Category: Misc

Weekend Thoughts: Holiday Road

The other night I fell asleep with the TV on. I had this odd dream about National Lampoon’s Vacation and the John Candy Wally World scene. Very strange. I woke up around 3 a.m. and turned the TV off. I got to thinking about it in the morning and discovered why I was having that dream (or least partly why) …

Man, that’s catchy.

For additional entertainment be sure to check out Rashida Jones singing the “I Love Stuffing” song. Or at hulu.com. She is great. You may remember her in the “Prop 8: The Musical” video featuring Sacramento Community College.

A random post about a dream I had to a Sacramento connection in 8.6 seconds. A new record!

I’m Scared, You’re Scared, We’re All Scared of the Red Scare!

Red-MenaceThis Friday at the Center for Sacramento History, you too can be frightened out of your wits by the hoary spectre of COMMUNISM! Starting at 6pm, with lectures at 7:30, you can take a stroll down memory lane to 1935, when our civic forefathers tried over a dozen farm labor unionists for trying to overthrow the government.  Good times, good times.  Refreshments may or may not be served, but if anyone over there has a sense of humor they’ll serve red wine…or vodka shots.  Check out the CSH website for more details.

Poll: 3 out of 5 feel that summer is hotter than winter

I just don’t get *news* stories like this one at cbs13.com (via AP):

Poll: Californians Worried About College Costs

A new poll shows Californians are worried about higher education funding cuts they fear qualified people won’t get to college. A Public Policy Institute of California telephone survey of about 2,500 people finds half of parents with children 18 or under are very worried about being able to afford a college education for their children.

Really? You don’t say. Let me dust off my sociology degree for a second and suggest that all parents from the beginning of time have been very worried about being able to afford a college education for their children. Sure, there is a sector of the population with tons o’cash who may never actually sit down on their Italian leather sofa (try not humming that tune now, btw) and *worry*, but a headline letting us know that Californians are just worried about college costs doesn’t really help anyone, right?

I know I’m a curmudgeon, but if all you hear is that the sky is falling with no end in sight, because of the budget, of course people will be worried about the cost of EVERYTHING.

To the woman at the post office

Yesterday morning I stopped by the post office on Arden Way. I had to pick up a package which meant going inside and waiting in line. It was 8:35 a.m. which I thought would be early enough to avoid the crowds. As it turned out, they *offer new hours*: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mon – Fri. So I decided to wait. Like every red blooded American I pulled out my handheld and started pretending to be super into something in an effort to avoid social interaction of any kind.

The “waiting area” began to fill with all sorts of Sacramentans eager to get some mailin’ done. We could all see the employees inside the office fussing about preparing to open. “You are right there, what’s the hold up? OPEN already!” a man uttered breaking the silence.

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Where was I? Least resistance

November 2, 2009 - Sacramento, CA
November 2, 2009 - Sacramento, CA

Here’s a shot taken in a busy Sacramento shopping center last week. You may have trouble getting into this area, but once you do you should be able to find our way out no problem.

NOTE: If you would like to participate in the Where was I? fun, feel free to send me your photograph along with a short blurb (and, you know, where you were) to rontopofit at sacrag dot com.

Sac City Open Enrollment Fair Saturday

I mean to blog this earlier in the week, but if you’re a current or potential Sac City Unified parent, you might want to check out the “Showcase of Schools/Open Enrollment Fair” tomorrow:

The fair is the place to go for information about SCUSD schools and programs and meeting principals, students and teachers from all schools in the district. Translators will be available. Families will also be able to learn more about the February 2010 open enrollment application process which will allow students to apply to schools not in their neighborhood attendance area. Representatives from local colleges and technical institutes will be available with information about their programs and to answer questions about how to apply at their
colleges or institutes. District staff from offices such as Special Education, Child Development, and Health Services will also be on hand.

The fair will be held tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 7) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Serna Center, 5735 47th Ave.

Boo at the Zoo

We took the family to “Boo at the Zoo” for some Halloween revelry Saturday night. It was a great costume party for the whole town, and it seemed like the whole town was there — they might want to open up a little bit more of the zoo next year. Since they had the train going down the main avenue I take it that area is not off limits at night: they should probably open that up to take some of the strain off the narrow walkways around the pond. The dance party tent was a great addition.

The best costume I saw on a grownup was a guy in a Halo soldier costume wearing an apron and carrying a spatula: “Master Chef.” Nice work, whoever you are. I also saw a totally scary Ray Trethaway costume. 🙂

Fresnans get defensive

Another list came out recently ranking America’s smartest cities and Sacramento came in at T35 with Oklahoma City.

Metro Area Population: 2,109,832 – Daily Beast IQ Score: 84

On paper, Sacramento has a lot going for it, intellectually. It’s the capital of California, a draw for the Golden State’s best and brightest. And it’s just 90 minutes east of the Bay Area, which almost topped this list. Yet Sacramento wound up with below-average scores for almost every one of our criteria.

We do have a lot going for us, you know, on paper. It’s hard to swallow our IQ score of 84 (the winner, Raleigh-Durham, had a score of 170!), but when you consider they included college education, presidential voting turnout AND nonfiction book sales in their study it starts to make sense. Two out of three ain’t bad, right?

Fresno finished last (IQ of 3!) and the Fresno Bee’s Mike Osegueda took issue with it.

Continue reading “Fresnans get defensive”