MTS makes more bus route changes
The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) made schedule modifications and changes to bus routes beginning last weekend.
Holiday and weekend schedule changes began Sunday, Jan. 28, followed by weekday changes on Monday, Jan. 29.
In University City, changes include expanded service on Route 41, with later southbound service on weekday evenings. Additional weekday trips have been added to Route 48 between 7 and 10 a.m. to alleviate overcrowding. Routes 150 and 89 have both undergone some minor schedule improvements.
The final phase of MTS’s comprehensive master plan will be introduced in March.
For more information, visit www.sdcommute.com, call (800) COMMUTE or pick up pamphlets titled “Rider Alert” on MTS buses and trolleys.
In related transportation news, students, faulty and staff members at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) will be able to ride the North County Transit District’s Breeze bus route 101 for free beginning today, Feb. 1. The 101 travels between Oceanside and University Towne Centre, with stops at UCSD and along Old Highway 101. Passengers must show a valid UCSD identification card and a bus zone sticker, which can be obtained from the campus’ Transportation and Parking Services Department.
For information and schedules, call (800) 266-6883 or visit www.gonctd.com or www.parking.ucsd.edu.

LJSA calls meeting re Chabad Center
The La Jolla Shores Association will convene Wednesday, Feb. 7, for a special meeting on the Chabad Center proposed for Hidden Valley Road.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Sumner Auditorium, 8625 Discovery Way.
The proposal involves tearing down a single-family home at 2466 Hidden Valley Road and then constructing an 11,666-square-foot, two-story structure over a 10,349-square-foot basement. The center would comprise a sanctuary, office, pre-school and residence.

Boys & Girls Club, LJCD to build indoor playground
Students and volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego and La Jolla Country Day (LJCD) School will unite in efforts to build an indoor playground on Saturday, Feb. 3, at the clubs’ Encanto branch. The project will be completed in one day, starting at 8 a.m. and finishing at 3 p.m. with the ribbon cutting.
LJCD approached the Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego about wanting to help support building an indoor playground at one of its sites. Students at the school raised $13,000 through various fund-raisers, and an anonymous donor matched that amount, bringing in a total of $26,000 for the project.
“We started fund-raising with bake sales and caramel apple sales,” said Tanya Grewal, a senior at LJCD. “Then we had a big event called the rock-a-thon, where people would just sit in rocking chairs and rock all day long. The other challenge was where to build [the playground]. We’re fortunate to team up with the club because they already had a facility, so it was a lot easier for us.”
Grewal is one of the students who spearheaded this project, along with junior Rebecca Poliner.
“I think it’s great when community partners come together,” said Lacy Bienkowski, the communications coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club. “It’s really great that LJCDS wanted to do it, especially since two young girls are the ones who led it, so it’s just proof that even young kids see the need that we have and how great our organization is and that we do benefit the kids.”
After LJCD raised money for the project, the school approached the kids to design their dream playground. The designs were then submitted to the construction company. Preparations to build it commenced in October 2005. Although the playground will be completed on Feb. 3, it will be enjoyed and utilized beginning Feb. 9.

Wootton gives lecture on bipolarity
Tom Wootton, author of “The Bipolar Advantage,” will present his lecture “What is Functionality?” on Monday, Feb. 5, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
“It’s about bipolar and depression,” Wootton said. “Most people see it is a terrible thing, and so do I. But there are ways, using doctors, medicine and hard work, to make bipolar into a good thing.”
His lecture will also explore the presumptions and perceptions of the word “functional.” In addition, he will reframe and redefine these concepts as they relate to bipolar and depression.
“I started recognizing in my depression an insight,” he said. “I learned how to deal with it more and more, and I controlled it through hard work, therapy and professional help.”
As a successful professional who had been misdiagnosed for years, Wootton personally experienced the good and bad of this mental illness. Creating and teaching at the “Bipolar in Order” workshops have helped him deal with his own illness as well as impact the lives of individuals and families diagnosed with bipolar, he said.
Wootton said he hopes people will have a better outlook on life and for the future as well as learn how to take concrete steps to address bipolar from his lecture.
The lecture will be held at Garren Auditorium, UCSD Basic Sciences Building, 9500 Gilman Drive. This free event is sponsored by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of La Jolla. Free parking is available at the VA Hospital.

Museum Month is back
San Diegans can explore the history and culture of the city for half-price admission to museums, historical sites and educational institutions during the month of February.
Beginning Feb. 1, a special Museum Month brochure will be available free of charge at all Macy’s department stores in San Diego County. A pass included in the brochure must be presented at participating museums or institutions in order to receive the discounted admission.
Macy’s stepped up to help foot the bill following the demise of Robinsons-May, the event’s previous sponsor.
“It presents such a great opportunity for San Diego residents and members to explore museums at a reasonable rate,” said Theresa Kosen, executive director of the San Diego Museum Council. “You could take a family of four roughly under $20 and spend a great afternoon.”
Participating museums and other cultural sites in this program include Birch Aquarium at Scripps, California Center for the Arts Museum, UCSD’s Stewart Collection of Sculpture, MCRD Command Museum and many others.
Sponsored by the San Diego Museum Council and Macy’s, Museum Month was created in 1989 in order to promote awareness and the liveliness of San Diego. For information on participating museums, call (619) 276-0101 or visit www.sandiegomuseumcouncil.org.