Set Your Creative Spirit Free

"The Artist’s Way," a workshop with Barbara Long, will take participants through exercises and processes that will set your creative spirit free.
The workshop will take place at the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center on Monday evenings starting Jan.11 through Feb. 22, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Explore with fellow artists the spiritual and emotional aspects of your creative journey.
The cost is $35. The workbook is an additional fee. Pre-registration and payment is required.
For more information or to sign up, please call (916) 685-5992 or e-mail egfinearts@frontiernet.net.

Photo courtesy of the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center. "Sonoma Barn"

Pro Film Director Hosts Lecture in Sacramento

Film students can learn from the man who directed films such as, "Dude, Where's My Car?" and "Drive Me Crazy."
In his long career, Paul Martin's served as first assistant director on numerous films. This Friday, Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. he will host a lecture in Sacramento titled, "Feature Film-Making Done Right!!"
The presentation will be hosted by the California Film Foundation, and held at The Studio Center, 115 Fee Drive, Sacramento, CA 95815.
A $5 donation is recommended. Seats will fill-up fast, so please RSVP.http://www.californiafilm.net/

No Such Thing as a Healthy Addiction

Most people struggle to fit more exercise in their lives. But for an exercise addict, too much is never enough.
I read about exercise addiction about 10 years in a Glamour magazine. It’s nothing new, unfortunately. It is an uncommon diagnosis, but not as uncommon as I thought.
Dr. Meredith Bean, at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento, recognized that some of her patients had an addiction to exercise.
Dr. Bean said most of the exercise addicts she sees in her practice are addicted for one of three reasons, the most common being to relieve stress. So, when they’re trying to overcome an addiction to exercise, how to they relieve stress?
I asked this question to Psychology Professor Mitch Darnell who told me the person should replace the activity with a new stress relieve one, such as reading, meditation, deep breathing or even having a glass of wine with their spouse. Darnell said often one addiction is replaced with another, so the person overcoming exercise addiction could become addicted to meditation.
From my understanding, the key factors in overcoming exercise addiction seem to be socializing more, making workouts fun, doing them less frequently and keeping your routine varied.
Both psychologists I spoke to said forming more social connections may help someone with exercise addiction.
Exercise addicts often workout alone to be in their own perfectionist world. Adding some group activities to their routine may help overcome this addiction.
Darnell pointed out that he might not label a patient with the word addiction, because of the negative connotations.
Exercise addicts are often perfectionists. I understand why the negative word “addiction” may not set well with someone who has exercise addiction.
Some might even say that an addiction to exercise can’t be a bad thing. Of course, alcohol and drugs are much worse things to be addicted to than exercise.
But psychologically, an addiction is formed when a person is missing something in their lives, or making up for a deep insecurity.
“It becomes a problem when the person is unable to stop,” Bean said.

Darnell explained that an exercise addict may be a perfectionist and want control over their life. But something such as health is impossible to completely control.
“Particularly things around our physical health- we’re still vulnerable,” he said. “We can take supplements and take care of our health and we still die.”

Overall exercise is very healthy. It becomes a problem when it becomes an uncontrollable urge.
I was surprised to hear that some people can live with a mild, controlled case of exercise addiction. But Darnell suggested that anyone who suspects they might have an unhealthy addiction to check with their doctor or therapist to see if their lifestyle is healthy.

“The people who tend to seek help are halfway towards healing anyway,” he said.

CSD Seeks Bands for 2010 Summer Concert Seris

Remember the packed summer concert series put on by the CSD? Well, it's happening again next summer, and bands are needed to perform.

Interested performers must submit a media kit including audio song samples, a current photograph, band bio and references for review. Media kits are accepted year-round, however only those received by Jan. 4, 2010 will be considered for the 2010 summer series.

Kits may be mailed to:

Cosumnes CSD Special Events Office
ATTN: Kristyn Staby, Recreation Supervisor
8820 Elk Grove Blvd., Suite 3
Elk Grove, CA 95624

Electronic kits may be sent to kristynstaby@csdparks.com
Don't send links MySpace or other social networking sites!

It’s The Blanket That’s Fun To Bar-Hop In

It's comfortable, it's warm, it's a blanket with sleeves. The Snuggie has become a pop culture phenomenon in 2009, and it's not likely to end soon. The Snuggie commercial shows people watching TV or reading while wearing a Snuggie. It even shows a family wearing Snuggies at a football game.
Scott Boilen, president and chief executive of the Allstar Marketing Group that makes the Snuggie, said the commercial was supposed to be silly. Even thought it's silly to wear a Snuggie in public, some people are actually brave enough to do it!
A Snuggie pub-crawl is sweeping the nation. The pub-crawl started in 2009 and has yet to hit Sacramento/ Elk Grove. To register a Snuggie pub crawl group visit http://www.snuggiepubcrawls.com/

Odd Jobs

Working in retail is much more glamorous than say, plunging toilets, which I did at my first job. I worked as a buser at a restaurant. I was 15 and had no idea what having a job entailed, so I did everything to ensure my success. Not only did I bus tables but I prepped and served food, cleaned the chandeliers, dusted the woodwork, vacuumed and even did delivery orders within walking distance. The owners soon figured out that I would do any task, so eventually they had me plunging toilets too. I remembering thinking, “I must go to college, this sucks!”
As unpleasant as that job was I’m grateful for the experience.
As I said in my column on Nov. 24, no work experience is without gain.

With that said, what's the strangest job you've ever had?

Man Attempts to Smuggle Lizards into U.S. by Strapping them to his Chest

OK, so this is not Elk Grove news but you might be interested to know...


A Lomita, Calif. man was arrested on Nov. 17 at Los Angeles International Airport by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agents and charged with smuggling lizards.
The man strapped 15 live lizards to his torso and attempted to clear U.S. Customs.

Michael Plank, 40, was returning from Australia when Custom's officials found lizards in his money belt.
Wildlife Inspectors identified the lizard species as two geckos, eleven skinks and two monitor lizards.
Monitor lizards are a protected species.
The value of the lizards is estimated at $8,500.

Plank has been released on a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles on Dec. 21.