have a good one. we'll see you next time on like it or not. and send us your questions please. we may use them during the show. have a good one. >> yeah. rock your body. move it out. go and take that step. >> go and break it down. rock your body. move it out. go and take that step. >> go and break it down. rock your body. move it out. go and take that step. go and break it down. rock your body. move it out. don't take that step. go and break it down. y h yeah. >> hello. and welcome to like it or not, i'm dave clark. this is a show where we talk about things, about what you're talking about, the latest hot topics. what's trending now, this particular episode is all about ringing in a new year. and i've got some of the best people in the bay area here. i'm just saying are the cooks are pam

cook. >> happy new year. >> that's right. allie rasmus and greg lee. hey, dave, now all of you know more about things than i do. so i'm coming to you. we're talking about new year's resolutions and things like that. let's start with the idea new year's resolutions. do you care? do you make them? >> i like at least to call it a new year's goals. like i do set up goals for myself. maybe personal goals, professional goals i do like i don't. i don't think it needs to be like a resolution. i need it, but i do like the idea of just kind of setting the tone for the year with some new goals. >> do you write them down or do you just say it? do you internalize it? >> i don't write them down. i you know, i have i don't have that many. >> okay. >> i try not to have to. yeah. but i yeah, i have them i repeat them i think about it. yeah. all right i like it. >> well greg, i'll jump to you. what do you think i like it i like kind of resetting for the new year and saying, here's some

things i'd like to do or some ideas that i have. >> kind of like pam, where you sort of set some long term goals, some short term goals, and you sort of map out your year, if possible. and i often do write them down, like i'll put them like on a big poster board, just or like above my bathroom mirror is like a little reminder. now, if i actually do them. >> okay, ali, i'm going to be the outlier between these two planners here. i've had a long policy. i've thought about this over the years. you know, instead of tying a new year's resolution to a certain time of year, i've always said, if you want to do something, just do i. don't wait till the start of the year to do it, because in my mind, then once it's no longer the new year anymore, i feel a little less committed to it. if it's tied to a time of year. sure. so that's just my thing. >> me yes. going to ask? i don't make resolutions, okay? >> i don't do it. i don't know if i'll ever change that. i just don't do it. >> you get a lot done though anyway, so i try to, i try to, but i'm going to try to do better. >> well, here's something else

to new year's. does it mean you clean out the house? i mean, just physically you're home, clean out the house, make some change. it, greg. >> you don't i did. you already know. you already do. you're perfect. that's great. dave. yeah, i'm a no. >> i'm a no on that. >> i mean, he's been our house. i sort of feel this way. >> like the way ali does about resolutions is that, like, if you have stuff you need to clean out or clutter. yeah, get rid of it now. do it now. i support that, but i don't i don't like i don't like starting my new year being like a big spring cleaning. i don't like doing that. now. >> see, i'm totally guilty. i have a lot to do and i haven't done it. but see, i'm inspired by greg. >> so no, pam, i mean, i will say i'm really trying to clean out clutter in general. kind of started in the pandemic. i was like, okay, let's clean out this. and i also have the kids at the age where it's like, okay, time to get rid of that. so i will say the new year,

though it does, it is kind of sparked something because when you go to put like the christmas decorations away or something, i'm kind of forced with like, okay, whatever, didn't come out for the holidays and oh gee, this whole bin hasn't been out for a couple of years. let's give that a new home. so i do use it as inspiration of like start the year a little fresh. >> yeah, i agree. >> yeah. well now i feel like i'm being inconsistent with myself because i'm the same way, you know, new year, putting away the holiday decorations and all the kids christmas toys. i start to get overwhelmed by the clutter and stuff. yeah, new year, i do like to just, you know, get rid of stuff i do too. and i'm not alone. because if you go to, you know, goodwill and stuff, they get tons of donations right around that time of year because everyone's clearing out there. >> you've had a lot of stuff come in probably, and especially when your kids are little and it's like, okay, what's going out? since we have all this stuff coming in because there's no more room here or there in the playroom, in the closet, just a deviation. >> holiday eating. do you eat

special for new year's or anything like that, or something you have to have for new year's? there are people who say you have to eat certain things for good luck, right? >> right. >> ali? >> well, okay, so we have a tradition in my family, and we're not the only ones. i think this is a common tradition in latin america where you have 12 grapes, right? at the stroke of new year's at midnight, and you make kind of a wish for the coming year with each one. oh, nice. >> i like that, i like that. >> so every year doesn't matter. 12 wishes. yeah. love it. so maybe i don't have resolutions. >> i just have my wishes. >> great. yeah, yeah. >> your wish. grapes. okay. i might adopt that. yeah. >> what do you think, greg? >> so this is nostalgia for me. but when i was a kid and my parents would do east coast new year's when we were in new mexico. so we'd go to bed sooner. they always had, like, you know, the summer sausage in the cheese kit that you would get during the holidays. >> yeah, yeah. and i don't know why, but for whatever reason, we

had it one year. >> and every year since then when we were kids, we had it. so now that i'm gone, i don't see my parents as much. i still get one and i call them and say, hey, look at that little thing that i got. >> do you guys eat? i'll facetime them and be like, yeah, because they go to bed at nine on new year's eve. >> so. >> so you're still together? yeah. still together i like that. >> what do you think we. it started way back even before i was born. my parents kind of put out. i think it was stuff left over from whatever. so it was like crackers, cheese, whatever. and they called it the layout dinner. so now that we do the same, now we have a layout dinner. so basically new year's eve and new year's day. it's a lot of snacking. you know, it's just you know, it's a charcuterie is the fancy term for it. but we call it the layout dinner. yeah. okay. yeah. what about you? >> i eat everything, yeah. nothing special about it. all right. what about a dry january? you came up with that? >> it's very popular. a lot of people do dry january because

they've done a lot of holiday partaking and festivities, and drinking and partying and whatever. so i mean, i don't necessarily then go, okay, dry january, but i'm not like a huge drinker. >> yeah. >> but i, you know, i do my little wine tasting and i don't drink during the week because we have to get up in the middle of the night pretty much. so yeah, i don't i don't feel the need. i definitely like that for people, you know, just to kind of reset and maybe especially if you've done a lot of indulging, i will say it's like, okay, maybe i'm not going to have any cookies for january because i've had a bazillion, you know, because we bake a lot of cookies for our family. so yeah, i would say a little bit of both. yeah. >> i'm not a big drinker either. so it's not a big departure for me to do a dry january if i'm not socializing or going out. if we don't get a date night, i don't get a drink in january anyway. >> yeah, yeah, greg, i have done dry january a couple of times and it's actually it's refreshing, right, to see what your body does. >> yeah. physically alcohol and

i drink less and less the older i get because it hurts more now. but yeah, i support it. if people want to do it okay. >> yeah i don't drink. >> he doesn't drink. >> so it's a, it's a dry 360 days a year. >> what about like a no caffeine january for you? >> no, i can't do that. >> not with your shift. >> i'm going in. no. i'm going. >> don't like it. >> no. well, look, we'll take a quick break. we'll be right back with more of our thoughts and your thought s here on lik pete g. writes, "my tween wants a new phone. how do i not break the bank?" we got you, pete. xfinity mobile was designed to save you money and gives you access to wifi speeds up to a gig. so you get high speeds for low prices. better than getting low speeds for high prices. right, bruce? -jealous? yeah, look at that. -honestly. someone get a helmet on this guy. xfinity internet customers, ask how to get an unlimited line free for a year, plus a free 5g phone.

yeah. welcome back to like it or not, i'm dave clark, surrounded by some of the best in the business. greg lee, allie rasmus, pam cook. okay, let's get back to like it or not on this new year's, your christmas tree. do you take it down at the beginning of the new year or do you wait? do you have a plan now? you guys are planners. so, ali, what do you do? >> well, we like to have the tree up through new year's. like new year's day. yeah, but then when we take it down, is usually dictated by two things. when the tree starts getting dry. yeah. because we usually get it, like right after thanksgiving, we get a tree and, you know, january 1st, it's like the tree is on its last legs. but then the other thing that dictates when we take it down and put it out is when the garbage service takes the tree away.

