Monday, February 28, 2005
Tapa the world
I ate at Tapa's for the first time in almost a year on saturday. I had vowed not to go back because of sub-standard food last time. But there I was on saturday, back for more punishment. To my surprise, it was a really pleasant experience. The place was packed, as usual, but the server immediately ushered us over to where Habanero's used to be. This is going to be a Moroccan place that I think Paragary is associated with. I guess it's going to be a tea room(?), I don't know if it's going to serve much food or what. It is decorated sort of Disney-Aladdin/Moroccan style. I went the cheap route of ordering an entree instead of tapas and my chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and spinach was good. Grace got a seared ahi salad that was really big and looked delicious ( I forgot to ask her if this was true). Everyone liked their food and the bill was reasonable, so I will try it again if I'm looking for a late dinner place.
so so many new new posts
One last thing about the Oscars, although I did pick the Swank to win best actress (which contributed a point towards me WINNING THE TOWER OSCAR POOL), it was genuinely painful to watch the clips of the much better actresses (especially the lady in Vera Drake), and then see her win for her horrible hillbilly schtick. I can't even talk about the "i'm just a little girl from a trailer park" thing. As I was drifting off to sleep, it came to me that her dress was like a mullet, business in the front, party in the back, but I saw that this morning the girls with that fugly blog beat me to the punch with that line.
Went to the so so many white white tigers show in Davis on friday. I recommend catching this band if you can. They are quite entertaining and good. It's too noisy to be something I would listen to on record, but the frontwoman is crazy a la Karen O and the guitar sounded amazing, kinda like a plane crashing or something. The lady threw beer into the audience and I really hate that. At least she poured beer on herself first.
Later that night, after about an hour of arguing over whether or not we should go, Mike and I went to the new fuck fridays in the Tower Club (or Monsoon or Meat Market or whatever the fuck its name is now). It was medium crowded and somewhat entertaining. I didn't really like what the DJ was playing and it was disheartening to me to see the dance floor get crowded for Huey Lewis and the Misfits. I know some people reading this will think that that sounds good, but it's just not to my personal dancing tastes. All in all, not the best, but it was nice to have something to do on a friday night.
On saturday I went to King Skate. Do not go rollerskating on a saturday, because believe it or not the place will be packed with children. They were cute and all, but at any given time, at least 18 of them would be falling down simultaneously all over the rink. It was like skating on an obstacle course, and I'm not a very good skater to begin with. And boy are these kids ever brats. Skating the wrong way, roughhousing, playing keepaway, you name it. One kid knocked the birthday girl staight on her ass while we were standing by the pinball games. He fell too, so we all stood over him and called him, variously, a little brat and a little shit. Someone may have said "I'm going to kill you". It was all in the heat of conflict, so exact terms are fuzzy. He threatened to go get his mom. Then five minutes later he was at it again and didn't seem to remember we had just been yelling at him. Kids these days.
Went to the so so many white white tigers show in Davis on friday. I recommend catching this band if you can. They are quite entertaining and good. It's too noisy to be something I would listen to on record, but the frontwoman is crazy a la Karen O and the guitar sounded amazing, kinda like a plane crashing or something. The lady threw beer into the audience and I really hate that. At least she poured beer on herself first.
Later that night, after about an hour of arguing over whether or not we should go, Mike and I went to the new fuck fridays in the Tower Club (or Monsoon or Meat Market or whatever the fuck its name is now). It was medium crowded and somewhat entertaining. I didn't really like what the DJ was playing and it was disheartening to me to see the dance floor get crowded for Huey Lewis and the Misfits. I know some people reading this will think that that sounds good, but it's just not to my personal dancing tastes. All in all, not the best, but it was nice to have something to do on a friday night.
On saturday I went to King Skate. Do not go rollerskating on a saturday, because believe it or not the place will be packed with children. They were cute and all, but at any given time, at least 18 of them would be falling down simultaneously all over the rink. It was like skating on an obstacle course, and I'm not a very good skater to begin with. And boy are these kids ever brats. Skating the wrong way, roughhousing, playing keepaway, you name it. One kid knocked the birthday girl staight on her ass while we were standing by the pinball games. He fell too, so we all stood over him and called him, variously, a little brat and a little shit. Someone may have said "I'm going to kill you". It was all in the heat of conflict, so exact terms are fuzzy. He threatened to go get his mom. Then five minutes later he was at it again and didn't seem to remember we had just been yelling at him. Kids these days.
Me, gloating
This just in: I WON THE TOWER OSCAR POOL! That's right, a cool 60 bucks is residing in my threadbare wallet right now. I battled it out with Jay the whole night, but in the end it was my prescient choice of Clint "the Cryptkeeper" Eastwood over Marty "he'll win one when he's dead" Scorcese that put me over the top. I'd like to thank the Academy, but most of all I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, cuz I know he was rooting for me on this one.
The Bee hasn't lost a minute in getting the forces marshalled for a new arena fight. This article is from Sunday: http://sacbee.com/content/news/story/12474289p-13330177c.html Apparently the city, led by Steve Cohn (what? I thought he was on our side with this, after all, he was the one who said the Maloofs must pay a sizable percentage of the building cost, causing them to storm out of the meeting), is going to get involved and public financing is on the table again. Here's a quote from billionaire playboy Maloof,
"Maloof reiterated last week that his family wants to keep the team in Sacramento, but needs a new arena.
"Look at Arco Arena. It's antiquated; the roof leaks. Where can you play if you can't play at Arco? I think eventually the NBA is going to say that you can't play in that venue anymore," he said.
Ah yes, the mysterious roof-that-leaks-yet-can't-be-fixed. And that's nice how he blames it on the NBA. He's not the one pushing for a new arena, it's the NBA!
Here's another choice quote:
"Polls have consistently shown that the public has major problems with the public financing of an arena, with numbers approaching 80 percent opposition," said Jeff Raimundo, a political consultant who represented the North Natomas landowners group.
At the same time, most people involved in the arena debate said there's no chance the Kings will plunk down upward of $300 million themselves, especially when they could move to a free or nearly free facility elsewhere.
"What they're asking for is pretty consistent with what's condoned by the NBA," Thurtle said. "It's what NBA teams get."
Translation: It doesn't matter if the public is dead set against it, this is the way it's always been done (not true by the way, this is only the way it's been done since the 80"s), so this is the way it has to be done now.
And, the award for most misleading statement goes to Joe Maloof, with this whopper:
"We haven't made money with the Kings," he said. "I think we've made a dedicated effort to invest in our product."
Yeah, you may not have made any money yet, but you haven't sold the team yet, and it's already probably worth about three times more than it was when you bought it. Plus, you're probably lying about not making any money in the first place.
The Bee hasn't lost a minute in getting the forces marshalled for a new arena fight. This article is from Sunday: http://sacbee.com/content/news/story/12474289p-13330177c.html Apparently the city, led by Steve Cohn (what? I thought he was on our side with this, after all, he was the one who said the Maloofs must pay a sizable percentage of the building cost, causing them to storm out of the meeting), is going to get involved and public financing is on the table again. Here's a quote from billionaire playboy Maloof,
"Maloof reiterated last week that his family wants to keep the team in Sacramento, but needs a new arena.
"Look at Arco Arena. It's antiquated; the roof leaks. Where can you play if you can't play at Arco? I think eventually the NBA is going to say that you can't play in that venue anymore," he said.
Ah yes, the mysterious roof-that-leaks-yet-can't-be-fixed. And that's nice how he blames it on the NBA. He's not the one pushing for a new arena, it's the NBA!
Here's another choice quote:
"Polls have consistently shown that the public has major problems with the public financing of an arena, with numbers approaching 80 percent opposition," said Jeff Raimundo, a political consultant who represented the North Natomas landowners group.
At the same time, most people involved in the arena debate said there's no chance the Kings will plunk down upward of $300 million themselves, especially when they could move to a free or nearly free facility elsewhere.
"What they're asking for is pretty consistent with what's condoned by the NBA," Thurtle said. "It's what NBA teams get."
Translation: It doesn't matter if the public is dead set against it, this is the way it's always been done (not true by the way, this is only the way it's been done since the 80"s), so this is the way it has to be done now.
And, the award for most misleading statement goes to Joe Maloof, with this whopper:
"We haven't made money with the Kings," he said. "I think we've made a dedicated effort to invest in our product."
Yeah, you may not have made any money yet, but you haven't sold the team yet, and it's already probably worth about three times more than it was when you bought it. Plus, you're probably lying about not making any money in the first place.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Lame
Edwyn Collins has had a brain hemorrhage! http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/05-02/25.shtml#story2
White tigers=hot
I have a second and I would like you to ponder the popularity of white tigers with "hipsters". I put that word in quotes to indicate that it has pretty much lost all meaning cuz it's overused, but it's still useful sometimes. Anyway, I have always thought that white tigers were funny. I don't know why. Maybe it's the Sigfried and Roy thing. I know that when I went to the San Diego Zoo with Charles quite a few years back he got a white tiger t-shirt. So I'm basically saying that I liked white tigers before white tigers were cool, as the country song goes. But lately, I have seen at least two local hipsters with white tiger t-shirts, which makes me ashamed to wear the one that i picked up at a thrift store recently, and now there is the band so so many white white tigers. I think this is a great band name, especially considering that it sometimes seems that every good band name in the world (like Anal Mucous) is already taken. This band is playing tonight, along with a bunch of other bands, at 5th and G in Davis. Every fiber in my being is set against traveling across the yolo causeway again later tonight, but despite that, I'm planning to go.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Sactowns finest
The brats are momentarily occupied...So they traded C-Webb? This is why I can't really get into pro sports. I still haven't gotten over the Vlade trade. I know that that was a good trade, but I liked watching more because of the interplay of personalities, and the idea that the Kings should win cuz we had more heart. Because when you come right down to it, these guys (with one important exception) really don't represent Sacramento in any real way and have no connection to the city. So I need a different personal reason to care if they win. I don't care if a bunch of multimillionaires who can't stand each other take us to the finals. Which brings me to the trade of Matt Barnes! The one guy that was from Sac. How can you trade him, he has a fucking "Sactowns finest" tattoo! But the NBA is a business, and that kind of thing doesn't count for shit, which I can't get behind. I know that the true sports fans reading this will scoff because I'm being unrealistic, but for me, my emotional involvement with the Kings has reached its nadir. I hope I used that word right. As Dan Barnes said, this move means they are basically handing the team to Peja to lead, and has he given any indication lately that he is ready for this kind of responsibility?
