Random Thought...

Crackdown On Cracks

Wish we could do this here in California... but we all know everyone cries about everything. I'm sure if we voted on it, it would pass!



I could just imagine these signs around town, it would be wonderful

Can't Sleep, Wife Gone.

The wife is on her business trip to China once again for another 8 days. Hopefully she can snap up some cool shots to share. Anyways, I can't sleep and I have to take the kids to school. This requires getting up before 6am to have them get ready for the 18 mile ride. I'm sure I'll adapt to their schedule by tomorrow night.

Until then, here's a funny:

New Belgium's 'Ranger IPA'

What a lovely day for Southern California! A good 80 or so degrees and the garden's gorgeous. And what better way to celebrate than a sip of the ol'brewski. This time, I am going to finally try the Ranger India Pale Ale, made by New Belgium, who makes the famous Fat Tire Ale. I've seen this beer advertised in some of my garden magazines, such as Sunset.

I will put this particular brew to you this way, if you just love the bitter hoppiness to the max, this baby will do it to ya! A very hoppy and bitter taste towards the end that seems to hang on a bit longer. It is clean and tasty and a fairly Decent IPA I would purchase again. Similar to Stone's IPA, but just a bit more bitter. I give this one a 4 out of 5, and strongly recommend it. I suggest you pick up a six pack and share ice cold with a friend. This Ranger IPA was purchased at Albertson's in North Pomona.

Putting The Coke Back In Coke

The country of Bolivia is producing it's own version of the original Coca-Cola, but this time it's called 'Coca-Colla'. Yeah, that's 'Colla' with a 'Y' sound. It's the name of their highland people. And with a new coca growing president, coca leaves are now being used to produce this drink.

Coca leaves have been used for medicine and cooking for centuries by many Andean cultures. I wonder if we're going to do anything about this? Or perhaps Coca Cola for copyright issues? Very interesting indeed. I HIGHLY doubt we will ever see it in North America. Talk about Red Bull having wings!

Here, have a couple of cases:

Widmer's Deadlift Imperial IPA

As a huge fan of Widmer's Pale Ale, I was bewildered to hear about this new IPA. I was taking a stroll on some business through downtown Pomona this late afternoon. I decided to pop my head in at my old favortie wine/beer bar, DBA256 Winebar Gallery. And who do I see behind the bar, good ol' Johnny Barr, one of the coolest dudes you can meet. Sat down to say hello and he asked what I would like. I said, I dunno, gimme a sip of that '7 Year Itch' by Dale Bros. He then told me, hey, have you tried 'Deadlift IPA'? I said no, what's that? Is it good? As he grabbed it and poured into a glass, he said, hell yeah.

I took a good look at he bottle, with a beautiful logo that can pass as a decent tattoo (I'm a logo freak btw). I also, noticed it was 8.6% alcohol. Wowserz!!!

I took my first sip and slowly let it go down. This is purely IPA heaven!! It has that great hoppiness that you come to expect, but it washes down oh so smooth and lightly citrusy. This thing is frickin' awesome. It's like Widmer's 'Drifter' done even better! I kept saying 'wow this is good' after every drink. I must say, as a fan of Stone Brewing, this one is up there. In fact, this could be my favorite IPA so far.

I STRONGLY recommend Widner's Deadlift Imperial IPA' if you want an IPA with good hoppiness that doesn't overwhelm your taste buds and you can't even taste the 8.6% alcohol either. I haven't done the research as to when it was released or where it's sold, but if you can find it, grab it! I give it a 5 out 5 stars, a perfect IPA!

Fox News Footage Of Last Night's Pomona PD Town Hall

Back From City Council Meeting... ZZZ

It's almost 1:00am believe it or not. I arrived to the council meeting at 6pm promptly. Only to realize the city council wasn't ready til about 2 hours later. I am tired... but I am having a big bowl of raisin bran while watching Craig Ferguson right now. The free coffee and cookies sounded great at the time (thank you PD) but now I realize I shouldn't have drank that much.

