La Mirada Prepares for Possible Very Wet Winter
Local agencies statewide have ramped up preparations for what forecasters are predicting could be a winter with heavy El Niño-driven storms. The City of La Mirada is taking steps to ensure it is prepared to respond to hazardous conditions El Niño may create.
City and Los Angeles County crews continue to work hard to prepare storm drains, roadways and City facilities for what may become a very wet winter. Preparations included inspecting roadways and clearing inlet areas of rocks, vegetation, and dirt to ensure storm runoff can be adequately drained from the roadways, and surveying hazardous areas for mud, debris, and low lying areas.
City officials are also working with the County to ensure flood control catch basins have been cleared of debris and sandbags are readily available at local fire stations.
Residents and businesses should also take steps to prepare for the heavy rain. Residents and businesses are encouraged to fix leaks, inspect and repair roof coverings, and clean out gutters and downspouts. An emergency kit with adequate supplies for the entire household, including pets, should be created.
Ring in the New Year With the New You
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, New Year’s resolutions are a good thing. If you struggle to believe that, it’s probably because of a history of failed resolutions. This year, however, you owe it to yourself to become the new person you want to be. Not in order to impress other people. You’re going to do it to remind yourself that yes, you can do whatever you put your mind to—you can become a better person.
Ready to get started on the road to a new you? Keep reading to find out what you’ve got to do this the year to make the new you happen!
Talk about It-After a few years of failed resolutions, you may want to keep your plans a secret. But don’t! If your family and friends don’t know what your goals are, you won’t have their support in your journey. They may scoff or snigger when they find out you have big plans for the coming year, but don’t let them get you down. Most likely, they’re jealous. So whether you want to be more committed to your gym routine, eat better, or be more patient with your kids, don’t keep your resolution for a new you to yourself!
Start with Pre-Tests-Next Monday may be when you’ve decided to really begin committing to your new self, but don’t wait that long. Start today with some pre-tests. Once a day, find a way to implement your new lifestyle into your routine. That may mean skipping dessert one night. Or maybe it’s letting your spouse have the remote control. Then again, it could be chewing on a carrot instead of going for a cigarette break when stressed. Whatever it is, scoring these small victories lets you know that you can indeed become the new person in the New Year that you desire.
Expect Success-There’s a reason New Year’s resolutions are the punch line for countless jokes. There are people, however, who beat the odds and stick with their resolutions. This time around, you’re going to be one of them. Not because you’re better than other people who can’t keep from overeating. And not because you’re smarter than people who don’t read a book every month (like you’re planning to do this year). The reason you’re going to succeed is because you want it, and nothing is going to stop you. When you expect success and realize it is possible—which it is—you’re prepared to do what it takes to find that success. Now go for it!
Take the Polar Bear Plunge on New Years Day
Celebrate the New Year at Splash! on Friday, Jan. 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. Bring family and friends to join in and slide down the two story water slides in Buccaneer Bay. The plunge will be forever remembered with a keepsake photo.
Admission is $5 or free for 2016 season pass holders, and includes admission into the plunge, a souviner photo, hot chocolate, and swimming in the heated 25-yard pool from noon to 5 p.m.
For those not interested in taking the plunge, the heated pool will be open for swimming from 12 to 5 p.m. The cost is $3 for adults and $2 for children.
For more information, call Splash! at (562) 902-3191 or visit www.splashlamirada.com.
STATE CHAMPIONS!
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| Players surround La Mirada High head coach Mike Moschetti after winning their first state title. The Matadores beat Campolindo 27-3 on Saturday, December 19th to capture the CIF Division 3AA championship. Photo Rich Lawce |
Matadores Playing for First State Title
La Mirada~Goodman Stadium will be the site once again as the La Mirada High Matadores football program attempts to capture its first-ever state title this Saturday night as they take on NoCal regional champ Campolindo in the Division III-AA championship game.
The Matadores are riding a 12-game winning streak since losing to San Clemente 42-26 on September 18th.
La Mirada reached the title game after beating Oceanside last week in a SoCal regional contest 36-14.
The rushing of star running back Sei-J Lauago and a staunch defense has allowed La Mirada to roll over their opponents.
In what seemed like the pinnacle of the season at the time, La Mirada beat La Serna 45-20 on December 5th to capture their third CIF Southern Section championship and first since 2009. Coach Mike Moschetti has had a hand in all three (one for each of the last three decades), including as a player in 1992.
