Old Soul Opens in Oak Park

Old Soul Co. is officially open in Oak Park! The company opened this, their third Sacramento location, in the former Starbucks space at 35th Street and Broadway in Kevin Johnson’s 40 Acres complex. Their grand opening took place last Saturday.

The new cafe offers many Old Soul standards: custom roasted coffees, house-made chai (spicy and delish!), homemade soups, sandwiches, salads, pastries, and even breakfast quiches. Their hours are 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day. Head on over to support one of Sacramento’s brightest local businesses.

Squeeze Inn Reopens Today-New Location

Following the trend of many local businesses, the beloved Squeeze Inn has moved to the Quarry Pond Center in Granite Bay.  Ok, that’s not technically true, they actually moved a block away from their old joint and are now at 5301 Power Inn Rd.  From all reports it looks like they’ve tried to keep the old atmosphere alive by transplanting a lot of the folksy charm to the new location.  For me though, the most important thing is transplanting the grill. If it’s not the same grill, it’s not the same burger.

There will be further reporting once I’ve tucked into a new (and hopefully not improved) Squeeze with cheese in the next few days.

Two local film series highlighting comics


Ghost World: It’s called America, dude,
learn the rules

Over the next few months, two film series will be highlighting the 4-color world of comic books. First up, on Saturday night (February 21) “Movies On a Big Screen” has Independents: A Guide for the Creative Spirit, a documentary about independent comic artists by filmmaker Chris Brandt. Brandt is “scheduled to appear” to answer questions after the film, and he will be joined by local artists and comics creators Skinner, Ben Schwartz, Paul Allen, Anthony Leano, Stephen R. Buell and Mike Hampton. Most of these guys were written up by the SN&R’s Nick Miller a few months back: I [heart] comics.

And then March and April, the Mondavi Center’s Focus on Film series highlights 3 Oscar-nominated movies based on graphic novels. Continue reading “Two local film series highlighting comics”

Door to door decisions

This post on the Sacto 9-1-1 blog warning Sacramento about the dangers of door to door solicitors hit home with me. What to do with solicitors in my neighborhood is a hot topic of discussion.

Except when it comes to U.S. Census workers and maybe cookie-peddling Girl Scouts, legitimate neighborhood salesmen are pretty much a thing of the past, said Sherrie Carhart, a crime prevention specialist for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

Note to self: disguise yourself as a U.S. Census worker the next time you want to solicit door to door.

I kid the person from my community who is hired by the Census Bureau to make sure that my neighborhood gets represented as accurately as possible.

I did find this tidbit interesting…

Carhart said sales people are required to carry a copy of the county permit they must obtain for door-to-door solicitation, as well as a copy of their business license.

So, do I just not answer the door when someone I do not know comes-a-knockin’? Do I look through my peep-hole and give them a once-over to determine if they are cookie-peddlers or there to find out why I didn’t mail it back?

Local Love

Celebrate Valentine’s Day Sacramento-style with these uniquely delicious ideas:

Chocolate Decadence: The most direct path to your sweetie’s heart is through the stomach. Sacramento has no shortage of phenomenal bakers to treat your honey right. Place your order today to ensure your treats are ready in time!

  • Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates offers sinfully elegant options including their V-day specialty Palet D’Or Entrement Cake for $32 featuring “Maracaibo Venezuelan Chocolate Mousse, layered with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Dacquois, and Crunchy Chocolate Shortbread.” They also offer melt-your-heart chocolates starting at 6 pieces for $12. If you’re going to buy chocolates, you won’t find any better than these!
  • Freeport Bakery exceeds all expectations for perfectionist pastries. Their Valentine’s options will make you weak in the knees. They’ve got Continue reading “Local Love”

More comedy from the Sac PD

The Sac PD is continuing to put comedy right where it belongs, on the crime blotter. This time it is a press release about a break-in at a medical office building. Could be a pretty serious incident, what with the possibility of stolen medical information and identity theft. The press release is titled This Wasn’t a Scheduled Office Visit.

They’ll be here all week!

Fairfield teenager attacks raccoon with sword

Nom Nom Nom!
I suppose you would have us
exhaust all diplomatic options first?
Creative Commons License photo credit: smysnbrg

Perhaps you’ve heard the story of Marquel Dawson, the Fairfield teenager who attacked a mountain lion with a samurai sword (Video clip) to protect the family dog. Or at least he thought it was a mountain lion: Fish and Game officials now believe the animal was actually a raccoon.

You may chuckle, and I’m sure that Dawson’s rep has taken a hit back home. He’s probably lucky he’s not in high school anymore. But I would like to point out that when Dawson armed himself with a sword he thought he was attacking a mountain lion. He thought, “Should I attack a mountain lion? Yes, this is a great idea, this cannot possibly be a bad idea.” The guy held a samurai sword over his head and swung it at what he thought was a mountain lion.

Continue reading “Fairfield teenager attacks raccoon with sword”

SCUSD survey deadline has passed

UPDATE: The two surveys offered by SCUSD have expired, and the district promises to make the results public as soon as possible.

ORIGINAL POST:
Today is the last day to take two surveys prepared by Sac City Unified School District, who is facing a $30 million budget deficit. One survey intends to find respondent’s views toward the overall strategic plan for the district, and the other focuses on specific areas that could be targeted for cuts.

The surveys are linked off the SCUSD Website.

And as always, remember the district’s motto: Success For Every Student By Name. That still gets me every time. Did I have a mini stroke at some point and am I completely missing the meaning of that phrase?

Celebrate Punk History Tonight

Dead Kennedys, Rancid, NOFX, and more recently, Green Day: The Northern California punk scene has just as much to celebrate as Seattle or New York. Tonight, you can reminisce with author Jack Boulware of the new punk historical book Gimme Something Better. He speaks at Time Tested Books (1114 21st Street in Midtown) at 7:00 p.m.

The book documents the colorful history of the underground Bay Area punk music scene. According to the author, “outside of New York and London, California’s Bay Area claims the oldest continuous punk-rock scene in the world.” Gimme Somthing Better is the first exclusive look inside the scene from a strictly San Francisco perspective. The San Francisco Chronicle calls the book “…a sweeping oral history likely to remain the definitive tome on the topic.”

Pick up a copy of the book and hear the author speak tonight. And rock on!

Free Museum Day is tomorrow

California State Capitol
Creative Commons License photo credit: prayitno

Don’t forget, tomorrow is Free Museum Day in Sacramento, where 26 area museums and historical facilities open their doors for free. Perfect day for it with the rain we’re expecting. Will rain make it more or less crowded? I know it’s nice to get some indoor fun, but it can also be a pain getting mobilized when it is raining.

Free Museum Day
Proudly supported by Umpqua Bank
Saturday, February 6, 2010
10 a.m. to 4 p.m
26 participating locations