David Moseley

You probably recall those mid-90s Springbok Tri-Nations matches in New Zealand rather fondly. I do. I was still at school back then, and spent many weekends with my grandparents (they had Mnet). On Tri-Nations Saturdays my granddad would wake me up, usually around 4am in those days, with a cup of teeth-melting sugary tea and a toasted cheese sandwich that, had it ever been placed on an airport runway, could’ve halted a runaway Boeing.

The two of us would sit there in sleepy silence and watch the game, my granddad snoring through the most pertinent parts, like the first 80 minutes (he was a soccer man, and only ever “watched” rugby because I enjoyed it) and me wailing and gnashing under my breath as the Boks succumbed to their usual 50-nil New Zealand drubbing.

It was a special time and a happy routine, made it all the more magical because my Glaswegian granddad could care less for the Boks, yet got me up anyway, but also because there was something fun and romantic about getting up to watch rugby while it was still pitch black outside.

You probably all did it, and you probably all remember how rubbish the Boks were when they played in New Zealand in the 90s. Yet somehow those early morning games never deterred us from waking, always expecting for “this” to be the Saturday when Springbok luck would improve.

Nothing but a memory

Those mornings are consigned to the memory scrapheap now. Still, when we do play sport at odd hours, like the Proteas are busy doing in New Zealand, I like to wake up in the dark and have a cuppa with my team, mostly because it reminds me of my granddad, but also because it reminds of when rugby was fun, and not a board meeting in studs.

For me, the game has lost its lustre. Somewhere between 1995 and hearing last night that Varsity Cup teams were cheating (it only took three years, surely a record of sorts?), the game booted the romance of rugby into touch and started mauling cheerlessly and relentlessly towards bottom line results.

It’s tiresome, formulaic and dreary. You can tell the powers-that-be know this, because every weekend commentators are frantically trying to tell us how exciting a particular game is – when they know better.

At this stage of the season during the Super 12 we would be getting excited about semi-final prospects. A third of the season gone, we’d be looking at the form books and figuring out who would make the Springbok squad. Now, with Super Rugby, we have coaches still talking about “getting into it”, “improving week-by-week”, “looking at the bigger picture” or noting that “it’s a long season still to come” – a long season of what, snoring in front of the telly?

Did you know the Stormers are top of the log? How the hell did they manage that? Oh wait, their opponents have fallen asleep in the second half of every game at Newlands so far.

Test rugby is no better, with players and coaches talking about “the next four years” or the cycle between World Cups. For sure, like any fan I want my team to win the World Cup, but not at the expense of having some fun in between. I blame Jake White for this “World Cup cycle phenomenon”. He put so much emphasis on winning 2007, that fans were happy to give him a free pass for some of the atrocities committed between winning the 2004 Tri-Nations and the 2007 World Cup.

Yes, like all sports, rugby is a business now and blah blah one poor excuse after another. But that shouldn’t be the sole reason for squeezing all the life, spirit and fun out of the beautiful game.

I used to go to as many Western Province matches as I could: Vodacom Cup, Currie Cup and Super Rugby. Today, rugby is so dire and lifeless, you won’t catch me within 500m of a TV showing a game.

It may seem odd to declare rugby dead on a weekend that the Stormers went top, the Sharks beat the defending champions and the Cheetahs won it after the final whistle with the best of smash-and-grab tries. But don’t let those little victories fool you. The game is played by men in suits, who smile when the money rolls in, not when a forward pack rolls over the try line.

For me, nobody seems to be having any fun anymore, and that’s far more devastating than losing a game.

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Tags : Fun

16th Bunny Fun Hunt is coming

The 16th annual Bunny Fun Hunt returns to Los Gatos High Schools front lawn on March 31 from 10 am to 1 pm, featuring a free egg hunt. There is a charge for carnival games, pony rides, fun jumps and food.

The event is for ages 2-11; bring your own basket. Visit www.lgsrecreation.org for more age-specific information.

Book sale will benefit library

The Friends of the Library are holding a book sale on March 24 from 10 am to 4 pm and March 25 from noon to 4 pm The sale is in the former childrens room of the old library, 110 E. Main St.

