DUEL MEMBERIST

 

                Most of us have a membership at one of the two major warehouse stores, Sam's Club or Costco. I say most of us based on the absurdly long lines and ridiculous parking we are faced with every time we go there.  I have been a member of both for many years. It is a blessing, curse, and sometimes a necessity.

                While they are competitors, at times I feel like they are working together to force you into the world of duel membership. Most conspiracy theorists believe this to be true and have written major dissertations on it. They are the same people who will talk your ear off about the magic bullet, the fake landing on the moon, and the non existence of global warming. Not really, but I thought it sounded good.

                My reason for being a "Duel Memberist" is simple and ascribes to the above mentioned conspiracy. While they do carry many of the same products there are things that I want that one carries and the other does not. Sure that justifies the need for both, but when they start playing games with the products you expect to be there it becomes aggravating.

                Personally I find myself going to Sam's Club more often. It is geographically more desirable and for most products the prices are better. Costco is more as the need arises. Based on recent developments at Sam's I may have to re-evaluate that balance.

                Lately Sam's purchasing and merchandising departments have started wreaking havoc with my time and shopping trips there. Costco does it as well , but not as frequently. After my last trip to Sam's though they finally have pushed me over the edge.

                Over the last few months Sam's has been eliminating products that they have carried for years and I expect to be there when I make the trip. The last straw came when I went to buy the first item on my list, a specific brand of hormone free milk called Horizon. It has been there since I was first made aware of its existence years ago. Then out of the blue, poof, it was gone. Replaced with an off brand of organic milk that I have never heard of and that I couldn't tell if it was hormone free or not . It was also insanely priced. I just wanted to by some milk not the entire cow or stock in the dairy.

                Without getting into specifics that wasn't the only item missing during this trip and by the time I was checking out, with only half of the things that were on my list, I was fuming. Unfortunately the checker chose to ask the wrong question, "So did you find everything okay Mr. Dunn?".  After my negative and highly irritated response I'm sure she didn't ask that question for the rest of the day.

                So what this means is that I will be going to Costco on my way home from work one day this week. That store is in Alhambra which makes getting there no easy feat. As anyone who lives in the San Gabriel Valley will tell you, driving through Alhambra is like traveling to the 7th circle of Hell. It is the place where all of the worst drivers on the planet go to mingle.

                At least once I get there I know that I will find the things that I couldn't find at Sam's. I will pay a little more for them and it will take me longer to park and check out, but at least I will have the goods. That is if I can find the products.

                What I mean by that is that the one shared factor at both places is that their merchandising directors must be direct descendants of the Marquis de Sade. The way that they compulsively move their products around the store is shear torture for their customers, and from what I am told, the employees who are charged with restocking the shelves.

                Nothing makes customers more infuriated than to be forced to wander aimlessly around the store searching for something that has been moved from the spot it has been for years because of....who knows why and to be perfectly blunt who cares? Just stop doing it. News Flash: Most people don't like change.

                Maybe I am asking too much. I'm only the customer. A customer who is paying for the privilege of shopping at your store, so my needs and desires are probably lower on the totem pole than those of your purchasing and merchandising departments.

                Or maybe I am just crying over split milk.

Bill Dunn has been a published opinion columnist for 15 years. Any comments  can be sent to either our exalted  editor at  tmiller@beaconmedianews.com   or  to Bill directly at dunnsinferno@casegod.com   You can also find Bill on Facebook  at :   www.facebook.com/WhenAllisSaidandDunn                          

 

RUBY

                The entire family, my wife Stacey, my daughter Rachel, and my son Alex, were all in attendance on the field trip to find a new dog to replace our dog Stella that had just passed away.

                From the second we saw Ruby at the San Gabriel Humane Society we knew that she was the one. There was an instant connection we all felt, like we had known one another in a previous life. Once we were all together in the "get to know one another room" our first impressions were confirmed and she was ours. Or should I say we were hers?

                Ruby established the rules when we got her home. As she was getting her first sniffs  around the perimeter of the house a small nosey bird swooped down to around 4 feet over Ruby's head when she leapt straight up in the air and grabbed it. Despite our best efforts she devoured the entire bird, bone and all, in 2 minutes. An edict had been sent across the property that the presence of birds and lizards would not be tolerated on Ruby's watch. And so it remained for the next decade.

