I don’t want to brag or anything, but generally, I’m a pretty good googler. I find stuff. I mean, it’s not rocket-science to type in a sentence describing what you want to find and hitting “enter” right?

Enter my lame problem: we’re trying to figure out what to plant in our dang yard. I don’t do plants. I know the names of the handful of things I find pretty (ooh, a rose – yeah, I got that one nailed), but past that, not so much.   I suppose an afternoon with a camera or paper and pen at an actual nursery would’ve proved useful, but that requires leaving the house. No good.

Finally, after fruitless google searches (lots of ads out there, not so much info), I flickr searched my way to the oracle of local landscaping flora. 

So this is a public Thank You to Green Acres Nursery and Supply (Roseville and Sacramento) for having what seems to be a comprehensive set of photos and names and even growing tips and specifications for Stuff You Might Like In Your Yard.  Helpful and pretty, too.  Excellent use of flickr resources!

While making an infrequent bulk-supply run at Costco the other day, I was surprised to see for sale gift cards for the Paragary Restaurant Group – that’s places like Paragary’s, Spataro, Esquire, and R15.  The cards, sold in packs of two $50 cards for around $75, give you a discount on a night out and give you a chance to support a more-or-less local business. (I say more-or-less not because there’s any question that it’s local, just because I think “local business” conjures up an image of a more struggling mom-and-pop operation than Randy Paragary’s Sacto restaurant mafia.)

I didn’t expect to find the local fare among the many gift cards Costco offers at a discount (stuff like movies, Starbucks, etc).  Good idea though.  And who doesn’t appreciate a discount – the Dow just fell below 8000! Ack. Be frugal. Happy Slim Holidays.

As residents in the Natomas area no doubt know by now, flood insurance is now required as the re-mapping is complete and – surprise – it’s a floodplane. Still.  If you want to learn more about the mandatory program and efforts to improve Natomas levees, you can attend a series of meetings over the next few weeks to learn more.

• Thursday, October 30 (tonight!) from 6:00-8:30pm at Two Rivers Elementary (3201 W. River Drive)
• Wednesday, November 5 from 6:00-8:30pm at Regency Park Elementary (5901 Bridgecross Drive)
• Wednesday, November 12 from 6:00-8:30pm at S. Natomas Community Center (2921 Truxel Road)
• Thursday, November 20 from 6:00-8:30pm at Inderkum High School (2500 New Market Drive)

We also suggest putting a sandbox in the backyard. Fun for the kids now, handy for the rainy season later.

You should be registered to vote by now – but if you aren’t sure – or if you aren’t sure where to vote or what you’ll be able to vote for – click here to look up your registration status with the Sacramento County Registrar.  You’ll need the address of where you think you’re registered, the zip, and your birthdate.

And don’t forget – you always have the right to cast a provisional ballot if you show up day-of and your name isn’t on the rolls.  More questions? Check out the Secretary of State’s website.

Love numbers? Like to cringe over voter participation levels since 1910? SOS has that too.

Lastly: can’t figure out who’s more full of sh*t today? Check your facts here.

As I mentioned back on Thursday, my wife and I just had an anniversary. To mark the occasion this weekend we got new tattoos. Specifically we got each other’s initials on our ring fingers.

We got the work done at Serenity Body Art at S and 12th Street. The shop is only a few blocks from our apartments, so we wanted to give it a try. We’re both very glad we did. Jim, the tattoo artist, and his wife Vicky (a piercer) run the shoptogether and are really friendly people. You won’t get any of the “attitude” that sometimes comes with body art, and as you will see from the link, Jim’s art is top notch.

We’d never been in the shop before, and after getting our fingers done, we’ve both got plans to  go back for more work in the coming month.

Oh, so THAT’S why this place is out-of-network under my dental coverage.

