We are very curious.

Maybe your New Year’s resolution relates to services that Diamond Certified companies provide: you want to remodel your bathroom or get your teeth cleaned more often. Or, instead, maybe you just want to finish that novel or lose 10 pounds. Either way, we want to hear about it. Write it on a piece of paper (like we did below) and send us a selfie. You can also write your resolution in the comment section below.

Thanks for sharing and good luck!

While we wait to hear from you, here are some of the things we came up with:

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2017 update: ‘Tis the season once again! Add a food bank, a shelter or another other worthy cause to your list and experience the fun of playing Santa.

‘Tis the season! Ashley and I dropped off the bounty collected from our holiday food drive at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank  yesterday and were lucky enough to get a private tour.  Given that the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the wealthiest regions in the country, I was shocked and saddened to learn that 25% of the residents of San Francisco and Marin are in need of food assistance. Consequently, I’m so grateful that there are organizations like the SF-Marin Food Bank. Read more

John Maynard Keynes got it wrong, at least according to Elizabeth Kolbert. Read more

The San Rafael Chamber of Commerce  held their Forecasting the Future Economic Conference a few weeks ago, and from where I was sitting, the future looks bright. The annual conference features expert speakers discussing local, regional and global issues impacting businesses in Marin County. This year, the conference had an explicit focus on the region’s push to attract Life Science businesses to Marin.

The morning began with a sunrise breakfast at Embassy Suites San Rafael. Marin County corporate stalwarts such as Bank of Marin, Kaiser Permanente and Toyota Marin (a Diamond Certified company) rubbed elbows with government officials and hardworking Marin-based nonprofits. Read more

Two things I dislike are shopping for shoes and pushy salespeople. However, on my last shoe shopping trip, I found the right kind of salesperson who transformed the entire experience.

While I was looking at the shoes on sale in a store in Durango, Colorado, a salesman asked me if he could help. After I said I didn’t need any assistance, he started chatting about the beautiful day and asked me where I was from. When I told him I was from Northern California, he asked about the recent earthquake in Napa County. He was genuinely curious and engaged with me in a sincere way. When other customers came in, he found ways to connect with them, Read more

Many parents want help teaching their children about using technology safely, so Google has created a Family Safety Center to address that need. One section explains Google’s safety tools, including “Safe Search,” which allows you to eliminate sexually explicit content from search results. You’ll also find a detailed explanation about sharing controls and privacy settings for YouTube, Google Talk and Picasa Web Albums.

My favorite part of the site is “Tips From Parents at Google,” where engineers, executives and other employees talk about their own challenges managing their kids’ Internet use. Here are two suggestions: Keep your home computer in a central place so you can monitor your children’s online activity, Read more

Major health organizations agree that radon causes many preventable lung cancer deaths every year. Radon is an odorless radioactive gas that comes from the uranium in rock, water and soil, and it’s especially dangerous for people who smoke. It can be found in every part of the United States and in any type of building, but elevated radon levels in your home are the greatest concern.

Radon levels can vary from home to home. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the best way to tell if your home has a radon problem is to perform a short-term test. Low-cost, do-it-yourself radon test kits are available at hardware stores or through mail order. Read more