Mission Mission

Yikes. There are enough parking worries in this city without getting any pesky gremlins involved.

Watch your backs!

Photo by Steve Rhodes.

The crowd at The Phoenix was energized. US lost in the end, much to the dismay of most. We had to wait till two people left to get in, max capacity and all. About 45 people watched from the street.

Choice quotes:

“Yeah, well we have nukes and they don’t.”

“Fuck Ghana-rrhea!”

Not really making me want to align myself with the US fans.

Either way I went home to listen to the Yankees game.

Our very own Cranky Old Mission Guy is jumping on the post-random-crap-you-see-around-The-Mission-on-Flickr-as-if-the-fact-that-it’s-in-The-Mission-means-that-it-deserves-a-space-on-the-internet bandwagon.

He’s getting some neat stuff. Unfortunately he is reserving all the rights, so I don’t want to embed them here, knowing how cranky he gets. I’ll describe a few choice pics, though.

• This one is a sign that instructs a passerby on where the restroom isn’t. As well as the classic 3 person cleanup.

• This one shows the lengths that people go to in our crime-ridden neighborhood to protect their most cherished belongings.

• This one ruins your childhood best friend. It’s been too long, you stuttering soul.

• Finally, this one shows someone experimenting projecting negative energy in a variety of ways.

The Tenderloin Geographic Society hips us all to one of the highlights of SF Pride:

The It’s-It cart. Sometimes it’s closer to UN Plaza, sometimes closer to the Bill Graham.  They usually sell t-shirts.

So, I’m out of town this weekend. Somebody want to pick me up a shirt? Adult small. I’ll owe you some It’s-Its.

Photo by Steve Rhodes.

Wesam Nassar, my pal and producing partner, put together a short interview with Dave Eggers about Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his family, the subject of his most recent book.

It is an excellent book, by the way. On the one hand Eggers tells the amazing true story of a man choosing to stay in New Orleans during Katrina. On the other hand he illustrates the experience of being an immigrant Syrian Muslim in Bush’s US. And though those both seem like themes that would dominate any story, in the end what I was most left with is the strength of the Zetioun family (here and around the world), and their determination to hold together through anything, without compromising their values or beliefs.

(Sorry, was that too serious for MM? I’ll post some more pictures of garbage on the sidewalk soon enough)

Check it out. This band is called 0th, which is pronounced “Zeroth.” And as if that (or the above band photo) weren’t reason enough to go see them tonight at 8:30 at Southern Exposure, tonight’s performance has an extra special ingredient. Part of the band will be here in San Francisco, and part of the band will be in New York, and they will perform together via Skype or something!! How fucking rad is that!?

AND, I think one member of the band is MNDR, that girl in that rad Mark Ronson video with Q-Tip.

This rapture seems to have claimed the earthly body of some kind of skateboarding construction worker.

Previously:

The Rapture

Finding a new place to live in this city can be tough, you guys. Like super tough, right? Yesterday, Jen Gann broke it down. Like a poet or something:

Get a new voice, get a new email, get super charged Craigslist eyes. Stalk the columns. Separate ads from each other. Know the rental companies, the short cuts in applications, the fastest way to beat another’s application with your own. Offer to pay and pay now. Carry your checkbook like it’s a change purse and use it just as often.

Read on.

Photo by Robby Virus.

Our cranky old commenter Cranky Old Mission Guy might be on to something:

I have an idea.

How about all us pedestrians pick one day per month to meet, link arms, and walk from one place to another — completely blocking the streets AND the sidewalks — while randomly ignoring traffic laws, common sense, and any notion of courtesy to other San Francisco residents (we’ll blame it on “the fringe element”)? I’m sure the bicycle people will be happy to show their solidarity by not trying to cross our lines!

Sure, he’s being facetious, but really — why not have a pedestrian Critical Mass once a month?

Photo by smi23le.

A nice little story to brighten up this needlessly gloomy June morning!  After the call went out on Monday about a probably stolen tandem bike that was found abandoned after Sunday Streets by a kind stranger, sleuthy MM readers discovered a similar Craigslist ad and the real owner eventually came forward. 

Great work to everyone involved in uniting this happy couple and their trusty tandem bicycle!  We here at MM haven’t felt this useful since helping to reunite kidnapped Mr. Pickle with his delicious sandwich-purveying Mama Pickle.

Mr. Pickle Saga

BREAKING: Mr. Pickle Stolen!

BREAKING: Mr. Pickle Found!

BREAKING: Mr. Pickle Hostage Situation!

UPDATE: Mr. Pickle to be Voluntarily Returned?

Mr. Pickle Returned to Mama Pickle!

Previously:

Found a Probably Stolen Tandem Bike