All sales directly benefit the library and the Friends library programs. A special members only preview will be held on March 23 from 6 to 8 pm A Friends membership costs $15.

Visit www.friendsoflglibrary.org for more information.

History Month, plus stage story

The Los Gatos-Saratoga branch of the American Association of University women is celebrating National Womens History Month on March 24, 10 am to noon, at the Terraces, 800 Blossom Hill Rd. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Los Gatos library director Linda Dydo will talk about the new library and services that are available to the community.

Also, an

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Its one thing to wash hands for hygiene, but for fun?

Fourth-graders at Trewyn Middle School combined the two in a hands-on exercise Monday for the kickoff of 4-H Health Jam, a program promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Sponsored by University of Illinois Extension, with the help of Methodist College of Nursing students and Landmark Racquet and Health Club, about 60 Trewyn students will learn about nutrition, exercise, health care and careers in the health care field over the next nine weeks.

But for a starter, the combination of a glow-in-the-dark lotion that highlights invisible germs when hands are placed beneath an ultraviolet lamp had students running back and forth to restrooms at the nursing school, where the kickoff event was held.

My hands should be clean now, Ive washed them about 10 times, said an obviously exasperated KyAira Peary as she placed her hands under the lamp one last time.

Caitlin Reynolds, a nursing student, told students what she had learned in her nursing classes about the importance of clean hands – always wash for at least 20 seconds. To remember the 20-second rule, sing the Happy Birthday song or the ABCs while washing, she told them.

The program doubles as a community health class for Methodist nursing students. They will develop teaching plans on nutrition and exercise for the students.

Were trying to stress that nurses dont only help you when youre sick, but that they really do try to help prevent illnesses and promote health, said Paige Staes Whitney, an instructor at the nursing school.

Besides the hand-washing exercise, students participated in a variety of hands-on activities designed to introduce them to healthy choices and careers. Students will spend Tuesday at Landmark for demonstrations on bicycle safety, a Zumba exercise class and discussions with paramedics from Advanced Medical Transport.

The broader goal for the University of Illinois Extension is to help students develop healthy habits that last throughout their lives, reducing the risks of developing chronic diseases.

After the two-day Health Jam, the program moves to once-a-week sessions in the classroom for eight weeks.

Besides cooking and nutrition workshops, students will make their own first-aid kits. Theyll also receive pedometers to track how many steps they walk over the next two months.

The goal is for each team of four to complete 448 miles, the equivalent of the length of Illinois.

But they dont know about that part yet, said Judy Schmidt, an educator for the University of Illinois Extension.

Pam Adams can be reached at 686-3245 or padams@pjstar.com.

Tags : Fun

Once our puffy coats get banished to the back of our closets, we have a hard time finding excuses not to head out of town for a bit. But its not always easy to completely leave our day-to-day lives behind and book into that lovely hotel we just read about. Thats where day trips come in a change of scenery (however quick) can do us all a world of good, so hopping on the train, in a car, or on the bus bound for a nearby destination is the perfect fix. Here are four of our favorite food-obsessed day trips from major cities across the country. There are plenty more where these came from, so dont fret if your hometown isnt on here yet.

New York City: Rockaway Beach, NY

It used to be that heading anywhere in Brooklyn was a day trip for Manhattanites, but with the popularity and crazy growth of neighborhoods like Williamsburg and DUMBO, New Yorkers now need to venture out a bit farther to really make it a trip. Enter Rockaway Beach (which is actually in Queens). Once the weather is warm, city dwellers make it out to Rockaway Beach in droves for eats like Rockaway Taco, Blue Bottle Coffee, Caracas Arepa Bar, and Rippers (a temporary combination of The Meat Hook and Robertas). Theres also the surf, sun, and sand as draws, too.

Seattle: Bainbridge Island, Wash.

Its just a 35-minute ferry ride away from the city, but Bainbridge Island offers some of the best views of the Seattle skyline and feels like a getaway. Its an incredibly charming island with fantastic, fresh eats and ample wine tasting opportunities. Arrive in the morning for locally brewed coffee alongside a homemade breakfast sandwich at Pegasus Coffee House, followed by a fresh lunch (think oysters and Marcona almonds to start, duck liver mousse, fresh fettuccine, and pork chops) at Hitchcock. Then, its tasting time Bainbridge Island Vineyards amp; Winery has a tasting room and offers tours, Eleven Winery and Eagle Harbor Wine Co. have tasting rooms in town, and for something harder, Bainbridge Organic Distillers will let you taste their organic vodkas and gins. (Photo courtesy of Flickr/kendura99)

Miami: Palm Beach, Fla.

