Carlos Santana is as cool in 2013 as he was when the audience first saw him at Woodstock in 1969.
- When asked about his Kennedy Center honor, Santana grinned and told “CBS This Morning,” “A lot of Mexicans are going to be happy.” He’s got that right. Five Kennedy Center honorees and two of them are Latinos (the other is opera singer Martina Arroyo, who I first saw as a kid on “The Odd Couple”; how’s that for trivia?); I tell ya my head’s about to explode. But I digress. Santana is a fourth-generation musician. He does 80 shows a year in Las Vegas, concerts all over the world and has a new album coming out next year. Pretty busy for a guy who’s 66. Anyone who has seen Santana perform knows he does this thing where he’s intently gazing out and upward. He said his mother once asked, “What are you looking at?” He said he looking toward “a place outside of time.” Like a lot of people, he always used to say the best is yet to come. Today his answer is: “The best is now.” The Kennedy Center honors will be televised Sunday on CBS.
- Can you regift that well-meaning Christmas present you just don’t want? Yes you can, according to lifestyle expert Limor Suss on “Good Morning America.” You just have to do it with class. Here’s her very sensible advice: the regift has to be non-perishable. Here is a key point. For each gift put a Post-It note that reminds who gave it to you (so you don’t return to that person) and — this is great advice — who else was there when you opened it so you don’t give it to them, either. Add to the regift to make it your own: say it’s bottle of wine: add a set of glasses. And for heaven sakes, rewrap the gift!
- There is a sign language restaurant servers use, according to “Today.” Check out some of the signals and see if you have ever seen one being used. — Sue Ontiveros