PROGRESS ON 7TH STREET ...!

Tar-nation, there's a lot of "progress" on 7th Street!  It seems that in the brief time I was gone this week, someone -- we think it was Arnold -- decided to rip up and repave 7th Street.  Moreover, as if inspired by all this roadwork, construction of the new house at 7th and San Vicente has accelerated and the skeleton of a building has appeared almost overnight!

CES: INNOVATIONS GALORE ...!

There was no end to the innovations unveiled at this year's Consumer Electronics Show but I think the real award should go to the nincompoop who tried to crash the annual Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) party by forging his own tickets (see forgery to the right in the attached photo).  Could it be that the DEG group is becoming more popular, or was he just after our lavish gift bag filled with DVDs ...?!?

IS IT COFFEE OR A FASHION STATEMENT ...?!?

"Get your mitts off my coffee!"  That seemed to be the message at 7th and Montana yesterday as 50-degree temperatures led Bob and Joyce to take the gloves off -- figuratively speaking -- and put them on their coffee cups.  Yes, the latest fashion statement at 7th and Montana seems to be gloves for your coffee.  What next, sweaters on a Perfectly Toasted Bagel ...?!?

CLEAN UP YOUR ACT, THE BEGLEY WAY ...!

There I was, shopping for a few last-minute odds and ends before hitting the CES show, when what should I stumble across in the supermarket but a whole line of cleaning products endorsed by none other than Ed Begley Jr.  Called "Begley's Best," the cleaning solvent evidently works wonders on glass surfaces.  Ed:  Something tells me your agent better clean up his act ...!

SPREADING THE LOVE AT 7TH AND MONTANA ...!

"Will you be my Valentine?"  That was the question at 7th and Montana today as Starbucks unveiled its line of Valentine's Day gifts a month-and -a-half before the Big Day.  And why not?  The promotion of holidays weeks or months in advance has become the Hallmark of a successful Starbucks marketing campaign.  Let's just hope they don't take a page out of Hallmark's book and start inventing their own holidays!

A NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING ...

It was a national day of mourning today as Deidrichs officially closed its doors at Lincoln and Montana.  The notice posted at the once venerable cafe -- "Thank You for Your Loyalty" --was signed by many heartbroken locals.  Deidrichs, which started in 1916 when Charlotte Deidrich inherited a coffee plantation, had 35 locations.  Starbucks is shutting them all down.  On a cheery note, we can now expect business to pick up at 7th and Montana!

FROM VENTE TO VENTING ON NEW YEARS DAY ...!

Not that I'm impatient, but the wait this morning for my Grande Drip seemed longer than usual, given that only one cashier was working (while other employees seemed to be gabbing up a storm).  To make matters worse, there was enough cigarette smoke floating around Starbucks to ignite a perfectly toasted bagel.  Come on, Gabriel, blow your horn, blow the whistle or just plain blow this popsicle stand ...!