My husband works 60-hour weeks, and my friends are all child-free and prefer to see me without my kids. I’ve tried making friends in the neighborhood, without much success; I’m hoping that might change when my oldest starts kindergarten. My mom and I enjoy our time together, and the kids love her — but am I too dependent? Where do you draw the line?. DEAR TOO CLOSE: If you’re fine and she’s fine, then it’s fine. So, ask her if she’s OK with the frequency of calls and visits — that is, if you’re worried she wouldn’t speak up if you were crowding her. Otherwise I say enjoy the close relationship. Your kids sound lucky, too.
T.O.P.S, Meeting: Take Off Pounds Sensibly is a support group for weight loss, Thursdays. 9:30-11 a.m. The Church of God, 937 Minnesota Ave., San Jose, Contact Daniel Kionka, 408-486-2357, or Katy Haselden, 408-335-3110, Sons in Retirement: Retired men’s luncheon club features fellowship and guest speakers, Meets the third Tuesday of the month, Elks Lodge, 444 Alma St., San Jose, For more information, contact Rich Peterson at Rick69bird@sbcglobal.net, Square Dance Class: The Committee to Promote Square Dancing hosts classes for singles and couples, ann kelle's new line "this and that" ballet slippers in bubble gum pink, yard Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Camden Community Center, 3369 Union Ave., San Jose, First three nights free, $5/class thereafter, Call Jackie at 408-663-1477. c-p-s-d.org..
Dance fans, it’s time for Season 19 of “Dancing With the Stars,” and there’s so much that is new, new, new! For one thing, there are now FOUR judges — head judge Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli are being joined by two-time DWTS champ/actress/singer Julianne Hough. Yep, Derek’s sister will be throwing down the paddles and if last season was any indication, she can be quite pointed in her observations and criticisms. Ought to be interesting. There is a new executive producer, Rob Wade; the first black pro dancer, Keo Motsepe; and a new cast of celebrities that just might have some talent in the trenches. In addition, instead of performances this week and then performances and results next Monday, like they did in Season 18, the results show will be … tomorrow! So no easy week — this is the big night when the dances will determine who gets the votes from the viewers and who gets the boot Tuesday night.
But for me, the biggest draw is 16-year-old phenom Audrey Vardanega, who will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto in G, K, 553, I first heard Audrey play when she was only 13; and even at that age, she blew me away, Her technical proficiency was immaculate, of course, but her artistry went way beyond getting all the notes right, Audrey is one of those rare musicians who can communicate not only the essence of the music but also the sheer joy she takes in playing it, Remember what Wynton Marsalis said about Count Basie in Ken Burns’ “Jazz” documentary? “Basie would ann kelle's new line "this and that" ballet slippers in bubble gum pink, yard be swinging before he even played the first note.” That’s Audrey, too, She and the music — and the audience — are one..
Besides occasionally tackling some vocalist work, Taggart also handled most of the talking to the crowd. He seemed in good spirits, even feeling comfortable enough to poke a little fun at his less-than-inspiring effort on some kind of keyboard apparatus. “Hey, make some noise for me! I know I only played three notes, but I played the (expletive) out of them,” he said, nicely summarizing the live experience in the EDM-pop age. The most fulfilling moments came when Emily Warren ventured onstage, adding her memorable vocals to such offerings as “Don’t Say” and “My Type” (both of which she co-wrote and sang on in the recorded versions).