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NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Cities should not subsidize sports teamsI’ve never been a particularly big fan of baseball. I didn’t grow up playing catch with my dad or hitting dingers in Little League. Basketball and football were...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jun. 21, 2023Last comment by Beatrice Lambert, on Jun 25, 2023 at 10:49 am | 20 comments | 3407 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
There should be no barriers to getting an educationI’m one of the lucky ones in that I graduated college without any debt. I worked a few jobs throughout college, but the real reason I graduated without debt was...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Aug. 31, 2022Last comment by Gary Ulrich, on Sep 7, 2022 at 7:15 am | 16 comments | 3485 Views
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 DM, on Mar 28, 2023 at 12:15 pm | 15 comments | 3305 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Gun controls won't solve everything, but we must start thereWhen I saw the very first news alert about a possible shooting in Uvalde I scrolled right past it. I have started feeling desensitized to the news around shootings....
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jun. 1, 2022Last comment by JJ, on Jun 12, 2022 at 4:52 pm | 13 comments | 4462 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Where our water goesAnother year, another drought. Last Tuesday the Pleasanton City Council voted to enact Stage 2 drought water rates for the city. This will result in an extra charge...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Apr. 13, 2022Last comment by Erlinda , on Apr 20, 2022 at 9:33 am | 12 comments | 7153 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Expanding access to Yosemite's wondersOne of the most awe inspiring treks I’ve been on in California is located in Yosemite National Park. The Mist trail is a seven-mile round trip which takes hikers...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on May. 24, 2023Last comment by Erin Miller, on Jun 3, 2023 at 8:11 am | 8 comments | 2961 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 | 3039 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 | 2743 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
From beans to bargaining: Baristas organize for unionizationIt took me a few months to finally try out the espresso machine at work. Right next to the drip coffee brewed once at seven in the morning is a beautiful Simonelli...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Apr. 19, 2023Last comment by Bay Area Native, on Apr 25, 2023 at 4:42 pm | 5 comments | 2880 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 | 3189 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 | 2744 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Why this district attorney race mattersThere has never been an election like the one we are going to have on June 7th. Four candidates are running for Alameda County District Attorney, and none of them...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on May. 18, 2022Last comment by Malcolm Hex, on May 21, 2022 at 3:49 pm | 4 comments | 4451 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Beating the heatLast week my wife flew out to Ohio to meet up with some close college friends at a lake house. Having this long weekend to myself, I had originally planned a camping...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Sep. 7, 2022Last comment by John, on Sep 10, 2022 at 2:24 pm | 3 comments | 2988 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Dealing with changeWhen Jeremy Walsh and Gina Channell Wilcox from Embarcadero Media approached me about the opportunity to write a weekly blog for the Tri-Valley on a topic of my...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Mar. 16, 2022Last comment by Praveen, on Mar 20, 2022 at 7:04 pm | 3 comments | 6775 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 | 3279 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Effortless and eco-conscious: exploring e-bikesWhile living in Davis and then San Francisco I became an avid biker. I would bike to work and to places around town when doing errands. A practice I try to maintain...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jul. 5, 2023Last comment by Jason Peck, on Jul 7, 2023 at 9:14 am | 3 comments | 3202 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
Memories of July 4thThe first fireworks show I remember watching was on my parent’s Magnavox tube television. We huddled around the 27 inch screen on July 4th to witness our very...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Jul. 6, 2022Last comment by Cal Morton, on Jul 11, 2022 at 12:40 pm | 3 comments | 5336 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 | 3154 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 | 2261 Views
NOTES ON THE VALLEY
College textbooks 101While I loved reading growing up, books were the bane of my existence in college. I went to a college which operated on the quarter system. Three times every year...
Original post made by Monith Ilavarasan on Mar. 29, 2023Last comment by Kasey Kee, on Mar 30, 2023 at 11:04 am | 2 comments | 2459 Views
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