Odds and Ends

The deliberate -- some would say slower -- pace of a Boulevardier allows one to see the small things that may escape the notice of persons who rarely leave their cars. On several walks around Castro Valley over the last few days, Your Boulevardier has noticed a few things -- some large, some small -- that are of note.

Reconstruction of the Valley Antiques store at the corner of Grove Way and Redwood Road has finally begun. A fire there some months ago has closed the shop, which -- when Your Boulevardier was un petit garçon -- was once a Rexall Drug Store. The Mexican market next door has continued operations -- the fire did not seem to affect it much. The entire shopping center, and the parking area behind it, are in dire need of a serious cleanup.

Small, hastily printed signs in the windows of JD's say that the main electrical box at the restaurant has exploded, and that repairs are expected on Monday, July 30. Walk-up patrons were surprised to find the Castro Valley institution closed.

Remodeling of the shopping center in which Treible's Stationery is is anchor tenant is complete, and Your Boulevardier is impressed with the results. (He will be even more impressed when the plantings grow out and vines cover the arbor surrounding the building.) The upgrade was completed with the help of Alameda County's Facade Improvement Program. The shops across the parking lot have also received a pleasing paint job. The proprietor of Treible's told Your Boulevardier that he is considering re-opening the door to the store that lies on Santa Maria Avenue now that the landscaping there provides a welcoming path. If that's to happen, the placement and maintenance of the shopping center's trash receptacles will also need to be addressed.

Your Boulevardier walked through the tail end of the Grand Opening Fair at Eden Bicycles on Saturday afternoon. It seemed to be a festive and well-attended event. Stunts were being performed on a ramp in the shop's parking area; fat-free persons with duck feet, aerodynamic eyewear, and tight clothing clomped around the lot, and impressively loud hip-hop music was being played by a live DJ.

While in the Village, a head was poked into Aran's Colour and Glaze Studio, which has moved across the parking lot. The new space looks very nice, but unfortunately Haim's Cafe is no longer part of the operation. Since Kampus Korner, the falafel stand at CSUEB, closed -- forced out of business by an over-aggressive national food concessionaire -- Aran's was one of the few places in the Hayward-Castro Valley area to get a good falafel. Alas. Of course, one can still glaze pottery there.

And speaking of Village dining establishments, the Castro Valley Breakfast Lions Club is once again sponsoring its Restaurant Walk on August 21 from 6-8 p.m. The sketchiest of details can be found here.

Across the Boulevard from the Village, it appears that a car has struck the front of Knudsen's Ice Creamery. The far-left window is temporarily replaced with plywood, and a dent is apparent in the stucco. Your Boulevardier would be interested in any details readers might have of the incident.

The old adage that "what goes around comes around" still holds here in town. The news media have already reported that Albertsons stores will be rebranded as Lucky markets. That effort is well underway inside at the Castro Valley store; the old-style script logo is already splashed on the store's walls. The sign outside continues to read Albertsons, for the time being.

Lastly, Your Boulevardier has something to say about the sidewalks around Hollywood Video, but is saving that comment for its own post.

Expecto Potter

Friday night at midnight saw the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Your Boulevardier had pre-ordered a copy at Hayward's The Book Shop and so attended its gathering; a formidable Hagrid, a woman in Renaissance garb carrying a picture frame, several impressive Professor Trelawneys (including mon ami K.J. and shop manager Renee), and myriad other magical creatures of all ages were in attendance. Your Boulevardier, not being an aficionado of amplified pennywhistles and high-pitched stringed instruments, forewent the pre-opening party with "Progressive Celtic & Medieval Rock" band Avalon Rising at the neighboring Bistro.

Meanwhile, a gathering at Jordan's Village Books in Castro Village was held, and my youthful colleague, Neveu de Boulevardier, submitted this report.

We arrived about 11:45 p.m. and noticed the energy level had apparently tapered off by then. Older teens and young adults were already looking a bit bored and had taken up posts near the bike shop across the parking lot, or wandering about looking in store windows. The doorway to Jordan's was packed, though. A few kids had capes, some had lightning bolts or moons painted on their faces, but many people in line were standard-issue adults. Several children tapped each other with magic wands to pass the time. Lord knows how long they had been there.

As we inched our way inside, a clerk gave us a ticket to trade in for our prepaid book at midnight. She had a yellow legal tablet with perhaps a hundred names on it, crossing each of us off as we arrived. As the minutes passed, people commented on how great it was to have a guaranteed copy waiting for each and every one of us. Someone mentioned that at Borders and other large bookstores they might let you in, but might not even sell you a book that night. Plus, it is hard to miss the fact that Jordan's hires good-looking employees.

The line snaked around between the bookshelves, finally returning to the center of the store where a table was set up to distribute the books. This technique worked on us last time, as we bought two additional books which attracted our attention during the wait. However, this time we arrived so late that we actually only waited a few minutes until the boxes were opened. We did have time to see two bizarre products: sets of three purposely-mismatched socks ("These socks don't match!" says the display) and stick-on colored window decorations which were so thick they appeared to be made out of Jello Jigglers.

Suddenly one of the employees led a countdown to midnight, everyone cheered, and the line rapidly advanced through the store to the disbribution table. Some people picked up more than one book but there seemed to be enough for everyone. During this mass exodus, we were carried along with a wave of people out the door. By 12:07 we were in our car and on our way home.

Earthquake Weather?

