Odd Jobs

Working in retail is much more glamorous than say, plunging toilets, which I did at my first job. I worked as a buser at a restaurant. I was 15 and had no idea what having a job entailed, so I did everything to ensure my success. Not only did I bus tables but I prepped and served food, cleaned the chandeliers, dusted the woodwork, vacuumed and even did delivery orders within walking distance. The owners soon figured out that I would do any task, so eventually they had me plunging toilets too. I remembering thinking, “I must go to college, this sucks!”
As unpleasant as that job was I’m grateful for the experience.
As I said in my column on Nov. 24, no work experience is without gain.

With that said, what's the strangest job you've ever had?

Man Attempts to Smuggle Lizards into U.S. by Strapping them to his Chest

OK, so this is not Elk Grove news but you might be interested to know...


A Lomita, Calif. man was arrested on Nov. 17 at Los Angeles International Airport by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agents and charged with smuggling lizards.
The man strapped 15 live lizards to his torso and attempted to clear U.S. Customs.

Michael Plank, 40, was returning from Australia when Custom's officials found lizards in his money belt.
Wildlife Inspectors identified the lizard species as two geckos, eleven skinks and two monitor lizards.
Monitor lizards are a protected species.
The value of the lizards is estimated at $8,500.

Plank has been released on a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles on Dec. 21.

Open Studio Changes at EGFAC

Open Studios Painting Sessions will end on Friday, Nov. 20. The Open Studios Watercolor Sessions will still be held on Tuesdays at the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center, 9080 Elk Grove Blvd. from 12:30 p.m.- 2:30 pm. Oil painting artists can join this session but must use Turpinoid only. Beginners and super beginners welcome. Focus will be on solutions to problems and demonstration of watercolor techniques. Call Teresa at 687-8908 for reservations. Classes are $10 per session.

One Stop Holiday Shop

Few gifts are more original that local arts, trinkets and crafts.
Don’t miss the upcoming Holiday Art & Craft Festival presented by the Crocker Art Museum.
More than 95 regional artists and craftspeople will gather at the Scottish Rite Center on Nov. 27-29 to display and sell their creations.
Artist creations include jewelry, ceramics, paintings, gourmet food, a variety of holiday items and more.
This would be a good place to stock-up on Christmas gifts.
There are many holiday craft fairs every year, but what makes this one unique, besides being presented by Sacramento’s most prominent art museum, is the fact that children and adults can have their photos taken with a Victorian Santa Claus.
Attendees will also enjoy free parking and a café by Ambrosia Catering.
Festival admission is free to Crocker members, $6 for adult non-members and $3 for seniors, students and children. The festival is open Friday, 1 p.m.- 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.- 5p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ball-erific!

The 49th Annual Crocker Art Ball is approaching! This year’s theme is “A Holiday Affair.” Tickets are $500 for general admission.Learn more details at www.crockerartmuseum.org/ball

Hat Fancy

A top hat, a cloche, a cap, a fedora- whatever the style, headwear is not just to keep our noggins warm, but an expression of fashion that has changed throughout history.
Use your imagination to make your own unique hats at the Crocker Art Museum’s “Second Saturday for Families: Project Hat” event on Jan. 9 from 12 p.m.- 3 p.m.
Bring the kids for this fun hat-making event.
A variety of materials will be provided to create a hat that signifies your personal style. Who knows, you might create a new trend!Event is free with admission.

Family Ties Bind Exhibits at the Crocker

Sometimes it’s better to hear it from an expert.
Like the docents at the Crocker Art Museum who will offer tours through the popular exhibit Treasures, Curiosities and Secrets: The Crockers and the Gilded Age running thru May 9, 2010.
The theme for the tour is “Family Affair.”
Tour guests will also look at other works in the Crocker’s collection with family-related stories behind them.
This tour is free with admission.Tour times are: Thursday, Jan. 7 at 6 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 9 at 2 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 23 at 11 a.m.

