Pasadena Star News Reports

The Pasadena Star News has reported on the abduction/domestic dispute on Fair Oaks. In a time when it is so easy to fling something out into cyberspace, it's interesting to note that nothing was reported about the incident until today--as far as I could dig up--in the local electronic media. Even if it was a domestic dispute and not a kidnapping, seeing someone pulled off the street and pushed into a truck seems quite alarming. With news shows full of sensational stories, I guess I'm surprised that no one jumped on this lead and tried to blow it up into something that it possibly wasn't. Is it the small size of South Pasadena? Did the media intentionally downplay the story, and if so, why?

I don't want to blow things out of proportion myself; perhaps it was just written off as domestic violence and not particularly newsworthy. But that's a bit of a stretch for me. Someone being pushed into a truck seems to be in a different category than a battered wife calling 911 from her house: the latter seems like it would be much more common and, thus, less frequently reported as a featured story. I didn't watch Fox 11 News yesterday so I don't know if they did a follow-up story. I couldn't find anything when I searched the Fox11 website or when I did a Google news search.

Getting Off-Line

I had the chance to meet Steve Norris tonight at his daughter's softball game. (Did they win, Steve?) Thena and I walked down Orange Grove to the Little League diamond. When you live next to and work in such a sprawling metropolis, it is amazing to be able to walk two blocks to your destination. Ah, blessed sidewalks! It was interesting talking to Steve and getting to hear a little of the history of the town. And you can't beat a hot cheeseburger for $2.50.

More Details

I thought I would post a few of the details from the report Marielle got off NexisLexis:

• Witnesses describe the suspects' car as a "'dingy' black or blue Ford or Chevrolet full-sized pickup from the 1970s with metal racks extending above each side of the bed."
• Two men were involved in the incident. One is described as "in his 30s, 5 feet 10 inches tall, of medium build with brown hair and a mustache. He was wearing a white T-shirt and white painter's pants."
• Anyone with information can call 626.403.7280.

It May Be a Domestic Dispute

I called the South Pasadena Review and spoke with an employee named Bill who said that at this time the police department has the feeling that it is a domestic dispute rather than a kidnapping. He says the police are still investigating it.

Searching for News

I just called the newsdesk at Fox 11 News, the channel that aired the story about the kidnapping last night. The person I spoke with said that they were still working on the story and didn't seem like he had any information to give out. I also e-mailed the crime reporter for the Pasadena Star News to see if he had any more information. The police officer who was interviewed speculated that it might be a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend who abducted the woman.

Kidnapping on Mission Fair Oaks

I saw something on the news last night about a kidnapping that took place last night on Mission somewhere between Fair Oaks and Meridian in the 200 block of Fair Oaks. Has anyone heard anything about this? I've been trying to find an article about it online, without success.

Those Green Parrots

I found this website that has information on the wild parrots of California. I have friends who recently saw The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill and said that it was fascinating.

I remember the first time I noticed the parrots: I was walking near USC when this noisy, green cloud passed over me. At first, I thought I had imagined it, they seemed so out of place in downtown L.A. And now, living in South Pas, I see (and hear) them on an almost daily basis. It's amazing how you can begin to tune out something that once seemed so alarmingly different. I must pay my respects to the green parrots.

And the Award for Silliest Boutique Name goes to...

Chi Chi La La.

Late Night Eatin'

I ate at Wild Thyme for the first time on Friday night. We went for dessert so I didn't get too good a feel for the selection and quality of their food. I enjoyed the pecan pie I ordered, which was sweet and not too crusty (although, I really wished they offered a chocolate pecan pie: I'm a glutton for chocolate). In a town where most establishments close by seven or eight, I was impressed by the fact that they were open until 12. I could see it as being a fun place to hang out when you don't have anything else to do.
805 Fair Oaks Avenue, South Pasadena, CA 91030 | (626)799-4169 | Map it

South Pas Trivia

Which cast member of television's Family Ties was born in South Pasadena?

The first person to e-mail me the correct answer will receive a hand-drawn picture of a saucy ostrich!

