I was raised by a community activist. Mom was always and forever organizing some event or program or project. She was on the phone. She was talking to people in the grocery store. Always, always, always, she was active. Always working for change. Always holding public officials accountable. Always.
I remember being intensely jealous of her causes, and so refrained from being quite that active while rearing my child. The nest now empty, though, I sought ways to contribute positively to my community, and this blog was one of the ways I chose. Recently I started writing weekly about the items in the regional section of the Bee, Arden Carmichael. That was fun and stimulating for me, and I hoped it would stimulate others. It seemed to be starting to. Indeed, I believe there may be as many as 6 or 7 readers of this blog now. I was encouraged.
Life and time and circumstance play sneaky games. I find myself in a strange dance with destiny. While I want very much to contribute to my community in a variety of ways, my time and energy are pulled of necessity in a different direction. I am now a long-distance caregiver for the mother who would change the world. As Parkinson's erodes her body and her independence, my brother and I find ourselves spending long hours directing others in the care of the mother who, with typically fierce independence, checked herself into a retirement facility that would provide increasing levels of care through the rest of her life. We know she did this to spare us as much as possible from the presumed burden of caring for her, and that's a good and loving thing.
Still, she is our mom, and we care, and we're committed to making sure this phase of her life is as comfortable and satisfying as possible, and that means being involved. Interestingly, that means applying many of the skills that make an effective community activist to being an effective advocate for Mom.
Be advised that even the best facility is still just a facility and it cannot substitute for caring family members. At the very least, a facility is a safe place for your family member to fade away with minimal involvement from you. At the very best, a facility is a partner in providing the best possible care and support for your family member without you completely wearing yourself out by doing it all yourself.
Too, a facility doesn't take care of financial "stuff". That's where trusts and power of attorney come in, and oh what a dance that is. No matter how simple your attorney makes it sound, it's not simple. It just isn't. And if you and/or your loved one aren't swimming in money, it's a dance you do without the attorney's ongoing assistance.
All this is to say that the Arden Arcade Blog isn't exactly at the top of my priority list right now. Not even close. I do read the paper, and there is plenty I would dearly love to address here, but at least until the dance switches from the jitterbug to something a little slower, I'm not going to be around much.
I encourage others to write items for this blog. It's very simple for me to make you a contributing author. You just let me know you want to be one, I'll have Blogger send you the invitation to do so, and you follow the directions in the invitation. As long as your contributions are civilized I'll keep you on as an author. You don't have to agree with me about anything. You just have to be polite about disagreeing. That truly is the only requirement, apart from staying on topic.
The topic being Arden Arcade. In case that wasn't clear.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Green is good business, good karma, and neighborly
We dine at The Mandarin. We often order out from Round Table. We buy cones at Baskin Robbins. We rent films from Blockbuster. We shop at Whole Paycheck -- I mean Whole Foods.
Today I spent $70 bucks for a half backpack of groceries at Whole Foods. Walking home by the back route, I then collected two bags of trash from behind the aforementioned businesses. My guess is that the bulk of that trash comes from a combination of employees on break and trash blown from the dumpsters on windy collection days.
Somebody's keeping the front of the stores tidy. How hard can it be to send those same bodies out to tidy the back? Doing so will not only save others (me, anyway) the trouble, but it will also save the drainage ditch back there from collecting human generated crud. That crud, by the way, flows directly to the river, where it chokes, poisons and otherwise harms various critters on its way to the ocean where it continues to choke, poison and otherwise harm various other critters, which in turn is harmful to us critters.
In case you need a selfish reason, there it is. Pick up litter before it comes back to bite you on the proverbial behind.
Today I spent $70 bucks for a half backpack of groceries at Whole Foods. Walking home by the back route, I then collected two bags of trash from behind the aforementioned businesses. My guess is that the bulk of that trash comes from a combination of employees on break and trash blown from the dumpsters on windy collection days.
Somebody's keeping the front of the stores tidy. How hard can it be to send those same bodies out to tidy the back? Doing so will not only save others (me, anyway) the trouble, but it will also save the drainage ditch back there from collecting human generated crud. That crud, by the way, flows directly to the river, where it chokes, poisons and otherwise harms various critters on its way to the ocean where it continues to choke, poison and otherwise harm various other critters, which in turn is harmful to us critters.
In case you need a selfish reason, there it is. Pick up litter before it comes back to bite you on the proverbial behind.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The Band Plays On
First the basic information provided in today's Arden Carmichael section of the Bee, and then a personal reflection.
What: Middle School Band Clinic (11th annual)
Where: El Camino High School Music Building (at El Camino & Eastern)
When: Saturday, February 2, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Who: Middle School students (grades 6-8)
Why: See below
Cost: Cheap at $30 to cover overhead
Contact: Kevin Glaser, kglaser@sanjuan.edu
The El Camino High School band program is one of the treasures of Arden Arcade. As we look to the things that make our community unique, the annual Middle School Band Clinic is a likely candidate.
My daughter was a student of Kevin Glaser for six years, including two at Starr King Middle School before he transferred to his beloved alma mater, El Camino High. An award-winning instructor to an award-winning band program, Glaser has a way with music and with students.
I had the privilege of being a parent volunteer at one of Glaser's band clinics. Long impressed with his ability to win the affection and attention of his students, I was no less wowed when I got to see him in action.
The first event of the clinic involves seating all of the clinic participants, along with their senior high counterparts, in their respective sections in the band room. Seeing youths from 6th through 12th grades all together like that was my first eye-opener. The 6th graders seemed so young and generally overwhelmed, if not frightened, to be in the presence of the older students. But that passed very, very quickly.
Under Glaser's guidance, in a span of 30 minutes this seemingly unpromising group moved from cacophonous mess to music making. Understand this: I'm a musician. I'm blessed (sometimes cursed) with true pitch. I know music, and I'm telling you Glaser is nothing short of a musical magician. At the end of that 30 minutes, the sound was not polished, but it was music. Some of the younger students had never played their instruments before, but they were already making music. I was beyond impressed. I was awed.
It was a joy to watch the senior high students quietly and patiently correct the younger students' form and technique. I witnessed this throughout the day. After the initial group experience, the students were sent to assigned rooms to work closely on their particular instruments. Trombones were in one room, flutes in another, and so on. In those settings the tutoring was focused, friendly, and even fun.
It was also extremely productive. The final event of the day was a concert for parents and guests, at which the progress since that initial group introduction was wondrous.
My daughter is about to get her B.A. at Berkeley, and I don't know when she last touched her beloved clarinet. She has no plans for a music career, but the benefits of playing in the band are clear. As Glaser emphasizes at every Back to School Night, band isn't just about the music. More importantly, it's about teamwork, focus, and self-discipline -- things that reach far beyond the band room into all aspects of school life and into life itself.
Glaser is a hero in my daughter's life and, by extension, in mine. I am proud to recommend the El Camino band program and especially the Middle School Band Clinic. Don't have $30? Contact Glaser anyway. My guess is he has ways of getting the fee covered.
What: Middle School Band Clinic (11th annual)
Where: El Camino High School Music Building (at El Camino & Eastern)
When: Saturday, February 2, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Who: Middle School students (grades 6-8)
Why: See below
Cost: Cheap at $30 to cover overhead
Contact: Kevin Glaser, kglaser@sanjuan.edu
The El Camino High School band program is one of the treasures of Arden Arcade. As we look to the things that make our community unique, the annual Middle School Band Clinic is a likely candidate.
My daughter was a student of Kevin Glaser for six years, including two at Starr King Middle School before he transferred to his beloved alma mater, El Camino High. An award-winning instructor to an award-winning band program, Glaser has a way with music and with students.
I had the privilege of being a parent volunteer at one of Glaser's band clinics. Long impressed with his ability to win the affection and attention of his students, I was no less wowed when I got to see him in action.
The first event of the clinic involves seating all of the clinic participants, along with their senior high counterparts, in their respective sections in the band room. Seeing youths from 6th through 12th grades all together like that was my first eye-opener. The 6th graders seemed so young and generally overwhelmed, if not frightened, to be in the presence of the older students. But that passed very, very quickly.
Under Glaser's guidance, in a span of 30 minutes this seemingly unpromising group moved from cacophonous mess to music making. Understand this: I'm a musician. I'm blessed (sometimes cursed) with true pitch. I know music, and I'm telling you Glaser is nothing short of a musical magician. At the end of that 30 minutes, the sound was not polished, but it was music. Some of the younger students had never played their instruments before, but they were already making music. I was beyond impressed. I was awed.
It was a joy to watch the senior high students quietly and patiently correct the younger students' form and technique. I witnessed this throughout the day. After the initial group experience, the students were sent to assigned rooms to work closely on their particular instruments. Trombones were in one room, flutes in another, and so on. In those settings the tutoring was focused, friendly, and even fun.
It was also extremely productive. The final event of the day was a concert for parents and guests, at which the progress since that initial group introduction was wondrous.
My daughter is about to get her B.A. at Berkeley, and I don't know when she last touched her beloved clarinet. She has no plans for a music career, but the benefits of playing in the band are clear. As Glaser emphasizes at every Back to School Night, band isn't just about the music. More importantly, it's about teamwork, focus, and self-discipline -- things that reach far beyond the band room into all aspects of school life and into life itself.
Glaser is a hero in my daughter's life and, by extension, in mine. I am proud to recommend the El Camino band program and especially the Middle School Band Clinic. Don't have $30? Contact Glaser anyway. My guess is he has ways of getting the fee covered.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Potpourri in Arden Carmichael News
Hot diggity! We've got at least four readers now -- possibly five -- plus lots of juicy stuff in today's Arden Carmichael section of the Bee.
The lead story, by Ramon Coronado, announces that the Arden Manor Recreation and Park District has officially decided to support cityhood. Citing board member Warren Harding, Coronado writes, "... three of the five elected board members to the independent park district voted unanimously for cityhood."
That's an interesting sentence. Either it means only three board members showed up and the vote among them was unanimous or the definition of unanimous has changed since I last checked. I know -- picky, picky, picky. Let's assume the former is the case. I disagree with their position, but that's OK.
Joel "Mr. Cityhood" Archer is happy and Michael "Stay Sacramento" Duveneck is not. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting to hear back from Duveneck with details about his group and a schedule of meetings. To their credit, the cityhood proponents with whom I so strongly disagree have at least made a point of listing upcoming meetings in the Regional Digest segment of the Arden Carmichael section. I appreciate that. I hope opponents will turn out to both listen and speak and let this blog know what happens at the meetings.
I'll attend if health permits, but that's a very dodgy thing lately. (No, nothing serious. Just migraines. Mammoth migraines, but presumably not life threatening. Imitrex is my friend.)
The next story, by one Ramon Coronado, announces that power poles along Fulton Avenue are going, going, gone. I'm certain no one is boo-hooing about that. I for one am pleased to see that we could accomplish this without first becoming a city!
