An Alternative History of Sacramento, as Told Through Shootings

 

So what's the thing between Oak Park and G Parkway? They are on opposite sides of Highway 99. I dunno. 

Although I was in Sac for all of it, I only hazily remember the last shooting, because it was a big deal.

Watch For It

My nephew shared this photo on Facebook. 

My opinion:

The purpose of social isolation at the start of the pandemic, in March 2020, was to slow the virus' advance, so the hospitals weren't overwhelmed. Preserving the function of hospitals is still the primary goal. Since hospitals are nearly overwhelmed now - witness the recent doctors' strike in Florida - changes will be made. Unvaccinated staff will be canned: everyone has to be committed to the mission and staff that might be harboring virus will be denied entry. Most importantly, coming soon (watch for it), unvaccinated patients will be admitted only on a case-by-case basis. Hospital functionality is still the primary goal. If there are too many unvaccinated patients, they walk the plank first.

My Turn

Left: The Rite-Aid drive-up window at Stockton and Fruitridge, in Sacramento. 

 

Well, it looks like I may have been exposed to the coronavirus, on Thursday, August 19th. So, on Monday, August 23rd, I put a swab up my nose in the Rite-Aid drive-up window driveway - a self-administered test (which made me sneeze). 

These folks are slow - it'll be three or four days before I hear back. So, for the moment, I'm trying to mask up more and avoid the public. 

Personally, I don't think I have coronavirus, but there is no reason to believe I wasn't exposed.  Prudence is called for.

This Caldor Fire Is Bad

Former coworker Gene T. wrote on August 18th:

Hello Friends,

Thank you for the support and prayers sent these last few days. Unfortunately, we found out today that our cabin and land in Grizzly Flats is a total loss to the Caldor Fire, and only one neighbor’s place, which was recently built, is left standing. (The owner is a volunteer firefighter and his house withstood the flames as he was protecting OTHER people’s homes, and I think there’s a beautiful message in that.)

We lost some precious things to this fire, including the chair that we used to rock the kids to sleep in, and an old train set from Abbie’s father that I was going to re-build with Henry, but we are thankful that we were not there when the fire came.

The recurring analogy that I’ve heard from the folks we know who have seen the damage first hand is that it looks like an atomic blast charred almost everything as far as the eye can see, even the towering cedars that are known for fire resistance and that made the area so special. The biodiversity that the area and neighboring El Dorado National Forest supported, and that we appreciated so much, is now totally decimated, too. A jewel of Gold Rush culture and history is also lost, with the fire claiming all the historic buildings and community meeting places in Grizzly Flats. We hope all these can somehow come back. We move on from here lifted by your love and support, and we look forward to better times ahead shared with you all. 

—Gene & Abbie

Love Story

Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” in Old English:

 

@umaymakesmusic

Should I do the full version? @taylorswift @taylornation #medievaltiktok #oldenglish #anglosaxon #taylorswift #swiftie #fyp #fypシ #music #medieval

♬ original sound - Umay🌸

Sheep

Annoyed by this chart, available from the CDC. Like I told them once before and I'm telling them again:

I'm afraid the error in death rates is still present in CDC charts. The most recent peak is too low by at least a factor of five. Anti-maskers are using the error to encourage complacency. Please correct.

Jonathan's Testimonial

I was surprised by a Facebook testimonial by Jonathan Amsbary, a friend of mine from my early teen years, originally from Chicago, and who is now a longtime professor of English at University of Alabama, Birmingham:

Random act of gratitude. Of all the bad days in my life, I would have to put my very first day of Jr. High at Taylor (APS) in the top three. It was spring and we had just relocated to New Mexico. I was beat up twice, separated from my money from one guy, everything else I was carrying from another and my actual clothes in P.E. Even though I didn’t have a lock to secure a gym locker, they made me dress for class and of course my stuff was all gone when class was over, and the teacher blamed me for not being psychic enough to bring a lock and now I would know better. Then I got beat up again on the bus home. All the while I was told that there were three groups (tribes) -- Surfers, Chukes and Stomps, and that I was a Surfer (which is pretty damn ironic in New Mexico). All the beatings were instructional so that I would know my group and its place in the pecking order. 

In the middle of all this chaos and misery I met Marc Valdez. On the face of things, he and I were from different tribes. But Marc had an Estes Rocketry catalog and that was just cool. I think my mom saw how miserable I was that afternoon (being dressed in PE shorts instead of the clothes she sent me to school in was a big clue) and I got a golden ticket. She basically said I could get whatever I wanted within reason (minibike was quickly vetoed). So, I asked for an Estes Starter kit (Marc had generously given me the catalog which the clothing thief overlooked), and we were off to the hobby store on 4th. Rocketry became a real bright spot in my life. Marc and I spent many days shooting our creations into the heavens. Marc remains a cherished friend despite the 2000 plus miles separating us. I’m not sure I ever told him just how important his friendship was to me, so I’m telling him now.

I replied:

Aww, that’s awesome, Jonathan!

I remember how rough Taylor could be at times. There was one afternoon a group of middle school thugs from Taft lined the ditch behind the playground, challenging Taylor to a fight, as teachers hustled us early onto school buses. I saw Principal O’Neal looking weak and indecisive. With leadership like that it was no wonder the day to day was so hard.

PE. Ugh. I recall being the only one in the locker room who followed instructions and undressed to put on a jock strap. Everyone stared. I didn’t get the memo that it was considered gay, or something.

The model rockets were a blessing. Accessible, yet requiring work and dedication for our flights to actually take flight. And other things too. When I hear Jethro Tull’s “Thick as a Brick,” I think of you! 

Friends, forever!

And I followed up with:

Snippets of memory. Your house on Ella Drive. Cleo, your dog. Your sister. And this:

 

 

And who can forget "Thick as a Brick"?: 

 

Thinking Back To Dick Bills

Most weekday afternoons in 1963, kids in Albuquerque had three choices for television entertainment. We could watch Uncle Roy on KOAT-7, or Captain Billy on KGGM-13, but most of the time we settled on Dick Bills at the K Circle B Time show on KOB-4. 

We had to be choosy, because our TV would overheat in 20 minutes, so we couldn't watch the entire half hour of any show. Eventually, my grandmother bought a new TV and gave us her old one. We put her big, old TV in the trunk of my dad's 1957 Chevy Belair, but he couldn't close the trunk completely. We got stopped by the police on the drive home - TV thefts were big at the time - and also learned a little lesson on racial profiling. 

Dick Bills achieved a modest fame in Albuquerque. Most folks remember his handsome nephew, though: Glen Campbell, who was part of Dick Bills' band, the Sandia Mountain Boys. Glen Campbell moved to Los Angeles in 1960 and eventually reached the zenith of musical fame.

 

And it's a straight line to this song - one of my favorite pop songs ever!