Author: Runnergirl

IKEA made EZ

With an upcoming cocktail party, I needed to get my hands on some fun napkins, candles, and other festive accoutrements. Having been a past IKEA customer, I knew they’d meet my needs, but I was sore afraid of the throngs of people.

Braving the elements, I pointed myself toward West Sac and was in and out of IKEA within an hour – heavily laden with giant bags of party wares, and not having spent too much money.

Here’s how you can have an easy IKEA experience, especially if you’re going in primarily for their Marketplace items:
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A purrrfect lazy Sunday activity

When you shutter yourself in from Sunday’s storms, be sure to tune into UPN Channel 31 between 3pm-5pm to catch the Sacramento SPCA’s 2nd Annual Pet Telethon.

I was at the shelter earlier this week, and they were setting up to film segments that will be shown on Sunday, including a red carpet walk with some of the animals (going for that whole OscarsTM theme.) There will be heartwarming tales of people who have adopted furry friends from the SPCA, and of course a plea to the public to donate funds to this extremely worthy cause.

My beloved fluffy kitty spent some time at the shelter before I adopted him, and it was obvious that he was very well cared for during his stay. For more info on the telethon, about the SPCA in general, and to view adoptable pets, please visit their website. Until there are none, adopt one!

Demented and sad, but social*

This article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle posits that each city can be likened to a type of kid at any given high school. LA is the cheerleader with the nose job; Chicago is the keg-tapping linebacker; San Francisco is the misunderstood artiste with multi-colored hair.

Of course, Sacramento is not mentioned, but I opine that we are the kid whom everybody knows, but isn’t the one to get asked to the prom right away (if at all) — the kid who’s friends with the cool kids, but there’s not enough room at the cafeteria table, so he/she sits on the edge with one buttcheek hanging off the end of the bench.

*Free drink for the first person to identify the source of this title, if/when we ever have a SacRag happy hour

Gas up for less

Being raised by my dad who was born in ’29 at the start of the Great Depression and my mom who still tells tales of rationing when she was growing up during WWII, there was no other choice in my household but to be looking for the best deal. Coupon clipping, stockpiling of goods when they were on sale, and saving all rubber bands from the newspapers were a large part of my everyday life.

I abhor wastefulness, and finding a bargain on quality goods truly brings me joy.

So, when my dear friend sent me a link where I can plug in my ZIP code to find the least expensive gas in my area, how could I not share it with my SacRag brethren?

FANtastic

If the Kings have the best fans in the NBA, why do so many people leave before the game is even over?

Last night’s spanking of the Warriors provided one of the largest premature pilgrimages to the parking lot that I’ve ever seen. When else are you going to see ALL the Kings play in one night? (I think the guy who mops the floor with the Kings logo mop even got to play for a minute or two.)

I was particularly thrown by the gentleman wearing his “DIE HARD KINGS FAN” t-shirt checking his BlackberryTM as he made his way up the stairs to leave at the beginning of the 4th quarter.

At least Sign Man, who sits just steps away from my mom & her friends’ seats, stayed the entire time (as did we.)
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Planning for our future

If you’re the type who watches Metrocable for fun (it’s OK to admit it), you may wish to give input on developing the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) for the next 20+ years. The MTP contains big ticket items such as a beltway from the 99 corridor in the Elk Grove area to 50 in the Rancho area and light rail to the airport.

A series of workshops is beginning soon, put on by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, known as SACOG, (which happens to be my former employer of about 5 1/2 years from ’95-’00.) Click here for dates, locations, and times.

Also take some time to poke around for data, maps, and all other things regional.

Valentime’s Day

One of my resolutions for ’06 was to be kinder and gentler when pointing out others’ grammatical, spelling, and pronunciation gaffes, but has anyone else heard the radio spot for a local business marketing their goods for “Valentime’s” Day?

It’s for a business that is apparently trying to compete with Shari’s Berries. Keep your ears out for it, and you too will wonder in amazement how someone could invest so heavily in radio advertising and not even get the name of the holiday correct. Next time I hear it, I’m sure I’ll hear the non-word “supposably” in there, too.

Countdown to April 15th

As sure as the sun rises, you always know it’s tax time as you drive through the Fulton and Hurley intersection. It seems to be a brother-sister pair who are forced to don the Lady Liberty costume and take turns drumming up customers for their parents’ tax business, but both seem to have an easy-going demeanor (even acquiescing to my request for a photo — even though the light turned green just as I was about to take the picture.) I can only imagine what the costume would be for the Kabob House next door.