Category: Misc

The Temporary End of the World: Peet’s Closing

Newsflash:  The Lyon’s Village Peet’s coffee will soon be closing for a major remodel.  Dates and times have not yet been fixed but you can already hear the Country Day moms shrieking with fear.  I join you, CD moms.  What will I do for the weeks that Peet’s will be closed?  Oh wait, I work a block away from their downtown establishment.  Alright, emergency passed, I’m ok.  But it’s still a shock and I’m not sure if the sky will ever be as blue again.

Thank you, Tenebrist, for the info and don’t go blabbin’ to Bob Shallit if you know what’s good for you.

Calif. Study: MySpace.com Linked To Poor Grades

CBS13 reports that a Fresno State professor, clearly possessed of superhuman intellect, has completed what must have been thousands of hours of painstaking research and concluded that MySpace.com accounts can be linked to poor grades among high school students.

Hey Daniel, I smell a big lawsuit in your future!!! Think of your good friends at The Sac Rag when your ship comes in. These t-shirts are literally not moving themselves.

Do you have to let it linger?

When referencing this year’s cold and flu season, the answer is a resounding “YES!”

This is truly the affliction that will not go away, and I’ve heard horror stories of people whose nasty cold has turned into pneumonia. It’s an insidious bug going around, one that will knock you out for days, have you hack up a lung every quarter hour, make your chest scream in pain, run a fever, make you dizzy — and once you start feeling better and resuming a fraction of your normal activities, it will come back in the ring to take another swing.

Bottom line? Rest up, my friends. If you’re sidelined by this, DO NOTHING or as little as possible. Clear your calendar. Fire up the electric blanket and settle down with your pet of choice and remote control. Keep hydrated, and stay classy.

Josh holds court

Coffee!Have anyone else noticed the SacRag crew seems to spend a lot of time in coffee houses?

My favorite — when I can get a parking space — is Tupelo, on Elvas. Free Wi-Fi, clever coffee drinks I never order (espresso and Jolt cola? Argh!) and great morning roast, which I do order. Plus, most mornings you can see the same people, which really gives the place a nice neighborly feel. So far, Tupelo is holding its own against the Starbucks next door, and I think it’s the funky, arty ambience that helps.

One of the regulars is a true East Sac fixture, former city councilman Josh Pane. He’s there most mornings, a little grayer than I remember, but friendly as always. Doesn’t work the room much, but happy to strike up a conversation.

Tupelo also attracts the serious bikers and runners post-workout (Runnergirl, where are you?) and, on the patio, the dog-walkers. Friendly dogs, friendly people, great coffee … what’s not to like?

Also on the coffee front, anyone else tried Pacific Roasting on Fulton/Hurley? Liked the fireplace, the free Wi-Fi and the smattering of nice leather club chairs. It’s a chain, apparently, but a small one. The coffee was good and the counter staff friendly. I’ll have to go back for further evaluation.

It ain’t over until the big dog barks

MaceyWant a local rooting interest in the “Super Bowl of dog shows,” the Westminster Kennel Club show? In tonight’s finale in Madison Square Garden, root for the Akita. Ch. Redwitch Reason To Believe (known to her friends as Macey) will be taken into Best In Show competition by Laurie Jordan-Fenner, part of an Elk Grove family of professional handers.

If the team takes the top prize, it arguably won’t be the biggest win for this family. Last year, Larry Fenner handled an Australian shepherd to Best In Show over more than 20,000 other dogs (Westminster is limited to 2,500 because The Garden is a relative tiny venue) at the four-day English canine entravaganza known as Crufts.

The Jordan-Fenner clan may be local, but Macey comes from a British line of Akitas who have won big all over the world. Her win in the Working Group last night makes her only the second Akita in the show’s history to advance to the final seven.

Update: Make that two locals. Larry Fenner won the Herding group with Bouvier des Flandres. But neither dog took Best in Show.

Sacramento’s coolest car sighting? Give it up!

Nash MetropolitanWhat’s the coolest vehicle you’ve ever spotted in Sacramento? On a recent trip to L.A., I was astonished by how many Aston-Martins, Ferraris and the like that oh-so-casually blew past me on the 405.

Here in Sacramento, I’ve had to make do with the one-time sighting of one of the Maloofs in a red Ferrari, along with midtown spottings of a classic Edsel, and in East Sac an original two-tone Nash Metropolitan and the 50th anniversary edition of the Ford T-Bird. Oh, and you can still spot a few old convertibles of the “Fix It Again, Tony” variety, a/k/a a Fiat 124 Sport Spyder convertible (I owned a ’69 in red once) or a classic “The Graduate” version of the Alfa Romeo.

So … what have you all seen, and where? And if you’re looking for me, I’m in a nondescript ’98 Plymouth Voyager … sigh.

Mr. Tim Hearts Math

Okay, I’m amused and annoyed at the same time. Current local ad for a bike on today’s Craigslist:

My current mode of transportation is my bike. I have finally decided to part ways with my bike. One, I am hoping with the money that I get, I can purchase a calculator that will compute partial derivatives and other such computations as required for the completion of my vector analysis course. Two, I know none of these calculators exist. Three, I do not expect you to know this, and that you will be tricked to giving me money.

Continue reading “Mr. Tim Hearts Math”

Weirdo at the Bus Stop

And by that I mean ME. This morning, late to the bus as usual, I ran out the door with two bags and coat pockets full of stuff that could easily have been consolidated into one cute little purse, if I was the organized type. I proceeded to rifle through those bags and pockets in order to do the following while waiting for the (late) bus: brush hair, put on lipstick, put on earrings, eat breakfast, take a multi-vitamin, put on socks and, finally, consolidate bags/pockets. All while daydreaming up a story about why the dog at the neighboring house was howling when he is usually quiet. So my question, SacRaggers, is: am I the only one who functions at this level at a bus stop? What weird things do you do, or have you seen others doing, while waiting for RT?