Oh yeah, saw the Darger movie. It's good, especially if you haven't really seen his artwork before. It makes him seem less creepy, which may be a more accurate view. I read an interview with the woman who directed it and she said that she feels museums misrepresent him because they focus on the small segment of his work that included violent images. Check it out soon, though. I think it's gone on sunday.
Oh yeah, saw the Darger movie. It's good, especially if you haven't really seen his artwork before. It makes him seem less creepy, which may be a more accurate view. I read an interview with the woman who directed it and she said that she feels museums misrepresent him because they focus on the small segment of his work that included violent images. Check it out soon, though. I think it's gone on sunday.
No c-webb!
The students are so demanding. They won't give me a minutes peace to blog. UCD students are such brats.
I can't believe they traded C-Webb...i give up...these students won't even give me a second without whining and giving me attitude. gotta go
I can't believe they traded C-Webb...i give up...these students won't even give me a second without whining and giving me attitude. gotta go
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
out hud
out hud
Originally uploaded by becklerg.
The new out hud is coming out (finally) on March 21st. If you go to: http://www.brainwashed.com/outhud/news.html
You can download some MP3s. Some are just samples, but some are full length or close. I love the harpsichord sounding keyboard parts in How Long. This album is gonna be big.
Arena deal is D.O.A.
According to the Bee, the deal for a privately funded arena is dead: http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12434054p-13290238c.html
This is not surprising, considering the unreasonable demands that the King's owners were making. Graswich had a quote from a city council member yesterday that said there is no way a Wal-Mart can be built in that spot downtown because the city controls the parking garage. I'm beginning to think that all the council's grandiose plans will fail and maybe the city will just remain the pleasant city that it is and they won't be able to ruin it no matter how hard they try. I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up.
This is not surprising, considering the unreasonable demands that the King's owners were making. Graswich had a quote from a city council member yesterday that said there is no way a Wal-Mart can be built in that spot downtown because the city controls the parking garage. I'm beginning to think that all the council's grandiose plans will fail and maybe the city will just remain the pleasant city that it is and they won't be able to ruin it no matter how hard they try. I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up.
Vague post
According the this CLMC poster, the Naked Lounge is a known "bisexual hangout":http://sacramento.craigslist.org/mis/60749104.html
Speaking of sexual orientation, there is a person who shall remain anonymous that some of us are acquainted with that is undergoing a (and I'm not sure what the correct term is here) gender reassignment. I think this person is very brave to do what she is doing. Even though our larger group of friends (scene?) are in general very accepting of differences, it has still got to be the hardest thing in the world for a straight male to make the transition to being a female. Wow! This is hard to write about, because I keep wanting to write things like "want to transition", but I'm sure this is not a matter of choice, it is something that this person is compelled to do. Anyway, although this anonymous person is probably not a reader of this blog, I salute her courage and I hope that everyone that comes in contact with her in the future will be sensitive about this, but also remember that she's the same person that we've known inside. This is hard for me, because when I saw her the other day I got nervous that I would say the wrong thing and didn't joke around like I used to, but I'm gonna try harder next time. Sorry for being so vague, but I wanna protect her privacy.
Speaking of sexual orientation, there is a person who shall remain anonymous that some of us are acquainted with that is undergoing a (and I'm not sure what the correct term is here) gender reassignment. I think this person is very brave to do what she is doing. Even though our larger group of friends (scene?) are in general very accepting of differences, it has still got to be the hardest thing in the world for a straight male to make the transition to being a female. Wow! This is hard to write about, because I keep wanting to write things like "want to transition", but I'm sure this is not a matter of choice, it is something that this person is compelled to do. Anyway, although this anonymous person is probably not a reader of this blog, I salute her courage and I hope that everyone that comes in contact with her in the future will be sensitive about this, but also remember that she's the same person that we've known inside. This is hard for me, because when I saw her the other day I got nervous that I would say the wrong thing and didn't joke around like I used to, but I'm gonna try harder next time. Sorry for being so vague, but I wanna protect her privacy.
Hello everybody
So many people are reading this blog now that I'm starting to get nervous about posting. It's like the difference between talking to a couple of friends and giving a presentation before an audience. I like it, but it's freaking me out. I have a lot of work today but I may be able to scrape together a post at some point.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Pretty ass titties
Ok, so the crowd for the Too Short show was pretty racially mixed. Lots of old white guys that loved 2 Live Crew back in the day. The DJ was from 102 and he was weak as fuck. He played the same Snoop song three times. How do you get so jaded as a DJ that you can be in front of 300 people and not care at all if you get them riled up and dancing? These horrible white rappers tried to warm up the crowd. The dude was biting Eminems nasal style and their sung chorus was, and I quote, "get on those dance floors please, so I can see you shake those knees" What?
The only person from 2 Live Crew that was present at this show was the original DJ. I didn't catch his name, but he did say that some of the women in Sac have some "pretty ass titties". That reminds me, the outstanding thing from this show was all the boobs. There are some exhibitionists out there, for real. Some of these ladies appeared to be professional, uh, dancers, but none of them were being paid. They just did it from the sheer joy that comes from flashing your tits. One lady gyrated on the stage for about 40 minutes. Unlike a real strip show, she allowed random guys to touch and squeeze. It was lucky she was there, cuz Too Short was about 2 hours late, and the crowd might have rioted if they weren't mesmerized by her boobs and fake passionate kissing with her girlfriend. Oh yeah, and 2 Live Crew have always sucked. They are the Andrew Dice Clay of dirty rap.
Too Short was good. Very smooth and appeared to be sipping a White Russian. He wasn't that concerned with putting on a good show, but was more concerned with where the after party was at and which lucky ladies would be attending said afterparty. People yelled out "The Plantation" as an after party location and Too Short seemed confused, which once again reminded me what an unfortunate name that is. Overall, it was fun and I'm glad I went.
The Bright Ideas ripped it up at the New Loft on saturday. They sounded great. The New Loft is cool. There was a room for bands and a DJ room/homemade bar. Maya was right, that Belgian beer (actually I got tricked and found out after I ordered that it was Fat Tire fake Belgian beer) had a super high alcohol content. One of them got me pretty drunk. Due to the three types of bands there were: my friends (bright ideas), mods (for the losin streaks), and rockers (for SLA). No, the mods did not fight the rockers but there was some fabulous fashion. I would like to write more but I am constantly being interrupted and I'm afraid that the students can see I'm writing something that contains the word "titties" so this is gonna have to do it. Bye!
The only person from 2 Live Crew that was present at this show was the original DJ. I didn't catch his name, but he did say that some of the women in Sac have some "pretty ass titties". That reminds me, the outstanding thing from this show was all the boobs. There are some exhibitionists out there, for real. Some of these ladies appeared to be professional, uh, dancers, but none of them were being paid. They just did it from the sheer joy that comes from flashing your tits. One lady gyrated on the stage for about 40 minutes. Unlike a real strip show, she allowed random guys to touch and squeeze. It was lucky she was there, cuz Too Short was about 2 hours late, and the crowd might have rioted if they weren't mesmerized by her boobs and fake passionate kissing with her girlfriend. Oh yeah, and 2 Live Crew have always sucked. They are the Andrew Dice Clay of dirty rap.
Too Short was good. Very smooth and appeared to be sipping a White Russian. He wasn't that concerned with putting on a good show, but was more concerned with where the after party was at and which lucky ladies would be attending said afterparty. People yelled out "The Plantation" as an after party location and Too Short seemed confused, which once again reminded me what an unfortunate name that is. Overall, it was fun and I'm glad I went.
The Bright Ideas ripped it up at the New Loft on saturday. They sounded great. The New Loft is cool. There was a room for bands and a DJ room/homemade bar. Maya was right, that Belgian beer (actually I got tricked and found out after I ordered that it was Fat Tire fake Belgian beer) had a super high alcohol content. One of them got me pretty drunk. Due to the three types of bands there were: my friends (bright ideas), mods (for the losin streaks), and rockers (for SLA). No, the mods did not fight the rockers but there was some fabulous fashion. I would like to write more but I am constantly being interrupted and I'm afraid that the students can see I'm writing something that contains the word "titties" so this is gonna have to do it. Bye!
update
ok, I'm hoping to blog a full post from a remote location by two or so. Oh yeah, I was just at the pharmacy stuck in line and saw that they had a product to numb his business and make him last longer that is called "mandelay" all one word.
I checked my post and saw that it was basically unintelligable. Oops! I hope changing "so" to "saw" made it clearer.
I checked my post and saw that it was basically unintelligable. Oops! I hope changing "so" to "saw" made it clearer.
How many fans?
I still need to do a weekend wrap-up, but I couldn't let this slide by. The Bee had this article on the front page a couple of days ago: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/12408958p-13265290c.html The headline is: Wal-Mart has some city fans. It should be: Wal-Mart has one city fan. That's right. They talk to one person who wants a Wal-Mart and then the spokesman for Wal-Mart, who is unsurprisingly a "fan". The one Wal-Mart lover is on a tight budget and needs to buy school clothes for her kids. I understand this. My advice would be go to Target or the Goodwill or Salvation Army. Secondhand stores have good kid clothes at prices even cheaper than Wal-Mart. There is also a Kmart on Stockton (right across from Thriftown so you can hit both). I bet the clothes at Kmart are mere pennies more than those at Wal-Mart. So there is my advice for you, Susan Trevino of mid town. This way there is no chance that the small retailers in the area will be driven out of business. As for the headline, it is clearly misleading. I think what this really reflects is that many people were annoyed by the council's desire for upscaleness in one of the most blighted areas in the city. If they had chosen their words better, everyone would be united behind them in keeping Wal-Mart out.
