Most new parents have a vision of what their child will "be" like. It's rarely a vision that includes anything out of the "ordinary."

 

These are tough times - who wouldn't want to welcome a superhero or two into our midst? Enter "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," Berkeley author Michael Chabon's story of two young misfits who find fame and fortune by creating comic-book superheroes.

 

Michelle Obama is first lady. What did she give up to have this honor? Ms. Obama seems to have a great life.  

Marian Little Utley

Organic dairy farmers are divided over proposed federal regulations that could require them to keep fewer cows on larger pastures for a longer period of time.

 

College of Marin began classes Monday with nearly 20 percent more students than the previous year.

 

Jeff Vendsel

You couldn't blame 13-year-old Noah Lebell Loudon of Woodacre if he was on shpilkes — that's Yiddish for pins and needles — as he waited for his first-ever meeting with the man he was named after: not Noah with the Ark, but Noah with the bagels.

 

Robert Tong

A wild-eyed daredevil all his life, professional mountain biker Mark Weir had to be yanked away from a death-defying challenge on Dec. 27. His house was burning down.

 

It was a Zinger of a theft in Tennessee. It also included cupcakes, Twinkies and other snack cakes from the Merita Bread Co.

 

Why we lust for it: Sip for the cause - just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Order the tea, and Mighty Leaf will donate $1 to the Art for Recovery program at UCSF's Cancer Center.

 

Why we lust for it: Full Circle's cleaning products are designed to minimize waste (the sponge head is replaceable and biodegradable) and use sustainable materials such as bamboo, cellulose and Bonterraare, a biodegradable plant-based plastic the company created.  

Super Bowl weekend? Who cares when you have the mélange of musical anniversaries, birthdays, knowns and unknowns that populate the two county live musical scene. In honor of Bob Marley's birthday when Sebastopol's own Sol Horizon plays in their hometown at Hopmonk Tavern.  

Often, looking at the local live music calendar is a lot like stringing together the old sayings "all the usual suspects" at "all the usual places." Club owners like to stick with the tried-and-true; they are business people, after all. But this week they seem to be game for something different.

 

Jeff Vendsel

Umi Sushi and Grill on Fourth Street in San Rafael reminds me of sushi bars I have been to in Hawaii. Umi translates to ocean in Japanese and the sea is joyfully celebrated at Yoshi and Atsuko Yoshida's almost two-year-old restaurant. Surf photographs along with a large mural of Mount Fuji with waves lapping at its base adorn one wall. Even a curvy blond wood bar and foam green walls evoke overtones of the sea. A massive menu that includes plenty of nigiri, rolls and unusual appetizers and entrees is almost dizzying.

 

Jeff Vendsel

Much like its name, which is often used to refer to an experience that can't be reduced to its individual parts, the Gestalt Haus is made up of many parts, all of them quirky. Some of the Gestalt Haus crew cut ties with the flagship bar — originally in San Francisco's Mission District — and moved closer to their favorite playground.