We at Metroblogging San José write about what’s happening in the greater South Bay area. If you take a look at our blogroll - bottom of the page - you will notice that we link to several local neighborhood and community sites. A visit to them will take you back to the days of chit-chat over the garden fence.
Northside Neighborhood Association
Willow Glen 2.0 is proclaiming: Help Your Neighbor Day.
Do you have a local neighborhood-community site or blog?
Last night I attended the first bout for the Silicon Valley Roller Girls (SVRG), our very own roller derby team here in the south bay! It was an action-packed game and close score the last half — but our girls demolished Port City Roller Girls! SVRG won their first game! Go girls!
Established in 2007, SVRG is an all-female flat track roller derby league. Their dedication, while not only to kick major you-know-what during the games, is to empower their skaters to improve their skating ability through training and teamwork and help Silicon Valley by participating in various community services.
It was my first game, any kind of roller derby exposure I had before last night only came from television programs or movies. Before the game started they had a few players from each team do a pretend round while the announcer explained the game.
In brief, you have 5 members of each team on the floor. You have 1 Pivot, 3 Blockers, 1 Jammer. Pivots are at the front and they set the pace. Blockers are behind and they cannot go infront of the Pivots and their job is to keep the opposing team’s jammer from passing. One whistle is blown, the Pivots and Blockers start off — a second whistle for the jammers to start. When the first jammer breaks through the pack, they’re the Point Jammer and get points for every time they pass an opposing team member. Jams last 2 minutes or when the jammer declares they’re over (by placing their hands on their hips.) This is all a very quick way to describe it - learn more about it here.
Roller derby is an awesome sport and a great way to spend your time and money! Go out and support these girls.
Upcoming Games:
Saturday, Sept. 20th - SVRG vs. Bakersfield Rollergirls @ Bakersfield, CA
Saturday, Oct 25th - SVRG HOME BOUT @ SAN JOSE SKATE
Saturday, Nov 15th - SVRG vs. Sonoma County Roller Derby @ Rohnert Park, CA
Find out more about the team at:
www.svrollergirls.com
www.myspace.com/svrollergirls
This morning I stopped by 20705 Valley Green Dr. Building Six to get a look at the fire damage and hopefully speak with someone. There wasn’t much to see unless you count all the TV news trucks and one photographer from the Merc. I did try talking with Apple security, but his lips were sealed. Clean-up crews were on site as was a construction contractor.
All employees were evacuated without harm as firefighters brought a three-alarm fire at Apple’s Cupertino campus under control. The fire on Valley Green Drive was reported just after 10pm Tuesday night.
While driving south on 280 between 85 and Apple’s main campus I noticed a humongous white plastic looking object on the left side of the freeway. What could it be? — A utility pole? A transmission tower? Would it soon be seeking signs from Martians?
This is what I have discovered:
Once upon a time, (two decades ago) the city of Cupertino was busy getting ready to connect Mary Ave. This would be accomplished with a car overpass spanning 280. Earthen ramps were readied on both sides. Then the city began to hear that the residents living near Stevens Creek were raising concerns. What impact would the traffic have on their neighborhood? The work was halted.
Fast-forward to 2008 and we find that the city of Cupertino is once again attempting to traverse 280. This time it will be with a Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge. For reference: walkers and bicyclists will be able to move from the area of De Anza College to Homestead High School with ease.
Happy Birthday Peggy Fleming, born July 27, 1948 in San Jose.
Ms. Fleming, a figure skater, was the only American to win a gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. Her energy and unique style left a lasting impression on all who watched her performances, especially the free-skating program.
After the Olympics, she starred in five television specials, toured the U.S. as a special guest star in the Ice Follies ice show, and has been a commentator on figure skating for ABC Sports for over 20 years.
Fleming and her husband, Dr. Greg Jenkins, own and operate Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery in Los Gatos. Profits from a Rosé go towards charities that support breast cancer research; she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. The Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery Tasting Room is located at 45 West Main Street in downtown Los Gatos.
Photo courtesy Peggy Fleming Website
Today Google is hosting a family friendly event, but at the other end of our valley it’s a different scene altogether: Return to the 1947 Fourth of July weekend when thousands of motorcyclists descended on the sleepy little town of Hollister, California. Though the bikers didn’t really do much damage, one can just imagine how unnerving it must have for the townspeople.
