Gil Sans-Heron

If there's one defining characteristic of life in the late-middle internet age, it's that there's just too much. Too much news, too much free music, too much video, too many people vying for your attention, too many memes, and too many stupid trends. There doesn't seem to ever be time to look back or listen twice. Only at the end of the year do we allow ourselves to do this. One thing I know for sure is that if something says "Karla Kane" in the byline, it's going to be worth reading. Here are 10 more of my favorites from 2025.

Finding the right path: Meet the master builder who designs labyrinths on the Peninsula — Have you ever walked a labyrinth, finding your way along its winding path to the center and back? Perhaps you’ve associated labyrinths with ancient tales and far-off lands (or Jim Henson’s 1986 fantasy film starring David Bowie), or maybe you’ve encountered one at a place of worship or park near you. Some folks have even added them to their own residences, creating a private, appealing space for contemplation and reflection.

December 30th, 2025, 08:00 am

2025 Top 10 — The Journalism Of Karla Kane

If there's one defining characteristic of life in the late-middle internet age, it's that there's just too much. Too much news, too much free music, too much video, too many people vying for your attention, too many memes, and too many stupid trends. There doesn't seem to ever be time to look back or listen twice. Only at the end of the year do we allow ourselves to do this. One thing I know for sure is that if something says "Karla Kane" in the byline, it's going to be worth reading. Here are 10 of my favorites from 2025.

Seaweed season: Tanya Stiller leads foraging classes on the San Mateo County coast — Most of us probably get our seaweed by ordering rolls at a sushi restaurant or in packaged-snack form from the grocery store. But if you head out to the Coastside, you can find it straight from the source. The area is home to quite an array of seaweed varieties, many of which can be delicious and nutritious, according to Tanya Stiller, director and instructor for the nonprofit Healing Tide.

November 2nd, 2025, 08:46 am

We Can Make The World A Whole Lot Brighter

When I was laid off in June after 30 years at the same job, due to budget cuts at the federal level, it was slightly terrifying. How would I function in today's job market at my age? I didn't even understand most of the words in current job descriptions. But it was also a chance to start over and figure out if there was something better I could be doing with my life. (Fortunately I had enough severance that I could be selective for at least a few months before my family's health insurance ran out. Not everyone is so lucky.) There are a lot of good causes out there, but if we don't solve climate change and biodiversity loss, nothing else will matter because it won't exist.

So I applied at every environmental organization that was hiring: Earthjustice, National Audubon Society, San Mateo County Transit District, Climate Corps, Packard Foundation, TeraWatt Infrastructure, Parks California, The Redford Center, Climateworks, Climate Change AI, As You Sow, The Nature Conservancy, Canary Media, and more. Ultimately, I ended up applying for 109 jobs before I found one that was interested. And from the support groups and mailing lists that I'm on, it sounds like it's been that way for everyone affected by the scientific budget cut layoffs. Every open job has over 100 applicants and it's almost impossible to get noticed.

July 2nd, 2025, 08:24 am

Half-Year Lists 2025

Favorite songs of Q1 — January — March:

January 1st, 2025, 08:11 am

Tedious Lists 2024 Part 2

Favorite movies / TV seen in 2024, from all years, but that I had not previously seen:

Operation Mincemeat

13: The Musical

Mean Girls

The Greatest Night in Pop

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

Ron's Gone Wrong

The Beach Boys

Next Goal Wins

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

Secrets of the Octopus

Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna

Full list of all movies watched in 2024.

Full list of all TV shows watched in 2024.

Favorite books read in 2024, from all years:

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us — Ed Yong

Girl, Woman, Other — Bernardine Evaristo

Stay True — Hua Hsu

Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens — David Mitchell

Countdown, Revolution, Anthem (The Sixties Trilogy) — Deborah Wiles

This Bird Has Flown — Susanna Hoffs

Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell — Sy Montgomery, Matt Patterson

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale — Virginia Kantra

Running Out Of Time, Falling Out of Time -Margaret Peterson Haddix

The Salt Path — Raynor Winn

December 31st, 2024, 08:53 am

Tedious Lists 2024 Part 1

Favorite 2024 albums in no particular order, but roughly chronological.

Jefferson Hamer — Alameda

Green Day — Saviors

Ismay — Desert Pavement

Britti — Hello, I'm Britti

Hurray For The Riff Raff — The Past Is Still Alive

Amelia Coburn — Between The Moon And the Milkman

Kacey Musgraves — Deeper Well

Grace Petrie — Build Something Better

Beyonce — Cowboy Carter

Brittney Spencer — My Stupid Life

Taylor Swift — The Tortured Poets Department

Call Me Spinster — Potholes

Matthew Stead — Pop!

Frank Turner — Undefeated

Jessica Pratt — Here In The Pitch

The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All We Know

Rachel Chinouriri — What A Devastating Turn of Events

Vellamo — Pikaruokaa ja rakkautta

Suffs — Original Broadway Cast Recording

Linda Thompson — Proxy Music

The Armoires — Octoberland

Leslie Mendelson — After The Party

Blake Jones & The Trike Shop — And Still

The Cleaners From Venus — Lilli Bolero

Ingrid Michaelson — For The Dreamers

Ben Platt — Honeymind

Paul Heaton — The Mighty Several

White Rose - The Musical — Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording

Father John Misty — Mahashmashana

Wicked: The Soundtrack — Wicked Movie Cast

Jon Batiste — Beethoven Blues

Spellbound — Soundtrack from the Netflix Film by Skydance Animation

Cat Burns — Early Twenties

The Indelicates — Avenue Qanon

Full list of albums I heard for the first time in 2024.

