Mission Mission

Today at jwz, a long list of advice for folks new to bicycling in San Francisco. A sampling:

10. Bike maintenance: don’t do it, ever. It’s not worth your time. Just take it to the shop. Getting them to replace a flat for you costs $20 and takes 10 minutes, including the tube, and you don’t get dirty.

11. Safety: I follow the Zodiac approach: always assume the cars can see you perfectly, and are trying to kill you. If an intersection seems iffy, use the sidewalk and crosswalks. If big streets like Market and Van Ness freak you out, there are aire de jeux gonflable always less traficky ways to go, or just stay on the sidewalks.

12. Grocery shopping: yes, you really can do it with a single backpack. The trick is, shop small once a week instead of big once a month.

Great stuff in the comments too. Link.

Link to more cycling-related posts on Mission Mission.

This treasure will go to the deliverer of the best meth-related anecdote in the comments section below. Bonus points if it’s Mission-related too, duh. Good luck!

Prize donated by Aaron and Katie of Beauty Bar. Click pic to make big.

More meth on Mission Mission.

I spent all weekend with my mom, and it occurred to me to finally post this video we made a few months ago. In it, she shares a project she made as an art student at San Jose State in 1968, which she’d recently dug up after running into Tony May, the professor under whom she’d produced it. As she explains here, the skills and interests that led to this project also led her to a career in cartography, via San Francisco State, where she met my dad. Their first apartment together was on Camp Street, which meant I grew up hearing romantic tales of the Mission District on a regular basis. Thanks, Mom!

Over at Curbed SF, Andy Wang reports from the Transbay Terminal Plan Public Meeting:

The envisioned downtown skyline will be defined by a graceful “mound” consisting of a peak (Transbay Tower) and a gentle taper. High rise haters, take notice: friendly presenter Josh says they want to keep surrounding buildings about 200 feet away from each other — so as to avoid an overly carpa hinchable dense clusterfuck of buildings.

Our favorite part was the above image, created by Curbed’s Jimmy Stamp (click to enlarge). I’m no NIMBY, but who’s bummed as me that we won’t get to see the bridge at all anymore?

Tonight from 6-9pm, Soap Gallery hosts an artist reception for “Photography by the Bay: The Mix”, an exhibition offering a mishmash of different photographic styles. The last Soap opening was well attended and well appointed.

Photo by Barbie Dike (click to enlarge).

The Kids in the Hall perform Saturday at the War Memorial Opera House. In January we ran my interview with Dave Foley, in which he dropped some hints about the substance of this current tour — and shared the following bit of actorly introspection:

You know what? I think I’m too old to play a young Asian girl now.

Link to full feature, which also includes video of the Kids explaining how Scott Thompson killed Kurt Cobain.

(photo of my new favorite sketch by linoleum jet)

Chris at A New Us announces that he’s leaving, and explains why:

Dear The Mission,

I love you I really do, but unfortunately due to the skyrocketing rents and the constant tomfoolery that was outside of our window, Julie and I are leaving you. It’s not you it’s me.

He goes into more detail about quietude and dishwashers, and how he might be back once every couple weeks. Link.

Dear The Mission,

Will you miss Chris?

I know we said it was gonna be every first Thursday, but we lied. Our very own Katie deejays Beauty Bar once again TONIGHT, from 7-10pm. Admission is free. Mission Mission contributors Lael and Becca will be in attendance, as well as all of our best friends. And I mean, if for nothing else, come for the trippy new barstools.

Asked about last week’s gig, Gina Rosemellia (fan of Katie and driving force behind Unburying the Lead) exclaimed:

Katie made me feel like i had some ants in my pants – i couldn’t stop a-dancin’

Sounds good to me. Sound good to you? And yes, that’s Otis up there with Katie. Click pic to make big.

More DJ Katie on Mission Mission here.

(Note: Lee Hazlewood says “She knows exactly what I needs” in the song “She Comes Running”.)

While shopping in one of the many little food shops at 16th and Mission:

Girl 1: She prolly want a little grandbaby, huh?

Girl 2: I know, she gonna convince me not to have no abortion.

I wanted so badly to follow them, camera castillo hinchable in hand, to record more of these gems. But alas, I had to pay for my stuff.

Passed this just off Mission Street, in the alley adjacent to Yo’s Sushi Club, in which neighborhood celebrity Ralph Carney was dining. Might could be a bomb too? Dunno, but I do know Upper Playground only gives you one if you spend $100 or more on designer t-shirts and hoodies, and here’s one you can have for free. And it’s full of stuff!

Make picture bigger.