Mailbag: We don't see genders, and other shortcomings

It’s kind of a easy week for the Mailbag. Nothing too hateful, and not a lot of embarrassing fawning over us. Just regular letters, observations and mild carping.

Tom Richey, who we assume is a man, almost tosses us a compliment with, “Just finished your latest book autographed by you at Joe Jost’s. I could tell you how much I enjoyed the book or tell you how much I enjoy reading the (no-longer-titled) What’s Hot column, but that would be too easy and I’m sure by now you’re bored with all the adoration you’re receiving.”

Yes! Finally someone understands the crushing eui that accompanies veneration and worship. Give us, any day, the Salome-esque demands for our head on a platter or, among the more thoughtful, cries for our immediate termination.

Anyway, what Tom (male) Richey says he really enjoyed was a section of our book in which we wrote about a remark made by a reader named Chris Richey, whom we carelessly assumed was a male. Writes her husband Tom now, “Little did I know how, after 44 years of marriage, I’m married to a ‘he.’ It must be true. I read it in your book.”

Oops. That one’s on us. We should have asked Chris if he thought it was OK before we published his remark.

We received a lot of notices and recommendations of Long Beach writers we neglected to mention in our column about books we’ve been reading by local authors.

The early clubhouse leader for most mentions is Tyler Dilts, whose three (so far) excellent and entertaining police procedurals are set in the cozily familiar setting of Long Beach. Dilts was praised by another of our favorite local writers, Russ Parsons, as well as by reader Lars Hertzog.

Another noteable local is Kristiana (“Tiana”) Kahakauwila. Writes reader/photo Walter Gajewski, “Tiana grew up and attended school in Long Beach, graduating for LB Poly High School. She eaed her master’s in Fine Arts for the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature from Princeton University, where she studied with Joyce Carol Oates.”

In our “Six Over 60” people to watch column, among the old people we omitted was Long Beach City College Trustee and former city councilman and vice mayor and Jordan High School grad Jeff Kellogg, who was bo at about the same time we were, but hasn’t aged as handsomely. Not his fault.

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“Usually I would complain about not being mentioned in an article,” he writes. “But considering the people you did include in ‘the club’ and maybe not wanting to admit to being a certain age, I liked the article. Isn’t 60 the new 40?” Maybe, but if it is, we’ll never reach the new 65.

Ryan Smolar, finally, checks in with a remark/snark regarding our story about the long-gone Jergins Trust Building and the soon-to-come art installation/public space called the Loop. Smolar was the brains behind the short-lived but cool University by the Sea. “Don’t forget, we reponed the Jergins tuel in 2007 for the first time after 40 years of it being sealed.

Glad to see the Downtown Long Beach Associates and city has followed up nearly a decade later with an overcooked green noodle on top.”

Contact Tim Grobaty at 562-714-2116, [email protected], @grobaty on Twitter.