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NOTES ON THE VALLEY
The sticker shock from electricity billsAs a kid power outages were an exciting experience. My parents would light candles throughout the house and it would feel like we were on a mystical adventure. As...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Mar. 22, 2023Last comment by Jennifer, 4 hours ago | 14 comments | 1243 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
A brief history of trains and their connection to the Tri-ValleyIt’s hard out here for a freight train lover these days. This past month we witnessed a catastrophic train derailment in the midwest. The derailment released over...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Mar. 15, 2023Last comment by Rich Buckley, on Mar 17, 2023 at 12:28 pm | 2 comments | 978 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Snow daysThis past week the Bay Area was treated to a white Friday. Many mountaintops and high elevation areas were blanketed with snow. This might have seemed magical to...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Mar. 1, 2023There are no comments yet. 1138 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
The local chocolate factoryEvery time we had visitors from out of town our family would pack up and do the standard Ilavarasan San Francisco tour. This would involve driving to San Francisco,...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Feb. 23, 2023There are no comments yet. 1548 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Let's be kind to the beesIn Jeremy Walsh’s recent What a Week article he talked about a slew of bills that Tri-Valley Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan had introduced to date. While all...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Feb. 15, 2023Last comment by Gary Nolan, on Feb 21, 2023 at 9:25 am | 2 comments | 1111 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Book it to the libraryLast year I was visiting my brother in Oak Park, Illinois and one of the things that showed up most on any “sights to see” website was the public library. Since...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Feb. 8, 2023Last comment by JJ, on Feb 10, 2023 at 3:58 pm | 3 comments | 2160 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
The future of homeworkHey GPT, please write me a haiku about how the Sacramento Kings are a better basketball team than the Golden State Warriors. ==I Kings rise up strong, Warriors...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Feb. 1, 2023There are no comments yet. 1728 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Now we're cooking with gasAs I’ve gotten more into cooking over the past few years, I’ve fallen in love with gas stoves. After years of using old electric stoves I felt like my eyes were...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jan. 25, 2023Last comment by DKHSK, on Jan 30, 2023 at 10:40 am | 6 comments | 1695 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
An end of year reflectionAs this year draws to a close, I figure now is as good a time as any to reflect on the past year. I started this blog series back in the middle of March not really...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Dec. 21, 2022Last comment by Pton Resident, on Dec 26, 2022 at 8:18 am | 1 comment | 2417 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Something brewing in the Tri-ValleyFor me, there's only one thing better than enjoying a cold beer with friends on a hot summer day. Enjoying a cold beer in a heated home with friends when it’s...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Dec. 14, 2022Last comment by Karl A, on Dec 14, 2022 at 9:26 am | 1 comment | 2142 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Wine about itI’ve never been a wine guy. The world of wine can be intimidating and overwhelming for those who are not familiar with it. With so many different varietals, regions,...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Dec. 7, 2022Last comment by DublinMike, on Dec 10, 2022 at 9:48 am | 1 comment | 1917 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Baharat banana bread with molasses butter
Hey folks, I’m going to try something different with this post. In light of the holiday season I’m going to share a go-to recipe I...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Nov. 23, 2022There are no comments yet. 2286 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Learning to appreciate artThis past weekend I found myself back in Chicago. My partner and I flew out to go to a friend's wedding and we ended up spending a few days there. On our final day...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Oct. 20, 2022Last comment by newyearwiki, on Nov 15, 2022 at 4:50 am | 7 comments | 2059 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Who's to judgeWhen I sat down to finally fill out my ballot I thought I had a pretty clear idea of how I wanted to vote. I zipped through the first page dedicated to the elected...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Nov. 9, 2022There are no comments yet. 1934 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
I felt the earth moveLast Tuesday I was in my company’s San Francisco location on a fluke. I rarely visit, but on that particular day I was meeting up with an old co-worker who...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Nov. 2, 2022Last comment by Jennifer, on Nov 4, 2022 at 1:34 pm | 5 comments | 2088 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Celebrating DiwaliThis past weekend my partner, family and I went to a community Diwali event hosted down in San Jose. Due to travel, I wasn’t able to make the celebration in Pleasanton...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Oct. 26, 2022Last comment by ravanza, on Oct 28, 2022 at 9:54 am | 4 comments | 1769 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
California surfin'Despite every instinct in her body, my partner organized a surfing lesson for us and a few of our friends. Since we’ve been together it would come up randomly...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Oct. 12, 2022There are no comments yet. 2575 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Camping in Mt. DiabloNature and I have an interesting relationship. I’ve written a lot about how I love to go hiking and spend the weekends doing anything other than being glued to...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Oct. 5, 2022There are no comments yet. 2086 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
A picnic by Lake ChabotIt was my birthday this past weekend and my partner had an idea of throwing a small party. I’m normally not one to make a big deal out of birthdays, however my...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Sep. 28, 2022Last comment by Lucy, on Sep 30, 2022 at 3:35 pm | 3 comments | 2300 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
The state of mental health careOn August 15th, the National Union of Healthcare Workers launched a strike with the principal goal of reducing the workload for the nearly 2,000 mental health clinicians...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Sep. 21, 2022There are no comments yet. 2850 Views
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Bad consequences can follow bad decisions in Pleasanton
By Tim Hunt | 1 comment | 1,307 views
The sticker shock from electricity bills
By Monith Ilavarasan | 14 comments | 1,243 views
Sharing That Just Works
By Sherry Listgarten | 3 comments | 1,142 views
2023 guide to summer camps
Looking for something for the kids to do this summer, learn something new and have fun? The Summer Camp Guide features local camps for all ages and interests.
