Pay For News?
12/21/2009 07:42 PM
Today, our local newspaper, The Record, announced it
would begin charging for on-line access.
There was quite a stir on Twitter after the announcement. Some on the local Twitter scene thought that this would spell the end for the Record. And it seems as if some would be happy to see the Record fail.
I’m going to go out on a limb and, much to the chagrin of some of my friends, agree with the decision to start charging. While I recognize that this presents a unique opportunity for bloggers, podcasters and other media junkies to share their work I think we need to help local newspapers survive. Local blogger, Bill Ries-Knight said it best today:
The “news” may be free, but the reporting of it shouldn’t be. Like a retail transaction, value should be traded for value. I am happy to pay for the talents of the people that work at the Record.
This does seem like a slippery slope. Hopefully the Record understands the potential impact of charging for online content. Of course, this could go terribly wrong. Subscribers could run for the hills and the Record could be left with fewer eyeballs to attract fewer advertisers with tightening budgets. But then again, it could turn out just fine.
Is there room in this community for the likes of Reclaiming the Title, RodsRants, Brewery33 and Podcast Stockton? Absolutely! And we need more voices. We also need newspapers, radio and TV stations... with the resources to help us tell the stories. As I strive to become more involved with telling the stories of Stockton I hope organizations like the Record will continue to be here. We need Michael Fitzgerald, Daniel Thigpen, Christian Burkin, David Siders, Tara Cuslidge and Ian Hill.
Is it absurd?
Well, perhaps to some it is. I remember when I was a child and the concept of paying for a bottle of water was absurd. As of a few years ago, Americans were spending $15 Billion a year on bottled water. Don’t judge me for giving $40 a year to the Record.
There was quite a stir on Twitter after the announcement. Some on the local Twitter scene thought that this would spell the end for the Record. And it seems as if some would be happy to see the Record fail.
I’m going to go out on a limb and, much to the chagrin of some of my friends, agree with the decision to start charging. While I recognize that this presents a unique opportunity for bloggers, podcasters and other media junkies to share their work I think we need to help local newspapers survive. Local blogger, Bill Ries-Knight said it best today:
In September, I sat down with Michael Fitzgerald, metro columnist for the Record and, of course, the subject of blogging and the internet came up. He made a compelling case why a community needs a professional news organization. He spoke about a local blogger named Chocolate who anonymously blogged about issues related to Stockton Unified School District. Chocolate turned out to be the former principle of Stagg High School.“I'm just sayin... Who will be the gatherer of news if the Local Newspaper is gone? Who'll be there @ 2am when the bullets have been flying?” - @Steelhoof
“She’s concealing the fact that she’s a disgruntled ex-employee. Now, some of her information was accurate and some of her opinions are valid... but wouldn’t you like to know that this person has an axe to grind... Finally, the newsroom is full of trained, talented, seasoned professionals. They filter out a lot of BS. The internet just puts it out there.” - Michael Fitzgerald
The “news” may be free, but the reporting of it shouldn’t be. Like a retail transaction, value should be traded for value. I am happy to pay for the talents of the people that work at the Record.
This does seem like a slippery slope. Hopefully the Record understands the potential impact of charging for online content. Of course, this could go terribly wrong. Subscribers could run for the hills and the Record could be left with fewer eyeballs to attract fewer advertisers with tightening budgets. But then again, it could turn out just fine.
Is there room in this community for the likes of Reclaiming the Title, RodsRants, Brewery33 and Podcast Stockton? Absolutely! And we need more voices. We also need newspapers, radio and TV stations... with the resources to help us tell the stories. As I strive to become more involved with telling the stories of Stockton I hope organizations like the Record will continue to be here. We need Michael Fitzgerald, Daniel Thigpen, Christian Burkin, David Siders, Tara Cuslidge and Ian Hill.
Will I pay for online Recordnet access? Yes.“... do you seriously think that many people will pay for online paper? Especially enough to save a sinking ship...” - @BREWERY33
Is it absurd?
Well, perhaps to some it is. I remember when I was a child and the concept of paying for a bottle of water was absurd. As of a few years ago, Americans were spending $15 Billion a year on bottled water. Don’t judge me for giving $40 a year to the Record.
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Thanksgiving Day Run Walk Against Hunger
11/26/2009 11:46 PM
We got there early to register and even by 7:00 there was a sizable crowd. It was pretty cold out, but the skies were clear. Emily and I registered and went back to the car to warm up. By 7:30 the crowd was growing and by 8:00, nearly 4,000 people were assembled at Banner Island Ballpark for the event. We finally got a chance to meet Adriana Brogger and JT Valencia and talk about some cool ideas for the Stockton media scene.
We met up with our friend Rod Villagomez from RodsRants.com. With the crew from DRTV, Rod was doing a live broadcast from the walk. Complete with a contraption attached to something that resembled a heavy-duty weight lifting belt, he was able to “rodcast” live video during the 3.1 mile walk. Having spent a little time with Rod during his 24 hour Rant-a-Thon a few weeks back I can tell you that the 1 hour walk / broadcast was more physically challenging!
The walk took us down Fremont Street to Center Street and then down Weber Avenue. We turned around at the I-5 overpass and then walked back through the marina and then through McLeod Park. Since we opted for the walk instead of the run, I was able to bring my camera. It was a perfect fall day to take some pictures of beautiful downtown Stockton.
Check out the rest of the pics here.
Stockton Marina Ribbon Cutting
10/30/2009 10:33 PM
David Harzoff, the Director of Revitalization opened
up the ceremony and introduced Mayor Ann Johnston who
came to the podium wearing a commodore's hat. After
some words from Dennis Smallie, Douglass Wilhoit and
others, the mayor spoke about the late former mayor,
Joan Darrah. James Darrah, Mrs. Darrah's widower, and
their grown children were in attendance. Mr. Darrah
told the story of when his wife was told that the
promenade would bear her name. It was a touching
story.
More dignitaries, and official representatives of other dignitaries that were not in attendence, spoke briefly before the ribbon was cut by the mayor, with the Darrahs, councilmembers and others at her side.
It was a beautiful event packed with tons of civic pride. We don't own a boat and don't spend much time on the delta but I'm still excited that our new marina has finally opened. Naming the promenade after the late Joan Darrah was a nice touch.
Check out the rest of the pictures here.
More dignitaries, and official representatives of other dignitaries that were not in attendence, spoke briefly before the ribbon was cut by the mayor, with the Darrahs, councilmembers and others at her side.
It was a beautiful event packed with tons of civic pride. We don't own a boat and don't spend much time on the delta but I'm still excited that our new marina has finally opened. Naming the promenade after the late Joan Darrah was a nice touch.
Check out the rest of the pictures here.
Pumpkin Pie, Anyone?
10/30/2009 10:14 PM
Today, I got a chance to be a judge, along with
Chris Kotsoglou, David Siders and David from
downtown's Blackwater Cafe at the Farmers
Market homemade pie contest. Thanks to the
Downtown Stockton Alliance for
letting me join in the fun.
Check out the rest of the pictures here.
Check out the rest of the pictures here.
Stir Up Stockon
09/27/2009 10:21 PM
Andy continues to fan the fire
he started last week. And it
appears that his plan to #stir things up is gaining
momentum. Local blogger, SlickDiaz, wrote a well
thought out piece on his blog, Reclaiming the
Title. Rod has not been silent on the
matter, either. On Friday, Ian added his voice to the mix. What we
have here is a handful of passionate
Stocktonians, wanting to increase communication
throughout our communities. How cool is that?
Seriously. That is cool!
The What
We have an opportunity to increase communication between city departments, elected officials and the people of Stockton. I don’t know if we’ve been at this point before. I don’t know if we are here now because of technology or because people are just becoming more energized. It is likely both. The web, with current services like Twitter and Facebook, give us the ability to interact with friends and family. It can also give us the ability to interact with our local government.
While I agree that most people don’t trust their elected officials, I do not believe that you need to trust someone to interact with them online. We need an easier way for citizens to get up-to-date information from local government and for these citizens to have tools with which to communicate with the city. Not everyone can (or wants to) attend city council meetings. Writing a letter, and even sending an e-mail, can be arduous. Using Facebook and Twitter is a simpler way.
The Who
As it relates to social media consumption, I see three populations in Stockton. Andy, Slick, Rod, Ian and I are in one group - the “veterans”, for lack of a better term. In another group are those that have no access to a computer and may not own a cell phone. The third group is the one I will refer to as the “fringe”. This is the population that may already use the web to get news and may have even visited our city’s website (provided that they remember what the URL is). They may have delved into social media but only to have fun with their friends or keep tabs on their favorite American Idol contestant/judge/host.
The size of the fringe is not insignificant. I would argue that it is the biggest of the three groups. This is the group on which we should be focusing our energy.
We mustn’t forget about that second part of the population: those on the other side of the digital divide. We still need traditional communication channels for this group. We need the smart people in our community to come up with better ways to get this population engaged.
The How
We need to reach the fringe. Not to sell them on Twitter or Facebook. Rather, we need to have an open dialog about new ways to communicate with the City. It is our job, as members of the veteran group, to help spread the word to the fringe.
We need to hold social-media town halls. Although I am very much a fan of meet-ups (can’t wait for our first Tweetup!), getting a bunch of veterans together won’t do much to get new participants involved. We can hold how-to sessions at local libraries. We can also do what we’re doing now, talk to our friends, family and neighbors. We can keep stirring it up.
In order to realize any success in this regard, the City of Stockton must officially jump into the mix. They need to start small and identify what departments are best suited for this new medium. The city cannot wait for “enough people” to be in the channel before ramping up their efforts.
To help the city along, the Record must dedicate some space to educating the community about social media. The Record’s managing editor, Dan Blount blogged a simple post recently. Writing about social networking sites, Mr. Blount added, “As the world expands, it continues to contract through the use of these media.” We need more than a quick blog entry. The Record has the power to get in front of a lot eyeballs. This cause could benefit from that power.
The Question
What else can we do to increase and improve communication amongst the city and its citizens? What ideas do you have? Leave a comment or send an e-mail to matt-at-mattbeckwith.com.
At the end of the day, Twitter and Facebook are awesome tools to start a conversation. We need more conversations in this city and we need more people in the conversation.
