Author: TheGameGuy

Downtown IMAX gets a CLU

This guy. That's all I can come up with.

Fans of Jeff Bridges, Daft Punk, and neon rejoice! The release of Tron: Legacy is upon us. If you are as ridiculously excited about the long-awaited sequel (it’s been 20 28 years). You can celebrate at the Esquire Imax tonight.

This tweet, just in:

Thursday, December 16, the Esquire IMAX Theatre will be attempting to break a Guinness Book World Record™ for the Longest Glow Stick (at least in Sacramento’s history) in honor of the opening of TRON: Legacy in IMAX 3D!

The event will take place at 9 p.m. on K Street between the Esquire IMAX Theatre at 1211 K
Street and (hopefully) the Downtown Ice Rink at 7th and K Streets.

All participants will receive a $3 off coupon to see TRON: Legacy in IMAX 3D at the Esquire IMAX Theare after it opens at Midnight that night

So put down your game of Space Paranoids, tell your User you’ll be out of the house tonight, hop on your lightcycle, and drop by the Esquire IMAX to hold a glow stick for a while. It’ll be the most conservative rave you’ve ever been to.

End of Line.

Is Sacramento Safe… from the Undead?

So a couple of years ago, a “Cool” person from this website and I fiddled around with the custom map program on Google Maps to plan ahead for any local catastrophe that might occur in the event the Dead walk.  One can never be too careful- especially when zombies are involved.

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.

Board in Sacto?

The Game Guy isn’t just some modern, fly-by-night nerd who focuses only on video games and fancy gaming systems.  No sir: The Game Guy has classic nerd running through his body that been transfused by years of comic books, TSR role play gaming, and Magic: The Gathering.  Despite the satisfaction video games can bring when that competitive itch comes up, there’s something sophisticated and classy about gathering friends together around a board or card game with some brews for a night of gaming.

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?

The Great Sacramento Santa Hunt of 2008

I remember fondly going out to an annual breakfast with my dad, The Game Guy, Sr., one special Saturday in December for pancakes and then to a little mall full of non-chain stores to visit Santa Claus- who was the embodiment of ol’ St. Nick if I ever knew one.  One of the benefits of being at such a mall was the total lack of crowds which allowed our Kris Kingle to be take his time and actually engage in a conversation with me.  After I got done visiting with Santa, my dad and I would then go Christmas shopping for my mom (it wasn’t until many years later that I realized the Saturday alone was probably the greatest gift my Dad and I could have given her).

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?

The Crepe Escape

Far be it for me to encroach on any of the well-established territory of our raven-haired beauty, Sac-Eats, but Mrs. Game Guy and I had the opportunity to try the newly-opened “Crepe Escape” on H Street last night.

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 ***

From Hair to There

Ok Raggers, I am in the middle of an attempted hairstyle  renaissance.  The problem is that for years I’ve only gotten quick and easy chop-shop jobs in Sacramento.  I have no go-to stylist or barber and now need to find someone who’ll do a good job with men’s hair.

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.”

As Seen on Craigslist

As I was perusing Craigslist for some concrete work that I need done on my house (please let me know if you’ve got a guy that knows a guy), I came across this delightful advertisement.  Despite reading it 5 times, I still have no idea what it’s for.  Word for word, here it is:

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

Finger Clickin’ Good

After working all weekend excavating about 10 tons of dirt and clay from my East Sac home, I kicked back with a bucket of chicken from our local KFC:
View Larger Map

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.

Continue reading “Finger Clickin’ Good”

Audition Notice: Channel your inner-Liza

cabaret.jpg

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

Continue reading “Audition Notice: Channel your inner-Liza”