Tower offers it all

Beginning at 11am this morning, Tower Records will be auctioning off their equipment from the recently shut down stores.

Boxes of DVDs and CDs along with forklifts, desks and file cabinets are some of the items that will be up for grabs.

The proceedings will be webcast by Great American. Online bidders have to register at the Web site.  A quick browse of the auction catalog finds lots of standard office equipment.  You know, air compressors, banding machines, label makers, printers, pornography, etc.

“What!” you are saying to yourself.  I know, I know.  Who couldn’t use a banding machine, huh?  Totally.

Oh, the porno you say?  Yeah, well it appears that, for the right price, Lots 38 and 39 can be yours.  With such hits as “Spanish Fly” and “Deep Inside” topping the list.

Man, it’s worth going just to be there to hear the auctioneer play those up…

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

When we moved into our official married couple house just before Christmas, we noticed that our cross-the-street neighbors still had pumpkins on their front porch. Since they have the most beautifully updated house on the block, keep their yard immaculate, were the first to welcome us to the ‘hood, and seem to be awesome people in general, I didn’t think much of it. I figured the pumpkins had been there so long that they didn’t notice them anymore.

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Sandwiches? In Sacramento?

The newest sandwich sensation in Sacramento has arrived: The Sandwich Spot.  While, I’ll admit, not the catchiest name for a sandwich spot, “The Sandwich Spot” does connote an air of casual grace and casual food that works well with the neighborhood surrounding The Sandwich Spot.  You will spot The Sandwich Spot on the corner of 18th and Q streets in Sacramento.  The Sandwich Spot is, as the name suggests, a spot for sandwiches, but don’t be misled, The Sandwich Spot also serves drinks and chips and salads.  “What kind of sandwich spot serves drinks?” you may ask.  “The Sandwich Spot,” I would reply.  “What kind of sandwiches does The Sandwich Spot serve?” you would then ask.  Good question.  The sandwiches at The Sandwich Spot fall somewhere between Beach Hut Deli (Hooters Deli to you and me) and Togo’s, simple recipes loaded with odd additions like bbq sauce, cream cheese, teriyaki and something called “bomb sauce.”  “What the hell is ‘bomb sauce’?” you might ask.  As far as I can tell, “bomb sauce” is Italian dressing with chili peppers in it.  I suggest that you skip the “bomb sauce” unless you want to be tasting The Sandwich Spot for the rest of the day and well into the night. 

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Memo to the fire lookie loos

I shouldn’t have to post this, but Sacramento never ceases to amaze me. From News10.net:

Sacramento Metro Fire spokesman Christian Pebbles said the fire spread rapidly, stretching across the length of a football field within minutes. Fire officials said they have not determined how the fire started, but the creosote-soaked trestle fueled intense black smoke that could be seen from more than 50 miles away.

The fire brought rush-hour traffic to a halt on the Capital City Freeway bordering the state fairgrounds as commuters stopped to look at the blaze. Some even got out of their cars and began walking towards the flames, forcing officials to use megaphones to warn spectators away.

As if the blazing heat wasn’t enough to keep folks from stopping? Gadzooks:

Brief direct contact with large amounts of coal tar creosote may result in a rash or severe irritation of the skin, chemical burns of the surfaces of the eyes, convulsions and mental confusion, kidney or liver problems, unconsciousness, and even death. Longer direct skin contact with low levels of creosote mixtures or their vapors can result in increased light sensitivity, damage to the cornea, and skin damage. Longer exposure to creosote vapors can cause irritation of the respiratory tract.

As always, stay classy Sacramento…

It’s Official, Ken Burns Loves Sacramento

On this morning’s edition of “Fresh Air,” the NPR arts and entertainment interview show, Ken Burns, well-known documentary filmmaker, was interviewed about his upcoming project “The War.” It’s a 15 hour look at WWII done as only Ken Burns can, with serious but enchanting narration, closeups and pans of old photos and interviews with crusty old guys with insanely large eyebrows.  Well, in this morning’s interview, Ken was talking about how this documentary focused specifically on four towns in America and how the war affected the people of those towns.  The four towns he chose were Waterbury, MA, Mobile, AL, Laverne, MN and yes, our fair city of Sacramento.  When asked why he picked Sacramento, he said that it was a true crossroads of the West, combining Asian and especially Japanese communities, political machinations, industry and average Americans.  I love that fact that Ken Burns loves us because, really, I love Ken Burns.

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Foreign invasion

The foreigners are coming.  The foreigners are coming.

The Sac Bee reports today that the Sacramento International Airport is finally becoming worthy of its name:

Sacramento International Airport landed its second foreign carrier Tuesday when Air Canada announced it would begin two daily nonstops between the capital and Vancouver, British Columbia, beginning June 15.

Apparently, this is a coup for the airport, who has been courting Air Canada for years to create more links up the Pacific Coast with Vancouver: 

Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, who helped lobby Air Canada to start the service, said he expects an enthusiastic response.

“I think there’s a huge interest here in traveling to British Columbia and vice versa,” he said. “That is an area people love to visit. And there are a lot of people up there interested in coming this way.”

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News10.net to “engage and inform”

News 10’s Sharon Ito will be leaving “News 10 Good Morning” on March 23. She will be replaced by Kelly Jackson from KSDK in St. Louis.

Kelly is replacing Sharon Ito, who is championing a new initiative on news10.net. Sharon is currently developing a new approach to news that will engage and inform internet news users.

I wonder if part of that “new approach” is to proofread stories before publishing (or after even, I’m flexible). At any rate, I’m all for making the news we receive via the Internet engaging and informative. Trail blaze, Sharon, trail blaze!

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