You may have noticed Dr. Woo’s office – seemingly permanently under construction for, like, ever. Last time I was there, their reception was long and narrow, but there was the promise of big things to come behind the temporary construction wall. Yesterday, upon my return, I was greeted with this scene. It’s like a day spa and a hotel lobby had a toothy love child. There’s even a table in the back there with a jigsaw puzzle spread out. Nuts!

I appreciate the quality of care though – everyone is friendly and calm. The exam rooms are ritzy, with TVs on the ceiling to help you zone as they stick uncomfortable instruments in your mouth. All-in-all, if you must undergo dental work, I guess this is the best place for it.

My ringer finger looks like a purple snowman – fat and bulbous between each joint – courtesy of having tripped into my house on Saturday evening.  Taking every opportunity to evaluate aspects of our fair city for you, dear reader, I decided, given the fingers deepening hue and increasing size, to go for x-rays on Sunday afternoon (Happy Easter!).

 I took some reading material with me, expecting a wait, though was pleasantly surprised to wait a comparatively short time (the nurse said always come in after lunch) at Mercy’s urgent care center on Folsom, just east of Alhambra.  I did read this article about the importance of aesthetics in medical facilities: prettier, quieter places speed healing it seems.

Urgent care here fit the ugh-profile well: old furniture, peeling wood veneer, ugly, 80s wallpaper. Though I’m sure it was still clean, the antiquated look felt dirty too, especially where the aged showed in dings, peeling stickers, and tattered posters.

A nicer setting would be amazing and I believe it would make seeking medical help more pleasant and less scary, but I only want facilities to worry about it if it doesn’t increase costs. I don’t want more medi-cal patients going without healthcare because a doctor has to pay for the water feature in the waiting room, instead of covering what the state won’t reimburse.

But the care was speedy and the nurse was nice – I had my x-rays, found out there was no fracture and was sent home to do what I had been doing: ice, advil, and elevation.

By the way, if you’ve never thought about key-strokes per finger, you do, in fact, use your left ring-finger more than you might think in the average blog post. Time for more ice.

Check out the website for the 49er truck stop here in Sacramento, where the I-80 crosses the I-5. I was “blessed” with an opportunity to meet a friend there recently (longer, more convoluted story). And no, I was not purchasing drugs or a companion for the evening, but I suppose you could do that anywhere, even at Mikuni’s or Rick’s Dessert Diner–if you look hard enough for purveyors of such things.

As with all things truck stop like, I was concerned about the appointed meeting place so I looked it up on the web and was reassured. Seemed like a nice place–online. But it wasn’t AS nice and pretty as it is on the website. Overall, though, it wasn’t as bad as a truck stop might be. (I worked at one once when I was in my teens, back in the Dark Ages. Scary.) The staff was friendly and it reminded me of the Midwest–yes, right here within a few miles of the center of the city.
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I had some spare time after work before it got dark out (thanks, daylight savings time!) and decided to walk to my local library to pick up a book I’d requested online. This isn’t your childhood library: not only do they have a great selection of new books, they also carry DVDs and CDs. So, if you’re looking for some good, free entertainment in those last few days before payday, try your local library.

It is with great regret that I noticed the Unicef store on P Street is closing, and the shop has a sign “For Rent” in the window. The regret I feel is that I have walked by that store a thousand or more times in the last 8 or 9 years, thought it looked interesting, but never went in. If you’re at all like me, then no wonder they’re closing.

Meanwhile, the tattoo place next door to Unicef is still open. There is also a new tattoo shop open just down the street at 21st and P. It’s called…”The Royal Peacock”. Hmmm, decidedly fitting moniker.

But this prompts me to ask: how many tattoo shops can you have per square mile? Isn’t there a limit? (It’s one of those questions like ‘how many angels can you fit on the head of a pin?’) Don’t forget the body piercing/tattoo shop down here on 29th and S as well.

Here’s a novel idea (or not) for an all-in-one Midtown Shop Extravaganza: open a tattoo shop that sells gourmet coffee, hamburgers, and sushi. Massage and yoga available for extra. And maybe you can get a Britney (i.e. head shaving) while you wait.