Author: CoolDMZ

"X-ray vision to see in between / Where's my kimono and my time machine?"

Sac Public Library nominated for national award

Colonial Heights Library

Sacramento Public Library was announced today as one of 30 finalists for a National Medal for Museum and Library Service presented by Institute of Museum and Library Services. The awards are given to “outstanding institutions that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities.”

SPL is one of only 3 California organizations nominated this year, on a list that includes some top museums and libraries. The Discovery Science Center, a Santa Ana science museum, was one of 10 institutions honored with a medal last year in a White House Ceremony.

Kudos to the folks at SPL who make these programs happen!

Sacramento is on the map, geekly speaking

Wizard World, the fanzine publisher who hosts geek conventions in various cities including Chicago and Philadelphia, is bringing their con to Sacramento for the first time this year. The guest list is insane, including William Shatner, Stan Lee, and Bruce Campbell, and about half the cast of AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”

Huge news for Sacramento’s geek community. As a dad with kids I just hope the cosplay presentations are family friendly, which I guess is probably in vain. The Sac Bee’s Snapshots from the recent Anime con at the Convention Center were mostly safe, which bodes well. I think cons should have a “family friendly” cosplay area but I’d hate to have to put someone in charge of judging whether costumes are friendly.

YMCA mural is my new favorite local mural

Sacramento has quite a few murals but my new favorite is at the midtown YMCA. The walls of the patio in the pool area were decorated with a “whimsical” mural depicting undersea life last month, painted by local artist Markos Egure. I haven’t been to the pool since last year so I first got to see it this weekend. Makes the pool experience just a bit better!


Continue reading “YMCA mural is my new favorite local mural”

Local angle to Batkid story: Sacto boy donated suit

In case you enjoyed following the crime- fighting exploits of “Batkid” on Friday, you’ll want to know that among the many amazing people who made it possible was 7-year old Carmichael resident James, who donated the awesomely realistic pint-sized Batsuit worn by the Batkid himself. CBS13 reports:

http://CBSSAC.images.worldnow.com/interface/js/WNVideo.js?rnd=579265272;hostDomain=video.sacramento.cbslocal.com;playerWidth=304;playerHeight=227;isShowIcon=true;clipId=9537269;flvUri=;partnerclipid=;adTag=News;advertisingZone=CBS.SAC%252Fworldnowplayer;enableAds=true;landingPage=;islandingPageoverride=;playerType=STANDARD_EMBEDDEDscript;controlsType=fixed

Greta Gerwig stars in Arcade Fire “Afterlife” video

Sacramento’s own Greta Gerwig stars in this video for Arcade Fire’s “Afterlife,” directed by Spike Jonze live at the YouTube Music Awards which are a thing now. As with most of the tracks on “Reflektor,” it gets pretty epic at the 3:00 mark (in this reviewer’s humble opinion) when, well, the thing in the preview image happens.

//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/tBTTd0gfkn0?rel=0

Shaq picks Kings to make Western Conf. playoffs

Former Kings hater and current Kings part owner Shaquille O’Neal picked the Kings to make the playoffs in 2014 as the 7th pick in the Western Conference.

Apparently Shaq correctly predicted all 16 playoff teams for the lockout-shortened 2012 season, but I can’t find any evidence of this in the 7 minutes that I felt like researching it.

Pumpkin patch time!

Pumpkin Chunkin $5/3 shots
My photo from the 2005 post

As far as seasonal ledes go on Sac Rag, they don’t get more boilerplate than “We here at The Sac Rag love us a pumpkin patch.” So it’s that time of year to do the thing. Pumpkins, corn mazes, apple pie, the works.

I have reviewed local favorites Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm and Bastiao Farms/Goblin Gardens as well as The Pumpkin Farm out in Citrus Heights and (sort of) Dave’s Pumpkin Patch (in 2005!)

Surprisingly, I have never been to Cool Patch Pumpkins out in Dixon, which boasts a corn maze “Labeled as ‘The Coolest Maze on the Planet'” (not sure by whom) though I hear great things about it.

Any other crowd favorites out there? Any new ones cropped up in the last few years? Anyone still out there, actually?

Renovations, eh?

Mavericks Win in OT

Sleep Train Arena will be undergoing some renovations before the NBA season opens:

The changes – expected to be ready opening night, Oct. 30 – include two new VIP lounges – one for the team’s three-dozen-member ownership group – and one expanded lounge. The visitors locker room, a long-reviled dungeon, will be doubled in size.

Not to pick on former staffer Runnergirl but here is a discussion from 2006 on this site about renovations including the very ones that are being planned. RG’s points were well-made, and I only include it here because it is relevant, not to prove anything. Though I do think the prevailing wisdom of the time was that these renovations were impossible. (Sac-eats has some choice bon mots in the comments section. Also–Kit!)

!!! releases guerilla style video for “Californiyeah”

Former Sacramento band !!! released a video for “Californiyeah,” a tune (with a local angle!) from their recent album “THR!!!ER.” Rolling Stone says:

Filmed on the streets of Japan, in a hotel elevator and onstage, the video for !!!’s “Californiyeah” is as exuberant as the song itself is contagious. Extracted from the dance-punk outfit’s fifth and latest album, THR!!!ER, one can’t help but sympathize as frontman Nic Offer pledges love for his home state (California, naturally) and shares his frustration with the idea that its bars close at 2 a.m.

Make sure to watch it through to the end for a fun moment.

http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=M2IxMTZiNDExZmU1MDIyOTc2NzA0NmVi&ec=Nydm94ZDohamfV7WmptqE-5nQ6oFZ85L