unexpected Las Vegas Experience
a small refrigerator, which in total only accounted for about half the space in the room. The other half held a couch and a table and 4 chairs with plenty of floor space to walk around. The room was nicely decorated but the second best feature of the room was floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto a local golf course and the local desert terrain. A beautiful view and being next to a golf course provided instant entertainment value. It was fun to be in a hidden gallery watching the golfers make their way through the course. On a side note, I think everyone loves being an armchair critic regardless of what sport he or she are watching, but that is for a topic for another day. Getting back to the room, the bathroom was of average size with double sinks and a granite countertop. The shower was well lit and tiled in a dark stone. I have to tell you my only disappointment in regards to the room was the bathtub. I was hoping for a soaking tub but alas, a standard bathtub /shower combination.
Recently I returned from a trip to Summerlin Nevada. Summerlin is a community near the Red Rock Canyon Conservation area about 10 miles north west of the famous Las Vegas Strip. The area boasts a beautiful view of red colored canyons and rugged desert terrain. The area is under development by the Howard Hughes Corporation and is named after Howard Hughes’ grandmother Jean Summerlin. In true Las Vegas fashion, I was lucky enough to go on this trip because my husband won a two-day golf school getaway for two people in a raffle. I am new to the game of golf, so it was with great enthusiasm that I embarked on this adventure. The trip did not include our accommodations, so after scanning the usual websites for hotel room deals we had settled on the Suncoast Hotel and Casino. I must qualify the “we” because truthfully it was my husband who made the final decision. I have a very bad track record when it comes to picking hotels and I am not sure whether it was my poor track record or just hoping for a little bit of Las Vegas luck that my husband took matters into his own hands and enforced his decision. When we arrived to check in I was surprised at the size of the hotel. It was larger than I had expected. When you walked in the front door you were immediately standing in the casino and the location of the hotel front desk was just off to the right. The casino was brightly lit but had a strong floral scent. Quickly I scanned the large signs in the moderately sized casino to see if any food or entertainment options were available. Although you would expect to see food, coffee and bars in the casino I was surprised to see that the hotel housed a movie theatre and a bowling alley which were both easily accessible from the casino floor. In a short amount of time, we were checked in and on our way to the elevator and up to the eighth floor of this ten-story hotel. The corridors were non descript, bland and could have been mistaken for just about any average 3 or 4 star hotel. Our hotel room was a completely different story! The best feature of the room was immediately evident, SPACE. The standard guest rooms are 550 square feet. The sleeping area had a king size bed and a flat screen television and an armoire, which housed a hotel safe and
So we have covered the casino and the room, so what is left? Feeding our faces! After settling in our room we ate a late lunch at TGI Fridays, which was located just off the casino floor. The food was moderately priced and tasted as expected with no surprises. The next morning we ate breakfast in the Café Siena located in the casino. The food was not very good and actually arrived cold but we didn’t have time to send it back because we had to leave for golf school. Better luck next time. Late in the day we returned from golf school tired and hungry. We took showers and spent some time lounging in the room. For dinner we decided to try the St Tropez International Buffet located off the casino floor. I am never a fan of a buffet but I was hungry and I was in the Las Vegas mindset so the gamble somehow seemed appropriate. It was the equivalent to losing at craps in one roll of the dice. The food was not hot and very bland, truly a disappointment. In case you are keeping track, so far we are 1 out of 3 when it comes to eating on the hotel property. On Sunday morning, we decided to dine off property for breakfast on our way to golf school. When we returned to the hotel after another long day of golf, we again spent some time in our lovely room with a view and made a reservation at T.G.I Fridays. I know we could have eaten at the SC Prime Steak House or tried another option, but I somehow knew that T.G.I. Fridays was a safe choice. I am happy to report that I was correct. Some of the other amenities at the hotel included a full service spa, fitness center as well as a pool and Jacuzzi. Overall I found the hotel to be a pleasant experience. The hotel staff was friendly, the room was very nice and the great view was a real bonus. I would certainly stay at this hotel again and to be fair, I would even be willing to try some of the other restaurants on property before completely discounting the food at the hotel. The stay was a good value for the money, the staff friendly and despite the food issues, I would definitely recommend this hotel to our friends and family and really anyone who wants to avoid the Las Vegas Strip. I especially loved the surrounding scenery and the landscaped golf courses that we saw. I would consider the area of Summerlin to be a small hidden gem in the bright tiara of Las Vegas and I hope it stays that way for years to come.
Out of the Orchard
Fall Apple Picking Begins in Julian
By Jaime V. Habert
San Diego
Woman
Julian is famous for its apple pies so it is no surprise that come Fall, a festival for apples takes center stage. The 2-day “Apple Days” festival is held October 5th and 6th at Menghini Winery. Music, dancing, children’s games and activities, a beer and wine garden, food and merchandise vendors, fun contests, and delicious apple treats are the main attractions. “Apple Days” began in the 1900’s when Julian apple farmers were awarded the highest honor from the American Pomological Society, naming Julian apples the best in the country with the Wilder Medal. While “Apple Days” specifically lasts two days, the months of August through the end of October provide patrons with apple-centric events and festivities. Apple orchards in Julian are the perfect day trip for San Diegans. You can pick your own fruit from the trees, taste delicious warm apple ciders, and enjoy fresh preserves at many of these farms. The Julian Mining Company even allows guests to pan for gold and gemstones! Looking for a little adventure? Climb aboard a tractor drawn hay ride at JMC. Open on weekends, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Julian Mining Company also offers a pumpkin patch and the chance to pick your own apples which you can hand-press to turn into apple cider! Another great destination in Julian is The Julian Cider Mill. Family owned and operated for over 30 years, The Julian Cider Mill specializes in homemade raw cider, local honey, hand-crafted apple and pumpkin butters, decadent fudge, and classic candies. If you are looking for something a little more unique for your Julian trip, you could always visit the Oasis Camel Dairy Farm. The camel farm offers an alternative to “Apple Days” with “Pomegranate Days”. Pomegranate Days give visitors the chance to hand feed a camel! While a mess is almost certainly guaranteed, patrons can treat the camels to a delicious snack which is sure to make for some interesting photo opportunities. This special day also offers camel rides. Rides on the camels are open to kids for $5.00 and adults for $10.00. The gift shop at the Oasis Camel Dairy Farm features some unique gifts including camel milk soaps and camel milk chocolates. For the foodies in the family, no trip to Julian would be complete without a visit to O’Dell’s Organic Orchard. O’Dell’s is CCOF (Organic Farm) Certified and specializes in pear picking. Grab a reusable shopping bag at O’Dell’s and fill it to the brim for only $10.00. Finally, we return to the apple scene with Peacefield Orchard. Peacefield has an apple and pear orchard open to the public which features a Gravenstien apple tree which is over 115 years old. Peacefield also offers healthy coffees, chocolates, and acai berry treats. Whether you’re looking for fresh fruits or just a break from the monotony, the Fall harvest season is the perfect time to visit Julian. You can find detailed information on these orchards and Julian businesses by visiting www.julianca.com.
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Bitchin’ & Moaning
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By Judith A. Habert
The Boob Tube When I was growing up television was a large part of my life. It was an escape from whatever or whoever was making my life difficult at that particular moment. It was thought of as purely a source of entertainment and sometimes, if we watched PBS, it could be educational as well. Sitting down after a long day at school or work, you could count on the fact that you would be entertained. You would laugh, or even cry, but whatever happened for those few hours each evening you were definitely entertained. TV was celebrated as an “escape from reality,” and it truly was. Variety shows, comedy shows, mysteries, and adventure series could be found every day. Considering the fact that we only had a handful of stations to watch, we still managed to find something of interest to catch our attention and take us away from the real world. Fast forward to 2013 and boy how things have changed. With what, 9,000 stations available now... my kids still manage to utter the words, “There is nothing good on TV.” Although, in some ways I may agree, one has to pause at the fact that with so many choices they still can’t find a program to keep their interest for thirty minutes. I think it comes down to too many choices. It is kind of like trying to tackle the menu at TGIFridays. I do believe that perhaps the biggest change has to do with the fact that TV of the past was an escape from reality and today it is all about reality. All of the hottest shows on TV are “Reality Shows.” So now this medium whose main purpose was to take us away from reality is giving us shows based on reality. Or are they even close to reality? With shows like American Idol, The Voice, The X Factor, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, The Bachelor Pad, The Real World, The Real Housewives of _____________ (insert city here), Biggest Loser, Dance you A** off, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, America’s Got Talent and on and on and on…. One has to wonder when the purpose of TV changed and who are all these housewives and why do we care where they shop, who they argue with, or which one might be facing jail
time. I now feel after watching some of these shows that not only do I have to deal with my own problems, I have all of these other character’s fates to be concerned with: Will the Bachelor pick the right woman to spend the rest of his life with? Will the contestant from American Idol, who was homeless, be the winner or will he go
back to living in his car? Drama, drama and more drama seems to be the focus of all of these shows. Yet, it appears that Americans cannot live without the drama. Perhaps it makes them feel as if their lives are calmer and more ordered than that of the characters on reality TV; maybe we all hope for that big singing break and can leave our boring day job to travel around the world entertaining thousands of people at each of our sold out concerts? Obviously, the American viewing public loves these shows and the ratings prove it. So who am I to complain….I will just go along with the crowd and stop writing, since it is almost time for the Real Housewives of New Jersey and I am dying to see if Melissa finds out that Theresa was the one spreading all of those vicious lies. Yes - I too am addicted.
