With the weather cooling off, getting wet and limiting our outdoor activities, all of the online offerings are welcome. Kepler’s, the well-known independent bookstore in Menlo Park has wonderful events coming up. Maybe it’s time for a spa break? (yes, please), check out Canyon Ranch in Woodside. The SF Opera is hosting an online costume sale…. how fun, right?  And another new outdoor space graces the bay area. This week’s podcast has great info about your thyroid! And make sure to give thanks every day for something this month – ok, well every day!

Author Chats

Kepler’s is a much beloved independent bookstore on the Peninsula, and now everyone can take advantage of the programs they offer. Coming up on November 16^th, bestselling author Adam Grant and transformative business leader Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s talk about business beyond the bottom line. Grant and Cohen have long made the case for businesses doing well by doing good.

Grant specializes in organization psychology at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His Ted talks and books— especially Give and Take— show that generosity and altruism benefit everyone: company, employees, clients. And Ben Cohen, together with co-founder Jerry Greenfield, birthed the landmark Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company. The endeavor thrived, even as its two creators openly endorsed political causes for the public good. Join these gentlemen for a This Is Now conversation with Kepler’s in-house journalist, Angie Coiro, as they ponder the vision of a robust economy and a better world existing together. Instead of a set ticket price, they ask that you consider a donation to support the production of this event. Keplers.org

GET THE BOOK.

Kepler’s is also well known for its Literary Seminars that combine the deep pleasure of reading an exceptional novel with the depth of a college-level lecture providing insightful interpretation and deeper understanding.  Two opportunities to dig deep are coming up and will be led by Kimberly Ford, Ph.D. ( former adjunct professor at Berkeley).  Coming up is: A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin

Lucía Berlin’s short stories have caused more than one critic to call her “America’s best kept secret.” Born in Alaska in 1936, but having grown up in Arizona, Montana and Chile, Berlin’s fiction is often autobiographical, which will provide excellent grist for Kimberly’s literary mill. Having been an upper-crust ex-pat, a cleaning woman, an alcoholic, a mother to four boys, a wife and lover to many, her prose is unique and luminous, hard-scrabble and surprising and SO GOOD. November 30^th at 5 p.m. or December 1^st at 1 p.m. Keplers.org

Did you know that over 30% of women are diagnosed with having an underactive thyroid gland? Symptoms can include fog brain, fatigue, hair loss, difficulty losing weight, and more. Listen in to this interview with Dr. Hugh Melnick, a well-known NYC endocrinologist, about the causes and treatments of this often-undiagnosed issue. LISTEN IN.

Spa Time at Canyon Ranch

Who doesn’t need a spa day? I mean really, it’s on my Christmas list and in particular for Canyon Ranch in our own backyard, in Woodside. Retreat into the beautiful woods for events and retreats (safely of course). They have Thursday – Monday long weekend retreats featuring hiking, wellness, exercise and spa treatments. Time to get energized and mentally focused, especially after the craziness of our world.

Guest speaker events are created to help you center yourself and escape. November 19 – 23^rd features Sandy Abrams and mindful breathwork to help clear the path to your life goals. December’s programs include Mind in Motion, Reimagining the Holidays and Reclaiming Wholeness and a new way of being.

This holiday season when you give the gift of Canyon Ranch to someone special – that includes you – they will donate 5% of all gift purchases now through December 31, 2020, to Direct Relief® to help those most in need. Canyonranch.com/woodside

Crane Cove Park

More outdoor areas to explore? Yes, please. Crane Cove Park is a 7-acre bayfront park that links the Mission Bay and Dogpatch neighborhoods. This used to be an inaccessible industrial shoreline that has been transformed into a stunning vista. It is part of the Blue Greenway, a necklace of waterfront public access connecting the City to the shore via pathways, parks and open spaces.

Located near the new Chase Center, the park includes two historic cranes, as well asthe lastremaining shipbuilding slipway, which – when complete – will transform into a central plaza and gathering space; a two-acre multi-purpose lawn with picnic and barbecue areas; a newbeach to support water recreation;two distinct children’s play areas; a 6,000 sq ft dog run; an aquatic center for boaters with restrooms and a small café.  Sfport.com

Nov. 18. Special Invite: Learn About Two Amazing Women Scientists

Meet Carina Vinberg, co-author of Changing Conversations for a Changing World, and learn the story of how Carina came to coach two courageous women scientists, Sunniva Sorby and Hilde Fålun Strøm who became the first women in history to winter in the Arctic without men, in a small uninsulated trapper’s hut,” with no running water or electricity, subjected to one of the harshest climates on earth, surrounded by polar bears and total darkness. SIGN UP FOR THIS FREE EVENT.

Opera Is On…Let’s Go Shopping

SF Opera’s first-ever online costume shop sale is happening this weekend so you can stock your closets with individually designed outfits direct from the opera stage. Now that’s a unique way to look different than everyone else. Each costume carries a piece of San Francisco Opera history and was made right here in the Bay Area by a team of talented artists and craftspeople.

Unleash your inner warrior with costumes designed for fantasy dramas like Tannhäuser. Or party like there’s no tomorrow with the ornate jackets and gowns of Die Fledermaus and The Merry Widow. Hundreds of one-of-a-kind garments will be on sale: Find your perfect fit when the sale goes online today through Sunday only. Sfopera.com