I'm saddened to say that the council allowed the phase 1 study to go ahead. To even think of doing that to the men and women who have put their lives on the line for the city of Pomona for 99 years! Not to mention already taking cuts as the city asked. I don't think the city can win this one. The crowd tripled from the ealier postponed meeting a few weeks ago. It was also nice to see Ex-Chief Joe Romero and listening to him speak.

I know the city council has a tough position to sit there and be grilled, that is one tough job. I also understand the things they deal with such as people's emotional reaction, as well as conspiracies and rumors. It must be hard when you are trying to be a good representative of your constituents, or trying to hide something, or whatever.

( I removed a paragraph I wrote here after a quick re-read, I guess I must've said too much. It wasn't anything bad, just a bit too personal)

I'm sure my fellow bloggers from Pomona will have some great write-ups about this tomorrow, or I mean today. My post was just a rant to kill the caffeine. I'm sure there are typos and perhaps some of it doesn't make sense, but I am tired now and I've just drank the last of the milk left in the bowl. Goodnight y'all.

Message From Pomona's Police Officer Association

Dear Neighbor,

The Pomona City Council is attempting to go behind our backs and shut down the Pomona Police Department. On April 1st the City Council unexpectedly proposed eliminating our local police force and bringing in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department - even after telling the police department that no such plans were in the works.

Thankfully, when faced with an overwhelming crowd, the City Council chose to postpone their vote on the matter until April 19th.

Pomona’s Police Department is vital to the safety of our families and our businesses. We need our own police force -- not a sheriff’s department responsible for unincorporated areas, other contract cities, courthouses, and county jail facilities.

Before the next meeting this coming Monday, April 19th, please let the Pomona City Council and City Manager know that you won’t be blindsided by their dirty tricks.

Call City Hall at (909) 620-2311, or if busy call (909) 620-2042.
Please also email your City Council Members below.

Mayor Elliot Rothman: elliot_rothman@ci.pomona.ca.us
City Manager Linda Lowry: linda_lowry@ci.pomona.ca.us

Councilwoman Danielle Soto: danielle_soto@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilman Freddie Rodriguez: freddie_rodriguez@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilwoman Cristina Carrizosa: cristina_carrizosa@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilwoman Paula Lantz: paula_lantz@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilman Tim Saunders: tim_saunders@ci.pomona.ca.us
Councilman Stephen Atchley: stephen_atchley@ci.pomona.ca.us

Show your support for the Pomona Police Department and attend a rally prior to the City Council meeting on Monday, April 19th, 6:30 PM at the Pomona City Council Chambers (at City Hall). Call your own Pomona Police Officers' Association at (909) 392-8982 for more information and to make sure we keep you informed on this critical situation.

Your own Pomona Police thank you for your interest and support!

Paid for by the Pomona Police Officers’ Association
2822 Metropolitan Place
Pomona, CA 91767-1854

Join the fight to protect Pomona’s Police Department today!
Email pomonapoa@aol.com for more information.

Closing Or Closed Down In Your Area

With the horrible economy of the last several years, what has closed down in your area that you really miss? Here in the Northeast Side of Pomona, I am blown away by how many stores have closed on just one street, not even a full mile of length. That street is Indian Hill (between Holt and Arrow, Cities of Pomona & Claremont).

As far as I can remember, so far within the last 4 years it's been: Albertsons, Weinerschnitzel, CVS, Radio Shack, Hollywood Video, Baker's Square, Chili's and Food 4 Less for the big chains. Lots of other small stores have closed as well, such as the Pet Store.

The only good thing, if you want to call it that, is Norm's will be moving in (Right off the 10 @ Toyota Claremont). And also, a new Denny's and Starbucks were put in several years ago in front of Hotel Claremont. Further down, La Favorita Mexican Ranch Market shut down due to the further south El Super, which is like having a WalMart by a mom & pop store. La Favorita was finally bought by some Orange County folk and renamed Jimenez. Keeping the same Mexican Ranch Market theme, which is fine for those who want some quick Carne Asada and Pollo', or other south of the border goodies.

