I live and work downtown and the idea that I can walk to a neighborhood market that has organic fruits and vegetables, Acme bread (which is made in Mountain View), locally raised grass-fed beef and organic eggs is quite appealing. I recently pulled out my juicer and I’ve been making lots of juice. It’s amazing how many apples and beets I can go through in a week and Ava’s has lots of fresh, organic produce. And the prices on the produce are really reasonable.

The owners, Juan and Ann, are in the store everyday. If you want them to carry something specific, you should stop by and introduce yourself. I’m sure that they would be happy to hear what products the neighborhood wants. That’s exactly why I’m writing about them right now instead of waiting until they’re done remodeling the store. They need to hear from the community about what we want. We all wanted a good quality grocery store downtown for years, and finally, we have it. I think we should all do our best to support them.

I asked for frozen pie crust because I couldn’t find it in their freezer section and they immediately started ordering some for me. Honestly, I can’t think of very many other stores that would be willing to take special requests from their customers. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to ask for something special from a big store. The small independent grocers in our community are competing with really huge companies that have tremendous buying power, but those big stores aren’t really connected to the neighborhood. No one says, “Hi Heidi” when I enter Safeway, but they know me at Ava’s Downtown Market. Actually, I’ve heard Juan call customers by their names quite a few times. I connected to them on Facebook and I feel good about buying groceries from them. It just occurred to me today that I can probably request special items via their Facebook page too. I think I’ll try that the next time I dream up something specific that I want them to carry for me. I love Ava’s Downtown Market and Deli and I love downtown Mountain View.

They put cool compression packs on your major muscle groups and core. A cooling helmet goes on your head and your feet (without shoes or socks) go on really cold copper pedals. Then you workout hard for 20 minutes. I’ll try to explain the technology, but obviously, you should go to their website for a thorough explanation. Here goes: Because the workout is cold, the blood that would normally go to the surface of your body to cool you down is now staying in your muscles. Lactic acid that would normally build up in muscles doesn’t with a Vasper workout. Your pituitary gland sends out HGH and other hormones to repair and rebuild, but your muscles aren’t sore so they don’t require all that human growth hormone. This creates a surge of HGH in your body. It’s supposed to make you feel great because cooler blood retains more oxygen. The extra HGH helps your brain to be more focused and productive. It actually makes you smarter… well, they didn’t tell me that part, I just made it up and I’m hoping that I’m smarter now. And you don’t sweat! That part is true. You can workout and go back to the office. Have you ever heard of anything like this? No, you haven’t.

After the 20 minute workout you lay down for 20 minutes on a special bed that keeps your spine cool. You also hold onto a Tesla coil during the cooling period. They turn off the lights and you can sleep or meditate. It’s the most peaceful place on earth.

NASA is using the workout because when astronauts are in a zero-gravity situation they lose muscle and bone strength quickly. The Sharks have tested the technology on their players and loved it. It has also been used by Olympic athletes, Rescue Squads and military Special Forces. The founder of Vasper Fitness and Performance Systems, Peter Wasowski, is at the office everyday and he can answer any questions you might have, but he also has a really nice staff of trainers. Kat helped me with one of my workouts and I loved her energy.

Every so often I get to learn about and experience something incredibly special because I write this website about our city. Vasper is one of those special places. I love Mountain View.

Apparently many people are under the misconception that rugby is a rough and dangerous sport. Paul tells me that it is actually very strict and civilized. “Although it is very physical, you have the utmost respect for your opponent” in the game of rugby. The kids learn good conduct and sportsmanship and the game builds their confidence and self-esteem. One of the major aspects of the game is not letting your team down by behaving disrespectfully to your teammates, your opponents or to the team captains or referees. Everyone needs to follow the rules.

The AYRU is open to all kids, boys and girls from ages 6 to 14. There are about 50 kids involved in the Mountain View Bobcats right now and there is room for another 50. Everyone gets to play, regardless of skill level. There are scholarships available to those that might have difficulty with the registration fee. You can contact Paul and play for a day to test it out and see if you would like to join the team. Some of the games are tough/tag rugby and others are contact. I asked how many broken bones they have had and Paul told me that there have been none in the 3 seasons in Mountain View. That’s a pretty good record.

Two of the coaches of the Mountain View Bobcats have played professional rugby and the “advisior” to the team, Brian McCellahan, is currently a professional player. Brian also happens to have been born in Mountain View. One of the coaches is the owner of St. Stephens Green on Castro Street. Many of the parents want to learn about the game after they watch it for a few minutes while their children are playing and they end up becoming coaches for the team.

After a game, both of the teams sit down together for a meal. They talk about the game and get to know each other. That’s very different from other sports. They are given the chance to critique each other’s technique, give feedback to the other team and talk about how they can improve their performance. It all sounds so civil and respectful. I really like that. To learn more about the Mountain View Bobcats, AYRU, and sponsoring or joining the team, please visit their website or their Facebook page.
I love Mountain View.