Life is...
Because I had a three day weekend I feel compelled to spend a few minutes doing some work. But check back later for a review of the Too Short show!
Friday, February 18, 2005
Complaint department
OK, so on to some complaints:
Why oh why oh why is the beer selection at Safeway so shitty? I'm talking about the new Safeway, I don't go to the old Safeway anymore. It's so, well, old. Sometimes when I am craving a beer I stand in that aisle for five minutes or more, desperately scanning up and down and back and forth, incredulous that there is not one single tasty and affordable beer. And now they got rid of their 22s, which I would always settle for when I gave up on a good sixer. No, I don't want Fat Tire Ale. I don't want woodchuck ale or kangaroo jack lager or whatever the fuck you are offering. I don't want any of the five kinds of Sierra Nevada. Just pick one they are all bitter as fuck why do you need so many kinds? I don't want to pay nine dollars for Anchor Steam. Where do they get off charging over 7 bucks for Negra Modelo? Why no cheap Czech beer? Waaayyy overpriced and not that good Pilsner Urquell doesn't do it for me. Do you really need to take up so much space with cases of Coors Light? Can't you move them over a little bit and squeeze in some good, semi-cheap beer? The only thing they have that is OK is bottles of Pabst, but that's not what I want for 1 or 2 good beers with dinner. I'm just going to have to start buying more five dollar six packs of Staropramen at Trader Joes.
Has anyone noticed that the Bomb sucks now? It is no different from KSFM anymore. This makes me sad. It used to be that I would leave the dial on the Bomb and then very occasionally be forced to turn it to 102.5 when a commercial was on or something. The Bomb would always be playing a good song, either an oldie or some bay area hip-hop or something, and when I turned to KSFM it would always be playing some crap like Eminem or Ashanti. Now they are always both playing some crap like Eminem or Ashanti. This makes sense, because the Bomb is no longer independently owned. It's owned by a corporation. I guess I shouldn't cling to the idea that it's any better. Now Doug Banks is on 102 instead of the Bomb. The Bomb canceled the Tom Joyner morning show, which I know makes a certain person very sad. And there is that whole thing where the Bomb called the FCC on the underground downtown hip-hop station. As someone pointed out to a letter in the SN&R, this is funny considering that if you live between T and 1st ave and about 10th street to 28th, the Bomb bleeds into every other radio station and will come in on your VCR, your metal fence, and even the fillings in your teeth if you're unlucky. That must be some kind of FCC violation!
One more complaint. It is about camellias. They are in full bloom right now. Yes, their blooms are beautiful. I saw one yesterday that was newly planted in that house near Dave Smith's old place (you know, the giant Victorian that has been completely remodeled with an ugly new iron fence and it's always creepily empty and you can see a huge crystal chandelier throught the windows, Heather knows the one) that stopped me in my tracks. It started out deep pink at the bottom and then faded up to the lightest pink at the top. My complaint is what happens when the blooms decay. They turn brown and either fall on the tree and become a stinky, slippery, rotten mess or most of them just stay on the bush and decay forever. Get ahold of yourself camellia bush, you are covered in garbage. Have some self respect. I don't know what happens to other flowers when the blooms decay, but I have never noticed them staying on there and rotting. Ask that rose bush next to you what it does and do that.
Why oh why oh why is the beer selection at Safeway so shitty? I'm talking about the new Safeway, I don't go to the old Safeway anymore. It's so, well, old. Sometimes when I am craving a beer I stand in that aisle for five minutes or more, desperately scanning up and down and back and forth, incredulous that there is not one single tasty and affordable beer. And now they got rid of their 22s, which I would always settle for when I gave up on a good sixer. No, I don't want Fat Tire Ale. I don't want woodchuck ale or kangaroo jack lager or whatever the fuck you are offering. I don't want any of the five kinds of Sierra Nevada. Just pick one they are all bitter as fuck why do you need so many kinds? I don't want to pay nine dollars for Anchor Steam. Where do they get off charging over 7 bucks for Negra Modelo? Why no cheap Czech beer? Waaayyy overpriced and not that good Pilsner Urquell doesn't do it for me. Do you really need to take up so much space with cases of Coors Light? Can't you move them over a little bit and squeeze in some good, semi-cheap beer? The only thing they have that is OK is bottles of Pabst, but that's not what I want for 1 or 2 good beers with dinner. I'm just going to have to start buying more five dollar six packs of Staropramen at Trader Joes.
Has anyone noticed that the Bomb sucks now? It is no different from KSFM anymore. This makes me sad. It used to be that I would leave the dial on the Bomb and then very occasionally be forced to turn it to 102.5 when a commercial was on or something. The Bomb would always be playing a good song, either an oldie or some bay area hip-hop or something, and when I turned to KSFM it would always be playing some crap like Eminem or Ashanti. Now they are always both playing some crap like Eminem or Ashanti. This makes sense, because the Bomb is no longer independently owned. It's owned by a corporation. I guess I shouldn't cling to the idea that it's any better. Now Doug Banks is on 102 instead of the Bomb. The Bomb canceled the Tom Joyner morning show, which I know makes a certain person very sad. And there is that whole thing where the Bomb called the FCC on the underground downtown hip-hop station. As someone pointed out to a letter in the SN&R, this is funny considering that if you live between T and 1st ave and about 10th street to 28th, the Bomb bleeds into every other radio station and will come in on your VCR, your metal fence, and even the fillings in your teeth if you're unlucky. That must be some kind of FCC violation!
One more complaint. It is about camellias. They are in full bloom right now. Yes, their blooms are beautiful. I saw one yesterday that was newly planted in that house near Dave Smith's old place (you know, the giant Victorian that has been completely remodeled with an ugly new iron fence and it's always creepily empty and you can see a huge crystal chandelier throught the windows, Heather knows the one) that stopped me in my tracks. It started out deep pink at the bottom and then faded up to the lightest pink at the top. My complaint is what happens when the blooms decay. They turn brown and either fall on the tree and become a stinky, slippery, rotten mess or most of them just stay on the bush and decay forever. Get ahold of yourself camellia bush, you are covered in garbage. Have some self respect. I don't know what happens to other flowers when the blooms decay, but I have never noticed them staying on there and rotting. Ask that rose bush next to you what it does and do that.
See this movie
Oh my god! The Henry Darger movie opened at the Crest today. You must see this movie, and quick, because I predict it may only last a week. Darger was one of the most fascinating "outsider" artists of all time. I saw his exhibit in NY and the art was breathtaking. The colors and the way he painted the scenery especially. Here's a web page about him: http://www.saraayers.com/darger.htm
Hopefully, the movie will do his work justice. His drawing were over six feet long and quite intricate so I don't know if it can be captured on film.
Hopefully, the movie will do his work justice. His drawing were over six feet long and quite intricate so I don't know if it can be captured on film.
FUCK WAL-MART
When the city council met this last tuesday to discuss the anti-Wal-mart ordinance, Wal-Mart had stationed a court reporter in the chambers to provide ammunition for a future lawsuit. That must have freaked them out: http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/local_government/story/12386234p-13242582c.html
Bravo to the city council for standing up to them. I plan to write a letter to my councilperson, Robert Fong. To find out who yours is and write him/her: http://www.cityofsacramento.org/council/
I have more stuff to post but if will have to wait for now, I got brains to stain!
Bravo to the city council for standing up to them. I plan to write a letter to my councilperson, Robert Fong. To find out who yours is and write him/her: http://www.cityofsacramento.org/council/
I have more stuff to post but if will have to wait for now, I got brains to stain!
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Fake president
I know I don't usually post about national political stuff, but this is nuts: http://nytimes.com/2005/02/20/arts/20rich.html
You do need to log in to see it. The gist of it is unmasking a fake reporter that has appeared at many white house press conferences to specifically lob softball questions to the president. He used an assumed name, he is not really a reporter, and he is paid by a shadowy GOP group. The white house tries to claim they didn't know this, but this is a lie because they would have to do a security check on him. He's sitting like five feet from the president! The ny times article points out that this is the 6th confirmed instance of fake news dissemination by this administration. Orwellian is the only word for it.
The city council did pass that ordinance to keep the Wal-Mart out. I wonder it Wal-Mart will fight or give up?
You do need to log in to see it. The gist of it is unmasking a fake reporter that has appeared at many white house press conferences to specifically lob softball questions to the president. He used an assumed name, he is not really a reporter, and he is paid by a shadowy GOP group. The white house tries to claim they didn't know this, but this is a lie because they would have to do a security check on him. He's sitting like five feet from the president! The ny times article points out that this is the 6th confirmed instance of fake news dissemination by this administration. Orwellian is the only word for it.
The city council did pass that ordinance to keep the Wal-Mart out. I wonder it Wal-Mart will fight or give up?
Rock+Gov=love?
I probably won't have time for a proper post until later, but for now, here's the meager celebrity gossip I could gather: Vince Vaughn is taller than you can imagine, if you are expecting the governator to be short, he will surprise you by not being that short, but he is very wide. The guv and the rock had a heart to heart, the rock is also not very tall, Vince Vaughn did not seem to spend any time talking to the gov, but he did hang out with Cedric the Entertainer alot (see, he is rad, he probably hates Arnold). Mike got to hear Arnie say "Kalifornia" numerous times. That's about it. It doesn't seem like anyone interacted with the celebs that much.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
link
You know I am bored at work if I am reading old McSweeney's lists. I think this one cracks me up the most:
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/lists/suggestednames.html
I have a sneaking suspicion I may have linked it before. I guess if this blog lasts long enough I will probably start repeating myself.
