Along with the many great privileges that Willow Glen residents receive each year, your neighbors also get to endure frequent WG-bashing from people who don’t live here.

But the latest barrage actually comes from within, in the form of a Yelp “review” by Nancy “agogo” M., a self-proclaimed resident of WG … who also hates her neighbors.

To prove her point, she created a fictional business to review on Yelp:

Willow Glen Schmuck & Yuppy

So I live in Willow Glen. I am a young professional who lives in the area with a wonderful hubby. We love this neighborhood, but we hate our neighbors (and we aint leavin!!!) [sic]. I have never been anywhere where the people have felt so privileged and will gladly walk ALL OVER the balls of the “lower class” which happen to be the people serving them coffee or making them a sandwich.

They eagerly flaunt the “We heart Willow Glen” signs on their lawns, license plate frame, dog collars, coffee mugs, etc… as if its a secret society of having a good gardener and a license to coast up and down Lincoln Ave at 6 mph in their stupid yellow Lamborghini. OR stop in the middle of the street and back up traffic so they can search their kids as they leave school.

She goes on to propose a pledge for local citizens. Since it quickly ran afoul of the WGx Commenting Policy, you’ll have to jump to Yelp to administer it to your family.

To further belabor her point, Nancy then posted a discussion board to provoke further conversation. Over the space of three days, the site forum has generated lots of response, but most of it portrays our neighbors quite nicely. Sorry, Nancy …

Hey, remember that novel by local author Rudolph Delson, the one that includes a character who grew up in San Jos, and shares those fond memories throughout the story?

Local Author Rudolph Delson Book Reading

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
150 E. San Fernando St. - Room 255, 2nd Floor
Sun, May 11 … 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

San Jose native Rudolph Delson will present his new novel Maynard and Jennica, a love story that the New York Times called “one tiny comic gem after another, one pitch-perfect rendering of the modern moment after another.” Maynard and Jennica tells the story of Maynard Gogarty, a native New Yorker, and Jennica Green, a California transplant, who first meet riding the subway. The story is told in the distinct voices of Maynard, Jennica, and the various characters, dead and alive, human or not, in their lives.

Mr. Delson will read from his novel, discuss it and answer questions. A book-signing will follow.

And while you’re at the author reading at the big downtown library, try to imagine how nice it will be to have our library branch back this summer.

Saturday is the 16th Annual “Stamp Out Hunger” event. It’s national in scope, but the impact is very local: Your regular USPS letter carrier will pick up donated food items from your mailbox and arrange for them to be delivered directly to WG’s Second Harvest Food Bank.

They can’t really make it any easier!

16th Annual
Letter Carriers’ Food Drive
Saturday, May 10, 2008

Campbell Soup and the United States Postal Service are partnering once again to sponsor Stamp Out Hunger, the “nation’s largest single-day food drive.” Participation is easy! On the morning of May 10th simply place bags filled with nonperishable food items next to your mailbox. Your letter carrier will pick your food donations up and deliver them to your local food bank.

And for those of who don’t read WGx daily – you know who you are – you can request an email reminder for Friday!

Congratulations to WGHS freshman softball pitcher Kelsee Graves. She’s been honored as the SJ mercury’s female high school athlete of the week:

Kelsee Graves, Willow Glen
Sport: Softball — Position: Pitcher — Class: Freshman

Accomplishment: Graves started the season as a third baseman but became a starting pitcher for the Rams. Last week, she threw back-to-back no-hitters and went 4 for 6 with four RBIs against San Jose Academy and Yerba Buena as Willow Glen clinched a tie for the West Valley Division title. Graves is 19-2 with a 1.80 ERA. “Kelsee has power and finesse, she knows how to hit her spots,” Rams Coach Scott McCollum said. “She has a full complement of pitches and uses all of them effectively.”

Of course, Kelsee’s exploits were originally uncovered by the WG Resident, with articles about the WGHS Softball team’s victory over James Lick in March, her 11th win of the year (a shutout win over Andrew Hill on April 5), and yet another victory on April 8.

Congratulations, Kelsee!

