Tuesday, March 7 is National Pancake Day. Get a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes between 7:00 am to 7:00 pm at participating IHOP restaurants.

The pancakes are free, but consider at least a $5.00 donation to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital (local: Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital). Extra good: make a $5 donation and receive a coupon good for $5 off your next visit.

National Pancake Day
IHOP Restaurants
Find your IHOP here

Tuesday, March 7, 2017!
Free pancakes 7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Ryan Viri worked at Johnny V’s downtown, where he protected patrons and tried to keep everyone safe while they spent time downtown listening to music.  On the morning of February 12, 2014, he was fatally stabbed after work by someone he had previously thrown out of the bar and on whom he had called the San Jose Police.  Crye Wulf BPM is putting on a free show at Johnny V’s to help raise money for Ryan’s funeral and medical expenses.  The show is February 20, at Johnny V’s, and it’s for ages 21 and over.  Funds will come from the bar profits, and a donation jar will also be available.

If you can’t make that show, or the music isn’t your type of thing, you can still donate to the cause at GoFundMe.

Metblogs sends its condolences to the family of Ryan Viri.  My son was friends with Ryan, and he and many others have been crushed by the loss of a good person with a big heart.  Let’s hope the mayor can get this type of crime under control, as the loss of life in San Jose recently has been far too tremendous.

DONATE HERE
February 20, 2014
Johnny V’s
31 E. Santa Clara Street, San Jose
Doors open at 9pm

San Jose: Local (Northern California) author Michelle Richmond will discuss her book – The Year of Fog.

As an avid reader I appreciate an author who can captivate my thoughts, and Michelle’s writings linger in my mind.

The Year of Fog is set in the San Francisco Bay Area. On her site there is a Google Fog Map.

MEET THE AUTHOR – MICHELLE RICHMOND – THE YEAR OF FOG

She will discuss her book and answer questions from the audience.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012
9:30 a.m. Coffee Social
9:45 a.m. Presentation

St. Elizabeth’s Day Home, 950 St. Elizabeth Drive, San Jose 95126

$20.00 Donation (Help families with tuition)
Call Kathy Giovanola, (408) 264-9920 for reservations

This Saturday, May 14, Stamp Out Hunger Letter Carriers Food Drive is in its 19th year to combat hunger and the largest single-day food drive for food banks in the Bay Area.

This food drive raises food to help Bay Area Food Banks ready themselves for summer, when emergency food requests increase dramatically.

Residents, who wish to participate, place a bag of non-perishable food items like canned tuna, peanut butter, soup, canned vegetables and fruits, dry beans and pasta, rice or cereal by their mailbox before mail delivery on Saturday, May 14, 2011. Letter carriers will collect the donations and deliver them to local food banks, then distributed to hungry people in the community.

Food bags also accepted at your local post office.

In Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, the food will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

Other Bay Area food banks include:

San Francisco Food Bank

Alameda County Community Food Bank

Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano

A small representation of the California Pioneers of Santa Clara County’s film collection will be featured at a free movie night tonight May 11 from 6 – 9pm at the historic Le Petit Trianon Theater.

The featured film includes 100s of short clips from our local past. Those who have attended previous movie nights know it is a one of a kind, nostalgic good time.

Attendees are asked (optional) to bring and share a fruit or food dish that hearkens back to the days when we were known as “The Valley of Hearts Delight” and agriculture was king in this valley. 1900-1950’s attire is also optional. A prize is given for best costume and recipe. Fruit Cocktail cooked in spam and apricot brandywere past winners. There is also a silent auction.

The Fruit Cocktail Club will be showing a “Film Cocktail” of various clips from the California Pioneers of Santa Clara County Film Archive – many of which have never before been shown in public! Gone are the days when orchards dominated the landscape, but the miracle of Kodachrome brings it all back. You’ll see planes, trains, ships, trolleys and automobiles from the longhistory of transportation in the Valley, sports highlights, scenes of long-gone buildings and landmarks, trips through the mines of New Almaden, Alumn Rock Park and views of familiar places from before your mother was born. Audience participation is encouraged – no film should be a silent film!

This event will also feature:
Vintage recipe pot luck dinner: Bring your grandmother’s fruit salad, your mom’s favorite prune dish, and your fruit-cocktail jello mold! Every year, exciting recipes from the past are enjoyed by all, and prizes given to the best blast from the past!

Silent auction of antiques, gifts, and other interesting items – there are always surprising deals to be had!

