View Zombie Zones- What’s Safe? in a larger map

What I didn’t realize was that the map was made public for anyone to edit and add.  I check two years later, and it’s been viewed by over 80,000 people and contributed to by people from all over the US (mental note, if you happen to be in the mid-west, head to Wisconsin).

I post it here now for fellow ‘Raggers to contribute and pass on to others who might want to make suggestions of Hot and Cold Zones to avoid becoming a brain casserole.

I couldn’t help but snicker at the news alert on KCRA3 today about the City Counsel considering water rationing as I looked outside to the lake that had formed where my backyard used to be.  Just remember people- Dry Land is not a myth!

Oh and because I am mixing my pop-culture references, here’s another picture for you:

It dawned me after a hard-fought night of Risk with friends, that Sacramento really needs a game-friendly pub where booths can be occupied by pints and players, without the need to fight against the tools trolling to get a piece at the bar- a place where I could gather at a metaphorical hearth and smoke my metaphorical pipe with other friends (who may or may not be metaphorical).

So I ask you, dear Raggers, do you know of any game-friendly environments at the established drinkeries in our town? I don’t mean the team trivia nights, but the kind where a guy and his five friends can show up with a copy of Zombies! in tow, pint-up, and get their nerd on?

By the time my sister came along, we kept up this tradition for at least 10 years.  And for 10 years, the same Santa Claus.  No foolin’- it was the same guy every year, and after a few years, he started to remember my dad (something about the Scotch my dad would bring for him probably was the trigger).

So as I looking towards my first Christmas as a dad, I can’t wait to start this tradition with my own son, Game Boy.  Naturally this begs the question: where, dear readers, is the best place in Sacramento for a pancake breakfast (please don’t say Pancake Circus) and an awesome Santa? My first thought was to search out non-chain-based malls to capture the Santa experience of my youth, but then quickly realized that meant Florin Mall which instantly terrified me.  So, any other suggestions?

If I could sum up our eating experience in one word, it would be “derivative.” I am a big fan of Crepeville for it’s affordable prices and satisfying (though not mind blowing) cuisine; and The Crepe Escape manages to mirror the Crepeville mold to a tee: the familiar chalkboard menu offers virtually identical dishes of Americanized crepe recipes.  No, these are not authentic Frency thin pancakes, but if French cuisine is what you’re looking for, I’d recommend the very satisfying Cafe Rolle down the road.

The decor is strikingly similar to the Curis Park and Midtown creperies, and a nice outdoor patio offers some breezy sitting with majestic views of Cookies’ Drive-In and the H Street train bridge.  It’s not picturesque, but outdoor seating in Sacto is always preferred.

Like Crepeville, the food is satisfying, not spectacular, and I find it interesting that none of their dessert crepes have chocolate in them, but the much more Euro-centric Nutella.  Why the menu doesn’t offer a chocolate sauce is beyond me- its enough reason to hike down to Midtown for Crepeville’s better dessert offerings.

The most humorous thing of our eating experience last night was when Mrs. Game asked whether this was under the same ownership as Crepeville, to which our order-taker (not server, this is Crepeville’s counter-service after all) replied “no, we just have the same chalkboard artist.”  Really? Does he ALSO handle the menu content for both places too?

Side Note: the name “Crepe Escape” makes me think that we go there to get away from the over-abundance of crepes in our day-to-day lives.  I have been mistakenly calling it “Crepe Expectations,” which I think is a much better name.

But really, they should just call it “the East Sac Crepeville,” because that’s what everyone else will be calling it.

Food ***

Price $$

Atmosphere ***

And at an affordable price- I can’t spend more than what my wife spends or else marital discourse will ensue.

So any suggestions of people/places to go who can do something fun and stylish? I don’t think my last haircutter understood anything but “Number 3 on the sides and back.”

