Sherry Brown

Looking for a clean, accessible public restroom in San Francisco? Go to www.mizpee.com.  This website rates public restrooms for cleanliness, accessibility and amenities, such as baby-changing stations.  You can add to their listings, and you can even vote for your favorite Bathroom-by-the-Bay!  When you vote, Miz Pee will donate a dollar to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, to help kids with cancer.

Like lots of women in radio, I forgot to have kids.  I love kids and always though I'd be a mom, but for many reasons it just didn't happen.
But there are a few kids in my life, and one in particular has introduced me to a new pastime:  making stuff from how-to videos on YouTube.  Jordan is 12 years old, so of course weaponry is very important.  Yesterday Jordan made an amazingly accurate cross-bow from pencils and rubber bands.  I was in charge of procurement (finding the pencils, rubber bands and duct tape) and also provided consulting services on some of the  refinements. Jordan came up with  a weapon that shot a ballpoint pen cartridge about 15 feet and landed right in the middle of the hanging flower pot.  And yes, you could definitely "PUT AN EYE OUT" with this thing.  (I think the Pentagon may be interested) If you want too try this at home, just Google "how to make a pencil crossbow" and dozens of videos will come up.  I think today's project is smoke bombs...I'll report back later.

It happened again last night...I got up from the sofa and went to the bedroom for......what?  I stood there ...I looked around...no clue.  Until I sat back down and remembered.....oh yeah...scissors....I need scissors!  Well now we have a word for it:  destinesia...when you know where you are...you just can't remember why you're there.

Don't forget the KOIT Kids Book Drive.  Kids all over the Bay Area are headed back to school, and too many will arrive in classrooms, even school libraries with bare book shelfs. Bring new or gently-read books to Mollie Stones Markets, Chabot Space and Science Center or Hiller Aviation Museum. And East Bay book donors can also drop off books at 530 Lake Park Avenue in Oakland.  It's near the Grand Lake Theater and the phone number is 510-238-2301.

Well now I'm annoyed.  I just saw all the Google ads at the top of this page having to do with alternative treatments for Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.  Gastroenterologists have a name for people who try to cure themselves  through "natural" therapies: surgery candidates.  These are complex auto-immune disorders.  If you, or someone you love is diagnosed with Crohn's or ulcerative colitis you need to be under the care of the best MD you can find. If you do want to try alternative medicine, your doctor should know what you're doing. Best case scenario: your wallet will be emptied and your gut will still hurt.   Worst case:  you delay appropriate medical intervention until your only option is drastic surgery.  I'm really tired of these unregulated, junk-science outfits trying to sell their
lies to people who are really sick.

There!  I feel better! If you really want to learn about Crohn's and colitis, go to www.ccfa.org.  Look at the Northern California chapter and sign up for the Patient and Family Educational Symposium.  It's October 25th in South San Francisco.  This is a chance to talk to doctors, researchers and other patients.  You can get answers to questions about everything...including alternative medicine.  But for now...just say "NO!" to quackery!

Wow!  The opening ceremonies for the Olympics were just incredible...as Jack Kulp said this morning, whoever is in charge of the opening for the games in London must be freaking out.

Watching all these amazing athletes really makes me feel out of shape...especially swimmer Dara Torres.  I can't believe what she has accomplished...but it makes me think there's some hope left!

One of the things I'm thinking about these days is motivation.  I recently lost ten pounds...but I can't seem to get serious about the next 20 that I need to lose.  I realized a couple of days ago that the 10 pounds was "new fat" ...I'd gained it over the past year and it was making me miserable...now that I'm back to my "old fat" I don't feel so bad and therefore not as motivated to lose it.  But I gotta get back on the diet and exercise bandwagon.  If you have any tips on motivation...please share!

Have you caught any of the buzz on this new book, "Traffic" by Tom Vanderbilt?  I've been reading it and lots of my ideas about driving have been challenged.  I always hated those drivers who waited until the very last minute to merge...you know, when 4 lanes go to 2 like at the Caldecott tunnel? I've stopped being a hater...now I'm a late merger and it's OK...I'm simply using the full capacity of the road.
I'm going to interview Vanderbilt on Today's World in coming weeks...he'll explain why late merging is the rational choice and all kinds of other traffic conundrums you may have wondered about. 

Now, if only I can persuade you "hyper-milers" to stay out of the left lane.  I applaud your efforts at conservation...but some of us would like to go the speed limit...or perhaps just a wee bit faster. ;)

What's driving you crazy on the roads?  Let me know and maybe Mr.Vanderbilt can explain why we do the things we do when we get behind the wheel.

Happy motoring!

Well, the boss says I'd better get on top of this blogging thing, so here goes.

I hope your weekend was as much fun as mine...Tom and I were in Sonoma on Sunday to cheer for Team Challenge.  That is the brand new event to raise money for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.  509 runners from all over the country wore the bright orange Team Challenge singlet and ran or walked 13.1 miles in the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon.  Many were first time runners and many are Crohn's and colitis sufferers.  Many others ran in honor of someone with these diseases...and they raised more than 2 million dollars!  The race organizers were amazed!  A few months ago, they had never heard of CCFA.  This weekend they saw 509 people who are passionate about finding a cure for these chronic digestive diseases!  I am so proud of these people and I was so inspired...don't pin me down on this....but I might just give it a shot next year...my knees already hurt, just from thinking about it.

Shoot me an e-mail and let me know if anyone is reading this...I've got a bunch of stuff I want to share with you...one topic you're going to be reading about is fitness!  I'm a couch potato....but I'm trying to do something about it and I'd like to hear your ideas and your success stories...I think I have lots of company on this one! 

Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis is an evening walk and festival and the nation’s largest event dedicated to finding cures for digestive diseases. Northern California will host two walks, May 10th in Cupertino and June 7th in San Francisco. Take Steps brings together the Crohn’s and colitis community in a fun and energetic festival atmosphere which includes live music, food and entertainment. Participants are encouraged to make noise and be heard -- raising awareness of these little-known diseases in our community and across the nation. For more information or to sign up as a walker or volunteer, please visit http://www.cctakesteps.org or call CCFA at 415-356-2231.

How can you help us out?

• Sign up to join the KOITsters on the Take Steps for Crohn's and Colitis Walk
  
• Donate to the KOITsters on the Take Steps for Crohn's and Colitis Walk