A Visit to Skyzone When it Was Quiet

On Wednesday, June 7th, I took Jack to Skyzone in the morning - not when it gets busy, like Saturday afternoon. What a strange place; yet perfect for kids, with massed trampolines and foam cubes.

Gunther's is a Madhouse, and I Love It!

Gunther’s Ice Cream Parlor is an absolute summertime madhouse these days, which is why I suppose I’m here. I’m bummed that Michael Cera and Kristen Stewart were just in Sacramento, likely filming right here, and I knew nothing about it:

 

‘Sacramento’ stars Kristen Stewart, Michael Cera, Michael Angarano and Maya Erskine is about two friends who take a road trip from Southern California to Sacramento.

Angarano also wrote and is directing the movie.

“I’m thrilled that Michael Angarano chose to film part of his film in Sacramento,” said Sacramento Film Commissioner Jennifer West. “With a wonderful cast and script, this movie is sure to bring Sacramento attention the likes of ‘Lady Bird.’ Independent films like this can have a large impact on the local community and tourism.” 

According to the city, crews filmed at “Old Sacramento, Gunther’s Ice Cream shop, East Sacramento and R Street Corridor and downtown.”

Bill Burr is a Helicopter Pilot, and Likes Telling Helicopter Stories

@zumotokari_2 #billburr #fyp #standup ♬ original sound - Zu

Immigrant Dumping Two Blocks From My House

That bastard DeSantis has been dumping immigrants in Sacramento. The first time, the immigrants got dumped at the Catholic Diocese offices, two blocks from my House. It sounds like Gavin Newsom wants wants to duel with DeSantis. Good. This shit has got to stop:

"We're deepening our investigation now, and we believe that the state of Florida is involved," said Bonta. "And one of their vendors that they hired with an official budgetary allotment called 'Virtual Systems' was involved in moving these migrants from Texas to New Mexico and then to Sacramento. So, we believe the state of Florida is behind it and we are investigating now to see if there are any criminal or civil laws that have been violated." 

The immigrants were interviewed, and they revealed someone gave them false promises of lawmakers being willing to help them find jobs "if they got on this plane and went to another location. They were manipulated. They were mistreated. They were abused and exploited. They came to this country after a three-month journey, most from Venezuela sleeping on the street at night and often not having food to have an opportunity to work here in the United States. The first thing that happened when they got here was someone lied to them. Told them they would help them find the work that they hoped for and dreamed of. But instead, they deserted them, dumped them in Sacramento, and didn't lift a finger to help them find a job."

Developing a Horn

Aging delivers unexpected changes in the body. Lately, I’ve noticed I’m developing a lump on the left side of my forehead. There are medical conditions that can cause such lumps, but what I think is happening is that fate has decreed that I should grow a single, solitary horn. 

I don’t know why I need a horn. It doesn’t help me socially or with bureaucracies. The narwhal is not my spirit animal, and neither is the unicorn. But maybe I was meant to joust with Bighorn Sheep high in the Rockies. The clatter of battle echoing high in glacial cirques. Fate can be mysterious like that.

Guam Still Suffering After Typhoon Mawar

These storms really can clobber even the best-prepared islands:

One week after typhoon Mawar ripped through the US territory of Guam, most parts of the island were still without power, water, and internet, with residents frustrated by the government’s slow response to the crisis.

By Wednesday, power had been restored to just 28% of customers, according to officials. The Guam Power Authority said it had deployed crews working on a 24-hour shift to clear lines and repair the typhoon-damaged feeders and circuits.

The island’s governor, Lou Leon Guerrero, said based on updates from utility agencies she expected 80% to 85% of power and water restoration to be completed within four to six weeks. 

“We cannot say 100% because there’s going to be places that we might not be able to reach and we don’t want to raise expectations,” she said.

Converting Horizontal Vorticity into Vertical Vorticity

Kate alerted me to this remarkable video of the recent Compton, California tornado:

Vertical tilting of horizontal vorticity in its most dramatic form. Wow! Amazing footage of the Compton EF-0 tornado today. 

This is a fantastic illustration of how horizontally-oriented spin in the atmosphere gets tilted vertically to form a tornado that touches the ground.

