Accumulation

Spring cleaning - a visit to everyone’s favorite place, the North Area Recovery Station.

Kind Of A Rough Day For Jasper

Today, under anesthesia, Jasper had a dental cleaning. He has a couple deep pockets and they pulled a molar. They also clipped his toenails, and repaired a troublesome claw, then cleaned debris out of his ears. Afterwards, a trip to the dog park for us both.

THAT Close!

Had timing trouble Tuesday evening, so we arrived at the enthusiastic Folsom Bernie/AOC rally just as it ended. Nevertheless, it was pleasant to rub shoulders with likeminded people. The crowd was estimated to be 26,000+ people (maybe 30,000+), with the entrance line 3-miles long at one point. We nearly outdid Los Angeles in attendance!

Image of the event from AOC.

"The Lightning Thief" - River City Theater Company - April 12, 2025

Larry as Chiron in "The Lightning Thief."

Lady Gaga's Friday Night

What were you doing Friday night?

 

"Sacramento" - The Movie

Friday night, I went to see "Sacramento" the movie at the Tower Theater. I was surprised at the size of the audience - about 200 people on opening weekend: the most I've ever seen at the Tower in a long time; maybe ever. It was great seeing iconic Sacramento places like Gunthers Ice Cream Parlor and the Dive Bar on the silver screen, plus unfamiliar new places I need to track down. (Even though I've now lived in Sacramento longer than I lived in Albuquerque, it's much harder to find filming locations here - a bigger, flatter, maybe more-mysterious city.) I overheard one woman saying see found the illogical order of presentation of filming locations to be grating, and I had to agree, but that's usually how Hollywood does things. 

Most people seemed to like the movie. I didn't much like it. You can almost hear the elevator pitch; the jokes will write themselves coming from two man-boys who spend their time at self-help groups. Except they don't. The best actress in the show, Maya Erskine as Tallie, isn't enough. One of the best actresses of her generation, Kristin Stewart, is completely wasted here. 

Oh well, I'm here just for the locations.

   

Some locals having been trying to ferret out locations.

The Deputized Girls

On Thursday, I was substitute teaching assistant in one of the lower-el Montessori classrooms (grades 1-3). 

When I arrived, later in the morning, the kids were fighting fatigue. I saw one boy who was not just tired, but idle too. "How are you today?" I asked him. "I'm bad," he replied. "How bad?" I asked. "Too bad" he answered. 

I saw a girl who looked stressed; maybe ready to cry. "You look sad," I said. "Are you OK?" She answered, "Oh, that's just my normal face." She may have been right. Her answer confused me enough that I let the matter drop. 

After assisting the teacher and the kids with their various assignments it was time to escort the kids to lunch. The teacher assigned one of the girls to look after me, since presumably I didn't know enough and would need help. The girl quickly deputized several of her friends to assist. Indeed, I didn't know as much as I thought, and the assistance of the girls was crucial. The teacher tossed me a first-aid kit, including an epi pen for emergency assistance for one of the kids with a peanut allergy, if necessary. 

Everyone had to first line up properly in a certain place and then receive hand sanitizer before entering the lunchroom and eating lunch. The class had to sit at specific tables. The deputized girls explained everything: how lunch would end with a word-guessing game, with the winning class exiting the lunchroom first; how I needed to get the class lined up first in one place, then move the line a short distance away before receiving the signal for recess to commence, etc. These girls thrived on proper order! 

Then recess commenced, and the class dissolved into the much larger group of all schoolkids at recess. I quickly lost track of everyone in the chaos. 

A large group of girls were gathering in the girl's bathroom, and spilling out. Trouble of some sort was brewing. One of the deputized girls hastily ran over to me to explain the situation. She said girls were using hand soap not only on their hands, but on their faces too, and that was against the rules. Myself, I saw no reason why girls couldn't use hand soap to wash their faces if they wanted, but whatever, the group needed to disperse. I walked over to wave everyone away, and discovered the reason they wanted to wash their faces was that someone had brought many stickers to apply on their faces, and that's why the crowd gathered. I dispersed everyone away from the bathroom door. 

