Happy Friday

Random Retro Pics & Thoughts

This is just a post about random retro pictures. I have no story for these, I do not know who these people are or who took them. There's some nostalgia to these photos that I find strange and wonderful.

Well, it reminds me of my very early childhood, meaning these were the 'big people' as a little kid in the 70s. Hollywood, Los Angeles, Castaic, Downey, Culver City, Placerita Canyon, Van Nuys, San Diego and traveling around California, just places/people that I would see everywhere with dreams. There's something about them that almost speaks to me.

I think I'm just really tired tonight from a long day. My body is achy from my new exercise routine. I also woke up very early today and I got no power naps. And No, it's not drugs, I don't do them. And it's not beer either, gotta wait til Friday for a few.

Anyways, weird, it's just one of those strange nights for me tonight...

Nervous juvenile
(WON'T SMILE!)
What became of you?
Did that swift eclipse
Torture you?

A star at eighteen
And then - suddenly gone
Down to a few lines
In the back page
Of a faded annual
Oh, but I remembered you
I remembered you.

Did You Know 3.0?

What a great presentation with interesting information. Time to expand your mind... or ignore and keep it on American Idol & Fox News. LOL

Spider Catching Gone Wrong

Basically, how not to catch a giant spider. Brought to you from the land of Australia, the 'Huntsman' spider. Common in that country, and not necessarily as dangerous as they appear. They can bite, but you really gotta piss this little guy off.

The best thing about this video, is the daughter's comment towards the end.

This video is not recommended if ya hate spiders,

A. S. Ashley's -Billy Mumy-

It's not often (or never so far) that i speak about artists or a particular one, except for Pomona's monthly ArtWalk in general. This time, I just had to mention something that is in the works for one of Pomona's most famous artist, Mr. A. S. Ashley. I met Ashley about a year ago at the ArtWalk, on behalf of his sweet and awesome wife (who is the reason I got to know the Arts Colony). Ashley is one of the friendliest, funniest, and easiest guy to chat with around town.

But this isn't a write up about Ashley's personality or life (Sorry Ash, I'm sure you were lovin' it so far), it is about a very cool painting he's working on.

The famous Billy Mumy, a native of San Gabriel, California, who is known for his roles as a child star in many movies and shows. This time it's an image from his Twilight Zone years (1959-1964). It is from his most famous episode, titled "It's A Good Life", about a boy with Psychic abilities who terrorizes his town. You can read more about this episode over at Wikipedia.

Ashley was kind enough to let me show off his work-in-progress, along with himself being a clown (as usual) next to his painting. So here it is:

(Click Image To Enlarge)

If you like this painting, you need to come out to next month's ArtWalk and check out his place to see more of his works. He has plenty of amazing stuff available for your eyes and home if you'd like.

While we're here, check out another painting that I also found amazing (this painting has been sold for a while now):

(Click Image To Enlarge)


In closing this little write-up, I'd like to thank the A. S. Ashley Studios for allowing me to show his work. Ashley is available for contact and you can click his card below for all the information you need. Even if you don't, you can ask for him in the Arts Colony at any venue (especially Acerogami) and they will direct you to him.

Miss Pomona Coronation Today!

(info directly from Metro Pomona Blog)

The 2010 Miss Pomona Scholarship Pageant Coronation will be held this Saturday January 23rd. at 5pm at the Masonic Lodge, 395 S. Thomas St. in Downtown Pomona.

A big thank you to all the sponsors for their support in making this possible.

Platinum Sponsors: D.P.O.A, The City of Pomona City Council Members.

Gold Sponsor: Manjit Singh, 7-Eleven Stores

Silver Sponsors: Valley Vista Services, Inland Empire Credit Union, Neil Franklin and Family.

Bronze Sponsor: UPS Store, Carolyn Hemming, Little Red 222

Other Sponsors and Contributors: Pomona Moose Chapter # 542, Western University of Health Sciences, Cherie Savoie - Savoie Hair Salon, Sheila Pilon - Hair and Make-Up, Historical Society of Pomona, Jim & Mickey Gallivan, Debra Martin, Precious Times Photography, Pomona Chamber of Commerce, City of Pomona Redevelopment Agency, I Do! Bridal, Pomona Masonic Lodge, Friends of the Fox, Pomona Frame House, Ferguson Flower Gallery, Pomona Flowers, Frantz Cleaners, Pomona Baking Company, Tacos & Carniceria Jicamex, Fairplex, and Flower Lane.

(Click image to enlarge)

Hangar 24 - Pale Ale

I've boasted many times about my favorite type of beer style, the PALE ALE. When given the chance to taste one, I will get to it no matter what. And even better, when it is American made, I will try it with pride. And to add one more point, it is made locally here in Southern California.

Introducing Hangar 24 Pale Ale. Made in Redlands and bought in Upland. Refrigerated for the day and ready at night. We had a small gathering at my home one night and I decided to break it out. I was surrounded by wine drinkers, so no one else was really interested. Oh well, more for me. I poured it into a nice 18oz glass and looked at the lighter than a typical Pale Ale color, a darkish yellow.

