(Part 3) Top products from r/Sacramento

The general rule of thumb is to call 1/3rd of your bodyweight a hard maximum for pack weight. At that point, the extra weight gets pretty hard on your joints (not to say I haven't seen some beastly men carrying 70+lb packs, but no one considers that situation ideal).

33lbs is on the light side. That's not a bad thing! As long as you've got your essentials, you should be all set. I'm assuming you have a stove and fuel -- there are no campfires permitted in Desolation, and frankly cooking on a fire is a huge pain in the ass. Your stove is also your emergency water supply is something happens to your filter (unlikely, but hey).

If you're on a solo trek, I suggest a novel and/or journal for the evenings. They can get lonely. If you're a curious human being, the John Muir Laws field guide to the Sierra is literally the greatest field guide I've ever encountered. I carry mine every trip into the mountains, and a pen. I write down where and when I get a positive ID on a new species of flower, bird, mammal, etc. It's a bit on the heavy side (maybe a pound?) making it a luxury for sure. Definitely not an essential for your first trip, but if you start getting curious, that's the best field guide ever.

It sounds like you're gonna do great! Have fun and be safe! If you happen to remember, report back when you get home safe! I'm going to spend the weekend wondering if I've killed a Redditor...

The information online is a little limited, so though you're a beginner, it might be worth the money for a guidebook. http://www.amazon.com/Snowshoe-Routes-Northern-California-Soares/dp/089886853X

Most of the hikes shown here are from that book: http://www.trails.com/activity.aspx?area=11548#trailid=SGS020-037&lat=39.31753&lon=-120.31879000000004&zoom=10&m=roadmap&a=SS But there isn't much in the way of detail without paying for the trails.com membership.

Another bit of advice. The snow that fell in December was from pretty warm storms so while there's a decent snowpack, it's a generally high elevations. Whatever guidebook or website you're looking at, you might want to cross-reference the elevations with a website like this one: http://www.wunderground.com/StateSnowDepth.asp?state=CA Which can give you a general idea of the snow level at various elevations. E.g., a lot of the hikes start between 6-7000 feet. Snow will be pretty light at that level, so if you can find something that starts closer to 8,000, you'll be much happier. Last time I snowshoed near Tahoe, we ended up taking off our snowshoes a couple times. Not the end of the world, but ideal, for sure.

Yep!! Can I suggest this book as well. I just purchased it and it's pretty amazing.

I have a friend who, in one hearing, went from having a restraining order (w/supervised visitation) against her ex, to losing primary custody and no RO.

If you are able to pursue this more, here's few resources FYI:

https://www.amazon.com/Women-CourtWatch-Reforming-Corrupt-Family/dp/0292709587

This book recounts the inspiring and courageous story of women activists who came together to oppose Houston's family court judges and whose political action committee, CourtWatch, played a crucial role in defeating five of the judges in the 1994 judicial election. Carole Bell Ford draws on extensive interviews with Florence Kusnetz, the attorney who led the reform effort, and other CourtWatch veterans, as well as news accounts, to provide a full history of the formation, struggles, and successes of a women's grassroots organization that overcame powerful political interests to improve Houston's family courts. More than just a local story, however, this history of CourtWatch provides a model that can be used by activists in other communities in which legal and social institutions have gone astray. (Florence passed last year)

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR1fZ_IiAeIVmzSLh5MbJow/about

As a college student and father, I couldn't afford an attorney and had to learn how to navigate the sometimes perilous and oft stressful court system. I ultimately was awarded primary physical custody of our son, and throughout the process, I won four appeals to the Supreme Court of Nevada, and was published on an original writ petition. I graduated and become a software engineer, and later the court terminated my ex's parental rights. My choice of the name "The Proper Person" is a reflection of the designation before a court that a person representing themselves is appearing "in proper person".
I maintain a website that tracks statistical data on Nevada judges

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http://www.custodycalculations.com/coach.html

"..I have 32 years experience dealing with Family Law. 24 years as a law enforcement officer, the last 8 years as a Child Custody and Divorce Coach...... While still a law enforcement officer I spent ten years researching Family Law. In the process I identified that Family Law may be responsible for 25% of the crime in the United States; homicides, suicides, child abuse, abductions, domestic violence, violation of restraining orders, violation of court orders, stalking and more."

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http://onemomsbattle.com/

Tina Swithin is the founder of One Mom’s Battle. Tina Swithin survived a Category Five Divorce Hurricane and took shelter by writing her first book titled, “Divorcing a Narcissist: One Mom’s Battle.”  Tina finished her second book, “Divorcing a Narcissist: Advice for the Battlefield” in 2013 which provides guidance and advice for those in the trenches of a high-conflict divorce. In 2015, Tina shared her advice for for rebuilding after narcissistic abuse in her third book, “Rebuilding After the Storm,” and most recently, her favorite book to date, “The Narc Decoder: Understanding the Language of the Narcissist.”

There is a book 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Sacramento. They sell it at REI and Pipeworks. Its full of suggestions.