Females Looking for Yard/Irrigation Repairs For You: – $75 (Sacramento/Placer So Co)

---

Reply to: sale-674644247@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-05-09, 3:27PM PDT

You have tried meny Contractors Refuse to come to Your Small Yards:
Small leaks one Sprinkler Head,Pipes,need Low-Voltage Lights for your Walkway,
Bark Yard Spa, Pool,Check-Out that Time Clock,Pruning Shrubs Over Grown weeds
Clean-up new Bark,Rock Redo. Then haul to Dump max 1-Load. House,Duplexs,Rental or Own it.
Just like to Really Barter Your Services as a Lic. [CMT] Massage Tec for
this trained person Labor hour for hour work Back Massage,Deep Pressure,Tissue,Rock,Swedish Rock Style Therapeutic or Total[FSBM] Yes:
Sorry materials non-negotable and cost of dump fees or excess Materials
Bark,Sod,Rock work or any possible 2,000 sq.Ft hydroseeding work:
Not interested in any Equal Value Trading for P/C work,Add promotion work,T-shirts,hats etc. Only-Females Barters for [CMT] Massage Work performed with-in
24-48 hrs after Labor work performed for You in Landscape,Irrigation Repairs:
***No Visa or M/C accepted for any other work performed only cash or checks
Work that exceed upto $300.00-$2,500.00 value: Call Monday-Saturday 7:30 A.M.
-6:00 P.M. Daily for Serious Callers at [916] 402-5783: Yes I do make Special
appointments as needed for estimates on Sundays Only: All estimates are Written in clear English for all Barter work also. 11 Years in Greater Sacramento County Area: If line Busy you can either email or call Direct Voicemail [916] 553-9806: Leave messages with name,phone no. for quick return calls: Note; emails please add your address with your return phone No.
Thank You:

As best as I can figure it, I can either: 1) Get a massage in exchange for landscaping; 2) Get landscaping in exchange for a massage; or 3) Get sprinklers repaired, a retaining wall built, and a hot-rock massage all by the same company.

Note delicious irony that “All Estimates are Written in clear English.”

Any other interpretations out there?

This is The Sac Rag’s 1500th post. –CoolDMZ

This fact gives me my Sacramento tie-in to a delightful story that I just had to share with the rest of the ‘Raggers:

Those of you who have gmail know of the targeted ads posted on the sides of your inbox that “correspond” to the subject of your emails. After writing to one of my Nintendo contacts requesting some information, I noticed a target ad that stated “Like Super Mario Bros.? You’ll love this” with a hyperlink to a flash-based game for the PTEA-sponsored site Kentucky Fried Cruelty, adorably titled “Super Chick Sisters.”

From a quick perusal of Kentucky Fried Cruelty, it looks to be a celebrity-promoted, anti-delicious fried chicken, website spearheaded by the great philanthropist/philosopher Pamela Anderson. Thankfully Pammie also brought her think-tank of great minds to support her cause, including: Pink, Ryan Gosling, and Rev. Al Sharpton. Worthy of note is that the Dalai Lama is also one of those in Pam’s entourage who does not dig on the Colonel, which stunned me because I didn’t even realize that they had KFC’s in Dharamsala, India- go figure.

At any rate, “Super Chick Sisters” knows that video games are no longer about getting from point A to point B; no-the designers of “Super Chick Sisters” realize the importance of a strong narrative in our current generation of gaming. So, in following the tradition of “Bioshock,” “Deus Ex,” and even the recent “Grand Theft Auto IV,” “Chick Sisters” tells the following take upon startup:

“Colonel Sanders and his minions have kidnapped Pamela Anderson for revealing to the world that KFC’s Secret recipe is cruelty to chickens! Help the Super Chick Sisters save Pam before it’s too late!”

If that ain’t compelling, I don’t know what is.

Ironically, one of the Chick Sisters is named “Nugget” which, unquestionably, is one of the most delicious parts of a chicken. Apparently if you complete the game, you have the option of playing as Pam Anderson- but if you’ve ever played “Tomb Raider” you’ve pretty much had that opportunity since 1996.

But if you thought this was going to be just the run-of-the-mill flash-based platformer in the same vein as “Super Mario Bros.” you’re dead wrong. Special guest copyright-infringing appearances are made by Toad and the Brothers themselves, Mario and Luigi- who, due to excessive Wii playing, have hurt their arms that they are unable to embark on the adventure, leaving only the Chick Sisters- dressed in red and green caps- to finish the job.