When I arrived there was a class taking place so I sat quietly and watched through the one-way viewing mirror. The class I watched was a “Mommy and Me.” Lesley has a wide variety of classes including: Kinderdance, Tiny Tots, Tap, Musical Theater, Classical, Hip-Hop, teen & adult Jazz, and teen & adult Ballet. She also offers Yoga and Zumba.

There are lots of new classes starting January 2, 2012. The dance classes will be performing on Second Stage at the Center for the Performing Arts in June. If your child enrolls in a class right now, they’ll be a pro by June. They will want to invite all of their friends and family to come see them on stage.

I was thinking how much fun it would be to reserve For the Love of Dance for a birthday party. I could just imagine how happy a group of little girls would be to get to go to a party in a dance studio! The walls are painted purple and lavender and the wood floor is beautiful. Little girls would love it!

Lesley is a mother of four and she and her family live here in Mountain View. She understands how demanding some dance studios can be, that’s why For the Love of Dance is different. She allows students to join a class at any time, not just during the beginning registration period, although, you’re going to want to get started learning your routines if you’re going to be on stage at the annual recital in the Center for the Performing Arts in June, right?

East West Bookshop for spiritual books, yoga and meditation items, lots of jewelry and a fascinating selection of scarves. They have exquisite crystals and geodes on display and I always like to look at their tea selection.

Big Frog of Mountain View can print anything on a t-shirt. No exaggeration, anything. Bring them a picture that your child created, a photo of your pet or your favorite quote—they can put it on a shirt or a tote-bag within 24 hours. I love this place.

Book Buyers on Castro is the place to go for calendars. They have about a million of them in stock at this time of year. And wouldn’t a vintage book by their favorite author be a wonderful holiday gift? Used books always feel like they have soul.

Daiso in Mountain View is a Japanese dollar store with lots of cute bento boxes, teacups, chopsticks and mysterious things in packages that you can’t read unless you know Japanese.

Mountain View Lock & Safe Co. has stocking stuffers, like the ‘hiding place’ can of Aqua Net hairspray, bug spray or other household products. I also like the Hide-a-Key rocks. And I’ve always been a fan of cool little brass padlocks.

Villa Rouge has hip cowboy rain boots and their aromatherapy candles have a cult following.

Boutique 4 has sexy party attire and some outrageously fun jewelry. Any girl would love a gift certificate from this cute store on Castro.

Gift cards are always a hit. How about one from Morocco’s Restaurant,  Don Giovanni’s,  Cascal or Scratch? Or dance, yoga or Zumba classes from For The Love of Dance? Or take that special someone to a wine tasting at Artisan Wine Depot or Savvy Cellar.

And did you know that the Humane Society of Silicon Valley is having an adoption special for the holiday season? Yes, most adoptions are only$10 and they’re hoping to find homes for 1000 animals before the year ends. Maybe your family needs a new four-footed-friend.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year celebration. Please  remember to shop, eat and exercise locally. Thank you for being a fan of the city of Mountain View and reading this blog for the last 2 years. I look forward to a wonderful 2012 in our community. And it’s true, I really do love Mountain View.

I went last week with a few friends. It’s a hands-on class, as opposed to the demonstration kind. She demonstrates a technique and then asks someone to take over and finish the dicing, stirring, or flipping. We made Karai Murgi Torkari (Bengali Chicken Curry) and Aloo Poshto (Potatoes in a poppy seed gravy) and rice. There were 4 students in Fharzana’s kitchen and everyone participated in the tasks as she directed us and watched what we were doing. She complimented me on my slick knife skills.

Two of us brought wine for everyone to enjoy while we were cooking and we all chatted and laughed quite a bit while we were supposed to be paying attention, but we didn’t get in trouble. I’ve been to the kind of class where you aren’t allowed to drink wine and giggle and it wasn’t nearly as much fun as this one.

Fharzana is charming and really good at explaining the history or significance of a dish. She is from Bangladesh and her husband is from South Indian, so she knows how to cook food from both regions. If you have something specific in mind that you want to learn, she would probably be able to show you. We just let her pick the menu for us and all of us were happy with her selection.

She spent a great deal of time talking about the spices involved in the dishes we made. She passed around little spice bottles for each of us to examine up close. There was no talk of measuring anything. I liked that part. Just dump in some of this and even more of that one and it’ll turn out fine. I noticed that since I went to her class, I’ve been more brave at home and willing to try new combinations of spices. And I haven’t measured anything either. My measuring spoons must be getting lonely. And I like that she gave us copies of the recipes that we made. The copies that she gave us do have measurements written down, so don’t worry about whether or not you’ll be able to recreate the dish once you go home.

Fharzana can be reached through her blog, http://foodvestigation.posterous.com/ Her cooking classes seem like a wonderful way to get together with friends and do something new and different. I love Mountain View.

Unable to communicate with the person massaging your feet, you had to either accept the pain as they pushed their strong fingers into the tenderest places on the bottom of your feet, or embarrass yourself and squeal from the pain. Or even worse, cry.

