Sierra Mountain Times

January is groovy, although, a couple of years ago, I was depressed the entire month of January. Why? Because I missed the Tournament of Roses Parade. I overslept. I’m a parade fanatic. And if I miss a major parade, I get real bummed out. Nowadays, I simply DVR the parades, just in case I do oversleep. I overslept a little again this year. I stayed up real late, riding the New Year’s Eve Party Bus.  Man, New Year’s Eve was wild along the Party Bus route! (See the full color photo essay on the back page!) And now it’s January ’09! Remember that when you write your checks! I love January! There’s just something about that month!

Oh, by the way: in last week’s column, my hearts got accidently left out. My text should have read (last week) that I (   ) the Internet…and I   Adam Sandler. But the little icons that resemble hearts weren’t typed in. I don’t want you readers to think we’re heartless here at SMT; so, anytime you see a ( ) with nothing in it, just try to visualize a heart! O.K.? Now, where was I? Ah yes, the month of January. The snows are supposed to get heavier…people start breaking their New Year’s resolutions, right and left…Maryann, heard on the Star 92.7 Morning Show explained it all very well. “Many of us set our standards too high when we make our New Year’s resolutions; and we make resolutions we KNOW we can’t keep; like making a resolution to quit smoking, or like doing one hundred sit ups a day!  I’ll make a resolution like ‘if the IRS sends me money, I won’t argue with them; or, if I win the lottery, I promise to keep the money!” she resolved. Sounds like sensible resolutions to me, Maryann!

January is an incredible month for thrift-shopping! A lot of times, people will haul stuff over to their local thrift shops; stuff they got for Christmas – and don’t want. Or, people will do a lot of sorting/donating over the holidays. And for several weeks following Christmas, I’ll have a field day in the thrift shops, finding all kinds of cool stuff!! Remember, one man’s/woman’s junk is another man’s/woman’s treasure! So I JUST came back from the thrift shop, and I made out like a bandit! I scored a “voice recording photo album,” with which you can personalize up to 40 photos with special messages, descriptions or anecdotes!! Retail price: $29.99. Price I paid at Good Stuff in Angels Camp: $2.99! Unreal! And, the box had never even been opened! Then, down the street at Mark Twain St. Joseph Thrift Shop, I scooped up some rare record albums: Carl Perkin’s “Blue Suede Shoes” (on the Sun label); Woody Guthrie’s “Poor Boy” (on Folkways); The Turtle’s “Happy Together” (on White Whale) and Lightnin’ Hopkin’s “Country Blues” (on Tradition Records)!!! And all I had to pay the clerk was 50 cents per L.P.! I almost fainted! (And I don’t faint easily.) I also almost fainted after the San Diego Chargers pulled out a last minutes victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs! I’d like to see a California team like the Chargers go to the Super Bowl! That’s another reason to love January: all the NFL playoff excitement. (License plate seen in Twain Harte:    ooo)MI9ERZ. Now that’s loyalty!!) The Presidential Inauguration, January 20th will provide extra excitement this January. I was at home, recovering from a rather grueling day of deliveries; watching Fox News Channel. And I heard/saw something that blew my mind: The hour’s news commentator, Brian Wilson, reported that up to as many as 4 million people will attend Barack Obama’s inauguration; and there are only about 95,000 hotel rooms in that region – even including those in neighboring suburbs! Mr. Wilson was talking with the concierge director of the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington D.C., Julie Saunders, and she admitted, “I don’t know where you’re going to put them all! That’s an awfully large number of people, and we filled up (the Four Seasons Hotel) the day after the election!” Mr. Wilson then pointed out that “….you need 80,000 porta-potties to support 4 million people! I don’t know where you’re going to get 80,000 porta-potties! We almost came unglued during the Million Man March, when 800,000 to 1 million people showed up in D.C.! Now, we’re talking about 4 times that amount!” he exclaimed. Man, just the thought of waiting in football-field length lines at the inauguration porta-potties: not a cool scene.

January also starts the official Sonora Celtic Faire countdown! Only 63 more days until the kick-off (as of this column’s date.) Got a trivia question for you: Unlike jazz, swing and rock ‘n’ roll, which trace their roots back to Africa, where do the origins of country and western music lie? You guessed it: C&W’s orgins lie in the British, Scottish, Welsh and Irish folk songs! So if you like country music, you might really appreciate Irish, or Celtic music, too! See you at the Sonora Celtic Faire, March 13th-15th, at the Fairgrounds!

Meanwhile, you’re probably wondering what movie to rent for a rainy/snowy day. Carrie Ray of Books and More (B&M) on N. Main Street, Angels Camp, recommends “Wanted”, recently released on DVD, and starring some pretty big names. The film’s liner notes explain: “Wesley’s” (James McAvoy) life is over – his pathetic, old one anyway. Fortunately, it is all because of a girl. Enter sizzling-hot “Fox” (Angelina Jolie), who crashes into his life and introduces him to the “Fraternity”, a secret society of assassins, led by the enigmatic “Sloan” (Morgan Freeman). Don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but Carrie of B&M says, “the movie is an action-packed film. There are a lot of twists and great car stunts! It is violent, but not too bad. I wouldn’t let my kids watch it, but I enjoyed it! Usually, I don’t like action movies, but this one was very good! It had some weird twists in the middle, and some really interesting twists at the end!” This pseudo movie critic then took the movie home to view it. I’ll tell you, Carrie knows how to pick movies!  I rate this film a solid 4 out of 5 assassins. (Rated R).

I know it’s pretty cold outside right now, but there are a lot of groovy indoor events in the offing! Here’s an interesting one: a belly-dancing exhibition at the World Mercantile (1267 S. Main Street, Angels Camp), at 3:00 pm, Sunday January 11th! They also have Family Karaoke Night, every Friday at 6 p.m.; Open Mic every Saturday 4 to 7 p.m. and the drum circle every Monday night at 6:30! I really don’t know of any other place that presents such a diverse schedule of entertainment!

Recently experienced Them Changes. (No, not a mid-life crisis. The rock group!) Saw them at the Lumberyard Brewing Company (in the township of Standard off Hwy 108). I’m telling ya, this group nearly blew the roof off, and the walls out! They’re a high-energy, classic rock ensemble whose slogan is “The party starts now!” They cranked out explosive renditions of ACDC’s “A Whole Lotta Rosie”; The Black Crowes “Too Hot to Handle”; Ted Nugent’s “Hey, Baby!”; the Allman Brothers’ “Dreams”; and LOTS and LOTS of classic rock! ”Right now, the group is in the studio recording a demo,” says their booking agent, Lynn Pardini, “But I think they’ll be back at the Lumberyard next month!” This hippy dippy writer says “Check ‘em out!!”

Check out the Nugget Bar, too! (at 75 Big Trees Road in Murphys). Owner Dennis Sanfilippo has declared every Monday night, JAM NIGHT!!! So, bring your instrument!!  On Saturday January 17th, White, Hot & Blue (“Reno’s favorite band”) will rock the Nugget with their classic rock and blues! Things are gonna ROCK in 2009!  And if YOU know any other good bands out there, or any good shows coming up, give me a call on my hippy dippy hotline. It’s 559-8368. So, like the license plate I saw in Angels Camp says, “BIE UALL”! Stay cool!