A chance encounter with Joan Rivers, the last minute heroics of USC's Andre Heidari and head over to The Padre Hotel for some remarkable flatbread

* … JOAN: I ran into John Pryor at the John Brock Awards dinner last week and he shared his own personal experience with the late comedian Joan Rivers. John and his wife Meg were in New

York City a few years ago when they stopped for lunch at a small, intimate restaurant. "We were a little early for lunch so we were the only customers until in came Joan Rivers with a lady friend -- and her dog. She came over to our table and asked if it was okay with us that she had her dog with her in the restaurant. We responded of course, and were amazed at her concern for the sensibilities of others.
Then another lady entered the restaurant, saw Joan Rivers, and went directly back to the kitchen -- out of our sight. A few minutes later, the lady left the restaurant without saying anything to anyone.
Then the chef emerged from the kitchen to give Rivers a handwritten note from the lady.  Rivers jumped up from her table and said she had to catch that lady who had written such a wonderful note to her.  She ran out of the restaurant and returned a few minutes later to say she caught up with the lady and had thanked her profusely. Does that sound like the Joan Rivers you see portrayed on TV?"

* … DROUGHT: Are we taking the drought seriously here? One reader, who asked that I not use her name, doesn't think so, at least compared to what she saw in Cambria recently. "All restrooms at the beaches and state parks we visited, including Hearst Castle, and the public restrooms in the east and west villages of Cambria had been closed and were replaced by port-a-potties and wash stations.  Many eating establishments had their restrooms open for use of the sinks only, you still had to go outside to use the port-a-potty. They also had signs posted around town reminding people of the drought. Now if we could just get people in this town to stop overwatering their yards. We walk in our neighborhood early mornings and the water wasted is incredible."

 * … HEIDARI: It's fun to watch the Bakersfield connections on the USC Trojans make such a positive difference. This weekend it was Andre Heidari, the Stockdale High graduate, who made a 53-year-old field goal to win the game against Stanford. Last year, Heidari kicked a 47-yarder to seal the game against Stanford. And of course, the Trojans are led by former Centennial standout Cody Kessler.

 * … FOODIE BEST BET: Most local restaurants offer some kind of flatbreads, but few do it as well as The Padre Hotel downtown. The flatbread offering changes daily, depending on the chef's choice, but make sure you try the vegetarian dish featuring eggplant.

                                                                             
 * … GOOD FORM: Mark Sheffield wrote to compliment the folks over at Hearing Aids Today for going above and beyond in customer service. Turns out his mother, who is 91 and in hospice care, had a hearing aid that was broken. "I decided to go by  Hearing Aids Today and talk to Rick Cheshire whom I have used for several years, not having much hope of saving it since there was a small piece missing. Rick looked at it and told me to come back in a few hours. When I returned it was working and looked like new. Here is the nice part, when I tried to pay him he refused the money and said he was only interested in helping keep her comfortable in the short time she had left. I told him we were all very thankful and he said tell the man upstairs."

 * … JAYWALKING: Jaywalking is problem across town - whether it's Ming Avenue or White Lane - but it is near out of control downtown. Gabrielle Lopez is a downtown business owner who has had enough. "Today when I was coming to the store, I was at the light at 19th and Chester heading east. I saw this guy in a white tank top heading north on the other side of the street. He answered his phone as my light turned green. He never stopped to glance at the fact that he could have been walking into a car, he never even paused…just kept on like it was the sidewalk. Honestly, what the heck is wrong with people? Try paying attention when you are walking on a STREET with CARS. You are the one who will get hurt in that accident. And it is YOUR fault for not paying attention."

Valley Republic Bank sponsors another Latination at The Metro Galleries, remembering the comedic genius of Joan Rivers and lamenting more deaths from drunk driving

 * … LATINATION: It's the biggest First Friday of the year this week and Metro Galleries on 19th Street is having its 6th annual exhibit Latination. Metro owner Don Martin tells me that this has been the best

year of entries overall and that the judges had a difficult time picking their top choices. In six short years this event has become something of a Bakersfield tradition. As always, you can expect Luis Aguilar and his restaurant El Pueblo serving the food and drinks and popular local band Mento Buru performing throughout the evening. For the second year in a row I will be presenting the top three awards along with KERO-TV 23 anchor Jackie Parks.

   * … JOAN: RIP Joan Rivers, a woman whose sharp wit and humor left us laughing. Three of my favorite Joan Rivers jokes: "The first time I see a jogger smiling, I’ll consider it… My best birth control now is just to leave the lights on... I've had so much plastic surgery, when I die, they will donate my body to Tupperware."

 * … DRUNK DRIVING: Suzanne Bierley was one of a handful of readers who wrote to express their outrage at the number of deaths caused by accidents involving drunk drivers. "The laws must be tougher on drunk drivers! The horrific accident on Rosedale Highway early Saturday morning may not have happened if stricter penalties were imposed the first time. What is it going to take? Sure we will put out candles, balloons and stuffed animals at the scene – but that does not account for the two lives that were unnecessarily taken from their family and friends. What about six months in jail and $15,000 fine for first offenders and it goes up from there? Too many innocent victims are dying because someone wants to irresponsibly drink and then get into a car. My heart goes out to the three passengers and their families."

 * … GOOD FORM: Florence Diaz asked me to thank the anonymous Good Samaritan who aided her when she took a tumble. "There is an angel walking around the Southwest part of town." she wrote. "I don't know her name but I would like to thank her profusely for staying with me during my unfortunate spill in front of Von's at the Marketplace. She not only stayed with me, but she got a friend to pick up her daughter after school, called 911, and informed my son of the accident. I'm sorry I didn't get her name in all the confusion. I wanted to thank her and let her know how much she is appreciated."

 * … COKE, NOT PEPSI: And speaking of Good Samaritans, I singled out John Moralez the other day for single handedly directing traffic at an accident site. The problem, a witness identified him as a driver for Pepsi. His wife, Donna Moralez, told me he works for Coca-Cola, not a small distinction in the beverage industry.

 * … GRAMMAR: The University of Oklahoma was left red faced this past weekend when it ran an advertisement on its academic programs but misspelled a word in the process. While beating Louisiana Tech in football, the university ran a banner advertisement reading: "You're degree is within reach." Ouch.