                Despite being the terror of small interlopers in the yard, she was the sweetest, smartest, and most intuitive dog I have ever owned. This dog understood English and when one of us spoke to her in a normal tone  she would immediately respond. This little pet trick amazed us all. It was not something we taught her, it was just a talent she had.

                Over the years she was also the best traveling dog. She instinctively knew where her spot was in the car on the long drive up to the Eastern Sierras, which is a 5 to 6 hour haul. Not a whimper or a whine, she was just happy to be there. As she got older, as with most dogs, she developed a few gas issues, but nothing a couple of ginger snap cookies couldn't cure.

                About the only negative quirk that she had was her toe nails. She would not let anyone cut them. Not us or even a professional with a muzzle. Nobody. I guess everyone is allowed a tick and her nails were it. The only thing we can assume is that somewhere in the early portion of her life, we rescued her when she was a little over a year old, someone must have hurt her when attempting to trim her nails. That  time was one time too many.

                Other than her nails, she gave us a stress free and unconditionally loving existence, but time catches up to us all and during the last few months they caught up to Ruby. Her decline came on quickly and we could see the writing on the wall.

                Her legs that once climbed the mountains of the June Lake Loop could no longer carry her to her food and water bowls. Her sharp instincts that struck fear in the hearts of lizards and birds in our yard were dulled to the point where she could barely make it to the lawn's edge with no energy left to complete the hunt. Her quality of life had ceased to be. It was time for all of us to let her go.

                So at 1:00 on Saturday afternoon, September 20, 2014, the entire family gathered together to say their goodbyes and to escort  Ruby to the Rainbow Bridge. As a group we delivered her to the compassionate hands of the Temple City Animal Hospital. None of us wanted her to cross alone so we all stayed with her to give her final pettings until we knew that she had safely arrived.

                Every family feels that their pet is the best and that is the way it should be for someone who has given you a lifetime of unconditional loyalty and love. While most of us will have other pets come along to hopefully fill part of the void there is always that one that can never be replaced.

                For us that was our Ruby.

Bill Dunn has been a published opinion columnist for 15 years. Any comments  can be sent to either our exalted  editor at  tmiller@beaconmedianews.com   or  to Bill directly at dunnsinferno@casegod.com   You can also find Bill on Facebook  at :   www.facebook.com/WhenAllisSaidandDunn    

FEAR & LOATHING ON ROSEMEAD BOULEVARD

            The workers and the construction gear have left the battle scene on Rosemead Boulevard. The City leaders have had their little dog and pony show telling us just how fast they completed their task and how our lives have been vastly improved by the unwanted changes they have shoved down our throats.  

Now that we are no longer choking on dust and asphalt  fumes that had been kicked up over the last year,  it is now time for those of us who live on the front lines, and those who must use Rosemead on a regular basis, to formulate an opinion on how effective it is.  From my view point, which is right in the front row on Rosemead, I can say without hesitation that it is far worse than I imagined it would be.

I had raised some of my concerns before the assault began, but was summarily blown off by Carl Blum who was the head of the "Beautification and Safety" project task force at the time. I feel somewhat vindicated now that I see what we are left with.   Every time the "B and S" project is brought up as the topic of conversation I have yet to hear anyone say anything positive about the end results.  

The general consensus is that it is neither more beautiful or safer. The two things we were being promised from the get go.  Unfortunately there aren't enough pages in this fine publication to list all of the problems associated with this project. So let's just focus on a few of the more glaring mistakes.

First there is the "beautification" aspect or lack of it. When the call went out to "bring me  shrubbery!" they must not have been too specific, because what they came back with was some of the most pathetic ground cover and trees I have ever seen.

The ground cover that was used in the little planters on the sides of the street have looked like they were dead since they were put in and have gradually got worse. The best that can be said is that they were almost green when they put them in, but now are a disgusting shade of tan. If any city saw these next to your home you would be cited and forced to clear them away because they would pose a fire hazard.