Parents … Kids … check out this great concert on Saturday …

Explorer Coop Preschool Hosts: The Milkshake Concert

Mark your calendars for this exciting family event on Saturday, May 10th, 10:30AM at the Markham Little Theater (Willow Glen Middle School) on Cottle Ave. Regularly seen on Noggin, PBS and Discovery Kids, the Milkshake Band is an entertaining and fun band with lots of great musical themes perfect for kids 3-8 years of age. Their music shares the Explorer spirit of learning through play, fun and creative imagination. Mom and Dad will love to dance along to the fun rock and roll beat as well! …

Share the love of music with your kids and friends! Get your tickets now! Seats are limited so don’t be left out of this exciting event! Tickets are $16. Children 18 months and younger are free. Please invite your friends and family to this one time only event sponsored by Explorer Parent Coop Preschool.

Seating is limited, so you’ll want to get your tickets this week by emailing the parent volunteers at Explorer, or printing out the order form and dropping it in the mail.

Of course, the Milkshake Band is well-regarded, including a favorable preview in a recent edition of the SJ Mercury News. Don’t miss it!

Since the new San Jose Earthquakes aren’t playing at nearby Spartan Stadium anymore, Willow Glen residents attending home games at Buck Shaw Stadium might want to plan ahead.

Buck Shaw Stadium is located west of El Camino Real, on the campus of Santa Clara University. Traveling from WG, spectators have three primary choices: (more…)

Which of these things is not like the other? Don’t answer that.

But do read Friday’s SJ Mercury News, which should include a story about the “Shotgun Bandits” and their arrest. Although their targets were mostly outside of WG, at least one suspect lived on Malone Road, where he was arrested earlier in April:

Last month, a group of masked robbers went on a dangerous spree, police said, bursting into at least a half dozen businesses armed with a sawed-off shotgun and snatching fistfuls of cash from the registers as employees and customers cowered in fear.

But investigators eventually caught up with the alleged robbers, after a sergeant became suspicious about a clerk at one of the targets - an lingerie and adult novelty store called Cupid’s Corner. …

(more…)

Today’s front page of the Mercury News highlights the challenges of the local housing market with a surprising twist: Homes not far from WG — originally intended for first-time, low-income buyers — sit vacant, waiting for those buyers to materialize:

The 17 brand new cottage-style condos near downtown San Jose were supposed to sell swiftly, especially since they were priced to be affordable to low- and moderate-income people, and the developer offers generous loan programs for first-time buyers.

But in the eight months since the for-sale signs went up on West Alma Avenue at Almaden Avenue, only one condominium has sold, even though the developer, non-profit Neighborhood Housing Services Silicon Valley, has cut prices twice.

With home buyers reluctant to buy in a declining market, even non-profit developers who aim to provide affordable housing to the valley’s lower-income residents are getting hammered by conditions in the real estate market.

If you take Almaden Expressway to Downtown SJ, you drive past these shiny new condos every time. Snuggled into the corner of Alma Street and Almaden Expressway, Villa Almendra is waiting for buyers who can afford it. For half-a-million? Seriously?

It may be in the shadow of the fancy Skyline at Tamien building — four blocks east and nine stories down — but that doesn’t seem like an affordable price for the neighborhood … especially not with Burbed reporting on a $600,000 house on the southern edge of WG. What’s $150,000 these days?

WGx enjoys poking fun at silly Real Estate names that don’t make any sense — the Glens are almost sold out — but Villa Almendra seems really out there. Almendra means Almond …. Villa …. hey, it’s practically called a “Nut House” …

Did you get the phone call?

You know those endless automated phone calls you got back during the run-up to California’s primary election in February. It was like those, but seems to be for a much higher purpose … It came from FindToto.com, and is meant to help reunite a lost dog with her owner:

[Phone Script]: … lost her dog Bella on April 11. Bella is a black and tan Shiba Inu, which looks like miniature husky … small 20-25 pounds, with pointy ears and a curly tail. She is shy and scared, so if you see her please calmly call her and do not chase her.

Bella and her owners were attacked by a pit bull on April 11 in Branham - Thousand Oaks area, and Bella ran away. The dog might have been seen near WG High School over this past weekend, thus the blanketing automatic phone calls to surrounding homes.

A $1000 reward has been offered, and you can call 877-738-8686 with any information.

By the way, if you are the sort who prefers not to be included in such automated phone campaigns, FindToto gives you an opt out option at the end of the recorded message.