Moving To The Big Time

Because I have such copious amounts of spare time on my hands, I am now raising Cain over at Red County as a political blogger. http://www.redcounty.com/anaheim-newbies/34435

Come make trouble with me, the grown ups are letting me play with their toys.

Christmas In Anaheim

Anaheim celebrates Christmas in a BIG way, in all of our neighborhoods. Coming up this weekend, we have the Downtown Anaheim Nutcracker Tree Lighting, on Center Street Promenade, Saturday, December 5. The event begins at 10 am with a street fair, and crafts for the kiddies. The tree lighting is from 6-7 pm. The event is FREE and you can check the site for details at http://www.downtownanaheim.com/.

For those on the West side, the 12th Annual Tree Lighting is scheduled for 6pm, Friday the 4 at Twila Reid Park, 3100 W. Orange Avenue. RSVP to wandtreelighting@yahoo.com

Also Friday night, at 6:30 pm, the Anaheim Historical Society invites the public to the Annual Victorian Christmas celebration at the historic Woelke-Stoffel House. The Queen Anne Victorian mansion has been decorated for the holidays, and the AHS is offering a selection of desserts and beverages, with historic holiday cheer. Non-members are invited, come see the work AHS does in the community. Gifts will be available to purchase for that history lover on your list, including Sesquicentennial blankets for those who missed them, Steve Faessels books on Anaheim, and of course DVDs of Huell Howser's visit to Anaheim with yours truly. The event is FREE, donations and new memberships always accepted. The Woelke-Stoffel house is located at 418 N. West Street, between Lincoln and Sycamore. On street parking is available, with a drop-off point for those with mobility issues.

Mother Earth Meets Father TIme

This weekend the OC Register (click on title for link) covered a story regarding solar panels on an historic property in South County. Since "the greenest building is the one already built", and historic preservation is the ultimate expression of recycling, it stands to reason that preservationists would be attracted to the concept of eco-friendly energy. Sadly, technology does not as yet allow many of us to be good stewards of energy while being good stewards of our historic homes. Solar panels are, well, they are ugly. I am unlikely to put them on a street-facing roofline of my home, even if permitted. I would consider them for a rear facing roofline of a garage, but ours faces the wrong direction. In the case of the South County property, they managed to drop them below the line of visibility, on a parapet flat roof of a Pueblo-Revival style structure, so they make sense in that location. What I am waiting for is preservation friendly energy products.

At home, we did manage to re-create our garden in an eco-friendly manner that honors the period of our 1908 home. By using underground irrigation systems run by a Smart Timer, and planting California natives that do not require much water, we tripled our landscaping while LOWERING our water bill from the same period last year. I am also considering interior storm windows to "dual pane" the bedroom windows during the neighbors parties, because they do not affect the exterior look of the house, and they are reversible. But there is so much more that could be done. A new roof tile has been developed that doubles as a solar panel, but appears as an "S" curve Spanish tile. So far they only come in black, so it is still jarring on a red tile roof, and there are no other "shingle" type applications that I have found. But somone out there is thinking ahead.

The big debate we see in Anaheim is over artificial turf. I admit I have a strip of driveway we have replanted repeatedly with no success, I cannot get lawn to grow there, and ONLY lawn is appropriate for a mow-strip drive on a period home. Some of the higher end fake turfs look pretty darned good, and I am tempted. I consider artificial turf to be a reversible change that does not affect the historic structure itself, and therefore should be allowable under a Mills Act contract. Others disagree, rather vocally. I would love to hear other viewpoints, with reasons for pro or con. I would also love to hear about how others have handled making their old homes a little friendlier to Mother Earth. And no, this is not a debate for or against global warming, I simply would rather spend our hard earned paychecks on Bradbury wallpaper rather than my energy and water bills.

Union Workers Choose to Work Sick!