The story following that is written by, let's see.... Oh! This one's by Ramon Coronado -- describes a very cool facility that I didn't know about until now. It's the Sacramento Crisis Nursery, located on Pasadena Avenue in our very own Arden Arcade. They are doing wonderful work and rely entirely on donations and grants. Check out their wish list at www.crisisnurseryonline.com and see how you can help out.
Naturally, Carlos Alcala's column faithfully adorns the left side of the front page.
(Did you hear him on KCRA this week, talking about his book? No? You missed some fun. He's got some book signing events coming up. I'll put them in a separate post.)
Today's column includes an item, "Own or rent?", which clarifies information provided by Joel Archer about the percentage of renters living in Arden Arcade.
My favorite bit in this week's column is Alcala's "Postcards from nowhere" wherein he laments that he doesn't receive photos of people reading his column in distant lands. (Inside Arden has such a feature each month, of people reading their publication in various places.) So get creative, people. I'm sure we can all think of interesting places to have our photos taken reading Alcala. Email them to him at calcala@sacbee.com.
After a plug like that, I trust he'll let me see them!
Aside from Alcala's column, there's one other item not written by Ramon Coronado. It's a commentary by Steve Caruso, Executive Director of Family Promise of Sacramento, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite organizations. Family Promise gives a hand up to families in crisis, providing counselling, training for employment, parent education, and -- my favorite part -- shelter that keeps the families together. (Most shelters separate the dads from the mothers and children.)
The purpose of Caruso's commentary is to inform the community about a unique fundraiser for Family Promise. The Hoops for Homeless Families Classic happens this coming Monday. If you're a basketball fan, it promises to be lots of fun -- a whole day of watching the area's best high school basketball teams face off. Read all about it!
So, about Ramon Coronado.... He got lots and lots of copy for his string book today, and that's fine, but I have to wonder.... Was everyone else down with the flu? Basking on a beach? Attending a conference?
I also wonder whether it's because Coronado did all the reporting that I found so very much interesting material to read this week.
The lead story, by Ramon Coronado, announces that the Arden Manor Recreation and Park District has officially decided to support cityhood. Citing board member Warren Harding, Coronado writes, "... three of the five elected board members to the independent park district voted unanimously for cityhood."
That's an interesting sentence. Either it means only three board members showed up and the vote among them was unanimous or the definition of unanimous has changed since I last checked. I know -- picky, picky, picky. Let's assume the former is the case. I disagree with their position, but that's OK.
Joel "Mr. Cityhood" Archer is happy and Michael "Stay Sacramento" Duveneck is not. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting to hear back from Duveneck with details about his group and a schedule of meetings. To their credit, the cityhood proponents with whom I so strongly disagree have at least made a point of listing upcoming meetings in the Regional Digest segment of the Arden Carmichael section. I appreciate that. I hope opponents will turn out to both listen and speak and let this blog know what happens at the meetings.
I'll attend if health permits, but that's a very dodgy thing lately. (No, nothing serious. Just migraines. Mammoth migraines, but presumably not life threatening. Imitrex is my friend.)
~@~
The next story, by one Ramon Coronado, announces that power poles along Fulton Avenue are going, going, gone. I'm certain no one is boo-hooing about that. I for one am pleased to see that we could accomplish this without first becoming a city!
~@~
The story following that is written by, let's see.... Oh! This one's by Ramon Coronado -- describes a very cool facility that I didn't know about until now. It's the Sacramento Crisis Nursery, located on Pasadena Avenue in our very own Arden Arcade. They are doing wonderful work and rely entirely on donations and grants. Check out their wish list at www.crisisnurseryonline.com and see how you can help out.
~@~
Naturally, Carlos Alcala's column faithfully adorns the left side of the front page.
(Did you hear him on KCRA this week, talking about his book? No? You missed some fun. He's got some book signing events coming up. I'll put them in a separate post.)
Today's column includes an item, "Own or rent?", which clarifies information provided by Joel Archer about the percentage of renters living in Arden Arcade.
My favorite bit in this week's column is Alcala's "Postcards from nowhere" wherein he laments that he doesn't receive photos of people reading his column in distant lands. (Inside Arden has such a feature each month, of people reading their publication in various places.) So get creative, people. I'm sure we can all think of interesting places to have our photos taken reading Alcala. Email them to him at calcala@sacbee.com.
After a plug like that, I trust he'll let me see them!
~@~
Aside from Alcala's column, there's one other item not written by Ramon Coronado. It's a commentary by Steve Caruso, Executive Director of Family Promise of Sacramento, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite organizations. Family Promise gives a hand up to families in crisis, providing counselling, training for employment, parent education, and -- my favorite part -- shelter that keeps the families together. (Most shelters separate the dads from the mothers and children.)
The purpose of Caruso's commentary is to inform the community about a unique fundraiser for Family Promise. The Hoops for Homeless Families Classic happens this coming Monday. If you're a basketball fan, it promises to be lots of fun -- a whole day of watching the area's best high school basketball teams face off. Read all about it!
~@~
So, about Ramon Coronado.... He got lots and lots of copy for his string book today, and that's fine, but I have to wonder.... Was everyone else down with the flu? Basking on a beach? Attending a conference?
I also wonder whether it's because Coronado did all the reporting that I found so very much interesting material to read this week.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Good news
Cityhood meetings are again announced in yesterday's issue of the Bee's Arden Carmichael section. I'm pleased someone's staying on top of that. Now if someone would follow up with a report on what transpires at the meeting, that would be awesome. Even more awesome would be if opponents to cityhood would pull themselves together and hold public meetings as well.
More good news concerns E-waste recycling being accepted for free this weekend at Mira Loma High. Read all about it. The easier it is to dispose of this stuff properly the less these toxic materials will turn up in creeks and other illegal dumpsites. Plus, the event is raising funds for the school. Not seeing a downside here.
Many thanks to Carlos Alcala for yet another plug for this blog. To the rest of my several readers: What are you doing to bring more readers (and writers!) on board??
More good news concerns E-waste recycling being accepted for free this weekend at Mira Loma High. Read all about it. The easier it is to dispose of this stuff properly the less these toxic materials will turn up in creeks and other illegal dumpsites. Plus, the event is raising funds for the school. Not seeing a downside here.
Many thanks to Carlos Alcala for yet another plug for this blog. To the rest of my several readers: What are you doing to bring more readers (and writers!) on board??
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
About the name.....
I haven't encountered anyone yet who's enchanted with the name "Arden Arcade". If they're out there, I'd like to hear from them, 'cause I question their existence.
I've often suggested "Arden" as a simple alternative, but I suppose the folks in the "Arcade" section might disapprove.
So, I've had another thought, and maybe it's a lame thought, or a crazy thought, or even a naive thought, but what if we were to select a name that honors the original occupants of what is now called Arden Arcade?
An article on page B1, Metro section, of the Bee ran on October 26, 2007 with the headline, "THIS LAND WAS THEIR LAND -- UC Davis scholar maps an Indian culture's vanished settlements". It seems the Nisenan people of the Maidu tribe maintained settlements along the American River and at Folsom Lake. Naturally! It was verdant land in the Spring, the river was full of salmon in the Fall, catfish most any time, I gather (though I'm not an angler). Oak trees dotted the land and critters abounded. Annual flooding was expected and presumably worked around. Summers were cooler here then. It was a good place to live.
Looking at the map that accompanies the article, it appears that Yamankodo was the Nisenan town that occupied at least part of what is now Arden Arcade. I don't know if the Maidu want us to go naming modern places after their displaced ancestors, but maybe someone should ask. It might be a slap in the face or it might be an honor or it might just be a lame-o idea from someone completely without American Indian ancestry.
But I do descend from indigenous peoples of other lands, and I love that something is known of them, that I can visit the places they lived and see some evidence of them, that there's at least some acknowledgement that they lived and died and mattered, and that in at least one of those places an effort is being made to keep the old language alive -- my grandmother's first language, Romansh.
Am I ready to say I live in Yamankodo, CA? Why not? It's kinda cool. And it beats the heck out of Arden Arcade!
I've often suggested "Arden" as a simple alternative, but I suppose the folks in the "Arcade" section might disapprove.
So, I've had another thought, and maybe it's a lame thought, or a crazy thought, or even a naive thought, but what if we were to select a name that honors the original occupants of what is now called Arden Arcade?
An article on page B1, Metro section, of the Bee ran on October 26, 2007 with the headline, "THIS LAND WAS THEIR LAND -- UC Davis scholar maps an Indian culture's vanished settlements". It seems the Nisenan people of the Maidu tribe maintained settlements along the American River and at Folsom Lake. Naturally! It was verdant land in the Spring, the river was full of salmon in the Fall, catfish most any time, I gather (though I'm not an angler). Oak trees dotted the land and critters abounded. Annual flooding was expected and presumably worked around. Summers were cooler here then. It was a good place to live.
Looking at the map that accompanies the article, it appears that Yamankodo was the Nisenan town that occupied at least part of what is now Arden Arcade. I don't know if the Maidu want us to go naming modern places after their displaced ancestors, but maybe someone should ask. It might be a slap in the face or it might be an honor or it might just be a lame-o idea from someone completely without American Indian ancestry.
But I do descend from indigenous peoples of other lands, and I love that something is known of them, that I can visit the places they lived and see some evidence of them, that there's at least some acknowledgement that they lived and died and mattered, and that in at least one of those places an effort is being made to keep the old language alive -- my grandmother's first language, Romansh.
Am I ready to say I live in Yamankodo, CA? Why not? It's kinda cool. And it beats the heck out of Arden Arcade!
Distinction
There's been some discussion here and in Carlos Alcala's column (Bee) about what is unique about Arden Arcade -- what sets us apart from other communities. What I realized was that there really wasn't much about Arden Arcade to distinguish it from surrounding communities.
Then, as I was driving around noticing for the umpteenth time how awful the littering has gotten in the Sacramento region, it dawned on me. If we can't discern something unique about ourselves, then we can create something unique about ourselves. I suggest we become the cleanest, tidiest, most litter-free community in the region!
Ah, but we can't count on government to make this happen. Oh no! It's up to us. That means, among other things, that when your (and my) trash day is a windy day and the refuse refuses to stay in the can or glide neatly into the truck, that we'll get out there with our gloves and our bags and pick it up! Also, when we notice litter along the main streets, it means we won't just drive by and mutter about it. It means we'll pull over and use the gloves and plastic grocery bags we keep in the trunk and pick it up!
It's not hard. It's not time consuming. Not if at least half of us do our bit.
That's my challenge. If all two (or three, counting "Anonymous") of my readers get to work and get the word out, we can quit trashing Arden Arcade and be the cleanest, prettiest, healthiest community in the region. Who's with me?
Then, as I was driving around noticing for the umpteenth time how awful the littering has gotten in the Sacramento region, it dawned on me. If we can't discern something unique about ourselves, then we can create something unique about ourselves. I suggest we become the cleanest, tidiest, most litter-free community in the region!
Ah, but we can't count on government to make this happen. Oh no! It's up to us. That means, among other things, that when your (and my) trash day is a windy day and the refuse refuses to stay in the can or glide neatly into the truck, that we'll get out there with our gloves and our bags and pick it up! Also, when we notice litter along the main streets, it means we won't just drive by and mutter about it. It means we'll pull over and use the gloves and plastic grocery bags we keep in the trunk and pick it up!
