Macias’ “Sunday Single” feeds your MP3 need

Ricky Berger
Ricky Berger
sacticket.com

…if your MP3 need is so small that it can be fed only once every week with just one MP3, that is. But I kid the Macias. I think a big time local-focused MP3 blog is great for the local artists. His first post yesterday introduces us to Ricky Berger, a young singer-songwriter whose track “What’s Your Name?” is really well put together. Macias says think Norah Jones and Dido, sort of an easy-listening vibe with a nice mix of sounds. I just wanted to point out that her publicity photo is a complete ripoff of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” Now I kid the Ricky Berger!

Sac fitness ranking: #17

Pipeworks
“up to the ceiling…”
by nudiehead on flickr.com

Sacramento was named to the top 25 fittest cities in America last week by Men’s Fitness magazine, which has the most horrible website ever.

“The survey examines lifestyle factors in each city, including fast-food restaurants per capita and availability of gyms or bike paths.”

I mean, Sacramento just executed the way Sacramento did in practice. Some people are saying that Sacramento didn’t earn this honor. But Sacramento can’t worry about what other people think, because at the end of the day, Sacramento is just responsible for Sacramento. And Sacramento just wants to get fit!

Sacramento County exhibit hasn’t gone Far

Jonah Matranga
Jonah Matranga

The family and I took in the sights at the Capitol this afternoon, which is one of our favorite spots. I happened to notice that the Sacramento County exhibit on the ground floor (near The Ahnold’s office) has not one, but two photos of Jonah Matranga. There is a large photo of Jonah performing at Cesar Chavez and then a smaller photo in a collage from what appears to be the same performance.

I’m not sure what to make of it but I thought it was funny. The Nevada County exhibit, for reference, has not one but two photos of their most famous one-time resident, Samuel Clemens. (Hmm, I notice that he resided at the Holbrooke Hotel, and as we all know is most famously impersonated by Hal Holbrook. Hmm, I wonder if Mark Twain had a dog named Michael Chabon or a secretary named Dave Eggers or something…)

Tex Wasabi’s: Celebrity Chef Babysitter’s Club?

Guy Fieri
Guy Fieri
from SFGate.com

Yes, that’s right, I know you can’t believe it, but the long awaited, much anticipated, greatly elongated, and mildly frustrated opening of “Tex Wasabi’s” has come. As of Friday, February 9, the doors are open and the chicken sashimi is flying off the shelves. What, you didn’t know it was open yet? Well, you should have been paying more attention rather than sitting there watching American Idol and scratching yourself. Ok, ok, I’ll cut you some slack. They are not “officially” open according to the staff there, but rather “unofficially” open to anyone that walks through the doors. In other words, this is training week, or training month depending on how many kinks they find in the system. The grand opening hasn’t been officially scheduled, and none of their advertising says that they’re open for business. So buyer beware, until the grand opening, don’t come with heightened expectations or lack of patience. Would this stop Sac-Eats from dropping by to have a taste? Hell naw! I’m Sac-Eats bitch! Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride, ain’t nothing gonna hold me down, oh no, I’ve got to keep on eating.

Continue reading “Tex Wasabi’s: Celebrity Chef Babysitter’s Club?”

Meeting of the Minds, With Peanut Sauce

Last night I spent a very enjoyable evening with the Sacramento Epicureans. For those of you that don’t know, the word “epicurean” comes from the Greek “epi,” meaning “on” or “kind of near but not exactly right next to,” and “curean” which is from the Latin for “place in the river where peasants dump buckets of feces.” So, obviously, “epicurean” has come to mean one who enjoys ingesting fine things, and the Sacramento branch of this particular pursuit is a fine example of the type. Friday night’s epicurean event took place at Gaesorn Thai Cuisine, an established restaurant, now in a new, sophisticated location on 9th street between J & K.

Continue reading “Meeting of the Minds, With Peanut Sauce”

“Metropolis” at Fools Foundation

Metropolis
Metropolis

Shiny Object and Fools Foundation are presenting a screening of “Metropolis” this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at Fools Foundation. Admission is $5.

Fritz Lang’s silent science fiction classic from 1927. Mixing workers’ rights with science fiction, this masterpiece had some of the most amazing sets of the time and remains breathtaking to this day. It also influenced countless later films including Dr. Strangelove, 2001, Star Wars and many, many others.

They will follow this classic up at 5:30 with “This Film Is Not Yet Rated,” a documentary for movie buffs that promises to “lift the veil on the practices and membership of the MPAA.” Admission also $5. Get out of the rain and see a bargain flick!

Fools Foundation
1025 19th St, Sacramento
19th & K – in the alley, in the basement
www.shiny-object.com

What a haul!

Lost in all the blah-blah over King Ron’s dog problems and astronaut love-triangles was this little gem about a state worker accused of using her procurement card to spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dough on everything she could think of:

A state Department of Child Support Services analyst used a state credit card to embezzle $320,000, buying a flat-screen television, hot tub, gazebo, iPods, handcuffs, chains and whips, according to California Highway Patrol officials.

Carey Renee Aceves, 34, later fenced many of the items to buy a new Lexus, officials said. But even as her bosses began probing her purchases in January, Aceves was being trained to be make purchases for another state agency.

Wow, that’s some haul! Especially since, as recounted in the local beancounters blog, it can be difficult under normal circumstances for state workers to buy day planners.

Frankly, I think Ms. Aceves has a future with Halliburton.

Dog’s best friend he’s not

More in The Bee on the problems dogging Ron Artest:

Ron Artest says he loves dogs, but the Kings basketball star has a string of complaints on record in Placer County for failure to care for his own pets and letting them roam loose.

Since July, his four dogs have spent a total of 77 nights at the pound — at a cost to their master of $1,942 in boarding and impound fees.

One of his dogs got out and never returned, another was hit by a car, and yet another was killed in his yard. Artest admits his dogs have aggression issues, but suggests a wild animal killed the dog. Other complaints noted the dogs tied up without food or water. (Incidentally, tethering dogs for extended periods is now illegal in California, in part because animal behavior experts say the practice makes the animals more likely to attack.)

He says he has hired someone to help, but I gotta think the better thing would be to give them all up for adoption to the Placer SPCA., along with a big donation. They’ll find people who do more than claim to care about animals, as King Ron does.

Hey Ron, do the right thing, will ya? Being a dog dad is clearly not your calling.

Earth to Ron: Hire a pet-sitter

Surprise to no one given my non de blog, I love dogs. Got myself Sac County’s legal limit of them, all well-cared-for and not a nuisance to the neighbors. The aforementioned ’98 Plymouth Voyager I schlep around town in is because of them, because you just can’t fit that many dogs in your average sports car.

I’m sure it will also surprise no one that I don’t make as much money as the King’s Ron Artest does. And yet, surprisingly, no one has ever had to get on my case about feeding my dogs. Further, although I don’t travel nearly as much as an NBA star does, I am on the road from time to time. And guess what? There are these lovely people called pet-sitters who will come in and — get this — FEED AND CARE FOR MY PETS while I’m gone. There are also boarding kennels, too, such as the fabulously upscale Wag in West Sac, the cost of which should not give a professional athlete pause.

And yet, King Ron can’t pull it together for his best friends.

Continue reading “Earth to Ron: Hire a pet-sitter”

It’s never too early to think about baseball

I’m looking forward to another exciting River Cats season, full of thrills and spills and inappropriate sponsorship. In preparation I made myself a Google calendar of all the home games (I’m the proud and lucky beneficiary of season tickets again) and I thought this might be of use to others so here it is:

Sacramento River Cats 2007 Home Games (Google Calendar)