I was catching up on some news over at Halfway to Concord and I saw this poll. I cast my vote and was surprised at the results. I knew that Gary and Sherry were the popular candidates but I had no idea that April Treece and Jeff Adams were so disliked. Not that I car, Eberhart and Whitmash have my vote. Up till recently, I had no idea who these other people were. They needed to get in front of more people or if they did, they didn't leave much of an impression. It will be interesting to see the actual election results to see if these numbers carry over.

In celebration of the Great Pumpkin, I wanted to wish everyone in Concord a fun and safe Halloween. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays next to Christmas and St. Patrick's day (Green beer is a weakness). I clearly remember the year that I became too old for trick or treating. Well, it was made clear to me by the first 5 houses I went to. I guess at the age of 30 it's no longer acceptable to beg for candy. Now that I am all grown up, I can't go door to door asking for treats but I have a lot of fun answering the door to the kids all dressed up. Carving pumpkins is also a fun thing to do and my neighbors would think it was odd is I had a carved pumpkin outside my house the other 11  months a year. Here are some pictures of some great carved pumpkins.

Of all the ballots in the looming elections, nothing seems to be more controversial than Proposition 8. Prop 8 Eliminates the right of same-sex couples to marry with an attached initiative to amend the Constitution. With every proposition, there are two sides and nothing seems to divide people this year more than the stance on Prop 8. Proposition 8 changes California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. Provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Though I am not going to ask for any help understanding the Presidential race, I would like to outline Prop 8 and where I currently stand. If I am off base here, let me know. Fiscal Impact: Over next few years, potential revenue loss, mainly sales taxes, totaling in the several tens of millions of dollars, to state and local governments. In the long run, likely little fiscal impact on state and local governments. The Long and the Short PRO: Proposition 8 restores what 61% of voters already approved: marriage is only between a man and a woman. Four judges in San Francisco should not have overturned the people’s vote. Prop. 8 fixes that mistake by reaffirming ...

Gary Eberhart and Sherry Whitmarsh definitely get an A+ for campaigning. Both canidates are asking voters to choosed them to sit on the board of the MDUSD. They have been endorsed by every local blogger and drew big crowds of supporters this week on the Concord Streets. Their supporters have also set up an online cause on the popular social networking site Facebook. Parents, Teachers and regular people like me think that these two are what the Mt. Diablo School Board needs to keep our schools being productive and not getting fined over $800,000 for INCOMPETENCE. I don't have a kid in the MDUSD but I know many people that do. Times are hard enough in this economy to also have to worry that our hard earned money isn't supplying tax money to people that are going to mis-spend it, lose it through fines or otherwise destroy they school system we currently have. Everyone in Concord should be concerned about the school system here even if you don't have kids. As a community we should be looking out for the best interests of eachother even if we don't know eachother on a personal level. Kids needs a quality education and that ...

Looks like the mystery man over at Claycord dot com is making some changes to the site. It's got to be difficult using the blogger platform without being able to rewrite a new css template from scratch. Blogger doesn't allow for a whole lot of customization on the look an feel but it is functional and easy to use. That's why people tend to get started on them as a blogging platform first. Initially it started with a three column effect adding the recent comments section to the left side. Claycord had asked the readers what they thought of the minor change and it appeared that most the comments were possitive. It definitely makes finding the hot topic easier. But since yesterday when that change took place Mr. Mayor Claycord was busy moving things around like pushing up the RSS link and even putting up a new header in the site. The old header looked good to me but now it's a bit more bold and in your face than before and that's a good thing. He hasn't posted anything on the new lookso there may be more changes coming but as it stands at this morning, the new layout looks better ...

Gary Eberhart and Sherry Whitmash have gathered a very large crowd around Concord. I saw groups gathered at two locations around the city. I expected to see some supporters but they have about 100-150 people holding signs supporting the candidates. They have my vote. This is a quick picture I took with my cell phone. The quality sucks but you can see the people.

Concord CA-based Flying Colors to Host Jeff Smith Appearance Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff of Concord, CA will host Jeff Smith, creator of the best-selling BONE and RASL series, in his only North American book store appearance of 2008 & 2009 on Saturday December 6. The exclusive appearance was bid on as part of a fund-raising auction available only to members of ComicsPRO, the trade association for comic book specialty retailers. The winning bid amount of $4650.00 will be donated in its entirety to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. "I’ve known Jeff Smith and both admired and been an enthusiastic retailer of his work for more than 15 years, but this will be the first time his legions of fans will be able to come meet him at Flying Colors Comics," said Field. "Knowing Jeff has also admired the work ComicsPRO does on behalf of all comics specialty retailers coupled with the splash this makes for the CBLDF makes this even more special." I had a lot of comics growing up. In fact, I still have a few hundred oldies that I have been meaning to sell off but can't find myself to get rid of. If you ...

The big one is coming. We hear the news of impending doom from an earthquake in the Bay Area. Most of us rememebr the big one in 1989. But there are so many fault lines in the Bay Area, there is no way to know which one will be the fault that breaks California off into the ocean. USGS: The Calaveras Fault is one of just a few in the Bay area capable of major quake There are thousands of faults that cut through the Bay Area, but only about 7 or 8 of them are capable of a magnitude 6.7 earthquake or greater, according to Tom Brocher, coordinator of Northern California earthquake hazards investigations for the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. The Calaveras Fault is one of them. I was doing some research on Bay Area Earthquakes and come across a great resource locally that provides earthquake tips as well as services to help you prepare your family when the big one does strike. I found Larry Guillot, owner of QuakePrepare, an earthquake consulting, securing, and gas valve installation service. We exchanged some emails and Larry was nice enough to provide me with several tips on getting you and your family more prepared ...