More than a century later, Sac’s former premiere artist gets retrospective exhibit

One hundred years ago William F. Jackson may have been a household name in Sacramento. From 1880 to 1936 he was Sacramento’s leading painter. Jackson was also the first director of the Crocker Art Museum, a position he held for 50 years.
Now his works will be on display so that modern day Sacramento residents can appreciate his art too.
The Crocker Art Museum presents Meadows and Mountains: The Art of William F. Jackson through May 9, 2010.
This is the first exhibit that will take a look back at Jackson’s work over his art career. Featuring 20 painted landscapes, including views of Donner Lake, Lake Tahoe and California hillsides carpeted with springtime poppies and lupine.
The Crocker Art Museum is located at 216 O Street in downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., Tuesday- Sunday. On the 1st and 3rd Thursdays, the museum stays open until 9 p.m.
Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for students. Free admission on Sundays from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m is made possible by Bank of America. For more information please visit crockerartmuseum.org.

Non-Juried Open Exhibition in Vacaville

The Vacaville Art League & Gallery presents the 14th Annual 2009 Non- Juried Exhibition on Saturday, Nov. 20 and running through Jan. 9.
A reception will be held on Saturday, Nov. 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Artists are welcome to submit works. Entry fee is $6 for members and $8 for non-members. The contest is open to age 14 and older. Art works are limited to 36" x 36".
There will be over $200 in cash awards and a "People's Choice Award."
For more information call (707) 448-8712 or visit www.vacavilleartgallery.com.

Elk Grove Artists in Roseville

This Saturday, Nov. 21 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. the Blue Line Gallery presents the opening reception of "Small Gems."
Two Elk Grove artists will be in the show: Kanika Marshall and Ann Saibeni. 14 other artists are also in the show which runs through Jan. 13.
The Blue Line Gallery is located at 405 Vernon Street in Roseville, CA.
For more information about this exhibit and others at the gallery visit www.rosevillearts.org.

P.S. There is also an upcoming fashion show and afternoon tea on Dec. 6!

KVIE Presents "Second Saturday" program

KVIE re-airs program highlighting "Second Saturday."
I watched a preview of this on their Web site. Pretty interesting. I was excited about it because they taped some of the same street performers I saw at "Second Sat."

PRESS RELEASE:
KVIE Public Television is proud to present the “Arts Alive” program, a collection of stories within the ViewFinder series. This special episode, called “Arts Alive: Second Saturday,” journeys into the artistic culture of our great city, and airs on KVIE channel 6.1 on Wednesday, November 4 @ 7:00pm. Repeats will be featured on November 6 at 4:00pm and November 8 at 6:00pm.

“Second Saturday” explores the beginnings of a Sacramento tradition that has brought art to the forefront of the social scene.

“Arts Alive: Second Saturday” takes you back to the 1990s, when the idea of an art event began to sound appealing to a group of local artists and gallery owners looking for a way to bring customers to their doorstep.

Michael Himovitz, a former gallery owner, and Gloria Burt, who, for years, was the face of KVIE’s Art Auction, further developed the concept, hoping to spark interest in art among the residents of Sacramento. For Gloria, part of this pursuit included the expansion of art appreciation to other local communities like Del Paso Boulevard.

The concept of a “Second Saturday” “Art Walk” caught on. Other cities like Portland, Chicago and Miami also caught the fever. What started as only a few art galleries staying open late has grown into a true civic event. The city now blocks off several downtown streets to vehicle traffic and reduces parking fees to encourage visitors.

First-time artists to seasoned professionals come from all over Northern California to “Second Saturday”. KVIE’s “Arts Alive: Second Saturday” brings you to the streets, galleries, restaurants, and even an auto body shop filled with vintage motorbikes and modern music. “Arts Alive” programs on KVIE are funded in part by the Sacramento Cultural Arts Program of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission with support from the City and County of Sacramento. KVIE’s “ViewFinder” series is underwritten by AT&T and SAFE Credit Union. For more information about “ViewFinder” episodes, visit www.kvie.org/viewfinder.