I don’t really understand why a cardboard basket, clearly intended for holding fried parts of a chicken, is used as the power-up mushroom to turn the normal Chick Sisters into the “Super Chick Sisters,” if PETA is going to go far enough to steal the likenesses of the Nintendo characters and the question-mark blocks, why not just go the whole nine yards and swipe the Super Mushroom too? It’s PETA, so I don’t think eating mushrooms goes against their philosophy- then again, those mushrooms DO have faces, and I’ve heard that eating anything with a face is in square opposition to the precepts of PETA. Maybe this is just the type of detail that makes “SCS” designers geniuses, and me a simpleton.

Additionally, from a design standpoint- though the Colonel-Spiders (that’s what I call them) may be a little derivative, the bucket of blood is just plain genius. It strikes that “Silent Hill” creepiness- familiar, but chillingly evil.

I could only make it into the KFC before things, like my own sense of ridiculousness, made me stop. But you don’t have to- hit up the banner below for some good ol’ education- courtesy of Professor Pamela.

Unfortunately, it only made me more excited for my cold KFC that I brought for lunch today. I mean, those herbs and spices really ARE finger lickin’ good.

Just got this news over the ‘Wire’ that Runaway Stage Productions is still looking for a few good men and women for their upcoming production of “Cabaret” (now in rehearsals).

Performances are 2/29 (that’s a Leap Year Day!) thru 3/23, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of taking in a Runaway Stage production, let me assure you that from a community theater perspective- they are top-notch. Far and away, they are one of the best local theaters in the Sacramento area- and totally cleaned house at last year’s Elly Awards for their production of “Chicago.”

An Absolutely FABULOUS Press Release after the break

Runaway Stage Productions

Actors

==============================

Runaway Stage Productions is looking for the following actors for its upcoming production of Cabaret

Cabaret

Rehearsals are underway
Performances 2/29 – 3/23 Fridays and Saturdays @ 8 p.m., and Sundays @ 2 p.m.

Directed by Bob Baxter
Choreographed by Darryl Strohl
Vocal Director: Anne Marie Pringle
Musical Director: Jesse Vallerio

Herrr Schultz – One of Fraulein Schneider’s roomers and the proprietor of a Fruit Shop. Singer/Actor 50+

2 Kit Kat Klub Waiter(s) Singer/Dancers

If interested please contact Bob Baxter, Director at 916-207-1226.

With all theater, the production’s only as good as the people involved and “Chicago” Director Bob Baxter and Choreographer Daryl Strohl are on deck with “Cabaret.” So if you have half a mind to get up on stage and strut your stuff all over Nazi Germany, contact Runaway for more details.

Vacaville police are warning residents to be cautious of electronic scams that have been occurring in the area after a man was arrested attempting to pass off shrink-wrapped oven doors as state-of-the-art plasma HDTVs. Apparently, authorities were alerted after a frugal shopper discovered that the “high-definition television” being sold out of the back of a blue Integra was not, as advertised, “the deal of the century.”

Also featured for won’t-be-undersold prices: Laptop computer boxes full of flooring tile.

Now I’m always looking for a good deal on electronics- but somehow my Spider-Sense would start tingling if the deal was to be found in the trunk of a crappy Acura in the middle of Vacaville. Really- who’s falling for this? Or has my Sacramento “big city” street-smarts made me too cunning of an adversary for these flimflammers?

I remember a time when the Ferrari was an unattainable God-among-automobiles-  Where the vision of them could only be seen on posters and car magazines.  But now it seems like every time I run an errand around Sac, there’s another one zipping by me.

At first I thought it was another Sacramento anomaly, like Chain Guy, where a single Sacramentan was a Ferrari motorist.  But no! Red ones, Blue ones, Yellow ones.  Testa Rossas, Diablos, and Enzos.  I seem them everywhere.  In fact, I was telling this story to my wife as we were driving down the street, and as she was laughing about how odd it was- what should pass us?

Has anyone else observed this phenomena?  Methinks the Sacramento Board of Directors have.