Your Boulevardier cannot rationally explain his uncanny prediction of a few days ago. Details on the recent earthquake (it was slept through at Chez Boulevardier) are here.

Trash Talk - Signs of the Times

On Baywood Drive in Castro Valley, most of the grey (recycling) cans bore signs like this one on July 13, 2007, when Your Boulevardier walked past. Now, most of the signs are gone, but one does not know why. (You may click on the picture for a larger view.)

Strange Days Indeed

What to make of this weather? It's warm and humid, more like the midwest than our usual Mediterranean climate. Chez Boulevardier received a spattering of rain last night -- not enough to register in the rain gauge, but enough to moisten the seedlings Your Boulevardier is cultivating on his back deck. In the Bay Area, any aberrant atmospheric conditions are, of course, nervously referred to as "Earthquake Weather," and this would certainly qualify. Let us hope that the label is inaccurate and that these conditions do not presage instability of the good earth beneath our feet.

Though unusual, the weather is not bad for walking, and Your Boulevardier has been doing some. The usual stops have been made -- the post office, the veterinarian, the grocery. The walking is not altogether pleasant: The sad visage of murder victim Gary Jones looms from many shop windows and telephone poles around town. Trash pickup in Castro Valley remains sporadic, and the replacement workers are as often seen consulting maps as collecting refuse. The remodeling at the local Safeway continues to wreak havoc on both shopping and parking. (This, it must be noted, does not affect pedestrians, except that motorists in the parking lot seem even more inattentive than usual. If that's possible.) On a happier note, a star-spangled collection of red, white, and blue gowns adorns the windows of Kay's Bridal Boutique on Redwood Road, left over, one assumes, from Flag Day and Independence Day.

The Wrath of Khanstro Valley

Your Boulevardier has just returned from the Chabot Cinema's midnight showing of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Well over 100 people of all ages attended this showing. Several persons (including theater manager Josh) were in Star Trek regalia, and a festive, somewhat rowdy mood prevailed. There was much wisecracking going on throughout the movie -- including an entire row of patrons near the front who leapt to their feet and pumped their fists when William Shatner delivered his immortal shout -- but a respectful silence came over the crowd for Spock's death scene. A projector malfunction at the very end of the film marred the evening somewhat, but in general a good time was had by all.

Jazz coming to Castro Valley?

Your Boulevardier has heard vague rumors that the Castro Valley Adult School will sponsor a Monday night Jazz band starting this fall. More information, if anyone has it, would be appreciated.

Something One Doesn't See Every Day

This morning, Your Boulevardier saw the cook at Castro Valley's Sunflower restaurant out on the sidewalk in front of the establishment, using a large spoon to hammer dents out of a wok.

No comment is offered, just the observation. It can be safely said, however, that this episode will not preclude Your Boulevardier from continuing to patronize the restaurant.

On the Waste Management Situation

The lockout at Waste Management of Alameda County has entered its second week. It has affected Chez Boulevardier enough to elicit a few comments from Yours Truly.

Last Tuesday, our regular pickup day, a truck driven by a replacement worker worked our street collecting trash and recyclables. No security vehicle was noted, though Your Boulevardier did not think to look for one. Most cans were collected, but ours were not; neither were those of our next-door neighbor. We live at the end of a cul-de-sac, and perhaps the driver got confused. (He had a difficult enough time turning the truck around.) Or perhaps he simply forgot. Regardless of the reason, after the truck had left, it was realized we had been passed over. (No lamb's blood had been smeared on the cans, to our knowledge.)

With trash piling up, and responding to an automated call from Waste Management, Your Boulvardier loaded four bags (two of trash, two of recycling) from his home and his neighbors' into the back of his small pickup and made the drive to the Davis Street Transfer Station on Saturday Morning. Many Teamsters were picketing at the Station, but their intent was unclear; through a newscast that evening it was learned that they wanted customers to drive to Berkeley to dump their trash, because non-Teamster drivers would be hauling loads from Davis Street to Altamont. Although Your Boulevardier supports the Union in this action, he chose to take advantage of the company's offer; frankly, it didn't make sense to drive farther and pay for the privilege of unloading the refuse.

Once past the well-guarded gates of the Transfer Station, no identification was checked -- although Your Boulevardier did make it available. ("You have an honest face," said the fellow we spoke with, and we thank him for the compliment.) The greeting was cordial, but it's noted that a different Waste Management employee surreptitiously took a digital photo of the back of our vehicle -- presumably, to capture the license plate. One would have preferred that this data would have been collected in a less-sneaky manner. The operation at the Transfer Station was otherwise smooth and well-managed; no queue was encountered, and in fact our vehicle was whisked past those of paying customers.

One other thought concerning the current situation comes to mind. Waste Management is using replacement workers to pick up trash and recycling, but is leaving the yard waste (AKA "Green Cans") for the time being. The rationale, it's assumed, is to lesson any potential health threat from decomposing garbage in residential neighborhoods. But recall that the Castro Valley Sanitary District is encouraging we residents to put food scraps into the Green Cans. This includes chicken bones, meat scraps, and other potential bacteria media and vermin food. For this reason, the collection of the Green Cans is at least as important as collection of trash and recycling, in the opinion of Your Boulevardier.

Deafening Independence

Is it Your Boulevardier's imagination, or are the quantity and volume of illegal fireworks particularly great this year? The Trusty BoulevarDog is cowering in a corner, poor thing.