It's not hard. It's not time consuming. Not if at least half of us do our bit.
That's my challenge. If all two (or three, counting "Anonymous") of my readers get to work and get the word out, we can quit trashing Arden Arcade and be the cleanest, prettiest, healthiest community in the region. Who's with me?
Missed Meeting
Illness kept me from last night's Cityhood meeting. If someone's out there reading this who attended, would you please bring me/us up to speed? Either leave a comment or contact me at ardenarcade@gmail.com.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Cityhood/Incorcorpation meetings announced
In today's Arden Carmichael section of the Bee, the following meetings hosted by cityhood advocates were announced:
I'm pleased to have found this information in a timely fashion. I'd like to have similar information from the opposing camp. While they've sent me press releases in the past, they've ignored my requests for more information, which is very disappointing.
Also disappointing to me is the posting of unsubstantiated data in a comment by "anonymous". I have no way to follow up with the individual to learn his or her sources or to get further data.
In the interests of fostering open communication on this blog, I have enabled people to post comments anonymously. If that is used irresponsibly again, I will disable anonymous posting.
Tuesday, Jan 8, 6:30 pm, Arden-Dimick Library, Watt and Northrop.
Wednesday, Feb 27, 6:30 pm, Howe Park, Howe & Cottage.
Thursday, Mar 6, 7:30 pm, a business forum, Cornerstone Community Church, Cottage & Butano.More info: 916-485-2711 or http://www.ardenarcadecity.org/.
I'm pleased to have found this information in a timely fashion. I'd like to have similar information from the opposing camp. While they've sent me press releases in the past, they've ignored my requests for more information, which is very disappointing.
Also disappointing to me is the posting of unsubstantiated data in a comment by "anonymous". I have no way to follow up with the individual to learn his or her sources or to get further data.
In the interests of fostering open communication on this blog, I have enabled people to post comments anonymously. If that is used irresponsibly again, I will disable anonymous posting.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
In Local News
I intend to consciously check the Arden Carmichael section of the Bee each Thursday for something to write about here. This project is off to a big start, with an item on a subject about which I am passionate.
From page H3 of today's Arden Carmichael section: Woman declines to press rape charges. A 20-year-old woman is assaulted and raped by a 19-year-old man and is found by law enforcement officers to be injured. Yet, "...she declined to have a medical examination and told deputies she did not feel fearful or feel she was injured...."
What do we know? We know the victim knows the attacker was 19, so we know she knows the attacker. We know someone was concerned enough to contact law enforcement. We know she was injured. We know that for reasons of her own she doesn't want to deal with the event in any way, shape or form.
She wants it to go away.
Acquaintance rape is a particularly ugly business. It's shocking on a whole different level than stranger rape. Either way, there is shock, and plenty of it. Acquaintance rape adds the layer of betrayal by someone who is known to and possibly even loved and trusted by the victim. It's embarrassing and humiliating and the victim is left with the gnawing sense that she must have done something to provoke him. In a relationship that is fundamentally abusive, she will even view the rape as her due. She deserved it
She'll believe anything except that he was wrong. Why? Because if she believes he is wrong, she can't continue in the relationship, and the time of departure from an abusive relationship is the most dangerous time of all. Besides, what's she going to do? Where's she going to go? She can't see options.
She can't really see anything except the look on his face during those terrible long moments of the assault. That and the sweet look on his face when he's sorry. So, so sorry. Always sorry.
Besides my concern for this woman, my concern extends to the community. Some people reading that article will see it as reinforcement of the notion that rape doesn't cause real injury. Trust me; she's injured. Trust me; she's fearful. Trust me; her denial of injury and fear will come back to haunt her. This is nowhere near over.
If anyone reading this happens to know the victim, put her in touch with WEAVE at 916-920-2952. If she won't call, call yourself to find out how to help her and/or how to help yourself as a "secondary victim" -- one who is close to the primary victim. That number is the crisis line; don't hesitate to call. Don't think your situation doesn't count as a crisis. It counts. Trust me. It counts.
From page H3 of today's Arden Carmichael section: Woman declines to press rape charges. A 20-year-old woman is assaulted and raped by a 19-year-old man and is found by law enforcement officers to be injured. Yet, "...she declined to have a medical examination and told deputies she did not feel fearful or feel she was injured...."
What do we know? We know the victim knows the attacker was 19, so we know she knows the attacker. We know someone was concerned enough to contact law enforcement. We know she was injured. We know that for reasons of her own she doesn't want to deal with the event in any way, shape or form.
She wants it to go away.
Acquaintance rape is a particularly ugly business. It's shocking on a whole different level than stranger rape. Either way, there is shock, and plenty of it. Acquaintance rape adds the layer of betrayal by someone who is known to and possibly even loved and trusted by the victim. It's embarrassing and humiliating and the victim is left with the gnawing sense that she must have done something to provoke him. In a relationship that is fundamentally abusive, she will even view the rape as her due. She deserved it
She'll believe anything except that he was wrong. Why? Because if she believes he is wrong, she can't continue in the relationship, and the time of departure from an abusive relationship is the most dangerous time of all. Besides, what's she going to do? Where's she going to go? She can't see options.
She can't really see anything except the look on his face during those terrible long moments of the assault. That and the sweet look on his face when he's sorry. So, so sorry. Always sorry.
Besides my concern for this woman, my concern extends to the community. Some people reading that article will see it as reinforcement of the notion that rape doesn't cause real injury. Trust me; she's injured. Trust me; she's fearful. Trust me; her denial of injury and fear will come back to haunt her. This is nowhere near over.
If anyone reading this happens to know the victim, put her in touch with WEAVE at 916-920-2952. If she won't call, call yourself to find out how to help her and/or how to help yourself as a "secondary victim" -- one who is close to the primary victim. That number is the crisis line; don't hesitate to call. Don't think your situation doesn't count as a crisis. It counts. Trust me. It counts.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Sidewalk Wars
If good fences make good neighbors, what do good sidewalks make? Along one section of Watt Avenue, it makes for contention. In Thursday's Arden Carmichael section of the Bee ran an article about an unpaved section along Watt Avenue where pedestrians walk regularly. Some say the section is unsafe, forcing pedestrians too close to fast-moving traffic. Residents living close to the section say they like it the way it is because it preserves the rural atmosphere of the neighborhood.
I haven't visited the spot myself, but my reaction to that latter statement is that if they're living that close to Watt Avenue, it is not a rural. Watt Avenue is anything but rural anymore. There aren't sidewalks in my neighborhood either, and I don't want them, but I don't live on Watt Avenue. I do, however, live very close to Arden, and I think the parts of Arden that lack frontage streets ought to have sidewalks. While my street has a semi-rural feel -- really, it's just another suburb -- our part of Arden, like Watt, lost its rural-ness long ago. We need to be realistic. Where people on foot and cars going 35 mph plus have to get close, there ought to be sidewalks.
And who should pay for it? All of us.
That's my two cents. What do you think?
I haven't visited the spot myself, but my reaction to that latter statement is that if they're living that close to Watt Avenue, it is not a rural. Watt Avenue is anything but rural anymore. There aren't sidewalks in my neighborhood either, and I don't want them, but I don't live on Watt Avenue. I do, however, live very close to Arden, and I think the parts of Arden that lack frontage streets ought to have sidewalks. While my street has a semi-rural feel -- really, it's just another suburb -- our part of Arden, like Watt, lost its rural-ness long ago. We need to be realistic. Where people on foot and cars going 35 mph plus have to get close, there ought to be sidewalks.
And who should pay for it? All of us.
That's my two cents. What do you think?
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
No More Neighborhood Cleanup
Mark my words: There is about to be a significant increase in illegal dumping in Sacramento County.
I really hope I'm wrong.
The 2008 mailing from Sacramento County Utilities states that Neighborhood Cleanup is history. Now you have to schedule pickups of your large waste individually. You get one freebie a year. After that, you pay a fee.
Now think about this. Think about the people most likely to dump stuff illegally. Are they the ones who will make an appointment, let alone pay for it? Of course not.
It's great news, of course, for those of us who can and will pay for the service. Neighborhood Cleanup hasn't necessarily been timed ideally for, say, our big pruning projects, leaf drops, or home improvement projects.
The best news is that they will now accept e-waste and universal waste. Woo-hoo! I'm genuinely grateful for that development.
Another thing that will come from this is that scavengers will no longer be able to follow the Neighborhood Cleanup piles and take what they want before the trucks get there. Some will see that as a good thing. Others will see that as an opportunity for recycling and reuse lost -- more stuff in the landfill.
In any case, the folks who were never willing or able to pay transfer station fees certainly aren't going to make an appointment and pay for their refuse to be picked up. Maybe they were willing to save up one load for the Neighborhood Cleanup, but to schedule it? I don't think so.
You watch. The disgusting swath of waste that lines our major roadways is about to get deeper.
Please, please, please let me be wrong about this!
I really hope I'm wrong.
The 2008 mailing from Sacramento County Utilities states that Neighborhood Cleanup is history. Now you have to schedule pickups of your large waste individually. You get one freebie a year. After that, you pay a fee.
Now think about this. Think about the people most likely to dump stuff illegally. Are they the ones who will make an appointment, let alone pay for it? Of course not.
It's great news, of course, for those of us who can and will pay for the service. Neighborhood Cleanup hasn't necessarily been timed ideally for, say, our big pruning projects, leaf drops, or home improvement projects.
The best news is that they will now accept e-waste and universal waste. Woo-hoo! I'm genuinely grateful for that development.
Another thing that will come from this is that scavengers will no longer be able to follow the Neighborhood Cleanup piles and take what they want before the trucks get there. Some will see that as a good thing. Others will see that as an opportunity for recycling and reuse lost -- more stuff in the landfill.
In any case, the folks who were never willing or able to pay transfer station fees certainly aren't going to make an appointment and pay for their refuse to be picked up. Maybe they were willing to save up one load for the Neighborhood Cleanup, but to schedule it? I don't think so.
You watch. The disgusting swath of waste that lines our major roadways is about to get deeper.
Please, please, please let me be wrong about this!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Well, shucks!
This blog is not the happenin' place I envisioned when I established it, but one thing's for sure. You can count on this blog to let you know about the cityhood meetings you've missed.
Periodically I google around for news articles about Arden Arcade Cityhood/Incorporation and put the links on this site. I did that today and found not one but two items about cityhood meetings I missed. Apparently, one was announced in the October 4 Citrus Heights Orangevale section. Google isn't bringing that one up in the somewhat likelier Arden Carmichael section. The other was announced in the November 22 Arden Carmichael section. That was Thanksgiving Day, when our paper was being donated to a school because we were out of town. Silly me, failing to read the section online when I got back.