>> right? >> we don't want to have to get rid of it ourselves. so we will meet that deadline so we don't have to deal with it. >> so do you rush to take the tree down feeling like, okay, everybody's going to be watching? do i feel pressure to take it down or do you have your own set? >> i had to take it down so that i don't have to, like, take it to the dump or the compost myself. i just want the garbage. our wonderful garbage collectors, to take it when they do. so that's my deadline. all right. >> i'm definitely a you know, right after thanksgiving to new year's day and my mom and i always had a tradition. we kind of watched the rose parade and take down the decorations. and once you start, then it's kind of like, oh, then it feels like clutter all of a sudden. >> yeah. >> you know, to me, i feel like, oh, the magic of christmas now. it looks like a bunch of stuff, but i do. it was funny. my, my, we have a lot of december birthdays in my family, and my sister in law always made sure she took down the tree the day after christmas because she wanted my nephew the day after christmas. after christmas, she

takes down the tree and all the decorations because she wanted it to feel birthday for my nephew. okay, so it was definitely more about his birthday instead of christmas, but that was too fast for me. but yeah, okay, great new year's day. >> i have a fake tree, so yeah, i don't i don't have to worry about it getting all the way. but usually new year's day is like, all right, we have the holiday, we've done the thing. let's move on to the next thing and move towards the future. >> you don't turn it into a valentine tree. >> i don't, i don't, i don't because we have decorations for valor. right, right. >> though along these lines, i do appreciate it when our neighbors and we do this ourselves, keep the lights up on the house. so that's after new year's day. okay. partially because, you know, i'm walking out to work at three four. >> oh, you appreciate having some light. i do like the lights. >> last year, embarrassingly, we kept our lights on until like february. >> so valentine's day lights. >> you were that house. okay? >> that house. but, you know, it was. it was nice. they weren't like green and red lights. they

were just, you know, nice yellow, whitish lights. >> okay, we're still seasonal lights. >> yeah. >> okay. well, let's talk about holiday cards and family holiday cards. like them or not, i do like them. >> yeah, because i think it's nice for me, especially for family, that i haven't maybe talked to for much of the year or friends that i haven't connected with. sort of nice to get an update with, with what everyone's doing. or sometimes i get a card, i'm like, oh my god, they had another kid. yeah, yeah, they're like a family of six now. but it's fun to get those. i think it's a nice tradition. i was actually just talking to someone in the newsroom, because i never know what to do with all the cards, and they just end up in a box, and i'm like, that feels bad. they went through all this effort, right? and they actually sell like stands that you can put all of your cards in. so they're on display. so maybe i'll do that this year somewhere. >> that's true. just put them like around a doorway or something. >> yeah i like so you're like it i'm on board i like them. >> yeah. same reason i like to

see, you know, all our friends like that we haven't seen in a while, you know, have moved to other states just to get a visual update on, you know, their family and, you know, it's like, wow, i can't believe there's so much older now or yeah, this person's like in high school now, and their kid is in high school. and i like to display them. i put them all up and you know, it's just nice to walk. and then you see all your friendly faces there. so it's nice to know that people think about you. >> i'm a like it too. >> what do you i like them, i mean, i stopped sending out christmas cards a while ago because you i did. yeah, i mean, i always did as the kids grew up and then, i don't know, they both were out of high school and then into college and i just it's just it's a lot. it's expensive to send cards and the stamps and the cards and honestly. but i like it. and i've kept in touch with friends from college and but i'm okay with a, you know, an e greeting as well. yeah, an e photo. i'm

okay with that. >> all right. this is a little different for me. we get up at nothing o'clock in the morning. right? do you stay up until the new year is arrived, or do you go to bed early? >> depends on if i have to work on new year's. yeah. >> that's true. >> right? i do love that we're on the west coast. so you can ring in the new year, east coast time and call it like, hey, it's the new year or even australia like you, you know, you can call new year's whatever, right? i like it if you can, if you can make it, if you can do the toast and watch the fireworks. okay. yeah, i like it. >> you can make it. >> i have to be up at midnight so i can have my 12 grapes. oh, that's true, that's right, that's right. >> or you don't get the wishes. >> yeah, well, that's i mean, maybe that's not. i mean, it's just my superstition. i like it, i do, so you have to do it. >> i don't work the shift that you all do mercifully. and. but i always stay up till midnight. it's a it's a tradition for me.

always. yeah. now, how far i make it past midnight is another question. >> right? >> okay. i'm gearing up to do it more and more and more. >> you don't usually make it up to midnight. >> usually. i don't, but but they come and wake me up and say, you have to get up. >> you happy new year okay. >> all right. happy new year. >> all right. >> let me just ask you something real quick before we take another break. for some people, new year's isn't a happy time. yeah, it can be sad for some people. some families. do you like the idea of. well, or does it occur to you or happen to you that some sadness and it's not always a happy thing. looking forward to a new year. >> i think i think holidays are interesting, right? i think it's always a nice, especially in the field that we work in. but just being a human being, i think it's important to realize that holidays can be tough for a lot of people, in that they're not always a joyful experience, or that they remind them of certain

things that they don't want to remember. so i think it's always good to be sensitive around this time of year and understand that holidays aren't always joyful for a lot of people. >> yeah, yeah, i think that's an important thing to remember. >> just. and people know their friends and know what circumstances they may have gone through recently or, you know, traumatic experiences near the holidays. so, i mean, it's important not to jump into it with too much toxic positivity, for lack of a better term. yeah. >> i will tell you something that i like to do. we've all lost people we care about, and the holidays bring up a lot of memories. you know, sad and good. i really like starting a new tradition with people and for people in particular who have lost, like if especially if it's someone very near and dear, start something new to start off instead of you know, maybe this is all going to make you really sad. so maybe go to a new spot or go, you know, i do like that.

it has helped me. it has helped people close to me where it's like, you know what, maybe we're not going to be home for christmas. we're going to go on a little trip or something and go somewhere else just to not dwell on the, you know, to make some new a new association with a new place. >> yeah, yeah. >> okay. >> well, hold that thought. we're going to take another quick break. we'll be right back and so will you right here on like it or not. yeah. yeah

>> yeah. >> welcome back to like it or not, i'm dave clark with pam cook. ali rasmus, greg lee, and we're talking about things all new years and about tradition and things like that. i know you're a big sports fan. yeah, nobody's bigger than steph curry. but do you watch new year's football? >> yeah, i always make time. i always make time for steph. >> i know you know that. yeah. >> love football. love football game. you know bowl games. i went to ucla. >> i was about to say ucla. >> i've been to a rose bowl. you know we were amazing when i was there. been to the rose parade, rose bowl game. it's super fun love. yeah i love all the bowl games. it's very fun. i think there's too many now. it almost seems like, wasn't it always like new year's day and maybe another day now it's all into february. >> there's still a bowl game sponsoring something. yeah, yeah. >> so, ali, i mean, of all the

sports to watch, football, especially college football, i think is the best sport to watch. and so but i've always just i never actually seek it out like, oh, this time i have to go watch this. but it's always because of the people in my life. it's always on the tv, right? >> yeah. >> i'll watch it. yeah. it's like on by default. >> i love bowl game season. yeah. i also like that they've now done the college football playoff because now there's something on the line. right. those final bowl games really the college football championship. so i like the idea that you know, this means something. not to say that, you know, the john deere jimmy kimmel, tostitos, tostitos, you can't keep up with them. does it mean something. but yeah, it's fun. i like that too because it used to be kind of then this debate over who is the number one team. >> right. was it the cotton bowl or the orange bowl or the. >> yeah. >> and do you go to any of those games? >> i've not been in a very long time. okay. i have not been in a very long time. maybe if they had one up in northern california, oracle hosted the emerald nuts bowl one year. oh

well there you go. >> and ucla was in it. so i did go to that. yeah okay. >> what about christmas gifts and presents. taking them back after new years. do you rush to do that? do you care to do that? do you keep some things and don't take them back? >> you know, the adults in my family, we don't give each other gifts anymore. we have like what we call the adult gift truce. so we just give gifts to the kids, to our kids. >> that's true. so that's good. yeah. >> and they always i mean, brothers and sisters in law, they're always good about including a gift receipt. but usually they've asked me what the kids want anyway, so we don't really need to return a lot of stuff, actually. >> same i would say same. i don't like to return. i do like to shop. >> you know, i do, i do like to shop. >> i get to help stimulate the economy and see what's out there. trends, you know, and everything. yeah, i would say like we like to give a lot of

experience gifts, you know, tickets warriors. yeah. like to. so i wouldn't say we have a lot i mean that's a mess to try to return stuff. i don't like it. yeah, i'll say that. i don't like to have to return stuff. so i might hold it back and regift it. yeah, that's that happens. >> greg, the people in my life when we do gift for the holidays are very deliberate and upfront about like, if you don't like this, just take it back, take it back. and there's a receipt and it's easy. and so yeah, if i do it in a timely manner is another case. there's a part of my closet. >> no that's filled. >> that's just like, yeah, stuff that i haven't returned that exists because some of it you feel bad about because some of them are like thoughtful, sentimental gifts that i just haven't had a reason to use. >> hey, quick question for the holidays. do you ever binge watch certain things for the holidays? not just it's a wonderful life, but other things. it's just a holiday tradition. >> no, there's one movie in the last couple of years that's always playing. and my daughter

will play it like sometimes for hours. it's the animated grinch. >> oh. oh that's good. >> a few years ago, the newer one. yeah, the newer one. the newer one. we tried to watch the jim carrey one where it's like he's dressed up as the grinch. you thought that was creepy. so we went back to the animated one. >> okay, well, look, you guys have taugh me many thi s. i've

yeah. welcome back. i'm dave clark. as we wind down, i just had a quick question about new year's new year's parties and things like that. do you feel if you go to a new year's party, you have to bring a gift and or you have to make a toast? >> oh, i don't think you have to. i like bringing cookies that i want out of the house. yeah, yeah. >> or those little chocolate, right? yeah. right. yeah. right. >> like, ooh, i got a five boxes of truffles. look, i like bringing maybe a sparkling bottle or something. that okay. or something? i might enjoy. i don't think you have to quickly, ali. >> no, i mean, i don't i don't like to go to a party empty handed. >> no. >> ever. so, i mean, you know, a bottle of wine or something, or like, maybe if there's kids there, a bottle of martinelli's, they can enjoy it too, right? >> yeah. this doesn't help anyone's dry january, but i always bring a bottle of booze to a party. that's sort of my deal. is a bottle of wine.

