Randy Royce
Mayor, City of San Carlos
A rare 3-year lung cancer survivor

When my eldest sister, a fellow counselor in Beaverton, Oregon was diagnosed with cancer it really hit home to me how precious people can be. It made me think of the Morning Glory, a single bloom, that despite times brevity continues on with all of us if we choose it. I wrote the following when thinking about losing a loved one and hope those suffering will find some comfort in it.

Morning Glory

As a newly born spiral bud hanging from its vine
Awaits the dawning sun to unfurl its single bloom,
My grasping hand anticipates something equally glorious
before my soul departs this earthly room.
Your presence being felt as our fingers interlock,
connecting us beyond the brief glimpses of now.
I do not die while your heavenly clasp supports my essence,
Nor do I fare into sorrowfulness,
But rather I go, freely, into the majestic hues found everywhere outside
and, to which, falling, like the petals to the ground,
releases all meaningfulness.
“Let go.” My everlasting blossom is with you,
Much more than any memory could ever hold
Or any witness could bear describe.
We exist together woven throughout all of time.
And this I know as True.

A memory book has been placed in the south lobby of the city administration building, 13777 Fruitvale Ave. The lobby will be open from 9 a.m-9 p.m. Friday through Tuesday and from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Wednesday. Starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, the book will be moved to the lobby of the theater building and will remain there until the end of the scheduled council meeting that night.

May 19, 2010
6:00 p.m. to end of City Council Meeting
Civic Theater – Lobby
13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga

Thanks,
singh@olympus-mons.net

It should go without saying that a well designed and constructed 2-story vertical front would be preferable to a poorly designed stepped back facade that is built with cheap materials (ie. the current situation). If they choose a vertical front, I hope the designers have more imagination and taste than those that renovated the building next door (where the Cleaner is located), which is indeed a plain 2-story box. Down the street, however, is Harmonie Spa, a 2-story vertical front that contributes a lot of “historic nature” to the downtown.

Personally, I’m indifferent to whether it is a vertical or stepped back front. I don’t think that a 2-story vertical front qualifies as “massive,” or that it would create a “dark canyon-like corridor,” and the footprint of this building is not very large besides. I simply hope the resulting edifice is an attractive design, well constructed, which would be a significant improvement over what exists. And if they simply upgrade the current facade, it would represent a smaller but still worthwhile improvement.

Sincerely,
Shahab Moghadam

Sincerely,
Shahab Moghadam