It seems to me that if the cityhood people seriously wanted a good showing at these meetings they'd go a bit farther than tiny notices in the neighborhood sections. They'd walk notices out to the homes in the area impacted. They'd at least ask the Arden Arcade blog to post it for our two readers. The "Stay Sacramento" contingent figured out how to do that. Is there an assumption that I wouldn't post the meeting notice here because I oppose incorporation?
How many different ways do I have to say you don't have to agree with me in order to speak your piece here?? This isn't the "Anti Blog" nor the "Pro Blog". It's the Arden Arcade blog. It's for everybody in Arden Arcade. Weigh in, people! Leave comments! Become team members! Yes, even Joel Archer (Mr. Cityhood himself) can post items here! The only limitations are that the discourse must be on-topic and civilized.
I don't know how to be more welcoming than that.
Periodically I google around for news articles about Arden Arcade Cityhood/Incorporation and put the links on this site. I did that today and found not one but two items about cityhood meetings I missed. Apparently, one was announced in the October 4 Citrus Heights Orangevale section. Google isn't bringing that one up in the somewhat likelier Arden Carmichael section. The other was announced in the November 22 Arden Carmichael section. That was Thanksgiving Day, when our paper was being donated to a school because we were out of town. Silly me, failing to read the section online when I got back.
It seems to me that if the cityhood people seriously wanted a good showing at these meetings they'd go a bit farther than tiny notices in the neighborhood sections. They'd walk notices out to the homes in the area impacted. They'd at least ask the Arden Arcade blog to post it for our two readers. The "Stay Sacramento" contingent figured out how to do that. Is there an assumption that I wouldn't post the meeting notice here because I oppose incorporation?
How many different ways do I have to say you don't have to agree with me in order to speak your piece here?? This isn't the "Anti Blog" nor the "Pro Blog". It's the Arden Arcade blog. It's for everybody in Arden Arcade. Weigh in, people! Leave comments! Become team members! Yes, even Joel Archer (Mr. Cityhood himself) can post items here! The only limitations are that the discourse must be on-topic and civilized.
I don't know how to be more welcoming than that.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Autumn in Arden Arcade
In keeping with my goal of posting at least one entry each month, even if nobody in the whole world ever reads it, I've chosen to discuss the stuff on the ground.
It's gotten really cold at night -- perhaps you've noticed -- and the trees are responding the way trees do. While we bundle up, they shed their coats. Our Japanese maple is resplendent right now, always far too fleetingly. We're harvesting oodles of ash and maple leaves. Just about the time those settle down, the neighbor's gigantic sycamore will start dumping its load. Our two compost bins are full and the big black bags are piling up as our two green waste cans aren't nearly enough to contain this stuff.
But the leaves look wondrous. In the trees before they fall, with the sun shining through their red, orange and yellow filters, they seem to glow. Once on the ground they crunch so pleasingly underfoot.
I grew up in a place that didn't have many deciduous trees. We didn't really experience fall colors (nor spring blossoms). Certainly not on this scale. My very first autumn in Sacramento I literally wore off the crepe soles of my suede boots kicking through the wonderful leaves all over campus.
So, the leaves are a lot of work, but they give a lot of joy too, and their shade is such a blessing in the summer. And those bagged leaves? We hope to compost them later when we don't have fresh leaves for the heap. We'll see. We're new to composting. We hope we don't make the whole neighborhood stink from our compost. Be patient, please, as we learn to live green in the suburbs.
It's gotten really cold at night -- perhaps you've noticed -- and the trees are responding the way trees do. While we bundle up, they shed their coats. Our Japanese maple is resplendent right now, always far too fleetingly. We're harvesting oodles of ash and maple leaves. Just about the time those settle down, the neighbor's gigantic sycamore will start dumping its load. Our two compost bins are full and the big black bags are piling up as our two green waste cans aren't nearly enough to contain this stuff.
But the leaves look wondrous. In the trees before they fall, with the sun shining through their red, orange and yellow filters, they seem to glow. Once on the ground they crunch so pleasingly underfoot.
I grew up in a place that didn't have many deciduous trees. We didn't really experience fall colors (nor spring blossoms). Certainly not on this scale. My very first autumn in Sacramento I literally wore off the crepe soles of my suede boots kicking through the wonderful leaves all over campus.
So, the leaves are a lot of work, but they give a lot of joy too, and their shade is such a blessing in the summer. And those bagged leaves? We hope to compost them later when we don't have fresh leaves for the heap. We'll see. We're new to composting. We hope we don't make the whole neighborhood stink from our compost. Be patient, please, as we learn to live green in the suburbs.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Graffiti
School ended, summer began, and graffiti appeared on our neighborhood stop signs.
School has resumed, fall has begun, and still graffiti adorns our stop signs.
So, how does one clean graffiti off a stop sign without damaging the surface of the sign or leaving a big ol' smeary mess?
School has resumed, fall has begun, and still graffiti adorns our stop signs.
So, how does one clean graffiti off a stop sign without damaging the surface of the sign or leaving a big ol' smeary mess?
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Stay Sacramento! press release
[Another press release from Stay Sacramento!]
Stay Sacramento! Stop Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee To Request Formal Investigation into Gifts of Public Funds made by Cities of Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Folsom.
Taxpayer funds inappropriately being used to help fund another communities study for Cityhood
What:
Press conference to announce a request for a formal investigation by The Sacramento Grand Jury, Sacramento District Attorney and The California State Attorney General's Office to scrutinize the improper gifts of public funds by the Cities of Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Folsom to the Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee.
When:
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 5:00 p.m.
Press conference to be held prior to the Elk Grove City Council meeting
Where: Elk Grove City Hall
8400 Laguna Palms Way
Elk Grove , CA 95758Who:Stay Sacramento! Stop Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee
Dr. Mike Duveneck, Ph.D.
Special Note
Elk Grove City Council is considering a substantial request of Elk Grove City funds to support Arden Arcade Cityhood proponents. If approved, the City of Elk Grove will give $30,000 of Elk Grove taxpayer money to support the Arden Arcade Cityhood study.
Stay Sacramento! Stop Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee To Request Formal Investigation into Gifts of Public Funds made by Cities of Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Folsom.
Taxpayer funds inappropriately being used to help fund another communities study for Cityhood
What:
Press conference to announce a request for a formal investigation by The Sacramento Grand Jury, Sacramento District Attorney and The California State Attorney General's Office to scrutinize the improper gifts of public funds by the Cities of Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Folsom to the Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee.
When:
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 5:00 p.m.
Press conference to be held prior to the Elk Grove City Council meeting
Where: Elk Grove City Hall
8400 Laguna Palms Way
Elk Grove , CA 95758Who:Stay Sacramento! Stop Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee
Dr. Mike Duveneck, Ph.D.
Special Note
Elk Grove City Council is considering a substantial request of Elk Grove City funds to support Arden Arcade Cityhood proponents. If approved, the City of Elk Grove will give $30,000 of Elk Grove taxpayer money to support the Arden Arcade Cityhood study.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Stay Sacramento! press release
[The following is a press release sent to me today by Mike Duveneck, h.D., 916-481-8004. Disagree with him and want equal time? Send me your press release, or add your comment at the end.]
Arden Arcade Residents Call on Cityhood Proponents to Disclose Their List of Supporters
Who is funding Arden Arcade Cityhood Effort? Residents want to know!
Sacramento, CA – Arden Arcade residents demand to know who is bankrolling the Cityhood proponents in their campaign to transform our neighborhoods into a bureaucracy with more government and regulations.
"Those involved in the Cityhood effort have refused calls from residents, media and others to disclose who is giving money to their campaign," said Mike Duveneck, Chair of the Stay Sacramento!, Stop Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee. "It's shameless that some cities around the county have already given taxpayer dollars from their general funds to bankroll the Cityhood campaign instead of using their funds to provide city services to their constituents," added Duveneck.
Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), the municipal agency responsible for overseeing the Cityhood process, has pledged to spend more than $100,000 in taxpayer matching funds. In addition, the City of Citrus Heights has given $15,000 in taxpayer funds, the City of Rancho Cordova has given $25,000 in taxpayer funds, the City of Elk Grove and Folsom have each provided $5,000 and the City of Elk Grove is considering another request from the proponents to provide even more taxpayer money at their September 26, 2007 council meeting.
Joel Archer, one of the Cityhood leaders has refused publicly to disclose all the names, organizations and the amount of funds they have collected to pay for Cityhood signature gathers, LAFCO studies and other expenses their committee has incurred. A former Cityhood fundraiser resigned over the lack of disclosure, as well as a dictatorial style and autocratic leadership.
"We are absolutely appalled at the arrogance the Cityhood people have shown by not fully disclosing their financial supporters and the amount of money each has given to the Cityhood initiative campaign. Residents have an inalienable right to know who is supporting this initiative and what business groups and organizations they represent. It could represent a potential conflict of interest," said Duveneck.
The Stay Sacramento Campaign calls upon the Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee to fully disclose their campaign contributors now.
Arden Arcade Residents Call on Cityhood Proponents to Disclose Their List of Supporters
Who is funding Arden Arcade Cityhood Effort? Residents want to know!
Sacramento, CA – Arden Arcade residents demand to know who is bankrolling the Cityhood proponents in their campaign to transform our neighborhoods into a bureaucracy with more government and regulations.
"Those involved in the Cityhood effort have refused calls from residents, media and others to disclose who is giving money to their campaign," said Mike Duveneck, Chair of the Stay Sacramento!, Stop Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee. "It's shameless that some cities around the county have already given taxpayer dollars from their general funds to bankroll the Cityhood campaign instead of using their funds to provide city services to their constituents," added Duveneck.
Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), the municipal agency responsible for overseeing the Cityhood process, has pledged to spend more than $100,000 in taxpayer matching funds. In addition, the City of Citrus Heights has given $15,000 in taxpayer funds, the City of Rancho Cordova has given $25,000 in taxpayer funds, the City of Elk Grove and Folsom have each provided $5,000 and the City of Elk Grove is considering another request from the proponents to provide even more taxpayer money at their September 26, 2007 council meeting.
Joel Archer, one of the Cityhood leaders has refused publicly to disclose all the names, organizations and the amount of funds they have collected to pay for Cityhood signature gathers, LAFCO studies and other expenses their committee has incurred. A former Cityhood fundraiser resigned over the lack of disclosure, as well as a dictatorial style and autocratic leadership.
"We are absolutely appalled at the arrogance the Cityhood people have shown by not fully disclosing their financial supporters and the amount of money each has given to the Cityhood initiative campaign. Residents have an inalienable right to know who is supporting this initiative and what business groups and organizations they represent. It could represent a potential conflict of interest," said Duveneck.
The Stay Sacramento Campaign calls upon the Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee to fully disclose their campaign contributors now.
Locally produced film: "Empty Streets"
Here's a blog for a short film called "Empty Streets," produced in Sacramento. The filmmakers live in Arden Arcade — off Fulton and Northrop.
"Empty Streets" is the story of a veteran's problems after getting out of the military. This is based on a true story of a Marine from Hawaii.