Once I came home from that vacation, I started to go to the foot massage places around Mountain View. My favorite is Happy Feet on Villa Street downtown. I used to go to the Happy Feet in Palo Alto, but one opened in Mountain View about 2 years ago. It’s better than the one in Palo Alto. The one in Palo Alto is on the El Camino and it seemed to attract a rather questionable clientele occasionally.

It’s different from getting a pedicure and different from getting a massage. You sit in a quiet, dimly lit room with lots of other people as they massage your feet and work the kinks out of your shoulders and back. Wear comfortable clothes because you’ll be asked to lay face down in your recliner and someone will climb on top of you in order to properly inflict enough pain to make your muscles relax. And don’t plan on going anyplace important afterwards because they’ll do a really good job at messing up your hair. Sometimes they even smear oil in your hair. They don’t ask permission before they rub oil on your neck and in your hair; you figure it out afterwards when you look at yourself in the mirror.

It’s really a very pleasant way to spend an hour and considering the fact that the massage is so cheap (only $25.00) I always feel like I should leave a really good tip. I love Mountain View.

All seven of us went to lunch the day before Thanksgiving. We always have our holiday lunches at restaurants downtown and I always look forward to the celebrations. The first Fiesta Del Mar opened in 1991 on Shoreline Blvd. and 4 years later Fiesta Del Mar Too opened downtown. They’re famous for their shrimp dishes. Oh, and the vast selection of tequila. They told me that they have over 200 different kinds of tequila. Really, if you think about it, all you need is shrimp and tequila. I think that there are about 10 different kinds of shrimp dishes on the menu. I’ve never been disappointed with any of them.

The chicken soup is special and made with lots of love. I can just tell these kinds of things. Maybe it’s the lime, tomatoes, onions and avocado on the side. Or the warm tortillas that it comes with. I’ve been known to order it to-go when I needed homemade chicken soup for someone who wanted to stay in bed and watch movies for a few days.

I love that Fiesta Del Mar Too is dedicated to making authentic, high quality Mexican food and that they’re within walking distance of my house. It’s a great place to take visitors from out of town. I remember taking some British tourists there one time years ago. They had never had Mexican food before and they were baffled by the menu. They asked me to order the food for them. It’s hard to imagine never enjoying an enchilada or a chile relleno before, but it was true. A few stiff top-shelf margaritas later—they were ready to move to Mountain View. I just love downtown Mountain View.

I don’t remember exactly when I used her services for the first time, but I do remember having her come over to the house to meet our dogs. She walked in the door and immediately sat on the floor and started talking ‘dog-talk’ to the girls. They instantly loved her and jumped all over her. Shawn seems to have some kind of strange connection to animals—you know, like Cesar Millan or Dr. Doolittle. And she always has a pocket full of treats. Dogs are suckers for treats.

We have a web cam set up in the front room so we can look at the dogs when we’re out of town. One time when we were in China for 10 days we open our laptop to check on the dogs and it just happened to be the exact second that Shawn was walking in our front door. She sat on the floor and the dogs leaped all over her and licked her face. They were thrilled to see her. It felt so good to be on vacation and know that they dogs were in loving hands.

Shawn recently told me that she feels a tremendous connection to all the animals that she cares for. She doesn’t have children and the animals that she cares for feel like her children. I think it’s so much better to hire her and know that my pets are being cared for by a professional than taking advantage of friends who say they can baby sit and then hoping that they don’t do something stupid with my dogs. Not that I have stupid friends, but you know what I mean. Shawn is licensed, bonded and insured. Sometimes I see her in random neighborhoods around Mountain View walking random dogs. I always think that those dogs are lucky to have her as their sitter while their parents are gone.

In the past, I’ve used those kennels where they lock your animal in a small prison cell and I always felt overwhelmed with guilt. Here I am going off to some tropical paradise and my poor doggies were in San Quentin. And those little prison cells are always made out of cold, wet cement and a chain link fence. My pampered little doggies are used to fluffy down blankets and a big leather couch. I’ll never take them to a kennel again now that I know Shawn White. As much as I love Mountain View, occasionally, I do go out of town, and when I need someone to watch over my two little dogs—I call Shawn White, Pet Care Specialist of Sittin’ Pretty in Mountain View.

Remember a while back when Forbes magazine said that Mountain View was #4 on the list of the top 25 places to live in the country? We loved hearing that news. And yet approximately 44% of the students in the Mountain View Whisman School District are on the free or reduced lunch program. It’s really quite disheartening to find out that there are so many people in need in our community.

This is really a wonderful opportunity for our community. Local merchants who are willing to contribute are getting promoted, the non-profits around town are getting extra funds at the time of year that they need it most, and residents get to have that awesome feeling that you have after you give to someone in need.

Chamber of Commerce CEO, Oscar Garcia says, “Great cities create value for the community, support local businesses, and help neighbors help each other.” I like the idea of neighbors helping each other, especially at this time of the year. The Holiday Fund raised about $60k last year and the goal this year is $85k. If we all do a little something, we can make big things happen. I love Mountain View.