Sit a Spell

Your Boulevardier is a fan of The HayWord, which reports online the news that's happening to our immediate south-southwest. And Your Boulevardier is happy to report that he's not the only one poking gentle fun at billboards, misspelled signs, and the like. Reporter Eric Kurhi has, correctly, labeled one sign in Hayward "an affront to spelling."

Ouch

Your Boulevardier generally avoids ribald humor in this space, but this is the exception that proves the rule.

After reading Mary Roach's wonderful Bonk over the Labor Day Weekend (thank you, Renée), this office on Strobridge Avenue across from McDonald's took on a whole new meaning.

Minnesota Gives Up

Your Boulevardier snapped this photo a few weeks ago of the billboard that stood guard at the west end of Castro Valley Boulevard.



Minnesota tried to kick California when it was down. But clearly its plans failed, because now there's a Corona Beer advertisement in its place.

Star-Spangled, Eardrum-Splitting Banner

Your Boulevardier has learned, through his youthful associate Neveu de Boulevardier, that a rendition of The Star Spangled Banner sung at Castro Valley High School in 2008 made it to a TIME Magazine's "10 Worst" list.

View the crazy video and read the article here.

Consolation may be found in the fact that the young singer is in good company: the now-secretary of state, several professional musicians, and a police officer are also represented in the complete list.

At Least The Sign Is Polite

Your Boulevardier recently came across this sign on a building on Castro Valley Boulevard.


It's a sensible request. The structure to which the sign is affixed is a residential building, and is close to several retail establishments, including a tobacco shop, that might attract people who are inclined to sit or walk. Chances are the sign was posted because persons sitting or walking on the wall below the sign were disturbing the residents therein.

While handmade, the sign is clear, practical, and direct. With the exception of a stray hyphen and some random capitalization, the sign is grammatically acceptable. (Your Boulevardier was an English major and tends to be a stickler about punctuation and capitalization, so perhaps this is his personal bugaboo.)

What's more, the sign is certainly polite. Not everyone uses what Mère de Boulevardier (and most every other mère, for that matter) called "the magic word." In total, there's much to admire about the sign's intention and implementation

But there is a problem. As can be seen in the photo below, the arrows on the sign point to a concrete curb, not a brick wall. If a person were to take the sign literally, he or she could sit or walk on the curb with impunity. But that would most certainly violate the spirit, if not the letter, of the sign.

Such are the quandaries when one walks about in Castro Valley, trying to obey the rules.