Editor’s Note February 2016:

The first month at the Peninsula Estate is under my belt and the tumult caused by teams of decorators has finally subsided. I’m not sure about you, but planning always wins in my mind over the chaos which is execution. Outside, planting of the orchard and vineyard acreage will begin in the final week of February.

Speaking of this month, if you mention its name our first thoughts turn to Valentine’s Day and Love…and then the missing “R” sound which causes most people to say “feb-yoo-air-ee” instead of the correct “feb-roo-air-ee.” It’s more like the word “broom” than like “beautiful.” That said, this month’s content is a pastiche of the flashy goings-on which held our interest in January…and which we are looking forward to early in this month.

Winter months and winter sports go together like cold hands and insulated mittens in our review of the X Games held in Aspen, CO along with Lindsey Vonn’s latest downhill victories. We also went agog over the latest Red Bull Crashed Ice race.

In football, Stanford claimed this year’s Rose Bowl trophy and we observed Denver’s squeak of a victory over the more powerful New England Patriots.
In the “other” football, soccer legend Leo Messi claimed his fifth Ballon d’Or.

From top of the sport to Top Shop, we transitioned into fashion coverage along with a peek at footwear by ASOS. Completing the look, we asked makeup artist Sabrina Ozuna to offer some tips for a polished presentation.

All dressed up and nowhere to go? Did you miss the Golden Globes and People’s Choice events? If so, we have reviews of the faces and the lists of winners.

Cozy winter days spent reading yielded three recommendations: “Saying Thank You” by Author Monisha Vadsa, M.D., “It Takes Guts to Stop Eating: Obesity and the Microbiome” by William B. Miller, Jr. M.D. and an article on how blueberries can “improve your mood.”

Mood and melody go together and so our High Notes section touched on three artists/groups who are on tour: The Stylistics, Todd Rundgren and Steel Panther. For the music industry in general, the behemoth called NAMM was recently held in Anaheim, CA.

And lest we forget what we mentioned at the outset, our comments on the relations between Valentine’s Day and other named days in the month of February.

Enjoy!