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/lists/suggestednames.html
I have a sneaking suspicion I may have linked it before. I guess if this blog lasts long enough I will probably start repeating myself.
Music news
I stole this from Leon's blog. The link to that Euro band from the future that played at the house party on friday: http://www.euromotiondance.com/
It's pretty funny and I recommend you download a song or two. It will brighten up your dreary work day for a few minutes.
Apparently there are "secret" shows coming up? Where is this Evens show tonight? I mean, I know the general location, but does anyone know what building it's in?
I was skimming the info about this show tonight and I thought the Evens had former Sassiest Boy in America Ian from the Nation of Ulysses in it and I got all excited. Then after I posted this I noticed that it's Ian from Fugazi. This makes it about 50% less likely that I will go. But still, if anyone knows which building it's in I want to know.
Which Ian is your favorite?
It's pretty funny and I recommend you download a song or two. It will brighten up your dreary work day for a few minutes.
Apparently there are "secret" shows coming up? Where is this Evens show tonight? I mean, I know the general location, but does anyone know what building it's in?
I was skimming the info about this show tonight and I thought the Evens had former Sassiest Boy in America Ian from the Nation of Ulysses in it and I got all excited. Then after I posted this I noticed that it's Ian from Fugazi. This makes it about 50% less likely that I will go. But still, if anyone knows which building it's in I want to know.
Which Ian is your favorite?
stars in sac
The Bee continues their major coverage of a minor issue with two features today on the soldier effigy. This comes on the heels of yesterday's front page coverage. Today they do a piece on the personal lives of the couple that contains this head-scratcher:
"Virginia met Stephen Pearcy when she was in junior high. (so she was like 12 0r 13 years old) He was her 31-year-old math tutor. He was a student at UC Davis and worked as a lab technician.
She moved in with him the summer after eighth grade. They had their own rooms, and didn't get romantically involved until after she left UC Davis, they said."
How sweet, just like Celine Dion and her manager. It's amazing how platonic love can blossom into romantic love the instant a young lass turns 18.
Here's the link for that article: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/12367170p-13223416c.html
I guess 300 people from both sides of the issue were at the house the other day: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/12367170p-13223426c.html
I'm not sure what happened at that city council meeting last night. There was speculation that the council was going to pass some sort of emergency measure against "big box" stores to keep a Wal-Mart out. The sac bee had an editorial yesterday that said that this is another example of the lack of leadership in the city council. They don't know what they want, only what they don't want, which is a trashy store in downtown plaza. I agree there is a lack of a clear plan, but as long as the result is no Wal-Mart downtown, I don't care.
Did anyone catch "Good Evening Sacramento" or work at the Crest last night. It was insane: The Rock, the governator, Vince Vaughn (looking haggard and being really short with the smarmy reporter), Harvey Keitel, and biggest of all Christina Milian. Apparently no one at the Crest recognized her. She has a top ten single right now! I wish I would have gone, but I guess I'm not star struck enough for it to motivate me to go out on a rainy night.
"Virginia met Stephen Pearcy when she was in junior high. (so she was like 12 0r 13 years old) He was her 31-year-old math tutor. He was a student at UC Davis and worked as a lab technician.
She moved in with him the summer after eighth grade. They had their own rooms, and didn't get romantically involved until after she left UC Davis, they said."
How sweet, just like Celine Dion and her manager. It's amazing how platonic love can blossom into romantic love the instant a young lass turns 18.
Here's the link for that article: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/12367170p-13223416c.html
I guess 300 people from both sides of the issue were at the house the other day: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/12367170p-13223426c.html
I'm not sure what happened at that city council meeting last night. There was speculation that the council was going to pass some sort of emergency measure against "big box" stores to keep a Wal-Mart out. The sac bee had an editorial yesterday that said that this is another example of the lack of leadership in the city council. They don't know what they want, only what they don't want, which is a trashy store in downtown plaza. I agree there is a lack of a clear plan, but as long as the result is no Wal-Mart downtown, I don't care.
Did anyone catch "Good Evening Sacramento" or work at the Crest last night. It was insane: The Rock, the governator, Vince Vaughn (looking haggard and being really short with the smarmy reporter), Harvey Keitel, and biggest of all Christina Milian. Apparently no one at the Crest recognized her. She has a top ten single right now! I wish I would have gone, but I guess I'm not star struck enough for it to motivate me to go out on a rainy night.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Viva Biba!
OK, so I know I said I was too busy and now I'm writing an entry like ten minutes later. I'm just toying with you! I almost just crashed my computer at the remote location because I tried to open the new David Cross PETA add that shows his butt. Glad no one walked in. Well, you need a code to get into my bunker anyway.
Today that soldier effigy in Land Park is front page news at the Bee. The Bee mentions national attention brought by bloggers, among others, and someone from the SacBee checked my blog twice yesterday. Coincidence? The Bee may be trying to appear objective, but they took a clearly anti-effigy stand. Even the headline takes a stance, "Anti-war display a flash point
Outrage at Land Park pair's use of uniform may stifle dialogue." Friends biked by the house this weekend and they said it was a circus, with ex-Marines giving hard looks, free speech advocates, and multiple news vans. Like I said before, this wacky couple had better hope that no one checks their back story, or this thing could blow up in their faces.
So, Syria orchestrates an assassination in Lebanon, and a certain Homzee shaves his beard to appear more anglo. Are these two things related?
Speaking of H, he has asked me to not give a full review to our night at Biba's (especially the dessert, heh, heh) in the interest of maintaining our privacy. Let's just say: Saw Biba, worried that we weren't fancy enough then spotted people in jeans and hoodies (yay America! way to be total slobs-I mean it doesn't have to be mink and Prada, but how about some Dockers and a button up), nice server who warned me that the carpaccio is raw (duh), carpaccio that wasn't as good as Bravo Ristorantes, best homemade butternut squash ravioli with sage ever, meat course so-so (but I would never order a meat course normally, cuz I'm not really a meat person), great salad with celery root, green apple and super-mustardy dressing (green apple and mustard taste perfect together, who knew?). There, it's not a full review.
Today that soldier effigy in Land Park is front page news at the Bee. The Bee mentions national attention brought by bloggers, among others, and someone from the SacBee checked my blog twice yesterday. Coincidence? The Bee may be trying to appear objective, but they took a clearly anti-effigy stand. Even the headline takes a stance, "Anti-war display a flash point
Outrage at Land Park pair's use of uniform may stifle dialogue." Friends biked by the house this weekend and they said it was a circus, with ex-Marines giving hard looks, free speech advocates, and multiple news vans. Like I said before, this wacky couple had better hope that no one checks their back story, or this thing could blow up in their faces.
So, Syria orchestrates an assassination in Lebanon, and a certain Homzee shaves his beard to appear more anglo. Are these two things related?
Speaking of H, he has asked me to not give a full review to our night at Biba's (especially the dessert, heh, heh) in the interest of maintaining our privacy. Let's just say: Saw Biba, worried that we weren't fancy enough then spotted people in jeans and hoodies (yay America! way to be total slobs-I mean it doesn't have to be mink and Prada, but how about some Dockers and a button up), nice server who warned me that the carpaccio is raw (duh), carpaccio that wasn't as good as Bravo Ristorantes, best homemade butternut squash ravioli with sage ever, meat course so-so (but I would never order a meat course normally, cuz I'm not really a meat person), great salad with celery root, green apple and super-mustardy dressing (green apple and mustard taste perfect together, who knew?). There, it's not a full review.
Viva Biba!
OK, so I know I said I was too busy and now I'm writing an entry like ten minutes later. I'm just toying with you! I almost just crashed my computer at the remote location because I tried to open the new David Cross PETA add that shows his butt. Glad no one walked in. Well, you need a code to get into my bunker anyway.
Today that soldier effigy in Land Park is front page news at the Bee. The Bee mentions national attention brought by bloggers, among others, and someone from the SacBee checked my blog twice yesterday. Coincidence? The Bee may be trying to appear objective, but they took a clearly anti-effigy stand. Even the headline takes a stance, "Anti-war display a flash point
Outrage at Land Park pair's use of uniform may stifle dialogue." Friends biked by the house this weekend and they said it was a circus, with ex-Marines giving hard looks, free speech advocates, and multiple news vans. Like I said before, this wacky couple had better hope that no one checks their back story, or this thing could blow up in their faces.
So, Syria orchestrates an assassination in Lebanon, and a certain Homzee shaves his beard to appear more anglo. Are these two things related?
Speaking of H, he has asked me to not give a full review to our night at Biba's (especially the dessert, heh, heh) in the interest of maintaining our privacy. Let's just say: Saw Biba, worried that we weren't fancy enough then spotted people in jeans and hoodies (yay America! way to be total slobs), nice waitress who warned me that the carpaccio is raw (duh), carpaccio that wasn't as good as Bravo Ristorantes, best homemade butternut squash ravioli with sage ever, meat course so-so (but I would never order a meat course normally, cuz I'm not really a meat person), great salad with celery root, green apple and super-mustardy dressing (green apple and mustard taste perfect together, who knew?). There, it's not a full review.
Today that soldier effigy in Land Park is front page news at the Bee. The Bee mentions national attention brought by bloggers, among others, and someone from the SacBee checked my blog twice yesterday. Coincidence? The Bee may be trying to appear objective, but they took a clearly anti-effigy stand. Even the headline takes a stance, "Anti-war display a flash point
Outrage at Land Park pair's use of uniform may stifle dialogue." Friends biked by the house this weekend and they said it was a circus, with ex-Marines giving hard looks, free speech advocates, and multiple news vans. Like I said before, this wacky couple had better hope that no one checks their back story, or this thing could blow up in their faces.
So, Syria orchestrates an assassination in Lebanon, and a certain Homzee shaves his beard to appear more anglo. Are these two things related?
