What was once a stinky mess is now a stinky, messy way to produce enough energy for 10 households, courtesy of researchers at UC Davis who have found a way to turn food waste into useable energy.

Right now, the whole production is housed behind five 10,000 gallon sealed tanks - so I guess the idea is to hide the stink and the mess away from those who would consume the energy produced by the little buggers (bacteria who thrive in an oxygen free environment, here’s an article that explains a bit more about this particular kind of bugger) inside the tanks who are eating loads and loads of food waste.

The coolest thing about the project - again, still in its infancy - is that the bugs power more than 10 times enough energy to run the process itself. So, producing energy this way is self-sufficient. I likey.

The article notes lots of kinks to work out yet - including whether or not a solid-waste operation permit would be required to run one. But, think about where this will take us, assuming (as I think we should) that this is the dawning of a new era.

No more black outs. Just a lot more take out.

Hehehehehehe.

When you read a nationally focused article on housing sales and one of the “fasting-falling” markets is your own hometown, you might start wondering if the boom has finally bust. There are lots o’ theories out there but a drive through of my ‘hood (Pocket/Greenhaven) on a Sunday will tell you that the homes aren’t moving all that fast. There are multitudes of homes sitting out there, all waiting at over-ripe prices. Every corner seemed to have a sign proclaiming “Open House” or “$500 down moves you in, 100% financing O.A.C.”

We’re not in the market to buy a house right now–rather, we’re looking for a larger rental. One of the homes we looked at is being offered for rent at a modest $1250. It’s in a good neighborhood, on a nice quiet street. The gargantuan home across the way is for sale, however…and for kicks we grabbed the flyer. It’s a 4 bedroom place and the asking price is over half a million. Well. Ain’t that a price? Sacramento Land(ing), a local Real Estate focused blog has an article about price peaks in the area. I suspect that house will be on the market for some time–unless perhaps the toilet and bathroom fixtures are lined with gold. Or maybe they’ve simply “upgraded” their kitchen to Corian countertops. That should be worth, oh, an extra 50 grand on the purchase price. Or maybe I’m just out of touch.

Any dieter can sympathize with the young people in this week’s series in the Bee about the California weight loss boarding school. Check out the photos–they’re quite dramatic. Still, $5500 a month to teach your fat child not to sit in front of the TV or the PC (oops!) seems a little steep to me.

Tomorrow is the finale to the stories. I really hope the young lady from Orosi, CA is able to keep going and to get to a healthy size. I always wonder, though. As parents, we often end up telling our kids to be healthy when we ourselves are buying pastries and the super-duper Starbucks frosty frappe with extra whip. They learn by example. Remember the old saying, “Do as I say, not as I do”? It really is obvious when it comes to our kids.

Now, if only they’d open up a “Fat School” for us grownups–I’m sure there’d be a waiting list a mile long–and folks would be willing to pay even more than they’re paying for their kids.

One of the most courageous people from Sacramento is the “infamous” Dr. Michael Newdow. I love this guy, not only because he points out how hypocritical the American system truly is, but because he has the gumption to fight for what he believes is right. What other country blares “freedom of religion” from every loudspeaker and then favors a monotheistic approach in its Pledge, on its money, and in its policies (faith based initiatives)…? If you are not a Judeo-Christian person, you’re out of luck–you’re essentially forced to take oaths under something you may not believe in. This article in the Bee recently reawoke my respect for the man. He’s stating the obvious by saying, “I want it known that this guy lied through his teeth, this minister. I want it known that just because you’re an atheist doesn’t mean you’re bad and because you’re a Christian you’re good.” But he’ll have to keep stating the obvious, because, as a Nation, we just don’t get it.

Just saw this article online about how restaurant prices are steadily rising and $40 for an entree is becoming the standard in the restaurant world! It seems true everywhere you go…and Sacramento is no different…even a casual meal at CPK could put you back $20. Local places like Chops are not exactly cheap, and chains like Morton’s will set you back a pretty penny…plus, Morton’s does the a la carte thing where you order an entree, a salad, a potato side, and a vegetable all separately…$40 would be a STEAL there!!!