Wheelchair Dancers Organization Celebrated Their 5 Year Anniversary.
Join us for this one of a kind, one day, educational event for prospective adopting parents to hear directly from local adoption professionals. Event speakers will include: • Adoption and Family Law Attorneys • An Adoption Facilitator • San Diego County Adoptions • Adoption Agencies • An Adoption Service Provider • An International Adoption Attorney • Adoption Support Organizations We are also pleased to provide the opportunity to obtain a further understanding of adoption and its joys with an interactive roundtable discussion by adoptees, adoptive parents and first/birth parents. Date:
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Location:
Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley 950 Hotel Circle N., San Diego, CA 92108
Time:
10:00 am to 4:00 pm (doors open at 9:30)
Cost :
FREE!
Register:
www.TheAdoptionExperience.eventbrite.com
hosted by:
www.BolanderLawGroup.com
Event Co-Sponsors: Walden Family Services www.waldenfamily.org San Diego Youth Services www.sdyouthservices.org
San Diego
Our Editor was thrilled to be selected as a judge for the event along with Glenn Thomson, a seasoned ballroom Performer/Instructor, and Robert “Elvis” Myers who brought smiles to the performers and crowd alike. Congratulations to all the WINNERS!
Woman
On September 15th 2013 the Wheelchair Dancers Organization celebrated their 5 year anniversary. This in itself was a huge accomplishment since they have made such great inroads in such a short time. What made this event even more spectacular is that they were selected to host the first senior olympics wheelchair dancing division. The dancers/rollers competed in the senior Olympics for the first time and they did an amazing job.
Saturday Nov 2, 2013
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A Taste of Coronado Cuisine and History An Afternoon Walking Tour
We girls are always looking for fun and unique things to do with our friends. We need our girl time away from daily life. Time to chat and find out what each other is doing, how the kids are, the husband, parents, how the job is going plus time to get out and exercise, try some new foods and learn about different neighborhoods in San Diego. History and culinary tours in San Diego offer just that; a great girl’s outing and an afternoon with friends. So Cal Food Tours currently offers two different itineraries: One for Friday afternoons and one for Sunday afternoons. This Sunday the group met at the Tent City Murals at Glorietta Bay Marina. Owner, tour guide and Coronado resident Barbara Trenchi told stories of life on Coronado in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s on a three-hour tour of the south end of the quaint island. The tent murals are a tile mosaic marquis with photos transferred on to the tiles depicting the seaside resort of the Tent City; south of where the Hotel Del Coronado now stands. Between 1900 and 1939 cost-conscious vacationers from around the world would flock to the seaside resort community of Coronado and stay in one of the 1,000 tents set up on the Coronado Strand. Started by sugar magnate John D. Spreckels, this cost conscious vacation was priced at $5.00 a week. Although the visitors stayed in tents, it was much more than a rustic experience. This family destination boasted a trolley, carnival booths, a Ferris wheel, and a dance pavilion named “Casino”. Vacationers could attend a performance at the Pavilion theatre, stroll the boardwalk that led to a seal tank, visit an ostrich farm and see the monkey cages. Or they could simply swim in the ocean or bay, or take their pick which side of the strand they wanted to enjoy. One of the many attractions was a 10-cent performance of a horse named Cash diving into a pool of water. Wyatt Earp even did gun fighting demonstrations in the shooting gallery. The tour passed by the ubiquitous Hotel Del Coronado, built by Elisha Babcock and Hampton Story between 1887 and 1897 with the goal of being the “talk of the Western World”. Built entirely of wood (in the Queen Anne Revival style) the hotel features whimsical turrets and an asymmetrical design. The Hotel Del Coronado currently has a turret wrapped with a red bow in celebration of its 125 year anniversary. Mr. Spreckels bought the hotel and built his private residence across the street, which is now the Glorietta Bay Inn. Next door is the El Cordova Hotel, originally built as Elisha Babcock’s retirement home, and currently houses the charming and colorful patio restaurant, Miguel’s Cocina. Over appetizers tour members met and munched tasty chips, salsa and creamy white sauce. Some of our group enjoyed a margarita along with a sample platter of zesty Mexican antijitos (starters) of ceviche, rolled tacos and fried calamari. Across the street we went to see the first house that was built in Coronado. It was built for the first couple who got married at the Hotel Del Coronado. Today a plaque proclaims it the “Home of a Naval Aviator”. On this day we were fortunate enough to meet the owner/aviator in front of his house and he regaled us with stories about flying navy planes with George H.W. Bush. Huge smiles on the group’s faces reflected the charm of this man and his stories. The house has neither heat nor insulation. It has been a labor of love to own and try to bring it up to this century’s standards. We passed by the house on Star Park Circle where Frank L. Baum wrote two of the Wizard of Oz books en route to our next culinary
By Robin Dohrn Simpson Photos courtesy of Robin Dohrn Simpson
stop, Coronado Taste of Oils, an olive oil and vinegars store on Orange Avenue. The group enjoyed meeting the owner, Roberta Korte, who gifted us with vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate balsamic vinegar. This heavenly concoction was a very creative use of vinegars. There were many “Oohs and Aahs”. We were given a paper with the top pairings and encouraged to roam and try some of them. A favorite was Peach White Balsamic and Tuscan Herb Extra Virgin Olive Oil. You could really spend hours here trying different recipes. We left the store laden with treasures. Next stop was Alexander’s Pizza which has been voted “Best Pizza” of Coronado year after year. We enjoyed gooey Scooby Snack appetizers (dough balls with red sauce for dipping) and two pizzas, the highlight for all being a vegetarian pizza. Refreshing artisan gelato was served at Bottega Italiano before walking to the house on Ocean Avenue that once belonged to Mr. Spreckels. We dispersed from the charming boutique hotel, The Glorietta Bay Inn, overlooking Glorietta Bay and the Coronado Yacht Club. Mr. & Mrs. Spreckels sure knew how to live. This lovely property, built with the classic simple lines of the Italian Renaissance boasts many patios, an Elizabethan garden dotted with
colorful bougainvilleas, a lap pool, and a music room with a baby grand piano and an air of sophistication. Coronado has much to be proud of and seeing a tiny bit of it on this excursion whets the appetite for the next tour. To enjoy a fun afternoon with your girlfriends go to: http:// socalfoodtours. com/ or to reserve your space call 800-979-3370 or 212-209-3370.
He Said, She
Said
Photos by Lisa K. Miller
Are Men really from Mars and Women from Venus, as author Dr. John Gray states in his bestselling book? Do men and women really see things that differently? If given the same question could their answers really be so different? At San Diego Woman we wanted to explore the differences between "them" and "us". Read this month's installment and find out how the sexes differ when it comes to communicating with each other. What topics would you like to see us duke it out over in upcoming issues? No topic is off limits, so write me at editor@sandiegowoman.com. I can't wait to hear from you!