The Director/producer Paul Booth and producer Kendyce Manguchei are also from Hawaii. They've lived in Sacramento since early 2006. They are waiting to hear about screenings at film festivals around the country, including the Sacramento Film and Music Festival and the Norcal Film Festival (Modesto). Their blog is emptystreetsmovie.blogspot.com. Take a look and come back and say what you think.
They have a screening coming up in California on October 1. See their site for details. Do you have a venue for screening this film? Maybe one right here in Arden Arcade? Step up! I wanna see it!
"Empty Streets" is the story of a veteran's problems after getting out of the military. This is based on a true story of a Marine from Hawaii.
The Director/producer Paul Booth and producer Kendyce Manguchei are also from Hawaii. They've lived in Sacramento since early 2006. They are waiting to hear about screenings at film festivals around the country, including the Sacramento Film and Music Festival and the Norcal Film Festival (Modesto). Their blog is emptystreetsmovie.blogspot.com. Take a look and come back and say what you think.
They have a screening coming up in California on October 1. See their site for details. Do you have a venue for screening this film? Maybe one right here in Arden Arcade? Step up! I wanna see it!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Speed Bumps
In the argument for (or against) cityhood, I've been forever standing at the crossroads, not having any strong sentiments one way or the other. Indifference. You can read about the many issues surrounding our area's incorporation elsewhere in this website, including links that reference external sources. Lately, there has been a problem close to home that got me thinking about this.
The small street on which I live is straight, long and narrow. For some unknown reason (to me), it seems that traffic may have increased a bit, and the speeds at which many of these vehicles are moving exceed the unposted 25mph speed limit.
What can be done about this? I imagined that several speed bumps strategically placed could stifle those who tend to be lead of foot. However, a couple of weeks ago I was discussing this with a neighbor who commented that this will not be possible due to some regulation regarding firetruck access and response time. I have not done my homework to see if this is indeed true, but I recently visited a friend in Elk Grove and the residential streets near Franklin High School have speed bumps. These are the squarish, bolt-in style which appear to install much easier than your traditional, built-in and rounded undulations.
If what my neighbor claims is correct, then does this boil down to the difference between the two communities' local ordinances? Yes, here I am standing at a crossroads, indifferent but for this matter very close to home, which leads me to my $64,000 question: "Will we get speed bumps by voting in favor of or against incorporation?".
The small street on which I live is straight, long and narrow. For some unknown reason (to me), it seems that traffic may have increased a bit, and the speeds at which many of these vehicles are moving exceed the unposted 25mph speed limit.
What can be done about this? I imagined that several speed bumps strategically placed could stifle those who tend to be lead of foot. However, a couple of weeks ago I was discussing this with a neighbor who commented that this will not be possible due to some regulation regarding firetruck access and response time. I have not done my homework to see if this is indeed true, but I recently visited a friend in Elk Grove and the residential streets near Franklin High School have speed bumps. These are the squarish, bolt-in style which appear to install much easier than your traditional, built-in and rounded undulations.
If what my neighbor claims is correct, then does this boil down to the difference between the two communities' local ordinances? Yes, here I am standing at a crossroads, indifferent but for this matter very close to home, which leads me to my $64,000 question: "Will we get speed bumps by voting in favor of or against incorporation?".
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Here I Go Again
Fast becoming my favorite columnist, Carlos Alcala of the Bee has done it again. He has issued a challenge I simply could not resist. Because Carmichael has an anthem (Yeah, they do. Honest.), he recently challenged Arden Arcadians to come up with our own anthem. As a life-long song writer, this proved irresistable to me. I used the tune to "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and wrote an anthem for Arden Arcade.
It is scheduled to be made available to the public via Alcala's Arden Carmichael column this week, and before it goes public, I want to make a few things clear, first about the community and second about singing and composing:
1. I hate the name "Arden Arcade". Hate it, hate it, hate it. I really hope you grasp the nuance of this statement. I know I can be a little obtuse at times; beat around the bush; a little reluctant to say just exactly what I mean, but in this case I desperately want it known that I HATE the name "Arden Arcade". We need to hold a contest or something to come up with a better name, and the sooner the better.
2. I oppose cityhood for our community. I think it's a really bad idea for a lot of reasons I'm not going to go into here and now. Read my other blog entries on the topic and if you have any questions or comments, either email me or add them to the "comments" section at the end of the entries. (Anyone can post. You don't have to sign up with blogger, and you can be anonymous if you're chicken. Not that I have any judgements about that or anything.)
3. I love my community. Really and truly, I want our community, by whatever name it is ultimately known, to thrive at every level. I want everyone here to have all they need in order to live, love, and learn well. I want our historic trees preserved wherever possible, and replaced in the event they must come down. I want to keep our border with the American River Parkway -- the most precious gem in this region. I want our streets and parks to be clean and safe. I want every resident to feel invested in making this a friendly, diverse, welcoming community where small businesses can thrive, where neighbors help one another, and especially where young people feel valued and needed and challenged to excel, whatever their ethnic, religious or economic background.
4. This community has everything it needs to be great. Let's hold our county supervisors accountable, let's scrap the cityhood idea, and let's make ourselves proud to be whatever we end up calling ourselves.
5. A warning to those who shop at and/or promote bringing in "big box" businesses at the cost of small businesses. It's true that big business brings in big tax revenues, but the serious money goes to the people who own those businesses, and they don't live here. They don't care about us or our kids or our elders or our parks or anything else, except that we spend our money at their stores. Small businesses are typically run by local folks who are heavily invested in the quality of life of their families and their neighbors -- that's us. We're their neighbors. They're our neighbors, and we hurt them every time we choose the cheaper product sold by exploited workers at the big store instead of the quality product sold by invested partners at theirs. Now, you think about that the next time you consider going for the convenience and economy of shopping at the big, cheap places. Who's pocket is really being lined by that choice? Not yours, my friend. Not in the long run.
6. Singing is my favorite thing in the whole world. That I can write and sing something that says something funny and/or meaningful to others is the most important and satisfying thing I can do. That a Bee columnist would come to my workplace with a digital recorder and have me sing into it is really flattering, really scary and really fun.
7. Yes, I'm interested in local singing gigs -- especially studio work. Yes, I sight read. Yes, I harmonize. Yes, I do lots of different styles. No, I don't always sound like a choir girl.
It is scheduled to be made available to the public via Alcala's Arden Carmichael column this week, and before it goes public, I want to make a few things clear, first about the community and second about singing and composing:
1. I hate the name "Arden Arcade". Hate it, hate it, hate it. I really hope you grasp the nuance of this statement. I know I can be a little obtuse at times; beat around the bush; a little reluctant to say just exactly what I mean, but in this case I desperately want it known that I HATE the name "Arden Arcade". We need to hold a contest or something to come up with a better name, and the sooner the better.
2. I oppose cityhood for our community. I think it's a really bad idea for a lot of reasons I'm not going to go into here and now. Read my other blog entries on the topic and if you have any questions or comments, either email me or add them to the "comments" section at the end of the entries. (Anyone can post. You don't have to sign up with blogger, and you can be anonymous if you're chicken. Not that I have any judgements about that or anything.)
3. I love my community. Really and truly, I want our community, by whatever name it is ultimately known, to thrive at every level. I want everyone here to have all they need in order to live, love, and learn well. I want our historic trees preserved wherever possible, and replaced in the event they must come down. I want to keep our border with the American River Parkway -- the most precious gem in this region. I want our streets and parks to be clean and safe. I want every resident to feel invested in making this a friendly, diverse, welcoming community where small businesses can thrive, where neighbors help one another, and especially where young people feel valued and needed and challenged to excel, whatever their ethnic, religious or economic background.
4. This community has everything it needs to be great. Let's hold our county supervisors accountable, let's scrap the cityhood idea, and let's make ourselves proud to be whatever we end up calling ourselves.
5. A warning to those who shop at and/or promote bringing in "big box" businesses at the cost of small businesses. It's true that big business brings in big tax revenues, but the serious money goes to the people who own those businesses, and they don't live here. They don't care about us or our kids or our elders or our parks or anything else, except that we spend our money at their stores. Small businesses are typically run by local folks who are heavily invested in the quality of life of their families and their neighbors -- that's us. We're their neighbors. They're our neighbors, and we hurt them every time we choose the cheaper product sold by exploited workers at the big store instead of the quality product sold by invested partners at theirs. Now, you think about that the next time you consider going for the convenience and economy of shopping at the big, cheap places. Who's pocket is really being lined by that choice? Not yours, my friend. Not in the long run.
6. Singing is my favorite thing in the whole world. That I can write and sing something that says something funny and/or meaningful to others is the most important and satisfying thing I can do. That a Bee columnist would come to my workplace with a digital recorder and have me sing into it is really flattering, really scary and really fun.
7. Yes, I'm interested in local singing gigs -- especially studio work. Yes, I sight read. Yes, I harmonize. Yes, I do lots of different styles. No, I don't always sound like a choir girl.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Blogging for its own sake
If I don't blog today, we'll have a whole month with no blog entries. So, our little enterprise is off to a slow start. That's OK. If this is meant to be a happening site, great. If not, that's one less thing for me to do.
Life is a funny thing. A few months ago, Arden Arcade was a major interest and issue for me. Lately things are happening that put Arden Arcade way to the lower end of my list of things holding my interest, igniting my political passions or even just things I want to do. Personal dramas are being played out, often in grindingly slow motion, sometimes in fits of frenzy, and some require my utmost attention.
So, write on, Alan. I'll be here when I can. Meanwhile, dear reader(s), please sign up to be guest authors. As you can see, it's not exactly a daily thing, so it's not a big stress or anything. The more authors we get, the more interesting it will be.
Life is a funny thing. A few months ago, Arden Arcade was a major interest and issue for me. Lately things are happening that put Arden Arcade way to the lower end of my list of things holding my interest, igniting my political passions or even just things I want to do. Personal dramas are being played out, often in grindingly slow motion, sometimes in fits of frenzy, and some require my utmost attention.
So, write on, Alan. I'll be here when I can. Meanwhile, dear reader(s), please sign up to be guest authors. As you can see, it's not exactly a daily thing, so it's not a big stress or anything. The more authors we get, the more interesting it will be.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Our Uncle's Birthday
I am sure there are many community activities planned to celebrate our nation's upcoming birthday (Uncle Sam turns 231 this July 4th!). Near my neighborhood are signs announcing a bike parade and BBQ sponsored by the Arden Park Recreation & Parks District. The event will begin around 11:00am on Wednesday, July 4, 2007 and will continue until around 1:00pm.
Click here for a bit more about the local event. Have a safe and happy 4th!
Click here for a bit more about the local event. Have a safe and happy 4th!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Who Are We?
He's done it again. Bee columnist Carlos Alcala gets part of the credit (or blame) for this blog even existing, and now his column has inspired another entry. Actually, he's provoked me to finally say something that's been forming in my brain for some time.
I hope you got around to listening to the Capital Public Radio Insight program that addressed "Arden Arcade" incorporation. If you did, you know that one of the things that would indicate that cityhood is appropriate is for the community is to have some characteristic that distinguishes it from the surrounding community. Right away, that got me trying to think of what characteristics "Arden Arcade" might have that would set it apart, and I have to say I was pretty much stumped. I stopped working on the question, but it kept resurfacing in my mind since then.