Then there are the trees. At the "entrance" to Temple City to the South they start off good and then quickly stumble. We start with the grandeur of some beautiful palm trees that in one blink of an eye are gone and are replaced for the duration with rows of perhaps the ugliest and most annoying trees that god ever created, the liquid amber trees or Liquidambar styraciflua to all of you botanists out there.

If you are having a hard time picturing this irritating species they are the ones that produce a useless "fruit" that are spiky little spheres that don't do anything but make a mess.  Slang terms for them are "sticker balls", "space balls", "gum balls",  or my personal favorite "monkey balls." When walking you need to avoid them, oh and when you are riding a bike you should definitely stay away from them if you want a smooth ride.

That last part is particularly ironic considering these trees are planted right next to the newly installed bike path. We haven't reached the point where these trees are producing massive amounts of their useless fruit yet, just wait, it is only a matter of time.  At this point the only thing that the bike riders need to contend with is the stench of the unpicked up dog poop in the planters that don't have plants in them just wood chips. Good planning Carl & Company.

I wouldn't  really worry about the bike riders on the new paths. Why? Well because there aren't any bike riders. Again why? Probably because nobody has enough of a death wish to climb on a bike and go pedaling on what is now one of the most dangerous thoroughfares in the San Gabriel Valley. At least for cyclists and pedestrians. Let's add drivers to that list as well.

Obviously the planning committee and their consultants thought Disneyland's Autopia ride was the perfect layout for this section of Rosemead.  I think they thought the scale was correct as well. They have made the lanes so small that people drift into one another's lane freely without thinking about it. Heaven help you if you try to make a right turn off Rosemead in the midst of 40 mph traffic and not get rear ended. By the same token heaven help you if you are in the right lane behind that driver. Or how about being to the left of the last driver when he decides to change lanes to avoid the driver in front of him.

 Fun times, fun times....

With the addition of the misplaced side planters the circus like atmosphere is complete. People have been hitting these planters on a regular basis. How does Bill know this? Well in addition to seeing it firsthand I have been told by reliable sources at the local Pep Boys that since the planters went in they have had a sizable increase in the number of tire and rim replacements due to people not seeing or expecting the planters and clipping them. They are only one of many tire stores locally so I am sure this tale is being told elsewhere as well. They just happen to be fortunate enough to be in the middle of the war zone.

I'm sure my editor is reading this and saying wrap it up Dunn , wrap it up, but there is one more point that needs to be addressed.  That would be the addition of a traffic light between Las Tunas Drive and Broadway. Just a quick word of advice to all of the drivers out there. Unless you have unlimited amounts of time on your hands do not attempt to make a left or right turn off of Las Tunas to go down Rosemead going South. Especially on a ... hell, let's just say never. The chances are you are going to get caught in the middle of the intersection regardless of when it is.

These problems for most of you are avoidable. Simply stay off of this section of Rosemead Boulevard. For the rest of us we just need to send our auto repair bills to the attention of the Temple City City Council.

IS THAT MOUNT EVEREST?

Once again a group of misinformed people with too much time on their hands are attempting to make a mountain out of a mole hill. Or should I say make a Mount Everest out of an ant hill.

            The other night on the Jimmy Kimmel show in a segment called “Kids’ Table” something was said and of course this group of people got their panties in a bunch.  They are calling for Kimmel to be burned at the stake or fired by ABC Studios. In these days of multimedia overload, when any group is unhappy about something they come off as the biggest gorilla in the room.

If you don’t think that’s true just ask the Westboro Baptist Church. That little group of hatred spewing mouth breathers number only 40, but when it comes time for them to bash the gay community or the Jews you would think their numbers were in the millions.

The groups in question for the Kimmel attack are not as organized as Westbrook, but they are equally clueless. The only thing they have on their side is the ability to use Twitter and social media better.

The “Kids’ Table” segment on the Kimmel show takes a page out of the Art Linkletter/Bill Cosby notebook for “Kids Say The Darndest Things”. For those of you too young to remember, it was a television show where Cosby would ask the young guests a question and get impromptu outrageous responses. So the premise is certainly not a new one.

The question that was asked of the panel at the “Kids’ Table” was “How should America pay its $1.3 Trillion Dollar debt that we owe China?” One of the kids responded “kill everyone in China”. It was an outrageous thing to say, but it was an off the cuff joke made by a child who couldn’t be more than 8 years old tops.