bottle of whiskey. usually i'm gonna drink it, but, yeah, it starts january second. january 2nd after the holiday. right. >> okay. now i know things about you guys. you, me, i always bring something i know i can imagine that something. well, look, i'm glad that you joined us. we love it with being here with you on, like it or not, i hope you'll always join us. we'll see you next time on like it or not. yeah yeah. >> all right. welcome in here to. like it or not, i'm alex savage here. a special new year's edition of the show. we're happy you could join us here. we put together a fantastic panel here. ktvu zone tom vacar. not you yet. okay. you save your jazz hands. no. happy new year. we're going. we're going this way. happy new year, tom tom vacar. you're all psyched about new year's. tom vacar. give us your best. your

best jazz hands to celebrate the new year. rosemary oroczo is here as well. thank you for being here. and of course, last but certainly not least, the incomparable the talented, the skilled. no, keep going. handsome, keep going. no! it's great. no. got his name by buying time. great prompter. what does it say in the prompter? well, happy new year to everybody. good to have you all here. all right, let's start with the first topic here. you know, this is this is a time to celebrate. do you like going to actual new year's eve parties, or are you more of a stay at home kind of a person? tom, what about you? going to the new year's eve party, like it or not? >> well, i used to. when i was younger. i go to any party i would go to and would have a trouble remembering it. but in recent years, let's say i've slowed down or the best new year's eve party i was ever at was myself and my wife, and we had dinner at the victoria falls hotel in africa. oh, wow. that

was special. >> wow. >> new year's eve in africa. that's. that's fantastic. that's an unforgettable memory for sure. what about you, rosemary? do you like going out or going to friends houses for new year's eve celebrations. >> i do, i do, yeah. and some days, some years we're working new year's day. so if i have the opportunity to have it off, i'm out. i'm out somewhere enjoying the moment. >> yeah, absolutely. greg, what about you? do you like new year's eve parties or. i think i know you're you're you're the extrovert party. >> no, no. i'm kidding. i do, i do love new year's eve party. >> there was a time many years ago, when i was younger, that we would go to, like, you know, the big hotel things or like, the all you can drink. >> the balloon drop. >> balloon drop, the whole thing. we started veered away from that. now. now we go hang out with friends or family. it's just easier. and you can be in one place and you're safe, and you actually know the people that you're with. and it's less of a to do. yeah. >> the drinks are free. the

drinks are free. you know, you don't have to wear a tux, but there is something fun about getting all dressed up and going out and celebrating. yeah, but you like a more mellow scene nowadays. nowadays? okay, so, i mean, with that being said, what about this whole notion you're not going to answer? oh, you want me to? yeah. you want me to go? i yes, i do. i do enjoy new year's eve parties. yes, absolutely. but i'm with you. i like i like a more mellow scene. nothing too over the top. yes. if it's at a friend's house or a family member's house and it's just a small. yeah, a smaller celebration. i'm here for it. nothing too over the top. not anymore, at least. but. but so, with that being said, you know, a lot of folks, i mean, they do like to go go big, right? they're going to go into san francisco and watch the whole fireworks show. if they're you know, they're on the east coast, they're probably going to go to, you know, go to manhattan, go to times square, do the ball drop. what about the large, over-the-top new year's eve celebrations? hordes of people crammed together in the streets? tommy, are you there for that? i know no place to use the restroom for hours on end. you like it or not?

>> there were many years that. that's all i wanted to do. i mean, really, it was just fun because it was, you know, the celebration of that. i think, you know, society has changed a little bit that we're not so much into that. i know we still see the thing in new york, but when you notice that they're just not the big affairs, that they are elsewhere. but i always liked something like that because it's such an event and you're with all these folks and all that stuff. but i think, i think covid took a little edge off of that. >> yeah, yeah. you're right. took took a little something away. rosemary, what about you? have you liked those events at all in the past? i mean, maybe it's not your scene nowadays, but do you, like still my scene? >> still my scene? >> still your scene. you want to go big? big? >> i do. i love to be out, and i don't like to be out in the cold. i don't know if i would ever do the ball drop in new york, but put me inside a place and yeah, music going and friends and festivities and yeah, i'm in. >> that's the trouble with new

year's eve celebrations, though, is that it's that time of year when it's just going to be cold outside, no matter where you are. it's going to be freezing cold, and sometimes it's too expensive and you're trying to gauge whether or not it's worth going in. >> sometimes i feel like there's too much pressure on those, like planned events. sometimes i think it's the sort of natural events that make them more fun. like for the blue angels, when they were here, we went out to the city and we're just around people in north beach. we saw you. >> yeah. >> bumping into during the italian parade, festival or italian parade. and it was amazing. like it was a big crowd of people all there for the same reason. so i like those things that that people come together around a common thing. but it's when it gets expensive, right? >> yeah. >> when you start tacking on the cost and there's all sorts of there's all sorts of hoops to jump through and barriers like you talk about, like you got to, you know, we always hear about the, the times square, you know, the ball drop. you got to get there apparently. right. you got to get there hours ahead of time. they put you in the pen nowhere to go, no restrooms. i

mean, it's it sounds like sounds like a nightmare to me. so i have no desire to do anything like that on my bucket list. >> i still want to do. is it really just want to do it one time? >> put this one on your bucket list, okay. i once spent new year's eve in new orleans. >> wow, that sounds was crazy. that's a crazy, crazy fun, crazy crazy, crazy fun. >> but i mean, just out of control. >> yeah, yeah, for me, you know, i don't like. i don't want anything over the top like that anymore. but in years past, when i. when i worked in las vegas, las vegas, new years. oh, yeah, that is over the top. that is something special. i mean, just the strip. just, like, packed with people, fireworks off of the hotels. that is something special. like, i don't have a desire to do that anymore, but that's a that's a special memory. like you said, like new orleans not to drag this out, but right before covid took my teenage kids. >> yeah. and we did the new year's eve on the strip. oh, cool. and they had a blast. it was really cool because, you know, when you're teenagers, you're old enough to enjoy the festivities, but you're too young to get into a, you know, a bar or anything like that. so it

was actually a nice option. >> there's a certain energy about it. yeah. like just being around, there's some people that are all there for the same reasons. >> absolutely. all right. well we'll talk talk more about new year's eve, new year's traditions here. more like it or not. c

yeah. all right. welcome back in here. to like it or not, i'm alex savage, back here with our special new year's edition of

the show. we're here with greg lee. rosemary oroczo. tom vacar. great discussion so far about sort of what what type of new year's celebration we, we enjoy, whether it's kind of the over the top thing with huge crowds or just kind of a mellow scene at the house. the other option is you don't celebrate with anybody. you just you sounds great. and that's what i usually do. >> no, no, no, my nerves. i'm gonna go and celebrate. >> no, no. but sometimes. look, i mean, especially when you have kids, it's like, no, we're not going anywhere. we're not trying to drag these kids to anything. we're going to be at the house and we're just going to hang out and. and to that end, right. if you live here on the west coast, you can you can just watch the ball drop in new york at 9:00 at night. and you can you can call it good. and that's and that's new year's in a nutshell, especially for kids that, you know, they don't know the difference. yeah. you've done this before rosemary. all right. so what do you think about celebrating celebrating a few hours early here on the west coast and calling it good i like

it, you know, depending on your schedule, depending on your setup, whether you have children, young or not, it's just as long as you celebrate. >> yeah. as long as, you know whether it's 9:00 or midnight or, you know, if you get to bed early or for whatever reason, celebrate new year's day. i'm a dirty girl, so i'm good with day parties. dirty, dirty dances. >> i thought you said dirty. >> i thought i heard something different. >> dirty day party day. party. that's what the kids say. >> yes, i go to a party. >> yes. we just want to clarify. yes. okay, okay. a day party, a day party. >> as long as you celebrate. i'm learning new things. as you celebrate the end and the new beginning. i'm, i'm. >> it's the next day when you got. when you got a lot of energy and all that. staying up to midnight is it's hard. it's hard. tom. do you, do you. are you okay with celebrating early? >> i am, but i think the reason is that everything after 9:00 on the west coast is just not well

done. which was just to say that, you know, as it spreads across the rest of the world, why not do hawaii at midnight? it's midnight in hawaii, you know, you know, three hours later. so that would put us, you know, to their midnight. but i think the thing is that it's just not terribly interesting after the ball drops, because they don't think of it in terms of another kind of opportunity to show people the rest of the world. now, some of it happens way before, like in australia. sure, sure. but in terms of, you know, going across the ocean, there could be some really fun things to do there. yeah. and wouldn't take a lot of stuff because the satellites and all that stuff, it would actually be quite easy. it would be much more interesting. >> that is interesting. we don't really it is sort of true to a certain extent. i mean, the fireworks show in san francisco is nice. i'm not. but you're right. i mean, it doesn't feel like it's appointment viewing for people to. yeah, i got to see what this show looks like. i guess the vegas show can be one of those that you see on tv, but it's a really interesting point.