The What
We have an opportunity to increase communication between city departments, elected officials and the people of Stockton. I don’t know if we’ve been at this point before. I don’t know if we are here now because of technology or because people are just becoming more energized. It is likely both. The web, with current services like Twitter and Facebook, give us the ability to interact with friends and family. It can also give us the ability to interact with our local government.
While I agree that most people don’t trust their elected officials, I do not believe that you need to trust someone to interact with them online. We need an easier way for citizens to get up-to-date information from local government and for these citizens to have tools with which to communicate with the city. Not everyone can (or wants to) attend city council meetings. Writing a letter, and even sending an e-mail, can be arduous. Using Facebook and Twitter is a simpler way.
The Who
As it relates to social media consumption, I see three populations in Stockton. Andy, Slick, Rod, Ian and I are in one group - the “veterans”, for lack of a better term. In another group are those that have no access to a computer and may not own a cell phone. The third group is the one I will refer to as the “fringe”. This is the population that may already use the web to get news and may have even visited our city’s website (provided that they remember what the URL is). They may have delved into social media but only to have fun with their friends or keep tabs on their favorite American Idol contestant/judge/host.
The size of the fringe is not insignificant. I would argue that it is the biggest of the three groups. This is the group on which we should be focusing our energy.
We mustn’t forget about that second part of the population: those on the other side of the digital divide. We still need traditional communication channels for this group. We need the smart people in our community to come up with better ways to get this population engaged.
The How
We need to reach the fringe. Not to sell them on Twitter or Facebook. Rather, we need to have an open dialog about new ways to communicate with the City. It is our job, as members of the veteran group, to help spread the word to the fringe.
We need to hold social-media town halls. Although I am very much a fan of meet-ups (can’t wait for our first Tweetup!), getting a bunch of veterans together won’t do much to get new participants involved. We can hold how-to sessions at local libraries. We can also do what we’re doing now, talk to our friends, family and neighbors. We can keep stirring it up.
In order to realize any success in this regard, the City of Stockton must officially jump into the mix. They need to start small and identify what departments are best suited for this new medium. The city cannot wait for “enough people” to be in the channel before ramping up their efforts.
To help the city along, the Record must dedicate some space to educating the community about social media. The Record’s managing editor, Dan Blount blogged a simple post recently. Writing about social networking sites, Mr. Blount added, “As the world expands, it continues to contract through the use of these media.” We need more than a quick blog entry. The Record has the power to get in front of a lot eyeballs. This cause could benefit from that power.
The Question
What else can we do to increase and improve communication amongst the city and its citizens? What ideas do you have? Leave a comment or send an e-mail to matt-at-mattbeckwith.com.
At the end of the day, Twitter and Facebook are awesome tools to start a conversation. We need more conversations in this city and we need more people in the conversation.
Stockton Blogger Meet-up
07/29/2009 10:59 PM
For a first-time event there was a good turnout: Tara Cuslidge, Kirk Barron, Ian Hill, Sean Polay, David Siders, Bill Ries-Knight, Wes Rhea, Patrick Giblin, Hilary Shepherd, John Sterni, Record Publisher Roger Coover, and others. Some I had already met while with others, it was an awesome chance to put a face and voice to the blogs and tweets. We had the opportunity to talk with Mr. Coover and Mr. Polay, Product Manager of Distributed Media at Dow Jones, the parent company of The Record, about the future of blogging and social media at The Record. It was refreshing to hear that the paper is taking the local blogger community seriously. We heard about some new things the team at The Record are considering to tap into the draw of local bloggers. Above all, it was a wonderful opportunity to geek out with fellow bloggers and tweeters.
I’m definitely looking forward to the next meet-up! It’s also pretty apparent that we have more than enough of an appetite for a Tweetup... which I’m sure is coming soon.
National Beep Ball World Series Comes To Stockton
07/27/2009 08:29 PM
Thanks to the Community Center for the Blind and
Visually Impaired and the Stockton Sports Commission
headed by Don Miller, the Beep Ball World Series in
being played in Stockton!
This is great news for our city and we are very proud to share Stockton with the other 13 teams that have travelled from all over the US and Taiwan.
Tonight, we went to the opening ceremony at the Hilton Hotel. After an address by David Smolka, the NBBA President and Don Miller, Mayor Ann Johnston took the stage. She welcomed all of the players and thanked the Commission, CCBVI and the volunteers for helping to bring this event to Stockton. Mrs. Johnston encouraged everyone to spend some time throughout the city taking in local entertainment.
After a few more remarks by Mr. Smolka, each of the teams were introduced. Most of the teams had their own cheer but the Taiwanese team had the coolest!
To learn more about the NBBA, visit them online at http://www.nbba.org. For more information on the Community Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Stockton Stingrays, check out http://www.communitycenterfortheblind.org/ and read the recent article on The Record. To watch live coverage, visit The Valley Sports Network at http://valleysportsnetwork.com/
Best of luck to all the teams!
This is great news for our city and we are very proud to share Stockton with the other 13 teams that have travelled from all over the US and Taiwan.
Tonight, we went to the opening ceremony at the Hilton Hotel. After an address by David Smolka, the NBBA President and Don Miller, Mayor Ann Johnston took the stage. She welcomed all of the players and thanked the Commission, CCBVI and the volunteers for helping to bring this event to Stockton. Mrs. Johnston encouraged everyone to spend some time throughout the city taking in local entertainment.
After a few more remarks by Mr. Smolka, each of the teams were introduced. Most of the teams had their own cheer but the Taiwanese team had the coolest!
To learn more about the NBBA, visit them online at http://www.nbba.org. For more information on the Community Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Stockton Stingrays, check out http://www.communitycenterfortheblind.org/ and read the recent article on The Record. To watch live coverage, visit The Valley Sports Network at http://valleysportsnetwork.com/
Best of luck to all the teams!
Happy 4th of July
07/04/2009 11:22 PM
Happy 4th of July!
Even though the city of Stockton cancelled our
annual fireworks show due to the current budget
crisis, there was still reason to be down at the
waterfront on Independence Day. The second annual
Taste of San Joaquin was held
along with the first annual Way Out West BBQ Championship was
held at the Weber Points Event Center on a
perfect July day.
As soon as we paid our $1 dollar admissions we could hear an 80s rock band playing on the main stage. We made our way back and hung out and watched Aquanett perform songs from Ratt, Metallica, Poison, AC/DC and other rock bands. These guys really rocked. The guitar player was incredible. He had all the licks down and easily went from Kirk Hammett to C.C. DeVille without missing a beat (and thankfully didn’t dance like C.C.).
After listening to Aquanett for a while we ventured out to try some of the BBQ prepared by the 20 or so competitors. By the time we got there most of them had sold out of their BBQ but there were still a few remaining with plenty of chicken, ribs and brisket left. From what I tasted, Smokin’ Yankees had the best brisket and East Side BBQ had the absolute best pork ribs. After a few samples of BBQ we tried some specialties from local restaurants: egg rolls from On Lock Sam and nachos from Bradley’s were the best.
Loki Rhythm entertained on another stage, bringing world music and jazz to the waterfront with their African drums and beats.
After a full day of music and food we headed out to Lodi to watch the fireworks.
Check out the rest of the pics here.
As soon as we paid our $1 dollar admissions we could hear an 80s rock band playing on the main stage. We made our way back and hung out and watched Aquanett perform songs from Ratt, Metallica, Poison, AC/DC and other rock bands. These guys really rocked. The guitar player was incredible. He had all the licks down and easily went from Kirk Hammett to C.C. DeVille without missing a beat (and thankfully didn’t dance like C.C.).
After listening to Aquanett for a while we ventured out to try some of the BBQ prepared by the 20 or so competitors. By the time we got there most of them had sold out of their BBQ but there were still a few remaining with plenty of chicken, ribs and brisket left. From what I tasted, Smokin’ Yankees had the best brisket and East Side BBQ had the absolute best pork ribs. After a few samples of BBQ we tried some specialties from local restaurants: egg rolls from On Lock Sam and nachos from Bradley’s were the best.
Loki Rhythm entertained on another stage, bringing world music and jazz to the waterfront with their African drums and beats.
After a full day of music and food we headed out to Lodi to watch the fireworks.
Check out the rest of the pics here.
Asparagus Festival 2009
04/25/2009 09:05 PM
We also ate a lot of asparagus and had a great time visiting all of the booths. I even tried the hole-in-one challenge. Of course, I didn’t qualify. Overall, it was another awesome year at the Asparagus Festival.
Check out the rest of the pics here.
Earth Day at Victory Park
04/19/2009 09:23 PM
The best thing about the Earth Day festivities at
Victory Park this afternoon was seeing Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood
Players perform. They weren’t on stage, just
playing their tunes for anyone that would stop
by. These guys have an awesome sound and put on
a great show, even for just playing in the park.
They have some shows coming up soon in the area
so I will definitely have to check them out
again!
Check them out on MySpace and go see them live (schedule is on their site).
Check them out on MySpace and go see them live (schedule is on their site).
Down, But Not Out!
04/01/2009 08:06 PM
Three weeks ago, while
I was at work, I got the call I’ll never forget. My
wife’s voice was shaky as she told me that our home
was burglarized. I immediately hung up and raced
home.
Someone hopped our back fence, pried open our back door and helped themselves to our G4 PowerBook, new Canon S5-IS digital camera, Zoom H2 recorder, Makenzy’s Nintendo DS, Emily’s cash, most of Dawn and Emily’s jewelry and a few other small things. The thief also stole our sense of security and comfort in our own home. My 24” iMac was ripped from all the cables it was connected to but it was left behind. The crook thrashed nearly every room, including Emily’s but must not have seen her iMac sitting on her desk as it was never touched.
I didn’t keep a lot of files on that laptop but we did have our website files for mattbeckwith.com and pizzagohere.com. Luckily, we had a back up on DVD stored out of the house. Now that we have replaced the laptop (new 13” aluminum MacBook... I decided I didn’t need the 15”... and this thing is so fast compared to that 4 year old PowerBook) we can finally start publishing again.
Although it’s never a good time to be victimized by this sort of crime, the timing of this was especially tough on me. I had been working on a new project since January: a podcast about all the great things in Stockton. Although I was expecting some of my out-of-town friends to make “only in Stockton” comments, no one did. And of course, this doesn’t happen only in Stockton. Burglaries happen everywhere. The support of friends, family and neighbors kept me going and I was able to publish Podcast Stockton on schedule.