Speaking of H, he has asked me to not give a full review to our night at Biba's (especially the dessert, heh, heh) in the interest of maintaining our privacy. Let's just say: Saw Biba, worried that we weren't fancy enough then spotted people in jeans and hoodies (yay America! way to be total slobs), nice waitress who warned me that the carpaccio is raw (duh), carpaccio that wasn't as good as Bravo Ristorantes, best homemade butternut squash ravioli with sage ever, meat course so-so (but I would never order a meat course normally, cuz I'm not really a meat person), great salad with celery root, green apple and super-mustardy dressing (green apple and mustard taste perfect together, who knew?). There, it's not a full review.
busy busy
I am again blogging from an undisclosed remote location. Unfortunately, I have a lot of work to do and may not be able to post. If I don't post before 1:00, don't bother checking back.
Monday, February 14, 2005
theshocker
theshocker
Originally uploaded by becklerg.
In my ongoing effort to keep my readers fingers on the pulse of youth culture, here is a picture of the correct configuration of the shocker. maybe you guys could try it out tonight, since it's valentine's day and all. Just be sure to stretch properly first.
Speaking of Valentine's, I'm going to Biba's tonight for the first time. I'll review it tomorrow.
The city has continued to wage their war against dancing and fun by taking away various clubs dance permits:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/community_news/sacramento/story/12303317p-13167206c.html
Not that I've ever been to any of these places. Now that the Townhouse is gone, if they suspend Old I's license, that would almost be the end of dancing in this city. I guess there was recently another riot in Old Sac, too , but I can't seem to find the details on it.
Party review
What is up with the weird Cathy-related comments on Natalie's blog? I tried to comment, but the blog wouldn't let me. Who is this person? I was shocked a couple of weeks ago to read Cathy for the first time in years just as she was saying "I do" to what's-his-name. I tore it out and put it in my pocket, I'm not sure why.
Party review: Well, the ceiling didn't collapse so I give this party an A. Charles tried to bet me twenty bucks that it wouldn't collapse, but I was too smart for that, because I knew if it did, he'd be dead and I couldn't collect. I wasn't born yesterday. The Feeling sounded really good. There was a Euro joke band from the future that was pretty fucking funny but I felt they wore out their welcome a little bit. Or maybe I have a short attention span. Some wag did quip that they felt like they were on the set of the O.C. because of the undulating teenage girls. I watched a lot of MTV this weekend and I think I have a little better handle on teen style. There is a lot of wacky hair for the boys (spiked all over like a porcupine, nerdy fros, etc.) that would have been considered silly when I was a lass. Ditto for the young lady fashion in which weird things go on like wearing a camisole over a t-shirt. Everything is vaguely punk, but not really. Speaking of MTV, I love the new real world so much, and one of my reasons is to watch Karomo make out with hot guys, even if he is kind of an ass. Anyway, the party, yeah. The Jay and Joel show killed, as usual. Fetus city was spectacular but strangely fetus-free. The dancing was really fun. My only complaint is that I wish it was on a saturday so that I could have stayed up later. I hope these guys have a lot more parties, although I heard the cops showed up later and roughed one of them up.
I was reading the letters to the editor in the sunday Bee and I noticed that Dianna Griego Erwin caught mad shit for dissing McCartney's performance in the superbowl halftime show. So I guess passions run high on this issue, in general.
Party review: Well, the ceiling didn't collapse so I give this party an A. Charles tried to bet me twenty bucks that it wouldn't collapse, but I was too smart for that, because I knew if it did, he'd be dead and I couldn't collect. I wasn't born yesterday. The Feeling sounded really good. There was a Euro joke band from the future that was pretty fucking funny but I felt they wore out their welcome a little bit. Or maybe I have a short attention span. Some wag did quip that they felt like they were on the set of the O.C. because of the undulating teenage girls. I watched a lot of MTV this weekend and I think I have a little better handle on teen style. There is a lot of wacky hair for the boys (spiked all over like a porcupine, nerdy fros, etc.) that would have been considered silly when I was a lass. Ditto for the young lady fashion in which weird things go on like wearing a camisole over a t-shirt. Everything is vaguely punk, but not really. Speaking of MTV, I love the new real world so much, and one of my reasons is to watch Karomo make out with hot guys, even if he is kind of an ass. Anyway, the party, yeah. The Jay and Joel show killed, as usual. Fetus city was spectacular but strangely fetus-free. The dancing was really fun. My only complaint is that I wish it was on a saturday so that I could have stayed up later. I hope these guys have a lot more parties, although I heard the cops showed up later and roughed one of them up.
I was reading the letters to the editor in the sunday Bee and I noticed that Dianna Griego Erwin caught mad shit for dissing McCartney's performance in the superbowl halftime show. So I guess passions run high on this issue, in general.
Celebrity gossip
I have to do some work, so I might write a party review or something else later, but for not:
CELEBRITY NEWS:
Cool! Courtesy of postcards from sacramento, I found out that too short and 2 live crew are playing at the Colonial this friday. I will try to go, because last time I chickened out because of the recent shooting at the Colonial and I was sorry later that I didn't go. I don't want to go by myself, though.
Steve Nash came into the Crest last week to see Kinsey. In fact, it was his birthday that day. That guy loves the Crest, this is his second visit.
This tuesday there is a hush-hush premiere of the crappy-looking movie "Be Cool". Not only will the governator be there, but celebs Uma Thurman, John Travolta, and Harvey Kietel are rumored to be scheduled to attend. Local liberal Christine Craft is organizing a protest against the gropin' guvna across the street.
CELEBRITY NEWS:
Cool! Courtesy of postcards from sacramento, I found out that too short and 2 live crew are playing at the Colonial this friday. I will try to go, because last time I chickened out because of the recent shooting at the Colonial and I was sorry later that I didn't go. I don't want to go by myself, though.
Steve Nash came into the Crest last week to see Kinsey. In fact, it was his birthday that day. That guy loves the Crest, this is his second visit.
This tuesday there is a hush-hush premiere of the crappy-looking movie "Be Cool". Not only will the governator be there, but celebs Uma Thurman, John Travolta, and Harvey Kietel are rumored to be scheduled to attend. Local liberal Christine Craft is organizing a protest against the gropin' guvna across the street.
Friday, February 11, 2005
More comments!
Supposedly the comments have been reconfigured to make it easier to post. So if you've had problems in the past, give it another try.
If you have some time, check out these legal documents about the R. Kelly/Jay Z feud: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0208051jayz1.html
The funniest part is when they detail how R. Kelly had worked out a skit for "Strip for You" (a genius song by the way) in which the lights are supposed to go out at the end just as he drops his trench coat. I guess the lighting guys consistently missed their cues, causing R. to throw a temper tantrum. This is a funny mental image because I'm guessing he wasn't really naked under the trench and the light probably stayed on and revealed him in his undies.
I just heard the new Mariah song and it's pretty good. A little weak and not helped by the noises that Jermaine Dupri makes on the track, but it probably will be a hit. Welcome back Mariah.
If you have some time, check out these legal documents about the R. Kelly/Jay Z feud: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0208051jayz1.html
The funniest part is when they detail how R. Kelly had worked out a skit for "Strip for You" (a genius song by the way) in which the lights are supposed to go out at the end just as he drops his trench coat. I guess the lighting guys consistently missed their cues, causing R. to throw a temper tantrum. This is a funny mental image because I'm guessing he wasn't really naked under the trench and the light probably stayed on and revealed him in his undies.
I just heard the new Mariah song and it's pretty good. A little weak and not helped by the noises that Jermaine Dupri makes on the track, but it probably will be a hit. Welcome back Mariah.
Fetus party
I had my second dream about Jessica Simpson last night. In the last one, I was a sex therapist who looked like Jessica Simpson and my client was Justing Timberlake (hot!). Last night, I dreamed that I was at a party with Nick and Jessica and I committed a major faux pas by relating a gossip item (which is real and which i read yesterday) in which Nick was busted trying to give his phone number to some ladies. Needless to say, the party got awkward, and Jessica was super pissed. Nick however, was really cool about it and helped me clean out my refrigerator. I was starting to sense some real sexual tension between me and Nick when my roomate slammed the door and woke me up. Do celebrity guest stars make it more interesting when you tell your dreams? I hope so.
Anna alerted me to an item yesterday in the Bee that involves a woman that people we know went to primary school with:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/12291773p-13155557c.html
The reason they went to primary school and not high school with her is a gut-wrenching tale but one that I can't relate in this forum. Suffice to say, their political protesting style is not the only odd thing about them.
I went to Bernardo's yesterday for the first time in a while and it was delicious as usual. A bit overpriced, yes, but I will pay because I can pretty much count on anything I order to be good.
There's a party tonight that promises: the Jay and Joel show, the Feeling, dancing, fetus puppets, and Becky worrying that the place will catch on fire and/or the floor will collapse. In fact, the worrying has already commenced so I will be sure not to get stoned so that I won't have to sit outside all night like I did at the last Bananas show. See you there!
Goddamnit! I forgot to read that Jackson Griffith letter in the SN&R. So I can't report on the simmering feud unless someone fills me in.
I am thinking of a lunchtime outing with coworkers to Nationwide since the boss is AWOL, but it all depends on whether a certain Mr. Mouse dies or not. I may stand near him and subtly whisper "go towards the light" to increase my chances. Speaking of burgers, Jim Denny's is for sale for the bargain price of 50 grand. I have never eaten at this place due to its limited hours Is it all it's cracked up to be, readers? The original owner died a while back so I'm wondering if it has gone downhill. The Bee reports that a Japanese resaurant called Kru will replace the late, unlamented nasty Asian-fusion joint J. Lee. One of the owners will be a former owner of Taka's.
Graswich keeps milking the same cow with a third mention of unruly crowds in Coach Carter. Today, he has a lady saying that all Sac movie audiences are rude. Last night I saw Million Dollar Baby (the less said about that movie, the better) and there was an old couple behind us in which the lady was maddeneningly yet somehow endearingly yakking the whole time. She'd do things like if the name of the gym was shown she'd read it out loud and say "hit pit gym". Thanks, lady.
