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Until recently, I never thought being a bit limited in the ownership of fine jewelry was an especially big problem. In fact, I felt quite ambivalent about the issue as I listened in fascination to friends who found nirvana in a pair of sapphire earrings, and I wondered if there might be something wrong with me. I mean – aren't women supposed to be wild about jewelry? 

This is a big year for us. After 10 years, we have rejoined the ranks of mainstream public school families. Although I knew them before, seeing the notable differences between private and mainstream public schools makes me sigh heavily every morning.

It had to do with my wife's and my legacy. Somehow, I had to show our daughter, our executor, and her husband where our property was located in the wilderness of Oregon. They had the time and inclination. Our other three sons didn't.

This is the time of year when parents experience one of the true mysteries of life – a sort of U.S. version of the Changing of the Guard – known as Sending the Kids Back to School. Finally accustomed to the semi-constant company of their offspring since early June, parents suddenly find themselves handing over their little munchkins to complete and total strangers dubiously described as "teachers," who were, I rationalized, secret agents employed by the CIA bent on molding our progeny into future taxpayers or even scarier – members of Congress.

Most of us, perhaps all of us, can think back to a time when we needed a second chance to get something right. Whether it was a first attempt at love, a driving test, or a term paper we wrote over, we needed a second chance to get things right. Heck, even the national pastime doesn't record an out on the first strike - they give each batter three. So why is it that we are so quick to throw our personal possessions away at the first sign of wear? Doesn't our stuff deserve a second chance too?

My son started his first year of high school Tuesday, a few days after the results of the annual Back to School Survey conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. This year's report highlights a huge disconnect between parents and their high school age teens, with parents in denial over what their kids are facing when socializing at parties. Joseph Califano, Jr., the executive director, says the "self-delusion and lack of awareness of these parental palookas (sic) put their children at enormous risk of drinking and using illegal and prescription drugs."

My house has become a war zone. I realize that my battle is pretty piddling on the total scale of wars, but let me tell you, I'm this close to waving a white flag and moving to another hemisphere. Or Antarctica.

The intersection of Dunne Avenue and Monterey Road is truly the

Downtown Morgan Hill is suffering from a job half done.

To all Morgan Hill residents: Is it hot enough yet? In late