Main Street

Tree wasn't a fit, but the gifts were fine

By Mary Ann Cook

BIG WIN: Audrey Christianson was a winner during the Christmas season, a big winner. Indeed, her prize was so mammoth she couldn't get it into her house, which is an English-style cottage. She won a Valle Monte Christmas tree, decorated with items that add up to beaucoup bucks and augmented with gifts under the tree.

She donated the tree and ornaments to the children's hospital section of Catholic Charities. What she kept were two plane tickets to England, among other things. She and her husband, Chris, were Brits to begin with, so those should come in handy.

She also won a giant Christmas wreath, season tickets to the San Jose Rep, tickets to Sharks games ... well, you get the idea--a real bonanza. The trees are awarded in a blind raffle draw, and the event is a fundraiser for Valle Monte charities.

UPDATED WITH Y2K COPYRIGHT: Marty Kendall and Steve Wozniak spoke at the Tech Museum's Imax Theater recently to enthusiastic audiences. How are these two Los Gatans linked? Kendall wrote an award-winning biography of Woz, geared to the middle-school set, and the book was recently updated--with a Y2K copyright, no less.

It was a sold-out, members-only crowd at the Tech, and Kendall looked up to the audience both literally and figuratively, she says, so filled with luminaries was the crowd. Kendall often impersonates those she writes about when she gives talks, but since Woz was there in person, she refrained this time.

FITNESS MOVE: Tams Personal Wellness Studio has set up shop at 14107 Winchester Blvd. in the Vasona Station Shopping Center. Tami Anastasia has a master's degree in counseling from Santa Clara University and wanted to merge psychology with exercise.

In her new surroundings, she'll do just that--tapping into the couch-potato crowd to whom the word exercise is anathema. She'll specialize in working with people who want to establish consistent exercise habits and develop a healthier relationship with food.

Workshops on "How to overcome emotional eating" will be offered. Anastasia's family has been part of the fitness scene for 32 years, owned five centers at one time and opened the first one in this valley, Anastasia's on Winchester Boulevard. As a result, Tami was involved in all sections of the business.

DID THE 'Y' STAND FOR YAWN? The new millennium came in not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with a yawn, if my informal poll is to be believed. Most people said they were looking forward to a quiet evening with friends or family--or doing what they usually did, a private party with a selected few or a club party with a quite a few more.

Very appealing is the Marlyn Rasmussen approach. She and her compadres celebrated by walking downtown for a drink at a neighborhood bar to usher out the old year, then gave a hug to whomever was handy when the bells issued in the new century. After that, it was back to her house to see if everything electronic was still working. Just in time to scramble up some breakfast, provided the power was still functional.

I'm assuming this was the scenario, not the de-scrambling the doomsayers predicted.

MEMORY: Everyone worries about memory loss when they remember to think about it. So when memory maven Dr. Patrick Fitzsimmons spoke at the Saratoga Senior Center, his talk was so popular he was asked to return.

Fitzsimmons' specialty is general and geriatric psychiatry, and his practice is in Los Gatos. Forgetting is normal, so it's not the cause for alarm that many may think it is. People of any age can't remember and accurately draw a penny, for instance. He cautions investigating other possible causes of memory loss, such as sight, hearing or psychological problems.

To maximize memory: be attentive; repeat material out loud; work on bits, not chunks of information; use aids such as calendars and Post-its; and ask someone to remind you of things. Be consistent about where you leave articles; simplify your organization and try not to let anxiety interfere with attempts at recall.

SOME PIPERS PIPING: Burr and Sue Nissen play with a group called the Stewart Tartan Pipes and Drums of San Francisco. They rehearse weekly at Broadmoor Presbyterian Church in Daly City and give a Christmas program there and at the Stone Church in Willow Glen. They also play for races, parades and wherever else pipers need to be piping.

KOLE COMING: Jazz pianist Ronnie Kole and his trio will play Jan. 16 at the Los Gatos High School Auditorium at 2:30 p.m. Tickets available at the door or from Ray Strong at 408.377.1106 or Ruth Capps at 408.356.7014. Sponsor is the Los Gatos-Saratoga Community Concert Association.

NEWLY NAMED: The baby camel at the A to Z Christmas Tree Nursery is now named Holly and five people won the prize for naming her. They are Laura Czinski, Angela Ettinger, Jillian Geary, Mary Clabeaux and Joseph Durket. Each won a $100 gift certificate to the nursery.

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