Category: Misc

Your Gas is My Gain

A recent telephone call to my house…

“Hello?”

“Hello sir. We’re conducting a telephone survey and would appreciate a few minutes of your time. In order to show our thanks for helping us, we will award you with a free $25 gas coupon on completion of the survey.”

“Oh, wow. Sure.”

“Thank you, sir. First of all, which financial institutions do you bank with: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual…”

“I bank with several of them.”

“Which ones?”

“The second one.”

“Do you have a credit card with this bank?”

“Who are you doing this survey for?”

Click!

…

Beware of this telephone scam where someone dangles a carrot to get your personal banking information. Inform all members of your family too, and if you’ve given any info, contact your bank.

The Proud 4%

From time to time I have a weekday off from work that is not holiday related. This was the case recently when I took a few days off after my grandfather passed away. There is something going on in the River City that I have noticed. People don’t have jobs. Whether you try to stop by the local coffee shop or swing by the neighborhood Target for a few essentials, people are everywhere. Hit Chili’s for a late lunch? “Here’s your pager, sir, it’ll be about 20 minutes.” Grab the bikes for a family cruise along the river? Please hug the sides of the road cause you’re gonna get plowed by the US Postal Service team.

While I understand that some people have sales jobs, work swingshifts, are on vacation, or are just stuck in between jobs, I can’t help but think there is something going on here. I am reminded of an episode of “Growing Pains” when Mike Seaver stayed home from school and was shocked to find out that life went on without him. Perhaps this hustle and bustle weekday activity is nothing new, I’ve just been too busy working to notice it.

A Walking Dude Stalks Us All

Chief among my reasons for wanting to launch this site is the phenomenon, peculiar I am sure to the urban areas of Sacramento, of the Walking Dude. The Walking Dude phenomenon can be described as follows: there exists a person–nay, a ghost, a shade, merely a phantasm–whose pedestrian circuit around the city will intersect with yours in ways that stretch the bounds of time and space. Your walking dude will be with you as you come out of the parking garage under the Downtown Mall, and suddenly as you flip over to KWOD at 16th next to the Auditorium there he is again, on foot, illogically pacing you in your car. Do others see him? Is he the gremlin on the wing of the rain-swept plane that is your Sacramento existence? Is he whacked out on some sort of secret drug that enables him to actually fly?

Someday I will photograph my walking dude (which will be funny actually, because he is a dead ringer for Barry Gibb) and embark on a voyage of scientific discovery into the truth behind the Walking Dude Phenomenon.

Who We Are

We are the flagship site for Jack and Jill Sacramento. After years of calling this city home we realize there are many things that just seem to be unique to the River City. Do you agree? Do you object? Do you care? These are the questions we will never ask you. If you are looking for Point/Counterpoint you’ve come to the wrong place.