When I showed you one of my fingers, it was because you sped around me when you should have seen that I needed to get over because a bus had stopped in front of me. When you showed me one of your own fingers, I laughed, because clearly you wouldn’t have cared if I was stopping to let Ghandi cross the street. I don’t think anyone but you and I saw you then also spit on my car, but I don’t think anyone needed to see you actually do that to know that you were capable of it. I’ll go you one further: a meer glance at your car and people know you’re an a-hole. Nice one, tough guy.
Countdown to April 15th
As sure as the sun rises, you always know it’s tax time as you drive through the Fulton and Hurley intersection. It seems to be a brother-sister pair who are forced to don the Lady Liberty costume and take turns drumming up customers for their parents’ tax business, but both seem to have an easy-going demeanor (even acquiescing to my request for a photo — even though the light turned green just as I was about to take the picture.) I can only imagine what the costume would be for the Kabob House next door.
Slow day in Granite Bay
But aren’t they all? You know there isn’t much going on, or your boss is trying to tell you something, when all you can report from your local beat is that a high school student was caught with pot.
More local props
It seems as though 2006 is treating the Sacramento area quite well. The city of Davis has just been named the best “Small Town” for cycling by Bicycling Magazine’s Rankings of America’s Best Cycling Cities.
Naturally this makes sense. It’s too bad though, that given how good Davis is for cycling, that we’re so bad at driving.
Sacramento’s pregnant pauses
So, it turns out, that not only is Sac one of the fittest cities in the US, but also one of the best cities in which to have a baby, according to the most recent issue of Fit Pregnancy magazine:
Fit Pregnancy set out to determine what makes a city great for pregnant women, new parents and babies, and to commend cities that provide a safe and healthy environment to have a baby. The magazine examined 47 criteria, including fertility services, maternal and infant health risk, access to hospitals and doctors, safety, affordability, stroller friendliness and birthing options.
Did Fit Pregnancy survey the Chernenko’s, per chance?
Arghco
More and more, I’m starting to become convinced of the evil that is oil.
Did you know that when you use your debit card to buy gas at Arco gas stations, they put a hold on your account for an amount between $70 to $100, for a week?
Most people don’t realize this because most of us have more than $70-100 in available cash in our accounts at any one time. But a friend, who is a branch manager at a local bank, recently described to me several instances where people who had less than $100 available in their accounts were not able to withdraw money. The crime perpetrated by these people? They bought $20 worth of gas using a debit card at Arco, and Arco put a $70-100 hold on the account attached to that card.
Why this gas station would do this, and how they could get away with it, no one knows for sure. But, not to mention the debit card fees that Arco charges that negate any savings you get from buying their gas, this further goes to show that the savings you think you’re getting at Arco doesn’t come without a price.
UPDATE: Turns out that this behavior isn’t specific to Arco, but to most gas stations in varying degrees. Thanks RonTopofIt, for digging up this link.
SPORTS NEWS BULLETIN!!!!!
Huge news in local sports! The sports world is abuzz with talk of a pending deal that could change the face of NorCal sports as we know it. Yes, that’s right, the Oakland A’s are signing the Frank Thomas to a 1yr contract for the 2006 season. Oh yeah baby! The “Big Hurt†is coming to the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum. Look out Angels, move over White Sox, Yankees beware! It’s going to be a banner year for the A’s, the worlds greatest baseball team.
It’d be great if we could just figure out how to get people to show up to games.
Spider-Man backpacks: the new Swatch?
This morning when I got on my bus (50E, the fastest ride from the Southside to downtown) I saw three young men–about 12 or 13– all with Spider-Man backpacks like the one shown at right. I thought it was sort of cute, like maybe they were way into Spidey when the blockbuster movie came out and they aren’t ready to grow up yet, or mom wouldn’t shell out for a replacement. But it was three of them. And then waiting for my return bus after work, I saw an older high school gal, perhaps even 18, sporting Spidey on her back. What is the deal? Anybody hip to the youth of Sacramento and their customs? Should we be worried? Was it 2 separate sightings with no connection and no implication?
Don’t let this happen to you!
I’m on the SacPD e-mail list for crime alerts, and here’s what greeted me this morning. Our readers are too wise to fall for this, but it’s too rich to not pass along:
Continue reading “Don’t let this happen to you!”
Elk Grove co-op floundering
According to Bob Shallit, the new Natural Foods Co-op in Elk Grove is not faring well.
…[T]he only signage that people can see from the parking lot – the words “food, inspiration and community” – is confusing.
“Some people think we’re a church,” says GM Paul Cultrera.
But the folks in charge are confident that “things will improve as a result of signage changes, increased advertising and visits by co-op staffers (some dressed as giant veggies) to schools, churches and neighborhood associations.” Not sure how that’s gonna go over with those “co-op is a cult” people, but good luck, hippies.
The Sac Rag 