Just more than an hour from Miami, Palm Beach is a slow-moving, yet very grand escape. Go for the shopping and mansion-spotting, but stay for the fantastic food. Roccos Tacos and Tequila Bar is where youll dine among the locals on a huge menu of Mexican-inspired dishes. Grab an afternoon cocktail (and some fish tacos) at the iconic The Breakers hotel, which has been sitting in that very spot since 1896 (though it was once called The Palm Beach Inn). Find Cuban food at Havana or a light, delicious meal with wine pairings from Verdea, a restaurant and wine bar.

Boston: Newport, RI

The charming and ultra-New England seaside town of Newport has all the ingredients for a fantastic day trip mansions, oysters, champagne, gelato, and so on. The Forty 1? North hotel can be your starting point for tasty adventures like Flos Clam Shack, Cold Fusion Gelato, clam chowder from theSmokehouse Cafe, and dinner at Tallulah on Thames. Of course, no trip to Newport would be complete without a sampling of its boozy beverages and local nightlife (so you may want to make it an overnighter and book a room after all). Start slow at Fluke Wine Bar, move to The Deck for drinks with a view, then go dancing at the Boom Boom Room in the Clarke Cooke House. (Photo courtesy of Forty1? North)

Tags : Fun

Mortal Kombat returned to form on consoles last year by returning to the fighting game’s roots. Riding the resurgence of genre, NetherRealm Studios borrowed elements from titles like Street Fighter IV and created a great experience. Now, the team is bringing Mortal Kombat to the PlayStation Vita, but the developer is doing more than a straight-up port.

NetherRealm has added six hours of additional content in the form of a new challenge tower that contain new minigames that use the touchscreen and accelerometer. I was more interested in that new content when I saw the game this month at GDC. The core experience is fine and works well on the D-pad. The fact that NetherRealm included all the DLC is a plus.

^{Minigames such as this one where players juggle fighters using rocket launchers are a fun diversion.}

TWO NEW MINIGAMES: But I had more fun with the touch-screen game called Test Your Slice. It’s Fruit Ninja clone that uses body parts instead of watermelons and apples as the objects to cut. Players use their fingers to slash at torsos and they’ll have to avoid bombs or shake the system to detonate them. In addition, there are several modifiers through the 15 missions.

It helps because each stage gets progressively harder. They end up being timed or players have to hit a certain quota. Having a Sub Zero head that freezes body parts in place helps them reach a high score. Slicing toast sets off a frenzy of body parts thats naturally called toasty.

The other minigame is Test Your Balance. It puts fighters on a plank and players will have to tilt the Vita so that they don’t fall over. It’s easy at first, but the difficulty ramps up. Players can’t cheat and lay their handhelds on a level table. There are stages where players are required to tilt the system so that the meter stays within a specific area. Further on, body parts are thrown at them.

Expect a lot of cursing because players will die a lot. The graphic death scenes, of which there are several, help take the sting out of failure. They’ll see characters impaled, sliced, maimed, etc., but after players see them all, it gets redundant. I enjoyed Test Your Slice more.

^{Youll have to wipe off blood that gets in the way during one challenge fight.}
OTHER CHALLENGES: Along with those two main minigames, the Challenge Tower also holds random stages with quirky objectives. There’s one called Mining for Gold, where players have to touch gold coins falling from the screen and avoid bombs. If too many coins fall on the ground, players lose. Then, there’s a Juggle mission where players touch rocket launchers lined up at the bottom of the screen. They fire projectiles that are supposed to keep a falling Scorpion juggled in the air. After a certain number of rockets, he explodes.

When it comes to fighting, Mortal Kombat on the Vita adds a touch-screen twist to battles in the Challenge Tower. One mission looks like a regular fight but when a fighter is hit, blood sprays on the screen and players will have to wipe off the Vita touch-screen to clear it off.