We have started replacing some of the material things that were taken from us and even though she sometimes makes a mess while we’re away at work, our dog Sashi no longer spends the day in the garage. Other than that, we’re moving on with our lives. We’re still angry but we are thankful that no one was hurt.
Someone hopped our back fence, pried open our back door and helped themselves to our G4 PowerBook, new Canon S5-IS digital camera, Zoom H2 recorder, Makenzy’s Nintendo DS, Emily’s cash, most of Dawn and Emily’s jewelry and a few other small things. The thief also stole our sense of security and comfort in our own home. My 24” iMac was ripped from all the cables it was connected to but it was left behind. The crook thrashed nearly every room, including Emily’s but must not have seen her iMac sitting on her desk as it was never touched.
I didn’t keep a lot of files on that laptop but we did have our website files for mattbeckwith.com and pizzagohere.com. Luckily, we had a back up on DVD stored out of the house. Now that we have replaced the laptop (new 13” aluminum MacBook... I decided I didn’t need the 15”... and this thing is so fast compared to that 4 year old PowerBook) we can finally start publishing again.
Although it’s never a good time to be victimized by this sort of crime, the timing of this was especially tough on me. I had been working on a new project since January: a podcast about all the great things in Stockton. Although I was expecting some of my out-of-town friends to make “only in Stockton” comments, no one did. And of course, this doesn’t happen only in Stockton. Burglaries happen everywhere. The support of friends, family and neighbors kept me going and I was able to publish Podcast Stockton on schedule.
We have started replacing some of the material things that were taken from us and even though she sometimes makes a mess while we’re away at work, our dog Sashi no longer spends the day in the garage. Other than that, we’re moving on with our lives. We’re still angry but we are thankful that no one was hurt.
I Do... Again
02/14/2009 11:55 PM
Tonight, Dawn and I
renewed our wedding vows in front of thousands of
screaming fans. Well, we weren’t the only ones.
The Stockton Thunder and KATM 103.3 had a promotion tonight where DJ
Walker, a licensed minister, performed another
mass wedding on the ice after the first period.
Although most were there to renew their wedding
vows, there were quite a few couple actually
getting married.
What did we wear for this occasion? Well, I wore the same Stockton Thunder shirts I wear to every game, along with a black suit coat. Dawn wore her Thunder shirt along with a beautiful veil. We were at a hockey game getting married (again) after all.
We watched the first period on TV in the large banquet room and then made our way out on to the ice. With a fight in the first couple of minutes and a 3-0 lead, the Thunder had done more than there share getting the crowd excited.
After we were re-married we went to our seats and joined the friends and family that had come out to watch us (and a hockey game).
The rest of the game did not go so well for the Thunder and we eventually lost 5-4. The Thunder remained scoreless in the second period and only scored the 4th goal on the very last second of the game.
We also tried, along with some people sitting near us, to start a wave. We never really got it going but Mike went down near the glass and got a lot of people to start doing it.
Thanks to Tony, Mike, Shauna, Christian, Rachel, Emily, Makenzy, Jack, Rita, Ken, Megen, Kenny, Missy, Dad, Angela, Tom, Tom, and Justin for coming out and sharing our special night with us.
I love you Dawn!
Check out the pictures from tonight here.
Also, Ken took a video of the fight between Stockton’s Adam Huxley and Bakersfield’s Hank
What did we wear for this occasion? Well, I wore the same Stockton Thunder shirts I wear to every game, along with a black suit coat. Dawn wore her Thunder shirt along with a beautiful veil. We were at a hockey game getting married (again) after all.
We watched the first period on TV in the large banquet room and then made our way out on to the ice. With a fight in the first couple of minutes and a 3-0 lead, the Thunder had done more than there share getting the crowd excited.
After we were re-married we went to our seats and joined the friends and family that had come out to watch us (and a hockey game).
The rest of the game did not go so well for the Thunder and we eventually lost 5-4. The Thunder remained scoreless in the second period and only scored the 4th goal on the very last second of the game.
We also tried, along with some people sitting near us, to start a wave. We never really got it going but Mike went down near the glass and got a lot of people to start doing it.
Thanks to Tony, Mike, Shauna, Christian, Rachel, Emily, Makenzy, Jack, Rita, Ken, Megen, Kenny, Missy, Dad, Angela, Tom, Tom, and Justin for coming out and sharing our special night with us.
I love you Dawn!
Check out the pictures from tonight here.
Also, Ken took a video of the fight between Stockton’s Adam Huxley and Bakersfield’s Hank
Stockton Thunder Goes Pink III
11/08/2008 11:48 PM
The win streak on pink ice has ended. Tonight was
game two of Thunder Goes Pink III, taking on the
Victoria Salmon Kings. The near sell out crowd was
more energetic then they were on opening night even
though there were no real fights and we lost another
one.
At the beginning of the game DJ Walker asked cancer survivors in the audience stand up followed by friends and family of people affected by cancer. It was quite an emotional sight when nearly the entire audience of 9,000+ stood up. The Thunder brought out Cameron the Super Fan, a huge favorite in Stockton, who for the first time we can remember, took the mic and spoke to the crowd. He told of how he lost his mother to cancer when he was a teenager and commended the fans for the great support of this great benefit event.
Check out the pics here.
Kudos to the Stockton Thunder folks for putting together another great night of hockey in Stockton!
At the beginning of the game DJ Walker asked cancer survivors in the audience stand up followed by friends and family of people affected by cancer. It was quite an emotional sight when nearly the entire audience of 9,000+ stood up. The Thunder brought out Cameron the Super Fan, a huge favorite in Stockton, who for the first time we can remember, took the mic and spoke to the crowd. He told of how he lost his mother to cancer when he was a teenager and commended the fans for the great support of this great benefit event.
Check out the pics here.
Kudos to the Stockton Thunder folks for putting together another great night of hockey in Stockton!
Stockton Thunder Home Opener '08
10/19/2008 12:22 PM
Just as we did the last couple of years, we went to
the opening home game of our Stockton Thunder. Last night they
took on the Fresno Falcons.
We sat in section 107, row 9 which is probably my favorite place to sit. The crowd was very energetic and did a lot of screaming - both at our team as well as a lot of trash talking to the Fresno squad. Either my hearing is going south (I doubt it) or the PA in the arena was turned down a bit. They had a band (well, actually, a guy on guitar and another on bass) play the Star Spangled Banner but it was barely audible.
Mike Lalonde scored first putting the Thunder up 1-0. The Falcons, however, would come back and score 3 goals in just under 3 minutes of play to silence the arena a bit.
We eventually added one more goal but eventually fell to the Falcons and suffered our first home opener loss.
What about the fights you ask? Well, there were enough fights to keep everyone entertained for most of the night. The first fight came 7 minutes into the game and put our Garet Hunt against Fresno’s Spencer Carbery.
The second fight of the night came a minute or so later, just as play was resumed and was between Stockton's Milan Maslonka and Fresno's Kyle Hagel.
We also took a few pictures... check them out here.
Also, check out all of posts, videos and pictures from the last three seasons here.
We sat in section 107, row 9 which is probably my favorite place to sit. The crowd was very energetic and did a lot of screaming - both at our team as well as a lot of trash talking to the Fresno squad. Either my hearing is going south (I doubt it) or the PA in the arena was turned down a bit. They had a band (well, actually, a guy on guitar and another on bass) play the Star Spangled Banner but it was barely audible.
Mike Lalonde scored first putting the Thunder up 1-0. The Falcons, however, would come back and score 3 goals in just under 3 minutes of play to silence the arena a bit.
We eventually added one more goal but eventually fell to the Falcons and suffered our first home opener loss.
What about the fights you ask? Well, there were enough fights to keep everyone entertained for most of the night. The first fight came 7 minutes into the game and put our Garet Hunt against Fresno’s Spencer Carbery.
The second fight of the night came a minute or so later, just as play was resumed and was between Stockton's Milan Maslonka and Fresno's Kyle Hagel.
We also took a few pictures... check them out here.
Also, check out all of posts, videos and pictures from the last three seasons here.
Why We Love Stockton
07/20/2008 02:44 PM
Of course, I couldn’t resist chiming in on the subject. Sometimes I feel as Dawn and I are the only ones that actually love living here.
Some of my comments were published in today’s Record, so I thought I would share my entire piece here.
What do I like about Stockton?
Read More...
Stockton Ports vs. Visalia Oaks
07/16/2008 10:35 PM
So, how did we spend the last night of my wonderful
vacation?
Watching the Stockton Ports beat the Visalia Oaks. We sat in the AARP section (and it was senior citizen night) and met two great couples. One of the men is a retired ObGyn who spent 40 years delivering babies in Stockton... how cool is that!
The game was great, with the Ports taking a 4-0 lead off a pair of two-run homers in the first inning. Just before the the first one, a couple out on a date were asked to pick a player that they thought would hit a double. If that player hit one she would get a bouquet of roses. The young man picked Chris Carter and then got down on his knees and proposed to his girlfriend, whom he met exactly five years ago, at a Ports game! She said yes and everyone applauded. Just a short time later, Carter got up and with two outs, belted a homer to put the Ports up 2-0.
Early in the game, a foul ball came flying toward our section, hit a young boy in the head, bounced and hit a woman in the head and then flew right over me. I got my hand on it but it fell behind me. I couldn’t get over the fact that the ball bounced twice and still flew from about the middle of section 119, about row 5 all the way to section 118, row 10!
The Ports beat the Oaks 4-2 and will face the Oaks again tomorrow. Dawn and the girls will be at that game as well... maybe they’ll do a better job holding on to a ball than I did.
Check out the pics here.
Watching the Stockton Ports beat the Visalia Oaks. We sat in the AARP section (and it was senior citizen night) and met two great couples. One of the men is a retired ObGyn who spent 40 years delivering babies in Stockton... how cool is that!
The game was great, with the Ports taking a 4-0 lead off a pair of two-run homers in the first inning. Just before the the first one, a couple out on a date were asked to pick a player that they thought would hit a double. If that player hit one she would get a bouquet of roses. The young man picked Chris Carter and then got down on his knees and proposed to his girlfriend, whom he met exactly five years ago, at a Ports game! She said yes and everyone applauded. Just a short time later, Carter got up and with two outs, belted a homer to put the Ports up 2-0.
Early in the game, a foul ball came flying toward our section, hit a young boy in the head, bounced and hit a woman in the head and then flew right over me. I got my hand on it but it fell behind me. I couldn’t get over the fact that the ball bounced twice and still flew from about the middle of section 119, about row 5 all the way to section 118, row 10!
