Five Things — Presidents, Pets and Pot

Welcome to MONDAY, Feb. 21, 2011. It promises not to be such a stormy Monday as we've had recently, so there may be opportunities to do things on this holiday beyond the sales and the lounging (though there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of either).  Today is the day we salute our U.S. presidents, an interesting holiday choice if ever there was one. Sure, Washington and Lincoln are easy to honor — one was first and one was truly great in so many ways. But the others? Well, that conversation is guaranteed to set off some verbal fireworks just about anywhere. Perhaps it's better to silently honor the ones you like, silently chastise the ones you don't, and enjoy the rest of the holiday. 

1. It is President's Day, so remember that Martinez City Hall, schools, the post office and most government agencies are closed today. On the other hand, most stores are open and celebrating with sales and discounts.
2. If you're in the mood for some spontaneous musical offerings, you can always check out the Monday night at  featuring the Greg Reginato Band. Greg and his cohorts offer a friendly, inviting atmosphere to which jazz players can bring their best game. If you go, bring your charts so the band can help you through your tunes. It's a $3 cover, and a great time. 
3. While you're remembering our national leaders, you may want to take a moment and re-read the story about the proposed ordinance and the very active debate going on around that issue. The City Council is set to vote on the ordinance March 2. Issues such as these, which are emotional, complex and fraught with portent no matter which way the decision ultimately goes, show off our participatory system of government at the ground level. 
4. Maybe you want to just consider things that don't involve controversy and argument today. Things like, say, adopting a new pet. What could be less controversial than that? If so, revisit our column and read about Diego. Or visit the and see which other animals are available to take home and love. 
5. Or, at the end of the day, you could sit with the family and finally have that discussion about the various presidents and their effect on our lives. How did Taft, Fillmore or Grant really come to influence your day today? Was Reagan really a great president? Was Clinton? Maybe these and other presidential questions are worth asking, and pondering. If not, you can always head downtown, or to the mall, for some President's Day sales.