I love this tornado video! The meteorology textbooks all say that tornadoes usually form from the tilting of a horizontal vortex tube. There is plenty of horizontal vorticity due to friction with the ground. Converting that horizontal vorticity into vertical vorticity is the trick, however, and usually requires a significant updraft. It's hard to picture that process but this video shows exactly how it happens!

Almost Forgot to Mention Recent Earthquakes Under Lake Almanor

On May 11th, I was hustling groceries into the house, when the 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck. I didn't feel the quake exactly - I was moving around too much - but I HEARD it. The door to my bedroom was banging against a bookcase. I knew instantly that an earthquake was occurring. 

It's interesting that aftershocks continue, and just highlight the Earth's shift away from the San Andreas Fault, and towards the faults heading north from the Gulf of California, through Lake Tahoe, and points north:

PRATTVILLE, Calif. — Families are cleaning up the damage after two strong earthquakes near Lake Almanor in less than 12 hours.

The first one of 5.5 magnitude happened around 4:20 Thursday afternoon and a 5.2 aftershock hit early this morning.

Jim Pope was remodeling his basement bathroom when the first one hit. 

"Suddenly, the lights went out and I got thrown against the wall,"

"You Hurt My Feelings"

I saw this movie at the Tower Theater. It reminded me a lot of Woody Allen movies: angst among Manhattan professionals. The premise seemed encouraging - things start falling apart after the wife overhears unwelcome statements from her husband - but the decay process features events so minor that I basically lost interest. So, the movie was not for me.

 

It's Fuffer Time in Sacramento Again!

Katherine used to call these oak florets "fuffers," since they looked fluffy. I adopted the name too. If you have a Valley Oak tree, you'll find them everywhere underneath. And that's where you'll find my home, underneath a Valley Oak!

Puzzled by Art in the Hedges

RIP, Tina Turner

Tina Turner was the best.

   

She inspired all kinds of imitators. Here is Czechoslovak State Television’s rendition of Ike and Tina Turner’s Nutbush City Limits, 1978:

@ozkitsch The Soviet Bloc does Tina Turner. From Czekosolvakian state television, 1978 #tinaturner #nutbush #nutbushcitylimits #czechoslovakia #sovietbloc #easternbloc #coldwar #valeriečižmárová #jsempouháženská #čssr #1978 #1970s #seventies #centraleurope #easterneurope #coldwarpop #coldwarculture #coldwarmusic H/T @MIsotainment on Twitter #czechoslovaktelevision #čst #easternblocvisuals #čssr_czechoslovak #seventiesmusic #theseventies ♬ original sound - OzKitsch

Such a Cool Time in California!

What’s true for LA is true for Sacramento and the rest of California too. Unprecedented cloudy, cool weather. What’s more interesting is that there’s no sign the strange weather will end anytime soon. Indeed, there are indications in long-range forecasts of rain around June 11th. Which will be super-weird, if it happens.

 

@evanlovett This has been one of the cloudiest winter and spring season’s in Los Angeles history. Is this just an extreme marine layer? When will we see the sun again? Let’s get into it! #Climate #Meteorology #cloudy #Sunshine #SunnyDays #HereComesTheSun #LosAngeles #LAInAMinute #Weather#greenscreen ♬ original sound - L.A. in a Minute

John Connor on AI

I'm being peppered with ads for a blog-writing AI product called Jasper. It figures that Armageddon would come disguised as my dog.

Love And Rockets - Haunted When The Minutes Drag - 2023-05-21 - Fox Theater, Oakland, CA

Favorite song!

 

A Second Trip To Skyzone

It was earlier on a Saturday, so the crowds were reduced.  I took nine-year-old Jack only.  The most-alarming thing I saw was at the registration counter.  There was a girl, age about nine, looking at Jack with an unmistakable "he's cute" look on her face. Scary!

It's Tough To Grow Up On Albuquerque Streets

Looking at Luis Moncada...

 

A Deal on Colorado River Water

I hope the deal works, at least in the short term:

The seven states that rely on the Colorado River for power and drinking water have reached a deal on cuts to keep the drought-stricken river flowing.

Three states — Arizona, California and Nevada — have agreed on a plan to conserve at least 3 million acre-feet of water by 2026 — roughly the equivalent to the amount of water it would take to fill 6 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.