Of course some small Rosemead based Chinese American group, who obviously doesn’t have a grip on reality or a sense of humor, has decided to spend its time trying to punish one of the funniest men in American for something he didn’t even say.

But ABC Studios folded like a cheap suit. They and Kimmel issued an apology almost immediately, which should have been the end of the matter, but no. The groups who started this witch hunt obviously saw a good way to get some free press for their organization and want to drag out their pointless little vendetta as long as they can. Not unlike Westboro Baptist does. Maybe you two should get together and share notes.

The apology was given. Sorry is as sorry does, so get over it!

The pure absurdity of the child’s words should have made this a non issue to begin with. The population of China is 1.3 billion people. That is 1/5 of the entire world’s population. So really? This is the fight you want to pick?

And excuse me for asking this, but aren’t your group and all of these protests taking place here in the United States? You would think that if a group was going to be protesting it would be people living in China.

So “Roundtable of Chinese American Organizations” whoever the hell you are, if you are looking for your pound of flesh or a better apology you will have to get it from young Braxton who spoke the words to begin with. That is if you are into punishing children, which indirectly is what you are doing to young Braxton through all of your media hype and press.

There are bigger fish to fry in today’s world. There are much larger events happening in our lives that you could devote your attention to and do more good than attempting to punish a television comedian.

I don’t know if you heard about it, but the Philippines was just hit by the largest typhoon in history, Typhoon Haiyan. It is estimated that as many as 10,000 people are going to be in need of assistance of all sorts. How about channeling your vindictive energy towards something positive?
You can do so by doing one of the following:

Donations can be made online or by texting RELIEF to 864233 to donate $10.00.
           To donate to the Salvation Army's Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts, visit its
website or text TYPHOON to 80888 to donate $10 and reply YES to confirm
your donation. The organization uses 100% of all disaster donations in
support of disaster relief.
          The U.N. World Food Programme is urging Americans to make donations to
support its emergency food relief after Typhoon Haiyan. You can donate
online or by texting the word AID to 27722 to donate $10.00.
          The American Red Cross has volunteers spread throughout the region and
accepts donations online. You can also mail a check to your local American
Red Cross chapter designating Philippines Typhoons and Flood in the memo
line.

These are just a few of the things you can do. There are many more that you can find online if you do a search.

Somehow I think you folks at RCAO won’t have a problem clearing that hurdle.

Bill Dunn has been a published opinion columnist for 15 years. Any comments can be sent to either our exalted editor at tmiller@beaconmedianews.com   or to Bill directly at dunnsinferno@casegod.com   You can also find Bill on Facebook at:   www.facebook.com/WhenAllisSaidandDunn                         

A HUI HOU BAHOOKA

When the Dunn Clan moved to Temple City in 1959, there was no Bahooka Family Restaurant two blocks away. That changed in 1976 when the restaurant that opened in 1967 in West Covina, moved to its current and final location on Rosemead Boulevard.

            It has enjoyed a long and prosperous run there, but that is about to come to an end on March 10th. The owners are throwing in the towel and have sold the place to someone that is interested only in the location, liquor license, and the over 100 fish tanks, but not the Hawaiian/Polynesian motif.

            There have been conflicting reports as to the exact reason for its closure. One is that the family has health issues. Another has some employee evoking the "let's blame the President and Obamacare" statute and the reason that I believe, is that the owners are just ready to retire.

            Whichever reason you choose to accept one thing is for sure. When the doors do close the owners will be leaving with a tidy little nest egg thanks to the cat being let out of the bag that the Bahooka's days are numbered. The joint has been jumping ever since the word got out.

            Not unlike the morbid curiosity that accompanies the death of a celebrity there has been a constant stream of mourners lining up at the door to say their final  goodbyes.  When we drove past last Sunday there was a line of easily 50 people waiting to get in for the lunch service. When we drove back by an hour and a half later there were still people waiting to get in.

            Anyone who has eaten there, and has taste buds, will tell you that this phenomenon is due solely to sentimentality towards the atmosphere of the place and not the food. Which, to be kind to the deceased, can only be described as fair.

