Last week I received a call from Dorothy Walker, a local resident who works out at Curves on the border of Elk Grove and Sacramento.
Walker told me that many senior citizens workout at that gym and suggested I write a story about "seniors taking charge."
While I like the concept of fitness for seniors, I needed an angle. So I called the Department of Physical Education at Cosumnes River College (CRC) and spoke with the dean, Liz Belyea.
She said today's seniors have more opportunities to develop unhealthy habits.
Which is a shame, because as Belyea reminded me of something I remember reading about in college, as we get older our bodies get weaker. Our bones become more susceptible injuries from falling. That is why strength training is so important, especially for senior citizens.
Read about senior health in this week's "The Scoop" column and stay tuned for a future story about senior citizen health and fitness.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Twilight: Eclipse entertains even skeptics of the series
By Cody Kitaura
Citizen Staff Writer
Special to Scoop
Call me old fashioned, but I thought vampires wore capes. And turned into bats. And slept in coffins.
None of that is true in author Stephenie Meyer’s wildly successful Twilight franchise, but it didn’t stop hundreds of fans from packing into Sacramento’s Esquire IMAX Theatre for a midnight showing of the newest installment on June 30.
The series, which first hit the big screen in 2008, revolves around Arizona-native Bella Swan’s (Kristen Stewart) move to an unfamiliar high school in rural Washington state, where she falls madly in love with vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), all the while being thrown into dangerous vampire turf wars and werewolf rivalries.
Eclipse, the third of the four-part series, was released June 30, and shattered records for the biggest midnight release in U.S. history, grossing an estimated $30 million on its first night.
The film revolves around the hunt for clues as the vampire protagonists fear out-of-control, “newborn” vampires may be behind a string of mysterious killings in Seattle. As danger seems more and more imminent, werewolf heartthrob Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) confesses his love for Bella and sets out to convince her that he’s a better mate than cold, undead Edward.
Fans of “traditional” vampire tales will revel in the flashbacks showing the human lives of the bloodsucking characters before they were immortal. One such flashback shows Jasper Hale (Jackson Rathbone) as a Confederate soldier in the Civil War, while Edward’s early-1900s persona shows through as he describes how his romance with Bella would have gone during his time.
“I would’ve courted you,” he says during a tender moment in Eclipse, explaining how he would have “stolen a kiss or two.”
His old-fashioned nature irks Bella, who is eager to skip the chaperoned strolls and get to the real intimacy. She urges Edward to bite her and turn her into a vampire so they can spend eternity together, but he resists.
The feeling of this installment was radically different from past Twilight films, and the move was a positive one. Each film in the series is overseen by a different director, and Eclipse’s David Slade was a surprisingly successful choice. Slade, a 40-year-old Briton with a Cullen-esque complexion, was previously more known for gory horror films and music videos than tween-heartthrob flicks, but Eclipse winds a sense of dark suspense with the requisite web of romance.
The film’s target audience hasn’t shifted from that “young adult” crowd, but the few fathers present at the midnight showing (who likely weren’t there by choice) could find enjoyment at least in the film’s few fast-paced action scenes, which were energetic and well done.
And if the more reluctant attendees weren’t able to enjoy that part of the film, they could at least revel in the audio-visual candy store that is the Esquire IMAX Theatre, located at 1211 K St. in downtown Sacramento. The massive screen and booming stereo seem to make any movie more engaging.
Eclipse was destined for success before any of its core fans had seen even a frame of the actual film, but luckily the movie does enough to keep even the non-rabid fans engaged.
Citizen Staff Writer
Special to Scoop
Call me old fashioned, but I thought vampires wore capes. And turned into bats. And slept in coffins.
None of that is true in author Stephenie Meyer’s wildly successful Twilight franchise, but it didn’t stop hundreds of fans from packing into Sacramento’s Esquire IMAX Theatre for a midnight showing of the newest installment on June 30.
The series, which first hit the big screen in 2008, revolves around Arizona-native Bella Swan’s (Kristen Stewart) move to an unfamiliar high school in rural Washington state, where she falls madly in love with vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), all the while being thrown into dangerous vampire turf wars and werewolf rivalries.
Eclipse, the third of the four-part series, was released June 30, and shattered records for the biggest midnight release in U.S. history, grossing an estimated $30 million on its first night.
The film revolves around the hunt for clues as the vampire protagonists fear out-of-control, “newborn” vampires may be behind a string of mysterious killings in Seattle. As danger seems more and more imminent, werewolf heartthrob Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) confesses his love for Bella and sets out to convince her that he’s a better mate than cold, undead Edward.
Fans of “traditional” vampire tales will revel in the flashbacks showing the human lives of the bloodsucking characters before they were immortal. One such flashback shows Jasper Hale (Jackson Rathbone) as a Confederate soldier in the Civil War, while Edward’s early-1900s persona shows through as he describes how his romance with Bella would have gone during his time.
“I would’ve courted you,” he says during a tender moment in Eclipse, explaining how he would have “stolen a kiss or two.”
His old-fashioned nature irks Bella, who is eager to skip the chaperoned strolls and get to the real intimacy. She urges Edward to bite her and turn her into a vampire so they can spend eternity together, but he resists.