Women on the other hand – ‘I like that color/style/cute little’…you add the rest. Some even tell the salesperson that ‘I’m not going to pay the full price’ leaving this guru of sales with a crooked smile and dollar signs in their eyes. I swear if there were coupons for cars you’d have a dozen in your purses. To be fair, most women are not comfortable with the whole carbuying experience. The salespeople are mostly men (on a mission for quotas and the almighty dollar). Many of you bring along ‘your man’ to run punt and smooth the path for your signature. Men have a love/hate relationship with this process but are loathe to say no. The initial meeting with the salesperson is always pleasant: They know they have to set the hook. Men, inherently get this. Women think that ‘this might not be going too bad.’ Test drives and fiddling with gadgets go well – mostly. But shopping for a car is not shopping for Jimmy Choo or Prada: After about three try-ons the salesperson is ready to sell you the Yugo on the ‘gently used’ lot. Note: Cars are not cute, adorable, lovely, outta sight (alright already, I’m a boomer!), pretty, or sweet. Get over it. And please, if we are helping you buy this car – YOU drive it. By the third day of the search our five o’clock shadow is beginning to take on biblical proportions and the bags under our eyes have handles. But, alas, we hear you say, ‘this is the one.’ To you the process is finished. We know the stuff is about to hit the fan: Negotiating and talking to their finance manager, the salesperson then moves onto the sales manager, and who knows who else before a deal can be struck. This is the stuff men can do quickly, but you’re still at Nordies bartering on a twofer sale. It goes like this: “Let us put on the undercoating which helps prevent rust.” Women buy this and men remind the dealer we’re not in Ohio. And out come all of the other up-sells they have in their pockets. Do you seriously want; Sirius Radio? Clear coat? Full size spare or the overgrown donut? The list takes longer than a Chargers game (Please, no cards and letters). Remember the sheet of paper he started out making all those numbers that look like a crossword puzzle on steroids? It’s now almost a ream and his/ her hand has cramped and he/she has become dehydrated and stopped sweating, eyes glazed over. And, we guys have had so much of the dealerships bad coffee we’re stammering like a talk show host with the guest from hell. But you, you’ve touched up your makeup and hair so many times we have to run to Rite Aid for refills. And then it happens. You sign on the dotted line and give them your check. Yea, it’s done - but not really. They won’t give you the car until it’s detailed and brought around to the presentation area. Dealerships should understand that you need your car NOW! Because if you have to wait we’ll hear these words just before we collapse, “Ya know, maybe I could’ve gotten a better deal…Ooh, I don’t know about the color…I think I want to add…”
Women...Men…Cars When it comes to car shopping men and women are certainly different. But in my humble opinion, different is not necessarily bad. Men tend to go through phases when it comes to cars. At a certain age for men it is all about the muscle car, sports car, or big truck (that require a ladder to climb into). For some men it is the status symbol aspect of owning a car; the Mercedes, the BMW or maybe even the beloved Bentley, Ferrari, or Lamborghini: A car that tells everyone who sees you driving it that ‘Of course I have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spare for a car to drive to and from work.) When it comes to buying a car for the wife all of a sudden Mr. Lamborghini cares about little things like price, mpg, and consumer safety reports. Where were these conservative shoppers when it was time for them to purchase that pricey status symbol? Sometimes they get around this by using the old ’Safety first’ theory: “No honey you can’t get that hot little convertible sports car, a Volvo station wagon makes more sense. After all, it is safer and you have the kids to consider.” Yeah I suppose they are right, since we were never able to fit the car seat in the Ferrari, though I don’t recall if we were ever permitted to try. When it comes to going car shopping, we need a man to come along with us. We know that the car salesman will try to take advantage of us if we are on our own. Of course because we members of the “weaker” sex don’t know anything about what a big shiny new car should cost. But seriously, there is something to be said for having a man handle the tricky task of negotiating price. Since you have limited us to the safest, most gas efficient, or otherwise known as boring model of car, the least you could do is understand that color is important. It is actually something of a dilemma for a woman. Do I get a practical color like black or white, because after all it will go with any outfit? But the bright blue makes our eyes stand out and the new neon green color is so trendy. And why don’t you want to handle the test drive? After all, who wants to worry about what the car dealer thinks of our driving ability? Of course you know what he is thinking if you hit the brakes a bit too hard or take a turn a bit fast. So yes, test drive the car for us since you obviously know more about cars than we do. But let us sit in it and check out all of the important things like “do the sun visors have lights on them and is there an aux cable so we can play our songs on our iPhones while we drive. And most important of all - are there sufficient cup holders?” Most women don’t enjoy buying a car, we love having a new car, but the buying process is just way too stressful. I know it is a form of shopping, so you think just by the fact that we are female we are supposed to enjoy it, but we don’t. Let’s put it this way. How would you like it if you had to come with us to go swimsuit shopping? Trust me it is not a pretty sight. You like seeing us in our bathing suits, but would you want to go through the pain and suffering of watching us do the swimsuit analysis in the fitting room mirror. I think not! And you most certainly would not want to be anywhere near us when we realize that the bathing suit size we wore last summer doesn’t fit over our butts this year. So just to keep a bit of sanity - you handle the car negotiations and we will handle the bathing suits. Therefore let’s be reasonable, women and men do handle car shopping differently, but when you put together our need for style and cup holders and your need for price and safety it is a winning combination. So let’s join forces and buy that car together.
San Diego
Men…Women…Cars Men and women buy everything differently. Cars are no different. When a man needs a vehicle he’ll look at what its immediate need will be: Truck, SUV, Mini SUV, compact or sub-compact; family or just for him and work. There’s an order to the process and, we like the barter (hate the sales people but love the procedure). We’ll go to Consumer Reports and other sites to see what we should be paying and what terms and incentives fit us best. And then the game begins.
She Said...
Woman
He Said...
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Transitions
with Carol
LeBeau
Our pastor recently gave a thoughtprovoking sermon on prayer. While extolling the virtues of communicating with God, Pastor Jim also emphasized the twoway aspect of the discipline. “Prayer is more than rattling off a laundry list of needs and concerns,” he explained. “We need to “be still and listen to what God has to say.” I keep trying, but truthfully it’s often a struggle to clear my cluttered mind long enough to hear from the Almighty. And that got me to thinking. Do I keep my mouth shut long enough to actually listen to those around me? The answer: A resounding NO! Listening does not come easily for me. Most of my adult life, I’ve been paid to talk. As a TV newscaster and public speaker, “dead air” is the enemy and must be filled with something…anything. Even in social situations, I’m the one yakking…not listening. So it’s come as something of a revelation that I can actually do more with my ears than I can with my mouth. In her book “Listening to Others” Joyce Huggett relates personal experiences of listening to suffering people. She said they often talk about all she’s done for them. “On many occasions,” she
LISTEN!
wrote, “I have not “done” anything. I have just listened.” Joyce says she quickly came to the conclusion that “just listening” is indeed an effective way of helping others. According to author, David Roper, listening is a lost art. We don’t listen well and we aren’t used to being listened to. Most of our words simply fall to the ground. I don’t want to be like that anymore. Says Roper, “I want to listen well so that when I finish conversations others will walk away knowing there’s at least one person in this careless world who has some inkling of what they’re doing, thinking and feeling.” Here are some things I’ve learned about listening from Roper’s essay, “Learning to Listen.” 1. When I’m thinking about an answer while others are talking—I’m not listening. 2. When I give unsolicited advice—I’m not listening. 3. When I suggest they shouldn’t feel the way they do—I’m not listening. 4. When I apply a quick fix to their problem—I’m not listening. 5. When I fail to acknowledge their feelings—I’m not listening. 6. When I fidget, glance at my watch and appear to be rushed— I’m not listening. 7. When I fail to maintain eye contact—I’m not listening. 8. When I don’t ask follow-up questions—I’m not listening. 9. When I top their story with a bigger, better story of my own—I’m not listening. 10. When they share a difficult experience and I counter with one of my own—I’m not listening. Ouch! Based on this list, I am officially a lousy listener. If you are too…how ‘bout we try putting aside our “Chatty Cathy” ways…put a sock in it… and let the other guy talk. Maybe he just needs someone to listen.