The Ports beat the Oaks 4-2 and will face the Oaks again tomorrow. Dawn and the girls will be at that game as well... maybe they’ll do a better job holding on to a ball than I did.
Check out the pics here.
Iguana Wanna
07/16/2008 09:42 AM
It’s no surprise that we love trying new restaurants but the real treat is trying a new local restaurant.
The layout of the restaurant was the same as it was for Papapavlos but with updated decor and paint. There was no wait and were quickly seated by the window. Our server came right over with chips and salsa and took our drink order. There was no kids menu but he did rattle off some kids items - cheeseburger, burrito, quesadilla.
Dawn and Emily ordered salads which were each very big and served in a tortilla shell with grilled vegetables and shrimp. I ordered the Iguana Spicy Chicken, served with rice and beans. Makenzy stayed simple with a cheesburger and fries. All of the food was very good. Dawn and Emily didn’t care for the sauce on the grilled veggies but I did. The Spicy Chicken was delicious and true to its name. Makenzy ate every bite of her meal so it’s safe to say she enjoyed it.
The prices were very reasonable. All of our entrees were under $10. The service was friendly but they were a little forgetful. When they brought my meal I was asked if I wanted tortillas, I said yes but they never came. There were a few times our server didn’t know something we thought he should: not being sure if they had root beer and not being sure if the salsa had jalapenos (the couple behind us asked that one).
I wanted to ask the server a little about the restaurant but it started to get busy before we left. With only two people working the front of the restaurant I wondered what level of service they would provide.
The one thing that I thought was a little odd was the fact that they had cloth napkins (I like that) and plastic drinking cups (I don’t like that). At $2 for iced tea or soda it would be nice to have the drinks served in a glass.
In the end, I would definetly recommend Iguana Wanna. The food was good, the prices were good and the service was ok. Check out the other reviews on Yelp.
Paragary's
06/28/2008 10:20 AM
After opening with a pinch of public criticism a few months
ago, Stocktonians are asking in chorus, “Have
you been to Paragary’s?”.
Well, after tons of pressure, Dawn and I finally dined at Paragary’s Bar and Grill in the Hotel Stockton. Ok, to be honest, there was no pressure, but we’ve been wanting to visit downtown Stockton’s newest restaurant.
We walked in right before 8 o’clock last night and were seated immediately by a very friendly hostess. It wasn’t very crowded, probably less than half the tables were occupied but we still waited a few minutes before being greeted by our server. After getting our drink order she disappeared for another few minutes before coming back to get our order.
Dawn ordered the grilled salmon and I ordered the pork chop. Dawn was disappointed when the server returned to break the news that they had run out of salmon. She settled on the sole based on the server’s recommendation. The pork chop, served with a delicious apricot chutney, came with onion rings and french fries and was grilled perfectly. Even though Dawn had her heart set on the salmon, she enjoyed the sole. The food was wonderful, definitely a welcome to Stockton. It’s the service, however, that might keep us from coming back.
Our server was not rude, in fact, she was quite friendly. The level of service just didn’t match the ambiance (or price) of the restaurant as a whole. Our server didn’t ask if we wanted an appitizer, soup or salad. We waited longer for drink refills than you’d have to at Moo Moo’s. We asked for more bread (which was delicious by the way) but never got it. We never saw a manager the entire evening. Call me old fashioned but I think “table touching” is vital in any restaurant, especially at Stockton’s new fine dining establishment.
All in all, Paragary’s is a great new addition to Stockton and a wonderful addition to downtown. We loved the location; we loved the ambiance; we loved the food; we didn’t love the service. It wasn’t the worst service we’ve ever received and we still had a wonderful evening together. Will we go back? Not sure. We probably won’t be bringing any out of town friends - there are other places in town where we can show off Stockton.
Check out other reviews on yelp and The Record.
Well, after tons of pressure, Dawn and I finally dined at Paragary’s Bar and Grill in the Hotel Stockton. Ok, to be honest, there was no pressure, but we’ve been wanting to visit downtown Stockton’s newest restaurant.
We walked in right before 8 o’clock last night and were seated immediately by a very friendly hostess. It wasn’t very crowded, probably less than half the tables were occupied but we still waited a few minutes before being greeted by our server. After getting our drink order she disappeared for another few minutes before coming back to get our order.
Dawn ordered the grilled salmon and I ordered the pork chop. Dawn was disappointed when the server returned to break the news that they had run out of salmon. She settled on the sole based on the server’s recommendation. The pork chop, served with a delicious apricot chutney, came with onion rings and french fries and was grilled perfectly. Even though Dawn had her heart set on the salmon, she enjoyed the sole. The food was wonderful, definitely a welcome to Stockton. It’s the service, however, that might keep us from coming back.
Our server was not rude, in fact, she was quite friendly. The level of service just didn’t match the ambiance (or price) of the restaurant as a whole. Our server didn’t ask if we wanted an appitizer, soup or salad. We waited longer for drink refills than you’d have to at Moo Moo’s. We asked for more bread (which was delicious by the way) but never got it. We never saw a manager the entire evening. Call me old fashioned but I think “table touching” is vital in any restaurant, especially at Stockton’s new fine dining establishment.
All in all, Paragary’s is a great new addition to Stockton and a wonderful addition to downtown. We loved the location; we loved the ambiance; we loved the food; we didn’t love the service. It wasn’t the worst service we’ve ever received and we still had a wonderful evening together. Will we go back? Not sure. We probably won’t be bringing any out of town friends - there are other places in town where we can show off Stockton.
Check out other reviews on yelp and The Record.
Ciao Bella
06/12/2008 09:52 PM
After Emily has been bugging us to try this
restaurant for months, we finally ate at Ciao Bella
tonight. We almost didn’t go after looking at their
menu online. It seems only some of the dinner menu is
put on their site. We were a little nervous when we
got there because there were only two other parties
there.
The feel of the restaurant was very comfortable and given that it was blazing hot outside we were thankful that the shades were pulled down, making the place pretty dark.
Our server greeted us quickly and took our drink orders. He was very friendly and suggested a couple of delicious sounding appetizers (maybe next time).
I had the raviolis and Dawn had the Shrimp Scampi. Emily had a Chicken Caesar salad and Makenzy had Spagetti. All the meals were awesome!
The food was excellent. It was a little pricey but the portions were huge. When we go back we will likely split two entrees among the four of us.
The service was superb. The staff was very friendly and made a lot of great recommendations. Our server did everything right, he treated our daughters like real customers, served ladies first, didn’t “auction” our food to us, engaged us in the perfect amount of small talk.
We highly recommend Ciao Bella, at 5646 N. Pershing, just north of Robinhood. YOu can find them online at ciaobellastockton.com.
The feel of the restaurant was very comfortable and given that it was blazing hot outside we were thankful that the shades were pulled down, making the place pretty dark.
Our server greeted us quickly and took our drink orders. He was very friendly and suggested a couple of delicious sounding appetizers (maybe next time).
I had the raviolis and Dawn had the Shrimp Scampi. Emily had a Chicken Caesar salad and Makenzy had Spagetti. All the meals were awesome!
The food was excellent. It was a little pricey but the portions were huge. When we go back we will likely split two entrees among the four of us.
The service was superb. The staff was very friendly and made a lot of great recommendations. Our server did everything right, he treated our daughters like real customers, served ladies first, didn’t “auction” our food to us, engaged us in the perfect amount of small talk.
We highly recommend Ciao Bella, at 5646 N. Pershing, just north of Robinhood. YOu can find them online at ciaobellastockton.com.
Stockton's Gas Prices
06/09/2008 09:53 PM
Stockton, the city that recently topped the rest of
the nation with the highest foreclosure rates, is now
atop another list.
The Record ran a story today about gas prices. I know, that is not a big deal. What caught my eye was that Stockton has the highest prices in the nationwide survey.
Actually, this did not surprise me. Every morning, on the news, I hear the national, state and Sacramento area averages, which are always lower than what I see in Stockton. Yikes, maybe I should start riding my bike to work more often.
So, what am I doing to save gas? For starters, since I commute over 100 miles per day, I am trying to not drive at all on the weekend, unless I absolutely have to. For normal errands, I will either ride my bike, walk, or wait until I going to or from work. Besides that, I have been driving slower on the freeway. By driving the speed limit (which often requires me to stay in the right lane) I am getting a 10% bump in my MPG.
Wow, a 74 cent increase from 4/9/08 to 6/2/08 (in Tracy and Lathrop, respectively... I try to not buy gas in Stockton).
Check out my other gas price pics on Flickr.
(story also appeared here on MSNBC)
The Record ran a story today about gas prices. I know, that is not a big deal. What caught my eye was that Stockton has the highest prices in the nationwide survey.
Actually, this did not surprise me. Every morning, on the news, I hear the national, state and Sacramento area averages, which are always lower than what I see in Stockton. Yikes, maybe I should start riding my bike to work more often.
So, what am I doing to save gas? For starters, since I commute over 100 miles per day, I am trying to not drive at all on the weekend, unless I absolutely have to. For normal errands, I will either ride my bike, walk, or wait until I going to or from work. Besides that, I have been driving slower on the freeway. By driving the speed limit (which often requires me to stay in the right lane) I am getting a 10% bump in my MPG.
Wow, a 74 cent increase from 4/9/08 to 6/2/08 (in Tracy and Lathrop, respectively... I try to not buy gas in Stockton).
Check out my other gas price pics on Flickr.
(story also appeared here on MSNBC)
The Grape & Lita Hope
06/08/2008 11:32 AM
Last night, we went with Mike and Shauna to see
The Grape play at this year's
kick-off Bowl Jam at Pacific Bowl. After having
watched The Grape play at The Blackwater for so
long, it was nice to see them play in a place
where they had some room to move around. Tom,
the founding member and song writer of The
Grape, on guitar, Ted on bass, Ralph on drums
and Jady on vocals, played for 45 minutes before
taking a break. An "administrative error"
prevented the headliner from playing so The
Grape played a second set before giving the
stage up to Lita Hope for a rocking 45 minute
set. Lita Hope and The Grape share a drummer and
Ted and Tom were kind enough to let Lita and the
others play their set on their equipment. This
was the first time we'd seen Lita Hope perform
and were quite impressed.
Check out the pics from the show.
