LATTES & LAUGHS: Shana McClean Moore is a former Spanish teacher at Los Gatos High School, who taught there from 1992 to 2000 and has used some of those experiences for her book, Caffeinated Ponderings on Life, Laughter & Lattes, a collection of humorous essays, all linked through the theme of coffee.
The titles give a hint of what's within and the Moore approach: "Marital Mishaps: I Don't Remember Ordering a Drip," "The Perils of Parenting: The Add Shot Years," and "The Plight of an Aging Bean: Pick Me Before I'm Compost."
It's a print-on-demand book and the publisher is iUniverse. The book is available online through Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com. Moore was encouraged to pursue a writing career by friends and family who were enchanted and entertained by her Christmas letters.
She writes a monthly column called Fresh Brew for an electronic magazine.
JURIED SHOW: A postcard depicting the various categories in the annual juried show at the Art Museum of Los Gatos was so appealing I wanted to find out more. Tonya Carpenter put the postcard together and it featured a montage of artwork.
The artists were Michiko Shimoda, Terri Ford, Sandi Okita, Evangelina Miller, Kathy Keenan and Elke Groves. Shimoda is a Saratogan; Miller, Keenan, Groves and Okita are Los Gatans. The juror for the show, which will be on display until May 1, is Philip Linhares, chief curator of Oakland Museum.
Jurying for this show is decided by the actual artwork, not slides. The artists, artwork in hand, line up to wait for the museum doors to open on jury day. Awards will be presented at a reception on March 28, 14 p.m.
FINELLI'S POINTILLISM: The pointillism art of the late Alfred Joseph Finelli will be featured at the Our House Defines Art Gallery in El Dorado Hills April 10. Finelli used pointillism (series of dots) to depict scenes of the Civil War and the old West. He was a former advertising director of the San Jose Mercury News.
Finelli lived in Los Gatos for 20 years and his children are LGHS grads, now living in El Dorado Hills. Prints of Finelli's renderings of John Wayne will be for sale at the exhibit, and $25 from each sale will go the John Wayne Cancer Institute.
Cancer claimed the lives of both Finelli and his idol, John Wayne. Finelli's children have long wanted to commemorate their father's work in this way, and the gallery owner was equally enthused about their collection. Each rendering took at least a year to complete, so painstaking is the work.
His daughters are Lizette, LGHS '82; Gina, '83; and Holly Finelli, '86.
HEALTHY 4 LIFE: A health fair, Healthy 4 Life: A Doctor's Perspective, will be held March 27, 10 a.m.3 p.m., at Janta's Restaurant in Pleasanton. The emphasis will be on holistic health practices. Cost for the brunch/fair/seminar is $20. Tickets may be ordered at 510.568.1809.
Los Gatan Linda Walsh of the Walsh Marketing Group is publicist for the event. Her husband, Michael, is a marriage and family counselor in private practice in San Jose and is director of the ADD Assessment and Treatment Center, also in San Jose. He advocates nutritional supplements for treating his clients when appropriate.
TUTOR IN TOP TEN: Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Tutoring Club one of the top 10 new franchises for 2004. Tutoring Club offers individualized instruction in reading, math and writing for grades K12 by assessing each child's skills and integrating home and school environments.
A child's academic level will be raised in less time and at lower cost than through any competing program, says the club. Mike Flynn is owner/operator of the Tutoring Club of Los Gatos, as well as two others in Cupertino and San Jose.
CLEAN SWEEP: The Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society is seeking donations for its first ornithological secondhand sale on April 17, 10 a.m.2 p.m. Appropriate items are binoculars, books, scopes, vests, hiking boots, birdhouses, feeders, paintings, photos, bird jewelry, DVDs, videos, CDs and tapes.
The Audubon Society headquarters are at McClellan Ranch Park, Cupertino, and Susan Bell is the contact at 408.252.3747.
RECYCLED FASHION SHOW: Discovery Shop volunteers will present their first annual Spring Pre View and Fashion Show March 27, noon to 1:30 p.m. at the shop, 39 E. Main St. Fashion show coordinator is Florence Lambert. Clothing will be for sale after the show.
Models include Claire Campodonico, Gayle Del Castillo, Betty Mutnick, Hilary White, Gladie Tuscher, Donna Kaiser, Cathy Graff, Doris Prince and Connie Palladino. Theresa Garcia Radzinsky heads the shop, which benefits the American Cancer Society.
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By Mary Ann Cook