The feeling of this installment was radically different from past Twilight films, and the move was a positive one. Each film in the series is overseen by a different director, and Eclipse’s David Slade was a surprisingly successful choice. Slade, a 40-year-old Briton with a Cullen-esque complexion, was previously more known for gory horror films and music videos than tween-heartthrob flicks, but Eclipse winds a sense of dark suspense with the requisite web of romance.
The film’s target audience hasn’t shifted from that “young adult” crowd, but the few fathers present at the midnight showing (who likely weren’t there by choice) could find enjoyment at least in the film’s few fast-paced action scenes, which were energetic and well done.
And if the more reluctant attendees weren’t able to enjoy that part of the film, they could at least revel in the audio-visual candy store that is the Esquire IMAX Theatre, located at 1211 K St. in downtown Sacramento. The massive screen and booming stereo seem to make any movie more engaging.
Eclipse was destined for success before any of its core fans had seen even a frame of the actual film, but luckily the movie does enough to keep even the non-rabid fans engaged.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Grow with Old Elk Grove
On June 19 the Gardener's of the Grove held a day-long event with workshops at The Secret Garden. This fake fruit and vegetable man was on a display table in an area where the children's garden workshop was held.
Children made cute crafts that taught them about gardening, bugs and healthy eating.
In the morning, Gardeners of the Grove planted flowers in 12 planter boxes on Elk Grove Boulevard to beautify the Old Town area. Then everyone made their way to The Secret Garden for three workshops- one for children, and two for adults.
Check out the 6/23 citizen for an article about the event.
Sorry For Not Updating
Sorry I haven't updated this blog in quite some time. We've been busy with special tabs, and in addition that that, news is slower in the summer. But I plan on taking more photos when I'm out and about so I'll have something to entertain you with!
Thanks for reading,
Katie
Thanks for reading,
Katie
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Silent Auction for Haiti Relief
Bid on some fancy items, like diamond earrings and massages, at a silent auction to benefit Haiti.
A group of 16 people, mostly Elk Grove locals, will travel to Haiti in June to bring medical and baby supplies. They will also rebuild houses and start a kid's club.
The auction will take place at The Secret Garden in Old Town Elk Grove on May 15 from 4-8 p.m.
The Secret Garden is located at:
8998 Elk Grove Blvd
Elk Grove, CA 95624
(916) 686-2006
A group of 16 people, mostly Elk Grove locals, will travel to Haiti in June to bring medical and baby supplies. They will also rebuild houses and start a kid's club.
The auction will take place at The Secret Garden in Old Town Elk Grove on May 15 from 4-8 p.m.
The Secret Garden is located at:
8998 Elk Grove Blvd
Elk Grove, CA 95624
(916) 686-2006
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Spaces left in Fine Arts Workshops
The Elk Grove Fine Arts Center presents a bevvy of workshops and classes every month for all skill levels. Here are some upcoming classes:
Oil Painting, with Kristine Bybee, Saturday, May 8, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Fee - $50.00
This workshop will include a step-by-step process designed for students to realize a finished painting in oil. Thoughtful demonstrations, critiques and handouts accompany this class to help students achieve maximum results. This workshop designed for the novice to intermediate painter.
Acrylic Abstract Painting, with David Lobenberg, Sunday, May 23, 10:00 am - 2:00 p.m., Fee - $80.00. This workshop is appropriate for beginner to advance painters as well as for painters who want to learn how to paint with acrylics or who already have experience painting. There will be no representational painting what so ever! I'll be passing out some hand outs and talking about all sorts of ways you can think about what you are going to paint BEFORE you put brush to canvas. You will have a road map and not end up with a jumbled, mushy abstract mess with no emotion, feeling, strong color sense, striking composition, etc. We will also explore some great specialized acrylic mediums that can be used for your abstract.
Painting Watercolor Koi Fish, with Ron and Sandy Ridley, Wednesday, May 26, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.,
Fee - $40.00. This watercolor demonstration is designed for both new and experienced painters. All you need is an interest to learn and a desire to have fun. We will be teaching you how to draw Koi Fish and arrange them in a composition. You will be using a wet in wet technique by applying the wet paint to the wet paper and letting the pigments blend together
www.elkgrovefineartscenter.org.
Oil Painting, with Kristine Bybee, Saturday, May 8, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Fee - $50.00
This workshop will include a step-by-step process designed for students to realize a finished painting in oil. Thoughtful demonstrations, critiques and handouts accompany this class to help students achieve maximum results. This workshop designed for the novice to intermediate painter.
Acrylic Abstract Painting, with David Lobenberg, Sunday, May 23, 10:00 am - 2:00 p.m., Fee - $80.00. This workshop is appropriate for beginner to advance painters as well as for painters who want to learn how to paint with acrylics or who already have experience painting. There will be no representational painting what so ever! I'll be passing out some hand outs and talking about all sorts of ways you can think about what you are going to paint BEFORE you put brush to canvas. You will have a road map and not end up with a jumbled, mushy abstract mess with no emotion, feeling, strong color sense, striking composition, etc. We will also explore some great specialized acrylic mediums that can be used for your abstract.
Painting Watercolor Koi Fish, with Ron and Sandy Ridley, Wednesday, May 26, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.,
Fee - $40.00. This watercolor demonstration is designed for both new and experienced painters. All you need is an interest to learn and a desire to have fun. We will be teaching you how to draw Koi Fish and arrange them in a composition. You will be using a wet in wet technique by applying the wet paint to the wet paper and letting the pigments blend together
www.elkgrovefineartscenter.org.
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