Randy Benefield

Insurance companies will not write any new flood insurance policies until Congress reconvenes on April 12. State Farm says they can not write and new policies or renew any policies. There are Bills in the house and Senate that would allow provision for the National Flood Insurance Program to be extended, but Congress went on break and forgot to sign it. Brilliant Job! This is what we pay them to do. What about people living in the Midwest and their policy runs out and then the spring rains come?

Congress let the program lapse without any regard to the potential disasters. The House and Senate have completely failed here and have proven to everyone that they are not capable of doing their job. Call FEMA and your insurance company for more information. I have spoken with FEMA, State Farm, I have left a message for Lynn Woolsey's assistant to contact me - no response yet.

If your client is buying home in a flood zone, They will not be able to close escrow until Congress returns. After April 12, 2010.

What Congress needs to do is to get back to work and get the job done before they take vacation. All they needed to do was to sign a Bill that extended the Flood Program until they returned. This all reminds me of the Britney Spears Song, "Oops!... I did it again". All fluff and no substance.

I urge you to contact your Assemblyman, Congress Person, Senator. Leave a message a let them know what a big mistake this was.

I found all this out because I am purchasing a home in flood area in Petaluma CA. State Farm notified me of the sistuation. They told me that this is across the board with all insurance companies.

For more information contact the Flood Service Office at 1-888-257-4182

Google is looking for communities for testing their Ultra High Speed Internet in various communities. The City of Petaluma is working on their application and has a deadline of March 26. This Ultra High Speed Internet will bring speeds up to one Gigbit per second. Residents can go online to do our part by nominating Petaluma. Go to google.com/appserve/fiberrfi and complete the nomination process. This can be a good for Petaluma's economy as it may attract the Technology Companies again. You can also go to Petaluma360.com for more information. Let's stay cutting edged and move into the future.

Ever since I was 10 years old, I wanted to play the drums. I have thought about taking lessons over the years, but my sport activities took precedent. I kept coming back to wanting to take lessons. So finally, four years ago at the age of 41, I embarked on a journey that I has giving me a healthy outlet and I know I will continue to enjoy the rest of my life. Now I have a blues band and we gig around Sonoma County.

Here is how I started the process. I determined that I would have to earn my way through this by my how much commitment I set aside for practice.

I decided not to jump in deep and spend a lot of money on great equipment. I started gradually with a drum pad kit and practice 15 Min's a day. After two weeks I was practicing 30 Min's a day. By month two I put in a least a hour each day. Many times when a person jumps in too strong, the excitement tends to fade quicker. I made reasonable attainable goals for myself and accomplished them. After three months, I found that I really like the drums and committed to purchasing my first drum set ever. It was a beginning set and did not cost too much. I played with that set and added a few percussion pieces to it over a three year period. Finally, I knew that I was committed enough to this to purchase a top of the line drum set that I will have for the rest of my life.

I still take weekly lessons and have had my blues band now for over one year. It is a commitment, but well worth the reward. I continue expanding my mind and challenging myself. It is definitely a great way to escape from the this crazy real estate market for a short while.

I encourage everyone to follow their dreams of doing something you always wanted to do. Is is never too late and you are never too old to start something new. You can make the time. Just don't overwhelm yourself setting unattainable goals. Slowly build your commitment to it and you will find that you will set aside more time for your new hobby over months and over years.

Life is too short, Enjoy it!

Randy Benefield