Blog Posts

03/16/2024

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When we produce new content, it'll appear as blogs here. Much of our content is shared with our newsletter. So, to see it in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter in the box at the bottom of any page on our site.

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11/21/2024
Shop Small reminder

Forget Black Friday, Get Ready for Small Business Saturday

Next week is Thanksgiving, then... Do you look forward to Black Friday? Fighting crowds (sometimes  literally ) and standing in long lines to buy mass-produced stuff from mass merchants? You know the story of Black Friday - it's when retailers move from the red into the black. However, nowadays, the mass merchants who sell the most on...

11/15/2024
Alix Clo skincare

Short days, long nights, and dry skin

Why is winter so tough on your skin? A continuing theme of this newsletter: Things José is no expert on. (In Jerry Seinfeld voice) "What is the deal with moisturizer?" I didn't know why, but I did know that winter dries out my skin, so I looked it up: It turns out that "cold air holds less moisture than warm air, so the dry...

11/08/2024
drunk uncle

Tips for Managing Drunk Uncles

Norman Rockwell was missing something Where's the drunk uncle in Rockwell's iconic Thanksgiving  painting ?  If you have one of "those" uncles (or other relatives), this Thanksgiving is probably going to be very trying. So, how do you deal with drunk uncles? I'm not an expert but my late father and I were polar political...

10/30/2024

You can vote with your dollars too

Picture an idyllic downtown One of the times my parents came to visit us, we went to downtown Mill Valley for lunch. It was one of those spectacular Northern California days with a clear blue sky and temps in the mid-70s. We were walking through the Depot Square when my dad turned to me and said, "you live in paradise." If you picture your...

10/24/2024

Is there anything cuter than dogs in costumes?

How does your dog say trick or treat? I'm guessing your dog doesn't know how to trick you, but they sure know how to ask for dog treats . And if your dog is like my granddog, Beanie, they're so attuned to things that you have to spell certain words around them ["we need more T-R-E-A-T-S"]. Or change the words you're using, until they've figured...

10/18/2024

What's with all the pink ribbons?

Breast Cancer is no Fun Really? No sh**, Sherlock.  Anyway, I try to keep this space upbeat and cheeky, but this week, I'm going to go personal and a bit serious (but please keep reading). Being that it's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought it appropriate. Recently, I was at a conference and heard a woman speak about her...

09/26/2024

The Best Pet Store in Marin

The Best Pet Store in Marin Treats, treats, and more treats My granddog, Beanie, wrote that sub-headline. He's surprisingly adept at using a keyboard, and at using the Oxford comma. And he obviously loves treats. You know who else loves treats? Me. That's one of the reasons fall is my favorite season: the Bay Area weather is fantastic, it's...

09/18/2024

Did you watch the Emmy's?

How do they get that skin? I missed the Emmy's (I was learning to play Mahjong!) but have seen the photos and watched some clips and there was a lot of beautiful skin on display. I'm looking at you,  Lamorne Morris  - and your mom! Aside from great genetics, you know what these stars also have? Good skin routines. Did you know that...

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