San Diego Woman Magazine’s Women in Business
KATHRYN RUDLIN, LCSW Therapist in Private Practice Helping women thrive from the experience of growing up un-mothered. My comprehensive approach addresses healing at all levels; body, mind and spirit. Office location: 10175 Rancho Carmel Drive San Diego, CA 92128 Website: www.ghostmothers. com Contact info: 619.987.5471 krudlinlcsw@att.net INVITING INTERIORS OF SAN DIEGO Carolyn Burdette, The Doctor's Decorator. Redecorating the private practice healthcare provider's office to create a more welcoming environment for their patients. 9921 Carmel Mountain Road # 317, San Diego, CA 92129 United States 858-722-5924 Carolyn@DoctorsDecorator. com www.DoctorsDecorator.com "Transforming the Waiting Room into your Reception Area"
LA VITA COMPOUNDING PHARMACY Deb Hubers & Chris Givant "Helping women Live Better Longer through personalized prescriptions" 3978 Sorrento Valley Blvd., Suite 300 San Diego, CA 92121 858-453-2500 www.LaVitaRx.com info@LaVitaRx.com GERVAIS WATSON LLP Kara L. Gervais, Attorney at Law Real Estate, Business, Litigation 10636 Scripps Summit Court, Suite 102 San Diego, CA 92131 (858) 549-1071 Email: karagervais@gwlawllp. com Website: www.gwlawllp.com DONNA M STEWARD, INC. DBA: Your Real Estate Place Donna M. Steward, California Real Estate Broker and Realtor We have always helped women. We make loans, buy and sell real estate, and we are a property management company. We work with home modifications and short sales. 2911 S. Santa Fe San Marcos, CA 92069 (760) 598-9889 dm-steward@sbcglobal.net
SHOP WITH JOY Joy Bell -- Independent Miche Representative The Miche Bag -- Endless Possibilities™ Always stylish. Always convenient. Always affordable. Always there for you no matter what you're wearing today. It's your new favorite accessory! So you. So now. So Miche 4484 Cynthia Pl San Diego, Ca92105 (619) 818-0710 ShopWithJoy@cox.net www.ShopWithJoy.net VERNETTA'S DANCE STUDIO Vernetta Bergeon Established in 1962, San Diego's oldest and Most celebrated dance studio. Ages 2 thru any age, no one is too old to dance. Tap, Ballet, Jazz, and Ballroom, First wedding dance. Private and Corporate parties Quality service at an affordable price. Located in the North Park Lions Club 3927 Utah St. San Diego, Ca. 92104, 619-260-1707 ww.vernettadance.com vernettadance@cox.net KAREN DIETZ Business story expert, coaching, training and consulting with leaders and businesses of all types to connect, unite, and inspire people to achieve dramatic new goals. Convey your values, vision, and mission with stories to affect change, engage customers, and grow your business. 2802 Grape Street San Diego, Ca92102 (619) 235-0052 dietz.karen@gmail.com FINANCIAL PLANNING SOLUTIONS, INC. Shelley Lee Boyce, CFP®, AIF® Providing financial services for over 25 years
2784 Gateway Road Suite 102 Carlsbad, CA 92009 (760) 929-1180 slboyce@financialdesign.net www.financialdesigns.net BRIGHTBODY ULTIMATE FITNESS FOR WOMEN Dana Dansereau Full gym and spa for women of all ages. Group and individual training and classes including SeniorFit, GroupX, Yoga and Pilates. Summer programs for you and your kids. Special classes for special interests such as Managing Menopause, De-Stress with Exercise, Essential Oils and You, and much much more! 5125 Waring Road San Diego, CA 92120 (619) 582-2155 dana.dansereau@brightbody. com www.brightbody.com SAN DIEGO NORTH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Debra Rosen President & CEO Building Vibrant Communities Through Stronger Commerce San Diego Women's Week A week of Empowerment, Inspiration and Connection www.sdwomensweek.com 10875 Rancho Bernardo Road Suite 104 San Diego, CA 92127 (858) 487-1767 drosen@sdncc.com
San Diego
FINANCIAL FOCUS Gloria Foote, CFP® and Barbara Williams, CFP® 1903 Wright Pl #150, Carlsbad, CA 92008 760 431 3040 barbara.williams@natplan.com www.fifo1.com
METRO CATERING AND EVENT PLANNING Cheryl Phillips Raiken Recognized for exceptional, healthy cuisine and wonderful service, Metro Catering has the distinctive dedication and style that assures complete satisfaction. Metro Catering 6625 Top Gun Street #101 San Diego, CA 92121 858 626 2800 cheryl@metrocateringsandiego. com http://www.metrocateringsandiego.com
Woman
HERA HUB Founder, Felena Hanson Spa - Inspired flexible work and meeting space for female entrepreneurs. Create, Connect & Collaborate. Locations: Mission Valley, Sorrento Mesa, Carlsbad www.HeraHub.com info@HeraHub.com 855-HeraHub
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San Diego Woman Magazine’s Women in Business
LOTUSRAIN NATUROPATHIC
CLINIC, INC. Dr.Kristine Reese At LotusRain we offer Naturopathic primary care in a positive, light-filled space. Additional services include IV Therapy, Integrative Oncology, HBOT, and Infrared Sauna. Join us in your pursuit of optimal health by contacting our office via:e-mail at dr@drkristinereese.com phone at 619-239-LIFE (5433) or visiting us online at www.lotusrainclinic.com We are located at 5210 Balboa Avenue, Suite F, San Diego, CA 92117 Optimize your care, your health, your life!
STREETER PRINTING, INC. Adrienne Streeter, President Streeter Printing has been successfully serving the San Diego County Community since we were founded in 1980. We offer full service offset & digital printing as well as graphic design, bindery & mailing services. 9880 Via Pasar San Diego, CA. 92126 (Located in Miramar area) (858) 566-0866 ais@streeterprinting.com www.streeterprinting.com EAST COUNTY MORTUARY & CREMATION SERVICE Uyen Do Tender, Caring, Compassionate, Knowledgeable And Attentive To Your Needs. "A Woman's Touch." 347 N. Magnolia Ave El Cajon, Ca 92020 619-518-8510 dothaiuyen@gmail.com www.eastcountymortuary.com
Howard West Coast Realty Nancy K. Howard Real Estate Broker AgentOwner Serving All North County Coastal & Inland "My Concern is You." Real Estate Broker AgentOwner 760-215-0615 nhowardRE@yahoo.com http://www.howardwestcoastrealty.com/ The P & L Group at Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Elizabeth “Liza” Pille VP-Wealth Management The P & L Group at Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley Wealth Management 4350 La Jolla Village Drive, suite #1000 San Diego, CA 92122 Phone-858-597-7796 Fax -858-597-0455 Toll Free 1-800-299-0812 Liza.Pille@MorganStanley. com Referrals are the cornerstone of our business success. Your referrals are both welcome and most sincerely appreciated. For market updates and other wealth management tools-as well as an easy link right to your account informationplease visit our website at: http://morganstanleyfa.com/ pandlgroupsb Rose Cove Jewelry Lori Tussey Attractive Jewelry At Affordable Prices Special Occasion & Everyday Lori.tussey@att.net 619 929 1341 Media4Women your partner in entrepreneurial success Bobbye Brooks Co-founder, President
Tonilee Adamson Co-Founder, CEO A Full Service Marketing & Media Company Websites, Mobile Apps, Social Media, and Online & Offline Marketing. If you would like to schedule a FREE consultation to discuss your business' social media, website, and marketing status, call 800-992-0369. Email: info@media4women. com. Del Pacifico Marketing Group. Inc. Joan C. Wright Vice President A World of Marketing & Importing since 1988 11770 Bernardo Plaza Ct. Suite 206 & 208 San Diego, CA 92128 Phone: 858 500 2495 Fax: 585 618 1881 Email: triggersbest@hotmail. com swright@live.com Visiting Angels Sheri Malvestuto Director Senior Homecare by Angels® America’s Choice in Homecare!™ 860 South Johnson Avenue El Cajon, CA 92020 Phone: 619-401-2040 * Fax: 619-401-3240 smalvestuto@visitingangels. com www.visitingangels.com LightBridge Hospice & Palliative Care Jill Mendlen, RN Founder & CEO Your Partner in Caring Healing Touch, Aromatherapy, Supportive Music, Pet Therapy 6155 Cornerstone Court East Suite 220 • San Diego, CA 92121 Phone: 858-458-2992
Fax: 858-458-3655 Email: contact@LightBridgeHospice.com Photography by Lisa K Portraiture that Captures the Soul Lisa K. Miller Photographer 12225 World Trade Dr Suite P San Diego, Ca 92128 Call Today 858 673 3630 www.PhotographybyLisaK. com Sonali Design Studio Sonali Soni Designer/Artist Looking for a Freelance Artist? Logos, brochure design, business identity kits, murals, paintings. 858 354 5365 Sonali@sonalidesignstudio. com Daisy M. Hays Makeup Artist Daisy Martinez Hays Makeup Artist “Let me make your special event beautiful” 805 850 8536 www.daisymhays.com Bernardo Dermatology Medical Group Dr. Ruth Larson, MD Dr. Ruth Larson is the founder of Bernardo Dermatology Medical Group in North San Diego County. It is a premier, comprehensive, seven provider group whose philosophy is to provide the highest quality, most cost-effective dermatologic care with kindness and dignity. 15525 Pomerado Road, Suite A2, Poway, Ca 92064 United States (858) 451-3311 Email: ruthlarsonmd@gmail. com
San Diego Woman Magazine’s Women in Business
The Lawton Group Shannon Erdell, President Connect Great People with Great Companies! 4747 Viewridge Suite 210 San Diego, CA 92123 (858) 569-6260 www.lawtongrp.com shannon@lawtongrp.com
San Diego
Logo Product Experts and CorporateClientGifts.com Chris Elliott chris@lpeusa.com (760) 931-2633 1042 N. El Camino Real #B371 Encinitas, CA 92024 Logo Product Experts areas of expertise include printed, engraved and embroidered gifts, give-aways and apparel that help organizations project their brand in an unforgettable and positive way. LPE serves both national and local businesses, schools and universities, municipalities and non-profit organizations with a creative and resourceful approach to defining and meeting the desired outcomes of marketing programs through the use of branded products.
Woman
Labbe Health Center Dr. Joni Labbe DC, CCN, DCCN, FCCN Specializing in the nutritional and neurological needs of women with Hashimoto's disease and hypothyroidism. Author of: " Is Mid-Life Mooching your Mojo". 5440 Morehouse Dr. suite 2600 (858)483-4770 office www.thyroid-dr.com service@drlabbe.com
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Try this delicious holiday cookie recipe from our Editor’s book “Hey, I’m Italian” Ingredients 8 Ounces almond paste 1 Cup butter 2 Cups flour 1 Cup sugar 3 eggs 16 ounces seedless raspberry jam 4 ounces apricot jam 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 6 drops red food coloring 6 drops blue food coloring Method 1. Cream together almond paste, butter, eggs, and sugar. 2. Add flour slowly. Mix until all combined. 3. Separate dough into three equal parts in separate bowls. 4. Add red food coloring to one bowl. 5. Add blue to the other. You can color the other bowl if you prefer. 6. Spray a cookie sheet with vegetable spray. 7. Spread dough out onto tray. 8. Repeat using remaining trays and dough. 9. Bake 350° for ten minutes. 10. Let cool. Invert onto hard surface like counter tops lined with saran wrap or parchment paper. 11. Take red cookie layer and spread with half of the raspberry jam. 12. Place blue layer on top. 13. Spread blue layer with raspberry jam 14. Place plain layer on top 15. Wrap in saran wrap and place a heavy book on top for atleast 8 hours or overnight if you prefer. 16. After it has rested, dilute apricot jam in water and heat over stove. 17. Spread thinly on top layer. 18. Cool. 19. Melt chocolate. 20. Spread evenly on top of apricot jam. 21. Refrigerate until chocolate has set. 22. Cut into squares in the amount of your choice.