It could have been easy for NetherRealms to do a straight port of Mortal Kombat and that would have likely satisfied hard-core fans, but the developer goes the extra mile to add value with the Vita version. It may even tempt those who already own the game on console to pick it up and take their fighting on the road when it’s released this spring.

*Update: WBIE just announced its coming out May 1.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Want to know what Gieson Cacho is playing? Follow him on Twitter.

Tags : Fun

Good times have begun: Capturing the No. 1 spot on Billboards Hot 100 chart, landing on the magazines cover and looking ahead to a mostly sold-out spring theater and club tour are just a few reasons that fun. should relax and live up to its moniker. After the New York-based bands single We Are Young (featuring Janelle Monae), off its second album Some Nights, was featured in a Chevrolet Super Bowl ad and covered on Foxs Glee, the bands star skyrocketed. Downloads of the song are approaching 1.8 million.

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The Annual Spring Edition of the Lemon Grove Review was a 16-page extravaganza of fashionista ads and articles that all but forsook hard news in favor of showcasing inventory from the towns myriad specialty shops. This snapshot of post WWII prosperity during the baby boom is a look back at Lemon Grove 53 years ago this week.

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Wild at Heart: “Easter Promenade Gala Fashion Premiere: Starring a Galaxy of Gay, Exotic Colors” sang the cover page. “Inspired by vibrant colors of the Orient, spring fashion wings its way to extravagant heights of brilliance with flaming, sun-drenched shades, scintillating iridescent neutrals … a glorious array of just-unpacked fashions to bring out the madcap in YOU!”

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Readers were enticed to shop until, well, the cows came home at Miller Dairy–and not just women.

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“Stolen from Bob Cummings,” proclaimed Lanes Mens Wear, 7775 Broadway, about its $7.95, zip-front, roll-collar, V-neck polo shirt “as seen on the Bob Cummings Show, NBC-TV this week!”

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Also vying for Dads dollar, the Lemon Grove Department Store, 7846 Broadway, pushed its “American Ambassador” tailored suits in a “dashing Wiggle-Weave worsted that stands up to heat when temperatures soar.”

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Junior was kitted out in the same store with boys suits for $24.95, boy’s slacks for $6.95, and boy’s sport coats for $13.95 back in the day when your 11-year-old looked like a little banker.

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Kiddies were shod at Childrens Bootery, 7885 Broadway, where “our skilled fitters assure a fit for your precious little ones a doctor could approve!”  Or, you could visit Purtees Shoes, 7741 Pacific (“next door to the Lemon Grove Library”) and join the Family Shoe Club, offering you a 13th pair free if you bought 12 pairs. Or, drag the babes to Brumleys Shoes,7763 Broadway, for a “Hi, Honey Bunny” chocolate egg with purchase of patent-leather Mary Janes, or oxfords “for your stylish little guy.”

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But Mom was the major prey. She could attend demonstrations and fashion shows at Patricias, 7887 Broadway, Evelyn Wigtons, 7761 Broadway, Helen Gauldins Style Shop, 7808 Broadway, Williams of Lemon Grove, 7945 Broadway, Lowes Toggery, 3321 Imperial Ave., Walker Scott Downtown, Morrison-Adams Jewelers, 7919 Broadway, and a Culligan Soft Water demo and sale (“$100 for six weeks”).

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Mom could test the office chairs and desks (“what every busy mother needs”) at Lemon Grove Stationers, 3842 Main St., test drive a 59 Spring Green Ford Station Wagon at Spears Ford, 7720 Broadway, receive hair-dye counseling at the Helena Rubinstein counter in Dial Drugs, 7961 Broadway, and trade in Samp;H Green Stamps for a corsage at Lemon Grove Florist, 7965 Broadway (where OChea Fashion Boutique is today).

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Fashions of the Fifties: Sailcloth clamdiggers, colorful tights for school, office or evening, floral turbans for bathing, swimming or lunching, Pixie and Minx Mode cinch-waisted circular skirts, patent pumps with detachable bows, rhinestones and mink poufs, dropped shoulders, cape-like sleeves, cummerbund suits with cropped jackets, bolero coatdresses, empire sheaths, slim pants and blousons, Dior knock-off ball gowns, half- and full-length girdles, the new, above-the-knee nylon tricot slips suitable for shrinking hemlines, and the reliable shirtwaist dress seen on every woman (and TV sitcom) from coast to coast.