what you're the point you're making. it's sort of like the ball in new york and that's it. not much else. yeah, yeah, yeah. so what about you, greg? are you are you okay celebrating a few hours early here on the west coast? you got to stay up to midnight. >> growing up would always do east coast, new years, and then we'd be done. and that's for the longest time. what i thought it was. and i was like, oh, it's 10:00. we're done. because we were mountain time. but as an adult, i have to stay up till midnight, no matter. my schedule is the next day. yeah, i have to. i have to at least even if it's even if i'm going to bed at 1215, i have to stay up till midnight and see the day through. okay. see my watch change. see my clock change. >> yeah. make. make sure the new year actually arrives. that's right. >> something doesn't make sure it's not y2k on the other hand, you go back just a week earlier and you know when you think about people with santa claus coming, they'll stay up all night if they have to because they want that stuff. >> that's right. that's right. if we were getting some gifts on. yeah. that's right. exactly. you'd stay up for sure. all right. so obviously people, you know, you want a toast when the

clock strikes midnight on new year's eve. you a champagne person, tom? champagne? do you like it or not? >> i think the immortal words of w.c. fields, a man needs something to believe in. i believe i'll have another drink. >> whatever it is. >> champagne sparkling wine in this part of the this part of the world, oftentimes. rosemary, are you into champagne? >> yes, absolutely. love sparkling. doesn't have to be champagne, per se. it doesn't have to be sparkling. yeah. okay. >> how about. >> yeah, all about it. >> some sort of sparkling wine? yes. >> i love some bubbles, dude. yeah, i love some bubbles. >> you probably want. it has to be from the champagne region of france for you. i know, i know your type. it has to be. if it's not, i know your type. >> what is this? sparkling wine from the napa valley. this out of here. darn it! yeah, yeah. >> champagne. >> anything sparkling. you're all for it. all right. >> alex, are you a bubbly? >> yeah, no, i do, i do enjoy champagne. i enjoy champagne a sparkling rosé is really nice, too. so secco prosecco would be good. yeah. i'm not a big wine

drinker generally, but i do like sparkling wine, vodka tonics, sparkling. all right, we got more like it or not. coming up right after the break. yeah at the disneyland resort the happiest place on earth you'll find all kinds of happy you can find the my-dream-is-finally-coming-true kind of happy the i-just-found-my- new-favorite-treat kind of happy you can also find that woo-hooooo! (shouting) kind of happy there's the teaming-up-with-my-hero type of happy ... and the we're-never-going-to-forget-this kind of happy come find your happy today ... only at the disneyland resort.

yeah. all right. >> welcome back in here. to like it or not, we're having a good time here. celebrating the new

year with our fantastic panel. tom vacar rosemary oroczo. greg lee is here talking about, you know, our preferences when it comes to new year's eve celebrations. you know, we like to toast with something bubbly here. and another tradition that a lot of people have is the song you will hear playing once the clock strikes midnight on new year's eve. is an old tune and it's called auld lang sign. we all know this song. yeah, yeah, take it away, tom. tom, why don't you sing us a few bars? actually, you know what? i have something to help you. we have. we have some of the lyrics. i think we can put some of the lyrics up on there. >> should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind. should auld acquaintance be got. >> in the days of old lang zion. >> you guys sound good so well, well, well well you got, you got the rest of it. >> sign, baby. >> old lang sign. yeah, yeah. >> there you go. take it away, tom. you guys. >> so should i put you down for a, like on that, then? >> oh, yes. >> an old like an old lang. like

on that. you enjoy when that song comes on on new year's eve. >> you know what? i still enjoy every year is that after the ball drops, they play frank sinatra and louis armstrong and all that stuff. i think that's great. what's amazing to me is after all those years, modern writers haven't come up with something you could add to them. >> that's true. >> i don't know if it has. it has stood the test of time. i mean, this is an old, you know, hundreds of years old, an old scottish song. >> well, but, you know, i'm talking about the thing right after the show, right after the show, the first thing they play is guy lombardo song, right? oh, i think it's old lang syne. but the whole point is guy lombardo was a guy from the 20s and 30s. >> oh, right. sure, sure. >> and you know sinatra later than that, louis armstrong late, but nothing modern. >> yeah, yeah, that is interesting. we need some modern. we have. it's interesting when you when you talk about holiday songs because christmas has so more songs than we know what to do with thanksgiving. how many

thanksgiving songs are there out there? not a lot. turkey. new year's songs. like you said, we got the we got the one that we keep that we've been playing for hundreds of years anyway. >> yeah, michael buble will come out with something. >> oh, yeah. new year's song. do you, do you know this song, rosemary? you like this song? you like when it comes on? >> i love to hear it. i think i would miss it if i didn't hear it on new year's, but i don't know the words, i don't. i can't sing it. >> i don't know more than the first couple of yeah, it's a tough one. >> yeah. >> okay. we're gonna we're gonna learn it here before i carry it with me. >> when i go tell me that. >> all right? i'm. i'm told by my producers here we're not leaving until we all learn. oh, perfect. every verse too, by the way. we're going to go deep. all right. >> but let's learn it in the original gaelic. so it's really. >> absolutely. >> greg, what is this? does this song do anything for you? >> i like i think it's traditions, right? it's traditions. it's something that every year, you know, we would hear come over the tv when we

were celebrating. and it's one of those things that you just get used to. it's a tradition that you have with your families and something that we for sure have. so i didn't remember it until tom sang it, and i love it. >> i like tom vacar version. >> tom's rendition was very nice. >> well, well. >> yeah, it sounded good. i like it a lot too. it sort of, you know, as you said, it sort of evokes this sort of melancholy kind of feel, you know, something, something old is, you know, coming to an end, something new is beginning. and there's something nice about that. yeah, yeah. songs are all about evoking certain emotions. so does that for me. all right. we're going to practice our we're going to work on the lyrics here during the break. and we'll be back with our rendition of auld lang you know you want a burger. so make it my smashed jack, rated the best burger in fast food. it's even got more beef than a big mac. chin up, ronald. maybe you'll get a participation trophy. my smashed jack, now on sourdough. welcome to jack in the box!

at the disneyland resort the happiest place on earth you'll find all kinds of happy you can find the my-dream-is-finally-coming-true kind of happy the i-just-found-my- new-favorite-treat kind of happy you can also find that woo-hooooo! (shouting) kind of happy there's the teaming-up-with-my-hero type of happy ... and the we're-never-going-to-forget-this kind of happy come find your happy today ... only at the disneyland resort. if you think you can find another $5 breakfast meal served all day with something savory like my bacon breakfast jack

and something sweet like my fluffy french toast sticks... you thought wrong. but that's okay. i'll still let you have mine. at jack, every bite's a big deal. welcome to jack in the box! >> yeah. >> okay. we are back. more like it or not. i'm alex savage, back with the panel. greg lee is here. rosemary oroczo tom vacar as we wrap up the show here, obviously, you know, we talk about new year's traditions. there are some people who are very superstitious, to quote the great stevie wonder, very superstitious about, you know, things that you can and cannot do on when it comes to new year's. i was looking up some of these. some are somewhat obscure, but i've read that some people say you really should avoid breaking anything dishes, anything else, avoid breaking anything on new year's day. some people say you shouldn't do laundry or wash dishes on new

year's day. that's a tradition that some people have. and they also say you shouldn't pay back any loans or lend money to anybody on on on new year's day, i there's and there's those are just a few. rosemary what about you. are you are you into new year's superstitions? do you have any superstitions about things you do for the new year? no, nothing along those lines. >> i'm surprised at even the ones that you were just mentioning. i haven't. but one thing for sure, i'm staying out of the kitchen this year. i'm not going to cook or clean or break a dish or. yeah, yeah. with that. >> yeah, yeah. i mean, there is something about. right. you want to start. i mean, the whole idea is you want to start off the new year on, on the right note, if you're if you're superstitious and you know, breaking breaking something is not the way to go. tom. what about you? are you are you a superstitious guy when it comes to new year's? >> one time i did try to avoid kicking over a milk bottle and i fell under a ladder. but no, not at all.