In today's column, Alcala tosses out the question of what the "Arden Arcade" motto or slogan might be. Well, I have several ideas, all tongue-in-cheek, which I'll be sending to him. But his question got me ruminating about our community again.
Aside from the green signs that magically appeared a few years ago, I frankly can't tell when I pass between Sacramento the city to Arden Arcade the community to Carmichael the community. There are neighborhoods within each of these communities that are radically different from one another, but that is typical of the entire region. Cross Watt Avenue from Arden Manor to Arden Park and you'll think you crossed the border to a different country. Wander from there down to, say, Wilhaggin, and you'll think you've left the planet. Drive some miles along Fair Oaks Boulevard into deepest, darkest Carmichael and you'll wonder if you somehow lost your way and ended up in Meadowview or Del Paso Heights. In other words, there's no "other side of the tracks" in the Sacramento region. It's all a crazy quilt of eras and incomes and attitudes.
When people who don't live in or near "Arden Arcade" want to know where I live I say "near Carmichael". They know where that is. Other answers require further explanation. If I say "Garden of the Gods" they indicate they've heard of such a place, but don't know where it is. Since it's an interesting sounding place, they then really want to know just where it is. Frankly, I get tired of describing just where that is to people who don't actually have a need to get there just then.
This would seem to point toward the need to give the area a distinct name that people will recognize, and therefore we should become a city so we can be our own entity. I would argue that it's possible to give the space between other entities a name of its own without incorporating it. For instance, you can put up green signs bearing whatever name the committee came up with whether it actually makes sense or not. I've said it before and I'll say it again and again, "Arden Arcade" is a dumb name that sounds like a place to play video games. I think we should call the place Arden. Clean, clear, concise, plus it happens to correspond with the name of one of the main streets that runs clear through it. Arden. But that's just my opinion.
So, back to what's unique about "Arden Arcade". We have Arden Fair. A mall. Everybody's got a mall. Try again. We have Country Club Plaza. (Well, some might say we don't anymore. Certainly not the Plaza we knew and loved. Sure, it needed fixing up, but did it have to be made ugly?! Anybody besides me notice it's not exactly thriving under its new ownership?) Besides, that's basically another mall. Next?
We have Whole Foods. That's unique. Nobody else in the region can say that. But is it enough to build sense of community around the fact that we have a pricey natural food chain represented in our midst? Probably not.
We have Fulton Avenue and its profusion of auto dealerships. Of course, there are similar areas in most of the surrounding villages. Nope. Not unique.
Here's something: The boundary currently proposed by incorporation fans eliminates direct access from "Arden Arcade" to the American River parkway. The region's crown jewel would no longer be one of our boundaries. Sad, but not much of an identifier.
We do have terrible public transit coverage -- even worse than most of the region. That's unique. Except for a few parts of "Arden Arcade", you can't manage without a car or a whole lot of money for cab fare -- or the health and vitality to walk or pedal around.
Is that what makes us who we are? Being either healthy or well-off? That can't be it. We have our own street people, after all, plus folks barely surviving in Section 8 housing, and folks in wheelchairs. So, that's pretty much like everybody else's community, too.
So, is it possible that we aren't unique at all? If so, is that so terrible? Is it a bad thing to comfortably meld with the city and other surrounding communities?
I hope you got around to listening to the Capital Public Radio Insight program that addressed "Arden Arcade" incorporation. If you did, you know that one of the things that would indicate that cityhood is appropriate is for the community is to have some characteristic that distinguishes it from the surrounding community. Right away, that got me trying to think of what characteristics "Arden Arcade" might have that would set it apart, and I have to say I was pretty much stumped. I stopped working on the question, but it kept resurfacing in my mind since then.
In today's column, Alcala tosses out the question of what the "Arden Arcade" motto or slogan might be. Well, I have several ideas, all tongue-in-cheek, which I'll be sending to him. But his question got me ruminating about our community again.
Aside from the green signs that magically appeared a few years ago, I frankly can't tell when I pass between Sacramento the city to Arden Arcade the community to Carmichael the community. There are neighborhoods within each of these communities that are radically different from one another, but that is typical of the entire region. Cross Watt Avenue from Arden Manor to Arden Park and you'll think you crossed the border to a different country. Wander from there down to, say, Wilhaggin, and you'll think you've left the planet. Drive some miles along Fair Oaks Boulevard into deepest, darkest Carmichael and you'll wonder if you somehow lost your way and ended up in Meadowview or Del Paso Heights. In other words, there's no "other side of the tracks" in the Sacramento region. It's all a crazy quilt of eras and incomes and attitudes.
When people who don't live in or near "Arden Arcade" want to know where I live I say "near Carmichael". They know where that is. Other answers require further explanation. If I say "Garden of the Gods" they indicate they've heard of such a place, but don't know where it is. Since it's an interesting sounding place, they then really want to know just where it is. Frankly, I get tired of describing just where that is to people who don't actually have a need to get there just then.
This would seem to point toward the need to give the area a distinct name that people will recognize, and therefore we should become a city so we can be our own entity. I would argue that it's possible to give the space between other entities a name of its own without incorporating it. For instance, you can put up green signs bearing whatever name the committee came up with whether it actually makes sense or not. I've said it before and I'll say it again and again, "Arden Arcade" is a dumb name that sounds like a place to play video games. I think we should call the place Arden. Clean, clear, concise, plus it happens to correspond with the name of one of the main streets that runs clear through it. Arden. But that's just my opinion.
So, back to what's unique about "Arden Arcade". We have Arden Fair. A mall. Everybody's got a mall. Try again. We have Country Club Plaza. (Well, some might say we don't anymore. Certainly not the Plaza we knew and loved. Sure, it needed fixing up, but did it have to be made ugly?! Anybody besides me notice it's not exactly thriving under its new ownership?) Besides, that's basically another mall. Next?
We have Whole Foods. That's unique. Nobody else in the region can say that. But is it enough to build sense of community around the fact that we have a pricey natural food chain represented in our midst? Probably not.
We have Fulton Avenue and its profusion of auto dealerships. Of course, there are similar areas in most of the surrounding villages. Nope. Not unique.
Here's something: The boundary currently proposed by incorporation fans eliminates direct access from "Arden Arcade" to the American River parkway. The region's crown jewel would no longer be one of our boundaries. Sad, but not much of an identifier.
We do have terrible public transit coverage -- even worse than most of the region. That's unique. Except for a few parts of "Arden Arcade", you can't manage without a car or a whole lot of money for cab fare -- or the health and vitality to walk or pedal around.
Is that what makes us who we are? Being either healthy or well-off? That can't be it. We have our own street people, after all, plus folks barely surviving in Section 8 housing, and folks in wheelchairs. So, that's pretty much like everybody else's community, too.
So, is it possible that we aren't unique at all? If so, is that so terrible? Is it a bad thing to comfortably meld with the city and other surrounding communities?
Monday, June 11, 2007
School's Out For Summer
That's the song that entered my head when I noticed Starr King's Mission Avenue gate was locked today. Alice Cooper's "School's Out" suggests that school's out forever, blown to pieces, and nobody's going back. Realistically, though, school's out; do you know where your kids are? Are you sure you know? Don't get too cocky. They're tricky devils sometimes.
Sorry to say, there's a really good chance your kids -- yes, yours! -- are out drinking or worse. As local "litter-gitters", Hubby and I have found several likely spots where your kids -- yes, yours! -- have been partying. They've been partying all school year, and now they're partying more. That means way more recyclables for us to cash in, but I'll tell you, there's some scary stuff out there. The second scariest thing we've found during one of our clean-ups was what I call a nookie nest with a blanket and numerous empty containers of personal lubricant. The scariest part was the absence of any evidence of condom use.
It's not that we relish the prospect of cleaning up your kids' -- yes, yours! -- used condoms. It's not that we think they should be having sex in any form while they're still kids. But I'd rather pick up their condom detritus than have them pick up something worse. And the truth is, kids are kids are kids -- yes, yours! Kids experiment. Kids succumb to peer pressure. Kids rebel. They really, really do. Ours did/do and yours do too.
So, when was the last time you discussed substance abuse and sex and safe driving habits with your kids? Yes, yours!
Want to know the bar-none single scariest thing we've found while out there cleaning up? Empty liquor and prescription bottles lying side by side on the river bank.
Please talk to your kids. I don't mean lecture them. Take them fishing or hiking or something else you both like to do, and just talk about stuff. Better yet, listen.
Sorry to say, there's a really good chance your kids -- yes, yours! -- are out drinking or worse. As local "litter-gitters", Hubby and I have found several likely spots where your kids -- yes, yours! -- have been partying. They've been partying all school year, and now they're partying more. That means way more recyclables for us to cash in, but I'll tell you, there's some scary stuff out there. The second scariest thing we've found during one of our clean-ups was what I call a nookie nest with a blanket and numerous empty containers of personal lubricant. The scariest part was the absence of any evidence of condom use.
It's not that we relish the prospect of cleaning up your kids' -- yes, yours! -- used condoms. It's not that we think they should be having sex in any form while they're still kids. But I'd rather pick up their condom detritus than have them pick up something worse. And the truth is, kids are kids are kids -- yes, yours! Kids experiment. Kids succumb to peer pressure. Kids rebel. They really, really do. Ours did/do and yours do too.
So, when was the last time you discussed substance abuse and sex and safe driving habits with your kids? Yes, yours!
Want to know the bar-none single scariest thing we've found while out there cleaning up? Empty liquor and prescription bottles lying side by side on the river bank.
Please talk to your kids. I don't mean lecture them. Take them fishing or hiking or something else you both like to do, and just talk about stuff. Better yet, listen.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Art Fiesta
The annual Art Fiesta fund-raising event is coming up this weekend, marking its 49th year and the distinction of having always been held at the same location at Town and Country Village. I am an art aficionado and have dabbled in photography, pen & ink and serigraphy; perhaps one day I will have some material worthy to submit for exhibition.
So for all the art lovers in the area, you won't have to go to downtown Sacramento, Old Sac or San Francisco to enjoy this bit of culture. More information can be found by clicking here.
So for all the art lovers in the area, you won't have to go to downtown Sacramento, Old Sac or San Francisco to enjoy this bit of culture. More information can be found by clicking here.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
What's With Watt?
Has anyone noticed the construction going on in the middle of Watt Avenue between Arden Way and Fair Oaks Blvd lately? I was curious, since it appeared as though an additional lane was introduced in both north and south directions, turning what were two lanes each way into three. The lanes closest to the median are closed off to traffic, however.