Anna alerted me to an item yesterday in the Bee that involves a woman that people we know went to primary school with:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/12291773p-13155557c.html
The reason they went to primary school and not high school with her is a gut-wrenching tale but one that I can't relate in this forum. Suffice to say, their political protesting style is not the only odd thing about them.
I went to Bernardo's yesterday for the first time in a while and it was delicious as usual. A bit overpriced, yes, but I will pay because I can pretty much count on anything I order to be good.
There's a party tonight that promises: the Jay and Joel show, the Feeling, dancing, fetus puppets, and Becky worrying that the place will catch on fire and/or the floor will collapse. In fact, the worrying has already commenced so I will be sure not to get stoned so that I won't have to sit outside all night like I did at the last Bananas show. See you there!
Goddamnit! I forgot to read that Jackson Griffith letter in the SN&R. So I can't report on the simmering feud unless someone fills me in.
I am thinking of a lunchtime outing with coworkers to Nationwide since the boss is AWOL, but it all depends on whether a certain Mr. Mouse dies or not. I may stand near him and subtly whisper "go towards the light" to increase my chances. Speaking of burgers, Jim Denny's is for sale for the bargain price of 50 grand. I have never eaten at this place due to its limited hours Is it all it's cracked up to be, readers? The original owner died a while back so I'm wondering if it has gone downhill. The Bee reports that a Japanese resaurant called Kru will replace the late, unlamented nasty Asian-fusion joint J. Lee. One of the owners will be a former owner of Taka's.
Graswich keeps milking the same cow with a third mention of unruly crowds in Coach Carter. Today, he has a lady saying that all Sac movie audiences are rude. Last night I saw Million Dollar Baby (the less said about that movie, the better) and there was an old couple behind us in which the lady was maddeneningly yet somehow endearingly yakking the whole time. She'd do things like if the name of the gym was shown she'd read it out loud and say "hit pit gym". Thanks, lady.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
More food for you
Thanks for that tip in the comments, Alice. There is also a German Karnival celebration at Turn Verein on saturday at 7:00, so if you're a big German food fan, you should go.
I am reading some intriguing stuff on the Japanese-style breakfasts at Zen Toro on the Chowhound message board. I want to try to go there this weekend. I've never eaten there before.
I am reading some intriguing stuff on the Japanese-style breakfasts at Zen Toro on the Chowhound message board. I want to try to go there this weekend. I've never eaten there before.
Wakano Ura
My spies tell me that there may be some controversey brewing at the SN&R between ex-editor Jackson Griffith and Christian Kiefer. I'll investigate further.
This is so cool! I was searching the net for stuff on Wakano Ura, because I was guessing it must be one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in Sac (the chop suey sign is the big clue), and I found something on Chowhound.com (which is a great resource, mostly for New York, but Sac gets mentioned a fair amount on the cali message board). It has a little of the history, check it out: http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/california/messages/16482.html
here's a continuation of that review-it tells about the history of chop suey!
http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/california/messages/16493.html
And that search led me to an article about a book that tells about sac's Japantown:
http://www.sacbee.com/static/archive/ourtown/history/jtown.html
I'm gonna buy the book when I get paid next month.
Anyway, on to my review. We went there in search of a chicken soup that Homzee remembered as really good. Poor guy is getting sick. The place is cavernous, but half the dining room is sectioned off with screens, which led me to wonder whether this place was so hoppin' in the 50's or 60's that they needed the whole space. It's a no-frills place, but still cute somehow. There is a small salad bar that has fried chip-things, edamame, pickled bean sprouts, and iceberg salad with sesame dressing. I think that the salad bar is free to any patron, but I'm not quite sure because the menu was confusing on that point. They have really cheap cold sake, 2.75 for an adorable little bottle with a pop-top. It was good. The waitress was so sweet, there was a bit of a language barrier, but we basically overcame it. That's a run-on sentence, but fuck it. Is that a run-on too? Anyway, I ordered under pressure because I hadn't had much time with the menu, but I got a box dinner with veggie tempura and crispy tofu. That's right, two fried things. H got the roasted chicken noodle soup. My dinner was really tasty. The veggie tempura had two asparagus spears that were cooked perfectly. It came with a little pork gyoza that had it's own vinegary and spicy dipping sauce. Delicious. The tofu had a nice crispy coating that was totally different from tempura and it was soft as butter inside. It was sitting in a sauce that was a bit overly sweet, but it was still really good. The cali roll that came with was not good. It was mushy and tasteless. H liked his chicken soup, but it wasn't quite as good as he remembered. It came with a chopped-up chicken leg on top, with plenty of noodles and broth. I tasted the broth and it sure was chicken-y! I'll report on whether it cured his cold. Oh yeah, my dinner included some strawberry-orange ice cream. Everyone there was sweet as hell and a couple of regulars came in and bought gift certificates for family members. I definitely recommend you give this place a try.
This is so cool! I was searching the net for stuff on Wakano Ura, because I was guessing it must be one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in Sac (the chop suey sign is the big clue), and I found something on Chowhound.com (which is a great resource, mostly for New York, but Sac gets mentioned a fair amount on the cali message board). It has a little of the history, check it out: http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/california/messages/16482.html
here's a continuation of that review-it tells about the history of chop suey!
http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/california/messages/16493.html
And that search led me to an article about a book that tells about sac's Japantown:
http://www.sacbee.com/static/archive/ourtown/history/jtown.html
I'm gonna buy the book when I get paid next month.
Anyway, on to my review. We went there in search of a chicken soup that Homzee remembered as really good. Poor guy is getting sick. The place is cavernous, but half the dining room is sectioned off with screens, which led me to wonder whether this place was so hoppin' in the 50's or 60's that they needed the whole space. It's a no-frills place, but still cute somehow. There is a small salad bar that has fried chip-things, edamame, pickled bean sprouts, and iceberg salad with sesame dressing. I think that the salad bar is free to any patron, but I'm not quite sure because the menu was confusing on that point. They have really cheap cold sake, 2.75 for an adorable little bottle with a pop-top. It was good. The waitress was so sweet, there was a bit of a language barrier, but we basically overcame it. That's a run-on sentence, but fuck it. Is that a run-on too? Anyway, I ordered under pressure because I hadn't had much time with the menu, but I got a box dinner with veggie tempura and crispy tofu. That's right, two fried things. H got the roasted chicken noodle soup. My dinner was really tasty. The veggie tempura had two asparagus spears that were cooked perfectly. It came with a little pork gyoza that had it's own vinegary and spicy dipping sauce. Delicious. The tofu had a nice crispy coating that was totally different from tempura and it was soft as butter inside. It was sitting in a sauce that was a bit overly sweet, but it was still really good. The cali roll that came with was not good. It was mushy and tasteless. H liked his chicken soup, but it wasn't quite as good as he remembered. It came with a chopped-up chicken leg on top, with plenty of noodles and broth. I tasted the broth and it sure was chicken-y! I'll report on whether it cured his cold. Oh yeah, my dinner included some strawberry-orange ice cream. Everyone there was sweet as hell and a couple of regulars came in and bought gift certificates for family members. I definitely recommend you give this place a try.
the chutzpah award goes to...
Later I'm gonna post a review of Wakano Ura (the restaurant on 10th street with the giant, 50's era neon Chop Suey sign), but for now, get a load of this Marcus Breton article: http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/columns/breton/story/12291741p-13155593c.html
He makes some good points, but it's a bit over the top (hint, make sure you read all the way to the last sentence). Is it just me, or has this guy been reading heckasac? Even though it's not the best writing I've ever read, I have to admire his chutzpah. Just writing this little blog, I'm pretty scared of stepping on anyone's toes, but he has just pissed off just about every important person in town, and these are people he will probably have to see all the time! That's not easy to do. So, hats off to you, Marcus Breton.
He makes some good points, but it's a bit over the top (hint, make sure you read all the way to the last sentence). Is it just me, or has this guy been reading heckasac? Even though it's not the best writing I've ever read, I have to admire his chutzpah. Just writing this little blog, I'm pretty scared of stepping on anyone's toes, but he has just pissed off just about every important person in town, and these are people he will probably have to see all the time! That's not easy to do. So, hats off to you, Marcus Breton.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Terribowl?
Guess what will not make you feel cool? Coming out of the bathroom with you lab coat tucked into your pants and walking past a group of students.
I'm blogging from an undisclosed remote location right now. There's an interesting article about Marci "wolf eyes" Landergraf in today's Bee. I only put that nickname because I don't think it's mean. She does have unusually light and big eyes that may possibly enable her to read your mind and/or move things just by thinking. You have to register to see the article (the Bee just changed their rules). Apparently she's quite the trendsetting jetsetter. Here's a weird quote from a loyal customer "I like that she can somehow coordinate what hair naturally does with what you're asking for. She has the intensity of a neurosurgeon's face with the skills of Edward Scissor hands."' Hmm...the intensity of a neurosurgeon's face? I've heard her haircuts were great and I would probably try her out sometime if I didn't already have a stylist in the family. Surprised to see that she's still using her married name. The article in the Bee says she's 33, but that she had her kid when she was 16 and now he's 18. How does that work? Maybe it's possible depending on what month of the year he was born but it's hurting my brain to try to figure it out.
Speaking of mutton dressed as lamb, I went crazy and bought a pair of Rocawear jeans yesterday that I'm going to have to take back. They are so teenage I don't know what I was thinking. But for the ladies that have problems buying jeans, I was happy to see that, unlike the really pricey designer jeans that only make tiny sizes, Rocawear, G-Unit and Baby Phat all go up to bigger sizes and the price is around 50 bucks. So as long as you don't mind a few sequins, you may be in luck.
