“This is eerie,” said guitarist Craig Ventresco, an airport artist-in-residence who was flat-picking “Ain’t She Sweet” for a crowd of one person on a landing near the door to the parking lot. “If this is a sign of the times, it’s frightening.”

Ventresco, whose fingers were flying faster than most planes, said the plummeting economy was making ordinary people as broke as musicians.

“That’s not good,” he added, with a grim smile.

What a treat it would be to happen upon his playing enroute to an always abysmal family holiday.

Paxton Gate’s Menacingly Morbit Macabre Museum of Unnatural Wonders

This Halloween to introduce our new Children’s Store — Sir Paxton’s, Curiosities for Kids — we have created a Museum of Unnatural Wonders; a shuddersome museum in which children will enjoy exploring and interacting with spine-tingling displays of the natural sciences including botany, biology, zoology and more. Children 10 and under, must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Children will be grouped by age and the scariness-level will be set accordingly.

Link. This takes place at 766 Valencia Street NOT the regular store, today and tomorrow from 5 to 8 pm.

Previously on Mission Mission:

Cacti in Bloom at Paxton Gate (Stunning Pictorial!)

Sea Creature Pins

Found this in the Missed Connections. What’s with the discrimination, Quirky Girl?

Quirky Girl with tatoos and piercings at Ritual Coffee – m4w – 41 (mission district)

You rode up on your tricked-out vintage one-speed. Stood in line for coffee looking like you knew what you were doing, very confident on your turf. You wore a “fuck bush” t-shirt, wide belt with studs, jeans, converse. Hair dyed blue–messy. Vintage Ray-Bans rested on your nose. I thought it was love at first sight, but as I smiled at you, you sneered back! Ouch! It was then I realized I was wearing a kelly green polo, khakis, and boat shoes–hair combed straight. Shit! I forgot to wear my mission-hipster outfit!! Did I lose a chance at you? Please give me another shot at it!!

Signed,
hopelessly unhip.

Link, or click thumbnail to enlarge.

I found this poster in the window of the Mission Street Safeway yesturday. I love the little drawings, as well as the tear-stained face at the bottom of the poster. I hope they’ve been returned by now.

This Craigslist post asks why cyclists have to be so rude to drivers (click thumbnail to make larger):

I’m Sick of Non-Law-Abiding, Self Obsessed Bicyclists in the Mission! (mission district)

1. I’m stopped at a 4-way stop at Hampshire and 22nd, 4 cars at each corner. It’s my turn. I start to accelerate, then have to slam on the brakes because a bicyclist jets through the intersection without stopping or even slowing down. To make it even better, he slaps his ass and air kisses me when I toot my horn at him!

FYI– I am a resident of the Mission. I only drive when necessary. I walk to work and my children use muni to get to school. My autos run on biodiesel and hybrid energy. I respect bicyclists and am one myself. Why such anger, disrespect and dangerous behaviour out there?

Update (Friday morning): Debate is in high gear in the comments section, and it’s grown to include the ol’ bikes vs. pedestrians conundrum too. Meave says: “What, bicyclers, is your goddamn problem, that you are all over the sidewalks?”

Previously on Mission Mission:

Advice to Cyclists

Biking in the Mission Can Be Confusing

Remember that guy that got his ass kicked after binge drinking at Zeitgeist — and drinking beer before liquor? We kind of had a laugh at his expense, but today he defended himself in the comments section, and totally won us over:

But yes, the old adage, “beer before liquor.” I have to admit, that was my one juvenile mistake. My only excuse is that I’m new to SF and I was so awestruck to be living in this city that my judgment was temporarily skewed, which led me to continuously imbibe until I ended up a jack ass. Go ahead, you can haze me like a freshman now.

Anyway, the whole point of my missed connection was to hopefully make right a possible squabble, or just have peace of mind knowing that I fell down the stairs to the BART and only hurt myself, no one else. Please rest assured that my behavior was the result of basic human error and I’m not wandering your streets waiting to menace you. I’m just a guy with a black eye trying to smile about it.

Well, welcome to SF, and yeah we know it can be really awestriking and judgment-skewing, so be careful out there.

Missed Connection between my face and your boot:

Did you beat me up Friday night? – 27 (mission district)

(this is not a romantic listing) Friday around 4:30pm I started drinking at Zeitgeist. I don’t think I was drinking heavily, but probably started a little early. Better get some food to soak up some of the alcohol, I thought. So me and friend hit Aslom’s Rasoi for some tasty Indian food. Then we went back to his place around the corner and drank large amounts of liquor. This is where my memory temporarily stops.

I actually *did* believe, before opening the link, that it was romantic listing. So I’m a little sad about that. I do applaud him for trying to stay on an even keel with the help of some fart-inducing food — but beer before liquor!?

The next memory I have is me stumbling down the street with puke on my sleeve, dirt all over and feeling pretty grumpy. I got a cab from the Castro Bank of America and didn’t notice until the next morning that my jaw was swollen as hell and I had a black eye.

And now you’re that guy who ruins my great night in the Mission because I have to step around your massive pile of spicy-smelling vomit. Congratulations.