Feminist Wine Club

Feminist wine club supports women grape growers and feminists wine aficionados.
The wine club sounds fun and beneficial because it supports female wine growers and allows feminists to gather, converse and learn about wine.
"Feminist Wine Club members can also read and store wine tasting notes in their free online wine cellar (My Wine Cellar), register for wines they want, and sign up for The Daily Sip™ to get a free daily dose of wine knowledge (think Daily Candy for wine!), featuring winemakers, wine regions, wines, celebrity wine lovers and chefs, wine tips and gadgets,” according to the press release.
“Started by Alyssa Rapp and Kim Donaldson, Bottlenotes is the premier online wine community, where wine enthusiasts come to learn about wine, share wine tasting notes, and buy great boutique and estate wines from around the world.”
Check out http://www.bottlenotes.com/feminist-wine-club) for more info.

Sea Creatures of the Largest Kind

This drawing shows the size of sea mammals compared to people, elephants and buildings. Courtesy of 3D Entertainment.

Late last month I saw a documentary at the Esquire IMAX theatre in downtown Sacramento titled, "Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean 3D."
The film was 2 years in the making.
Filmmakers Jean-Michel Cousteau, film ambassador; Daryl Hannah, narrator; Francois Mantello, producer; Jean-Jacques Mantello, director, and Gavin McKinney, director of photography made the film.
They shot in eight countries and captured over 100 hours of footage.
On Oct. 15 Director of Photography Gavin McKinney (photo) flew in from his home in the Bahamas to introduce the film to the Sacramento audience at the IMAX.
Adults and children filled the lobby, where a party was held before the 42- minute long film.
That’s when I had a chance to speak with McKinney.
I asked him if he was a wildlife or environmental activist. He told me he’s not an activist, but describes himself as a nature lover.
Growing up in the Bahamas, with no TV, the ocean was his playground.
“Nature was just a part of life,” he said.
Because of this, he has an immense appreciation for the ocean. He was also very brave when it came to swimming next to a 10-ton whale.
I also asked him how he wanted to audience to feel when watching the film.
McKinney said he hoped the audience would experience what he felt when filming.
I asked him if this film was marketed towards children because many, many children were at the screening.
He said children understand the sadness of the situation sometimes better than adults. Their compass to determine right-and-wrong is strong.
“Kids ‘get it’ when shark’s fins are cut-off,” he said.

The movie didn't feature any gore, like shark fins being cut off. McKinney wanted children to gain an appreciation for the mammals from the tame film, so they'll react more sympathetically as adults.
Although the film noted the shrinking populations of most whale and dolphin species, the pre-show party was cheery. Children gathered around a person in a dolphin costume to play games and dance.
The film was viewed with 3D glasses.
But before the film, McKinney gave a short introduction.
When shooting the documentary, he told the audience, he experienced three different emotions: frustration, euphoria and panic.
Having an animal swim away was frustrating. Finding the perfect shot was euphoric. And being smashed into incited panic.
Approximately 300,000 whales are killed each year, he said. Some are accidentally caught by nets.
“Being a whale or dolphin today is not as much fun as it used to be,” he said. “There’s a lot to be done to ensure their survival.”
The documentary highlighted various species of dolphins and whales; showed their daily routines like feeding, traveling and caring for their young; and noted how much in danger of extinction each species was. Some were frighteningly close to being extinct forever.
After the documentary, I briefly spoke with him in the lobby and asked him if he ever had any close calls with the mammals.
The whales were so massive, he said, even a baby whale bumping up against him felt like being hit with a bowling ball.
“These animals really dictate what happens,” he said referring to their power and size.
He described one time when a baby whale was swinging its head back-and-forth and almost hit him. That swinging movement would be about six feet in either direction, he said using nearby objects to measure the distance.
McKinney’s bio states he’s worked on films such as “Splash,” “Speed 2,” “Jaws: the Revenge,” “The Abyss,” and many more. To learn more about the film visit dolphinsandwhales3D.com.

More CA Museum Photos

Hat from The Wiard of Oz (1939).

Butterfly art in front cafe area.

Batman was there alongside Robin.

Dr. Sally Ride's space uniform. She was teeny-tiny.

Star Trek vest and sash worn by Shatner.

