I check in with my oncologist every three months. I also get blood work done for every visit, a CT scan every six months and a yearly colonoscopy. It’s all relative, but I feel like over the past two years, I’ve been in and out of exam rooms quite a lot.

That said, I am treated well by everyone: my doctor, the nurses, the receptionists who check me in, the vampires who draw my blood, the technicians who ask me to remove my clothing and don a gown. Unlike shopping at most retail stores, or making any phone call to the cable company, my oncological encounters are uniformly positive. Everyone is warm, friendly, eager to help, patient, efficient and delighted to see me.

The Los Altos Hills City Council has steered the town steadily over the past 10 years. Annual budgets, even during the recession, have been solid.

The council also can boast of several accomplishments – for example, the new Little League fields, a rejuvenated Westwind Community Barn and recouping $300,000 in annual state funds the town had been shortchanged.

A key Los Altos Hills issue is the daily traffic logjam at Pinewood School. At drop-off in the morning, as many as 15-20 cars back up between 7:45 and 8 a.m.

Pinewood parents are waiting to turn into Pinewood, but the parking lot is already full. After all, it is a private high school renting a public elementary school site.

Isn’t it weird that the rest of the country considers us the 1 percent?

How to select a councilmember

How to select a councilmember in the Nov. 8 election:

The Los Altos City Council has five members. Three seats are vacant. We need to elect or re-elect three of the six candidates running.

Voting is a personal responsibility

In his Sept. 14 letter to the editor (“Take a stand on presidential election”), Michael Rappaport criticizes the Town Crier’s decision to not endorse/recommend a presidential candidate.

I applaud the Town Crier for saying, “You’re on your own,” because, in truth, that is how it should be. I dislike publications suggesting how I/we should vote. They have no knowledge of my (and your) personal views of, for example, government’s role in society. I consider it my job to perform the due diligence and analysis required to make an informed decision.