>> so. sorry. >> all right. so not so. yeah, yeah. not so superstitious. >> greg, what do you think about this? yeah, i don't i don't have any, but i like that idea of not having to clean on new year's day. >> also, maybe i don't have to pay rent on new year's day then too. yeah, i'm not supposed to pay bills on that day. >> yeah, i don't yeah. i'm not sure how you're. yeah. how your creditors would feel about that. >> but my landlord will love it. >> your landlord. yeah i don't know. no, i'm not i'm not incredibly superstitious around new year's i you know, i might sort of, you know, sort of say a few kind of wishful thoughts to myself about hoping for, for a good new year, something like that. but i don't think i'm not incredibly superstitious, like with, you know, not wanting to break anything or anything like that. but yeah, that's, you know, a lot of folks have. yeah. have those superstitions. all right. well you, you tradition is you wake up on new year's day after a couple of glasses of

champagne or whatever your drink of choice was the night before. and a lot of people wake up and they want to watch the rose parade in pasadena. beautiful. beautiful scene, beautiful setting. you into this. greg, are you a rose parade? >> man? >> i love i love a parade that's like the best of the best. >> i love watching all the bands come through. i'm like, oh, look, that band is from the bay area, or that band is from new mexico and it's nice to see all of that joy on new year's day. right. like that's a it's a tradition. >> yeah. and those floats are are insane. yeah. just like completely put together carefully with, you know, flower petals and just i mean, the amount of work that goes into those is remarkable. rosemary, are you into the rose parade? >> no i'm not. >> rosemary is not into the rose parade. >> it might be on the tv kind of like background noise. yeah, yeah, but i can't sit and watch the whole. how long is it? it's. >> it's pretty long. it's like 3 or 4 hours. i don't watch the whole thing. i just like the

idea of seeing it. yeah. >> you know, i'll turn to it, watch it, walk away, come back, watch it. but yeah, maybe if you're there, maybe, maybe in person. >> it's more, it's harder to. yeah. i mean parades are certainly. yeah. there certainly are meant for you to watch them in person. i would agree with that much. yeah. i mean the whole idea is that you're sitting right there and taking it all in. so yeah, maybe maybe it doesn't play as well on tv. >> tom doesn't play as well. you get you get a better view. it's like watching football. it's really much easier to watch on tv. but i actually went to the rose parade one time some years ago, and it was spectacular. because you see these things and you realize how really sophisticated they are, way more than you would expect, much more detail than you would expect. real works of art. and it's pretty amazing thing. and then, of course, the community is so much together, so i like it. but i think something like that you should do once in your life, going to see it here on the west coast. that's an easy proposition. that is easy. >> you know, you just convinced me. i want to see rose parade. i want to go to times square ball

drop. no, no, we're making the list. let's not let's not get crazy. no, no rose parade, though, like tom said, i mean, it's doable. you go to southern california, you make the make the plan to be there and be on hand. i think experiencing that in person would be would be pretty pretty incredible. yeah. yeah. i mean those floats are are something else. they put them on display right after the fact. and then and then folks can come down and go check them out as long as they want. yeah. a great tradition. maybe we'll have to check it out. this is fun, you guys. yeah, it's a good time. absolutely. what about. what about football on new year's day? you guys? absolutely. i mean, without a doubt. have to. rosemary, what about you? >> like it or not, i like it, i like it. >> college football, new year's day. are you just saying that? >> oh, the show will wrap up. >> tommy, what about you? football on new year's day. >> sad. sad to say that almost every new year's i work because i want others to be able to take the day off and i. so i'm working. all right. >> well, we appreciate it. >> we appreciate you, tom. >> yeah, i doubt it. >> happy new years you guys. happy new year. happy new year

to you. >> we appreciate you watching. have a good one. we'll see you next time on like it or not. and send us your questions please. we may use them during the show. have a good one. >> yeah. rock your body. move it out. go and take that step. >> go and break it down. rock your body. move it out. go and take that step. >> go and break it down. rock your body. move it out. go and take that step. go and break it down. rock your body. move it out. don't take that step. go and break it down. eah hi i'm frank malacca. welcome to our bay area people and places special. in the next half hour. you will meet some extraordinary people living their best life right here in the greater bay area, and we begin with the lafayette, ma'am, a man that was told in his fifties. if he didn't exercise, he'd be in trouble. so bob met, i got motivated and started walking and walking and walking so much

so he hit the 50,000 mile marker back in 2018. so if you need inspiration. bob is your man. once i got started, i have never stopped. it's hard to keep up with lafayette's bob valentine. he's been on the go for nearly 40 years, walking an hour each and every one of those nearly 15,000 days. doctors orders well, i had my physical he says, bob, what are you doing for exercise? i says, i'm still care my briefcase. what's her name? brett so bob got busy at age 52, and he's still walking now at 92. this is the last one. 49,871 he's logged every step in his 40 plus journals and figures he's worn out over 140 pair of sneakers. he celebrated the 25 k

marker on the golden gate bridge in 97 at 21. years later, he's now closing in on 50,000 miles. that's twice around the world. i know how's that make you feel? we get what? i'm sure i'm sure it's not a major event for anybody but me. this is my daughter. this is nancy. well, it is a big deal to his family. he and his late wife, jewel, have four kids, 14 grand and five great grandkids. all will be front and center when this harvard grad hits the 50 k mark in his lafayette neighborhood, if it hadn't been for my walk, and i'm sure be in the history books. i play music, the whole trip. really and what do you what do you listen to karen carpenter? i just think carpenter fabulous. top down.

yes he's old school, and it served him well as for that 60 k marker. well he's not done yet. and i'm gonna back off now. i think from 100 miles about to 60 sixers 68, miles, you, slacker. yeah exactly. so, what are you still laughing today? i spoke with bob this week still is in lafayette. he's still walking, although not keeping track of the miles anymore, he said. it's the only reason i'm still on the planet. frank god bless you, bob valentine. he is now 98 years old and still walking. all right now to a story about a hiker who was a late bloomer in life to the hiy world. but when oakland's hannah alger up her first pair of boots. she was hooked now in her late eighties, i caught up with hanna five years back after completing a 300 mile trek through spain's

camino de santiago. it's hard to keep up with 84 year old hannah alger. i am a late bloomer to hiking. there is no question about it. the mother of five grandmother to nine is often on the run, leaving her piedmont manor senior community and heading straight for the east bay hills. at the age of 78. this former tech worker and teacher caught the hiking bug and has never looked back. simple there is nothing that i have to do other than get up. and move 1 ft. in front of the other. in six short years, hanna has hiked thousands of miles, including five treks through europe. her latest a 300 mile rom in september from pamplona, spain, along the camino de santiago, a one month solo journey with nothing more than a small backpack, a jug of water and a curious spirit. there were priests from south korea there, nurses from south africa, uh,

people had left their house behind in germany and just locked the door and said, we're gone. they are all in search of something for hanna. it's a chance to be free. she and her husband gene, have been married 54 years the last two decades. she's been as caretaker, so these long hikes help her to recharge and something remarkable has happened along the trail. while meeting the world the world has taken note of this super senior. i was not surprised. that they thought i was some kind of an i use the word inspiration, but i was very surprised how many of them said. that having met me walking changed their life. hanna lost her husband, jane, sadly in 2020 , but she remains very active in life. she just got back from a trip to maine and boston and this october off to panama, and then the ultimate hike into the

ancient city of masu pu in peru. we wish her well. well imagine playing three plus rounds of golf a week into your early one hundreds sounds impossible. not so for super senior golfer cd matson has spent a day on the golf course with this 101 year old mar marvel just a few years back, his energy is unmatched in his game. i'll let you be the judge. cd matson, born in march of 1918 101 years, young and the man still has. it's just feels wonderful, because you know older people get in the habit of sitting and i hate to sit it's true since joining nevada's marine country club in 1960 cd figures he's played nearly 10,000 rounds of golf, and he is still good for three or four rounds a week and consistently

shoots below his age. i did pretty good today, though, i had a 91 today and i. i blew it about three holes. the former contractor has seen it all. he grew up in sausalito and watched the golden gate go up in the thirties. he was a young sailor when the battle of okinawa broke out in 45 he married high school sweetheart, charlotte in 1940, their son, ralph, is now 78, along with two grandchildren and two great grandsons. and his secret to life is pretty simple. i had a great wife and we were married for, uh, 68.5 years. and i think it had a lot to do with. she was a wonderful girl. she was beautiful gown. his spirit, the best you couldn't find anybody who has better spirit. he's always thinking positive. it's not often you get your own plaque in a country club. but cd did because it's not often you get your first toll in one at age 99. no ways today, but cd is

patient. besides he's still reveling in holding one number one. it was a miracle. it had to be a miracle. did 99 years without a hole in one and then you get one? how could you be so lucky? for the 1/100 time? it's a pga championship. yep this championship is a lot like me a century old and just getting started. cd got national attention when the pga championship turned 100 last year and asked him to voice their promo. he aced that too. as for the future? no, i just feel like i'm lucky i you know, i wake up in the morning early. come out here early and play around and play 18. and boy did he play a lot of golf two weeks after this feature aired back in 2019. i actually played around with cd at marine country club. he shot a 90. he beat me by four strokes. a remarkable man that sadly left us just a month before he turned 102 back in

