Mission Mission

Ever wonder what SF would look like rendered as an 8-bit video game map? No? Well, clearly some other nerd has. Check it out in it’s 24-color glory at 8-Bit Cities.

I hear that forest patch on the SE corner is a good place to level up.

Has anyone better capitalized on the “so drunk that everything I eat right now is the best thing I’ve ever had” market better than Virginia? She’s definitely saved me from more than one night where it seemed like sucking on old ketchup packets in my empty fridge at 2am would have been “dinner”.

The Tamale Lady celebrated her 57th at Zeitgeist two weeks ago and SFGate brings up this enlightening interview full of such gems as:

Is it still a surprise when you show up in a bar, or can people follow you on Twitter now?

I am all kind of places on the Internet. Face … Face … what’s that Face thing? I don’t know it, but my son put me on there, yeah. He does the Twitter, too.

Read on at SFGate.

I’ve had some exceptional luck lately, running into two different local bluesmen, each willing to share a couple songs and some knowledge about the proper way to tame a harmonica.

The Blues Man of 16th Street offered to teach me how to bend a note. Usually I carry my own harmonica around, but on this night it was sitting in my desk drawer. When he told him that I’m trying to learn, but won’t ever be able to play like him he quickly replied “Yes you can. Yes you can. You just gotta keep at it.” And then, “always have your harmonica with you, you never know when inspiration will strike you. I always play my own stuff [even though he's demonstrating something different here, just for instructional purposes]. Your music is yours,” he said, patting me on the chest, “it comes from you.”

(Sorry the videos are dark. Unfortunately that’s my dopey voice you hear in the background)

Next, Drake Dillen, who lived on Valencia near 22nd a few decades ago while doing construction work, played me a few of his old favorites. He had a falling out with his brother and had to leave the city, fell on some hard times, got into some trouble, and finally made his way back to the city to, possibly, sing out the blues into the cool foggy nights.

From the desk of photographer Cranky Old Mission Guy:

Always keep a puke-bucket handy when you’re on a bender.

More.

I wonder if it worked. I bet they’re a cute couple.

Photo by Penelope Popsicle.

Well, I guess I know what I’m doing this weekend.  Slo-mo is back!

Thanks Nico!

[Link! for those of you on Reader]

If you don’t, a good Samaritan like reader Margo might write you a friendly note and leave it in your bottle cage.

When she left Casanova a while after, Margo noticed the bike was gone. She hopes, as do we, that it left with its rightful owner.

Previously:

Public Service Announcement: Read Sylvia Plath

We’ve been hipped to a new blog making the rounds featuring an exhaustive collection of burritos from around Mission (and elsewhere), each standing vertically with the firm posture befitting its pedigree as a MISSION BURRITO.

From the looks of it, this guy has eaten a lot of burritos.  Now, I’m no slouch myself (as Vic can attest having witnessed me eating three super burritos in a single day), but the thought of taking this dude on in a burritopacolypse death match makes me just a little queasy.

All hail the Burrito Whisperer (although he didn’t seem to get the memo about how the dudes at Jarritos are a bunch of jerks).

[Photo by The Byrd]

Previously:

Bobby Flay Can Eat A Big Fat Burrito

The World’s Best at La Taqueria

Tap That Guy presents us with yet another option:

Pouched.

(Thanks, Dwight!)

Big Bang Big Boom

These Blu people (not from the James Cameron magical cats movie) made this crazy video that explains where we came from and where we’re headed. I guess. Anyway, it’s really long, and maddeningly thorough. If you don’t have 10 minutes to watch it I recommend letting it load and jumping to about 8:10 where it shows us humans and our issues. Not just because it’s about us, but because it’s really neat.

(via io9)