Go Arizona Cardinals!!! Being a compassionate kind of hippie, I tend to root for the underdog. Arizona is the underdog. The Pittsburg Steelers are going for their sixth Super Bowl Championship. The Cardinals have never even been to the Big Game before. And it’ll be an interesting game. Neither head coach (Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, age 36 and Cardinals’ Ken Whisenhunt, 46) had been a head coach until each was hired for that position at the beginning of 2007. Picked up a recent copy of USA Today, and found out you can vote on the matchup by going to nfl.usatoday.com. Hey, check this out: I was watching CW 31’s Good Day Sacramento, and got a “heads up” on this item: scenes from Tuolumne County (Hwy. 108 near Sonora Pass) will appear on TV during the Super Bowl broadcast! CW 31 reports that in a Bridgestone tire commercial, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head are driving along and come upon a flock of sheep right in the middle of the road! (This thrilling action scene was shot by the same cinematographer who filmed “Gone in 60 Seconds”!) Will The Potato Heads hit the sheep – or, heaven forbid, swerve and go off the cliff? The ad flashes the question: Will tragedy strike? Find out on February 1!…Steve’s Place (on Tuolumne Road, in East Sonora) has announced it will have a big Super Bowl Party, starting at 3-ish. They will have four TV’s (one, a big screen) – and FREE food!!!  The Lumber Yard Brewing Company (at 19040 Standard Road, Sonora) is having a Pre-Super Bowl Bash Friday night, the 30th. Then during the Sunday game, they’ll have a unique raffle: They will have two recliners set out. Each of the eight raffle winners will be allowed to sit in a chair for one quarter, and have all the food and drink they want – for just 25 cents!!! But get there early, like around noon! Should be a groovy Super Bowl all the way around!

Obama-Mania spreads! Our new president appears on everything from TV Guide and Time Magazine – to dubious tabloid covers and trading cards! I couldn’t resist the urge – being a collector, to buy a pack of President Obama trading cards. Only $1.98 at Wal-Mart! Each pack has 6-cards/1 sticker. There are 90 cards in the set, and I’ll be working to complete this set. Who knows, maybe in about 25 years, the complete set might be worth hundreds – if not thousands of dollars! I was a member of Hippies for McCain, but I acknowledge that Barack is our president now. We must support him. He certainly has a big job ahead of him. It is a bad economy. What caused it? The OPEC (Oil Producing Exporting Countries) cartel tightening the spigot on their oil exports, until gas was almost $5 a gallon, last summer; or was it the thousands upon thousands of risky loans (with adjustable rates and balloon payments) issued by banks (for one reason or another) over the last 15 years? And now, the sh#@ has hit the fan. America will survive this recession, just as we did the recessions in the 70s and 90s. But in the meantime, it may be a rough road for a while. And with all due respect to President Obama; I think even he now realizes that there are no “quick fixes”.  

Sad to see another store closing. The Corner Shoppe at 202 Main Street in Murphys. Owners Robert and Cindy Chimente are currently liquidating their inventory – most items at 50% off! They’ve always had their place stocked with some pretty cool gifts. I bought a couple of Elvis Presley coffee mugs, at closeout prices. I will add these to my ever-growing coffee mug collection, which now stands at about 97. But my new Elvis mugs are now my favorite ones! 

I did have a little fun while I was delivering SMT in Murphys. Saw a license plate that said, “Forgive me, for I have Zinned.” And there’s a little illustration of a tipped over wine glass. I thought it was kinda clever. But for some reason, thinking about wine also made me think of chocolate. I stepped into Nelson’s Candy Kitchen with their SMTs and greeted manager Lorna, with a hearty “Hi!” and picked out a decadent looking item called “California Delight”. It has a dark chocolate base, measures about 2 _inches in diameter, and is crammed with little goodies like cashew, almond, golden raisins, candied orange peel, glace cherry! Most delectable! And healthful! 

Speaking of health: If you find yourself near a person who is coughing, hacking, wheezing or sneezing, immediately close YOUR mouth, and start breathing through your nose! Did you know that germs from an infected person’s sneeze can travel up to 30 feet! (Whoa!) When you close YOUR mouth and breathe through your nose, the hair fibers within your nose will act as a filter, and help you avoid catching whatever that person has! I heard it on the John Tesh Show! (weekdays, 9 a.m. on Star 92.7)!

