Sacramento, CA

The Westfield Downtown Plaza Ice Rink has been open sicne November 1st and I didn’t even know it. This makes me sad to think of how many times I could have been out there already. It’s the only outdoor ice skating rink in Sacramento and it’s pretty much the single most awesome thing that you can do in these parts during the winter. Granted, the rink isn’t the greatest I’ve ever skated at and the employees can be a bit horrible, but there’s just something magical about skating under the open night sky that is just unimaginably incredible to those who’ve never done it before. It’s even one of those things that just gets better and better every time you do it.

The rink is conveniently located next to the K Street Mall so you can even stop by on a break from your holiday shopping at a mall that isn’t as overly crowded as Arden Fair is every year! During holiday hours, they are open everyday from 10AM to 10PM with the hours varying a little bit before December 10th and after December 30th. It is also incredibly cheap at only $6.00 per person for two hours of skating, plus a $2.00 rental fee if you don’t have your own skates. I have heard a lot of people complain about the availability of skates before so be advised taht you might want to bring your own if you have them. Also be advised that they only accept cash–weird I know given that we live in the age of credit. Anyway, go out and have a lot of fun. just don’t end up like this poor lady…

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Okay, so I know this is going to sound totally malicious and evil but I just couldn’t help but laugh at how far the mighty have fallen. I’m talking of course about the Sacramento Kings whose longtime sold-out record was shattered on Tuesday–officially dethroning them from a title they have been building since 1999. Until Tuesday, the Kings had a 354 home game streak of sold-out games. Not only have they fallen, they have fallen HARD. Instead of being sold-out, their opening game has the record for the lowest attended opening game in the NBA this season.

Melody Gutierrez at the Sacramento Bee wrote a really graet article about it today. She listed all kinds of reasons that sellers have been giving for the severe decline in ticket sales. All the usual suspects were there–you know, not being in the playoffs last year for the first time in ages, poor organization in the advertising department, etc, etc. However, I think it’s safe to say that we all know the REAL reason they can’t sell tickets anymore–and it has nothing to do with any of the lies they’ve been spewing.

Frankly, it’s because the fans have become disenchanted as a result of arrogance which the team has displayed over the past year or so. The entire franchise let itself get way too big headed this past year. First there was that whole issue with wanting the city to pay for a new arena when Arco Arena is perfectly fine. Everyone knew they just wanted to have a bigger arena so they could sell-out with an even higher number of tickets. After all, goodness knows 17,317 tickets per game just isn’t enough! They just wanted to make more money and have the tax payers pay to let them do so.

When you add to that the fact that they didn’t make it to the playoffs, it really just adds further insult to injurey. I know this will sound stupid, but a lot of people I know stopped going to the games this year because they took the loss as a personal offense. To them, it was almost as if the Kings had lost on purpose because they hadn’t gotten their way. It was like a way to punish their fans. Now, I know this is illogical–but then when have the masses EVER been known for their superior grasp of logic?

Personally I think this is the funniest thing ever. I think that athletes NEED reality checks and that they don’t get them nearly often enough. Frankly, I think it’s hillarious when they have their plans and pathways shattered because they seem so shocked about it. Their gigantic egos won’t allow them to accept–or even really understand–what has happened to them. Then they try to explain it away as someone else’s fault. In the end, the spectacle is just the most entertaining part of professional sports.

For me, this was almost like the proverbial icing on the cake. After all, at the end of last year, the Sacramento Monarchs just had a spectacular dethroning at the end of this past season too!!! I know that sounds mean, but it’s just nice to know they’re still human too you know? Besides, reality checks are motivational. I mean look at the Kings–they WON on Tuesday…

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If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, I’d recommend that you check out the Sacramento State homecoming game on Saturday. The Hornets will battle it out against Montana beginning with the kickoff at 2:05PM. However, the parties and tailgates will be starting much earlier than that at 10:00AM.

In addition to the big game, it is also Herky’s 60th birthday so there are all sorts of things going on to commemorate the special occasion. The hornet’s birthday will be celebrated from 10:00AM-2:00PM at the pre-game homecoming festival in the Alumni Center. There will be a parade and also a piñata for the kids. His birthday is also being celebrated on myspace and on youtube. Myspace has up baby pictures, drawings, and other goofy fun things like that. Youtube is having a contest where you can make a video wishing Herky a happy 60th and upload it for a chance to win an ipod. All you have to do is join their youtube group. Submission are due by Friday at 12:00PM which doesn’t leave much time to churn out something really fabulous. However, they will also be handing out Java City giftcards to random entries. So, even if your video sucks, you might still get something out of it. Furthermore, when I went there tonight, there were opnly four entries so far so the odds are pretty decent.

There is even going to be a tailgate contest for Herky’s birthday. You just have to decorate your tailgate area in Herky’s honor with bonus points for lots of green and gold. To enter, be sure to stop by the Alumni Association booth (on the southwest edge of parking lot eight) to register your tailgate between 10:00AM and 12:00PM. Judging will take place at 12:30PM to determine who will take home the $200.00 prize.

Tickets for the game will be as follows:
$8.00 for General Admission
$12.00 for Reserved Seating
$15.00 for Reserved Premium Seating

The school is located at 6000 J Street just off of Highway 50. Stop by to show your support and have a good time doing it.

