We were lucky we found parking in Midtown Sacramento. Several streets were blocked off to traffic and packed with people mingling by tables of art, tchotchkes and fliers for future events.

It was my first Second Saturday and it was delightful.

I enjoyed listening to a DJ mixing Lady Gaga outside of Plum Blossom as another artist spray-paints the final touches on his canvas.

Before the pulsing dance club beats, we heard tabla drumming outside of McMartin Realty on K Street. That’s where we enjoyed a belly dancing performance as others browsed the photography and jewelery booths nearby.

Finally on 21st Street, we watched Art Lessing and the Flower Vato play outside of Time Tested Books.

This week, I fell in love with Tiropita.

I couldn’t stop snacking on the savory Greek cheese puffs inside our newsroom. It was all part of our tasty preview of the 46th Annual Greek Festival in Sacramento. It runs today and tomorrow at the Sac Convention Center.

Bop your head to live music, check out some cool trinkets and art booths and bring an appetite because there’s plenty of yummy food – gyros, baklava and more.

Happy NBA Draft Day!
Who’s on tap to bring the Sacramento Kings back to their glory days?

This afternoon, Jason Thompson’s inviting basketball fans to a Draft Party at ARCO Arena. This player may be tweeting his thoughts on today’s draft as well.

Draft time!!!!!! Who should your team draft & why????

That’s a tweet from Chris Webber from the other day.. I’m also following this former Kings Player on Twitter.

Looks like this is going to be an interesting Draft Day.

Talk about a Top Dog!

The San Francisco Chronicle reports a Sacramento Wiener dog wins one of the heats at the Wiener Nationals dog race regionals.

[From the San Francisco Chronicle]
Check out Downtown Beans, the 2008 Champ. He’s so fast!

I saw my first Wierner dog race at last year’s Picnic Days. It’s a fun tradition at U.C. Davis and the racers are so cute!

Here’s a shot of my car, stuck in traffic before the Yolo Causeway on Friday. Then it started raining in the middle of my ride home.

OK. It was more like a drizzle. Still, it’s June. This weather doesn’t feel like Summer. I want to break out the tank tops and shorts. Instead, I’m grabbing a sweater before leaving the house.

I’m ready for hot weather.
Are you?

Waking up and serving up some tech goodies for you.

First up – Apple Fanatics, rejoice. At 10 AM, the new Apple store will open its doors in Roseville.

[From the Roseville Press-Tribune]
Bring on the Apple Fans! A few years ago, I covered the opening of the first Apple Store in Europe.

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This is outside the Bread Factory on J Street. Poor puppy hoping for some leftovers.

Now, imagine, Free Gift Cards.
And no strings attached.

Today, Inter-Cal Real Estate is giving away $20.00 gift cards to the first 300 people standing in line at these locations. It starts at 10 AM.

• Folsom Faire – 671 E. Bidwell Street, Folsom – Grocery Outlet
• Folsom Central – 1151 Riley St, Folsom. -Round Table Pizza
• Sunrise Festival I – 7929 Greenback Lane, Citrus Heights – BevMo
• Sunrise Festival II – 7929 Greenback Lane, Citrus Heights – BevMo
• Greenback Square – 8065 Greenback Lane, Citrus Heights – Play It Again Sports
• LakeCrest Village – 1040 Florin Road, Sacramento – Nugget Market

According to the press release, the Sacramento company wants to help out people who are trying to get by in the middle of this recession. This is damn cool idea.

Waking up to sunny skies and windy weather.
Feels like spring.

On Tax Day, some liquid relief from those tax forms: Tres Agaves is opening a new location in Roseville on that day. Yum! After paying Uncle Same, a Tequila flight may help!

Later this month, I’m also looking forward to the live broadcast of “This American Life.” Capital Public Radio carries the Chicago-based show on Saturdays. Each week, the show produces some amazing stories revolving around one theme. Those stories always hit a nerve. They’re often funny, sad, insightful and deeply personal.

So…on April 23:

Ira Glass will host an actual episode of the radio program, performed onstage by some of our favorite contributors. Dan Savage, Starlee Kine, and Mike Birbiglia will tell stories. David Rakoff and Dave Hill will conduct a ‘special investigation.’ Plus a new cartoon by Chris Ware, additional visuals by Arthur Jones, and a very special appearance by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! The performance will last around two hours. We’re going to capture the whole thing with a bunch of HD cameras, and send it live* to movie theatres all over the country.

Sacramento will have several theaters carrying the live broadcast:

• Natomas Marketplace
• Sacramento Downtown Plaza 7
• Sacramento Greenback Lane 16
• Sacramento Stadium 14

Tune in!

OK. The College Basketball Season is now dead to me.

Thanks to my vampire schedule, I got to watch my Bears play and fail in Kansas City. All in the privacy of my own home. Where no one can hear me scream at the flat-screen TV.
It’s probably better that way.

We’re less than 24 hours away from Spring. I looking forward to spending more time outside.

I like checking out the blooming trees on my walks around downtown Sacramento. I also started my own veggie garden at home. I guess I can’t wait for the Farmer’s Market to open back up at Chavez Park. We’ll see if I have a green thumb or if I should be kept out of the yard.

Are you Twittering yet?
Then here’s another pre-Spring activity for you: meeting up with new people from social networking sites. Tonight in Roseville, the Boxing Donkey’s hosting the next Sactweetup. I wish I could go, but it’s past my bedtime. Sounds like the first Sactweetup had about a nice turnout.

Today, we got a bit of a break from the wet weather in Sacramento.

I enjoyed the sunshine, blue skies and a roast beef sandwich at La Bou on 9th St. Then I walked back to work with a couple of raindrops on my head. I know California needs the rain. Still, I appreciate any sunny day as we finish up these last weeks of Winter.

Here’s a look at the soggy start to our work week. On Monday, I took a break from the drive home and checked out the Yolo Causeway.

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