+ SAN DIEGO HEALTHCARE PROFILES
To Honor the Passage
Hospice is so much more than what you might think. Hospice is about embracing life, making sure your loved one and your family are comfortable, comforted, and connected during the end-of-life journey.
H
Respect and Dignity
LightBridge hospice & paLLiative care serves all of
“My mother’s first hospice service didn’t communicate well,” relates Karen Ladner. “Whenever we called with a question, we had to wait for a return call. We never
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Get the free mobile app at
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858-458-2992 LightBridgeHospice.com
LightBridge staff is available at 858-458-2992 seven days a week to help and answer your questions.
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San Diego
had a specific person working with us.” Many families don’t know they can change hospice providers. When Karen learned this from Peg, she also learned about LightBridge. Her family quickly made the switch. “LightBridge gave us a sense of security that everyone was there for us, but we also had a specific point of contact, someone who was aware of everything happening along my mother’s journey,” says Karen. “My mother appreciated the respect she was shown right up to her passing, so when my father reached a point where he wanted hospice care, too, there was no hesitation in turning to LightBridge. “Every end-of-life journey is unique,” Karen adds, “and LightBridge helped us accept and embrace that. For the team at LightBridge, this is not a job; it’s a calling.”
San Diego County. LightBridge offers patients and families a holistic approach to pain and symptom management, as well as spiritual, emotional, and psychological support. Hospice services are covered by Medicare, MediCal, and most insurance plans. LightBridge offers a wide range of specialized services, including programs for Veterans and patients with dementia, as well as the Ohr Ami Jewish Hospice program; Healing Touch; aroma, music, and pet therapies; education and support for caregivers; and bereavement care and grief counseling.
Woman
ospice care meant Peg Eddy’s father remained at home, his pancreatic cancer pain controlled, without the needles and IV tubes that would have accompanied a hospital stay. It meant Peg’s family could visit without watching a clock. It meant there was no need for a frantic, futile ambulance transport when it came time to say good-bye. “I don’t see how we could have managed that without hospice,” says Peg. Twenty years later, Peg turned to LightBridge Hospice & Palliative Care to smooth her mother’s end-of-life journey. “From the beginning, LightBridge eased my family’s worries,” shares Peg. “It took just minutes for LightBridge to bring my mother into the program and deliver the medications she needed to make her comfortable.” Peg says LightBridge surrounded her family with compassion and care without ever being intrusive, and it was adept at anticipating the family’s needs and questions and offering thoughtful solutions. “Thanks to LightBridge, we didn’t have to expend our energy worrying about my mother’s medical care. Instead, we focused on being a family, enjoying our time together.”
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Scripps Proton Therapy Center Opens In San Diego
By Judith A. Habert
Photography courtesy of Scripps Hospital One of the greatest parts of my job is the opportunity I get to meet with some of the most amazing people in San Diego. I recently had a chance to sit down and talk with Dr. Carl Rossi, medical director of Scripps Proton Therapy Center. Most of us don’t even know what Proton Therapy is, but I was lucky enough to get a quick education on this topic, and a tour of the brand new facility, which is scheduled to open in late 2013. This facility is a state-of-the-art102,000-square-foot center which
36 will have a capacity to treat approximately 2,400 patients per year. Dr. Rossi explained, “Proton therapy is not new. It was first introduced in a medical paper in 1946, and has been used on patients since the mid 1950’s.” What exactly is Proton therapy? Proton therapy is a safer alternative to traditional radiation therapy. It is used to treat cancerous tumors and specific non-cancerous conditions. Unlike x-rays which deliver a dose of radiation in, around and behind the treatment area, proton beam radiation therapy (PBRT) uses a highly focused “Pencil Beam” of subatomic particles which can be delivered in a three-dimensional shape that conforms precisely to the tumor. This technology delivers the majority of the radiation directly within the tumor — minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Traditional radiation therapy is shot through the tumor and spread to other areas of the body.
Dr. Rossi explains, “The problem with traditional radiation therapy is that although it attacks the tumor it also attacks the healthy tissue around it. For women with breast cancer, this can result in side effects years down the line.When you treat the left breast you are also treating the lungs and the heart with normal radiation, but with proton therapy the treatment stops at the tumor, and does not go further. Heart disease has been found to be a side effect of treating breast cancer. Studies have shown that the patient’s risk of heart disease in 10, 15, or 20 years is much higher due to the radiation treatment used to treat the breast tumor.” Dr. Rossi is the preeminent expert in proton therapy, and has been working in the field since graduation from medical school in 1988. Born in Orange, California, Dr Rossi was out of his element when he attended Medical School at Loyola University in Chicago. The one thing he was sure of was that he wanted to return to the West Coast to complete his residency. His choice at the time was Loma Linda University Medical Center. Little did he know that they were in the midst of building the first Proton Therapy center from the ground up specifically to treat patients, not as a laboratory or research center. Dr. Rossi’s specialty training in Radiation Oncology required a year of medical residency followed by three years of specific training in Radiation Oncolgy. Loma Linda was the perfect choice. He started working in the proton therapy center and when one of the Attending Physicians left he was asked to stay on “For a little while”. He remained in this position for twenty years until coming to Scripps in 2012. The first patients treated at Loma Linda suffered from eye and brain tumors. Over time this expanded to include other sites such as prostate cancer and various pediatric cancers. Treating large areas were challenging since the area they could normally treat was only 17 cm in diameter. So if a patient had a larger affected area it was more difficult to treat with Proton therapy.
will notice how bright and cheery it is. When patients arrive they are assigned a navigator who will stay with them from their very first treatment through completion. They are there to demystify the process, whether that means helping to assure their insurance is covering their treatments or arranging that out of town patients have a hotel near the facility. When asked if side effects are lessened with Proton therapy over traditional radiation therapy Dr. Rossi responded, “It depends on the circumstances. Since in some cases with protons we are completely avoiding normal tissue the patient may not experience some of the side effects associated with x-ray therapy. For example, most Prostate patients treated with x-rays suffer from diarrhea caused by the radiation penetrating the small intestine. Since proton beams stop at the affected site this is avoided. Although this may not seem like a serious side effect, it can certainly be distressing and may result in a change in the treatment program.” Dr. Rossi admits that over the years one of the greatest changes he has found is that patients are taking a serious interest in their own health care. They research their illnesses, and are much more informed going into a medical procedure. He hopes that this newly informed patient will realize the advantage of Proton Therapy over traditional x-ray therapy and take the initiative to speak up to his physician should he or she ever face a need for radiation therapy. One area of medicine which has embraced proton therapy is pediatrics. Pediatric cancer has about a 70% recovery rate, but if you use x-ray treatment the side effects are more likely to show up since their life span is a lot longer than that of the adult who receives the same treatment. Dr. Rossi notes, “In ten years we hope to see proton treatment in more places and eventually see it replace x-ray therapy in many cases. We want to see more patients helped without risking side effects that can be deadly in the end”
San Diego
For more information on Proton therapy visit the following site: www.Scripps.org/proton
Woman
Although this technology has been in existence for decades, as with other forms of technology, things have changed and gotten better. The Scripps machine can treat a 40 x 30 cm field, so they can now treat an entire breast, and not just a portion of it, as they have in the past. Certain lung cancer treatments could not be treated at one time with the old technology. As Dr. Rossi adds, “So now what we can do with proton therapy is the same as could be done with x-rays, we are not limited by size.” In Dr. Rossi’s career he has treated over 9,000 prostrate patients with proton beam therapy. So I asked Dr. Rossi why anyone would chose to have traditional x-ray treatment when they could have the more advanced and safer proton therapy. “The main reason is because not as many people know about this therapy, even though it has been around for decades. The problem is that most people do not live within a 50 mile radius of a proton therapy center.” Thankfully for San Diegans, this is not the case. Clinicians have known about this therapy for years, due to many papers that have been published by Harvard and Loma Linda, but the average patient is not as aware. “When it comes to the treatment of breast cancer we can look back at what happened 30 years ago when 1800 women suffering with breast cancer were given three different treatments. One group received only lumpectomies, another group received lumpectomies with radiation and the last group received mastectomies. The results showed that those who had both lumpectomies and radiation had the same cure rate as those who had radical mastectomies. Women were adamant when they found this out, and took an active approach to their treatment. They went to doctors and showed them the study, and before long the number of mastectomies decreased. Women need to do the same when considering traditional radiation versus proton therapy.” Until 2005 there were only two proton therapy centers in the country, now there are about a dozen, with another ten either under construction or in the planning phase. One of the things that make Scripps Proton Therapy Center unique is the use of Pencil Beam scanning - in all of their treatment rooms. Pencil Beam scanning is the ability to use a very small dot of protons, about 4mm wide that lets you sculpt the radiation dose that is used. This allows the treatment of irregularly shaped areas and can treat larger fields efficiently. The previous method, passive scanning, emitted more radiation to the patient, and was more difficult to use when treating irregularly shaped structures, such as the breast. The ultimate goal for doctors, while treating patients is to treat the least amount of the normal unaffected areas. One of the advantages of proton therapy is that studies have shown that in some cases a traditional treatment therapy time frame can be decreased due to the fact that the high-dose radiation is limited to such a specific area So for those traveling to the Scripps Proton Therapy Center from out-of-town, they may no longer need to stay here 9 weeks, but can get the same amount of treatment in only 4 weeks. When designing the program, the medical specialists at Scripps thought long and hard about the treatment experience for their patients. They knew that the whole process of going through radiation treatment was a very scary event in their patient’s life. So they wanted to do what they could to make the experience a better one. When you enter the facility you
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Woman San Diego
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Fall trend: Floral By Heather Shaw
One of the biggest trends we’re seeing for fall is a nod to the 90’s grunge look and that involves florals. There are so many color palettes and varieties to choose from when looking for this girly print. One of the easiest ways to work this into your wardrobe is buy wearing a floral dress. You can take it long and flowy or short and sassy. Dresses work for all ages and sizes and can we worn for day or night.
