On the Town

After a few days of walks, Your Boulevardier has a few observations to share. These are unconnected by anything except the fact that they happened around town.

The Primrose Bakery has a sign in its window saying it is closing its Castro Village store and will be open only in downtown Pleasanton (where it already has a shop). This is a huge loss for Castro Valley -- Primrose is the only custom bakery in town -- and is lamented.

Speaking of shop windows, the Spirit Halloween Superstore is outdoing itself with its window displays, much to the pleasure of Your Boulevardier. It really behooves one to get out of the car and give the windows a good look.

It's interesting to note that the California legislature is working on a law forbidding teenagers from talking or "texting" on their mobile phones while driving. This is particularly interesting in light of Your Boulevardier seeing a member of the Castro Valley School Board (who shall remain unnamed in this space) driving his dark green BMW while fumbling with his phone, and having trouble remaining between the lines on Redwood Road while doing so.

And speaking of BMWs, Your Boulevardier believes he saw Congresswoman Barbara Lee driving a black BMW on The Boulevard a few days ago. The sighting was brief and may have been in error, or perhaps the Hon. Ms. Lee has a stunt double.

And speaking of stunts -- my, how this journal's transitions are labored sometimes -- Your Boulevardier was in Peet's today, in line behind an East Bay Regional Parks police officer who was sporting a large holster on his left hip. The holster seemed to hold a bright yellow plastic weapon of some sort. Your Boulevardier asked if this was a taser, and the officer confirmed it was. Then Your Boulevardier made the mistake of telling the officer that it looked more like a cordless drill. The officer returned a look of stern displeasure, and Your Boulevardier apologizes if he was offended. By the way, Your Boulevardier also notes that the officer's cell phone ring tone is a version of Erik Satie's Gymnopèdie I, which is the most gentle, melancholy, and lovely of the composer's ethereal piano pieces.