The clichés are numerous, ignore history and you are doomed to repeat it, it's genetic, hindsight is 20/20, the mirror doesn't lie and the list goes on. Each of these sayings tries to capture the idea that our past actions and their consequences should be considered when making choices in the present. Now this is tricky business, predicting the future based on the past. I suggest using the past only as a guide because no two situations are ever exactly the same. It may not work out if you only use one yardstick. Life is a constantly changing activity that requires small and large adjustments along the way. My recent time in Sacramento has made me see some new things and I think it only fair to share these revelations. A few weeks ago I wrote a fairly harsh assessment of life in the capital. These comments came back to haunt me almost immediately. Apparently my website has some local readers here at my new office. The reviews were not too kind and while my co-workers appreciated the humor they thought I was wearing my snob hat too proudly. It is few weeks later and I happy to report back with some new observations regarding the capital of the Golden State.
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I got dirty again, get some perspective from the rest of the herd. In
a narcissistic rage I may have mentioned that the local population appears
to be rather plain and unsophisticated. The Wal-Mart has inside
parking while the Macy's men store has "a" fitting room. Poo on
Leftcoast! Instead of chasing the latest labels and trends most of
these folks are busy raising their families. I see lots of families
out and about here in Sacramento.
Not too many nannies here, and maybe that's not a bad thing. The focus
is local and for the most part the people I work with are happy with their
lives and families. They have pictures of kids everywhere and it
reminded me of my hometown. The cars aren't as new, the jobs don't pay
as much, but the kids still play in the streets of the neighborhoods.
The people I have gotten to know are really really nice and they genuinely
care. I was a few hours late into the office (8:30 instead of 6:30)
and you would have thought I had almost died. It was cute. Maybe
it was time I took a second look. So the fashion wars aren't as fierce
here but I laugh a little deeper. Nobody cares about my shoes but they
want the details of a recent date. Speaking of dates, no later on
that. The office operates a little slower than I'm used to but the
people are friendlier and they take a few seconds to say hi and bye.
Let's hear a cheer for the public sector! 
A
co-worker of mine whipped out a saying I hadn't heard in years. With a
straight face he said, "You got that part right, you can't swing a dead cat
in this town without hitting a bail bond office." Before we continue I
want to be clear and state for the record that no dead cats were harmed,
tested or otherwise utilized for this article. That was it. He
finished pouring his coffee and walked off. I was still standing there
trying to figure out the origin of the dead cat measure. Was there a
time in history when communities measured the proximity of objects based on
the radius of swung dead cats? Too many barber shops on this street
fellows. We swung ten dead cats and had nine hits. What kind of
office did the cat tossers have? Could you reuse the cats? How
many tosses is a dead cat good for? Why cats? The tail. It
has to be the tails, good for swinging I guess. Oh my god! Am I
still typing about the cats? Step away from the ledge Leftcoast.
Second look for sure.
She
makes me laugh and she is not too hard on the eyes. Each time we go
out I am amazed at how little the check is at the end of dinner. So
maybe the restaurants aren't as cool as the ones in San Francisco but we
always get a table in less than 5 minutes and I don't need to work extra
hours to cover the bill. How can two people have dinner with
appetizers for less than $25? After all it's the company that counts.NBA timeout! The loudest arena in the NBA is here in Sacramento. I had to see my NY Knicks at the Arco Arena. I found some primo seats on the internet. After getting bent over, I returned my wet and weakened American Express to it's place in my wallet. My poor Amex felt so used and cheap. That guy in Torrance California had really given my Amex a good work over but I had my tickets. The game was so much fun. My date and I split a bladder buster Pepsi and cheered for both teams. Ok, I quietly cheered for the Knicks. We sat right in the middle of a bunch of regular Kings fans and I thought it bad form to get my ass kicked by strangers on our third date. I usually wait until the ninth. The Kings won but the new Knicks did make a game of it for a while. I love sitting close and watching the big guys pass and jam. Chris Weber made his comeback debut after being out with ankle injury and of course it was sold out. It only got loud a few times but since the Arena is basically a giant box it doesn't take much to get the echoes piling up. It made the game feel like a true community event. The "luxury boxes" here are very simple and are made to blend into the arena. You can look around and see everybody, and better yet the views of the court are great everywhere. By the third quarter the tickets had become worth the price. I had a great seat and great company on a lazy day off. I talked with the other fans around me and, surprise, passed out a few Leftcoastlove cards. Best time ever at an NBA game. I have been to the Garden and watched MJ in an NBA playoff game, I have been to a NBA rookie game during All Star Weekend, blah blah you get the idea. Who knew? The Kings played hard, they played to the fans, they played for fun too. Second tier franchise? If so not for much longer.
I
don't know how much longer I'll be here but I am giving this place and it's
people more attention. Maybe I'll learn a few lessons to add to my ever
growing collection. Chung pours my coffee every work morning while her
husband preps their coffee/deli/convenience store for business. The
place is clean and I get personalized attention for only $1.45. I can
even grab a roll or piece of fruit before I hit the documentation gulag on
the third floor. Starbucks needs six people and a 18 character
scribble to pour my large coffee, sorry Venti Drip. Chung's coffee is
better and she is always happy to see me. I even get love at the mud
flat parking lot these days. My stereo is always cranking something
loud and heavy when I roll in at 6:20 am. The first few times I turned
it down while paying my dues. The gal in the box said to crank it up,
now I try to see if I can shake her out with a choice metal pick each
morning. This week Audioslave is the thump dejour. Love is where
you find it. Hmm? No, that works. It is also a great place
to end. I need the extra time to take a second look at a few more
things. Pencils down and thanks for listening.