Costume contest! We welcome all flappers, swing dancers, and forties dames! Slide on your skinny ties, Mad Men fashions, and put on a poodle skirt, ladies! Bring your bowlers, sport your Stetsons, and fold your fedoras just-so, the best vintage clothes are always in style at Film Cocktail night!

Bill Foley asks you to come see, come remember and reminisce, and come enjoy the lost landscapes of San Jose.

A free film show to benefit the Preservation Action Council of San Jose

Tonight – May 11, 2011, 6PM – 9PM

Le Petit Trianon Theatre
72 North 5th Street
San Jose, CA 95112-5417
(408) 995-5400

Free Admission – Donations Suggested

Please contact Bill Foley at SCCPioneers@Gmail.com

Now through December 24, 2010 Peet’s Coffee matches up to $1,000 of customer contributions collected in each store in support of non-profit organizations in their local community.

On Christmas Eve, Peet’s Coffee will be serving complimentary brewed coffee and tea all day.

Store Locator – find Peet’s in the Bay Area

San Jose – Camden Park
2035 Camden Avenue
(408) 371-9088

San Jose – Downtown
66 W. Santa Clara Street
(408) 213-4770

San Jose – El Paseo
1330 El Paseo De Saratoga
(408) 871-0907

San Jose – Rose Garden
1295 The Alameda
(408) 213-7285

San Jose – Santana Row
377 Santana Row, Suite 1130
(408) 213-1071

San Jose – Willow Glen
1140 Lincoln Avenue, Suite C
(408) 975-9281

Wilson has the Christmas Spirit

If your pet has the Christmas spirit like Wilson, take ’em to the PetSmart in Campbell.

Your pet can have a holiday photo taken with (a real live) Santa Claws®.

Each 4″x5″ framed photo costs $9.95 ($8.95 for PetPerks members), $5 of which will be donated to the 13th Street Cat Rescue.

*Dec. 19th, Sun. 11am – 4pm
Petsmart Campbell
(408) 374-9321
850 W. Hamilton Ave Campbell CA 95008

13th Street Cat Rescue –facebook

*Wilson – Photo Credit: Laura Marshall Photography

James Wagner and Robert Krakovski. Photo: Kevin Berne

Thursday evening I saw Secret Order at the San Jose Repertory.  My guest and I were really interested to see just exactly how a “biomedical thriller” would play out on stage.  After finding out that playwright Bob Clyman is also a clinical psychologist, we’ve been looking forward to this show for a few months now.

When Dr. Shumway, a relatively obscure and naïve cancer researcher, is thrust into the high-stakes world of science, the notion of noble “truth-seeking” is dissected with a scalpel’s precision.  Shumway is in over his head when he and a young student researcher get swept up in the dangerous world of political maneuvering, corporate loyalty and scientific ethics…

I am not sure I would really use the word “thriller” or even “dangerous” to describe this show, but it definitely delves into the politics of scientific research and fundraising, and the moral implications that follow when research depends on funding, and funding requires results.  The play shows that the relationship between funding and research is a symbiotic one, yet also quite dysfunctional when the elements of time and results are thrown in.

There are no real “bad guys” in this play, just characters who make wrong choices, sometimes for the right reasons and sometimes with questionable motives.  “Altruism vs. Capitalism,” state the dramaturgy notes in the program, but this does not mean that Capitalism is the bad guy either – these days the altruism of research does not exist without capitalism.  And this is what makes for a great morality tale.

Kathryn Tkel, James Wagner and Robert Krakovski. Photo: Kevin Berne

There are a few depressing points made in this show, one being that an actual cure for cancer is considered somewhat of a fairytale by “Old Science”.  Old Science vs. New Science is another theme of the show, and in this play Old Science wins that argument.  Old Science also wins the entire game in the end, and if we go back to Altruism vs. Capitalism, Altruism also comes out the loser.

When the play ends there is a feeling of helplessness.  The show makes clear the vicious circle of research needing funding needing results, and no results equals no funding equals no research.  And Time is the enemy of all.

The play is excellently acted, with my favorite being Julian López-Morillas as Saul Roth.  I last saw López-Morillas in the Spring production of Sonia Flew; he left quite an impression on me and is fantastic in this somewhat understated role as well.  But is Saul Roth a villain? Or just the voice of Reality?  Watch and you can decide for yourself.