Not Much Computing These Days

I feel like the City of Pomona's website, who's been down for at least 2 weeks now. Not to mention as I was going to type this, my buddies over at M-M-M-My Pomona happen to be mentioning this as well.

I've had a virus/malware issue the last 2 weeks on my main computer and have neglected to fight this thing. Until last night and most of today. It looks like I've won! But not too quick, I said that last time and it came back in a few days. But heck, it gives me time to post something today.

It's the Dodgers big day here in L.A. and the Lakers, well, let's just wait until we get to the playoffs (Hopefully it's San Antonio not Portland).

Hopefully some of you made it to this weekend's ArtWalk, it was a bit cold but we saw ALOT of new people this time. I hung out with the cool folks of the DPOA mostly. I did manage to peek at a few things and the Art was awesome.

Claremont Hills Wilderness Park

The kids are on Spring Break so we decided to drive up 5 mins to Claremont's Wilderness Park. What a lovely day for a hike! The weather was nice and there was a breeze. It's so nice that stuff like this is nearby. We did the full 5 mile trail in 2 hours. Of course, we stopped to rest and have some water & snacks at the mid-point. And yes, we carry ALL OUR trash down with us. I applaud Claremont for taking care of nature and making such beautiful land like this available for all to enjoy. At certain points on this hike, you will encounter oaks and some creeks, but most of the trail is very exposed to the sun. In other words, I wouldn't hike here in the summer.

It is very well maintained and there isn't too much sign of riff-raff around here. Perhaps due to it being Wednesday, but still. What I mean is the ruining of nature such as graffiti on rocks and signs. That includes littering of bottles and trash. That really pisses me off whenever I see it, such as Eaton Canyon and other nearby forests/natural parks. Again, Claremont does well to maintain this area. You can still see some remains of the recent Claremont fire in the last picture below.

I recommend this trail for anyone who enjoys hiking and the outdoors, but needs to be nearby (just in case). A very family friendly area where you can take strollers with good wheels. Dogs are welcome as long as they're leashed and license is displayed. To get there go up Mills Ave (north) from Foothill Blvd. in Claremont. Again, I'd go now when the weather is 70-80 degrees.

View towards Baldy (East)

View towards San Dimas (West)

Some fire victims of recent

Support Pomona's Police Dept. Tonight!

Just got info on a council meeting in Pomona to discuss the possibility of contracting out police services to LASD. This has been a long standing rumor, and some say it's a done deal. Come out tonight to the council meeting at 6:45pm (City Hall) to support Pomona PD. I will definitely be there.

There's a more detailed write up over at M-M-M-My Pomona Blog.


Funny thing is, mysteriously the city of Pomona's website, has been down ALL weekend including Friday and today too. Maybe that way we can't pull the agenda for tonight's meeting? Hmm... smells fishy.

UPDATE!
The hearing was apparently postponed until April 19th. There were too many supporters and all had something to say. We'll make the 19th an even bigger showing of support for Pomona PD!

Happy Easter!

Yes, I've been away from the 'keys' for a while... Busy as a bee lately, but still. Just upgraded my DJ System to some wonderful Denon Products. Did about 2 weeks of solid research and got a GREAT deal from Sam Ash in Ontario on my MP3 Digital controllers system. Also, got 2 easter parties to go with the kids tomorrow, BIG family on both sides. Anyways, like you care... but the whole point is Happy Easter to all!!

And yes, I've consumed some delicious liquid party favors tonight. Still love all those who 'stumble upon' this blog. BTW, met Ron Artest of the L.A. Lakers earlier to day at the great WSS Shoe store in Inglewoooooooood!!! Maybe pictures later.