             It was that very sentimentality that led my wife and I to make the two block pilgrimage a couple of weeks ago after hearing the news of its imminent demise. We wanted to refresh our memories as to why we didn't go back more often to some place so close.  After we  had read some posts on the Internet and Facebook by people moaning about its closure we felt as though maybe we had been ignoring it unjustly.

            Our memories had not been betraying us. The food and drinks were what we had remembered. The food was just so so and the drinks, even though they tried, were nowhere near the caliber of say Don the Beachcomber.  As a matter of fact, being a bit of a rum snob myself, I know I could have made a better Mai Tai at home.

            The one thing I could never duplicate was the vibe of the place which is what everybody is going there to get a final taste of. The dust covered plastic parrots, tikis, foggy fish tanks, and assorted shipwreck memorabilia that hangs from every inch of available ceiling, makes you feel like you stumbled into an unfound section of Adventureland at Disneyland.  It is what is truly special here and what will really be missed.

            It is joining the ranks of places like the Temple Theatre and The Shrimp Boat that have faded into the sunset. Places that people of my generation grew up with and remember fondly and miss every time we pass where they used to be.

            Hopefully whatever is replacing the Bahooka will be able to fill the void that it will be leaving, but I doubt it.    

            As the crowds are proving, good food and drink is not always what you crave.

Bill Dunn has been a published opinion columnist for 15 years. Any comments  can be sent to either our exalted  editor at  tmiller@beaconmedianews.com   or  to Bill directly at dunnsinferno@casegod.com   You can also find Bill on Facebook  at :   www.facebook.com/WhenAllisSaidandDunn                          

REMEMBERING WHAT'S IMPORTANT

            The madness continued in America last week as we, as a nation, shook our heads and shed a collective tear for the victims in Newtown, Connecticut. Despite what the talking heads on the news want to assume, nobody knows what was going through the killer's head prior to the bullet that ended his life, and we never will.

            Personally, I don't care what his motivations and reasons were. Did his mom, who he also killed, spank him too much or deny him additional television time? Again, I don't care and to spend any additional time discussing it is pointless.

            What is important is the healing that needs to happen now. Not just with the families in Newtown, but with any family that has young children who have been exposed to the onslaught of the media's salacious coverage of the tragedy.

            In their efforts to keep us informed, they always lose sight of the damage that they are doing to their youngest viewers. They may want to console themselves by thinking that all the young ones out there are being insulated from the tidal wave of descriptions their words paint, but they are not. Those mental pictures are the things that children's nightmares are made of.

            As a parent, I cannot begin to imagine the level of grief and pain that the parents of the victims are going through. I can only look at my grown children and be thankful that my wife and I were there for them as much as we could be. As a parent that is all you can do. You know that you can't be there every second of every day. You can only wish you were.

            As I listened to the President speak at the memorial service for the victims he echoed that very sentiment. He also said he wants to find a way, as do we all, to make these senseless killings stop. It is a tall order and to be honest, one that I don't see a solution to. Evil will always be with us, as will good. The only thing that we can hope for is that the scales of humanity stay tilted in the direction of good.

            The two parts of the equation are guns and mental health, both  of which are  too prickly of pears for most people to swallow. While stricter gun control might be part of the solution, the second amendment will never go away and  mental illness can only be monitored so far.  If there is a cure for what is ailing us as a nation it is going to be a tough one to find.

            There is one thing that a tragedy like this does make clear and that is how petty some of the things we choose to complain about seem. It puts into perspective what is truly important, especially during this time of year.

            It is not about who won or lost an election, the person in front of you that cuts you off on the freeway on the way home or the guy ahead of you who grabs the last Xbox off the shelf at Walmart.  It's about the people in your life. The ones you love and who love you.  Relish every moment that they are with you because nothing lasts forever.

            Make sure that they know how happy you are that they are part of your world. Life is hard enough without looking back later and wishing you had.

            Once that door is closed there is no opening it again.

            Happy Holidays and may we all have a better New Year.

Bill Dunn has been a published opinion columnist for 15 years. Any comments  can be sent to either our exalted  editor at  tmiller@beaconmedianews.com   or  to Bill directly at dunnsinferno@casegod.com   You can also find Bill on Facebook  at :   www.facebook.com/WhenAllisSaidandDunn