I've been receiving emails since this site was created. Some in the begining were not so nice but those have become less frequent over the past couple months. I have getting emails from readers that range from general information like how do I set up my own blog to more specific questions like where do I go in Concord to get the best Sushi. I have been replying to these emails one by one as I get them. I'm plugged into a computer about 20 hrs a day so getting and sending emails back is a fairly quick process. Over the last couple of weeks I have been getting more and one recent letter gave me the suggestion: You must get some emails from other readers than me. Since you seem to want to keep the conversation going, why don't you post some of the interesting letters to the site. You have been able to answer most of my questions and though i don't always agree with you, it's nice to get an honest reply. -A reader This is a great idea. Thank you "Mr. Reader". I'll keep names anonymous if asked and Mr. Reader asked. So I am going to start a ...

It wouldn't be Halloween without a down home seance. You know, conjure up some ghosts and demons. Halloween is my second favorite holiday after Christmas. Too bad it went wrong this time and somehow I ended up on the 6 o'clock news.

I don't know if sleeping pills like Ambien have anything to do with this but it would be safe to say that the owner of the house that was broken into was in a coma like sleep when her door was kicked in. A Concord woman woke up Saturday morning to find that someone had kicked in her front door, burglarized her house and stolen a car from her garage while she was sleeping, Concord police Cpl. Kerry Cerletti said today. The victim, who lives in the 900 block of Helix Drive, told police the cat burglar must have entered her home sometime between midnight and 6:30 a.m. The burglar stole a 40-inch flat-screen television and other items in addition to the car, a 2007 Acura MDX with license plate 5XYB485. As of this morning, the car had not been found, Cerletti said. The burglar also reportedly drove a second car out of the garage and parked it on the street, Cerletti said. So her front door was kicked in, the perps stole a LARGE tv, moved some cars out of the garage and eventually drove away with the car that they could fit the 40 inch TV into. That's ...

I got an email from Concord High asking that I post something about their Homecoming Game tonight. Well, They emailed me asking to attend but I figure if I cannot then I sure can spread the word. I want to mention that the students cars in the neighborhood around Concord High are all painted and marked on supporting the team and the school. Its always nice to show some school spirit. Tonight at 7PM the Concord High Homecoming Game will begin. These pictures are from the Concord High Football website. You can learn more about the team and the the games. The Contra Costa Times recently named a member of the Concord High Football team as their athlete of the week. NAME: Forrest Hightower SCHOOL: Concord SPORT: Football YEAR: Junior POSITION: Running back THE STAT LINE: Hightower rushed for 247 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries in a 27-21 win over Dublin. He gained a good chunk of his yards on one run, busting loose for an 80-yard touchdown. FAVORITE SUBJECT: History FAVORITE ATHLETE: Marshawn Lynch FAVORITE FOOD: Pizza FAVORITE MUSICAL ARTIST: Lil' Wayne FAVORITE MOVIE: "300" The Homecoming Game is tonight against Clayton Valley High School. 2008 Team Roster Varsity # Name Ht. Wt. Pos. Year 51 ARRAZOLA, WILLIE 5'9 185 OL/LB 12 62 BALDWIN, DAN 5'9 230 OL/DL 11 54 BEASLEY, ...

I heard it first over on Claycord then all over the local news stations and websites. Nick Devine was found dead in the street near Mt. Diablo Elementary School. First it was being investigated as a murder with unusual circumstances and now is being reported as a possible suicide. More information has been released throughout the day and soon all the information surrounding the possible suicide will eventually be brought to light. Initial thoughts of having a murderer running around Clayton didn't sit well but as the day unfolded, the wounds look to be self inflicted and the back story to the man seems to show that he was mourning the loss of his 5 month old daughter in June. This really is a sad story and more information will be released soon. Chief of Police Lawrence said there appears to be no evidence of foul play. He said Devine was visiting family in the area and had a history of mental illness. He was out walking near the school when he apparently inflicted lethal injuries to himself, the police chief said. City Manager Gary Napper said he hopes the police chief's statement will quell residents' safety concerns. Concord police and the Contra Costa ...

Bradley Video in Concord is having a going out of business sale. The store has been open at this location for years and is one of the only remaining video stores in the area. Every movie and video game in the store is marketed for clearance. If you want to build up that DVD collection or get a few new games for the XBOX 360, now is the time to get a great deal.

I don't think I want to get into the habit of dissecting other bloggers posts but I read one recently that really got me scratching my head. Over at a popular Concord blog Claycord there was a "press release" stating that Concord crime was declining. Immediately something caught my eye about this "Press Release"from the Concord Police Department. If this was a real "Press Release" that Claycord had gotten a hold of then why is there an obvious page break in it? I think that this was not an actual press release but just some information that somehow was sent around and he decided to add the Concord Police logo for effect. I have searched far and wide for a copy of this press release and if it exists online then even the great power of Google can't see it regardless of what searches I ran. If crime in Concord is really declining even with all the news of bank robberies and drive-bys then I guess I can sleep better at night. I would think that local media not just blogs would be highlighting this information as well. Even the CC Times would publish something about this to fill a column up ...