The latest news about the 19-year-old who escaped from the courthouse Tuesday is almost as bad as trying to represent yourself in court when you have no law degree–even when you have a law degree, things can get tricky. But this one…”breaking news” item about the alleged escapee calling the Sacramento Bee to discuss his case amazes me. I guess he’s watched too many movies and wanted to tell his side of the story. I think being convicted of car theft would come with a lesser sentence than evading arrest, etcetera and becoming a fugitive.

It’s just one more mistake in the domino game this guy is playing. One after the other, it all comes down.

I have a lovely daughter who rocks the academic world of elementary school. She’s gone to Phoebe Hearst for the past three years. The first two were pretty homework-intensive, and there were several nights of crying at the table as I tried to ensure that she finished up that last page of math problems. This year’s been a bit easier, as perhaps we’ve gotten a less-grueling teacher.

But, there ain’t much enrichment at Phoebe. Minimal music, no drama (although the talent show is next Friday–come one, come all!) And that’s frustrating. So, I’m going to check out Caleb Greenwood tomorrow, which has more art, more music, two drama productions per year. Caleb’s scores are significantly less than Phoebe’s, however–an API rank of 7 instead of 10, 794 opposed to Phoebe’s 920.

So here’s the dilemma: do we move the munchkin to a school where she very well may be less challenged academically in order to boost the other fuzzy stuff? Or do we keep her where she is and revel in her being one of the smartest kids at one of the best schools in Sacramento? Anyway, who’s to say that Caleb is any less focused on test scores?

Insight, anyone?

An accident a few weeks back claimed the lives of two local performers from the American River College theater program, 18 year old Jenna Faeth and, a few days later, 24 year old Andy Hoover, who died as a result of injuries sustained in the single-car accident just outside Madera. The two, along with two more ARC students who survived, were traveling back from a festival at CSU Los Angeles in time for a Sunday rehearsal at ARC.

Information about Hoover’s memorial service and a memorial fund established at ARC can be found in today’s Bee.

Click here for more on Jenna Faeth, who was to star in the play they were to rehearse for.

I have never been a fan of the typical suburban moms I run into at my kids’ school. On one recent occasion, I was waiting for my daughter and the mother of another little girl was complaining…loudly…about the onset of her daughter’s menses. Did I want to know this? No. Would her daughter be mortified that everyone in the hall waiting for their kids heard the complaints? Probably.

So when a coworker of mine handed me a bookmark for the Sac Bee’s sacmomsclub.com, I told her I’d look at the website. And you can too, if that’s your thing. I went to the site, and well, yawn. But then I started thinking about Sacramento Moms…and who might be inducted into a real Sacramento ‘mom club.’ Here are a few nominations for well-known local moms…

There’s the mother who drank the water for the Wii contest and died.

There’s the mom who recently gave up her baby to Fire Station No. 4. (And there was another mom who did this recently, too–different Fire Station)

There’s the mother up the hill who (allegedly) drowned her baby in the bathtub.

I wish I had more examples of ‘upbeat’ moms.

Do you know of any notable moms in Sacramento?

Mostly bubonic, actually. Seems like a third of the people I know in Sacramento are laid up or have been laid up by this Dark-Ages flu. Heck, it even smacked me around like a small child and I can’t recall the last time I was sick for more than two days. Has there been an uptick of fleas? Rats? Monks hitting themselves in the forehead with boards while chanting in the streets?

Repent, for the end is near.

Also, with regard to the last post, let us all revel in the joy that is fuh2!

If you find yourself wondering where all the Hummers have gone…I know. I’ve seen a convoy of them. They’re all zooming along Truxel Road, gliding into the wasteland foreclosure city Natomas. Not only was Hummer the vehicle of choice, but the next most frequently observed model was the illustrious Ford Bronco, not to be outdone by the Ford F-150.

No wonder that part of the city is destined to be flooded. Isn’t hedonism and outrageous behaviour why Noah had to build his ark? Thank goodness Noah got a heads up that the flood was coming. Natomas got a heads up too…and yet the convoys of gas-hogging excessiveness continues.

Newsflash: Hummers don’t float. Probably not a good choice when the levees fail.

So it seems our local Senator (well, for many of us) is going to be the new President Pro Tempore of the State Senate.

That’s pretty good for us. And the State since Senator Steinberg is well-respected and well-liked (an unusual and infrequent combination around town). Go Sac!

So a local cigar shop banned the Governor and landed on the news! Ooooh, aren’t they brilliant.

Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t vote for the Governor. I’m a tried and true Gray Davis fan. Yeah, we exist. But this kind of crap is kind of mind-numbing. See, a cigar shop was angry that Schwarzenegger supported healthcare reform would’ve raised tobacco taxes again, so he’s hung signs around his shop telling the Gov to keep out. The Governor has never been there, but his handlers have, supposedly.

“You can’t smoke a cigar and support the tobacco tax,” says the shop owner. Actually, I think you can. In fact, it may be the best kind of support around. It’s more meaningful than me saying “sure, tax tobacco” because I don’t use tobacco products, so easy for me to say, right?

Now, I support businesses around the Tower Theater doing what they need to do to survive because local businesses are good for the city - even if I don’t happen to buy what they sell. But I don’t support spreading misinformation (the bill against which the owner is protesting died in the Senate already) about legislation or the process to do it.

I was sitting on the steps of the Community Center Theatre this afternoon, enjoying a box lunch from La Bou after sitting through a meeting on Health Care at the Capitol. The sun was fine, and I was enjoying the passing parade.

As is de rigueur in these situations, I got panhandled by a guy in sunglasses and baseball hat: “Do you have any spare change so I can get something to eat?” “Sorry…”

I finished my sandwich as the guy made his way up L Street. Realizing that there was no way I was going to eat the included pasta salad in the plastic cup, I had an ersatz impulse. I caught up to our hungry protagonist, and offered said pasta salad to him. His response floored me:

“I can’t eat that. I’m allergic.”

Only in California, folks. Only in California.

I can’t even do justice to how yummy my lunch was today at Kabul Kabob. Chicken, potatoes, rice, more rice, cauliflower, black tea, random sausage things, beef and vegetables wrapped up in something that looked suspiciously like a burrito. And a tomato/onion salad with yogurt dressing that I could eat quite happily every day for the rest of my life.

$8.99 gets you all you can eat at their lunch buffet, which runs 11:30-2pm. I told a friend about this find, and he replied, “Oh yeah. I’ve eaten there on consecutive days. I had a few too many double-plate days, so I’ve actually had to cut back on the KK.”

If you work downtown anywhere near 8th & J, you owe it to yourself to check this place out. It’s great.