Hmm, yes, it is a Pale Ale indeed. Let me taste it some more and finish it. Okay, one more for the final tasting. Okay, I get the hoppiness it is trying to produce. It is similar to the bite of the Stone IPA, which is an India Pale Ale. In fact, it reminds me alot of it. Somewhat Tasty with a little citrus flavor in it. The way I picture this seems to be a mix of a Drifter Pale Ale and a Stone IPA. I'm still sipping it a bit and getting a nice bite out of the flavor. I can't help it but for some reason I feel there is a little something missing to make the full connection.

Definitely has flavor, perhaps a little heavier than needed on that hoppiness at the end. Still, quite decent to drink. Hmm, tough to score, but I'm going to go with a 3.75 out of 5 overall.

Accurate Health Plan/Bill Picture

Original La Verne Orange Grove Open To Public

The city of La Verne has a small original orange grove with trees dating back to the 19th Century. The La Verne Heritage Foundation is opening it up this month for anyone who wants to pick oranges. It's $5 for a 5 pound bag.

The SGV Tribune has a great little write up on this event and it's history HERE.

The following info is directly from the LV Heritage Foundation:

"Enjoy a “Slice of La Verne ’s Past” while picking some of the best tasting oranges around. The Heritage Foundation offers you one of the last working orange groves in the area as a place to enjoy with your family. We supply the bags and pickers and are open Saturdays beginning January 9 th and continuing through approximately mid March. For more information call (909) 593-2862.

Days & Times: Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM"

Claremont Insider Back From The Dead?

Apparently I wished for something and it came true the next day. I mentioned that I've missed the local blog, Claremont Insider for a while now (5 months+ to be exact). And what happens? They come back to life the next day. I love getting my 'up the street' news from these guys, they'r real and they're great. So hopefully this means they are back now. Even if not, it's good to know they've popped their heads back in!

Now, since my wishes are on a roll, I want:

1) A New Job
2) The Health Care Bubble to Burst
3) Insufficient Funds to go back to costing $12 (before Bush)
4) Interest Rates on Credit Cards to not exceed 10% for good holders.
5) Electric and Gas rates to be realistic like in the 80s-90s.
6) Doctor co-pays to go back to $5-10 and only costing $25 for a family of 3 from each paycheck like in the 1990s.

okay, I'll stop... but a new job is the main and most realistic thing I'd like. Tired of being home now.

Welcome back Claremont Insider.

Claremont's Dutch Elm Oops

The Dutch Elm Tree, a once popular east coast tree and now in decline due to the deadly DED (Dutch Elm Disease), is one of Claremont's rarest trees. There's a whole block of them on both sides of Indian Hill near Memorial Park, the city claims that they are the last of their species west of the Mississippi River. The city believes they are about 100 years old.

Let's track back.

Sometime in 2009, during the month of May I believe, a boy and his mother were hit by a car crossing Indian Hill and Tenth Street. Thankfully, they are okay from what I gather. This prompted the city to react and decide on installing a traffic light. Whether this is a good financial move for the city or not is not my business (I am not a Claremont resident, just 'adjacent' LOL). Regardless, the plan went through.

Thanks to the greatness of sub-contracting this work, a moronic employee or unprepared company decided to start digging away near these historic trees in December. Normally, this can be done with the right steps and precautions. Apparently non were taken and they chomped away about 20 percent of the trees roots according to West Coast Arborists. The tree was now considered unsafe and had to be removed. This stopped the installation of the light in December.

The cost is estimated to be almost $70,000 for removal and replacement. I do believe the company's insurance will pay for this. The good thing is they will be replacing the tree with another Elm. It's to be some sort of hybrid Elm which is resistant to DED. It also looks the the traffic signal will now get the green light (pun intended) and should be up in a couple of weeks.

Oh, and the tree was not 100 years old, it was determined to be around 60+ years by reading the rings. What's the point of this story? Hmm, I think it's just to note a loss of a rare historic tree in California. They are beautiful in late Spring, as many trees in Claremont are.

(by the way, WHERE ARE YOU Claremont Insider? Please come back, I miss you guys!)

Cancer From Parking Lots & Driveways

Great, just keep adding to that list of cancer-causing stuff that surrounds us everywhere and with everything we touch. Pretty sick and scary to hear about this. Apparently, we are tracking this dust into our homes everyday.

"Chemicals in a cancer-causing substance used to seal pavement, parking lots and driveways across the U.S. are showing up at alarming levels in dust in homes, prompting concerns about the potential health effects of long-term exposure, a new study shows. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey say the sealant — one of two types commonly used in the U.S. — doesn’t stay put. It slowly wears off and is tracked into homes on the shoes of residents."

Full story at MSNBC.MSN.COM

White Rascal Wheat Ale

I call 2009, the year of those regular beer drinkers who jumped on the 'wheat' beer bandwagon. It was a great year for Coor$ indeed, with their Blue Moon wheat style beer. A decent brew, but nothing really special. Heck, this made Budweiser launch it's Bud Light Wheat Beer, which I now realize is pretty gross if you drink more than 3. And of course, the regular Hefenweizen's from Widmer and Pyramid that we see everywhere. Not a bad year at all for many of you wheaty-brews.