Favorite songs of 2024 in 4 Spotify playlists:

December 30th, 2024, 02:42 pm

2024 Top 10 — The Journalism Of Karla Kane, Part 2

If there's one defining characteristic of life in the late-middle internet age, it's that there's just too much. Too much news, too much free music, too much video, too many people vying for your attention, too many memes, and too many stupid trends. There doesn't seem to ever be time to look back or listen twice. Only at the end of the year do we allow ourselves to do this. One thing I know for sure is that if something says "Karla Kane" in the byline, it's going to be worth reading. Here are 10 more of my favorites from 2024.

All ears: Tune in to these 8 noncommercial Peninsula radio stations — Looking to embark on an audio adventure? Tune in to a local, noncommercial radio station. Each listening session can have the thrill of a treasure hunt – you never know what gems you may discover or interesting folks you might come across. From the cutting edge to the classic to the gleefully weird, noncommercial radio stations have something to suit every taste (and while there is definitely enjoyment to be had in turning a physical radio dial, you can also usually listen live over the internet)

2. Installing a rain garden? Here’s where to find rebates, resources and inspiration — Whether you’re looking to make your landscaping more eco-friendly, trying to save money on water bills or hoping to prevent flood damage, adding a rain garden could be a great option, experts say. Some cities and regions even have offered incentives for residential rain gardens meeting their standards. Palo Alto residents, for example, can receive a rebate for adding a rain garden. (The garden must be installed by a licensed contractor and inspected by City of Palo Alto Watershed Protection staff. The rebate also must be applied for before the garden is installed.)

3. A place to play: Sound Union in Redwood City is a private club and a public concert venue — John Avilla has been playing music since childhood and still cherishes it for the emotional, mental and social boosts it provides. But, as a bassist who thrives on collaborating with others, finding the right space to do so hasn’t always been easy. “‘We always have to go to some guy’s garage, bring in all our gear, set it all up, play for a bit before the neighbors start complaining at 9, shut it all down, pack it all up and leave,'” Avilla’s friend and business partner Tom Zazueta recalled Avilla saying. “He looked around and was like, ‘… How do we create a space that’s a great place for musicians to go play and meet other musicians?'”

4. Books and beyond: Longtime Menlo Park bookshop Feldman’s has become a flourishing community hub — For more than two decades, Feldman’s Books in Menlo Park has been a favorite spot for local readers, a treasure trove of second-hand books. But the shop, which moved from its location on El Camino Real to Curtis Street in 2021, also has increasingly become a community gathering space and a venue for a variety of live events, including musical performances, author visits, discussion groups and more. “At a time when many feel disconnected from community, these events offer an opportunity to interact with one another, and a welcome sense of human connection,” Menlo Park accountant and friend of Feldman’s Laura Redmond told this news organization in an email. Redmond co-hosts the monthly Stoic book club and has helped host other Feldman’s events as well.

5. Local author takes readers back to the ’90s with ‘Lily Xiao Speaks Out’ — Lily Xiao, the 12-year-old protagonist of local author Nicole Chen's latest novel, "Lily Xiao Speaks Out," is a model student, the favorite of every teacher for her hard work and always-perfect behavior (her peers call her the class robot). At home, she's obedient to her Taiwanese immigrant parents and beloved grandmother, and her family pressures her to prioritize her studies ahead of everything else and never rock the boat when it comes to authority figures. The year is 1993, and shy Lily has a big dream – to sing and play guitar in a grunge band.

6. How motherhood inspired a San Mateo company that helps take meal prep off parents’ plates

7. How a layoff, a library and a laser cutter led one Redwood City artist down a new path

8. Redwood City couple aims to reduce single-use plastic with eco-friendly cleaning products company Greatfill

9. Spiritual shelter: Stanford exhibition explores hauntings, inheritance and the deep power of art

10. Sliding through the Peninsula’s playgrounds

December 30th, 2024, 02:11 pm

2024 Top 10 — The Journalism Of Karla Kane

If there's one defining characteristic of life in the late-middle internet age, it's that there's just too much. Too much news, too much free music, too much video, too many people vying for your attention, too many memes, and too many stupid trends. There doesn't seem to ever be time to look back or listen twice. Only at the end of the year do we allow ourselves to do this. One thing I know for sure is that if something says "Karla Kane" in the byline, it's going to be worth reading. Here are 10 of my favorite from 2024.

A taste of the wild: A local naturalist teaches how to forage for edible plants responsibly — On a Saturday morning in mid-March, a small group of hungry explorers met at Hidden Villa, the nonprofit farm, education center and nature preserve nestled in Los Altos Hills. They weren't there to pick up a CSA box of produce. Instead, the mission was to get a taste of the abundant wild plants growing in our area, under the expert tutelage of senior naturalist Garth Harwood. Over the course of two hours, they got a hands-on (and mouths-on) introduction to some of the edible greens all around us, including tips on how to identify and prepare them safely, courtesy of Harwood's "Make a Wild Salad! Foraging Basics" class.