Campolindo, a defending state champion, is riding an 11-game winning streak. The champions of the Diablo Foothill League, the Cougars (14-1) last loss was also on September 18th, a 20-14 setback against Napa.
The state bowl system was reconfigured this year. It was expanded from five to thirteen games, allowing for more opportunities for schools to get titles. Consequently, there are more schools than ever playing this late into the year.
The Matadores will take a state championship anyway they can get it, "This is something we have wanted for a long time," said Moschetti.
Game time Saturday at Goodman is 6:00 p.m.
Authentic Gratitude for Holidays and for Good
The holiday season can seem like both the best of times and the worst of times. Many people, especially those of us living in urban areas, may be vacillating between two thoughts: “here comes the joyous season of thanks and giving” and “here comes the stress of the holidays”. While many people look forward to the holidays as a time to share cheer with family and friends, admittedly, preparing for all this cheer takes time and money. Plus, other circumstances may add to the stress, like being cooped up with people you see just once a year and maybe don’t have a lot in common with and living under temporary arrangements in someone else’s home. While all this can add up and easily sap joy from us, the fact is that this holiday state of affairs—making the best of times, despite the stress of the times—presents us with optimal circumstances for learning the importance of choosing gratitude.
Dealing with the Stress of the Holidays
First, let’s deal with the stressful part. Many of us have fallen prey to negative emotional contagion -- the tendency for people to feel and mimic the emotional expressions of others during social interactions. For instance, we experience sadness or negative moods as a result of a friend’s tragedy or a family member’s cynicism. Studies show that automatically mimicking the expressions of a friend (e.g., a frown) tricks our brains into assuming the emotions associated with that expression, such as anger or frustration, as our own. Well recent research shows that even commonplace rudeness from people who we aren’t close with psychologically spreads too. This research shows that when people are the target of annoying or rude behavior, or even just witnesses of it, that this activates negative thoughts, which then leads them to interpret ambiguously benign behaviors as rude and, worst, to behave rudely or even vengefully toward others. Thus, even low-grade negativity can infect us.
Choose Gratitude, But Do it Your Way
Luckily, research shows that happiness and positive emotions spread too. So I’m gratified to see societal trends toward extending empathy or compassion more toward others (e.g., solidarity in response to the terrorist attacks in Paris or the call to take in refugees from Syria). And while I’m also happy to see service and charity surge during the holiday season, the sheer amount of talk circulating both in daily life and in the media about the importance of being “grateful”, “giving thanks”, or being “generous” around this time of year can backfire if people see it as forced or inauthentic. Therefore, I’d like to clear the air and hopefully inspire you to “choose gratitude” now and beyond the season of thanks and giving.
You may have considered the fact that expressions of gratitude can be trite during Thanksgiving, and research supports you not just bowing to the seasonal pressure but figuring out a way to do gratitude your own way. So here’s the bottom line: the choice of gratitude is within your power more than you think and the choice itself tricks our brains and bodies more potently into feeling genuine joy than mere emotional contagion.
Carter Scores 25 in Matador Debut; Reynoso-Avila Sidelined
Anaheim~The La Mirada High Boys Basketball team picked up where they left off last season by winning their first game of the 2015-16 campaign in a convincing 87-62 win over Paramount in pool play at the Canyon/Esperanza tip-off classic.
Serra transfer Ian Carter scored 12 points and Anthony Newman seven in the first quarter as the Matadores jumped out to a 27-15 lead.
Carter finished with 25 points total, Newman had 18 and Dylan Banks added 17 for the defending Suburban League and State Champions.
The Matadores (1-0) will take on Northwood tonight at 7:30 at Canyon High School.
Vittorio Reynoso-Avila, one of La Mirada's top seniors, and potential Princeton product, has been sidelined until January 6th with a broken metatarsal in his foot, his father told the La Mirada Blog.
120215 23:12 UPDATE: The Matadores beat Northwood 65-63 on a driving layup by Dirk Helaire as the game winded down.
120315 22:40 UPDATE: La Mirada improved to 3-0 by beating Servite 59-55.
120415 19:56 UPDATE: The Mats improved to 4-0 on the season by beating Canyon 70-54. Anthony Newman lead all scorers with with 26. Dirk Helaire at 14, Ian Carter 12 and freshman Bryce Craver had nine.They will play in the Canyon/Esperanza Tournament championship game after sweeping through the brackets, Saturday, December 5th at 7:00 p.m. vs. Long Beach Jordan at Canyon High School.