2020, but a full life indeed. i had this constant stress the entire trip of like, oh, my god, i'm not gonna make it home to my kid. oh, my god. i'm not gonna make it home to my wife. up next a bay area principal and crew took on mother nature, and they won in a big way. the amazing story of the rowing team that conquered the icy waters

welcome back everyone. it's a feat that had never been done. it was dubbed the impossible row in 2019 600, plus miles from the tip of south america to antarctica. well in oakland principal was part of a crew that survived that frigid two week ordeal and here is his very personal story. good morning, team. love good to see you. john peterson is the principal of west oakland's bridge academy elementary 35 year old los gattas native is a firm believer in the power of positivity. students are greeted with music every day. like on this morning back in february, let's get in the wood. woohoo master class, great job, and the faculty huddles up before each school day. it's a tone setter for success. all lessons learned at peterson's other love rowing. being in a school it relies on

teamwork relies on compassion. uh it relies on awareness and i think out there on the water. it was the same principles. how's morale viking shift is high. peterson took a teaching sabbatical in december, he and five others did what no men have ever done before rode across the deadly drake passage. 600 plus miles from the tip of to antarctica, 13 days through the world's most treacherous water, facing frigid 30, ft waves, and the former yale crew captain lived to tell the tale. imagine sitting in like a washing machine with a blindfold on and the water being freezing. basically. their expedition was captured by the discovery channel. six thrill seekers rode 90 minute shifts in a 29 ft boat called the ohana dubbed the impossible roe while three wood row the others would eat and sleep night and day in snug quarters, 300, plus continuous hours on the ocean would just 2

10 hour breaks. i'd always been super interested in teams and how teams come together and also really wanted to do try. just try something, um that i thought was was gonna be once in a lifetime. and this was it. and on christmas day, the ohana reached antarctica with frostbitten toes and now £20 lighter. peterson was the first to step out of the boat, exhausted but completely satisfied. i had this constant stress the entire trip of like, oh, my god, i'm not gonna make it home to my kid. oh, my god. i'm not gonna make it home to my wife. and to be able to step on my end and be like i'm gonna make it home. it just it felt like all this stress just rolled off my body and welcome back. jb. two weeks later, peterson was back at work the impossible ro complete but many reminders at the school. after all, this

was a teaching moment, not just for his students. but for peterson, too. it's the same principle as being in a school being on the drake. um challenges come your way, and you rely on your team to get the wrong am i the most badass principle in america, um if anybody else wants to ro drake with me, bring it on. let's do it well. john has since left kipp academy in oakland now is running his own business called threshold rising. it's a company that focuses on leadership. as fellowship tells me he's still rowing, too. in fact, he's currently training and organizing a race all the way from santa cruz to monterey in september. well our next story is not far from monterey bay. it's about a train that has been steaming through the santa cruz red. for 61 years, a throwback to a bygone era. we're talking about the roaring camp railroad. i jumped on board three years ago to get a little taste of the one wild west. all aboard the

dixie anna, a 108 year old steam locomotive straight from tennessee and west virginia's smoky mountains. it's been carton precious cargo at felton's roaring camp railroad since 1963, the engineer is 60 year old phil reeder. he too straight out of central casting. like i tell people you know, they all have a soul. they are living breathing machine. they're all different. this little girl here? you know, she's a sweetheart. you know, she'll do just about anything you ask her to do except maybe climb a tree when there's a lot of trees over 100 acres of beautiful redwoods. some have been untouched for well over 1000 years. plus mile trek. up and down. bear mountain is a half hour journey through time under a canopy of mother nature's best. i mean, the redwoods on their own, are super majestic, but writing an ancient

steam train and the smoke billowing out and just i mean, it's a it's a trip into the past, and especially for the little ones. there's apps. it's nothing like anything they've seen before. it's not like an amtrak train. this is like a true deal. old west experience. campers are greeted with a train whistle in a town that is circa 1880 from the general store to the train station. it quickly turns big kids into little ones long before you board the train. i want my daughter to experience the same thing that i've always wanted to experience. you may have a little conductor on your hand. i think so. it's not an easy job. the dixie anna burns through over 700 gallons of water and each of its half dozen trips up the mountain every day. donald sage is both the waterman and the firemen in the engine cab, dirty and greasy and what it's nothing quite like it. so we all believe in the project. we all believe in what we're doing. well, the work is hard, heavy, dirty. not always easy. i

was gonna say, do you have a good detergent at home? oh yeah. oh, yeah, believe it or not, i do clean up well. a warning. before you go. there's something about that train's horn. that is a little contagious, and you might be hearing it long after you get home. yeah i bet the parents are still hearing it at home roaring camp railroad still going strong and their boardwalk beach train is back this spring by the way park in the redwoods and enjoy a 40 minute ride down to santa cruz beach and boardwalk all summer long. it's a win win. its own words. you gotta love living baby, because diane is a pain in the. ok she's perhaps the biggest sinatra fan on the planet and had the same

job for 75

at the disneyland resort the happiest place on earth you'll find all kinds of happy you can find the my-dream-is-finally-coming-true kind of happy the i-just-found-my- new-favorite-treat kind of happy you can also find that woo-hooooo! (shouting) kind of happy there's the teaming-up-with-my-hero type of happy ... and the we're-never-going-to-forget-this kind of happy come find your happy today ... only at the disneyland resort.

40 years is a long time at any job. how about 75 for an east bay woman? it was a labor of love. nine different decades at one job until she finally retired from alta bates hospital in 2021 say hello to an ageless wonder aus alena griffin, better known as auntie babe. we go.

just try and keep up with ada's elena griffey. good luck. you'll need it. i keep saying i should have worked one more year, but 75 sounds that's a good that's a good a good number. that's right . for 75 years, this 95 year old dynamo has walked the halls at sutter's alate summit medical center in berkeley. my first day of work was april 10th 1946 her uniform a perfectly pressed coat and stylish heels. her secretary skills were unrivaled in the hospital's labs and burn unit. but it's her passion and smile that brings such joy. and now, 27,000 plus days later, she's finally saying goodbye to a job she dearly loves. i couldn't wait to get to work every day. i couldn't wait to get there. i took vacations because i can't have to. when you enjoy what you're doing, and you think you

you feel like you're doing i think for somebody and it gives you such joy. i used to do an 18 minute mile. now i do a 20 minute mile. helena's secret. find your passion. she stays fit on her treadmill and finds solace in her elaborate camellia garden, loves her dog, peggy and adores her 30, plus nephews and nieces. now two generations strong, but that's not all. in other darling, kiss me. the soon to be retiree, was head of the frank sinatra fan club in the forties, and she's still a member. she owns every single sinatra album, autographed photos litter her walls and lots and lots of memorabilia. sheiva met old blue eyes and snapped a photo with the crooner years ago . yes frank is her guy frank's own words. you got to love living baby because dying is a pain in the yes. elena is a

straight shooter with a big heart who can teach us all a lesson or two. you just get up and get out of bed and go to work and see what you can do. she just keeps moving. elena just turned 98 in late march, still a good health and enjoy her garden and, of course, sinatra tunes still playing in her arenda home. by the way, elena only missed six days of work over that 75 years, and if you're counting, that's one every 12.5 years. talk about dedication up next. have you ever been to the tiny town of canyon? a unique enclave with a very rich history? we're going to take you on a tour when we come back here with more on bay area

at the disneyland resort the happiest place on earth you'll find all kinds of happy you can find the my-dream-is-finally-coming-true kind of happy the i-just-found-my- new-favorite-treat kind of happy you can also find that woo-hooooo! (shouting) kind of happy