I've had a 'White Rascal' in the past several times, poured by my favorite beer guy, Tibbi (of the Blurry Memoirs blog). The problem was that my palate was jacked by the time I drank it, as I've always been drinking other Ales, Lagers etc. right before. It was still pretty good.

Let's see how this Belgian style wheat will do for me. I pour it into a glass, leaving just a bit in the bottle to pour after my first sip. Wow, what a clean, strong yet smooth taste. You can taste the orange and coriander, but this time it tastes RIGHT. Whoa... Impressive, let me pour the rest. Sip again, nice. Dare I say it? I think this is the best of the bunch when it comes to Wheat Ales.

This White Rascal is made by Avery of Colorado. American-made and it kicks serious behind. Strongly recommended! Let me pick an orange and throw a slice in (i know some of you do this). Oh yeah, nice, but you don't really need to. Score? I dunno, my scoring system is useless... but between all the wheat beer I've had before, I give this a 9 out of 10. No other wheat beer I've had can pass an 8.

No Credit For Under 21

I remember my first department store credit card at Age 19 (JCPenney). I also had a checking/savings account that allowed me to obtain my first MasterCard. I even remember going to Vegas at 18 and the ability to rent a hotel with ease. I managed to gamble a little in the casinos, even though I wasn't 21. Being over 6 feet tall helps.

But hey kids, or at least the 21 & under crowd, here's some bad news for ya:

The Fed is ready to finish up the new rules for all you under 21 from obtaining credit cards. Looks like it will become harder for y'all to get a hotel room like I did, and even rent cars... LOL.

Seriously though.

"This measure forbids banks from issuing a credit card to anyone under 21: unless the consumer has the ability to make the required payments or obtains the signature of a parent or other cosigner with the ability to do so."

Full story HERE: Yahoo.com

What Day Is It?

Doesn't matter because Friday is always here and it begins again. I've been inspiring to paint again, but with the heavy remodel work this week at home, not to mention my other home duties, it seems like I run out of time. My work search is also in the mix this year, it's crazy to say but I am a very busy unemployed man. Hopefully not for long, some stuff is in the pipes.

Anyways, looks like some drops of what do ya call it, oh yeah, WATER hit the ground today. Not enough, just some vapor on the ground, but I'll take it. The last 3 weeks have been unusually warm during the day, it hit above 80 a few times. The cooling wet feel is wonderful, last time it rained was 12/11/2009.

I was driving around today with the thought 'MORE PLANTS, LESS PEOPLE'. I am sick of the constant butchering of beautiful trees, who have been here longer than the people cutting them. Here, check out this massacre:



You wonder why it's so hot, you wonder why the air is so bad, you wonder why there are so many cancers in the air, you wonder why there isnt much avarian life in your neighborhood... But yet, you want to add cement for more space or you dont want to deal with leaves 'cause they are messy in winter. But it's so hot in the summer and you dont have A/C, or if you do, you can't use it because So.Cal Edison is robbing you blind with their inhuman rates.

Plant a tree if you can, place it where it can shade you, take care of your existing trees. Unless they are destroying your home's foundation and/or critical pipes, keep'em. We need them, they add value and lower crime. There's a peace to them. No I am not a tree hugging liberal or whatever side you want to paint me. I do enjoy plants and appreciate them. It's funny how all the bad parts of any town have LESS trees than the nicer ones. Interesting isn't it?

Pomona's ArtWalk TONIGHT!

Yes siree! It's here once again, the 2nd Saturday ArtWalk in Downtown Pomona. I was out last night as I usually do to have my pre-artwalk Friday drink at the DBA Winebar. Well, it felt like an Artwalk night due to the fact that the DBA had a concert series of bands, and the Fox had Sonic Youth playing a block away. So my usually mellow Friday was a party night once again.

Tonight, I will be taking the Mrs. to enjoy walking around the cool galleries taking in Art and of course, some wine & brews. A 3 mile cab is all I need!

Anyways, I'm pressed on time right now, but you can do a search here on my blog for maps & info related to ArtWalk, or go to the fantastic Metro Pomona Website and get more info there.

See ya tonight!

Neglected

The holidays are now gone. I've definitely partied way too much, and I've neglected my blog for the last 9 days. The good thing is no one cares so that's great!

Anyways, my kids will be returning to school next week, which is kinda sad. Yes, NEXT WEEK, they got 3 full weeks of vacation this winter break. I have a few beer reviews and perhaps some rants coming up if I have time. I really need to vent about the 10 freeway between DTLA and the 605. What a nightmare this strange construction has been for everyone last year. You know, the carpool lane that you cant get into from L.A. until you hit El Monte.

I hope 2010 brings more sunshine into everyone's life this year. And not the darn frickin' heat we've been getting the last week or so. It's pissing me off! I was in DTLA yesterday and it was 80 degrees in the afternoon! Yes, the night feels cold, BECAUSE it was 80 in the day! We have been officially warmer than CANCUN MEXICO this week, we are the hottest spot in the country!

Wow, I sound angry, but it's in a good way.