From the L.A. Times:

The love affair between Phil Jackson and the state capital continued Thursday.

“It’s a beautiful place,” he said, opening his arms figuratively with an apparent compliment for Arco Arena. [...] “It’s just one of the very few places where you have to walk across the court to get to a locker room that’s a dungeon.”

There’s more, and the LAT seems to like it just a little too much. In fact, they took a dig in another section, too:

Sacramento is a suburb of Los Angeles. Nothing drives home that point more than a walk through Terminal A at Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport at the start of the workweek, where you can see a host of L.A. lawmakers — and lobbyists, political lawyers, labor leaders and corporate executives — waiting for their short hops to the Capitol. [...]

California’s capital city may be where all the state’s movers and shakers mingle, but L.A. still rules.

Yeah, just ask ‘em. Here’s the rest.

After asking the S.F. vs. Sac question yesterday, I’m now dealing with the diss of the Big Tomato by Bee L.A. Bureau Chief (and sole reporter) Laura Mecoy. Well-known around the Bee newsroom as one of its best reporters, Mecoy headed south for The Bee 14 years ago and has filed some incredible stories in the years since.

But The Bee decided we didn’t need to know anything from L.A. (or S.F.) that couldn’t be pulled from the Associated Press wires and offered the far-flung correspondents either a bus ticket back to Sac or a buyout. (The recalled reporters also include Herb Sample in S.F., and Claire Cooper, who knows more about the California Supreme Court than the justices do).

Writes Mecoy, in the L.A. Observed blog:

I saw how the recall worked out for Gov. Gray Davis and decided it’s not for me. I look forward to traveling across the Los Angeles basin in search of a new calling. I know I will find great wisdom in all the wonderful people I will meet along the way.

Don’t bother checking in at the L.A. Times after that buyout money runs out, Laura. I got a Christmas card from a friend who’s pretty high up there, and in the note inside, that person scribbled a few words that weren’t entirely optimistic about prospects for the Best Darn Paper south of the Grapevine.

Sad.

My father was born in San Francisco, and still — he’ll quickly tell you — holds baseball records set in 1949 when he played for Mission High School in what my family have always called simply, “The City.” When my parents married — at Fremont Presbyterian, back when it was on 34th and J — they decided to settle in Sacramento. My father, by then a professional baseball player in the Red Sox organization, said he “liked the heat.”

Flash forward a half-century and change. My parents last October celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary. They are happy with most everything they’ve done and accomplished, save one thing: They wished they’d settled as newlyweds in San Francisco.

My father is still a San Franciscan in his own mind, even though three-quarters of his life has been lived in Sacramento. He is in The City at least three times a month, to attend luncheons for former star jocks, visit with high-school buddies, pick up ravioli and proscuitto at Lucca’s or (with sadly increasing frequency) attend a funeral.

When I ask him about this, he shrugs. It’s pretty obvious to him: Would you rather be from San Francisco or Sacramento?

Continue reading “Will we always be in San Francisco’s shadow?” »

Last week two very incredible things happened to me, and they both I think have everything to do with life here in Sacto. First of all, we found out that one of my daughter’s preschool classmates lives in the house I grew up in. Her parents actually bought it from my parents about 4 years ago, and now she is one of 24 or so kids in my daughter’s class.

The second one is I think even weirder. Continue reading “Only in Sacramento…” »

Late last year I wrote a post about the forming of lines in public places. My point was that we have unwritten rules in society which allow us to function in such a manner that total chaos is held in check. That, and sometimes people just suck.

Well, I’m at it again. This time I am having issues with the “rules” regarding the opening of doors for people. In general there are a few basics, right?

Continue reading “Here, let me get that for you” »

In many posts, we’ve shared our own experiences with people becoming more distant with each other — whether it’s not making eye contact; not returning a “hello”; or failing to say basic phrases such as “I’m sorry,” “excuse me,” “thank you,” and “yes, please.” I know this is not limited to Sacramento, but is there anything we can do about it?
Continue reading “Embrace your fellow man” »

A coworker actually just said, without irony or self-awareness, “Hot enough for ya’?”

This phrase, outside of Antarctica, really lacks the punch it did 500 years ago. Especially in a town known for heat, we should really shy away from it. Don’t you think?

There are enough bosses, family members and complete strangers who solidly fill the “Having-Fun-Yet-Not-If-I-See-You-First” school of humor crowding our daily lives. Aren’t there?

It’s ok to think those folksy heat comments about whores and churches and frying eggs and hell and the devil, but it’s really better if you keep them in your head for now. Thanks.

So, the Mrs. and I went with some friends to dinner (thanks Mike, for picking up the tab) at California Pizza Kitchen at Arden Fair mall. (Go for the Jamaican Jerk chicken pizza, it’s great: chicken, peppers onions, jerk sauce and of course, bacon. The waiter didn’t appreciate my aside when I asked him how the Jamaican Jerk compares to the Haitian Asshole.) Anyway, we wound up taking so long that we were sitting with a ringside seat when the Cal Expo fireworks went off. It was rather entertaining, watching 4th of July fireworks from the window of a chain mall restaurant, entertaining and relaxing.

The point of this, though, is to chronicle what we saw on our way out of the Arden Fair parking lot:
Continue reading “4th of July Traditions at the Mall” »

I just noticed a new feature on Netflix that caught my eye. It’s called “Local Favorites” and it focuses on which DVD’s people from Sacramento are renting. Featured as a “Local Favorite” is the Ellen Degeneres stand-up special “The Beginning.” Hmmmm…Ellen DeGeneres is one of the top choices for Sacramento film watchers, and the Monarchs are WNBA champions…correlation?

Back in February I wrote about a vending machine at Taco Bell that was selling body tattoos and imitation gold jewelry. Well, I’m happy to report, those questionable items are no more! Did the bouncy ball make a triumphant comeback, you ask? Alas, we can only hope. No, for 25 cents these days you can own your very own power stone. Sounds innocent enough, right? Well, as you can see by the accompanied documentation, that’s open for debate.

The Web site is ooogy. Like myspace.com ooogy. Anyone have any clue what’s going on here? It could be some sort of Dungeons & Dragons thing, but I have my doubts.

“Frater, you open this gate straight away or I swear on Sacristy’s knee I will smote it asunder!” “Settle down you blustering bully. It is the middle of the night, you will surely wake the castle,” Frater hushed as he struggled to raise the heavy gate, “and you will not smote Garth Spandrel for Cinquefoil would have your hide.”

Uh, uh, ok. I think I’ll take my chances with the grills…