Sarah Tully reports in her "Around Disney" blog (see link above) that despite Disney's overwhelming efforts to curb the spread of flu in the Resort, there are still members of the Unite Here Labor Union that are undermining their efforts by deliberately coming to work knowing they are sick! Their selfish excuse? Their own Union cancelled their sick pay benefits to save money during a dispute over their contract with Disney. That's right, Disney did not cancel the sick pay, the Union did! How is it that 30 other Unions have accepted the new contract from Disney, which I understand gives them greatly expanded benefits, but the Unite Here Union has refused to even meet with Disney to further discuss the issues. The Union's position seems to be "Our Way or the Highway". Sorry Ada Briseno, but this is still the United States, and business owners still have the right to make their own best offer, YOU take it or leave it. As far as those employees that knowingly work when sick, I think they not only should be fired, I think they should lose their Safety and Sanitation certificates, preventing them from working with food in the future. Fire them, Mickey! If the goal of the Union in releasing this information to Sarah Tully was to scare off guests, it didn't work. I was just there today, the place is jumping, and folks are stopping to use the hand sanitizer stations, expressing gratitude to The Mouse for caring about their guests and Cast Members. In case you were wondering, today's Register reports that Knott's is doing NOTHING different in their handling of a public venue during a flu outbreak. Somebody hand me a churro.

Disney Ahead of Its Time as Mouse Beats Swine

With swine flu making every public area a virus bath, where is one supposed to feel safe? Do not get me started about the shopping mall, where I have to go find gifts for everyone I have ever known while surrounded by sick people who refuse to stay home. So what's a family supposed to do for fun without risking their health? The Happiest Place on Earth of course! Disney already has a stellar reputation for steam cleaning the Heck out of the place at night, but now they are taking the lead to make a visit to the House of Mouse a healthier alternative to that pre-Christmas shopping mall. Look around the park, you will see public hand sanitizer stations, with notices that one may also purchase bottle of sanitizer to keep with you, for a BUCK. I can't buy it that cheap at the store! They have also provided sanitizer to Cast Members with high Guest contact, and they have upped their cleaning schedules for surfaces that are "high touch" like drinking fountains and pay phones. They are training their Cast Members on how to handle sick Guests, and have overhauled the way their Cast members handle cleaning hotel rooms. And yet, despite knowing this, mean old Mom will not allow beloved teen to cut school and go to Disneyland instead. Yes, pumpkin, I know Disneyland is way safer than your germ ridden school a block away, but you will have to wait for the weekend. The good news is, I feel safe taking my kids there this weekend, so I can enjoy a visit before my pass expires for the season! Once again, the Mouse makes a good neighbor. I may just have to buy my Christmas gifts there and skip the mall altogether. My circle of homies have never complained about Disney merch for the holidays.

Why Do We Dream So Small?

"Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will not be realized. Make big plans, aim high in hope and work, remembering that a nobler, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty."

Daniel Burnham, master architect of the the 1893 Exposition

We, the people of Anaheim, descend from dreamers, people who either settled here when Juan Pacifico Ontiveros insisted the entire region could not support a goat, or brave folk who left family and friends behind to settle a growing region in recent years. But whether we came recently, or have been here for generations, we are dreamers, lured by the California promise of a better life. So can someone please tell me why our kids play at Glover Stadium which looks like something from South Central Los Angeles, while we spend $200k for a Rose Parade float glorifying a baseball team we recently sued for humiliating us? Anyone?

I admit, I love Mondays, they are like the calendar equivalent of a blank sheet of paper waiting to be drawn upon. But then I pick up the newspaper and see how small and petty and unimaginative some of our Civic dreams are, and it is tough to drive past City Hall without screaming in futility. Why is it that so few of our leaders understand how to dream big dreams? Why can they not see how amazing our City could be with a little attention, a little love, and a whole lot of paint and trees? Just wondering on a Monday morning.

Anaheim Mourns the Loss of One of Our Own

Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle ordered flags on City buildings flown at half-staff in honor of the loss of Anaheim resident Justin Swanson, a 21 year old Lance Corporal in the Marines, who has lost his life in Afghanistan. Swanson was based at Camp Pendleton, with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Marine Expeditionary Force.

The prayers of many go out to the friends and family of Justin Swanson.