This invasion was the spark that eventually led to the hottest quintessential outlaw biker movie of all time: The Wild One (1953) with Marlon Brando (Johnny) and Lee Marvin (Chino).
Tagline: Marlon Brando! Driven Too Far By His Own Hot Blood!
: I’ve seen hoodlums like this before. If you don’t get tough with them the minute they get out of line you’re sunk. You’re the cop, aren’t you? If you can’t boot these jerks out there’s plenty of us can, even if we have to bust a few heads.
: As he and his boys are guzzling beer and dancing with some of the ladies in the bar, one female dance partner questions Johnny: Hey, Johnny, What are you rebelling against?
While tapping out a jazzy beat on the top of the jukebox, he raises his eyebrow and drawls his amorphous reason for rebellion: What’ve you got?
Note: San Francisco Hell’s Angels chapter president Frank Sadilek bought the striped shirt that Lee Marvin wore in the movie, and wore it when meeting police officials.
Today the invasion continues with the HOLLISTER MOTORCYCLE RALLY.
Hollister, California
July 11 to 13, 2008
The Sixth Annual Jazz on the Plazz is a midweek concert series featuring local, national, and world-renowned jazz artists.
Beginning this Wednesday, June 25 and every Wednesday through August 27, this free concert is presented at the Los Gatos Town Plaza, located at the intersection of W. Main Street and N. Santa Cruz Avenue.
The series kicks off with a performance by Claire Martin, an acclaimed jazz vocalist from England. She recently released her 12th album, He Never Mentioned Love. Check the Jazz on the Plazz website for a schedule of upcoming artists in the series.
Pack a picnic dinner (you may also bring beer or wine) and bring lawn chairs, blankets, and/or folding tables. Get there early to park nearby and to get a good place to sit. Parking is available in the area.
For more information, including artist profiles, schedule, seating and alcohol policies, check here.
Los Gatos Town Plaza
W. Main Street and N. Santa Cruz Avenue, Los Gatos
Wednesdays through August 27
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Admission: Free
Sitting in a cube buried deep in an office building you wonder what it is like outside. Hello, webcams!
You can find a plethora of webcams from around the world via Google. One of my favorite local webcams is the Lick Observatory’s Hamcams atop Mt. Hamilton.
There are two Hamcams with a view of the South Bay and a view of six telescope domes. The quality of the views depend on weather conditions and the often present hazy in the valley. At night, there is a great view of the city lights; however, the view of the six domes is nonexistent due to lack of light. Clicking “Image With Description” provides information of that webcams view.
When I viewed the city lights the other evening I wondered about the light interfering with astronomical observations. I learned from the Santa Clara Valley & Lick Observatory website, among other criteria, “Some types of lighting are far better for astronomical observations than other types. Low Pressure Sodium (LPS) is the best, metal halide is the worst. LPS lamps produce almost all their output in a single color, or narrow range of wavelengths. To the eye, the light is a very pure yellow, because it emits only at that color. Astronomers prefer this lighting because it is easy to filter out.”
Metblogs author Victor gives his account of visiting Lick Observatory here.
San Jose State University Department of Meteorology has a webcam view of downtown San Jose here.
Recently I heard of Los Gatos being home to millionaires and about its quaint yet chic downtown. The small city nestles between San Jose, Saratoga, Campbell and the Santa Cruz mountains. Downtown is Santa Cruz Avenue and Main Street, which lie near Highway 17.
We checked it out on a cloudy Saturday. Many of the buildings retain their Victorian past. The shops, mainly catering to the wealthy residents, include a whole lot of boutiques, “home stuff” places and a good variety of restaurants. There is an Apple store and even a Lamborghini showroom!
Parking is free. You could park on either end of Santa Cruz Avenue and walk the stretch. Thankfully for us, a soon-to-be-closed Sharper Image store gave us the opportunity of a free massage to relax, after hanging around for a few hours there.
If you want to spend a day in leisure, away from the regular fast-paced life, check out Los Gatos Downtown.