James Wagner as William Shumway. Photo: Kevin Berne

The real star of this show (for me) is the set design and background projections.  Varying between art deco, 60s modern and ultra scientific, the constantly changing projections did a great job of quickly changing scenes from a scientific lab, to an office with a view, to an auditorium, and finally to a beautiful outdoor park.  Techno music sometimes accompanied the moving projections and your attention was always captured, wondering what formation of color blocks and pictures would show up next.  The complicated multi-level stage set up was also quite beautiful, and sitting near the front I wondered what kind of experience the audience in the balcony was having – I would bet their view of the entire set was even more amazing than mine.  The set sponsor was Billy Berk’s, and I’m going to make a point of eating dinner there soon to thank them for their generosity in making this possible.

(l to r) Robert Krakovski, James Wagner and Julian Lopez-Morillas. Photo: Kevin Berne

But there is another reason to see this show.  The San Jose Repertory is working with the Valley Medical Center Foundation to help provide free breast health screenings for underserved women at the Sobrato Cancer Center.  A portion of the proceeds from the October 14^th performance were given to the foundation, and after every performance the actors accept donations at the doors to support this cause.  So bring some cash or your checkbook with you to help support this worthy cause.  Also, patrons who visit the Box Office wearing pink in support of breast cancer awareness will save $6 off the regular ticket price (one discount per person) to any Tuesday – Thursday evening performance.

Secret Order
October 14 – November 7, 2010
by Robert Clyman
directed by Chris Smith

San Jose Repertory Theatre
101 Paseo de San Antonio
Phone 408.367.7255
Tickets Online

In honor of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Cold Stone Creamery is hosting its Ninth Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social.

Throughout September, you can show your support for the Make-A-Wish Foundation by purchasing a Make-A-Wish paper star for just a dollar at any Cold Stone Creamery location.

On Thursday, September 30 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, you will be able to get a free 3 oz. portion of “Kate’s Creation” – Caramel Apple ice cream mixed with Chocolate Shavings, Graham Cracker Pie Crust and Apple Pie Filling.

Kate, 11, is the Junior Tastemaster behind this year’s Make-A-Wish Creation. Kate’s wish was to create the exclusive Creation for the World’s Largest Ice Cream Social.

Cold Stone Creamery locations

Make-A-Wish Foundation

Feeling sluggish from this incredible heat? Maybe school just started or the work week is killing you. Have friends been saying you just don’t look like yourself lately? Come join the rest of us tomorrow night in downtown San Jose for an all-out Zombie-fest.

Zombie walks have been occurring for at least a decade in cities across the world, but come join San Jose in it’s second annual Zombie-O-Rama this Wednesday, August 25th. Bring the whole family out to SLG Art Boutiki in the SoFA district of downtown as early as noon and get decked out in almost-too-creepy-that-kinda-looks-real makeup (artists charging $5 with prices increasing with oozy-gooziness) or get your pre-Halloween juices flowing and arrive already infected from head to toe. I hear you will also be able to purchase awesome Zombie-O-Rama ’10 tshirts at SLG, so make sure you check the place out regardless!

The crawl will make it’s way across the street to Gore Park and officially begins at 5pm. This is when the fun really starts. Hundreds (to thousands – the Facebook event currently has 785 attending with tons more unanswered, and apparently some zombies still don’t use Facebook) of ‘zombies’ will hit the streets. The undead will make a giant loop around downtown (see the super informative map), which to unsuspecting, will be some sight to see. There is also said to be various events set up around the route designed just for the most zealous zombie.

I know a lot of people are excited about this night as a Zombie-Bar-Crawl. Many local bars and businesses will be offering deals such as happy hour prices or special creepy drinks to Zombies; and it’s a lot of fun to see/be a zombie moan and groan into a bar, make it onto their seat and throw back a drink before returning to the masses.

The terrible tour of downtown will meet up again at Gore Park at First/William for a frightful fashion show and then a free outdoor showing of Zombieland thanks to Starlight Cinemas. The film is rated R so parents should use discretion with the kiddies, but it is a creepy-comedy that shouldn’t be missed for the adults.

But wait, there’s more! Zombie-O-Rama has once again teamed up with Second Harvest Food Bank to promote the undead donating their canned foods to the living. Last year nearly 2,000 pounds of food was donated so let’s try to out-donate and out-zombie the past making San Jose’s Zombie Crawl a positive sign of the times. Cans will be accepted at both Gore Park and SLG, which by the way is located at 577 S. Market Street.

I recommend getting together; carpooling, making a little ‘bike party’ of your own into town, or crawl onto VTA and zombify the rest of San Jose!