Author: CoolDMZ

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

Recalling Mr. Steak

Yesterday I was telling my wife about Mr. Steak. From my interweb research it looks like the brand is thriving in the Midwest, but the Sacramento location, which stood somewhere near the Border’s on Fair Oaks, is of course lost to all but the memories of those of us who ate there in the 1980s (and before, I assume).

So I was telling Mrs. Cool about it (for the dozenth time I’m sure, although probably less frequently since I started this here web log) and I got to the part where I was describing some of the items on the kids’ menu and I distinctly recall there being a chicken dish on there labeled “Matt Chicken.” Am I remembering that right? I remember from the time assuming that it was a play on “Matt Houston,” the brilliant Texas millionaire/LA private dick (played by Lee Horsley). And that’s about as far into the nether reaches of my subconscious as I think we should go today. Matt Chicken, anyone?

A Travis-ty at My58

Travis & KellyMeet Kelly and Travis, co-winners of the Host Hunt competition on My58. Faithful readers will know that I had a pick to click in this race, but I’m simply shocked, shocked that Travis pulled ahead of the pack.

For a taste of what you’re in for, check out Kelly and Travis as Phoebe and Joey announcing that MyTV has taken the bold step of airing “Friends.” See if you can get past the words “smelly cat,” I couldn’t. (I can’t link you to it, so if you think you have the stomach, visit Travis’s page and click on “Teaming Up: Travis And Kelly” in the video list.)
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Graswich on Kings rumor mill

If you missed R.E. Graswich today he leads with an awesome piece of Kings/arena gossip:

Bumped into Joe Benvenuti the other night. Joe, the developer who wrote the check to bring the Kings to Sacramento in 1985, had a scoop. He said he was thinking about selling his 31 percent ownership in the team. And there was something else. “It’s my understanding they have an agreement to move the team to Anaheim,” Joe said. “I expect to read about it in The Bee.”
“There is no such deal and there have been no discussions,” said Kings president John Thomas. “I’m sure Mr. Benvenuti was joking. I talked to him shortly after you did, and he was telling lots of jokes. I’m sure that was one of them.” Benvenuti, who financed Gregg Lukenbill’s dream to purchase the Kings for $10 million, said Sunday he was not joking. But his sources may be questionable. “The Anaheim deal was a rumor,” Joe said. “Everyone’s talking about it.” …

Good news, bad news

Well today brings two big stories, one sad and one incredibly good. First the sad, it’s now official: Tower Records is gone. Like, for real. Liquidation sales start today. First Sacred Heart, then Tower, and since these things happen in threes, expect an announcement soon after November 7 about another Sacramento institution packing house…

The good news today is that the DEA has busted Daryl and Solomon Summerfield (hmm Solomon, eh? so these stories really are related…weird) a father and son drug outfit that was moving large amounts of cocaine around. If you just read this story in the Bee, one bit they left out, and that Ron Jones reports on CBS13, is that this operation was the coke supply for Oak Park. One thing Ron Jones doesn’t report is who “Scott McGregor” is, the person quoted in the article several times. I have a hunch that he might be talking about McGregor Scott, the US Attorney in Sacramento. What is that dude doing reversing his names like that! Making Ron Jones’ job harder is what. Anyway here’s to brighter days ahead for Oak Park…

Regional Transit: The Soundtrack

If you’re like me, you enjoy musical accompaniment on your RT commute. Be it the popular Apple iPod device, a Walkman, or the songs in your head, there are certain tunes that really fit the bill for your particular route and time of day. For example, on a rainyish day like today, crossing the river on I5 heading into Natomas, Sufjan Stevens was where it was at. After work, heading uptown on the 50E I’m thinking maybe something a little more rockin.

Well, I want to hear from you. Leave a comment with your route and some songs that make it rock (or make it roll) for you. Perhaps we could get a mix CD going…so feel free to also donate several thousand dollars for permissions if you’d like to see that happen!

Undercover ops at North Sac house of massage

I’m sure we’re all safer for the Sheriff’s having busted the South Seas Massage and Tanning Parlor in north Sacramento which was operating as a whorehouse. But the KCRA report does bring up some questions.

A decoy went into the business carrying cash and wearing a wire. Authorities said 15 minutes later, the decoy was offered sex for money. …

Well that’s how you’d do it, isn’t it. Cut and dry, get in, get your collar, get out. There’s more.
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Dickinson calls public need for arena info “laughable”

A week ago, if you were real quiet you could hear the air squealing out of the arena deal’s tires. Now, you basically have to cover your ears to block out the sound of its rims grinding:

Representatives of the Sierra Club and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association called an afternoon press conference to demand that the latest arena site plan and proposal … be made public. … Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson called the demand for public review “laughable” since the documents are simply draft proposals that have yet to receive a response from the Maloof family. … “It’s a laughable request made purely for campaign purposes by the opposition,” Dickinson said. “As we’ve seen over the past several years on a number of occasions, negotiating in public has not proven to be very successful,” he said.

Successful for who, exactly? In Roger-speak, doesn’t that mean that when the people know what’s really going on they frequently won’t go for it? Does he really think that a proposal our public officials are making on our behalf to a private company is nothing we need to see?

The real live bunch from Coney

A few observations from my morning RT commute today:

I saw a “tag” under the I-5 J street offramp that read “The Warriors,” as in the dystopian 70s gang film. Does this mean that the kids are getting smarter (or at least more into kitsch popcult references)? Or does it mean that graffiti artists are just getting older. Any other Warriors fans out there?

Can anyone tell me what they’re doing with those long narrow concrete pillars on the site of The Towers? There are several dozen sticking out of the ground at different heights which leads me to assume they are being tested for strength or something. Anybody have any experience with skyscraper construction?

Comments, login weirdness

By the way, authors and commenters alike: The system does appear to know that you’re logged in, it just doesn’t tell you that. No matter what you put for your “Name” in the comment form, if you’re logged in, it’s going to use your display name.

Any frequent commenters who haven’t already (and that’s all but one of you)… go ahead and register for a subscriber account and lock in that screen name!

Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm

The Cool family took a drive out to Wheatland to meet up with some other families at the Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm yesterday. While not as eventful as last year’s pumpkin patch outing, Bishop’s is a great experience. The family run attraction has quality pumpkins, plenty of hay (including a hay “bounce house”), a petting zoo, a corn maze and carnival food. But that’s where most patches end–Bishops’s is just getting started.
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