beancounters

Fashion pique

I braved what seems to be incipient agoraphobia yesterday, did not take my customary lunch at my desk, and left my office to walk on the wide, wide streets beside very tall buildings.

Found myself at the mall. The mall! O mall, I sing your praises! How I shall miss you when I am gone! When my office moves to the sticks next fall, there won't be destinations to walk to anymore.

Hey, that's right. I'm slightly bummed about that. I ought to take more noontime walks while I can, visit my favorite destinations.

Anyway, at Macy*s I learned what's in fashion this spring. Among other things, it's pink houndstooth skirts. Like, omigod! That's so eighties!

The music and the mirrors

I made the semi-finals for jury duty. They loved me! I sang "People", and I swear, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. I go in tomorrow morning for callbacks.

Took a walk around the downtown at noon. Ye Olde Stomping Grounds! Here's the doorway of the place I went for lunch. They make terrible sandwiches, but have such a beautiful building:

(Little does BB know, he ain't getting this camera phone back.)

So, back to the wheels of justice. Anthony sent me a few helpful ideas this morning.

Should you--for whatever inexplicable reason--not want to do jury duty, the following tactics are a guaranteed "lease-breaker":

1) Find a custom T-shirt store
2) Buy a t-shirt and have a suitably controversial logo printed on it (swastika, skull, pentagon, inverted cross, Janet Jackson)
3) Have one of the following phrases set on it (or make up your own):

MANSON FAMILY VALUES
YOU'RE THE SCUM MY NEIGHBOR'S DOG WARNED ME ABOUT
THE SAUCER PEOPLE SAY THEY'RE ALL GUILTY
KILL THEM ALL AND LET PRICE-WATERHOUSE CHOOSE
RWANDA: THIS IS NOT YOUR FATHER'S GENOCIDE
THE ONLY GOOD MARRIAGE IS A GAY MARRIAGE
MY OTHER PERSONALITY IS ALSO A PSYCHOTIC ONE

You'll be back home within an hour!

It's a twister!

Well, that's certainly a rare thing - a funnel cloud was seen over Sacramento today.

Sacbee.com reader Matthew Adams of Elverta took a series of photos of the tornado forming over rice fields north of Sacramento International Airport.

Coooool! I dearly wish I'd seen it.

It seems there were several in the area, and they touched down in West Sac and Natomas neighborhoods. On second thought, I'm just as happy to watch them on TV.

On the town

At noon, I walked to the Capital to have lunch with some friends. I used to work a few blocks from the Capital Building. Now it's something of a trek to get down here, but so worth it. What a great-looking building. This section of the downtown is quite a display, with its history and its old trees and venerable architecture. The first time I drove around here, before I even moved to the area, I wanted to work here.

Afternoon in Old Sacramento

Yesterday, we braved the stormy weather to be with other people in the historical section of Sacramento for a few hours. Great place - lots of unusual local shoppes and a real laid-back atmosphere.

We were thrilled to catch a picture of that huge rainbow to the north. But I don't know who the little urchin in the tourist hat was. I think she was performing for money.

How not to act in B&N

Just an FYI: at Barnes and Noble, they don't like it if you pick the 10% off stickers off the corner of every Ann C0ulter book and rearrange them over her face.

Don't ask me why not. It was a long line ... the book was right there, within reach ... and well, just look at her. How could I help myself, I ask you.

Hometown art

Check the sidebar! I put together a few pictures of downtown Sacramento in a photo album. I'll add more photos as I find them - once in a while I go through a photography jag, where I just walk around the downtown, shooting photos of random murals and bits of architecture. They must be around here somewhere ...

Escaping the mines

I've been meaning to post this for months! This building-sized mural is a real treat to look at when walking on J Street in downtown Sacramento. It's a parody of the painting, "Sunday Morning in the Mines" by Charles Christain Nahl. Isn't it great? The original painting happens to live around here, too.

Capitol Kitty termed out

A moment of silence, please, for Capitol Kitty

The 13-year-old black cat that roamed Capitol Park and inspired former first lady Sharon Davis to write a children's book recently contracted cancer, feline HIV and anemia.
Senate staffer Bernadette McNulty took the cat to the Sacramento Animal Hospital in early August after noticing the feline appeared lethargic and had difficulty breathing. Two days later, Kitty was diagnosed with cancer and put to sleep.
The cat often was called "Senator Kitty" because she frequented the south side of the Capitol, the same side where the Senate resides, McNulty said.
The cat made headlines when Davis wrote a fictional book called "The Adventures of Capitol Kitty" in 2002 and donated proceeds to the Governor's Book Fund.
No Kitty replacement has been named, though McNulty has her eye on a female cat with three kittens that has taken up residence in Capitol Park.

I never saw Capitol Kitty personally, but I do know there are more than one litter of cats living in the park, ready to assume the title of Mascot. Plus about 1500 15,000 nearly-tame squirrels.

Please don't feed the public art

One of a series of lioness sculptures lurking around the downtown lately. Highly worrisome. Think that flimsy little cage will hold Punk Elsa?!

'Smelly Cat' must live here

After years of torturous wear, the poor scratching post seizes the opportunity to make a break for it, running away from home to seek its fortune.

A warning post for old farts only

Hi folks. Thanks for stopping by again. I'm genuinely pleased you've come back to read and browse. Just now, though, I have something to say that's only geared toward the, er, more seasoned readers. Just to be totally arbitrary about it, so there are no hard feelings, I'd like anybody here who was born after 1970 to stop reading this post.

No, really. It's nothing personal. Sometimes a blogger needs to share with only certain individuals. People who are personally affected, as it were. You understand, right? Of course you do. Thanks so much. Hey, swing down the page and check out the "Wasting Valuable State Time" list. I rotate links regularly, so there's sure to be something new for you. Thanks again! Buh-bye!

* * * * *

OK, I think the younger crowd is gone now. You who are left, follow me. We have a problem.

Before we go on, I want you to take your mind back to your relatives' house(s) in the '70s. Specifically, think about [shudder] the furniture. Shag carpet? Conversation pits? Fiberglass bubble lamps? Polyester everything? Yeah. Like that. Now. Prepare yourselves:

Didn't the gods have any sense of decency?

We visited Capitol Park today, just for the exercise and to see the gardens before the end of the rose season. On the walk over, we just had to snap a photo of the city’s favorite controversial statue, Poseidon.

(Here’s a work semi-friendly shot from the rear, overlooking the Sacramento Convention Center.)