Then the deputized girls brought a new situation to my attention. Two of the boys were playing basketball. The girls explained how there had been trouble on the basketball court earlier in the week and so the teacher had forbidden any playing of basketball by the class for the rest of the week. The boys were flagrantly breaking the rules. Myself, I had a hard time caring whether anyone was playing basketball, provided no one was getting hurt. And the boys seemed to be playing without any recklessness. Still, with reluctance, as the deputized girls watched, I moved to end the basketball game. 

The boys were defiant. "We are not playing basketball," one boy explained. "Basketball is a game. We are shooting baskets!" (I swear, these kids will end up as lawyers.) So, as I maneuvered awkwardly under the basketball hoop and tried to knock the ball away, the boys shot baskets over my head. The deputized girls were dismayed. The boys were getting away with it AGAIN! 

Then, someone hurt themselves elsewhere on the playground. I had the Band-aids so I was called away to help. By the time I returned, recess was over, and the deputized girls had already explained the situation to the teacher. She seemed almost apologetic about the basketball situation. No apologies necessary. The nice thing about being a substitute teaching assistant is that I have very little at stake. No ego involved here. 

Since I have substituted in several classes by now, I notice that I'm getting more recognition. Lots of students, and teachers too, wave hello. And I'm finally beginning to remember some of their names.

"A Goofy Movie" (1995)

There's an article in Slate about a new Disney+ documentary regarding the popularity of "A Goofy Movie" (1995) in the Black community. It sounds fun! 

As we know, there's no greater challenge than driving long distances across the American Southwest:

 

Sensible, Predictable Economic Policy

Good Day Sacramento - RCTC's "The Lightning Thief" - April 9, 2025

There is Larry R., big as day, horsetail and all, as Chiron!

 

A Wrap on the 2024-25 Rainy Season in Sacramento

Well, that's pretty much a wrap on the 2024-25 rainy season in Sacramento. Currently we are about 83% of normal, but if no more rain falls we'll end up at about 75%.

Lady Gaga - "Killah"

Heard this for the first time on the trip to Modesto. Reminds me of Prince. Great backup dancers!

 

The Utter Silence of the Free Speech Warriors

@pearlmania500 My top five air fryer recipes #food #chicken #potatoes #april #crabrangoon #falafel #mozzarellasticks #eggrolls #kitchen ♬ original sound - Pearlmania500

Swiss Spaghetti Harvest of 1957

Just fun stuff!

More Liberation

"Hands Off" Protest at the California State Capitol - April 5, 2025.

Sacramento proud!  

I wasn't there very long.  It was more-important to make sure Rachel got to the protest - her first protest of this cycle - and she wasn't able to stay too long.  Still, we were there and helped support our fellow American citizens.

"Ropes and Ribbons" - Artease Dance Collective - April 5, 2025

One strange and interesting journey, with the Artease Dance Collective! The audience was pretty interesting too - testosterone and estrogen. 

The woman sitting next to me hurriedly scribbled notes and exclaimed, "This is so interesting!"

 

Project Poinsettia Freedom

I don't remember when I got the poinsettia for Christmas - four or five years ago?  Since then it has flourished to the extent possible in a small pot.  Several weeks ago, I saw a picture from San Francisco of a tree-like poinsettia than someone had released to a yard.  So, I'm doing something similar - Project Poinsettia Freedom - on behalf of a loyal plant trapped in a pot too small.  I wonder how it will do?

Less Honkin! More Tonkin!

Patti LuPone - "Songs From A Hat" - Mary Stuart Rogers Theater at the Gallo Center for the Arts, Modesto, CA - April 3, 2025

OK, a quick drive to Modesto (marred by a traffic jam in Sacramento - that poor, unfortunate overturned car!) Then, running late and got a bit lost in Modesto.  But there she was, in person, Broadway sensation Patti LuPone herself!  A 1.5 hour concert, featuring a hat from which songs were chosen.  People lined up to choose songs.  Among them was a big fan, Jake Montoya!  

Here's one of her songs, from March 15, 2010....