there's the teaming-up-with-my-hero type of happy ... and the we're-never-going-to-forget-this kind of happy come find your happy today ... only at the disneyland resort. welcome back. it is one of the bay areas hidden gems the town of canyon once a thriving lumber town, is now a sleepy redwood suburb of moraga 300. plus still call it home in a town few really know about and the locals couldn't be happier. it sits on the eastern slope of the oakland hills and just a few miles east of moraga, draped in massive redwoods and features some of the best views in the bay area, the town of canyon is thriving. this 18 fifties logging town is now home to 300 plus that enjoy a simpler way of life. any

community with trees special and beautiful. so you you're in a fabulous, fairly unusual forest, and then you've got this tradition. a tiny town of what's chokingly been called a tight knit community of rugged individualists. esperanza pratt would know. she and her eight siblings moved to canyon in 1970 . she's a graduate of the canyon school, which teaches k through eighth grade. the former teacher and current vice president of the school board says their mantra is simple. one school 72 students and 10,000 redwoods, a perfect place to learn. grow in a natural setting. they have probably in our institution, a little bit more voice and a little bit more choice. the state guidelines are a foundation, but we are committed to using the creek as a natural living lab. so you have a emphasis on outdoor education

and on science, learning and science integration. if you've never heard a canyon, you're not alone. in fact, just three miles down this road is the town of moraga. and a lot of people there have never step foot in canyon. it's just, uh, beautiful little place that nobody knows about and folks in canyon are ok with that they enjoy their privacy over 80 homes dot the hillside and are easy to miss. the residential roads are private and have clever names. the homes are rustic and in some cases out of this world. meanwhile the real world is just miles away. but you would never know. because we're unincorporated. you don see a city limits. you do see a sign that says canyon one mile or something like that. but you could drive past the school in the post office and not know what they are. that's right. canyon has a post office. welcome to the 945 106 all canyon. it also serves as a

community meeting place, complete with a flea market free bench and a redwood bulletin board. the post office keeps them connected in a town where everybody knows your when we rebuilt the school in the early nineties it was there goes my brother, jeff. it is all about family and friends in kenya, and that's a look at bay area of people and places. hope you enjoyed the show. everyone i'm frank icco. h e a gr some of the best creative and innovative products are made right here in the bay area. these companies are setting an example and changing the landscape in many industries, including some of your favorite food, drinks and chocolate. we've got a whole kombucha station over here. it's in the warriors locker room, and many people like it for its health benefits. we go into the lab

where marin kombucha is made. there's a lot of crispy chicken options available out there, but starboard definitely stands out. fried chicken bay area style. what makes starboard different from the usual southern favorite? and the surprise? even the founder didn't expect. and one local company has something special for the wine lovers on your list. ours is a quickest, fastest way to open a bottle of wine. and if you get a headache when drinking red wine, they have something for that too. those stories and more that are all made in the bay. welcome to our special dedicated to the companies and products that are made in the bay. i'm pam cook. one local company is bringing a west coast twist to a southern favorite fried chicken at starboard. there's a lot of fresh homestyle cooking, and there are some surprises and everything, including the sauce, is made in the bay. starboard

was hatched in san francisco with the idea of changing the look and taste of fast food and giving fried chicken a west coast vibe. if you think about traditional chicken restaurants, most of them are rooted in the south. you know, kfc and raising cane's and chick fil a's, zaxby's. they're all sort of southern concepts. our idea was to be a more contemporary, modern, even urban sentiment to or even a west coast style of chicken concept. they tried about 100 different recipes in their test kitchen to come up with a lighter, healthier fried chicken. it was a mixture of all sorts of different types of flowers, rice flour being one of the most prominent ones that creates a much lighter, crispier bite. and after the fact we realized, hey, wait a second, this product is actually gluten free. being gluten free was a fortunate accident at starboard that allows more people to eat fried chicken, and customers can also choose a plant based option

called garden bird. so a lot of people who wants to have fried chicken and don't want to have this grill, they're able to come here and have an assortment of fried chicken. what is this tender boneless chicken nuggets. so i think that is where we really knocked the ball out of the park. we talked with customers who seem to notice the difference right away. there's a lot of even maybe like crispy chicken chicken options available out there. but starboard definitely stands out the crispiness, the flavor, the different sauces. and all the people who work here are really nice too, so that also helps. i thought it was amazing. best fried chicken i think i've ever had. i don't know what they're seasoning with, but it's working. the secret to starboard success may be that everything, including the seasoning, is made fresh at each restaurant. we bred our chicken in small batches, and then we fry it in small batches just to ensure premium quality. all of our

sauces are going to be made in-house, as well as all our salad dressings are made in-house. the sauces and seasonings are also inspired by the diversity of the bay area. we have a lot of interesting asian flavors and latin flavors. mediterranean flavors come into our food, so it's not just traditionally southern for fried chicken. and that creates a little bit more excitement and a little bit diversity of our clientele. starboard also works on providing a nice environment for the employees. actually, i started while i was still in college at starboard, and they have a great education program that covered some of the cost of my university. i'm a mother, i'm a grandmother, i'm a provider. so it's very important that i'm able to take care of my family without worrying or without stressing. we know that if we're contributing to them and they feel good about where they work, they'll likely take care of our customers and their team and feel good about coming to work every day. of course. thank you so much. see you tomorrow. well, starboard is quickly expanding and gaining customers and employees. they are currently hiring for the new location under construction in cupertino

on stevens creek boulevard. wel, you may have noticed starboard has partnered with another bay area original in its restaurant. at the drink machine, you will find alameda soda. they are not trying to be a healthy drink, just a better version of a classic. making soda starts like science in a lab. there's probably 20 something ingredients on the back. okay? and plus more ingredients that they don't have to list. sky pace used to work for one of the big soda companies, but he didn't like using all those ingredients. i wanted to make the soda as clean and easy as possible. anthony sloan also worked for one of the big soda companies before sky approached him about his idea. i thought, you're crazy. i mean, like, why would you start a soda company? you're going up a coke and pepsi? no one ever does that. it just doesn't work. but it did work because alameda soda is different. now that we have it, 100% natural flavors and pure

cane sugar, you can really taste the difference. the way that sugar hits your taste buds. it doesn't coat it the way corn sirup does. customers agree they drink it and they said, oh, you know what this reminds me of when i went to a baseball game with my dad, when i was younger. it tastes like that soda doesn't taste like that anymore. and i was like, cool. that's what i wanted to do. this is your kick, your bite when it's mixed with carbonated water. it gets you the sodium bicarbonate. we're testing to make sure that the amount of coloring and the amount of flavoring is going to be the proper brix. so basically, like if you were baking a cake and you had three parts of flour and two parts water, you'd want to, this would make certain that your measurements are correct. each flavor took about six months of tasting, mixing, and measuring, and then naming, which also comes from the bay area. like

cable car, lemon lime and golden gate orange. everybody i talked to when they drink their orange soda, go, oh man, that's just like when i used to have these orange pops. i love having our oaktown root beer with a pizza. you know, it's just it's amazing. once the formula was perfected, it needed co2 to become soda. and alameda soda got into that business as well to avoid supply chain issues. i had to get into distributing the actual co2 and filling the tanks. or i could expect to have, you know, downtime. in fact, alameda soda is involved in every part of the process, including making, installing, and servicing the soda machines to make sure it tastes the same every time at every local restaurant. it makes starboard unique as well to have such a local vendor that has craft sodas. i think one of our most popular drinks with our guests is our oaktown root beer. it's

really good, i like it. what did you try? cable car? lemon lime. i got the oak or the old fountain cream, which is like a soda. i don't usually drink. and it's kind of like. i don't really know how to describe it, but it's really good. it's like a great cream soda. different than most sodas i usually drink. we're creating this kind of local ethos of like good food and fun that people can reflect on, because that's really what these experiences are. they're like, they create these memories and these memories, like tell a story. the next step in the experience getting alameda soda at home. voila. i have a can. the cans are now available in stores in alameda and then expanding around the bay area and beyond. starting january 1st and coming soon, sirup packages for soda stream or your own soda. making machine. a subscription will include a co2 cylinder exchange sent right to

you. well, chase center steph curry and the warriors are in on this next made in the bay for me. it's really fun to know that these athletes are drinking our product and we're helping fuel their success. they apply chemistry at marin kombucha. it starts with something called a scoby and ends with a functional drink.