I usually like to mention/promote events within the Mother Lode, but I must rave about the new Gallo Center for the Arts in downtown Modesto! I took in the musical called “Moving Out”. It was mind-boggling! A seven-piece rock ensemble (two guitarists, drummer, two keyboardists – one providing lead vocals, and two saxophonists performed 40 Billy Joel songs on a platform elevated about twenty feet above the main stage – while dancers put on a tour-de-force performance. It had a good storyline, too. I can see why this show won a Tony Award! If it makes a return engagement – don’t miss it! Other shows coming up include: The Oak Ridge Boys, February 22nd; Chick Corea/John McLaughlin Five Peace Band, March 24th; Hairspray, Broadway’s Tony-Award winning musical-comedy phenomenon, May 8-10 – and dozens of other shows this year! Sometime this year you just gotta check out the Gallo! It’s a pretty groovy place, and tickets aren’t that expensive. For more info, log on: www.galloarts.org! 

CORRECTION: The zip code in the address for High Country Friends was incorrect in my last column. So, if you would like to send a monetary contribution to help the library (Twain Harte, Mi Wuk, Pinecrest branches), please send your checks to: High Country Friends, Friends of Tuolumne County Library, P.O. Box 91, Mi Wuk Village, CA 95346. (This time I triple-checked the zip.) In these hard times, the county has made numerous cutbacks, and the libraries are suffering. I am told that at the above-mentioned branches, their “new books” budget has been slashed. The library sure could use your help. 

So I went to Village Tunes to find my Mojo. Robert Peters, proprietor at V. Tunes has a lot of groovy things – including the monthly magazine called Mojo. This periodical’s got stories and reviews about classic rock; and keeps me informed about any new releases by classic artists! To wit, U2 is scheduled to release a new L.P. (their 12th studio album) by February! And Bruce Springsteen’s new album is due out at any time, too! Also, when I was at V. Tunes, Roberts said, “Hey, Greg, check this out!” And on his TV I saw some interesting scenery, like the Save Mart on Stockton Road! It was the movie, ”Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry” (1974) that was about a racecar driver (Peter Fonda) and his accomplices leading law enforcement in a frantic, non-stop chase. When I saw scenes from “modern-day” Sonora in the film, I told Robert, “I’ll take it!” I’m a real sucker for movies with Mother Lode scenery in them.

Check out the photo of the traffic cone seen in the White Pines Bar in Arnold! It should serve as a reminder that although some of us drink sensibly – some don’t. Also, ask your bartender if he or she serves non-alcoholic beverages, e.g., soda, coffee, to the “designated driver”. I don’t want to lose any of my readers to the actions of a drunk driver. (This has been a public service message, brought to you by Greg’s Happenings.)

Wasn’t that a great story about Mark Twain in our last issue! NOTE: The Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto will present Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain, Saturday, February 14th! That show should be awesome! For info, call (209)-338-3315.

Big Daddy’s Smokin’ BarBQ in Sugar Pine recently held a “Tronic Tuesday”! The night involved a D.J. spinning techno/dance club music, and it was a complete success, says Lonnie Taylor, owner of Big Daddy’s. It seems that the employees of Dodge Ridge Ski Resort, just up Hwy 108,usually have to work the weekends, when most of the nightlife is happening – obviously. So, now we have Tronic Tuesday for those who’s “Friday” is actually on a Monday or Tuesday. Great idea to have a night like this, Big Daddy! Big D anticipates they’ll have another one real soon! 

Pink Vinyl will do a double-bill with Lita and the Reel, Saturday night, January 31st at the Lumber Yard Brewery!! This should be awesome!!

Thank goodness we got some more snow recently! I still plan to take skiing lessons, perhaps in February. I realize that if I break all my bones in the process, it will be a bit more difficult delivering the SMT. So, I’ll probably just take it real, real slowly. I may be on the beginner slopes for many months. But, I must not be afraid. I’ll have to just keep recalling the famous words of Mark Twain: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” A wise man, Mark Twain! If he had lived in India, he probably would have been a highly respected guru!