I went to Taka's again the other day with my dad and it was great! It's more laid-back and not so loud as other local sushi hot-spots, which makes it the perfect place to take your dad. The stand-out dish this time was the asparagus appetizer. It was lightly grilled, and brushed with oil, black pepper, and sea salt. It was presented beautifully, in a little segmented ceramic dish, stacked in a criss-cross arrangement, with a little dollop of mayo and a lemon to squeeze on top. It was delicious!
I also went to Land Park Bowl for the first time and it was really fun. Much better than Country Club (no teenagers ready to make fun of your clothes, etc.), but Jenny said she still prefers Fireside. It was 12 bucks for two games. The staff was all insanely nice, even the teenagers, and the cocktail waitress with spectacular fake nails kept bringing us free popcorn until I practically had to beg her to stop. D.P. and Homzee got burgers and fries, which they said were great. They looked really good but I was too scared of mad cow to try a bite. They even let us bowl until about 15 minutes after they closed so that we could finish our games. I am the worst and bestowed the nickname "snake eyes" on myself for obvious reasons.
I'm blogging from an undisclosed remote location right now. There's an interesting article about Marci "wolf eyes" Landergraf in today's Bee. I only put that nickname because I don't think it's mean. She does have unusually light and big eyes that may possibly enable her to read your mind and/or move things just by thinking. You have to register to see the article (the Bee just changed their rules). Apparently she's quite the trendsetting jetsetter. Here's a weird quote from a loyal customer "I like that she can somehow coordinate what hair naturally does with what you're asking for. She has the intensity of a neurosurgeon's face with the skills of Edward Scissor hands."' Hmm...the intensity of a neurosurgeon's face? I've heard her haircuts were great and I would probably try her out sometime if I didn't already have a stylist in the family. Surprised to see that she's still using her married name. The article in the Bee says she's 33, but that she had her kid when she was 16 and now he's 18. How does that work? Maybe it's possible depending on what month of the year he was born but it's hurting my brain to try to figure it out.
Speaking of mutton dressed as lamb, I went crazy and bought a pair of Rocawear jeans yesterday that I'm going to have to take back. They are so teenage I don't know what I was thinking. But for the ladies that have problems buying jeans, I was happy to see that, unlike the really pricey designer jeans that only make tiny sizes, Rocawear, G-Unit and Baby Phat all go up to bigger sizes and the price is around 50 bucks. So as long as you don't mind a few sequins, you may be in luck.
I went to Taka's again the other day with my dad and it was great! It's more laid-back and not so loud as other local sushi hot-spots, which makes it the perfect place to take your dad. The stand-out dish this time was the asparagus appetizer. It was lightly grilled, and brushed with oil, black pepper, and sea salt. It was presented beautifully, in a little segmented ceramic dish, stacked in a criss-cross arrangement, with a little dollop of mayo and a lemon to squeeze on top. It was delicious!
I also went to Land Park Bowl for the first time and it was really fun. Much better than Country Club (no teenagers ready to make fun of your clothes, etc.), but Jenny said she still prefers Fireside. It was 12 bucks for two games. The staff was all insanely nice, even the teenagers, and the cocktail waitress with spectacular fake nails kept bringing us free popcorn until I practically had to beg her to stop. D.P. and Homzee got burgers and fries, which they said were great. They looked really good but I was too scared of mad cow to try a bite. They even let us bowl until about 15 minutes after they closed so that we could finish our games. I am the worst and bestowed the nickname "snake eyes" on myself for obvious reasons.
Stay tuned...
I have a bunch of work again this morning, but I'm sure I'll write an entry some time today.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Monday, February 07, 2005
Time waster
I guess I touched off a firestorm with the McCartney bashing. Who knew?
For a time waster, I highly recomment you go to the IKEA website: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/
and click on the customer help and ask the computer person some silly questions.
For a time waster, I highly recomment you go to the IKEA website: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/
and click on the customer help and ask the computer person some silly questions.
Weekend wrap-up
The dirty thirty party was superfun, but there was no orgy. There was: an attractive yet somewhat boring stripper, lots of dancing, a few surprising hookups, at least one after-party booty call, and a surprise dancefloor hit in a house remix of "satellite of love". FUN.
The next morning (well, afternoon, really), I woke up to a splitting headache and some mild nausea. Obviously, if a doctor was present she would have prescribed a superbowl sunday wake-and-bake but because no doctor was present, I had to administer it to myself. That did the trick and I proceeded to eat my way through the rest of the day with: a bagel with lox, tons of homemade guacamole, and at least two bowls of Vince's four alarm superbowl chili. Although due to the effects of my medication I had a hard time following what was going on, the commercials seemed to mostly be duds, and the half-time show was the worst thing ever. D.P. disagrees and thinks it was the best thing ever. Who's right? Me, obviously. They wheeled papa McCartney out of his crypt and oiled his creaky joints before the performance. Everyone agreed that if they were gonna resort to the Dinosaurs of Rock to avoid any nip-slippage that the Rolling Stones would have been a better choice. There was an obvious (as Jerry Reynolds would say) missed opportunity when Axl Rose did not come out to special guest during "Live and Let Die" (see, this proves how I'm right because D.P. used the lack of special guests as a reason that this was a good half-time show. It is not a half-time show without a special guest. Remember during the Raiders Superbowl when Sting came out to sing with Gwen Stefani? Everyone on the couch almost peed their pants. Because they were under the spell of a good half-time show. ) We were all fervently praying that he would not sing "Hey Jude" and when the opening notes rang out, a collective groan was heard. Next year I think they should bring back the dynamic duo of Rob Lowe and Snow White singing "Proud Mary". I know it was from the Oscars, but it has the appropriate weirdness that a half-time show should have.
The next morning (well, afternoon, really), I woke up to a splitting headache and some mild nausea. Obviously, if a doctor was present she would have prescribed a superbowl sunday wake-and-bake but because no doctor was present, I had to administer it to myself. That did the trick and I proceeded to eat my way through the rest of the day with: a bagel with lox, tons of homemade guacamole, and at least two bowls of Vince's four alarm superbowl chili. Although due to the effects of my medication I had a hard time following what was going on, the commercials seemed to mostly be duds, and the half-time show was the worst thing ever. D.P. disagrees and thinks it was the best thing ever. Who's right? Me, obviously. They wheeled papa McCartney out of his crypt and oiled his creaky joints before the performance. Everyone agreed that if they were gonna resort to the Dinosaurs of Rock to avoid any nip-slippage that the Rolling Stones would have been a better choice. There was an obvious (as Jerry Reynolds would say) missed opportunity when Axl Rose did not come out to special guest during "Live and Let Die" (see, this proves how I'm right because D.P. used the lack of special guests as a reason that this was a good half-time show. It is not a half-time show without a special guest. Remember during the Raiders Superbowl when Sting came out to sing with Gwen Stefani? Everyone on the couch almost peed their pants. Because they were under the spell of a good half-time show. ) We were all fervently praying that he would not sing "Hey Jude" and when the opening notes rang out, a collective groan was heard. Next year I think they should bring back the dynamic duo of Rob Lowe and Snow White singing "Proud Mary". I know it was from the Oscars, but it has the appropriate weirdness that a half-time show should have.
Friday, February 04, 2005
watch out skater kids
Contemplate this missed connection for a second: http://sacramento.craigslist.org/mis/58325185.html
An adult wrote this. An adult who is proud that he "busted" a group of ten year olds "stealing" soda. They probably brought in their own cups or something.
The Alkali Flats were just on KDVS talking about their Hank Williams karaoke at Old I tonight. They sounded really good. That will probably be fun.
An adult wrote this. An adult who is proud that he "busted" a group of ten year olds "stealing" soda. They probably brought in their own cups or something.
The Alkali Flats were just on KDVS talking about their Hank Williams karaoke at Old I tonight. They sounded really good. That will probably be fun.
Thanks, Ailene
voisin
Originally uploaded by becklerg.
What would we do without Ailene Voisin reminding us every five minutes that we better build that arena, and quick, with no quibbling about who should pay, etc. Just in cas you forgot this important point, she has devoted yet another columan to it today. http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/columns/voisin/story/12235348p-13099267c.html
She talks to some lame sports consultant that probably helps team owners railroad the public into paying for arenas. Here's his quote, "We've been doing this for a couple of decades now," continued Bonham, "and we always hear that the public opposes investing in arenas. But the vast majority of arenas built since the late 1980s have been completely publicly financed or funded by a combination of private and public."
Nice. The grossest part of the article is when she refers to the doofy Maloofs as "Romeos". Gross. They're more Richard III than Romeo. Here's an apt quote:
But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks,
Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;
I, that am rudely stamped, and want love's majesty
To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
I, that am curtailed of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them,--
Ooh. Literary snap.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Dirty Graswich
Jesus Christ. What is wrong with frat boys? Now a kid at Chico died from excessive water consumption in a hazing ritual. I have been reading about how most frat houses are alcohol free now because of lawsuits, but then the lunkheads think of new ways to kill and maim their pledges.
Did anyone hear about the bouncer at the Torch Club that got shot with a shotgun? Supposedly, a patron returned to shoot him because he had been denied entry earlier. The shooter immediately checked himself into a mental hospital, which is where police found him, so he probably had mental problems. The bouncer seems like he will live.
The Bee headline today about the fireman scandal is "Close Watch on Sex Probe". You gotta keep a close watch on those things or they might get lost in there somewhere. What does this joke mean? I'm not sure. This sex probe is going to be conducted very publicly, so we might get all the juicy details of who put what where and whether the shocker was employed. Is it me, or am I writing more like Graswich every day? Well, a dirty Graswich. City Councilman Rob Fong is a voice of reason, because he is pointing out that each incident is separate, and we shouldn't punish these folks more harshly just because other scandals have occured.
Evil ex-congressman Doug Ose has stepped forward with an alternate plan to fund a new arena, but I am too lazy to read the whole article and figure it out. Here's the article: http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2005/01/31/story4.html?page=1
It has something to do with private investors financing and arena in the Natomas areas. Now there are competing plans, because the other group of landowners wants to press on with their plan. What a mess.
