Davis Forever: The blog I never told anyone about (until now)
As I review lots of my past websites and blogs, it’s time to reveal one of the more unusual sites that I set up. I once secretly ran a blog under a made-up name, writing about strange goings-on in Davis, California. Here's a confession about it that I've never made before.
I’ve been slowly trying to catalogue all of the websites and blogs that I have ever been involved with. This led me to a recent blog post where I looked back at the first ever website that I made.
Now it is time to reveal the details of a blog that I once created, which I kept entirely secret from anyone.
Davis Forever
When I was living in Davis, California, I decided to create a blog (‘Davis Forever’) that commented on strange goings-on that happened in the city. This was a TypePad-hosted blog that was accessible at davisforever.com (a domain I owned at the time). For about a year, the blog posted various anecdotes about unusual things happening in Davis.
None of it was real though. I just made everything up. This is the first time I have admitted to this ruse.
I also had a Twitter account at the time to promote the blog and this was used to comment on other things happening in Davis. The blog’s author was ‘CJ’ and I purchased this stock photography image to use as the ‘face’ of the blog.
Even though the blog has long since disappeared, thanks to archive.org I’ve been able to recover the posts, and I’ve included my three favourite posts below. I’m not altogether sure as to why I created this blog. It was a lot of effort to put together for a site which almost no-one noticed. Apologies to anyone who was taken in by any of these (hopefully harmless) posts.
Favourite Davis Forever blog posts
The Traffic Lights Turn Blue Tomorrow
Posted by CJ on May 28, 2009 at 10:38 PM
Some people reading this will perhaps think I am referring to lyrics from the classic Jimi Hendrix song, The Wind Cries Mary. But no. This is a blog about Davis, California remember? The place where toads get tunnels built for them to help them cross the road, the place where crazy things can - and do - happen.
Well the latest wacky idea comes from Mr Hector P. Schulz of Antioch Drive, Davis. He has suggested to the town council that Davis should honor the forthcoming Independence Day celebrations in a particularly novel way. His suggestion is that all traffic lights in Davis should have a custom color makeover just for July 4th. And of course he wants those colors to be red, white, and blue. The following image is the picture that he created to show how this might look.
<image no longer available>
It seems though that he didn't provide any explanation as to how this would be done or the potential costs that would be involved. It might be a fun idea to try, crazy and potentially dangerous, but fun nevertheless. I somehow think that this is one far out idea that our beloved council will not embrace, though you never know...!
Think you know Davis... what about Davis, Illinois?
Posted by CJ on June 03, 2009 at 09:58 PM
Despite my occasional mocking of some of the peculiar decisions that sometimes are made in this town, I still love Davis and I'm thoroughly enjoying living here. Until today, if someone mentioned 'Davis' then there is only one place that I would think of. That is no longer the case. You probably don't know but our great country is blessed by three other places called Davis (in Oklahoma, West Virginia and Illinois). If we also consider the original name of Davis (which was Davisville) then there are also name-sake towns in Texas, Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky, and Rhode Island. Furthermore, if we extend our search to include 'Davis City' then there is also a place of that name in Iowa.
So why does it matter that our town is not unique (at least with respect to its name... it certainly is unique in many other ways)? Well, one of our fellow Davisites thinks that we should settle the question of which Davis is the best Davis by way of staging an inter-Davis contest. The plan (which is only tentative at the moment, but will possibly be submitted to the city council in the coming weeks) would be to invite representatives from our name-sake locations to Davis and challenge them at a number of events. Each Davis(-ville, City) would choose their own event, so I'm guessing that any event that we (Davis, California) nominated would surely feature cycling. Anyone have any ideas for what events we would be good at? I'm sure that if this actually goes ahead, then this would be the sort of competition where crazy events would probably be more suitable (how about a tree-hugging contest?).
I'm not sure if it would be entirely fair to do this all on home turf, but then if events had to be staged at every different location then that's going to get a bit complex to organize (and expensive too). Actually, I think there was some discussion that if this was successful, it could become an annual feature and each year would take place in a different Davis. Now I'm sure that all of the other Davis's, Davisvilles, and Davis Cities are very pleasant places to live, so I'm not sure if we want to risk creating rivalries by claiming that any one Davis is better than any other. However, I guess this could be a lot of fun and probably would be good publicity for Davis. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love Davis... all of them!
A Davis Conversation
Posted by CJ on June 20, 2009 at 05:05 PM
This blog post deals with something unusual which happened to me (normally I only hear about these things from other people). Earlier this week I was walking down E St, about to grab an iced-coffee from Peet's when a car pulled over next to me.
The driver, a man in his mid- to late-fifties, proceeded to ask me whether I lived in Davis and whether I could help him with directions. Now as a loyal citizen of this great, little town, I was only too happy to oblige him. After all, shouldn't we all offer a warm welcome to any outsider who happens to be visiting Davis. The rest of the conversation went something like this:
Him: So I'm looking for the Davis Walmart store.
Me: Ah, I don't think there is a Walmart in Davis Sir.
Him: You kidding me?
Me: No, I'm pretty sure about this Sir. It's a small town and I've lived here a while now. Was there something specific you were looking for, maybe another store in town might have what you want.
Him: I was looking for a Walmart... the Davis Walmart.
At this point he seemed to be getting a little uptight. I proceeded as best I could.
Me: I'm really sorry, but there isn't a Walmart in Davis. We have an Ace hardware and homeware store, we almost have a Target store, but we really don't have a Walmart.
Him: So you're calling Ernie a liar?
Me: Umm, who's Ernie?
Him: My cousin. He's the one that told me about the Davis Walmart.
Me: Oh I see. And Ernie lives in Davis?
Him: No. In Ohio. So where's the Walmart then? Ernie wouldn't lie to me.