...The seven states that rely upon the Colorado River were on the precipice of crisis after decades of overuse. Before a banner winter of snowfall, officials grew concerned as dams at Lake Mead and Lake Powell neared “dead pool” status — when flow would be cut off to lower regions of the river as water levels dropped too low to pass through the dams.

About 40 million people rely on the Colorado River for drinking water. Utilities depend on it to generate electricity at dams on Lake Mead and Lake Powell and keep power flowing in several states.

The deal could avert the near-term crisis and put the states on a more sustainable trajectory for water use, but it calls for less conservation than some scientists say is required to stabilize the river after a more than two-decade drought. The deal prevents a political predicament for the Biden administration, which would have been compelled to enforce cuts unilaterally if the states could not negotiate an agreement among themselves.

...As part of the agreement, the administration would use funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to compensate some farmers and other water users who temporarily agree to cuts.

As it analyzes the new agreement, the Biden administration has agreed to temporarily withdraw the plans it drew up for dramatic cuts in case the state negotiations failed.

Glennon said the proposals from the federal government — which laid out competing proposals with stark consequences if states couldn’t find common ground — “focused the minds” of negotiators and forced them to find tolerable cuts. The federal dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act will provide compensation for more than three quarters of the water conserved in the deal.

“Without that money, this deal doesn’t happen,” Glennon said.

...The Colorado River’s water is apportioned among seven states, 30 tribal nations and Mexico. The river has been overallocated, meaning users collectively have rights to more water than what typically flows through each year, since its use was divided up in the 1922 Colorado River Compact and in subsequent agreements. The effects of climate change — which is heating and drying the Colorado basin — is squeezing the water supply even further.

“We need to reduce demand by up to 3 million acre feet per year to reach a balance in terms of our current supply and demand. This is a fraction, maybe a third, of what is likely necessary, but it is an important step,” White said.

...“The stakes for the 40 million people and farmland reliant on this water are too high,” Buschatzke said. “We can’t stop and take a long break and breathe a sigh of relief and say we’ve fixed our problems because we haven’t for the long term.”

Did You Know That You Have Rights?

I was pushing a shopping cart around a Sacramento Safeway when suddenly a boy with the brightest smile, age about 18, stood right in front of me. He said, “Did you know that you have rights? The Constitution says you do!” I blinked in surprise for a second at the Saul Goodman catchphrase, then remembered I was wearing a “Better Call Saul” T-Shirt. I guffawed, and the pleased boy hurried away.

 

"Love and Rockets" - Fox Theater, Oakland, CA - May 21, 2023

Gabe surprised me with an offer to attend the "Love and Rockets" concert in Oakland. I was flattered and pleased, but these offers usually come because Eleanor finds she doesn't want to, or can't go, to various events. Recently, Gabe and I went to the Sacramento Philharmonic, and the Lara Downes concert at the Mondavi Center, in Davis. Eleanor E-Mailed the tickets to me, and I put them on my phone.  Apart from the song "So Alive," which is on the Classic Rock setlist, I knew nothing about the band.  80s nostalgia show, perhaps?  So, I looked forward to Gabe coming over about 6 p.m. on Sunday evening, picking me up, and driving off to Oakland.

At about 6 p.m., I got in touch with Gabe, and discovered there was a miscommunication.  He wasn't going to go to the concert.  He had just attended a funeral.  So, I had to make an instant decision:  should I drive to Oakland and attend alone, or not?

I wanted to wash up first, so I took a quick shower.  It was not possible to get to Oakland by showtime, at 7:30 p.m.  Still want to go?  Yes.  So, I jumped in my yellow car and raced off to Oakland.

 

The Fox Theater in Oakland.  I've seen two concerts here in the past:  Kylie Minogue's first North American tour in 2009, and Die Antwoord in 2013.  I remember how Die Antwoord's Ninja decided to crowd surf, but the floor wasn't crowded enough to support him.  The crowd dropped Ninja on the floor and the wave of people nearly threw me off my feet.

I was encouraged by the mob of fans at the door.  What rock band ever starts on time?  I wasn't late after all!  I took my seat in the balcony for the 8:30 p.m. start.