I would say in that general direction look at Cosumnes River Preserve Trails or Lodi lake nature trail

And if you are going to be in that area try for a winery in Lodi. You'll get better quality in both scenery and wine from somewhere like the Michael David winery or Jessie's Grove.

For future use... Lodi is only about 30-40 min drive and has some great wineries that are far less crowded and offer cheaper tastings then Napa.

The Outdoor World of the Sacramento Region is super helpful for identifying local river plants and critters.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Outdoor-World-Sacramento-Region/dp/1887815120


The Audubon California field guide is handy too.


http://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-Society-Field-California/dp/0679446788/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0K53H6M90RXB11DAR0YA

https://www.amazon.com/Punk-House-Interiors-Abby-Banks/dp/0810993317

I haven't done that sort of coffee table book before, mine are all black & white and priced for very small tables. And yeah, color printing is super expensive, especially if it's a small production run.

"The Federal Housing Administration, or FHA, requires a credit score of at least 500 to buy a home with an FHA loan. A minimum of 580 is needed to make the minimum down payment of 3.5%. However, many lenders require a score of 620 to 640 to qualify"

So that means they still need established credit AND a down payment. In other words credit and at least a little wealth. As for adult schools, there are highly educated people working shitty low paying jobs because that's whats out there. This seems a lot like you want it to be a certain way, the by the boot straps, get educated, buy a house, etc. mantra, that's just not how it actually works. It is possible to be educated and hard working and to be stuck in poverty.

You're reducing a huge and complex issue into the Republican "Pull yourself up by your boot straps", they are just lazy explanation. Thing is, when you look at data and have also lived this shit first hand, you realize it is not so simple. You realize that there are plenty of educated hard working people that will never escape poverty, not because they don't try but because of how our society is structured and the various intersections of identities and social constructs. When exactly does a single parent raising 2 kids have time between their children's needs and their 2 jobs to go to school? These are the sorts of things people don't think about. What the reality is, not what they want it to be.

Americans want to believe that hard work will get you ahead in life, but we live in a oligarchy and it's about networking more so than skill sets and hard work. Hell corporate structure itself limits opportunity for promotion with its top down approach. 80 employees and 1 management spot, not a lot of opportunity. There's a multitude of influences playing out, and those influences affect one's ability to climb out of poverty. Also, those Adult School have been traditionally made for White people, most education opportunity throughout US History has been made to specifically assist Whites, not poor PoC.

The Meritocracy Myth - https://www.amazon.com/Meritocracy-Myth-Stephen-J-McNamee/dp/1442219823/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0X1W94PHVX1MTDTXX4SF

Oligarchy Study - https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B

Capital in the 21st Century - https://www.amazon.com/Capital-Twenty-First-Century-Thomas-Piketty/dp/1491591617

Now that really is some good news. Time for me to bust out this cookbook and make more of the only crab cakes I've ever really been blown away by. Maybe get this taste out of my mouth from all the smoke. It's like I licked the ash bucket.

Get this book https://www.amazon.com/Desolation-Wilderness-South-Tahoe-Basin/dp/0899973280

I think they have it at the local REI's as well. So much good backpacking in Desolation.

Sacramento: Excursions into its History and Natural World is hands down my favorite book about Sacramento history and possibly history in general. It's essentially divided into well written narrative essays that span from pre-spanish colonialism through mid/late 20th century.

California, An Interpretive History, isn't specifically about Sacramento, but includes an awful lot of Sacramento specific chapters.

If you want some focus on politics and the Capitol, A disorderly House Written by a long time politician and contemporary (as well as friend) of both Jesse Unruh and Willie Brown, it goes behind the curtain in the state assembly, but is written as a firsthand account, almost like listening to someone tell a story about their wild college days.

Since he can’t, I will. I really enjoyed this one and this one.

There is a pretty cool short book about the odd names of Sacramento Streets: https://www.amazon.com/Sacramento-Street-Whys-Guide-Names/dp/0979123313

"According to Wood, the actual graveyard seen in Plan 9 was an old Mexican one in Sacramento, in the process of being torn up and relocated."

Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr

http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Wood-Nightmare-Ecstasy-Edward/dp/0922915245


Ed Wood, Mad Genius: A Critical Study of the Films

http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Wood-Mad-Genius-Critical-ebook/dp/B002WGHXVE/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1


News & Review article
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/ed-wood-saves/content?oid=31765

Article
http://lessons.edwood.org/L25-26.html

Forum discussion
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/ed-wood-the-life-of-edward-d-wood-jr-by-reverend-steve-galindo.234995/

I brought this up during dinner tonight, and my mom mentioned a book called Let It Go: A True Story of Tragedy and Forgiveness by a man who befriended a drunk driver that had killed his wife and children in a similar car accident.

The author argues that there is some compassion in the drunk driver surviving. The author believes that we spend the time we are alive to learn to chose right over wrong. His family had been doing a good job of choosing correctly, which would ensure their salvation, so while it was difficult for him to loose his family, in the long term it was not detrimental to them to die young. The drunk driver, on the other hand, had just made a significant mistake that lead to the loss of several lives. Had he died in the act, his life would have ended on a pretty significant strike against him. By remaining alive, he gets a chance to right his ways.