By this point I was half tempted to just walk away. But I tried staying calm and proceeded to help him.
Me: Sir, maybe your cousin was referring to the Walmart in Sacramento, or the Walmart in Dixon, or the Walmart in Woodland. They are all pretty close to Davis, just 15 minutes drive east, west, or north of here.
Him: Look miss, I am not talking about any of these other so-called Walmarts. I'm talking about the Davis Walmart. I need to get to the Davis Walmart, now would you please tell me where it is?
Me (exasperated by this point): Sir, I can't do that... because there really is no Walmart in Davis, I don't know how else I can say this. But if you like, I can show you how to get to one of the other...
Him: Forget it! I always thought this town looked like the sort of place where no-one would stop to help someone. You're the third idiot now who's refused to tell me where you are hiding the Walmart. If you won't tell me where it is, I'll just drive around until I find it. I ain't no quitter!
And that was that. He drove off, last seen heading north on E St. A very rude man, in search of the mysterious lost Walmart of Davis. Maybe this is some sort of underground campaign by Walmart to get a store opened here. They'll keep sending people here who are trying to find it in the hope that the city caves in and builds the store for them.
That's no moon…but it is one of my favorite places to visit in Davis
Some may know it as the UC Davis Social Sciences and Humanities Building, but for me it will always be the Death Star. It's an amazing building…well technically it is a collection of many interconncted buildings, all packed with awkward, imposing angles. It is very easy to get lost in the innards and courtyards of this building, and this (intentional) design feature is part of the charm.
No two corners (or windows) appear to be the same and there are many steps that lead you to dark nooks and crannies. Perfect spots for plotting the destruction of those Rebel scum.
If you have never visited the Death Star, then you should give yourself to the Dark Side (at least once!). Here are some black and white photos that depict the Death Star in all of its raw and powerful beauty.
Click on the pictures to enlarge…
Bad restaurant marketing in Davis: a sign of the times?
There is a relatively new Japanese restaurant in Davis. Like all restaurants, and most places of business, it has signage that displays the name of the restaurant. Here is how that sign looks when looking at it directly from about 20 feet away:
If you were driving past this establishment, you'd be another 20 feet or so away from the sign. I suspect that many of you might not be able to clearly read the first word. Here's a close up:
The shadows that you can see hint at the problem that I'm about to raise. This signage is 3-dimensional, with the letters being raised several inches from the wall. So what happens when you have such a sign and you try looking at it from anything other than directly head on?
Doesn't seem great from a marketing perspective if the name of your business can only be read when looking at your sign from one particular angle! It's a little better at night as the white backing to the letters is illuminated. Here is a close up that more clearly shows the 3-dimensional nature of the sign:
Did no-one check this at any point and ask the simple question "Wait, can you actually read those words?"
Sketches of Science: a must-see exhibition in Davis
This weekend we managed to catch the Sketches of Science exhibition at the Mondavi Center (also see the official website). I thoroughly recommend that people catch this free exhibition before it finishes on 28th January.
Photographer Volker Steger has met with many Nobel prize winners and asked them to make a poster (using crayons) that represents their nobel-prize-winning science. He then photographs them with their poster and some of the posters are also accompanied by audio interviews.
There is a lot of humor, beauty, and fun that emerges from this experience. Some scientists go for a simple representation of their work, others pack a lot into the poster (including a poem in one instance). Well worth seeing if you get a chance. I believe that this is the only place in the USA where this exhibit is being shown at the moment.
Martie Chalfie, one of many folks to win the nobel prize for their work on Caenorhabditis elegans
Bob Horvitz, another C. elegans researcher to feature in the exhibition
A quiz about Davis
Reposted from my older blog that is about to disappear.
The following is a quiz about Davis that I made for a party where we said goodbye to some close friends who are leaving Davis after living here for the last six years. I think 12 was the highest score out of 20. If you use the internet, then you are cheating! Answers are included at the bottom of the post.
Scroll down to see the answers.
The Answers
All answers were taken from http://daviswiki.org so I make no claims as to their actual veracity (c) Andy Jones
2) Which of these roads does not exist on campus:
4) Prior to prohibition, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union of Davis tried banning the sale of alcohol within a 3 mile radius of campus. This was to prevent the ‘corruption’ of young farming students. They succeeded in getting the state legislature to enact this ban in 1911. When was this ban finally lifted:
5) In 1994 a woman was found guilty of violating Davis’ infamous noise ordinance. What activity was she doing that caused her neighbor resort to calling the police?
6) The name ‘Davis’ wasn’t the first name for our town. It became known as Davis in 1907…what was it known as before that?
8) In 2007, a customer was accidentally overcharged for the Pita that they had bought at Pita Pit. How much was the customers credit card charged with?
9) On 21st July this year, a woman robbed a bank in Davis. However, she then ran into a problem when she tried making her getaway. What happened?
10) In 1984 the Davis City Council declared the city to be a what?
11) After the toad tunnel was built what problem affected the toads that tried using it?
12) The Davis Police Department produce and distribute trading cards featuring what?
13) Picture round. What is the name of this sculpture which can be found on the UC Davis campus
14) Every March 1st, Davis Farmer’s market observes what important day?
15) What is the Social Sciences and Humanities Building on the UC Davis campus better known as?
16) David Pyles, is a post-doc in the UC Davis Biometeorology program but how is he better known?
17) In 1870, what was the approximate population of Davis?
18) In July 2003 what was found in a dumpster at Slatter’s Court Mobile Home Park on Olive Drive?
19) Which country keeps it’s diplomatic mission to the California State Government of California based in Davis?
20) In 2006, someone erected an April Fool’s Day sign in Davis that proclaimed that *what* was coming to Davis soon?