To satisfy my curiosity I made a couple of contacts and promptly received a response from a Senior Project Engineer at the Department of Transportation. Kudos. Here is what she had to say about the project:
To satisfy my curiosity I made a couple of contacts and promptly received a response from a Senior Project Engineer at the Department of Transportation. Kudos. Here is what she had to say about the project:
Watt Avenue Beautification, Phase 2
Teichert Construction is beginning work on the portion of medians from Fair Oaks to Arden Way. This area of the work is in a residential portion of Watt Avenue where the large amount of construction in the median would inconvenience the residents if it were to be night work. For that reason, the Department of Transportation tried to balance the large amount of work remaining this construction season and the residential area concerns. The plan of action is to only allow night work for slurry seal and striping because that is when there is the least amount of traffic in the area and it affects the entire road width. The reconstruction of the medians will be during the day after the traffic has been shifted approximately 10' away from the median. This makes construction of the median both easier for the contractor to expedite the construction and also safer for both the construction workers and the traveling public. The same number of lanes (2 through lanes in each direction) has been maintained, there is no addition or loss of capacity to this portion of the roadway.
My understanding is that some of our residents have been inconvenienced by some of the work occurring on the project. Our special provisions allowed the contractor to reconfigure the traffic lanes by grinding out the existing thermoplastic striping and painting new stripe during night work.
This night work occurred both Sunday night (5/20/07) and Monday night (5/21/07). There should not be any further night work on this project until the project is finalized in October when the Slurry Seal and final thermoplastic striping will be placed. The lane stripes and bicycle lane from Fair Oaks to Arden Way will be in the same place as before the project.
There you have it; we are getting some beautification work done in Arden Arcade. Now if only someone would address the traffic congestion through this major corridor between Interstate 80 and Highway 50, I'd be kicking up my heels. Until that happens, we can at least enjoy the scenery while crawling along during rush hour.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Long Time Resident
Please allow me to introduce myself... I'm a man who's lived many a year in this section of Sacramento County currently referred to as Arden Arcade. Coming up on a quarter century as a matter of fact. I have seen many changes during this time, not the least of which is a building boom, both residential and commercial.
- Howe 'Bout Arden was once occupied by the Saving Center and its sea of asphalt.
- Loehmann's Plaza was once an open strip mall (24-Hour Fitness and The Phone Company nightclub were there).
- Country Club Plaza and Country Club Centre both had major facelifts.
- OSH/Long's/Safeway at Arden Way near Watt Avenue did not exist.
- Krispy Kreme came... and went.
- Home Depot replaced K-Mart which replaced CompUSA on Howe Avenue.
- Homes, apartments and condos have popped up throughout the area.
Arden Arcade is where I call "home", and (please allow me this brief moment to be cliché) be it ever so humble, there's no place like it. What brought me to this Blogger site (http://ardenarcade.blogspot.com) was the curiosity of what others residing in this community were all about. Not having found many sources online in this age of the Internet, I kicked around the idea of creating my own website featuring the Arden Arcade area. To my surprise, I found that this domain name had already been registered by Sue Hobbs, another long-time Arden Arcade resident.
My original intent was to create a platform on which to rant about all the blights (a term which I have since adopted from Ms. Hobbs) I have witnessed in my neighborhood. I am sure there are pluses and minuses for every realty-defined neighborhood within Arden Arcade; mine just happens to be Arden Manor where I have seen more than my fair share of the downside.
Since I am a contributor to this blogsite, I will hope to refrain from pointing out just the pessimistic and remain receptive to those welcome silver linings that make living in Arden Arcade whole. And should I falter, I am sure Sue will be there to give me a swift kick in the reality check.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with the boundaries that delineate the Arden Arcade community, here is a map:
Here is hoping to receive feedback and contributions from others with an interest in our Arden Arcade community.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Arden is 8th best in nation in Science Olympiad
Arden Middle School took a respectable 8th place in the National competition of Science Olympiad. For details, read the Bee's coverage. Last year this team took 4th in the nation, so they might be tempted to feel a little defeated, but it seems to me that 8th in the nation is really impressive and they should be proud!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Arden Middle School takes 1st place in CA Science Olympiad
Arden Middle School took first place at the recent California Science Olympiad Tournament and is once again headed for Nationals in Wichita, Kansas May 18 and 19.
Arden's team consistently performs well, having won five NorCal State Championships in six years. The students are coached by Arden science teachers Chris Martinez, Doug Maier, Malisa Sayasy and Chris Watson.
The 22 students who are going to Wichita have held one car wash, auctioned off a Wii, and benefitted from a Jamba Juice fundraiser. They have received many direct donations, but would doubtless welcome more.
Having followed this team for a number of years, this blogger looks forward to seeing what they accomplish this year. It's a joy to know our community nurtures such inquisitive and capable minds.
Arden's team consistently performs well, having won five NorCal State Championships in six years. The students are coached by Arden science teachers Chris Martinez, Doug Maier, Malisa Sayasy and Chris Watson.
The 22 students who are going to Wichita have held one car wash, auctioned off a Wii, and benefitted from a Jamba Juice fundraiser. They have received many direct donations, but would doubtless welcome more.
Having followed this team for a number of years, this blogger looks forward to seeing what they accomplish this year. It's a joy to know our community nurtures such inquisitive and capable minds.
Litter Bugs
Litter is one of my major pet peeves. Remember the "Keep America Beautiful" and "Don't Be A Litter Bug" campaigns? I do. I also remember when Neighborhood Clean-up was a semiannual event. Yep, twice a year we hauled our junk to the curb and the magic junk hauler took it away. When we bought our home in Garden of the Gods thirteen years ago, Neighborhood Clean-up was an annual event. Now it only happens every eighteen months.
A year and a half is an awfully long time to ask people to hang on to their junk. I guess They'd rather we use the transfer stations, but have you driven to the "local" transfer stations? It's a major undertaking, as in: bring provisions and don't plan to do anything else that day. Plus, our sedan is not ideal for hauling. Plus, it costs money to take stuff to the transfer stations.
I'm beginning to understand why people's junk is appearing more and more on road sidings and in creeks. I don't like it, but I begin to grasp it. Now we need to solve it, and don't tell me the solution is to incorporate! I'm willing to pay a modest increase in my county utility fees to have more frequent Neighborhood Clean-ups. I suspect most people would agree.
That doesn't address the gulp-munch-toss mentality that accounts for so much of what I see along our surface streets. If the county is clever, and if it's serious about discouraging voters from opting for incorporation, they'll increase the frequency of Clean-ups, organize community clean-up workdays one Saturday a month, and launch a campaign to remind folks that it's uncool to litter.
A year and a half is an awfully long time to ask people to hang on to their junk. I guess They'd rather we use the transfer stations, but have you driven to the "local" transfer stations? It's a major undertaking, as in: bring provisions and don't plan to do anything else that day. Plus, our sedan is not ideal for hauling. Plus, it costs money to take stuff to the transfer stations.
I'm beginning to understand why people's junk is appearing more and more on road sidings and in creeks. I don't like it, but I begin to grasp it. Now we need to solve it, and don't tell me the solution is to incorporate! I'm willing to pay a modest increase in my county utility fees to have more frequent Neighborhood Clean-ups. I suspect most people would agree.
That doesn't address the gulp-munch-toss mentality that accounts for so much of what I see along our surface streets. If the county is clever, and if it's serious about discouraging voters from opting for incorporation, they'll increase the frequency of Clean-ups, organize community clean-up workdays one Saturday a month, and launch a campaign to remind folks that it's uncool to litter.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Your cozy fire: the other second-hand smoke
We have a fireplace. In the 13 years we've owned our home, we've used it once. It's a lousy fireplace. For one thing, it draws from the interior of the house, so it sucks the heat out. For another, it spews smoke into the house. Yep. It draws air into the bottom of the fireplace and spews smoke out the top. We're told there are various remedies for this, but we haven't pursued them. When we want a romantic glow from the hearth, we light candles in it.
So, why haven't we pursued remedies that would allow us to enjoy cozy, crackling fires in the fireplace? It's a little thing we call "doing unto others". See, soon after moving into this neighborhood, we noticed that some of our neighbors were using their fireplaces as major sources of heat. When we went for walks near those houses, my bronchi tightened up and I started to wheeze. We learned to avoid walking near those houses.
Alas, the neighbors across the street from us have taken to using their fireplace as a major source of heat. Because we don't have dual paned windows and our poor old front door is warped, the smoke from their chimney comes right into our house. While we save our nickels and dimes until we can replace the windows and doors, we seal the windows with plastic sheeting and masking tape. It isn't elegant, but it isn't hideous either. As for the door, well, it wasn't really bad until this winter. Something inside that 50+-year-old door finally gave out and the thing isn't nearly flat anymore. We discovered this when we replaced the old weather stripping. The door can no longer be sealed by conventional methods.
So, one cold day this winter when the smoke was closing my bronchi and making me wheeze in the sanctuary of my own home, I sealed the doorway with masking tape. It worked, plus it make a really interesting noise when we opened the door. We had to add tape here and there through the winter as the normal use of the door reduced the stickiness of the masking tape. It was worth it in order to have my home be a place where I could -- you know -- breathe.
Spring arrived. The harlequins and irises burst into bloom. The heater stopping coming on. The neighbors had their chimney swept. With joy, I removed the masking tape from the door, and even opened the doors and windows to let the sweet spring breezes into the house.
A cold front has come in. It's cold out there, folks. This morning I smelled smoke. In the house. My bronchi, having had some time to relax and heal, mercifully refrained from constricting. Still, the masking tape is back around the door and, frankly, I'm peeved.
It's one thing to keep a fire going in rural areas, but in urban and suburban areas, prolonged use of fireplaces is inappropriate and unneighborly. I subscribe to email alerts from the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. You can subscribe too by clicking on that link. They used to only issue alerts about ozone during the summer months, but now they also monitor particulate matter and send alerts about that. I regret I didn't keep careful track, but I can tell you that the times when I was alerted to hazardous levels of particulate matter in the air, it was nearly always due to levels detected at their Del Paso Manor monitoring station -- the one in Arden Arcade.
There are gizmos that are supposed to render fireplace smoke relatively harmless. I don't know how well they work, but if you live in Arden Arcade and you use your fireplace, I'd really like you to get one. We just replaced our gas mower with an electric one, we never use barbecue starter fluid, and we've sworn off the use of Weed and Feed, in part for your sakes as well as our own. Let's all be good neighbors and make a real effort to protect one another from known hazards.
My bronchi will thank you.
So, why haven't we pursued remedies that would allow us to enjoy cozy, crackling fires in the fireplace? It's a little thing we call "doing unto others". See, soon after moving into this neighborhood, we noticed that some of our neighbors were using their fireplaces as major sources of heat. When we went for walks near those houses, my bronchi tightened up and I started to wheeze. We learned to avoid walking near those houses.
Alas, the neighbors across the street from us have taken to using their fireplace as a major source of heat. Because we don't have dual paned windows and our poor old front door is warped, the smoke from their chimney comes right into our house. While we save our nickels and dimes until we can replace the windows and doors, we seal the windows with plastic sheeting and masking tape. It isn't elegant, but it isn't hideous either. As for the door, well, it wasn't really bad until this winter. Something inside that 50+-year-old door finally gave out and the thing isn't nearly flat anymore. We discovered this when we replaced the old weather stripping. The door can no longer be sealed by conventional methods.