Styling tips:
Fall is a great time to try new styles and spice up your wardrobe. All of the looks I have talked about can be found at local stores like Kohls, Macys, or H&M. Check out their websites and piece together your new fall floral looks. Try one new style first and your friends will be impressed. Have fun and remember, every day is a stylish day!
wEAR yOUR fAITH. fAITH-bASED aCCESSORIES fOR mEN & wOMEN
PrintedPurpose.com
Diego WSan oman
For the ultimate in throwback grunge pair your new dress with some chunky moto boots and a cool and sexy moto jacket or comfy flannel. Try adding some cool silver bangles to top it off. This look definitely has a more edgy vibe for you rebels out there. If you’re looking for a way to try floral with a little more simplicity I suggest pairing the dress with some dark tights and stacked heels. You can make this work for the office by throwing on a chunky cardigan or cropped blazer and minimal jewelry. Florals look great for evening as well and are a fun and sexy alternative to the little black dress. A worn denim jacket or sleek leather bomber over a dress looks great for a night on the town. Add some big hoop earrings or chunky bracelets to spice up your look.
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A guide for family, friends and loved ones in preparing for the effects of the growing elder population …a Public Service from “Those Who Care”
The Loss of a Loved One People die. This is a fact of life, a sad fact, but nonetheless a fact of life. Yet, as certain as we are that death will be part of our life sometime in the future, we never seem to be prepared for this loss. There is no easy answer for coping with the loss of a loved one. According to the USAA Educational Foundation, your ability to cope with the loss of a loved one is based on several factors, including: • Your personality and coping skills • Your cultural and religious background • The individual you have lost • How the loss affects you
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• How much support you have from family and friends The primary thing to remember is that recovering from a loss of a loved one is a process that takes time. Some may find it easier to move on with their lives, while others may find it more difficult. For most of us the loss of a loved one results in two forms of grief: Anticipatory or Complicated. Anticipatory grief results when you are waiting for someone to die after a long illness, whereas Complicated grief results when the loss is sudden as in a suicide or auto accident. Grief can manifest itself in many forms; such as anger, fear or panic, loneliness, mood swings, insomnia, loss of memory and even physical issues (such as hair loss). Many people seek the assistance of trained counselors, clergy, and even local support
groups to help cope with their loss. Each of us deals differently with loss, but rest assured we all must deal with this event. We need to give it the appropriate amount of time to recovery, and keep our expectations (and our close friends and family’s expectations) for recovery reasonable. In the article “When a Loved One Dies: Coping with Grief” (source: USAA Foundation), the author points out the following four steps toward recovery: 1. Maintain healthy routines. • Get plenty of sleep. • Don’t attempt to reduce the pain of your loss by using drugs or alcohol. • Exercise regularly – every day if possible. • Eat well. 2.Maintain emotional needs. • Talk about your feelings with someone. • Write a journal about your emotions. • Do something you enjoy. • Begin to plan your life, not just react to it. 3. Accept help. • Let folks know you would enjoy a homemade meal occasionally. • Accept offers for car pooling or child care. • Allow others to take you to doctor’s appointments. • Let others sit with you while you talk about your feelings. • Accept the fact that others want to help you, just as you would want to help others in need. 4. Move forward. • Find the way back to “normal” that works best for you. • Allow yourself to help others in need. • Realize that you will get past this initial grief and you will move forward with your life. Once you understand what to expect when a loss occurs in your life, you will be better equipped to handle the grief that follows. It may not reduce the time it takes you to work your way through your grief, but it will allow you to make more sense of the entire process .... Jeffrey Johnson
ESCONDIDO’S DEDICATED MAYOR
Council, have made and the success they have achieved in taking the city in a new direction shows the unwavering commitment to deliver on the goals set in their City Council Action plan. Mayor Abed’s dedication and new policies are already showing results, he has definitely made a difference. After the 2010 election Mayor Abed felt privileged to begin meeting with the other North County mayors. All five mayors decided to come together in a collaborative effort to interact with each other on the region’s issues. They decided they would meet monthly in order to achieve their goals. The funding for transportation, roads, and improvements would be provided through SANDAG (San Diego Association of Government) which allotted San Diego County 1.2 Billion dollars per year. In the past more money from SANDAG had gone to the city of San Diego and not to North County. This group of five mayors coordinated efforts to make sure the regional funding, their fair share, came to North County. The results were outstanding; Interstate 15 widened with a carpool lane in the middle, 78 Freeway Nordahl Bridge was widened to relieve the congestion from both the off-ramp as well as surface street traffic. Also improvements widening the 78 Freeway at Nordahl enabled traffic to merge into Interstate 15 smoothly.
San Diego
Woman
Located in San Diego’s North County is the city of Escondido. As I enter the architecturally unique City Hall, situated at the corner of Broadway and Valley Parkway, I arrive with great anticipation as I am about to interview our city’s Mayor. Mr Abed was born in Lebanon and immigrated to the United States, He is the first immigrant to be elected and hold a public office in Escondido. Since taking office in 2010, Mayor Abed feels fortunate to hold this position. . He told me he wakes up every morning and thinks to himself “what can I do to make my city better?” Being elected first to the City Council, Sam Abed made it a priority to find out what the people of Escondido really wanted out of their city government. He walked the entire city knocking on doors talking with the residents asking questions, it took him a full year. The results were overwhelmingly the same answer, a balanced budget, stop spending, and strong leadership for our city government. When Sam Abed was elected mayor he already had a vision and an action plan in his mind for Escondido. This mayor feels grate-
By Jeani Zuber
Another of the mayor’s policies is to maintain an environment in city government that allows women to be successful and treated equally. In addition, each year the mayor is involved with Women’s Week through the Escondido Chamber of Commerce. It is a forum where business women, as well as women who have achieved personal goals, share their success as an encouragement to other women.
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ful to have on his City Council a majority of colleagues who are as passionate and driven as he is. In his heart he feels it is important to support the values of this great country that the founding fathers gave us. He began applying these conservative values by rewarding hard work, fiscal responsibility, family values as well as personal responsibility to our city. Mayor Abed began by enacting budget adjustments leading to a more efficient city government; restoring public services, and going from a budget deficit of $5 million to a $4.1 million surplus. The progress the mayor, along with the City
Turning Escondido into a vibrant community with new restaurants downtown, an attractive family area called Maple Street Plaza, a $55 million upgrade to Westfield Shopping Center, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a Lexus Dealership and Car Max, our new Palomar Medical Center, along with an upcoming Wal-Mart and Cheese Cake Factory, has brought new life to our thriving community.