This is really weird. The Fiery Furnaces are playing at Harlow's on April 26th. Will anyone go? Some local band is supposed to open. I wonder who they'll get?
Did anyone hear about the bouncer at the Torch Club that got shot with a shotgun? Supposedly, a patron returned to shoot him because he had been denied entry earlier. The shooter immediately checked himself into a mental hospital, which is where police found him, so he probably had mental problems. The bouncer seems like he will live.
The Bee headline today about the fireman scandal is "Close Watch on Sex Probe". You gotta keep a close watch on those things or they might get lost in there somewhere. What does this joke mean? I'm not sure. This sex probe is going to be conducted very publicly, so we might get all the juicy details of who put what where and whether the shocker was employed. Is it me, or am I writing more like Graswich every day? Well, a dirty Graswich. City Councilman Rob Fong is a voice of reason, because he is pointing out that each incident is separate, and we shouldn't punish these folks more harshly just because other scandals have occured.
Evil ex-congressman Doug Ose has stepped forward with an alternate plan to fund a new arena, but I am too lazy to read the whole article and figure it out. Here's the article: http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2005/01/31/story4.html?page=1
It has something to do with private investors financing and arena in the Natomas areas. Now there are competing plans, because the other group of landowners wants to press on with their plan. What a mess.
This is really weird. The Fiery Furnaces are playing at Harlow's on April 26th. Will anyone go? Some local band is supposed to open. I wonder who they'll get?
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Greedy greedy
Ok, so I know I said I had to work, so I couldn't post, and it's true, I do have work to do, but have you seen the latest news about the arena? Insane. Their shit is falling through, big-time. I am really starting to think that the Kings might leave eventually. To sum up, their Natomas land scam is not working out because the Maloofs are too greedy. They are not happy with these landowners paying for a $300 million arena. They want a guarantee of $400 million. Which, at least according to the Bee's article, would make it the most expensive sports arena ever built by about 100 million bucks. And the Maloofs want a guarantee it would be built by 2008, which is out of the question because there are a million things that need to be done including: deciding on an arena site, getting an environmental review (which hopefully would stop the whole thing in its tracks anyway), selling the land, etc., etc. They probably want this guarantee because they are ready to turn around and sell the team for at least twice what they bought them for (and probably much more than that) as soon as a new arena is part of the deal. The best part came at the end of the article when Greedy Maloof indicated that they will do their part by finally starting to pay back the $85 million that they owe the city. In other news, I'm gonna notify the federal government that I'm ready to think about starting to pay back my student loans any time now. Oh wait, I've been paying them back for over a year already because when you borrow money, you usually don't get to pick the timetable for paying it back or just not pay it at all.
slutty anklet
Today someone searched for benji hooter paris hilton! That's a slight rearrangement but my blog is still the only thing that comes up. Why is this person tormenting me?! Please leave a comment! Here are some recent searches that have led people to my page:
magnolia thunderfinger
Adrian brody 4-H camp
this is osama white mushy stuff comedian
Nicola v cinciripino
Mad rad hair flippy
Celebrity butt
Maloof brothers, gossip, women
Rivendale tel aviv
Plotzing
Joe maloof female rumors
Moe mahannon
Greece gossip stojakavic
Jermaine dupris previous artists
Paris weed dealer
Billionaire joe maloof female friend
Benji hooter
Cary rodda “solo”
Mike Bibby’s tattoos
Billionaire maloof gossip
Plotzing
Show him my breasts
Maloof reid
Slutty anklet
Joe maloof’s girlfriend
Paris Hilton benji hooter!!!
Sexxeee
Joe maloof female escorts
slutty anklet is my favorite one
magnolia thunderfinger
Adrian brody 4-H camp
this is osama white mushy stuff comedian
Nicola v cinciripino
Mad rad hair flippy
Celebrity butt
Maloof brothers, gossip, women
Rivendale tel aviv
Plotzing
Joe maloof female rumors
Moe mahannon
Greece gossip stojakavic
Jermaine dupris previous artists
Paris weed dealer
Billionaire joe maloof female friend
Benji hooter
Cary rodda “solo”
Mike Bibby’s tattoos
Billionaire maloof gossip
Plotzing
Show him my breasts
Maloof reid
Slutty anklet
Joe maloof’s girlfriend
Paris Hilton benji hooter!!!
Sexxeee
Joe maloof female escorts
slutty anklet is my favorite one
Kids out! Oldsters in!
Just a short entry because I have a lot of work to do. Yesterday in the Sac Biz Journal there was an article about how there is a new civic campaign to bring older people to Old Sac. You would think what with all the old-timiness and the scintillating name that brings to mind an elderly scrotum, that Old Sac would not be a youth mecca. But it is. In the past few years there have been several mini-riots and the police have been involved. So they're trying to drive the youth out and bring the oldsters in by having more live music of the type that youngsters don't like, like jazz and Dixieland jazz. They will be pushing a major public campaign soon, so expect to see commercials, print ads, etc. Bringing a whole new crowd in seems more difficult than figuring out a way to profit from the kids that are hanging out there. Kids always get a bad rap, but what are they supposed to do for fun? The club owners complain that those under 21 just hang out outside, so how about some all ages clubs? These kids have money, I'm sure they're patronizing some of the food-type businesses like the frenchfries from around the world place (bet you didn't know that old sac had a place like that). Does the fact that (gasp) many of these kids are not white have anything to do with it? That would be old-timey in a bad way.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Luis Jr.s!
The fact that my mention of the shocker got my blog a lot more traffic and comments for the day just goes to show how truly elitist my friends and I are. Also, the following review of the new Luis Jr.'s proves the brave anonymous commenter's point yet again. It's true, Luis Jr's is much too elite for all but the most shitty and snobby, but I'm going to tell all you poor saps who can't make the cut just what you're missing.
I got very excited when we rode up and saw the cute Luis Jr.'s neon sign. You enter into a foyer with three mini-fountains. Class. The design of Luis Jr.s can be summed up with the word: Mexicanese. That is, they kept most of the elements of the former restaurant, Tokio, such as the light wood and the booths with roofs over them that are reminiscent of a Japanese restaurant, and then they added some art that was in the old Luis'. I really missed all the pictures of Luis Sr., but I understand that it was making his family sad to work with hundreds of pictures of their late father. They put up a few discrete pictures in the bar area, but it's not the same. Inexplicably, there was no local media covering the grand opening. Where was the governator? Where was Mark S. Allen? Where was Betty Vasquez? When we first entered, I saw a lady that resembled sweaty Betty and I thought for a moment that she really was there, but this woman was much too young (and if anyone ever tells you you resemble a young Betty Vasquez, believe me, that's a compliment). The service was definitely off last night. We had to wait quite a while for someone to take our order, to get our food, etc., but this was OK and completely understandable because the place was packed with loyal customers. Things were even getting kind of rowdy by the time we left at 8:00 because there is a side party room and servers were continually carrying trays of tequila shots in there. We ordered a pitcher of margaritas, and they tasted pretty caustic. No fresh lime had even gotten close to these things. They tasted like perhaps someone had added a soupcon of bleach to the mix to spice it up. Nevertheless, they were cheap and I was Drunk with a capital D by the time we left. The chips seemed slightly different to me, thicker and not as crisp, but the salsa was the same. Michael and I ordered our usual, the chicken soup with fresh, homemade flour tortillas. The prices don't seem to have changed, and the soup and tortillas is still a bargain at 2.95! The soup was delicious!! Miller got an a la carte chicken taco and carnitas tostada, which he said were good. Some of the waiters that we know and love were there, including the guy with the grey ponytail, but I noted with concern that the tall waiter was not there. I hope to see him in subsequent visits. All in all, what with the camaraderie of all the returned customers, and the glow induced by the crapload of cheap tequila, it was a magical evening.
I got very excited when we rode up and saw the cute Luis Jr.'s neon sign. You enter into a foyer with three mini-fountains. Class. The design of Luis Jr.s can be summed up with the word: Mexicanese. That is, they kept most of the elements of the former restaurant, Tokio, such as the light wood and the booths with roofs over them that are reminiscent of a Japanese restaurant, and then they added some art that was in the old Luis'. I really missed all the pictures of Luis Sr., but I understand that it was making his family sad to work with hundreds of pictures of their late father. They put up a few discrete pictures in the bar area, but it's not the same. Inexplicably, there was no local media covering the grand opening. Where was the governator? Where was Mark S. Allen? Where was Betty Vasquez? When we first entered, I saw a lady that resembled sweaty Betty and I thought for a moment that she really was there, but this woman was much too young (and if anyone ever tells you you resemble a young Betty Vasquez, believe me, that's a compliment). The service was definitely off last night. We had to wait quite a while for someone to take our order, to get our food, etc., but this was OK and completely understandable because the place was packed with loyal customers. Things were even getting kind of rowdy by the time we left at 8:00 because there is a side party room and servers were continually carrying trays of tequila shots in there. We ordered a pitcher of margaritas, and they tasted pretty caustic. No fresh lime had even gotten close to these things. They tasted like perhaps someone had added a soupcon of bleach to the mix to spice it up. Nevertheless, they were cheap and I was Drunk with a capital D by the time we left. The chips seemed slightly different to me, thicker and not as crisp, but the salsa was the same. Michael and I ordered our usual, the chicken soup with fresh, homemade flour tortillas. The prices don't seem to have changed, and the soup and tortillas is still a bargain at 2.95! The soup was delicious!! Miller got an a la carte chicken taco and carnitas tostada, which he said were good. Some of the waiters that we know and love were there, including the guy with the grey ponytail, but I noted with concern that the tall waiter was not there. I hope to see him in subsequent visits. All in all, what with the camaraderie of all the returned customers, and the glow induced by the crapload of cheap tequila, it was a magical evening.
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