Check out the pics from the show.
My New Favorite Bike Shop - REI
05/27/2008 09:40 PM
I am an REI virgin no more. I only heard of REI a
couple of years ago but hadn't been inside one until
the Stockton one opened. Emily and I
went on grand opening weekend and were impressed
with all of the bike and camping stuff. Although
I had heard of REI I had no idea that they sold
bikes and bike accessories.
Tonight, I needed to get a new pair of arm warmers. After a few years, mine dissapeared. I was so happy that they actually had a few different styles, all sizes and plenty of each in stock. After grabbing a pair and a new water bottle, the Store Manager approached me and asked if I needed help. I told him that I thought they might put one of the other bike stores in town out of business. His response was noble. "We don't want to put any bike shop out of business." He added that they just want to encourage more people to ride. Then he said something brilliant. "We want to put BestBuy out of business. Our mission is to get people outside."
Brilliant.
I am now an REI member.
Tonight, I needed to get a new pair of arm warmers. After a few years, mine dissapeared. I was so happy that they actually had a few different styles, all sizes and plenty of each in stock. After grabbing a pair and a new water bottle, the Store Manager approached me and asked if I needed help. I told him that I thought they might put one of the other bike stores in town out of business. His response was noble. "We don't want to put any bike shop out of business." He added that they just want to encourage more people to ride. Then he said something brilliant. "We want to put BestBuy out of business. Our mission is to get people outside."
Brilliant.
I am now an REI member.
Asparagus Festival '08
04/27/2008 08:53 PM
April in Stockton... you know the routine. Asparagus
Festival! This, the 23rd one, was held in beautiful
downtown Stockton on what felt like the hottest day
of the year. Emily and I arrived at 6:45 in the
morning to register for the 5k Spear-It Fun Run.
This was the first organized run either of us have ever did and felt good out there, not stopping or walking at all. When we approached the water station Emily even suggested we slow down a little and let the group ahead of us go through and get their water. This way, we would miss the mess of the bunch and get our cups without stopping... what a smart idea.
We completed the 5k in 33:35. I've ran faster but haven't ran at all since December. It sure was a far cry from my first attempt at running a mile in 2006.
So, besides the 5k run, I tried deep fried asparagus for the first time, we saw some amazing frisbee dogs and met Martin Yan from Yan Can Cook!
Check out the pics here.
Check out last year's Asparagus Festival.
This was the first organized run either of us have ever did and felt good out there, not stopping or walking at all. When we approached the water station Emily even suggested we slow down a little and let the group ahead of us go through and get their water. This way, we would miss the mess of the bunch and get our cups without stopping... what a smart idea.
We completed the 5k in 33:35. I've ran faster but haven't ran at all since December. It sure was a far cry from my first attempt at running a mile in 2006.
So, besides the 5k run, I tried deep fried asparagus for the first time, we saw some amazing frisbee dogs and met Martin Yan from Yan Can Cook!
Check out the pics here.
Check out last year's Asparagus Festival.
Stockton Thunder game
04/19/2008 10:23 AM
Mike and I went to game three of the ECHL playoffs
last night to watch the Stockton Thunder square off
against the Las Vegas Wranglers. The Thunder
took an early lead with the first goal and then
even got up to a 0-3 advantage. The cheers were
quieted by the end of regulation when the
Wranglers scored three unanswered goals of their
own. We played a tough OT period but just
couldn't score, even with a couple of power
plays! The Wrangler finally put us out of our
misery with less than a minute left on the
clock. The Thunder are now down 3-1 and need
another win to stay alive.
Check out the pics here.
I also took a couple of videos. The first one is the of the first goal scored of the game, the second one is one of a flying puck (not sure how well that comes across on YouTube).
Check out the pics here.
I also took a couple of videos. The first one is the of the first goal scored of the game, the second one is one of a flying puck (not sure how well that comes across on YouTube).
Happy Birthday Makenzy
03/09/2008 08:40 PM
Makenzy turned 9 last weekend which meant that she
got more parties and more cake than any child needs.
Last weekend, on her actual birthday we ordered her
favorite take-out (DaVinci's), rented a movie
(The Last Mimzy) and had cake.
Then, this weekend, she had two more parties.
First, Makenzy and some of her friends were treated like princesses at Panda Girlz. The folks at Panda Girlz really put on a great party for Mak and her friends. Hair, make-up, nails, followed by a fashion show, karoake and crafts made for one of Makenzy's favorite parties ever. If you have daughters you should check this place out.
Party number two was pizza for the family and our favorite family pizza joint where the kids (and some of the adults) quickly went through handfuls of tokens on the redemption games. I wonder if the major casinos help fund the redemption game manufactures, to help turn today's youth into tomorrow's slot machine addicted gamblers.
Check out today's pictures here.
First, Makenzy and some of her friends were treated like princesses at Panda Girlz. The folks at Panda Girlz really put on a great party for Mak and her friends. Hair, make-up, nails, followed by a fashion show, karoake and crafts made for one of Makenzy's favorite parties ever. If you have daughters you should check this place out.
Party number two was pizza for the family and our favorite family pizza joint where the kids (and some of the adults) quickly went through handfuls of tokens on the redemption games. I wonder if the major casinos help fund the redemption game manufactures, to help turn today's youth into tomorrow's slot machine addicted gamblers.
Check out today's pictures here.
Roller Derby!
11/03/2007 11:30 PM
That's right, folks... Roller Derby is alive and
kicking! We joined the F&F family and went to
root on Nicole and the San Joaquin Valley Vixens Roller
Derby team in a bout at the Civic
Auditorium. This was the first time the kids had
ever seen Roller Derby and the first time any of
us had seen it live. It took a while for Dawn
and I to understand the logistics of the sport
but once we did, we had a blast yelling at the
players.
These women are tough and took a lot of hard falls!
During one of the intermissions, I was selected to join the corn-on-the-cob eating contest. I took second place but could have won if the judges gave me full credit for that last cob!
Check out the pics here.
These women are tough and took a lot of hard falls!
During one of the intermissions, I was selected to join the corn-on-the-cob eating contest. I took second place but could have won if the judges gave me full credit for that last cob!
Check out the pics here.
Thunder Goes Pink II
11/02/2007 11:16 PM
Dawn, Makenzy, Emily and a friend went to the
Stockton Thunder game tonight, a
ladies night out, for the second annual Thunder
Goes Pink night. This is such a great way to
raise awareness and money for breast cancer. The
ice was painted pink and the Thunder players
wore special pink jerseys. The Thunder were
victorious and the girls had a great night out!
Check out the pics here.
Check out the pics here.
Stockton Thunder home opener '07
10/27/2007 11:48 PM
The Stockton Arena was rockin' tonight when we were
joined by 8,640 or so of our closest friends for the
first Thunder home game of the season. Tonight, our
Thunder squared off against the Alaska Aces in a
contest that saw not a single fight (boo hoo!).
Thunder scored first near the end of the first period and followed it up with a second goal that saw a few Aces players collide into the goalie. It was like a traffic accident being taken apart piece by piece. After a few minutes, when the officials awarded Stockton with the goal, the arena went psycho!
Neither team scored in the second period but Alaska did manage to get a couple of goals in the final period in regulation to tie the contest at 2. Rohlfs ended the sudden death match at 2:10 into OT with a sweet shot. We may be 2-3, but at least we won our home opener.
For tonight's game, we set in section 114, row 5. It was nice to be a little closer and see some pucks go flying as well as really hearing the glass pounding, but sitting this close made it hard to see down on the other end of the ice.
Check out pics here. I took a lot of video but no fights and no goals. I did manage to hit record just after the game winning goal went in... check it out on YouTube here.
If you want to take a retro look back... check out the 2006 Stockton Thunder home opener or check out all of our posts on the Thunder here.
Thunder scored first near the end of the first period and followed it up with a second goal that saw a few Aces players collide into the goalie. It was like a traffic accident being taken apart piece by piece. After a few minutes, when the officials awarded Stockton with the goal, the arena went psycho!
Neither team scored in the second period but Alaska did manage to get a couple of goals in the final period in regulation to tie the contest at 2. Rohlfs ended the sudden death match at 2:10 into OT with a sweet shot. We may be 2-3, but at least we won our home opener.
For tonight's game, we set in section 114, row 5. It was nice to be a little closer and see some pucks go flying as well as really hearing the glass pounding, but sitting this close made it hard to see down on the other end of the ice.
Check out pics here. I took a lot of video but no fights and no goals. I did manage to hit record just after the game winning goal went in... check it out on YouTube here.
If you want to take a retro look back... check out the 2006 Stockton Thunder home opener or check out all of our posts on the Thunder here.
Great new restaurant in Stockton
10/13/2007 11:18 PM
Did Stockton really need a new pizza restaurant? We
might be a little biased (we love pizza) but I think
the answer is a resounding "yes"! Stockton has had
the reputation of "restaurant killer" for sometime.
Gone are the days of Shannons, the Hatch Cover, Bella
Vista, the original (and we would argue, better)
Cancun, even Red Robin couldn't last in Stockton.
Through the years, we've seen too many restaurants come and go. Tonight, we ate at one that might just buck the trend.
Cibo di Vino opened recently on the Miracle Mile, right next door to the Empire Theatre. Although there are other items on the menu other than pizza, it was, of course, the pizza that brought us. The service was great. We had reservations and got right in but would have waited under the name, Jessica Alba or Billy Bob Thornton - very funny. After we were seated, our waiter came by to take our drink order. Cibo di Vino had a great selection of wines and Dawn and I each enjoyed a "flight of three" sampler. The pizza was awesome - I would rate it right up there with Michael's and Dante's. Great wine, great service, great atmosphere, and great pizza.
Our first restaurant review earns 5 rolling pins!
Check them out online - cibodivino.com.
Read the recent article in the Record.
Visit them for yourself:
1825 Pacific Ave, Stockton, California 95204
Through the years, we've seen too many restaurants come and go. Tonight, we ate at one that might just buck the trend.
Cibo di Vino opened recently on the Miracle Mile, right next door to the Empire Theatre. Although there are other items on the menu other than pizza, it was, of course, the pizza that brought us. The service was great. We had reservations and got right in but would have waited under the name, Jessica Alba or Billy Bob Thornton - very funny. After we were seated, our waiter came by to take our drink order. Cibo di Vino had a great selection of wines and Dawn and I each enjoyed a "flight of three" sampler. The pizza was awesome - I would rate it right up there with Michael's and Dante's. Great wine, great service, great atmosphere, and great pizza.