What is Pranic Healing? By Gerald M. Neff To answer this important question I interviewed Mrs. Louise McDougal at Vista, California. In a neat nut shell definition it is the following: Pranic Healing is a highly evolved and tested system of energy medicine developed by Grand Master Choa Kok Sui that utilizes “Prana” to balance, harmonize, and transform the body's energy process. Prana is a Sanskrit word meaning “Life Force”. This invisible bio-energy or vital energy keeps the body alive and maintains a state of good health. In acupuncture, the Chinese refer to this subtle energy as “Chi”. It is also call “Rauch or the Breath of Life” in Hebrew. Pranic Healing is a simple yet powerful and effective system of no-touch energy healing and is based on the fundamental principles that the body is a self repairing living entity, that possesses
channels of energy or meridians for the whole body healing processes. The healing steps are: scanning to find the damage area, sweeping for cleaning or getting rid of the congestion or negative energy in that area, then, energizing by projecting fresh prana from the surrounding environment. Every ailment has a unique set of energy patterns and there are specific protocols for each and every illness. Mrs. McDougall has studied the five main levels of Pranic Healing and proudly explained to me how she has helped various patients recuperate from physical ailments such as sprains, strains, and injured shoulders and even bad knees, and now, she is helping cancer patients to recover. Through this healing, many serious operations can be avoided, pain can be alleviated and restoration of health can be accelerated.
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the ability to heal Itself, and that the healing process is accelerated by increasing this life force that is readily available from the sun, air, and ground to address physical and emotional imbalances. Life energy or Prana is all around us and we or the healer can draw on this available energy to heal oneself or an out-of-balance person. It's similar to acupuncture healing but without the needles. In Pranic Healing there are eleven mayor chakras working through
For further information on Pranic Healing and learning this healing system: http//www.PranicHealingSD.com http//www.PranicHealing.org
Emerging Fashion Industry Embraced by San Diego City Council
By Lisa Matar Photo Credit: Andrew Casey
Fashion Week San Diego
San Diegans are still buzzing from the electrifying fashion shows held September 30th through October 5th for the 3rd annual Fashion Week San Diego. Now that the dust has settled, the red carpets rolled up and runways stored away for next year, locals are seeing the impact the event is having on the city.
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Fashion and merchandising is forecasted to continue being a growing segment of our local economy. Momentum is picking up pace as City Council is showing support by proclaiming an official Fashion Week in San Diego. With three international manufacturing companies in fashion apparel based in San Diego and 5 institutions offering fashion design programs, and a bonafide Fashion Week, our city is ready to blossom as a premier fashion destination on the West Coast. FWSD, in partnership with the City of San Diego, is capturing the momentum and giving our budding fashion and merchandizing industry the support it needs to shine. In years past, our city has little industry or community for emerging designers to thrive in. The question is- how can San Diego keep these designers in our city to support this growing segment of the economy? FWSD is making an impact and they have the City of San Diego on board. Council President Todd Gloria has proposed the first week of October to be the official Fashion Week of San Diego. The official proclamation was presented to founder and director Allison Andrews at a City Council meeting held on September 24th, 2013. “I am please to propose the first week of October to be proclaimed Fashion Week San Diego to attract attention to this growing segment in our economy”, said Council President Todd Gloria. Further, “I look forward to having my City Council colleagues join me in supporting Fashion Week and celebrating San Diego’s fashionable side”. With support from the city, this year’s runway shows were held at Broadway Pier. From September 30th through October 6th, the event captivated attendees and drew the attention of industry professionals. It is not a surprise to learn that city council is supporting Fashion Week as impressive statistics have clearly caught their attention. $80 million in media impressions were noted for FWSD 2012. Second to Comic Con, FWSD was showcased on more cover stories than any other local event. Retail sales from the 2012 trunk show reached $15,000 and designers continued to sell an additional $50,000 in connection to FWSD. Five of the designers were asked to participate in New York Fashion Week, while two models were signed to major contracts after being discovered at the 2012 runway shows. Fashion Week enthusiasts increase annually, as the first year’s attendance was 1,500, 2012 had 3,000 in attendance
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and the projected attendance for 2013 over 5,000. The future appears to be bright for an emerging fashion industry in San Diego. As we take a look into upcoming years ahead, with the support from the City of San Diego and Fashion Week, this growing segment of our local economy has the support it needs to thrive. The road is paved to embrace emerging designers who call San Diego home. We are anticipating San Diego to become the West Coast capital of emerging fashion talent. Models are wearing (left to right): CG by Cynthia, Diestra, Ashley Raymond, and Collections by Kathryn Elizabeth.
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To Have Loved & Lost, I’m obsessed with my cell phone. This is pointed out to me weekly by my boyfriend and more specifically how abnormal this is. Unlucky for him, I have to disagree. I’ve known a lot of cell phone obsessed girls of my generation and comparatively I do not find that my love for my phone is unusual or cause for intervention. I’m equally obsessed with Heinz Ketchup and Trader Joe’s frozen pot stickers but those habits don’t seem to bother him as much because they don’t compete for my attention. And maybe he has a point. Prior to living with a boyfriend my phone slept on the pillow next to me each night. It usually rides shotgun in my car and I constantly worry about its energy level and if it needs a re-charge. Each cell phone I’ve had has a name and has been an unwavering companion except when accidently sacrificed to the cell phone Gods. All my fault, I’ll readily admi,t as I’ve accepted the blame and carried the guilt for each: My senior year in college my cell, Cha Cha, fell to an untimely death down a storm drain. Fell or was tossed? You decide. Circa 2004, I was dressed as a slutty black cat complete with black fishnets and heels (so high no one should be allowed to walk and drink in them at the same time) celebrating Halloween my senior year in college. As I paraded down State Street loving life and already feeling sad that this would be my last Halloween as an undergrad my ankle rolled out from under me and I fell off the curb. Straddled horizontally (like a sky diver of asphalt) between the side walk and the gutter, Cha Cha bounced out of my hand and with a one-two skip, skipped right into the storm drain. Thankfully intoxicated to the point of physical numbness, I crawled to the drain and peered through the bars, like spying through the shudders of the underworld. There she was, lighting up with texts from friends and a different boyfriend wondering where the hell I was. Thankfully, 2 bowling pins and a bowling ball stopped in the parade and hoisted me upright by my armpits. “You okay kitty?” the taller pin asked. “Yea, totally. You pins rock!” I replied with a smile. I gave them a high five and made my way home. It wasn’t until the morning after, when my sheets had crusted to my bloody knees, that I felt the pain of what had happened. Cha Cha got me through boyfriend fights, flirtatious distractions from school, and saved the contacts of new friends I couldn’t wait to hang out with. All of my relationship history lived within that phone. She partied like a rock star each weekend and got me in and out of quite a few messes. She kept all my secrets and took one hell of a beating. December 2010: It was my 27th birthday and work Christmas party in downtown San Diego where I lost Millie in an untimely drowning. She was just a year old. I was feeling overly confident in my new jeggings (remember when jean-leggings came out that year?) and told my best friend and co-worker I was headed off the dance floor to the bathroom. Jeggings are skinny jeans with stretch. They can make a rounder thigh sleeker without cutting off your leg’s circulation entirely. As soon as I purchased my first pair of jeggings I think I wore them for 2 years non-stop. Anyhoo, true jeggings don’t
By Hannah Cunningham
have side pockets. You can’t have a sleek “skinny” look with stuff bulging out of your upper thigh area. So most were made with back pockets and no side pockets. Again, because I had to have my cell phone in hand just in case blah blah was texting me back that night I carried Millie to the bathroom and slid her into my back pocket. And as soon as the pants came down in the stall I heard what sounded like somebody’s cell phone falling into the toilet. Always, one to look out for my fellow girl I called out to the stall occupant next to me and said, “Girl I think you dropped something into the toilet?” She laughed and said, “I thought you did.” “No girl, just lookin’ out. You might wanna check your toilet for a cell phone.” Perhaps I should’ve stopped after her response. Turns out she was right. I turned to check out my bowl and there was Millie face down at the bottom of a thankfully clear toilet. I fished her out, dried her under the hand dryer and watched her code on the bar table and join Cha Cha in heaven. R.I.P. Millie.
The night she was taken, I texted myself in hopes of her safe return. The text progression went from slightly annoyed to pleading and begging for her safe return; whatever it took: Text 1 to myself: Please return this cell phone if you have it. It was not nice for you to take and if you could call this number and return it there will be no hard feelings. Text 2 to myself: I am offering a handsome reward for this cell phone’s safe return. Text 3 to myself: Imagine if this happened to someone you loved and they couldn’t afford another? Please just return her safely and the reward is yours no police will be called. My boyfriend would find me in the corner of the room on his cell phone and casually inquire what I was doing. The perfect time to find some humor in all this: “I’m stalking myself so I can hear the sound of my own voice. Gosh, I miss me.” I poured over Craigslist to see if anyone was stupid enough to post her pic and re-sell her like they do puppies in this area. Then I decided it’s best to believe the world is comprised of good citizens and not to wait it out because someone might find and return her. I wish there was a happier ending to this story, but Blanca was never recovered. The longest I could wait was 2 days then it was time to get connected to the speed at which I want, need, have to have info and communication. My replacement phone has a more block shaped case making the look of the phone wider and more “mom-ish” in looks. This phone is more the white Volvo to my former white Porsche convertible. She’s more practical, less flashy, and I bet we stay friends for years. I think I’ll name her Eleanor.