R. Kenton Nelson Show

R. Kenton Nelson has an exhibition going at the Mendenhall Sobieski Gallery that runs through March 29. The gallery is at 40 Mills Place in Old Town (the same alleyway as Equator). It's not South Pasadena proper I realize, but I don't want this blog to be too myopic, after all.

Your Suggestions Solicited

To be honest, I haven't eaten at a lot of restaurants in South Pas. I've been to Ai Japanese Restaurant on Mission, as well as Shaker's. I've had coffee at Kaldi, ice cream at Buster's. Dragonfly and Gus's Barbeque are both places I'd like to try soon. Does anyone have any suggestions of places that I really need to check out?

Yasmeen's Mediterranean Cuisine

Thena and I ate at Yasmeen's Mediterranean Cuisine this evening--a restaurant that serves what is apparently halaal Lebanese fare. We've seen the place before, but it's hard to get a feel driving by what they might have to offer. The inside has somewhat of a strip-mall restaurant feel to it--lightweight chairs and tables that don't sit squarely on the ground. At least they seem to be passing the savings on to the customer. A schwarma goes for $3.99 there: less than what you'd pay for a twelve-inch sub at Subway. I was pleased with my beef schwarma, filled with pickled beets and a pleasantly tangy sauce. The hummus was a bit underwhelming, as it didn't seem to have any extra salt or garlic added to it. We both agreed that we'd be back.
818 Fair Oaks Avenue, South Pasadena, CA 91030 | (626)799-1790 | Map it

As the Crow Espies

I signed up for a free trial subscription to Keyhole so I could get an aerial shot of where we live. Near the bottom of the picture you will notice a street running horizontally; this is Magnolia (one street north of and parallel to Mission). The street which intersects Magnolia is the street we live on--Orange Grove. Our apartment is the second building on the right hand side of Orange Grove above the intersection. You can also see a little of the 110 running horizontally at the top of the picture.

videothèque @ Chouinard Film Series

I have added a link for videothèque underneath Websites. As part of the videothèque @ Chouinard Film Series, videothèque is showing Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt and Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation on Saturday, March 26. As anyone who has set foot in that place can attest, videothèque has an amazing selection of films--all of which are catalogued on their website.

Grevelia St.

Here are some pictures I took while walking down Grevelia St. between Orange Grove and Fair Oaks.

My friend Jo tells me that this tree is called a brugmansia. Its flowers look like yellow trumpets.

Thena Plays Beantown

My wife, Thena, will be playing at Beantown Coffee Bar in Sierra Madre on Friday, April 1. She is an amazing singer who writes all her own songs. (That description doesn't do her justice.) She goes on at 10.

Cool Threads @ Bent

If you haven't yet done so, you should stop by the new clothing store called bent at 1011 Mission St. They have a sizeable selection of cool t-shirts made by independent designers. Angie, the owner, is really nice and would love it if you dropped in and said hi. If you have any questions, the phone no. is 626.403.6453.

She's also opening up an art gallery in the back of the shop. Albert Reyes will be the first artist showing; his opening will be from 7-11 p.m. on the evening of Saturday, April 9. I encourage you to stop by.

South Pas April Street Festival

South Pas is having a street fair on Saturday April 23 and Sunday April 24. Additional information can be found at www.southpas.org.

South Pas Pix

If you have any pictures of South Pasadena you would like me to post, please e-mail them to me at southpasblogs at yahoo dot com.

A Little Initiative

O.K., So I realize that I'm being impatient and that I said that I was going to wait for people to "stumble upon" this site, but I've decided that I'm going to do a little research of my own. I'm going to search for blogs by people living in South Pasadena and then link to them.

An Experiment in Community

Welcome to South Pas Blogs. I guess this blog is primarily an experiment: what would happen if I started a blog about South Pasadena and allowed it to develop naturally--shaped largely by the people who stumble upon the site? I'm sure other blogs have developed in this way, but I wonder how many blogs have started like this with no intention other than to see what happens? I won't try too hard to advertise, although I may at some point leave some flyers in places like Kaldi and Buster's inviting people to visit the site. If you want to be linked to from this site, please leave a comment or send me an email at southpasblogs at yahoo dot com.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ted