The Fox Theater started as a movie palace in 1928.  It's quite amazing that it was able to survive over the years.  It was refurbished as a concert venue in the 00s.  

Nice sign.  Lots of people, dressed mostly in black.  Ages ranged all over the place, but lots of folks in their fifties.  Goth black seemed the favored style.  Very few masks.  I was the only one with a white mask.

Hmmm.... An old switchboard!

Cool Middle Eastern inspired decoration.

Nosebleed seats not far from the intricate ceiling.

The band surprised me: sort of a psychedelic garage band. Not really 80’s nostalgia. Except for “So Alive,” all the songs were unfamiliar, but plenty of people were singing along, so they have fans. Loved the kaleidoscopic projections!  Apparently the band got back together for this tour, so a rare opportunity for their fans.

Projections!

That ceiling....

Scalloped proscenium.

House left.

House right.

The entrance, where hot dog vendors plied their trade and made bank.

The bladelike sign, at night.

Neon!

Their big hit.

  

 

First time listening to this song. I really like it!

   

The same song, but from Saturday, when they performed in Pasadena.

 

Rabbits

@wildest_history This is a true story. The images may be a slight exaggeration. #history #wildhistory #historyiswild #wildhistoryfacts #crazyhistory #napolean ♬ Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op.92-2 - 中国爱乐乐团

Lurid Title Available at One of the Local Neighborhood Lending Libraries

 

A Cool Spring in Sacramento

Sacramento temperatures this spring have been unusually low. Between January 17th and April 20th (between days 17 and 110 on this chart) - a period of about three months - average daily temperatures were usually below average. Temperatures for most of the northern hemisphere have mostly been above average this year. It's interesting how California is out of step this year. 

This cold weather, plus the unusual cleanliness of the snow, has slowed the melt of the virtual ice cap we have in the Sierras. I wonder if all the snow can melt this summer?

"Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812" - San Jose Playhouse - May 13, 2023

Wonderful afternoon watching Jared Lee, F. James Raasch, and the rest of the cast of "Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812" at the San Jose Playhouse, with Rachel Rycerz and Ia Rycerz. The show's run has been extended to June 4th. 

 Beside Jared and James, I really liked the performances of some of the other cast members too. I thought Paloma Maia Aisenberg was perfect as Natasha. Annie Hunt was great as Sonya. I really liked Osher Fine as Princess Mary, and admired her dancing skills. Nicholas Rodrigues was already familiar from the Shotgun Players, and he was an excellent Dolokhov.

-------

We got off to a late start from Sacramento.  I drove.  Rachel's phone kept a handy-dandy running commentary on how we couldn't possibly make it on time, given the heavy Bay Area traffic on a typical Saturday.  Curtain was to be at 2:30 p.m.  Maybe if we raced mightily we'd get there by 2:40 p.m.  

At first we were going to use Interstate 80, but the usual epic Yolo Causeway traffic jam was too thick, so we detoured back on Highway 50 and headed down south on Interstate 5, and crossed over towards San Jose through Livermore.  The phone offered a surprising detour to us to claw back a few minutes by passing through downtown Pleasanton (!), so we went that way.  Slow-moving traffic there and ambling pedestrians carrying bags from the tidy shops clashed mightily with our monomania to claw back seconds of travel time.  Rachel texted ahead to the theater and I understood that they were going to hold curtain for us (!).  We arrived during the opening number!

I know both Jared and James from DMTC days.  Jared was the lead in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in 2017 and James was Anthony Hope in "Sweeney Todd" in 2015.  Both gentlemen are excellent singers.
 

Jared Lee (Anatole) and F. James Raasch (Old Prince Bolkonsky/Prince Andrey)

Jared, me, and James.

I've never been to the San Jose Playhouse before.  Here is the snack bar.

I like the ceiling here.

Ia and Rachel at the poster for their favorite, Nicholas Rodrigues (Dolokhov), who was also Anatole in the Shotgun Players' production of "Great Comet" in Berkeley earlier this year. 

Jared!

James!

View at the very end of bows.

May The Fourth Be With You

A tale of two kids. One kid had the Star Wars theme playing on infinite loop, and another kid became annoyed by the repeitive music and lashed out by calling it Fart Wars. The 12-year-old in me now wants to know how the Fart Wars saga turned out.