Dr. Sally Ride's space suit up close.

Barbies from various decades were displayed neatly in a case on the second floor.

This looks like my favorite suit.

Dan Ackroyd's costume in Ghostbusters II.

See the Costume Exhibit I Did

I'll admit it: I've never been a Star Wars fan. I saw the movie as a child, but it didn't make much of an impact on me. Probably because I was more into Rainbow Bright, and movies about heroines in a completely fuzzy and colorful world, where the bad, scary people were never overly frightening.

However one thing about Star Wars I can appreciate are the costumes!

Last month on a random lazy Sunday I went to the “Out of This World Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television” exhibit at the California Museum in downtown Sacramento.

It was crowded enough that I didn't feel like I was alone in a creepy museum. But not so packed it was noisy and hard to get a front-and-center view of exhibits. But creepy would not be a word to describe the California Museum even if it was empty.
The architecture and staff were welcoming.
It was modern and spacious, with two-story windows letting in plenty of light from the overcast yet bright day.
A café was on the first floor by the windows. A massive piece of art in pinks and purples towered over the seating area and reached the height of the second floor.
I highly recommended visiting the museum, or walking by to at least see this gorgeous piece.

I planned on seeing just the costume exhibit in the back area of the second floor, but there was so much to look at and read about before I reached that area I had to stop and check it out.

The California Museum is dedicated to “California’s rich cultural history, with an emphasis on the contributions of women,” as noted on the Web site.

The second floor displays showcased everything that represents women in history, from Sally Ride's space outfit to a glass case filled with Barbies.
Each woman highlighted in the exhibit had a collage of items and short bios about them.
I read about Amelia Earhart. And the California State Symbol Minerva- a Roman goddess, a symbol for wisdom and justice and supporter of the arts and learning.
Julia Child, Dr. Patricia Bath, Joan Kroc, March Fong and Dolores Huerta were other women featured in the exhibit.

As I got to the end of the exhibit I saw Yoda.
Even a Star Wars trivia novice such as myself recognized the friendly little green guy.
An intro at the front of the exhibit explained the importance of costumes in defining the characters for the audience.
This is so true. Could you imagine Russell Crow in the movie “Gladiator” wearing a costume from Halloween Spirit Store? I think not.

But I wasn’t here to read a dissertation; I wanted to see the costumes!

Inside I found the costumes displayed standing-up in Star Trek-like glass tombs, as if they were about to be “beamed up.” (Yes, I know Star Wars and Star Trek are different!)

This exhibit had costumes from both Star Wars and Star Trek, which may explain the ambiance.

The lights were dim. Only red and colored lights lit-up the exhibit. The slate colored floor and walls made me feel like I could be in a space ship with the Darth Vader costume (the original), or one of the Star Trooper costumes.

The exhibit also featured Obi- Wan Kenobi’s robe and Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber and x-wing pilot flight suit.

The exhibit featured more than just Star Wars costumes though.

Movies I’ve never seen, but heard of like “Blade Runner,” “Pris,” and “Eldon Tyrell” had interesting costumes on display.

Indy’s leather jacket, whip and headpiece from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” were on display, as well as the jumpsuit worn by Dan Ackroyd as Dr. Reymond Stantz in Ghostbusters II.

Even a leather jacket worn by the governator Arnold Schwarzenegger in “The Terminator” was on display behind a glass tomb.

I think my favorite sight to see what the hat the Wicked Witch of the West wore in the original 1939 “The Wizard of Oz,” one of my all time favorite movies.
The hat was in excellent shape. It didn’t look more than five years old.

As I left the exhibit I was transported back into reality. I sat in a old bus and watched a short video about Asian immigrant to California, and checked-out a wall full of old suitcases, illustrating the immigration theme.

The costume exhibit continues until Jan. 10, 2010. To read more about current exhibits at the California Museum, visit http://www.californiamuseum.org/exhibits/current

More photos to come!

Wow, it's been awhile

Sorry for the delay with new posts!!!

BTW- I'm on Twitter now! KateInElkGrove

Hope to hear from you!