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I was talking to my mom on the phone the other day and she was telling me about how my little brothers had joined a bowling league. It occurred to me then that I had never even seen a bowling alley in Sacramento so I decided to do some research. I found one, Country Club Lanes and Lazer X, which was even listed on Yahoo Travel’s list of the top things to do in Sacramento. Their website also boasts that they have been voted the “Best Bowling Alley” by Sacramento Magazine for four years running.

Their webpage makes it look like a fun place to take kids of all ages as well. They offer 48 lanes–all of which are equipped with automatic bumper bowling–so they are capable of hosting a very large number of visitors. They also have thirteen plasma TV’s strewn about the alley so that everyone has something to do when it isn’t their turn to bowl. The catch is that you will want to go with a big group of people and not just by yourself because they charge per lane and not per person or per game. Prices all include one hour and one lane and range in price from $27.00 to $42.00 depending on the day and time that you go. However, they also offer a variety of discount packages for birthday parties and coporate events if you are going to have a really large party. In fact, their banquet rooms can host agroup of up to 500 people! Their Sky Room includes two dance foors, a stage, a full service bar, and access to a prep kitchen for those events that are a bit more formal. They say that they do wedding receptions there as well–but I frankly think that sounds a bit odd.

In addition to bowling they offer several other means of entertainment–prize and video arcades, a bar/ lounge, and Lazer X. Prices for Lazer tag range from $6.00 to $8.00 although, again, discounts are avialable for large groups. They can accomodate up to 26 people at a time and you get to play for one hour. They even do “team-building” exercises at Lazer X which sounds infinitely better than the regular run-of-the-mill staff meetings we have at work. It sounds like an interesting change of pace if nothing else–especially if you’re looking for a way to increase cooperation without boring your employees to tears.

Anyway, I reccommend that everyone go and check it out sometime during the week when the rates aren’t as high. It’s located at 2600 Watt Avenue on the corner of Watt and El Camino. You can call 916-483-5105 or visit their site for directions. Have a great Monday!

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As we all know, I’m not really much of a sports fan. However, I thought it would only be fair to at least give passing mention to the hardwork the Sacramento Monarchs have put forth in 2007. Their season was sadly cut short on Monday when the San Antonio Silver Stars beat them 80-78 to win the Western Conference playoff series. This is the first time in five years that the Monarchs will be unable to advance to the first round of playoffs. In addition, they were the favorite to win the series. Since they were the WNBA champs in 2005 and the runners up in 2006, it comes as an even bigger shock for players and fans alike. In my opinion, this was probably a result of over-confidence. They went into the series “knowing” that they were going to win. When leaving for Texas, one player even joked that she was only packing one pair of underwear because she thought they were going to have a quick and easy victory. It seems like they just let their heads get too big and lost focus of actually playing the game. Anyway, I feel kind of bad for them since their expectations were cut so short. It just goes to show that nothing in life is ever guaranteed…

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The Boxing World Cup is coming to Arco Arena on Saturday, August 11th at 4:00PM. The defending world champions–Mexico–will square off against the Philippines in a series of fights. Whoever has the most wins at the end of the seven-fight tournament will receive an engraved trophy crafted by IceLink. The line-up includes two World Boxing Organization championship matches, two title-eliminators, and also three other fights. HBO Boxing After Dark will be televising the title championship fights. The big fight of the night will be the junior-featherweight fight between Daniel Ponce de Leon of Mexico and Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista of the Philippines.

Normally, I’m not really into sporting events–in case you hadn’t noticed from their complete absence from my page–but this one actually sounds remotely interesting. It is only the second year that they have had the Boxing World Cup and I think it’s kind of an interesting idea. If nothing else, I’m sure it will be a stunning display of nationalism on both parts. Remaining tickets range in price from $41.75 to $276.75. However, they do have group discounts available for the $41.75 and $61.75 tickets. All you have to do is call the Arena directly at 916-928-3650 for more information.

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WWE Presents Raw is coming to Arco Arena on Monday July 23rd. The live taping for the USA Network will begin at 5:00PM with doors opening at 4:00PM. Over 30 differenet Raw Superstars will be present including John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Carlito, and the WWE Divas Mickie James and Melina. Be advised though that the line-up is always subject to change without prior notice.

Tickets range in price from $26.75 to $66.75 including the $1.75 usage fee and are still available online. There will also be a $10.00 charge for parking with the tolls opening at 3:00PM. For further event information, please call 916-928-6900. Also, if anyone is planning to atted and wants to leave me a quick little review that would be just fabulous as I’m kind of poor…hehehe!!!

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John Barbas WGAS Monster and Tough Trucks are coming to the Dixon Fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday as the grand finale of Dixon’s 4th of July celebration!!! The pre-show will begin at 5:45PM with the Monster Trucks coming on at 6:15PM. They are also allowing people to enter the Tough Trucks competition themselves if there are any brave souls out there who don’t mind trashing their cars! To participate, contact WGAS Motorsports at 530-745-0100 or via email. If you come to the stadium early enough, they will also be giving rides in the Monster Trucks–which is always a real crowd pleaser!!! The best part though is that it is relatively inexpensive. Admission to the park itself is $4.00. Then, admission to the show is $15.00 for adults and $10.00 for kids. However, if you purchase them online you get a 30% discount, making them $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for kids. You can also purchase all day wrist bands for Monster Truck rides for $25.00 each. In any case, my roomie works for the Dixon Tribune and was lucky enough to score us free tickets to the event. We’ll be out there on Sunday–probably hanging out by the fried twinkie and fried snickers stand–and hoepfully I’ll see you there! Have a good weekend everyone…

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