Due to the overwhelmingly lukewarm response to my new “Cap’n Obvious” category last week, I would like to add another one labeled “Where was I?” We will snap random photos about town and we’ll test your knowledge of the 916 by asking that you tell us where we took the photo. Some will be easier than others. I rate this one a 5 out of 10.
With yesterday’s storm we were treated to a lovely rainbow.
I suppose it’s possible that I don’t want to know the answer to this question, but why is it that a blustery Northern California day like today fills me with happiness? I don’t think I’d want a steady diet of it, e.g. the Pacific Northwest, but something about a windy rainy day in these parts makes me incredibly joyful inside.
I’m sure I’m not the only one. Is it only because that means there is turkey and presents in my near future?
Sometime Sac Rag commenter William Burg has a great op-ed on the front page of the Sac Press today: A 10-Step Plan To Fix K Street, Or: The Legend of the Skyscraper Fairy.
1. Accept that the Skyscraper Fairy does not exist.
Many landlords along K Street have no apparent interest in maintaining or improving their properties. Some are convinced that as long as they own the land, the magical Skyscraper Fairy will give them uncountable millions for the land where their decaying buildings sit, and will replace them with shiny new skyscrapers. Thus, they have little interest in maintaining or tenanting their buildings. The result is under-utilized or vacant buildings whose facades continue to crumble.
He has some wonderful ideas (my favorites: streetcars and a permanent farmer’s market) and offers them in a hopeful manner. It leaves me a bit depressed, though, as I am skeptical that the politicians and developers currently working on Downtown will ever attach themselves to anything but the status quo.
The Sac Press reports that Country Day School is close to signing a lease for the old Newton Booth school building. I had not followed this story so I had no idea, but as a former Newton Booth resident I am glad the school will be getting some use. Country Day’s student newspaper The Octagon reported in March (in a very well written article! Kudos, Page Editor Calvin Fernandez) that the school “hasn’t historically gotten along with its Sierra Oaks neighbors,” another fact of which I was not aware. I wonder why, and I wonder how they will get along with the Newton Booth folks.
I’m proud to announce today that we have added a new sponsor: California Musical Theatre, producers of Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento. CMT is the largest nonprofit musical theatre in California and we are grateful for their support.
Fans of this here Web log were not surprised this morning to open up the Sac Bee and read that Sacramento has the highest rate of serious car accidents and drunken-driving crashes of any city in California.
Some Sacramentans say the city’s poor ranking makes perfect sense: Drivers here are plain bad.
My hunch is that this accounts for most of the problem. However, I can see how the freeway layout and traffic patterns could also be blamed. And we can’t let crystal meth off the hook. What do you all think?
I’d like to introduce a new category to help organize our thoughts and opinions about topics we at The Sac Rag feel are, well, obvious. I am labeling this category “Cap’n Obvious” in reference to what I call people who say things like “Hey, that reminds me of that one episode of ‘Seinfeld’” when I make a joke about having a contest to see who can go the longest without pleasuring themselves.
Now that I have your attention …
Hey, Sacramento, holding your cell phone up to your mouth using the speakerphone feature is still dangerous even if you think it is somehow allowed under the Hands Free law that went into effect last year.
(e) This section does not apply to a person when using a digital two-way radio that utilizes a wireless telephone that operates by depressing a push-to-talk feature and does not require immediate proximity to the ear of the user, and the person is driving one of the following vehicles:
You know, unless you are operating an implement of husbandry of course. Carry on, please.
There is, however, an exception for dialing.
Fox 40 follows up on its report last week about the new Arden Mall dress code.
Arden Mall officials came out with surveillance video on Monday, that shows an alleged robber wearing a hood – the reason they’re banning hoods from being worn inside the mall, because they they said it has everything to do with protecting their customers.
Apparently they have a robber on camera but his identity is completely hidden because his face is covered. Which raises a question: is a camera feed the only means of security in use at the mall? Don’t they have a report of a robbery shortly after the robber has fled the store? Wouldn’t he be able to be described as “the guy running down the mall right now wearing a hoodie?” Are they Tivo’ing the security tapes and watching them on the weekend when there’s no good TV on?
Again, I do sympathize with law enforcement trying to stay ahead of the bad guys. I also sympathize with mall employees who must be afraid of this kind of thing happening. But that’s no excuse to go La Fours-crazy at Arden Fair.
Regarding Sac RT’s “Abide to Ride” campaign, which bans RT riders who habitually violate its transit laws: I cannot be the first person who thought of this. But maybe I was the first person with basic Photoshop skillz and an hour of free time:
Once again we’ve been chosen by you readerfolk as the Best Of something in the News & Review’s annual contest! Specifically, we are the 3rd Best Web site (in a tie with sacbee.com, hilariously) and the 2nd Best Blog, in another heartbreaking loss to the formidable Heckasac who can of course be found at heckasac.blogspot.com. Taking home top honors in the Best Sacramento Web site category is none other than … The Sacramento News & Review. Congratulations on winning your own contest!
And a special sexxy congratulations to Stickie, whose alter ego “Daniel F. Scott” was named #2 Best sexy Sacramentan! (And as a reminder, catch Stickie’s sexxy brain in action at The Shack tonight and every Wednesday night for trivia!)
The Sac Rag 