120515 20:21 UPDATE: La Mirada improved to 5-0 on the season by beating Long Beach Jordan 85-76, capturing the Esperanza/Canyon Tip Off Classic title.
La Mirada to Host Annual Chili Holiday Celebration
Celebrate the holiday season in La Mirada at the Chili Holiday Celebration on Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatic Center.
Guests can enjoy live entertainment, crafts, and games. Free chili, hot dogs, hot cocoa, warm drinks, and cookies will be served. Keepsake photos with Santa and train rides are also available.
Guests can take part in the Festival of Trees Silent Auction. The fresh holiday trees are fully-decorated by local non-profit organizations and businesses. Trees come with free local delivery to your home within a 10 mile radius and can also be donated to a family in need. All proceeds from the auction will be supporting community programs and events.
Nonperishable food items and unwrapped toys will also be collected in partnership with the Holiday Toy & Food Drive, which provides help to local families in need this holiday season.
For more information about the Chili Holiday Celebration, call (562) 943-7277 or visit www.cityoflamirada.org. Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center is located at 13806 La Mirada Blvd.
Phantom Projects Tackles Tough Topics Through Live Theatre
I was driving in my car the other day when my five year old asked me, "Mommy what does bombing mean?"
For once, my reply wasn't, "Where did you hear that from?" Rather, I found myself turning off the news radio channel and tried to answer my son’s question. Part of me felt my child had a right to know what a bombing was because he needs to know right from wrong, but the other part of me, like most parents, didn't want to discuss anything and change the subject altogether. Truth be known, today's current events are sparking conversations, questions, and confusion from our children and as parents we may find ourselves in a predicament we simply are unfamiliar with. We don't know the answers--- and you know what? That's okay.
This is not the first time mankind is questioning the actions of some. Why is there suffering in the world? What is the reason for such acrimony and discourse? How do we begin to make peace with one another when the focus is often on our own differences? When movies depict war, television blasts non-stop political banter and books take past events and put a modern "Hollywood spin" on conflict, what are parents left to tell their children?
This week, I had the pleasure of attending Phantom Projects production of Number the Stars, based on the book by Lois Lowry. I read this book years ago as a sixth grader and now as a school librarian, it sits quietly on my book shelves only to be checked out occasionally. In Number the Stars, ten-year old Annemarie Johansen goes about life in Denmark in 1943 with her best friend, Ellen Rosen. Confused by the looming presence of German Nazi soldiers, Annemarie, Ellen, and 
Kirstie (Annemarie's younger sister), have so many questions for their parents, all of which can't be explained or the complete truth withheld from the young girls. Soon, Ellen's parents are gone and Annemarie and Kirstie are told they must pretend Ellen is their sister. The Johansen’s, with the help of their late daughter's fiancé, Peter and Uncle Henrik, assist in the escape of The Rosen’s and other Jews to Sweden. At the doorstep of fear, Annemarie chooses bravery and soon discovers many others do as well.
Under the direction of Steve Cisneros, Number the Stars pulled together a cast of actors that excelled in their portrayal of Lowry's characters. The young actors in this cast (Veronica McFarlane as Annemarie, Molly Malia Arii as Ellen, and Noelle Lidyoff as Kirsti) were extremely talented and believable. Their hard work and dedication (as well as the entire cast) was visible as they stay true to the character Lowry's created. I was extremely pleased with this performance and am eager to see the additional productions from Phantom Projects under the direction of Cisneros. It's not often a cast and director take a chance on a book that only a few may have heard of-- those of you that have read the story understand fully how brilliant it is to take this story to stage, especially in light of recent events.
Matadores to Play La Serna at Home in CIF Finals
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| The La Mirada High Matadores celebrate in Los Angeles this past Friday night after their convincing victory over Cathedral. Photo (c) La Mirada Blog 2015-courtesy D. Barrett. |
Los Angeles~The La Mirada High Football team will be heading to the CIF finals after beating Cathedral this past Friday night 38-7 in the southeast semifinal in Los Angeles.
Sei-J Lauago rushed for 188 yards on 24 carries and scored three touchdowns as the Matadores return to the finals for the first time since 2012.
La Mirada (10-3) returns home to take on La Serna (11-2) for the Southern Section Southeast Division title this Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. at Goodman Stadium.
UPDATE 120515 22:21: The Matadores beat La Serna 45-20 to capture their first CIF title since 2009. Sei-J Lauago rushed for 300 yards and scored three touchdowns.The Matadores earn a spot in a State Regional Bowl game, taking on Oceanside at home December 11th beginning at 7:00 p.m.
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