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Smart Kids: The Lemon Grove Womens Club awarded $25 scholarships to four Mount Miguel High School students: Charles Mehlberger and William Raaka (both looking like bankers), and Lynette Carr and Brenda Epperson (in hats, gloves and calf-length dresses).

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Down to Business: Oops. The State of California spent $1,234,129.75 more than it received reported State Controller Alan Cranston. Weirdly enough, considering all the shopping, state retail tax revenues showed a deficit of $8,241,927. But feel slightly better because, even though 2 percent down from 1958, retail tax of $330 million was still the lions share of state revenues.

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Food Basket Grocery List: Three bunches of Romaine for 19 cents. Fresh Cornish fryers, 37 cents a pound. Two pounds Duncan Hines pancake mix, 37 cents. Pound of tomatoes, 35 cents. Large Kraft French Dressing, 37 cents. Bath-size Dial soap, two for 39 cents. Rump roast, 69 cents a pound. Artichokes, three for 29 cents. Ground beef, 49 cents a pound.

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Pricey Corner: Developments valued at “several millions” got underway on the southwest corner of Broadway and Massachusetts, including Bills Self-Serve Station and the famous Bowlero Bowl. 

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Hideous Sight: Lemon Grove deputy sheriff Don Bryan and team arrested 60 people and 42 gamecocks at a fight ring on the Mother Grundy Mountain Truck Trail 20 miles east of Lemon Grove. Spectators fled into the underbrush, but many were later rounded up as they tried to leave by car. Blood-caked slasher spurs, needles, surgical saws and poultry knives, the tools of the gamecock trade, were bagged as evidence. The scarred, de-combed birds included some that were eyeless, wingless and legless. This savagery, alas, is alive and well today.

Tags : Fun

ORLANDO, Fla. — Each week, CBSSports.com golf writers Steve Elling and Shane Bacon will trade shots on hot-button topics of the day, slinging around facts, opinions and projections in pretty much the same fashion they play the game — with a certain degree of abandon.

Tags : Fun

That certainly that was the case in the heats of the 50m freestyle this morning at the Olympic selection trials in Adelaide.

Magnussen announced after his near-world record performance in the 100m freestyle last night that he really only intended his 50m freestyle today as a fun swim.

But certainly his 22.19sec would have taken some of the fun out of the event for the men who are banking on this for an individual swim at the London Games, two-times Australian champion Matt Abood,, Matt Targett and former 100m freestyle world record holder Eamon Sullivan.

Even with every muscle still hurting from the 100m freestyle, Magnussen still managed to swim .3sec faster than he ever has before.

Tags : Fun

The Tompkins County 4-H Program will hold its 12th annual Fun Run and Walkathonat 10 am April 29 at Stewart Park.

Participants will take part in a flat, fast 5-kilomter run. The racing route begins at Stewart Park Pavilion, turning around at the entrance to the Farmers Market and finishing back at the pavilion.

Water will be provided to runners during the race, along with post-race fruit and refreshments at the Cooperative Extension parking lot. Volunteers will be posted along the course.

Registration is $10 before race day or $20 until 9:30 am on race day. The first 50 people to register will receive a free T-shirt.

Winners will receive prizes donated by local businesses and individuals. The grand prize is $500 cash. This years prizes will include a Kindle, an iPod, a food processor, a cordless drill, an overnight bed and breakfast stays, restaurant gift certificates, massage sessions and more.

To enter, visit www.ccetompkins.org/4h/4h-activities-events/4h-duck-race-5k-run.

Climate-change

Residents who have lived in Tompkins County for 30 years or more are asked to share their recollections of seasonal weather changes over the years with New Roots Charter Schools ninth-grade earth science students, who are studying how Tompkins Countys climate has changed over time.

Climate Change Conversations will run from 3 to 4:30 pm Tuesday at Lifelong, 119 W. Court Street. To RSVP, e-mail brbish@newrootsschool.org or call Jillian at Lifelong at 273-1511.

Tags : Fun