Mission Mission

In case you haven’t heard, the Rock Make Street Fest is tomorrow. Featuring crafts, food, beer and bands,  including MM favorites Social Studies, Still Flyin’, and the California Honeydrops. See you there!

The Rock Make Street Festival is this Sunday, August 22nd, 2010, on Treat Avenue and 18th Street from 11am-6pm. Presented by The Bay Bridged, Tartufi, and Cookie and the Dude, the free, all ages fest will feature three stages of local music and entertainment, 100 local arts and crafts vendors, beer gardens, a children’s activity area, and a guaranteed good time.

Apparently, Jonathan Richman participated in a screening of There’s Something About Mary or something.  I think it’s safe to say that he has a lot of fans here in the Mission. 

Wow, that’s quite a line!  This was the scene in front of Lost Weekend Video on Valencia Street yesterday. 

Once inside, those who didn’t get one of the 30 or so seats either crowded in to stand in the back or sat down in the aisles. 

The place was definitely packed to capacity.  The always-friendly Lost Weekend staff was behind the counter serving homemade cookies and scrumptious popcorn balls (imagine a rice crispy treat made with popcorn instead of rice crispies) along with $1 Tecates, so everyone was happy despite the Twister-like multitude of stray limbs everywhere.  The staff even generously allowed guests to use their bathroom in the back, even though this left their entire movie collection vulnerable to people waiting in line.  I hope no one was a douchebag and stole anything.

Of course, the main attraction was Jonathan Richman and his acoustic guitar.  He lovingly strummed his guitar along to parts where he appeared in the movie, all the while offering behind-the-scenes commentary of the onscreen action.  Little snippets like, “We decided on using an accordion here.  We felt it added a whole European touch” to which everyone busted up laughing.

His most revealing commentary had to do with why Mary (Cameron Diaz’s character, just in case) seemed like such the prototypical bro fantasy girlfriend.  Basically (paraphrased):

The director was an overgrown manchild and this is his conception of what an ideal girlfriend would be like.  Essentially, a chick whose favorite things are baseball, hotdogs, and beer. 

Hmmm, just what we always suspected.  More movie nights please Lost Weekend!

I noticed these new decorative engraved sidewalk blocks on 16th and Valencia a couple of days ago and I was wondering how they were done. Turned out to be less high-tech than I thought: grinding by hand with an orbital sander.

Check ‘em out before they are covered in gum stains.

[See the full video on andy.brooks' Flickr]

I’ve always wanted to see right the fuck through people in a matter of seconds!

Careful, bad guys, he can blow up a small hut with a bow and arrow.

[via streetexpression]

Back when our band LA CORDE went down to play a show in Tijuana, we had the pleasure of hanging out with our friend Jason, a former San Franciscan who’s been living there for the past few years. 

We’re planning on going back there for more shows over Labor Day weekend, so to get in the mood, I’ve been checking out Tijuanalandia, Jason’s  blog.  It’s pretty awesome.  You should do yourself a favor and check it out yourself.

Tijuana Critical Mass

Just like the Mission

TIJUANALANDIA

Previously:

Mission Taquerias Need to Step it Up

Mission Bar Treats Need to Step it Up

Noisebridge is hosting a series of 5-minute talks tonight:

We are pleased to announce the monthly “Five Minutes of Fame”, scheduled for this Thursday, August 19th, at 8pm at Noisebridge. Bring yourself, your friends, your pet alien, and ping pong balls to throw at the speakers.

In addition to the talks, this month we’ll be hosting a tasting snack for everyone, courtesy of Frantisek Apfelbeck. Please reach out to him if you would like to help prepare the dish or otherwise support his cooking project.

All speakers have been notified, and the current schedule is as follows*:

King Henry VIII:
“Summa Theologica” (Richard Dawkins)
“Dumb is Good: Thoughts on Anti-Intellectualism” (Al Sweigart)
“How to Run a Barcamp” (Carl Sue)
“Android University” (Ozzy Satori)
“Experiments in Energy Harvesting” (Amber Lee)
“Legalization Now: Using Business to Empower Consumers” (Jehan Tremback)

Sir Thomas More:
“Life saving Food Cultures” (Frantisek Apfelbeck)
“Kombucha, My Lord, Kombucha” (Naomi Most)
“The Gaiety Project” (Cameron Eng)
“Making Music With a Phone” (Doctor Popular)
“The Open Primer Project” (Alex Peake)
“Manufacturing Dissent” (Quinn Norton)

I want to extend thanks to all the speakers, but especially all the people who have been showing up and make this event a success. Without all of you, it would not be able to happen.

aestetix

Did I really just read that my favorite evolutionary biologist/total religion troll Richard Dawkins will be there? That guy RULES! Although I have a hard time believing he’ll be able to rant for less than 5 minutes. For a swell time, check out his Enemies of Reason BBC series:

Also presenting will be the Mission’s own Dr. Popular, showing you how to make hits on an iPad. It’s the future of music, folks.