I can live with the swollen and bruised face, but not knowing how I got it is really eating me. I’m left to fill in the blanks on my own and I’m afraid I may have been a total jerk, or possibly just fell down some stairs?

I was wearing a white and gray striped sweater and had on a brown hat.

I love when stereotypes come true.

So, if you kicked my a$$ (or saw me get it kicked), why not take credit for it and let me know. I would really like to know what I did/said in order to receive this masterpiece beating.

I think this guy is leaving out a lot. This has probably happened before. I witness this every Friday night in the Mission — some young dude wearing a striped sweater and a hat (probably corduroy or knit with that little half bill that tough guys think make them look sensitive) vomits in the street, gets in a fight, and acts like it’s OK to turn a great neighborhood into the Vegas Strip.

P.S. Are you a ninja?

Maybe I kicked his ass because he says stupid shit like “Are you a ninja”?

Previously on Mission Mission:

Dick Cabbie Robs Fare, Leaves Her Curbside, Battered and Phoneless

‘Hamlet’ with Zeitgeist Employees

:: :: :: :: :: ::

Snap! This person got served! I don’t even want to see the original post, this really says it all.

Previously on Mission Mission:

‘Hipster’ ‘Douchebag’ ‘Mission District’

I swear I didn’t write this

Look what I ran into during my lunch break in downtown San Jose.

Previously on Mission Mission:

Affordable Engagement Rings For Sale in La Taqueria Gumball Machines

Muni Overhead Wire Technicians Allowed To Double Park Outside La Taqueria

The 48 Hour Film Project is where a team of people are required to make a movie in 48 hours based on a given line, prop, and character. The films that are being shown this week were made locally and submitted on Sunday night. Here was the info given to the various teams:

Character: Gus or Gloria Lorenz, Trade Expert

Prop: A ticket for a bus, plane, or train

Line of Dialogue: ” Forget it, I already have.”

The remaining films are being shown at the Roxie tonight and Monday with showtimes at 7:00 and 9:30pm.

We’re going to the 9:30 show tonight, and I heard that if you present your ticket at Dalva, you get $1 off drinks before and after the event. The whole thing sounds fun!

Well, it was obviously not going to be like a tacotruck burrito … but, they had Anchor Steam!! (if there’s that then maybe there’s sierra somewhere in berlin, too, and then allan would have won yet another bet). Anyway, it was kind of complicated to order – six different steps, but you could get everything from guac to sour cream. Don’t know why they don’t just have a super-burrito option. They have 5 differnt types of spicyness and the most spicy was spicy (rare for German!). The types of meat you can get are not really authentic but everything tasted good. And it’s a little pricey for Berlin. But overall it’s a really cool place to hang out when you get a certain kind of craving and it does fill you up like a taco-truck burrito.

I can’t wait to try this place out! Note: Malcolm M. swears you can’t get Sierra Nevada in Berlin because of German beer purity law, but Allan suspects otherwise, because how can they not have Sierra Nevada?! It’s fucking good!

So if anyone knows of a place where they do…

Previously on Mission Mission:

How to Eat a Mission-Style Burrito

Chopped, Screwed Mariah Carey Video Features El Farolito Chile Relleno Burrito

Today I ducked into Paxton Gate for a few minutes, and I’m glad I did — the cacti in the back room are in bloom!

If I wasn’t heading for the park, or didn’t have a million-pound bag on my shoulder, I would have rounded them up in my arms and lovingly killed them softly with my less-than-green thumb. Check them out before the blossoms disappear for another year. If you adopt one, please keep us up to date on its progress.

I once owned a Paxton Gate cactus, and it erupted into bloom only once in the two and a half years I owned it. I continue to have a soft spot for blooming cacti. Here’s mine:

Previously on Mission Mission:

Sea Creature Pins at Paxton Gate

An Italian restaurant in the Mission District was robbed early Wednesday morning while about 10 patrons were eating their dinners, said police Sgt. Neville Gittens.

Police got a call at 1:21 a.m. Wednesday that a man had walked into Beretta on Valencia Street between 22nd and 23rd streets, waved a gun, and shouted, “This is a robbery! Everybody get down!” He didn’t fire his gun, and no one was hurt.

I don’t know about you, but if I eat at 1:21am, I don’t really consider it “dinner”. I consider any food I consume at 1:21am to be for medicinal purpose only.

In any case, SFGate just posted their official review of the place. And as much as I don’t really like the new outside paint job, and I miss the comfort food of the Last Supper Club circa 2004, Beretta sounds pretty tasty. I am generally indifferent to fancy pizza, because the only fancy pizza worth eating is at Tommaso’s, but on these warm nights, a margherita and a cocktail sounds divine. Also, if people were truly eating dinner at 1:21am, I’m thinking they might have been chefs/cooks eating after their shifts, and I’m always fascinated with where they choose to go. Was that the case? Should I check it out?

Link to Beretta.

Even on vacation, we’re always on a Mission mission. Here’s a picture of Allan at the Santa Barbara Mission on Monday afternoon (click to enlarge). In any case, we’ll be in Dolores Park by dusk on the 4th. Think it’ll be different in light of last year?