Our first restaurant review earns 5 rolling pins!
Check them out online - cibodivino.com.
Read the recent article in the Record.
Visit them for yourself:
1825 Pacific Ave, Stockton, California 95204
Weird Al Concert
06/15/2007 11:49 PM
I am not the
only Weird Al fan in our family. Yes, Dawn and the
girls were all very supportive when I told them we
were going to the fair tonight to see Weird Al
Yankovic in concert! The girls actually know a lot of
his music and had a blast at the show.
The odd thing was that I didn't realize (or remember) that he was playing our local fair this year... a little ironic since I just posted the Weird Al is a Geek entry.
The concert went from a little after 8:30 until just before 11:00 and was filled with a lot our favorites. Here's the set list:
Polkarama
Canadian Idiot
Drum Solo
Close, But No Cigar
Why Does This Always Happen To Me
Jessica Simpson - Al TV interview
It's All About the Pentiums
Mariah Carey - Al TV interview
Celine Dion - Al TV interview
You're Pitiful
Madonna - Al TV interview
Steven Tyler - Al TV interview
Wanna Be Your Lover (he came out and did this one in the audience)
Eminem - Al TV interview
Medley: Couch Potato / Do I Creep You Out / I'm In Love With The Skipper / Headline News / Confessions, Part 3 / A Complicated Song / EBay / Bedrock Anthem / Ode to a Superhero / Pretty Fly for a Rabbi / Trapped in the Drive Thru / Radio Time / Gump / Eat It
Keith Richard - Al TV interview
I'll Sue Ya
Paul McCartney - Al TV interview
The Saga Begins
Yoda
Cher - Al TV interview
Justin Timberlake - Al TV interview
Weasel Stomping Day (video)
Smells Like Nirvana
Avril Lavigne - Al TV interview
Homer and Marge video
Amish Paradise
K-Fed - Al TV interview
White and Nerdy
Fat
Encore:
Cell Phones
Albuquerque
His costume changes, as well as the band's) made the show really entertaining. We all had a great time!
Check out the pictures on Flickr, not the greatest of pics, but that's to be expected with me and concerts.
The odd thing was that I didn't realize (or remember) that he was playing our local fair this year... a little ironic since I just posted the Weird Al is a Geek entry.
The concert went from a little after 8:30 until just before 11:00 and was filled with a lot our favorites. Here's the set list:
Polkarama
Canadian Idiot
Drum Solo
Close, But No Cigar
Why Does This Always Happen To Me
Jessica Simpson - Al TV interview
It's All About the Pentiums
Mariah Carey - Al TV interview
Celine Dion - Al TV interview
You're Pitiful
Madonna - Al TV interview
Steven Tyler - Al TV interview
Wanna Be Your Lover (he came out and did this one in the audience)
Eminem - Al TV interview
Medley: Couch Potato / Do I Creep You Out / I'm In Love With The Skipper / Headline News / Confessions, Part 3 / A Complicated Song / EBay / Bedrock Anthem / Ode to a Superhero / Pretty Fly for a Rabbi / Trapped in the Drive Thru / Radio Time / Gump / Eat It
Keith Richard - Al TV interview
I'll Sue Ya
Paul McCartney - Al TV interview
The Saga Begins
Yoda
Cher - Al TV interview
Justin Timberlake - Al TV interview
Weasel Stomping Day (video)
Smells Like Nirvana
Avril Lavigne - Al TV interview
Homer and Marge video
Amish Paradise
K-Fed - Al TV interview
White and Nerdy
Fat
Encore:
Cell Phones
Albuquerque
His costume changes, as well as the band's) made the show really entertaining. We all had a great time!
Check out the pictures on Flickr, not the greatest of pics, but that's to be expected with me and concerts.
Asparagus Festival
04/29/2007 08:35 AM
Nothing says late April in Stockton like the long
green spears of asparagus everywhere! Well, not
everyone in our family likes asparagus but still
enjoy going to the festival. Just the girls and I
went this time and only stayed a few hours. Watching
the competitive eating event was pretty cool... even
though they were eating deep fried asparagus!
We even got to see Tyson, the skateboarding bulldog do what he does best.
Check out the pics here.
We even got to see Tyson, the skateboarding bulldog do what he does best.
Check out the pics here.
The Grape
04/21/2007 10:07 PM
After a long vacation, The Grape (the band that brought
you the matt-beckwith-dot-com theme song) was
back on the road for their one night world tour.
Tom, Ralph, Ted and Jady rocked the Blackwater Cafe with songs like "Crackheads Crossing the Street", "Hearts and Wounds" and "My Old Neighborhood".
Tom, Ralph, Ted and Jady rocked the Blackwater Cafe with songs like "Crackheads Crossing the Street", "Hearts and Wounds" and "My Old Neighborhood".
Naughty Nicks auction
03/26/2007 09:59 PM
Well, Naughty Nicks closed with little fanfare (see
Times, they are a changin' and
Recordnet article). Mike and
I never made it for a ceremonial game of snooker
but when we heard they would be auctioning everything away on
February 24th we knew we had to be there.
We got there early in the morning, registered, got our bidder numbers and made it in to the building to inspect the hundreds of items that would be sold before heading back outside to wait for the auctioneer to begin. Pool tables, video games, pinball machines and tons of little nick knacks (no pun intended) were tightly packed in to the back half of the building. On my list was a couple of the Ms. Pac Man cabaret and cocktail table games, the famous table #9 - the 6x12 snooker table where we learned to play the game, and of course two very specific items: that crazy old-fashioned bike and the big wall clock.
The videos games went quickly and were very overpriced. The pool tables started to go dirt cheap so I called Dawn to tell her I might be bringing home a snooker table. I ended up losing table #9 but had a couple of bids that forced the winner to pay a hefty premium for it.
Then, as the weather worsened, everyone moved inside and we got closer and closer to the two remaining items I was hoping to take home. I could live without a game or a pool table but I really wanted that bike and that clock. There didn't seem to be that much interest for the bike but a lot of people were looking to bring that clock home.
The pictures below tell the rest of the story. I got the bike and the clock! Sure, I could have found a replica boneshaker / penny-farthing bike at any number of places and I'm sure that 42" wall clocks are easy to come by, but I wanted these particular ones.
After getting the handle bar reattached (thanks Fred) I have tried to ride the bike but have not been able to reach the pedals. I'm still looking for a taller volunteer to take it on a test ride. Ron said it is ridable... not sure about that though.
It took us some time to find a place in the living room to hang the clock and then to get the right hardware to do it safely. Finally, this past weekend, we did it. I can't get over the fact that the Naughty Nicks clock is hanging up in my living room.
I was lamenting with a good friend recently (one with whom I spent a lot of time with at Naughty Nicks) and he reminded me, "...the memories of the past places that I hung out as a teen are not nearly as precious and memorable or valuable as the people that graced my time and being then...". I agree! And I'm still a sentimental ol' sap and think of the great friends I had and have every time I see the Naughty Nicks clock.
We got there early in the morning, registered, got our bidder numbers and made it in to the building to inspect the hundreds of items that would be sold before heading back outside to wait for the auctioneer to begin. Pool tables, video games, pinball machines and tons of little nick knacks (no pun intended) were tightly packed in to the back half of the building. On my list was a couple of the Ms. Pac Man cabaret and cocktail table games, the famous table #9 - the 6x12 snooker table where we learned to play the game, and of course two very specific items: that crazy old-fashioned bike and the big wall clock.
The videos games went quickly and were very overpriced. The pool tables started to go dirt cheap so I called Dawn to tell her I might be bringing home a snooker table. I ended up losing table #9 but had a couple of bids that forced the winner to pay a hefty premium for it.
Then, as the weather worsened, everyone moved inside and we got closer and closer to the two remaining items I was hoping to take home. I could live without a game or a pool table but I really wanted that bike and that clock. There didn't seem to be that much interest for the bike but a lot of people were looking to bring that clock home.
The pictures below tell the rest of the story. I got the bike and the clock! Sure, I could have found a replica boneshaker / penny-farthing bike at any number of places and I'm sure that 42" wall clocks are easy to come by, but I wanted these particular ones.
After getting the handle bar reattached (thanks Fred) I have tried to ride the bike but have not been able to reach the pedals. I'm still looking for a taller volunteer to take it on a test ride. Ron said it is ridable... not sure about that though.
It took us some time to find a place in the living room to hang the clock and then to get the right hardware to do it safely. Finally, this past weekend, we did it. I can't get over the fact that the Naughty Nicks clock is hanging up in my living room.
I was lamenting with a good friend recently (one with whom I spent a lot of time with at Naughty Nicks) and he reminded me, "...the memories of the past places that I hung out as a teen are not nearly as precious and memorable or valuable as the people that graced my time and being then...". I agree! And I'm still a sentimental ol' sap and think of the great friends I had and have every time I see the Naughty Nicks clock.
Thunder videos
03/03/2007 11:25 PM
What's the best way to spend a Saturday night in
Stockton? At a hockey game! It was a sell out game so
we were lucky to get nose bleed seats, well, some may
consider them nose bleed but there aren't any bad
seats in the arena. We lost the game but it was a
great night of hockey anyway. As always, I put up a
couple of videos on YouTube.
Videos:
Thunder's first goal to tie the game - from our seats in section 210.
Jeff Lang (Thunder) dukes it out with Greg Stewart (Cyclones) - from KW's seat in section 209.
Videos:
Thunder's first goal to tie the game - from our seats in section 210.
Jeff Lang (Thunder) dukes it out with Greg Stewart (Cyclones) - from KW's seat in section 209.
The Tour of California rolls through Stockton
02/21/2007 10:20 PM
In its second year, the Tour of California rolled
through Stockton for stage three, starting downtown,
on the waterfront and ending in San Jose.
What a great event for downtown Stockton. The girls and I went downtown first thing in the morning and walked around. With Center Street closed between Fremont and Weber, the area in front of the waterfront was filled with the greats like Hincapie, Leipheimer, Haedo, Basso, Rasmussen and O'Grady. I even had a chance to say hello to Johan Bruyneel and wish him good luck.
I also got a chance to meet David from The Fred Cast, the internet's premier cycling podcast. David covered everyday of the race and provided some great insight and interviews as he travelled with the race caravans.