So, one cold day this winter when the smoke was closing my bronchi and making me wheeze in the sanctuary of my own home, I sealed the doorway with masking tape. It worked, plus it make a really interesting noise when we opened the door. We had to add tape here and there through the winter as the normal use of the door reduced the stickiness of the masking tape. It was worth it in order to have my home be a place where I could -- you know -- breathe.
Spring arrived. The harlequins and irises burst into bloom. The heater stopping coming on. The neighbors had their chimney swept. With joy, I removed the masking tape from the door, and even opened the doors and windows to let the sweet spring breezes into the house.
A cold front has come in. It's cold out there, folks. This morning I smelled smoke. In the house. My bronchi, having had some time to relax and heal, mercifully refrained from constricting. Still, the masking tape is back around the door and, frankly, I'm peeved.
It's one thing to keep a fire going in rural areas, but in urban and suburban areas, prolonged use of fireplaces is inappropriate and unneighborly. I subscribe to email alerts from the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. You can subscribe too by clicking on that link. They used to only issue alerts about ozone during the summer months, but now they also monitor particulate matter and send alerts about that. I regret I didn't keep careful track, but I can tell you that the times when I was alerted to hazardous levels of particulate matter in the air, it was nearly always due to levels detected at their Del Paso Manor monitoring station -- the one in Arden Arcade.
There are gizmos that are supposed to render fireplace smoke relatively harmless. I don't know how well they work, but if you live in Arden Arcade and you use your fireplace, I'd really like you to get one. We just replaced our gas mower with an electric one, we never use barbecue starter fluid, and we've sworn off the use of Weed and Feed, in part for your sakes as well as our own. Let's all be good neighbors and make a real effort to protect one another from known hazards.
My bronchi will thank you.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Voting on cityhood
Been out of town and getting caught up.
The April 12 Bee (Metro section) announced the marginal success of the petition drive to bring Arden Arcade incorporation to a vote. It was mighty close, with only 141 signatures over the 9439 required to put the question on the ballot. I understand that's not unusual for petition drives staffed by paid signature gatherers.
I never get a warm, fuzzy feeling about paid signature gatherers. Having interacted with a number of them through the decades, I much prefer to speak with people who are enthused about their cause and willing to spend time discussing and explaining their position. Paid gatherers only talk to me long enough to see if I'm going to sign right away. If I want more information, they hand me a flier and rush to the next prospect.
The truth is, I really question the use of paid signature gatherers. It seems to me that if a cause lacks the volunteers to do the foot work, but has enough money to pay people to do it for them, something's amiss. I've been one of the volunteer "foot workers", rapping my knuckles raw on door after door for a cause in which I believed deeply. I enjoyed interacting with people -- informing those who wanted to know more, the mutual pleasure of encountering those who were already in agreement, wishing a good day to those who politely disagreed, and even wishing a good day to those who not-so-politely disagreed.
I've always been suspicious of causes that seem to have all the money they need. I wonder about the real motivations of the supporters. Whatever the cause purports to represent, I wonder whether it's really about money or power or both.
Besides, it doesn't seem quite sporting to drastically outspend people with whom you disagree. Just because you have the money to get what you want doesn't make you right, and doesn't mean you're acting in the best interests of the wider community. It isn't an even playing field -- not even at the polls. More often than not, voters enter the polls with visions of glossy mailings and polished TV and radio spots dancing in their heads, rather than open debates and informational forums.
One of the things that really confuses me about this cityhood issue is the mere fact of who supports it and who doesn't. I'm accustomed to seeing rather clear lines drawn between, say, "haves" and "have nots", between business interests and environmentalists, between right and left... I don't see clear distinctions here. Am I missing something?
The county opposes the idea, naturally, having a vested interest in keeping things the way they are. The county is even paying big bucks (of our tax money) to a major car dealership to remain in Arden Arcade, but only as long as Arden Arcade doesn't incorporate. That seems wrong to me on so many levels that it's almost enough to make me pro-incorporation. Almost.
The incorporation proponents carved the neighborhoods south of American River Drive out of the equation because they knew the residents there were opposed to the idea and had the money and power to fight them. And that seems wrong to me on so many levels that it's almost enough to make me anti-incorporation. Almost.
Alas, we've got the rich and powerful disagreeing with the rich and powerful, and that's just too confusing for my not-rich and not-powerful comprehension. They're breaking the rules. We're supposed to be Us and They're supposed to be Them, but They aren't being consistently Them, which leaves me wondering just who They are and just who We are.
Well, at least I know who I am. I am someone who chose to buy a home in an unincorporated area. I am content with things the way they are. I can afford to live here. Law enforcement and especially first-aid and fire response seem quite sufficient on the whole. Nothing the pro-incorporation folks have said has convinced me of the need to incorporate. And no, I don't want to become part of the existing City of Sacramento, either.
That said, it is very early in the process. Incorporation is a really big deal that ought to be very carefully considered from every angle before it's decided. My hope is that the choices we make as a community will be based on real dialogue, not demagoguery or on who outspends whom.
The April 12 Bee (Metro section) announced the marginal success of the petition drive to bring Arden Arcade incorporation to a vote. It was mighty close, with only 141 signatures over the 9439 required to put the question on the ballot. I understand that's not unusual for petition drives staffed by paid signature gatherers.
I never get a warm, fuzzy feeling about paid signature gatherers. Having interacted with a number of them through the decades, I much prefer to speak with people who are enthused about their cause and willing to spend time discussing and explaining their position. Paid gatherers only talk to me long enough to see if I'm going to sign right away. If I want more information, they hand me a flier and rush to the next prospect.
The truth is, I really question the use of paid signature gatherers. It seems to me that if a cause lacks the volunteers to do the foot work, but has enough money to pay people to do it for them, something's amiss. I've been one of the volunteer "foot workers", rapping my knuckles raw on door after door for a cause in which I believed deeply. I enjoyed interacting with people -- informing those who wanted to know more, the mutual pleasure of encountering those who were already in agreement, wishing a good day to those who politely disagreed, and even wishing a good day to those who not-so-politely disagreed.
I've always been suspicious of causes that seem to have all the money they need. I wonder about the real motivations of the supporters. Whatever the cause purports to represent, I wonder whether it's really about money or power or both.
Besides, it doesn't seem quite sporting to drastically outspend people with whom you disagree. Just because you have the money to get what you want doesn't make you right, and doesn't mean you're acting in the best interests of the wider community. It isn't an even playing field -- not even at the polls. More often than not, voters enter the polls with visions of glossy mailings and polished TV and radio spots dancing in their heads, rather than open debates and informational forums.
One of the things that really confuses me about this cityhood issue is the mere fact of who supports it and who doesn't. I'm accustomed to seeing rather clear lines drawn between, say, "haves" and "have nots", between business interests and environmentalists, between right and left... I don't see clear distinctions here. Am I missing something?
The county opposes the idea, naturally, having a vested interest in keeping things the way they are. The county is even paying big bucks (of our tax money) to a major car dealership to remain in Arden Arcade, but only as long as Arden Arcade doesn't incorporate. That seems wrong to me on so many levels that it's almost enough to make me pro-incorporation. Almost.
The incorporation proponents carved the neighborhoods south of American River Drive out of the equation because they knew the residents there were opposed to the idea and had the money and power to fight them. And that seems wrong to me on so many levels that it's almost enough to make me anti-incorporation. Almost.
Alas, we've got the rich and powerful disagreeing with the rich and powerful, and that's just too confusing for my not-rich and not-powerful comprehension. They're breaking the rules. We're supposed to be Us and They're supposed to be Them, but They aren't being consistently Them, which leaves me wondering just who They are and just who We are.
Well, at least I know who I am. I am someone who chose to buy a home in an unincorporated area. I am content with things the way they are. I can afford to live here. Law enforcement and especially first-aid and fire response seem quite sufficient on the whole. Nothing the pro-incorporation folks have said has convinced me of the need to incorporate. And no, I don't want to become part of the existing City of Sacramento, either.
That said, it is very early in the process. Incorporation is a really big deal that ought to be very carefully considered from every angle before it's decided. My hope is that the choices we make as a community will be based on real dialogue, not demagoguery or on who outspends whom.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Capital Public Radio Incorporation Discussion
Today CPR's Insight program discussed the possibility of turning Arden Arcade into a city. If you missed the broadcast, you can listen to it at this link. I found the program informative and encourage all Arden Arcade residents to listen.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Sidewalks in Arden Arcade
A fellow Arden Arcade resident who prefers to remain anonymous has brought the following to my attention. Not being on a street directly impacted, I've been blissfully ignorant of the controversy.
My two cents: I've long believed more sidewalks were needed adjacent to schools where students are currently forced to step into the street beside fast traffic. I never thought such work should be done at the expense of the homeonwners, though, and I would hate to see too many streets "sidewalked". It would ruin the rural feel of the area.
I would like to see segments of main routes such as Arden Way and Eastern Avenue "sidewalked" where there's no frontage road, but again, not at individual homeowners' expense. Adding sidewalks is a safety measure that benefits all pedestrians and even encourages people to walk instead of drive. Because this improves quality of life for all of us, I think we should all share the cost of installing needed sidewalks.
I would hate to see beautiful trees removed to accommodate sidewalks. Perhaps we could get creative about winding walkways around trees. I'm sure I've seen this done in parts of Berkeley and San Francisco. It looks quaint, really.
Comments encouraged! Just click on "comments" and tell us what you think!
The sidewalk issue concerns the County Supervisors' Draft Pedestrian Master Plan that would require sidewalks to be installed on certain designated streets in the county. Sidewalks would be installed at the owner's expense. Trees in the way could be removed. Both sides of a street could be affected. In Arden Park, this would change the character of the neighborhood and could be more than what's really needed to address any pedestrian safety issues.
At a hearing on March 20, 2007, the Supervisors approved a motion to remove consideration of sidewalks on residential streets in Arden Park from the Master Plan and to circulate the draft Environmental Impact Report on the plan. If this is the final resolution, this sounds OK (at least for Arden Park). However, the Supervisors could vote to change the Master Plan later if they want. A followup Board meeting is scheduled for August 21, 2007 at 2:15 pm to hear public comments and vote on approval of the final plan. Residents are being encouraged to attend to voice their opinion.
My two cents: I've long believed more sidewalks were needed adjacent to schools where students are currently forced to step into the street beside fast traffic. I never thought such work should be done at the expense of the homeonwners, though, and I would hate to see too many streets "sidewalked". It would ruin the rural feel of the area.
I would like to see segments of main routes such as Arden Way and Eastern Avenue "sidewalked" where there's no frontage road, but again, not at individual homeowners' expense. Adding sidewalks is a safety measure that benefits all pedestrians and even encourages people to walk instead of drive. Because this improves quality of life for all of us, I think we should all share the cost of installing needed sidewalks.
I would hate to see beautiful trees removed to accommodate sidewalks. Perhaps we could get creative about winding walkways around trees. I'm sure I've seen this done in parts of Berkeley and San Francisco. It looks quaint, really.
Comments encouraged! Just click on "comments" and tell us what you think!
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