Wednesday’s column (read it here) is a reflection on my year in electrons — namely, how I got my first cell phone in January and later bought a couple of other electronic devices, as well as recently signing up for Twitter. It answers the occasional reader question of “what do you think of your cell phone?” and also craftily advertises my Facebook page, Twitter account and this blog.

Oh, yeah: Twitter. I rolled this out slowly and until Wednesday’s column have promoted it only via FB and in the fine print at the end of my column. You can find my account at @DavidAllen909.

All the writers and editors at the ol’ IVDB have been encouraged to sign up, so I decided to get with the program early(ish) rather than hold out. Wish I’d taken the plunge a couple of years ago, actually.

My Facebook page, btw, now has a name (long, because “David Allen” was taken): DavidAllencolumnist.

You’re encouraged to check out either or both, if you’re so inclined, and especially if you already use Twitter or FB.

How’s your own personal face-off with life circa 2011 going? Are you embracing, running away, holding it at bay, or what?

Fox Theaters aren’t only in Southern California. St. Louis’ Fox, part of the same original chain of movie theaters, sat three times more than Pomona’s (5,060 compared to 1,731). I admired the building from the outside while on vacation last week.

A full-length view of the theater without any distracting newspaper-brandishing columnists is below.

By the way, what did I miss while I was away last week?

It might look like I’m catching up on the latest news close to home in, say, Rancho Cucamonga, but this photo was taken in Tempe, Ariz., during a recent vacation. Baseline Road isn’t an interstate route. Arizona has its own version of the street.

Photo: Tom Gibbons

Photo: Crayton Harrison

Even amidst the bustle of Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City, vacationing columnist David Allen’s attention is held by the news out of Upland, a city currently undergoing some “reforma” of its own.

Friday’s column is the first of three or four I expect to write about Mexico City. If you’ve ever been there, what did you think?

As related in Sunday’s column, yours truly finally got a cell phone.

Anyone care to react to this momentous decision?

I’m going to assume that very few people reading this don’t have one, but if you don’t, why not? And if you do, can you imagine waiting until 2011 to get one? And, one and all, what’s your biggest pet peeve about cell phones and the people who use them?

My second visit to the Rose City, following one in 2007, occurred last week. Do you want to see photos? Of course you do.

The city’s unofficial motto (above) decorates a parking lot. Said lot was across from Voodoo Doughnut (below left) — motto: “The Magic is in the Hole” — where I waited 20 minutes for a doughnut. I felt dumb, but it was clearly the thing to do, and the result was pretty good. Meanwhile, check out the homemade wheat toast with housemade raspberry preserves (below right) at the spectacular Fuller Coffee Shop, and (below that) the banana pancakes from the original Original Pancake House.

Finally, the Portland streetcars (below) are a great way to get around downtown. For most of their route, a ride is free, even more incentive to use them. Wheeee!

You can listen to my May 31 appearance on Larry the Fox’s “Claremont Straight Ahead” jazz show by visiting the Claremont Colleges radio station (88.7)’s website.

St. Louis is kind of the Pomona of the Midwest: once great, now living in reduced circumstances, but still pretty cool. (They both have Fox theaters, although St. Louis’ Fox is three times larger.) I was visiting my parents near there last week. A few highlights:

The Laumeier Sculpture Park features 105 acres of parkland with nature trails and sculptures. Admission and parking: free. This, um, eyecatching piece was a favorite. “Do Not Touch Sculpture”? Well, you’re not supposed to touch your eyes anyway.

This picturesque used bookstore, the Book House, is in an 1865 house. Ted Drewes’ frozen custard is a local tradition and a must-stop on Route 66.

The St. Louis Art Museum, in sprawling, 1,300-acre Forest Park, is just one of the cultural attractions in the city that’s absolutely free; it’s in this grand 1904 World’s Fair building. (The crane in the background hints at the major expansion under way.)

And the city’s new Busch Stadium downtown, opened in 2006, has a nice open feeling. That’s the Gateway Arch in the background, obviously. The Cards beat the Brewers 8-0 that night, followed by a free fireworks show. No, the game itself wasn’t free. There’s a limit to even St. Louis’ generosity.

Today marks my 13th anniversary at the ol’ Daily Bulletin. Yep, it was on March 10, 1997 that yours truly reported for work for the first time in Ontario, having moved here days earlier from Victorville and its Daily Press newspaper.

One of the best moves I ever made — not that that was obvious at the time.

The Images of Pomona blog asked to interview me. I complied — why not? — but spoke almost inaudibly (cars rushing by 50 feet away on Garey turned out to be louder than me, as you’ll notice). What can I say, I’m a soft-spoken person. I also couldn’t figure out what to do with my hands. Other than that, it was a huge success. At least for Whitney Hanlon, the interviewer.