Check out our pictures from the race here.
What a great event for downtown Stockton. The girls and I went downtown first thing in the morning and walked around. With Center Street closed between Fremont and Weber, the area in front of the waterfront was filled with the greats like Hincapie, Leipheimer, Haedo, Basso, Rasmussen and O'Grady. I even had a chance to say hello to Johan Bruyneel and wish him good luck.
I also got a chance to meet David from The Fred Cast, the internet's premier cycling podcast. David covered everyday of the race and provided some great insight and interviews as he travelled with the race caravans.
Check out our pictures from the race here.
Times, they are a changin'
12/08/2006 12:38 PM
When we were young, growing up in north Stockton
meant a lot of time at Tower Records, Hammer Skate
and Naughty Nicks. I bought my last album (Animalize
by KISS) and my first cassette tape (Not of this
Earth by Joe Satriani) at Tower Records... we spent
many a Friday and Saturday nights at Hammer Skate and
there's no telling how much money we wasted playing
9-ball and snooker at Naughty Nicks... and now they
are no more.
Hammer Skate announced its closure earlier this year and now sits vacant waiting for (I assume) it's demolition before it becomes a new Walgreens (no word on if the Walgreens that sits one mile down Hammer Lane will close in favor of this location or if Walgreens is employing the Stabucks, put-one-on-every-corner, method). No three words strike up old memories quite like "all-night skate"... more than two decades later and that subject still comes up every now and then. I guess our kids will not know how much fun a skating rink can be... ok, maybe this is a good thing.
Across the street from it's current location, Naughty Nick's was originally Tiptons, which sat in a little shop. When we were young we would go in and try to hustle the younger kids in to playing pool for their arcade money. When they opened up Nick's across the street it quickly became the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights. We all learned to play 9-ball and snooker and learned how to really talk smack. Naughty Nick's will close it's doors soon in favor of The Cameo Club. Again, out with the old and in the with the new. The draw (no pun intended) of poker and the popularity of hold-em was so great that Stockton could not justify a billiard place that size. Everyone knew they made more money on parties than renting out pool tables but even that business seems to have slowed down lately.
I guess iPods, iTunes and Napster finally won... not to mention the $19 they were charging for a CD! Even though it's sad to see Tower go, I must admit that I haven't bought anything there since 11/18/03 when I made our first iTunes purchase - "Remember When" by Alan Jackson.
So, times are sure changing. Is there anyway to say that without sounding (or feeling) old? But with our kids getting older by the day I wonder where it will be that they will hang out on weekends. Hell, even Golfland is gone!
Hammer Skate announced its closure earlier this year and now sits vacant waiting for (I assume) it's demolition before it becomes a new Walgreens (no word on if the Walgreens that sits one mile down Hammer Lane will close in favor of this location or if Walgreens is employing the Stabucks, put-one-on-every-corner, method). No three words strike up old memories quite like "all-night skate"... more than two decades later and that subject still comes up every now and then. I guess our kids will not know how much fun a skating rink can be... ok, maybe this is a good thing.
Across the street from it's current location, Naughty Nick's was originally Tiptons, which sat in a little shop. When we were young we would go in and try to hustle the younger kids in to playing pool for their arcade money. When they opened up Nick's across the street it quickly became the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights. We all learned to play 9-ball and snooker and learned how to really talk smack. Naughty Nick's will close it's doors soon in favor of The Cameo Club. Again, out with the old and in the with the new. The draw (no pun intended) of poker and the popularity of hold-em was so great that Stockton could not justify a billiard place that size. Everyone knew they made more money on parties than renting out pool tables but even that business seems to have slowed down lately.
I guess iPods, iTunes and Napster finally won... not to mention the $19 they were charging for a CD! Even though it's sad to see Tower go, I must admit that I haven't bought anything there since 11/18/03 when I made our first iTunes purchase - "Remember When" by Alan Jackson.
So, times are sure changing. Is there anyway to say that without sounding (or feeling) old? But with our kids getting older by the day I wonder where it will be that they will hang out on weekends. Hell, even Golfland is gone!
Thunder loses first home game this season
11/24/2006 10:21 PM
The Stockton Thunder lost their first home game this season when the Alaska Aces scored a late third period goal to tie the game and eventually beat us in the first shutout.
There was not a single fight in the whole game so I put up a goal instead. Click here to see the third period score by Brandon Hodge on YouTube.
Stockton Thunder!
10/28/2006 11:53 PM
Our new October tradition... Stockton Thunder Hockey!
Early last year, when we heard that Stockton's new arena would be home to a minor league hockey team, we were less than impressed. Hockey was never a sport that we followed in our house and it didn't seem to match very well with our warm weather and culture. We were much more excited to be getting Arena Football and Major League indoor soccer.
As the season started to get closer we decided that we wanted to be part of the hype of the new team and went to the second home game. From the moment we walked in the arena we knew this was going to be cool! When the game started we were on our feet, along with 9,000 other Stockton Thunder fans and we have been hooked ever since.
So, tonight we showed up, decked out in Thunder gear, ready to scream our lungs out for our hometown Thunder!
If you're a sports fan and live within an hour of Stockton, you have to check this out! Trust me when I say that hockey is meant to watched live; so many people have the same comment after watching their first game: "I could never get into hockey on TV... but this is awesome!"
What a game! The Thunder start the season 2-0 and right in the middle of the Pacific Division and end tonight's game being the only undefeated team in the ECHL.
The first fight of the night. The Arena went crazy when Huxley (Stockton) knocked Neilson right on his bum.
The Long Beach Ice Dogs scored an early first goal but the Thunder tied it up before the end of the first period (click here for the video from the first goal scored at home this season). The same pattern would continue for the second and third period with Long Beach scoring first and then Stockton getting a goal. The final shot in regulation came from Stockton with only 34 seconds left on the clock. The 5 minutes of overtime passed with no scoring so we were treated to a nail-biting shoot out. We tied throughout the first group of attempts so then we went into sudden death shoot out mode!
After 6 failed attempts by each club, Brendon Hodge slaps one in and the Thunder win a close one!
Congrats Thunder... you rock!
game stats
click here for pictures
Business Leadership Summit
10/06/2006 09:44 PM
Yesterday, Dawn and I attended the 12th annual
Business Leadership Summit in Downtown Stockton.
After last year’s first one at the Bob Hope Theatre
the organizers did a much better job with crowd
control, especially during the intermissions.
This year’s event featured Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel from Common Ground, Ann Rhoades, former Executive Vice President at JetBlue Airways and President and People Ink. It was her early days at Southwest Airlines that intrigued me the most. She told a story about a woman that really wanted to interview with Herb Kelleher so she sent him a bottle of Wild Turkey (purportedly his favorite) with her resume attached. She got the job.
The internet famous Chris Bliss gave an okay monologue and ended with his amazing juggling to the Beatles.
After hearing Rudy Guliani last year, and former British Prime Minister John Major a couple of years before that, I was a little disappointed to hear that this year’s headliner would be Terry Bradshaw. That disapointment vanished the moment he walked on the stage. Mr. Bradshaw gave an exciting and invigorating speech about his life, his marital problems and his love of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After the summit, Dawn and I walked down to Yasoo Yani’s for dinner. Two things I love about Stockton in one evening.
This year’s event featured Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel from Common Ground, Ann Rhoades, former Executive Vice President at JetBlue Airways and President and People Ink. It was her early days at Southwest Airlines that intrigued me the most. She told a story about a woman that really wanted to interview with Herb Kelleher so she sent him a bottle of Wild Turkey (purportedly his favorite) with her resume attached. She got the job.
The internet famous Chris Bliss gave an okay monologue and ended with his amazing juggling to the Beatles.
After hearing Rudy Guliani last year, and former British Prime Minister John Major a couple of years before that, I was a little disappointed to hear that this year’s headliner would be Terry Bradshaw. That disapointment vanished the moment he walked on the stage. Mr. Bradshaw gave an exciting and invigorating speech about his life, his marital problems and his love of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After the summit, Dawn and I walked down to Yasoo Yani’s for dinner. Two things I love about Stockton in one evening.
Soccer, Softball and Football
05/16/2006 10:17 PM
In one day... can it be done????
Soccer & Softball
Football pics!
Stockton Lightning VIDEOZ:
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Soccer & Softball
Football pics!
Stockton Lightning VIDEOZ:
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Slowly but surely
05/06/2006 10:47 AM
Pictures, pages and videos are queued up and ready
for the move. Pics from the Stockton Lightning game and the
Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Josh Turner
concert are also up (go to 'pics' link).
More to come soon.
Hockey in Stockton?
12/11/2005 11:47 PM
Given the choice between soccer and hockey, we’d take
soccer. Add arena football to the equation and we’d
take that every day of the week.
We really enjoyed going to Ports games at the old park but fell in love with the new ballpark on the waterfront. This made sense.
Hockey, though? In Stockton?
Well, we decided to go the second game at the arena tonight and let me tell you, we are cynics no more!
The Stockton Thunder is, hands down, the best entertainment value in Stockton. We have never watched hockey before but quickly caught on. Even the girls loved the game. At the end of the second period we got up to leave. That was, until the couple sitting next to us educated us. We had no idea there was three periods.
Throughout the final period, Emily and Makenzy were on their feet, cheering on their new favorite team.
I can tell we’re going to be seeing a lot more of these guys. The play is awesome. The entertainment is great. The crowds are better than anything else in Stockton.
This is exactly what Stockton has been begging for.
Now given the choice, we’ll take hockey every day!
Kudos to Dan Chapman for putting together another winner!
Go Thunder!
We really enjoyed going to Ports games at the old park but fell in love with the new ballpark on the waterfront. This made sense.
Hockey, though? In Stockton?
Well, we decided to go the second game at the arena tonight and let me tell you, we are cynics no more!
The Stockton Thunder is, hands down, the best entertainment value in Stockton. We have never watched hockey before but quickly caught on. Even the girls loved the game. At the end of the second period we got up to leave. That was, until the couple sitting next to us educated us. We had no idea there was three periods.
Throughout the final period, Emily and Makenzy were on their feet, cheering on their new favorite team.
I can tell we’re going to be seeing a lot more of these guys. The play is awesome. The entertainment is great. The crowds are better than anything else in Stockton.
This is exactly what Stockton has been begging for.
Now given the choice, we’ll take hockey every day!
