Mission Mission

Ah, “Garage Psych”. Aren’t you curious as to why people are lining up around the block for this shit? Allan, Kat, and I tried to check out this dude Ty Segall with thee Oh Sees at the Eagle last week. On our way, we walked past a pair of flustered girls saying, “…I mean, who would wait for an hour in line for a show here?” Not a good sign.

Well if you were like us and gave up only to go home and watch youtube clips of Aziz Ansari as RAAAAAAAANDY, here’s your second chance: Ty is doing a solo set at The Knockout at 6pm. That’s too early for most of the yuppies just getting off work in Mountain View, so you’ll probably score a sweet spot in the front.

Here’s a clip of Ty Segall doing his one-man band thing:

Speaking of thee Oh Sees, anyone want to start an all-Asian Oh Sees cover band with me? “Thee Ah-Sos”. Ok, no more Asian humor. I’m no Margaret Cho.

This morning, on my daily walk to BART, I strolled past Dragonfly Ink, as always, on 23rd and Valencia.

This particular morning, I noticed a sign stuck to their windows.  They’re moving!  But would like to keep in touch.

I was amused to find that they had scratched off all the letters in “Dragonfly” on their windows besides “gon.”  Gone!

That shit’s evaporating like this was Back to the Future II.

Good luck in your new home, Dragonfly!  Meanwhile, I’m gonna buy this space and turn it into a milkshake shop.

While not quite as bad as recounting your teenage diaries to strangers, the idea of someone judging your taste in music can induce squeamishness in even the most confident would-be DJs.

Nonetheless, the San Francisco Mixtape Society wants you to put those fears aside and check out its inaugural event at the Makeout Room on Sunday, January 31 from 4-6pm.  They propose a “Secret Santa” gathering where everybody who brings a mixtape leaves with one created by someone else.  Of course, there will be JUDGES and prizes to entice along the way.  No word yet on whether the $2 Pabst and $3 well happy hour prices will be in effect, but early indications are favorable.

USBs and CDs are acceptable, but Cassettes are marriageable, apparently.  We’re letting you know about this early so you can get to work!  The theme is “Cities vs. Towns,” but I already suspect my extensive ABBA collection will be the deciding factor here.

<image by fitacola.com>

Om nom nom, free tropical fish!!!  Posted on Craigslist this morning!

GET YOURSELF AN MFING PLECOSTOMUS!!!  IT’S FUN TO WATCH THEM EAT A FROZEN BROCCOLI FLOWER, PER WIKIPEDIA!!!!

Available in the Mission, today.

I spent a recent weekend in San Juan Bautista, a town I recommend if you want to get out of the city for a day or so and see some of the great aspects of another kind of classic California. You can see the famous Mission, pick up some nice antiques, look for the local Oddfellows chapter,  have a chat with one of the chickens loitering all over town, try to match old pictures from postcards to their current locations, and end the night dancing to live music at Daisy’s Saloon.

If you happen to awake on a late, sleepy Sunday morning at either the San Juan Inn or the Posada De San Juan and wish there was an excellent brunch spot nearby, you may want to find your way to the corner of Third and Mariposa, to Mission Cafe. The inside looks pretty much as you’re picturing it.

Oh man. The brunch here. The eggs benedict was awesome with spinach, tomatoes and ham. Creamy hollandaise sauce all over the plate. The potatoes were less amazing, but good enough with the sauce.

Then there was the waffle and eggs special which also included bacon, hash browns and fresh berries. (Berries! Yes!) The waffle had some kind of extra almond flavoring. Both just under $10.

A special note of warning: there’s a rumor around the tiny town that Mission Cafe may be closing soon. Possible reasons varied, but if you find yourself in the area, go while you can.

Browsing the SF Historical Photo Collection, I saw this cerca 1975 picture of the Giant Value building on 22nd and Mission.

First, I noticed the cool pinstripe paint job on the façade. Then something else occurred to me: the word “GIANT” is actually in a different place than it is today. At some point, whoever took over the building moved it over to the left and added the word “VALUE” after it.

Here is a picture of the building as it stands today:

So the question remains, what was it before it was “GIANT VALUE”? ”VALUE GIANT”? “MOVIE GIANT”? “THE GIANT”? Surely, someone who was here before 1975 can provide the answer. Ha! Yeah right… most of you weren’t even BORN in 1975.

In any case, it will probably be CONDO GIANT in a couple of years.

Update: Burrito Justice Johnny0 to the rescue again (there’s a shocker):

It had changed to its current incantation by 1982 when it was “Giant Value Pharmacy”.

A bit more judicious googling shows us that PayLess bought out the “Value Giant” store chain in 1976. I bet that PayLess didn’t take keep our Mission store, and in order to keep lawyers happy, that particular pharmacy flipped the sign around to read “Giant Value” — pretty damn clever.

Spotted this dude’s composition hat in the market between 17th and 18th on Mission (next to Cafe Prague) a few nights ago and couldn’t resist getting a snap.  I’m no fashion blogger, but I was into it.

Speaking of that there market, Ariel tells us it’s his all-time favorite, top secret awesomest market, often referred to as “Combover” or “Crackistan.”

Judging by the 28 people standing in line to buy booze that night, I’d say secret’s out, dumb-dumb.

A handsome color scheme for Halberstadt’s Fencing Club on S. Van Ness. Ever notice how it matches that of the “No Dumping” notices by sewer drains?

I never noticed this place before, but according to Yelp, it’s legit:

This is where I go for a great workout and to blow off some steam.  There’s nothing better than grabbing a sword and stabbing someone to make you forget about the work day.

It’s no secret that I’m a sword owner now. Maybe I should take up fencing? After all what’s more macho than a shrimpy, shirtless, asian man brandishing a foil?

Oh wait:

We all had a laugh at “Ecosexuality” a couple of days ago, but as it turns out, it’s a real thing and the event in question will be in the Mission at the Lab on Feb 13!

In celebration of Valentine’s Day and this new decade pregnant with possibilities for change and transformation, acclaimed performance artist and sex educator Annie Sprinkle and her partner, interdisciplinary artist and activist Elizabeth Stephens, take you on a joyous and inspiring journey as they explore, generate, and celebrate love through art. They will weave their amazing stories, share some dazzling images, and do mini-performances about their experiments in romance, artificial insemination, breast cancer, sex education, performance art weddings, and other love-inspired projects. Currently investigating “ecosexuality,” these two dynamic women are mapping a new field of research they coined “sexecology” — the place where sexology and ecology intersect. Perhaps you’ll discover that you, too, are an ecosexual.

There will also be an erotic cake contest. Go ahead and fork over the 7-10 dollarónes just so you can sit in the back, cross your arms with a smug half-smile, and act like you are sooo above this. More info at the Lab.

(Hey, if this is your bag, it’s none of my business. It’s 2010 and we are a kinder, more sensitive Mission Mission.)

I came across this screengrab of a Yahoo! Answers question on fatpita.net and chuckled:

Reminds me of a  great conversation I had with some dude at the Eats Tapes show at the Kitsch Gallery on Saturday.  Said gent explained to me that though the music had slowed for a moment, the DJ would soon pick a specific theme to fixate on and slowly build it faster and louder, until it exploded into a party and we all went crazy dancing.  That’s how techno works.

Oh, and Allan was right.  Eats Tapes are awesome.