Are any of these places even worth it?

I was, randomly, in a Safeway out on Arden over the weekend where, lo and behold, in the “ethnic food” section - right there between the kosher salt and the devotional candles - was a row of UK food! There were some fun items - no American can stiffle a giggle over the wrongly-named “Spotted Dick” - but not nearly enough of the good stuff. And, though I’m used to paying too much for my biscuit fix here, paying nearly $15 for the items pictured above nearly made me fall over at the register.

In San Francisco, there was a conveniently placed small market at the end of my street with a wall of crisps, chocolates, biscuits, HP Sauce, and other treats from across the pond. But aside from the overpriced Safeway finds, and equally overpriced items at Cost Plus, there’s no reliable outlet that I’ve found here in Sacramento. Any ideas? I’ve been thinking about checking out Streets of London, but there must be somewhere to go . . . .

…is this little plastic baggie???? You have got to be kidding me!!! I took a roundtrip Southwest Flight from Sacramento to the OC this past weekend. In Sacramento, they checked my carry-on bag as usual. On my return trip at the OC airport, they informed me that I had liquids in my purse that were in the allotted limit, but they were not in a ziploc bag, so I would not be able to board unless I had them in a sealed Ziploc bag. My leftover ketchup packets and a couple of lipglosses were clearly unacceptable. The catch was that you could buy a bag from the Gift Shop…if the giftshop was open (which they were not on this typical Sunday evening). The TSA rep gave me her baggie and a stern lecture and let me on my way…problem avoided. She did miss one ketchup packet in my purse though…the T is TSA cannot stand for thorough!

How in the world does this policy make one person safer???? The only thing I saw it doing was helping the bottled water companies sine people had to leave their water bottles before going through security, but could purchase one in the sterile area after security.

Help me out here….I’ll take any explanation!

Today is the last day to get your voter registration in the mail (and POSTMARKED) if you’d like to cast a ballot on November 7. Click here for more information.

If you’ve moved, etc, don’t forget to change your registration. Also, don’t assume that an address change with DMV will cut it.

A reminder: don’t forget that if, in this flurry of last minute registrations, your name doesn’t appear on the rolls at your polling place, you ALWAYS have the right to cast a provisional ballot. Period. No matter what.

Happy voting!

California Governor’s Mansion circa 1890s, photo courtesy of CA State Parks

…or his house, that is. The Governor’s Mansion has a spooky tour for you this weekend. As you may know, the mansion hasn’t been inhabited by any governors since Jerry Brown decided to live in a bachelor’s pad across from the capitol building….but the fright goes on. For relatively cheap, you too can be regaled by ghost stories and scary decor at the mansion. The docents will be in costume as well–hopefully no one will look like Freddy or Jason or the weirdo from the Scream. I don’t think I could take it–forget about the kids, they’d probably handle it better than me! You may not know that former president Ronald Reagan was the last governor to live in the Victorian mansion–and he’s since deceased so maybe you’ll see his ghost wandering the halls…

October 27 & 28 From 6:00 to 8:30 PM
Admission: Adults $5, Ages 6-16: $3, 5 & Under: free
1526 H Street in downtown Sacramento
Call (916) 323-3047 for more information

Hi, remember me? I’m the pet you leave at home when you go to work. I get really sad staring at these walls all day. And then, when you do take me out for a walk, you try to choke me with that thingy you have on my neck. I wanted you to know that our neighbor, Alfred the Chihuahua, found out about a really cool place for us dogs and humans to hang out. It’s a park for dogs! And I don’t have to wear a leash and I can drink water fit for dogs–well, you know what I mean. I can run free! Maybe we can go this weekend? Please? Pretty please with a doggie treat on top?

Partner Off Leash dog park is located behind Belle Cooledge Community Center at 5699 South Land Park Drive, off of South Land Park Drive; park behind center.
Park Hours: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Park is 2.5 acres. Amenities include lights, bench, water, and dog waste bag dispensers