Month: December 2009

Not too Shabu

Reader help is requested to give me a better idea as to what is happening on the corner of 16th and R. At the beginning of the month, a small restaurant opened up called Shabu: Japanese Fondue.  Now the only thing I know about shabu-shabu is what I learned on the interwebs (which is a series of tubes dontchaknow).  Here’s what I’ve gleaned from the the usual sources: shabu-shabu is style of cuisine in which the diner cooks small bits of meat and vegetable in a communal bowl of steaming broth; this broth is then consumed at the end of the meal.

All I can say is “Thank God.” I was a bit worried that we were expected to mix teriyaki with a brandy spiked cheese sauce, or dipping slivers of yellowtail into molten chocolate. 

So, has anyone had shabu-shabu before? Anyone actually eaten at the new Shabu restaurant yet? Anyone turning Japanese?  Let us know.

An Outbreak of Honesty?

I was catching up on the news today when came across this story about two Safeway stores going unlocked on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Police said when they showed up at 3:30 p.m. Friday they found that people had been taking items and leaving money at the registers.

Sounds like an opportunity to dust off the old Sac Rag “Right Awn” right? Not if you read the comments. Ah, the comments…

“This is why I LOVE ROSEVILLE! We are hard-working, trust-worthy people. You would never read a story like this (the honest people part) happening in Sacramento or most other cities.”

Continue reading “An Outbreak of Honesty?”

Design of the Times

Jason Williams shows of his tattoo
Go, EBOY, Go!
While the Sac Rag takes a few days off to celebrate the winter solstice, I thought I would leave you with a few links to sites showcasing tattoos of all shapes and sizes.

Nothing on current Sacramento Kings, but I did find more from former King, Jason Williams.

Happy Holidays!

FREE COFFEE Tomorrow (December 24)!

Peet’s Coffee & Tea on Alhambra & Folsom Blvd. (located at 3100 Folsom) will be giving away FREE COFFEE tomorrow, December 24 all day from 5:00am to 4:00pm. To further invoke the holiday spirit, staff will be donating all their tips to Women’s Empowerment, a nonprofit that helps homeless women and children. Grab a free cup of joe and tip big for charity!

Some people became angry

Crowd waiting for Air Jordans
Happy Holidays.

From cbs13.com we learn that, in spite of these tough economic times, people still covet sneakers and are willing to wait in line for them.

Crowds were in line waiting for the release of Air Jordan 11. The crowd that gathered for the $175 sneakers became so unruly, police were brought in and the mall closed. As a result, many customers who had been standing in line for hours became angry…Some people reportedly tried to get into the mall through back doors.

No word if any were wearing hoodies. Although I can report that Mrs. TopofIt has intentionally worn a hoodie at the Arden Fair Mall without so much as a second look.

Only six people were able to get shoes before the mall was closed. They received a special police escort from the mall to their vehicles.

$175 for reissued shoes! Man, people are funny.

Meet Muzzley!


Click to enlarge…if you dare

I was browsing at Tina’s One Stop Shop over the weekend with my daughter, and a nice and slightly-weird-but-not-scary lady bought this item for my daughter “in the spirit of the holidays.” His name is Muzzley, and in my daughter’s words he is a “freaky monkey in a leopard suit that I can’t play with” but we love him anyway. And by “love him” I mean we place him around the house to surprise each other. He was originally a marionette and was attached to a swing but that broke as soon as we got old Muzzley home. The woman who brought him into our lives vanished down the street but I hope she knows that despite his freakyness Muzzley has actually brought us a great deal of joy the last few days. It’s a regular Christmas miracle on the streets of Midtown!

By the way if the name “Tina’s One Stop Shop” doesn’t ring a bell, you may know it as that junk shop on J Street across from what used to be Taco Loco. It is one of my favorite retail establishments on the planet.

Tragedy averted at Costco

As I strolled the aisles of the Expo Ave. Costco yesterday around lunchtime, I noticed an open gun safe over in the tools area. Had I tarried a while longer I would have witnessed what must have been a pretty scary scene as an 11-year-old boy walked inside and closed the door behind himself.

The safe’s locking mechanism is battery-operated, but when store personnel tried to get the safe open, the battery was either dead or missing, leaving the boy inside, Doucette said.

My first thought was, what is the problem over there at the Costco, are they running some sort of massive faceless warehouse where every man woman and child fends for himself with no human courtesy to save us from a million opportunities for certain death? And then I remembered that this is exactly what Costco is; that, plus free samples.

Continue reading “Tragedy averted at Costco”

Snowfall Party Tonight at the Shady lady

There are three things I love about tonight’s “Snowfall” party at the Shady Lady: 1) It’s free, 2) There will be punchbowls of mulled wine, and 3) Cocktail or festive dress is preferred.  Those are, pretty much in order, my top three requirements of a holiday party.

Drop by and sip on a hot toddy and maybe I’ll see you there.

The Shady Lady Saloon- 1409 R St, Sacramento (click here for more details)

Tales from the Octagon

You need somebody watching your back at all times.
You need somebody watching your back at all times.
For those that were not treated to this little gem in Roseville on Thursday night, please to enjoy (INTERESTING TIDBIT: This story was brought to News10’s attention by an anonymous tip from a viewer).

Patrons inside a Roseville Taco Bell got much more than they bargained for Thursday night when a karate instructor walked inside and tried to place one of his employees under citizen’s arrest…”I walked in the front door and I said Riley Lockett, I said you’re under arrest for theiving from me, right now, citizen’s arrest, right now,” Marinoble said.

Boy, sounds like a real tussle. The story continues to get curiouser…

“I did do something really dumb. I went in there and I was stealing money from him because I wasn’t making enough money to pay for my speeding tickets,” Lockett said.

Well, why didn’t you say so? We all know those dang speeding tickets can get pricey. Especially when you’re 17! Man.

As witnessed by the comments at News10.net, folks are split on this one. It is a tough call.

What do you think? Should Marinoble have called the police and asked for their assistance in apprehending this youngster? What should happen to the teen? He did confess to the crime and was caught on video.

Sac Bee digs up the dirt on Whitman

sacbee-meg-whitman

This voter hasn’t really thought much at all about who he’ll vote for in next year’s gubernatorial race. But I am getting the feeling the Sacramento Bee has a suggestion for me. Check out the related articles in one of the articles up on sacbee.com today.

I can’t believe Meg Whitman is still in this race after being linked to the gas leak explosion that killed a Rancho Cordova man, and either the accidental death of a firefighter or the child abuse committed against that woman’s children.

(Note to any Sac Bee folks: I am not being serious. But you might want to tweak those results, lest Whitman take a break from not voting and sue you.)