that many people love it and swear by its health benefits. others say it's an acquired taste. they haven't quite acquired. at marin kombucha, they make what they call an active culture for an active culture. it starts with what's called a scoby, which stands for symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. a friend of mine who worked at a distillery gave me a kombucha culture and was like, you should try this. i'm like, i want nothing to do with that. but he changed his mind. i have a chemistry background and so i applied that to what i was. okay, i'll try my best. and that was the start of marin kombucha. we had a business model that was if within three weeks we're not at a break even state. and also a soccer mom hasn't reached out to us, then maybe this is just a failed business endeavor. within

just a few weeks, they were breaking even and a soccer mom did reach out and stopped by to pick up a case. so what is kombucha? kombucha, in essence, if you were to define it, is fermented tea. it's a two step, two step process where the first step is a shorter time at a lower temperature, and then the next step to get more out of the tea leaves will be a longer time at a higher temperature, and that provides a balance for our finished product. what's funny is the scale of our like tea bag to our kettles. it's for a giant. after the steeping is the fermentation process. kombucha is made similar to how yogurt is made, in that if you finish your bowl of your jar of yogurt and there's a little bit left, you can add milk to it, cover it and

it will all become yogurt. so every week we empty our fermenter all but a little bit left of that ferment, and that product all goes into bottles and kegs and what's left behind. we add more tea and more sugar and more water, and then that kombucha that's there spreads throughout the rest. so how does it taste? a lot of kombucha that you'll try are going to be heavily fizzy and ours is more of light and sweet. and so our various flavors actually hit different parts of the palate. right now, one of our popular flavors is melon rose. and, you know, you can kind of for each person, they can distinguish one part, one flavor first and then the other. and for somebody else it might be different where they taste the rose first and then the melon afterwards. fancy names for what they call a functional drink. a lot of recent research has been around gut health and the pathway to the mind and without proper gut

health, you won't have that channel. and then everything can be affected. whether it's your performance as an athlete or in an office at this time. marin kombucha is the only kombucha that is nsf certified as a sports drink, so it's the only one used in major league baseball. we got a whole kombucha station over here. it's also on tap in the warriors locker room at chase center. for me, it's really fun to know that these athletes are drinking our product and we're helping fuel their success. marin kombucha is now fueling more athletes. since our visit, including texas a&m, clemson and indiana. they also have expanded into new york, where marin kombucha is now in more than 100 stores in the pipeline, they're working on a probiotic kombucha powder that can be added to water for an on the go hydration and recovery drink. well, from the jungles in

the amazon to a lab in berkeley, good chocolate starts with an odd looking bean pod. underneath you have these cocoa beans that are designed by nature not to be eaten. that's where the art of chocolate making comes in. we take you to tcho chocolate for a look at their flavor labs that turn those beans into creamy goodness. and we're going to show you how this local company brings the farmers into the whole process.

to make good wine, you need to start with good grapes. to make good chocolate, you need to start with good cocoa beans. that's the philosophy at tcho, based in berkeley, where part of their mission is to find new ways to better the world through chocolate rich, creamy chocolate actually starts with an unusual plant and a seed that tastes bad. it's this very peculiar doctor seuss ian tree, where the flowers grow right off the trunk of the tree. and over the course of about six months, they turn into these funny like nerf football shaped pods. underneath you have these cocoa beans that are designed by nature not to be eaten. it doesn't taste great. that's for the art of chocolate making comes in. brad kinser is the chief chocolate maker at tcho, based in berkeley. the fermentation is actually what

lowers the bitterness, the astringency, all those like like harsh tannins that that are in the cocoa, it lowers them and it actually develops the chocolaty flavors that we know and love so that when it's dried and then roasted, that's when the explosion of chocolaty goodness comes, comes to life. the cocoa beans come from the tropical regions near the equator. tcho chocolate does the roasting at origin to build a relationship with the farmers and to be more eco friendly, we're shipping less raw material here, but also we're able to provide a lot of great jobs at origin and support those communities. however, along the way, the chocolate makers at tcho discovered that the cocoa farmers had never actually tasted the finished product. which is like sad because chocolate is awesome, but it's also it's a huge challenge for us when we're trying to communicate what we're looking for in terms of cocoa quality and be able to buy that cho set up what they call flavor

labs, which are small versions of their bean to bar chocolate making machines so the farmers can be part of the whole proces. brian jones has also been part of the process at tcho for six years. he makes sure all the machines are running and the chocolate is flowing. his favorite pumpkin spice bread really did it on that one. toffee is good too, but the almonds beat the beat. the toffee. yes, it's at the top. it's on top. okay. yep. whether it's a home chef that might be using our chocolate to bake with a professional chef, that white tablecloth restaurant, maybe an ice cream manufacturer. we sell, we sell to as well. we even sell cocoa beans to breweries that that use them to make beers nearby. millennium cafe has been using tcho chocolate in their desserts for about eight years. trying all these different wonderful chocolates that tastes so different, reminds me to continue to be creative. i've worked with their new white chocolate and milk chocolate

that are both vegan, and they're so creamy you really can't tell the difference between a traditional milk chocolate and white chocolate. cho recently made the decision to go all plant based and apply new thinking to something that hadn't been changed in years, knowing and loving the diversity that exists in the plant world. it was kind of a fun challenge, he says. the switch took a few years to figure out the combination of a really great oat milk, cashew butter and a really nice caramelized coconut sugar allowed us to, like, kind of create this trifecta of absolute deliciousness. and the bay area gets a lot of the credit. cho was really born with that innovative bay area spirit. some of our founders worked at nasa, worked at, started wired magazine. you know, just really creative thinkers looking to change the world of chocolate, which is why the tea in cho is said to stand for technology

chocolate. there's a thousand different ways to pull flavor and texture in different directions, so we just make what we know and love well. some of the newer flavors include local collaborations. carl, the nog, a play on karl the fog, uses an oat milk, eggnog and nutmeg. napa noir, a cabernet salted dark chocolate with barrel aged cacao nibs from the cliff. family winery and culture shock with a finish of pop rocks. cho chocolate does offer tours of their factory in berkeley, where you can see, smell and taste. the process for yourself. well, right near the heart of wine country is a company that has revolutionized opening a bottle of wine. cork pops was named for the sound it makes, but the company makes more than 100 gadgets, including one for people who get a headache when drinking red wine. that story when we come bac

cork pops makes what they say is the easiest, quickest way to open a bottle of wine. but they didn't stop there. the founder worked with a chemist to help people who often get a headache when drinking red wine. yeah, these are some of the patterns they've taken over the years. bill frederick is a tinkerer, a machinist and inventor, and it runs in the family. out of high school, i started working for my father in san francisco, and it was like an industrial world back then. but he wanted to have something for himself, something he created. this is our legacy wine opener. it has a built in foil cutter so you can put your hands down low and you simply go down like this. turn the bottle, cut the foil. then you want to insert the needle right down the middle of the cork. and then you just press. ours is the

quickest, fastest way to open a bottle of wine. a lot of people that have arthritis in their hands use it. and it's just a really easy tool to use and fun. the company is appropriately named cork pops for the job it does and the sound it makes. this is a compressed gas. it's opened about 80 bottles of wine. the canisters are made of aluminum so you can toss it into your recycling bin. it also works great for older bottles of wine. when the cork may fall apart because the needle is coated with teflon. but he didn't stop there. we worked with a chemist and so these get soaked. and then when we vacuum seal them, it keeps them so they don't dry up and then you just stir it in the glass for six seconds and it takes the sulfites out. so no headache. he also created vino ice, a reusable metal stick you can keep in the freezer. then insert

it into a bottle of wine for a quick chill and a wine aerator that also serves as a beautiful pour spout. it took time for me to get this so they would go just the perfect balance. cork pops is based in novato in marin county and everything is made in the shop. are we ready? bill even created some machines to make the work easier for the employees and more efficient. i made that for them so it's easier for them to open the bag. i love it, it's working around the machinery and, you know, working on it on myself. so that's that's good. i'm like the maintenance guy around here, just a very small family, business owned company. and they treat their employees like one of their own. i love that, you know, you can't. honestly, it's hard to find companies like that take care of their employees. you know, right off the bat, i just came for a summer. i was

working for families during the summer, and we came to get a desk, and the guy said, hey, do you want a part time job? i said, yeah, my guy's not paying me. so i'll come work here. and i've been here ever since. that was 27 years ago. and he's not the only longtime employee at cork pops. this is nora. yeah, with her mom in the stroller with her daughter, and now her daughter's in college. this is a perfect place to work because i got the opportunity to raise my daughter as well. you know, having, like, being with her and, like, school meetings or things like that. so it was a very flexible schedule. this is ready to go. just like that. we just started with that one item and then now 35 years later, we manufacture like 150 different items. cork pops makes about 1200 of those legacy wine openers a day. bill told me they went through about 1 million

prototypes before they got it just how we wanted. now he's working on shakers that crush ice perfectly and other fun gadgets for cocktails. that's it for our made in the bay special for more stories on these great companies and products based right here in the bay area, head to our website and check under specials. you can also send in your ideas for our next feature. i'm pam cook. thanks for watching. news from new orleans, where ten people have been killed and at least 30 others injured after a car plowed into a crowd during new year's celebrations and new insurance rules now in effect across california. why many homeowners fear the rules will make matters worse for them, then. [applause]