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Catherine Gacad

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lair of the bear camp blue

All Posts, Education & Politics, San Francisco Bay Area, Travel

What to Know About the Lair of the Golden Bear

The Lair of the Golden Bear is UC Berkeley’s family camp located in Pinecrest, CA, which is between Tahoe and Yosemite, and a 3-hour drive from San Francisco. Note that you don’t have to be a Cal alum to camp….

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Blurbs for the Brain

RIP Robert Fogel, Nobel Prize winner and revered professor at my grad school alma mater University of Chicago. In his most recent book published last year, Explaining Long-Term Trends in Health and Longevity, Fogel writes that the “abstention from caloric…

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All Posts, Blogging

10 Things of Thankful

I’ve been reading other bloggers post their 10 Things of Thankful which made me so happy to read. I am thankful for all the typical things you are thankful for: health, my husband, my family and friends, my job, and…

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Blurbs for the Brain

The founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely, is the first female billionaire to join the Giving Pledge, whose signers commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. I am a firm believer that inheritances suck the drive out of…

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Thoughts on Affirmative Action

I wanted to provide my thoughts on the Supreme Court weighing in on the Fisher versus University of Texas affirmative action case, whereby Abigail Fisher is challenging the university on using race as a criteria in evaluating a candidate’s entry….

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All Posts, San Francisco Bay Area

This Has To Be the Best Weekend in San Francisco

Here’s what’s going on this weekend. Am I missing anything? I put them in order of importance 🙂 A’s playoffs Giants playoffs Litquake Burning Man Decompression Fleet week Cal Homecoming, Cal vs UCLA Raiders Niners America’s Cup Hardly Strictly Bluegrass…

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UC Berkeley English Department

I was reading the UC Berkeley English department newsletter and was extremely proud to learn that the department boasts the highest number of professors to receive the university’s Distinguished Teaching Award. “It is the highest teaching honor given by the…

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Out and About on Polk Street, San Francisco

Last Thursday, we had a good time hanging out with friends in Russian Hill at Amelie—a special place for us since that’s where Dean and I met.  It is such a romantic and lively French wine bar. Perfect date spot….

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Positive News from Pilot Territory

Speaking of private schools, some good news from my tiny catholic high school (400 total when I went there) St. Joseph Notre Dame in Alameda where our mascot was a pilot. This just came through today in the email newsletter….

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Welcome to my site, derived from an advice column I wrote while getting my MBA. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I give helpful, opinionated advice based on my own experience and from the expertise of my extensive network. For more, click here.

Categories

  • Archives
  • Blogging
  • Burning Man
  • City Guides
  • Education & Politics
  • Favorite Books
  • Finances & Retirement
  • Parenthood
  • Relationships
  • Religion
  • San Francisco Bay Area
  • Travel

Popular Posts

  • An Exploration of World Religions: Zoroastrianism
  • A Flowchart for Choosing Your Religion
  • Why Do Guys Date Girls Who Barely Speak English?
  • Touring Sunnylands, "Camp David of the West," near Palm Springs
  • UC Berkeley English Department
  • How to Avoid Fecal Coliform Bacteria on Your Next Flight
  • What to Know About the Lair of the Golden Bear
  • Daily Interviews
  • Pre-Thanksgiving Not So Good News
  • Oysters at Cafe des Amis

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© 2025 Catherine Gacad.