To An Angel By Joseph H. Patti
I’m leaving in a little while I’m going someplace new But there’ll e’er be the warmest spot Within my heart for you I write this to an angel For that is what you are Yes, through the darkness you’re the light You’re Jesus’ brightest star Whenever I am in despair You offer me a smile That puts just that upon my face And helps me cross each mile I never have to look that hard You’re right there when I’m blue I want you to be flattered So I will copy you Take all the love that’s in your heart And put it into mine As psalmist says all glory land And praise be ever thine
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I made it 2 days without the phone then suffered from lost limb syndrome. I would hear it vibrate at night next to my bed even though it wasn’t there and still reach in the same pocket of my purse to send an email or text throughout the day forgetting she was gone. I can accept my stupid mistakes causing the ghosts of cell phone’s past their lives. But when Blanca was stolen I felt utterly violated.
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It was a beautiful sunny July 4th beach day and I had been the proud owner of the sleekest, sexiest, white iphone 5 (with silver and white case). Blanca was her name and at just 3 months, she was sexier than I could ever hope to be. Someone who looks like Ivanka Trump should’ve been Blanca’s owner, not me. I’m having a blast at a high top table and decide Blanca should be out enjoying the day too. So I pull her from my blue Hobo clutch and place her on top of it to see if it lights up with any texts from my girls. Next thing I know, Blanca was gone! Kidnapped from right under my nose. I had let my guard down, giving all of my attention to my new hot pink beach cruiser, Carmen, making sure she wasn’t getting stolen that day, it was as if the universe knew.
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Your Partner in Caring. LightBridge Hospice provides a full complement of integrative therapies to enhance the quality of life for patients during end-of-life care, including:
Healing Touch™
A certified program using light or near-body touch to clear and balance the human energy system to facilitate physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
Supportive Music
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The use of essential oils which is directed by patient need and choice.
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Aromatherapy
Pet Therapy
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Music facilitates physical, cognitive, and emotional quality of life. Interaction with pets may lower blood pressure, ease pain or anxiety, and decrease agitation. What makes our integrative therapies unique: • The level of training for each therapy — our staff and volunteers are trained in a wide variety of therapies. • A full complement of therapies is available to the patient. • Integrative therapies are funded by the LightBridge Hospice Community Foundation through private donors and families of former patients.
For more information on our Integrative Therapies, call 858.458.2992 or visit LightBridgeHospice.com. LightBridge Hospice & Palliative Care has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval
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An Adventure in Peru By Gerald M. Neff
If you want to see Incan ruins of the fourteenth century, Machu Picchu, the lost city and Cuzco, the sacred capitol of the empire, then your place to go is Peru, South America. For history buffs the ancient Incan Empire, which covered present Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina and Chile, is exciting and at your fingertips once you are in the historical Peruvian capitol of Lima. Once there, you’ll travel to Cusco by air. Then, take a train to Machu Picchu to spend a night at 6000 feet in the Lost City. Watch the sun rise over this 700 year old stone monumental citadel as the morning sun’s rays hit the hitching post of the sun, ’Intihuatana’ for the maximum God, ’EL SOL’ or in the Incan language of Quechua ’INTI’. The sun is lassoed once a year on the 24th of June and tied to the alter (or hitching-post) of the sun for another successful year of crops and general prosperity. All of this ceremony was performed by the Incan High Priest, and is duplicated every year in both Cuzco and Lima for the delight of locals and foreign visitors. This is just one of the many interesting items to see and visit in Peru. For those not so historically inclined, the mysterious route or option of flying over the Lines of Nazca, or the airfields of the gods is a wonderful choice. An hour trip from Lima by small plane takes you south to Nazca - some 450 kilometers - over the enigmatic lines (they are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in southern Peru),almost a mile long of both geometric and animal-like figures such as monkeys, hummingbirds, spiders, triangles and even human-like forms. Only seen from the air, not known before 1937, these lines were found when an American pilot spotted them by accident on his trip to the mines in southern Peru. Even the Incas never saw these mysterious lines and even built their coastal highway right through two of the figures. The peak season is Christmas through Apri,l which is summer on the coast and the rainy season in the jungle and in the Andes. Peru is below the equator so all of the seasons are reversed. The entire coast of 1,300 miles is a sandy beach filled with locals and visitors alike for surfing and fun in the sun for everyone.
Access by air to Peru is in tune with the seasons and varies from $1,200.00 by Lan Chile direct from Los Angeles or by Taca (also from LAX) round trip for only $680 dollars - but involves a three and a half hour-stop in El Salvador both going and returning. The Cuzco-Macchu Picchu tour is around $1,000 to $1,300, which includes air fare to and from Cuzco airport, train fare to Macchu Picchu, one day with meals at the site and one night to and from Cuzco in a three star hotel. The Lines of Nazca tour includes the round trip of LimaNazcaLima with a couple of hours in the Nazca Hotel for lunch and interesting conversations by local experts and guides on the subject at hand. This package is $670.00 to $1100.00 and varies according to the company and season. Peru was elected the best gastronomical destination in South America for the year of 2012 in the World Travel Awards, so, you are in for some very fine eating which includes Chinese, Criollo, and of course, delicious Incan dishes. Here I will attest to the finest selection of food internationally: Over 2,800 Chinese restaurants of both Cantonese and Szechuan styles, from economical to expensive. Argentine style steak houses offer only the finest of meats brought directly from Buenos Aires. The local food, of which the variety seems endless, includes their world famous ceviche, or marinated fish of flounder or corvina i.e. deep sea rock bass or even lomo saltado, i.e. stir-fried sirloin steak with onions, green peppers and french fried potatoes. For up to date information access the website www.PeruTourist.com for further details on flights and tour prices. This is the best advice for an eager traveler to exciting Peru. BUEN VIAJE AMIGOS
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Building Better Presentations By Rob Weinberg
The danger signs of a bad PowerPoint presentation are all too obvious; unprepared or boring speakers, wordy or unreadable slides, and audience members with glazed eyes. But…how do people respond when YOU speak? Though you may consider yourself an experienced, comfortable presenter, perhaps you’re not as good as you think. Consider these five common speaker blind spots. 1. Let me read to you. See if this sounds familiar – the speaker’s monotone voice reads from notes or the screen, the slides have too much information and lighting makes them unreadable. Tuning out, the audience ignores the message. Could this be you? Videotape your next presentation to observe how others see you. It’s a great way to inject some energy and new ideas and eliminate those “Ums” and “Likes” that may pop up at inopportune times. Also vary your vocal tone, move around, interact with the audience, and gesture. Smile and have fun up there, since it’ll make you a much more engaging, compelling, and memorable presenter. 2. I’m gonna wing it. Many speakers figure they’re better talking without notes, but audience reactions suggest otherwise. Go in prepared and organized and you’ll appear intelligent, captivating the room and getting them to want more. Go off the cuff and you may ramble, bore listeners, and accomplish the opposite of what you intended. This guarantees you won’t be asked to return. Structuring your presentation with an outline (opening, body, closing) is the easiest way to organize what you want to say. It forces you to methodically collect your thoughts, makes your points easier to remember, and ensures both you and your audience stay on track. 3. Relying on the facts. A good presentation is about much more than just facts and figures. While you need to get your information right, nobody’s going to remember – or care about – a bunch of numbers. You’ll change that by weaving facts into a story, putting a human face on otherwise tedious details. Anything that makes you and your information memorable – sharing some gossip, recalling an analogy, making your audience laugh, doing a skit with conference participants, utilizing a prop – will keep the attention on you and what you’re discussing.
4. More slides are better. I recently saw a 93-slide PowerPoint presentation; many were multi-layered and WAY too busy. Plus, while the speaker was allotted 20 minutes, she needed over an hour to tell her story. To avoid this problem outline your presentation before creating slides to ensure a good opening, clear main points, and a solid close. Only create visuals to support this limited message. Plus by keeping slides simple, with key words and phrases to summarize points, viewers will keep their attention on you. Naturally, use relevant graphics with minimal distractions (animations, flying bullet points), preventing audience members’ attention from wandering. 5. Cramming everything in. That woman with the 93 action-packed slides believed everything she said was important. When she finished everyone left the room quickly, and the value of her information was lost. Her audience would have preferred a subject overview, with her remaining afterwards for Q&A. Alternately, she could have addressed individual questions or concerns by email. All of which means… The days of tossing everything against the wall, hoping something will stick, are a thing of the past. “Death by PowerPoint” is no longer acceptable, but still far too common. Used properly, a PowerPoint presentation provides clear, effective, memorable training and discussion. Used poorly it’s instantly forgettable, or worse, remembered and held against you. Do yourself – and your communication efforts – a huge favor. Take a hard look at how you speak to people and use these strategies to strengthen your image.
Rob Weinberg is a Madison Avenue veteran and principal of The MarketBuilding Team – a strategic marketing firm based in Rancho Bernardo, CA. You can get his advice through a free newsletter, a weekly marketing advice column, or by hiring him as a part-time marketing executive. You’ll find him online at www.marketbuilding.com.
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