Kudos to Dan Chapman for putting together another winner!
Go Thunder!
Trivia Bee!
03/11/2005 11:22 PM
The Library and Literacy Foundation has been one of
our favorite charities so this year we participated
in the 14th annual Trivia Bee.
Dawn and I made half the donation, while Tony donated the other half under his business, Homestuff. Since his business colors are black and yellow we decided to go as Team Homestuff.
To assemble the perfect team, I asked my good friend, Fred and my little brother, JR, to help. Of course, they agreed. The theme for the night: the 1960s. Uh oh... none of us were around in the 1960s - so I was glad I had a couple of history buffs to join the team.
After a tough first round of questions, we were eliminated with only 20 points. It was an awesome time and we can’t wait to do it again.
Dawn and I made half the donation, while Tony donated the other half under his business, Homestuff. Since his business colors are black and yellow we decided to go as Team Homestuff.
To assemble the perfect team, I asked my good friend, Fred and my little brother, JR, to help. Of course, they agreed. The theme for the night: the 1960s. Uh oh... none of us were around in the 1960s - so I was glad I had a couple of history buffs to join the team.
After a tough first round of questions, we were eliminated with only 20 points. It was an awesome time and we can’t wait to do it again.
Rodney Carrington
02/18/2004 10:08 PM
rodney
carrington in stockton!!! well, we finally
got to see rodney! what an awesome show! me,
dawn, jr, tim, jen, grace, dale, fred, flower, joe,
and mike. . . and rodney!
hangin' out after the
show! 
Dear Rodney... ladies
and gents... Rodney Carrington
hangin' out after the
show! Dear Rodney... ladies
and gents... Rodney Carrington
Possum
02/18/2002 10:47 PM
George
Jones
02.13.02 - Stockton, CA - Fox Theatre
02.16.02 - Kelseyville, CA - Konocti Resort
It was a dream come true... George Jones live in concert. George Jones is simply the greatest crooner of all time and I had waited a long time to see The Possum. Well, I got to see him twice in 4 days !!! What a time !!!
02.13.02 - Stockton, CA - Fox TheatreAs a big fan of "true country" today was both a good day and a bad day. Waylon Jennings, one of the best voices in music, passed away today. He will be missed. Tonight, at the end of "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes", he added some touching comments about Waylon. It was very moving.
When I saw that KAT Country DJs were there with all their glory I couldn't resist. I asked the morning show DJ why they were there if they never played his music. "Well, we only play what the record companies allow us to play." he replied. If you live in the Stockton / Modesto area, try switching to 93.9FM KEJC - they play REAL COUNTRY !!! [click here for the 93.9 website]
George was awesome !!! He said his throat was sore but he went on anyway.
Here was the playlist:
Hightech Redneck Once You've Had The Best The Race Is On Bartender's Blues Black Mountain Rain (Instrumental) Choices Sinners & Saints A Picture Of Me Without You I'll Give You Something To Drink AboutWho's Gonna Wear Their Shoes (with a special tribute to Waylon) One Woman Man 50,000 Names Fire On The Mountain (Instrumental) Tennessee Whiskey The Man He WasMedley of: Share My World, Window Up Above, The Grand Tour, Walk, Through This World With Me, White Lightning (INCREDIBLE!), She Thinks I Still CareHappy Birthday (to some lady named Fran) He Stopped Loving Her TodayGolden Ring - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith Rocking Chair - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith God Bless The USA - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith on lead vocals
02.16.02 - Kelseyville, CA - Konocti Harbor
This is the greatest venue to see a performer like George. Our table was five rows back (table 79) which gave us an incredible view of the stage. Uncle Dennis was supposed to make the trip with us but had to work. Since it was impossible to sell a single ticket she gave it to a guard outside and told him to just give it away. About half way through the show a woman joined us and then switched with her husband so he could watch the end.
The opening act was California Cowboys, from Vacaville. A pretty cool band.
The show was almost the same exact show as in Stockton except for those that sat close enough to see him get really upset at the sound crew because of some technical problems.
Jones Boys
Ramblin' FeverMuscle Car Man - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith The Sweetest Thing - with Sherry Copeman-Smith Mama Used To Whoop Me With A George Jones Album (That's Why I Sing This Way) - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith Don't Rock The Jukebox
The Possum
Hightech Redneck Once You've Had The Best The Race Is On Bartender's Blues Black Mountain Rain (Instrumental) Choices Sinners & Saints A Picture Of Me Without You I'll Give You Something To Drink About Who's Gonna Wear Their Shoes One Woman Man 50,000 Names Fire On The Mountain (Instrumental) Tennessee Whiskey The Man He WasMedley of: Share My World, Window Up Above, The Grand Tour, Walk, Through This World With Me, White Lightning, She Thinks I Still CareHappy Birthday / Happy RetirementHe Stopped Loving Her Today Golden Ring - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith Rocking Chair - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith God Bless The USA - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith on lead vocals
02.13.02 - Stockton, CA - Fox Theatre
02.16.02 - Kelseyville, CA - Konocti Resort
It was a dream come true... George Jones live in concert. George Jones is simply the greatest crooner of all time and I had waited a long time to see The Possum. Well, I got to see him twice in 4 days !!! What a time !!!
02.13.02 - Stockton, CA - Fox TheatreAs a big fan of "true country" today was both a good day and a bad day. Waylon Jennings, one of the best voices in music, passed away today. He will be missed. Tonight, at the end of "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes", he added some touching comments about Waylon. It was very moving.
When I saw that KAT Country DJs were there with all their glory I couldn't resist. I asked the morning show DJ why they were there if they never played his music. "Well, we only play what the record companies allow us to play." he replied. If you live in the Stockton / Modesto area, try switching to 93.9FM KEJC - they play REAL COUNTRY !!! [click here for the 93.9 website]
George was awesome !!! He said his throat was sore but he went on anyway.
Here was the playlist:
Hightech Redneck Once You've Had The Best The Race Is On Bartender's Blues Black Mountain Rain (Instrumental) Choices Sinners & Saints A Picture Of Me Without You I'll Give You Something To Drink AboutWho's Gonna Wear Their Shoes (with a special tribute to Waylon) One Woman Man 50,000 Names Fire On The Mountain (Instrumental) Tennessee Whiskey The Man He WasMedley of: Share My World, Window Up Above, The Grand Tour, Walk, Through This World With Me, White Lightning (INCREDIBLE!), She Thinks I Still CareHappy Birthday (to some lady named Fran) He Stopped Loving Her TodayGolden Ring - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith Rocking Chair - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith God Bless The USA - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith on lead vocals
02.16.02 - Kelseyville, CA - Konocti Harbor
This is the greatest venue to see a performer like George. Our table was five rows back (table 79) which gave us an incredible view of the stage. Uncle Dennis was supposed to make the trip with us but had to work. Since it was impossible to sell a single ticket she gave it to a guard outside and told him to just give it away. About half way through the show a woman joined us and then switched with her husband so he could watch the end.
The opening act was California Cowboys, from Vacaville. A pretty cool band.
The show was almost the same exact show as in Stockton except for those that sat close enough to see him get really upset at the sound crew because of some technical problems.
Jones Boys
Ramblin' FeverMuscle Car Man - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith The Sweetest Thing - with Sherry Copeman-Smith Mama Used To Whoop Me With A George Jones Album (That's Why I Sing This Way) - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith Don't Rock The Jukebox
The Possum
Hightech Redneck Once You've Had The Best The Race Is On Bartender's Blues Black Mountain Rain (Instrumental) Choices Sinners & Saints A Picture Of Me Without You I'll Give You Something To Drink About Who's Gonna Wear Their Shoes One Woman Man 50,000 Names Fire On The Mountain (Instrumental) Tennessee Whiskey The Man He WasMedley of: Share My World, Window Up Above, The Grand Tour, Walk, Through This World With Me, White Lightning, She Thinks I Still CareHappy Birthday / Happy RetirementHe Stopped Loving Her Today Golden Ring - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith Rocking Chair - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith God Bless The USA - with Barry Smith and Sherry Copeman-Smith on lead vocals
A Tribute to my Mom
11/10/2000 12:24 AM
Faith Gere Beckwith 6/27/1942 - 10/24/2000
My Tribute
After losing Mom a lot of
people all over the world, some I had never met, sent
condolences and their best wishes. It seems
that a lot of people knew different sides of my
Mother. To us she was a Mother, Grandmother,
Aunt, Niece, Sister, Cousin and Friend. Some
knew her as a Hero, an Idol, an Inspiration, an
Expert, a Public Speaker, a Volunteer, a Teacher, a
Mentor and so on. It seems she was more to
everyone than I ever thought. My Mom is gone,
and we have lost others in our lives, and this is my
Tribute to them.
The Stockton Record was
very gracious to run the following letter I sent to
them about Ma:
Originally
Published Thursday, November 9,
2000
Stockton
loses remarkable citizen
Late
on the evening of October 24th, in Yolo County, my
Mother, Faith Beckwith, was killed in a motorcycle
accident. My Mother taught me many of the "motherly"
things that you would expect me to write about: love,
honor, respect, responsibility, etc., but she also
taught me how to love where I
live.
Mom
was proud of Stockton and took her civic
responsibility very seriously.
Once she made Stockton her final home 23 years ago,
she went right to work helping and honoring our city.
As a certified employment specialist -- and owner and
operator of At Your Service for the past 14 years --
she had helped thousands and thousands of people find
work all over the county, state, nation and
world.
She had been invited as a public speaker and
consultant to countless job fairs and seminars
through the years and had been contracted by some of
the largest employers in San Joaquin County to help
prepare laid-off workers find new jobs. She also did
motivational speaking at the California Youth
Authority and was a Notary Public
.
In
1986, the professional dance troupe that she
co-founded, The Classy Country Dancers, was
invited to represent California by performing at
the World's Fair in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
Years later, she co-founded the Stockton-based
performing dance troupe Rhythm and
Boots.
As a 10-year breast cancer survivor, she championed
such causes as the American Cancer Society, Women's
Shelter, Big Brother & Big Sisters, and every
year adopted a needy family for Christmas. She was
very proud of her recent appointment to the Board of
the Women's Success Group.
My mother has contributed so much for so many people
in this community it would be difficult to list them
all. I have lost a mother, something that never
seemed possible, and Stockton has lost a remarkable
citizen.
see original page
here.