Cleaning The Floor

Spring cleaning time. I've been dusting bookshelves, cleaning wood floors, and putting a polish on them. First time I've ever done the polish part, and I've lived here 28 years.

Gabe's Cats

 

An Afternoon at Skyzone - May 6, 2023

What could be more relaxing than a Saturday afternoon in the company of hundreds of children and teens in rooms filled with dozens of trampolines?

Reminder: April is Procrastination Awareness Month

First Arabesque. The Struggle Is Real

Lara Downes Concert - Mondavi Center - May 5, 2023

Gabe called again and asked if I wanted to see the Lara Downes and John McWhorter concert at the Mondavi Center in Davis.  I said yes.  So, off we went.

Lara Downes is a DJ at a San Francisco radio station (KDFC), and holds a position at Columbia University in New York City.  She is a kind of evangelist for the works of Scott Joplin.  One hundred years ago, there was an impressive movement to bring popular music and classical music together, exemplified by Scott Joplin, the musical "Shuffle Along," and the works of the Gershwins.  One hundred years later, there is an opening for that movement again, and we should take it!

Jasper's Fifth Birthday - April 29. 2023

Sacramento Philharmonic - April 29, 2023

Gabe McAuliffe suggested going to the Sacramento Philharmonic. I was surprised, but willing. To be truthful, I had never seen the Sacramento Philharmonic. So, off we went to SAFE Performing Arts Center. It was nice! Saw Erika from dance making the scene, plus one of my neighbors, who is an usher there.

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle...

In the jungle, 

the mighty jungle 

The lion [doesn't] sleep tonight 

In the jungle the quiet jungle 

The lion [doesn't] sleep tonight 

Wee heeheehee weeoh aweem away 

Wee heeheehee weeoh aweem away

Best News Site I've Seen With News From Ukraine

This is great news! May more great news follow!

@leftofcenter2023 - [ ] #славаукраїні🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 #героямслава #славазсу #українавмоємусерці💙💛 #всебудеукраїна #путінхуйло🔴⚫🇺🇦 #putin #zelenskyy #ukraine #ukrainewar #ukraineinvasion #stopthewar #peace #dictator #oligarch #oligarchy #czar #tsar #tzar #veterans #himars #starstreak #tjavelin #nowar #endgame #ukrainianarmy #tttrussia #nuclear #zaporizhzhya #kherson #kharkiv #mariupol #kyiv #donbas #soldiers #slavaukraine #orcs #donetsk #crimea #odesa #conscription #russianroulette #conscriptions #mobilization #mobilizations #shadowblocked #putinmustpay #putinmustgo #kerchbridge #mooseknuckle #fyp #fypシ #fypage #russiaisaterroristcountry #putinhulio #ukrainematters #imperialism #imperialist #orc #orcs #putinisawarcriminal #sukaputin #getout #war #corruption #corrupt #blayt #kadyrov #prigozhin #kremlin #fsb #putinkhuylo #🇺🇦 #україна #cannonfodder #fodder #putinwarcrimes #domerust #gaslight #gaslighting #toiletterrorists #putinismentallyunstable #terrorussianshavenoballs #mirtholigical #day440 #bakhmut #bakhmut🇺🇦 #bakhmutfront ♬ original sound - Left

Prigozhin Is Nuts

Prigozhin's recent tirade featuring Wagner corpses was bonkers. His loud threats to leave Bakhmut seemed empty, but recent reports suggest his troops are actually withdrawing. Which, if true, is great!

 

Four Delayed Posts Now Posted

These four dramatic posts were originally posted just after New Year's Day, 2023. I was petsitting at Gabe and Eleanor McAuliffe's house, and a few minutes before I arrived for my first visit, howling winds toppled a huge neighbor's tree into their driveway. Gabe asked me to temporarily withdraw the posts, because of sensitive negotiations with the neighbor regarding insurance payments, and the like. That restriction is now lifted. 

In retrospect, it's good the tree fell during this particular windstorm, with winds from the north, and not the windstorm the following week, with winds from the south.  A north-falling tree would have smashed the neighbor's house into smithereens, and maybe killed people!

Which reminds, me, I'm petsitting for Gabe and Eleanor once again this weekend!