More at 5moF

Bryan Whalen sends us this beautiful flyer and says:

Many will attempt to enter the arena of battle, but just one team will climb atop a mountain of destroyed egos, mangled wrists and crushed PBR’s to hold the trophy high above they’re head and claim the throne to all of the Pinball Land.

All Conan-isms asides, the time has finally come for teams to prepare for the 1^st Annual Ball Busters Pinball Tournament. I’ve been plotting this tourney for a number of years, and finally , with the help of Rebel8 and our non-profit partner, Keep A Breast, it’s all come to fruition. The tournament is an invitational, and I’ve hand-selected teams that I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with over my time with Pabst Blue Ribbon. I greatly appreciate everyone who has supported myself and the brand, and now I’m hoping to give you all a kick ass time in return. The event is open to the public, so I highly encourage inviting as many friends as possible, particularly for the purpose of cheerleading. We will also have 200 limited edition tees and posters by Mike Giant (who will also be doing a live piece), all for the ridiculously low price of $20, as well as the El Tonayense Taco Truck (I will provide some freebie tacos) and “refreshments”, so bring cash! I am not charging for the tournament, but would love if each team made a small donation to Keep A Breast.

All the info you will need for the event is below:

1^st Annual Ball Busters Pinball Tournament

• Saturday, Aug 21^st 6 – 12am
• Guerrero Gallery, 2700 19^th @ Bryant
• Team Check-in:  5 pm (or earlier)
• Team Warm Up: 5-6
• Tournament: 6pm on

Rules:

• Single Elimination tournament. Sixteen 2 Person Teams.
• Teams will draw cards at random to determine machine and competitor. Teams flip for either 1/2 player or 3/4 player position.
• Scoring : 1^st round teams play two games. Team’s drop high and low scores, remaining scores averaged. High score in match advances. 2^nd round/semis/ finals/ championship play one game. Team’s score to be averaged, high score in match advances.
• While I am all for pinball finesse (nudging, bumping, bang backs), slamming, lifting, kicking, or slapping on machines is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Players displaying poor pinball etiquette will be swiftly ejected from the tournament. See next item…
• TILT RULE: 1^st tilt player will be issued warning, 2^nd tilt player will set out rest of game.
• No food or drink on or near machines during gameplay.
• Awards: 1^st , 2^nd Place and “Ball Busters Spirit Award”. Spirit. Award to be determined by PBR staff and will be based on, but not limited to: cheerleaders, costumes, heart and good sportsmanship
• Side bets and good natured trash talking are encouraged, but not required.

TEAMS CONFIRMED: HUF, Benny Gold, FTC, Medicine Agency, Workshop, Bender’s, Fecal Face, Rebel8, 330 Ritch, Evergold/SFAQ, Self Edge, Bro Palace, 111 Minna, Indie Mart

So there you have it. NOW GET OUT THERE AND PRACTICE! I won’t reveal what particular machines will be featured, but they’re quite common (if you’re good, you should be able to play on any machine!).  If you need hints on spots to practice, here’s a few: Lucky13, Elbo Room, The Uptown, Route 101, Malotovs, The Cinch, Doc’s Clock, Ace’s, Bender’s, Musee de Mecanique, Lucky Juju (east bay). Maybe I’ll see you out there and join in for a game.

Will there be a team Mission Mission? Outlook not good. I know there are a few pinball wizards here, but I think Tetris and Ping Pong are more our sports. We’ll just be there for the beer and yelling.

It’s easy to demonize Craig Yates for causing the closure of Chile Lindo on 16th, one of the neighborhood’s favorite empanada spots.  After all, he and his attorney have been on a rampage around the area recently, suing over 30 local businesses for ADA violations (he’s even suing Turtle Tower).  Furthermore, Paula Tejada and her empanadas have plenty of fans and supporters (who refer to her affectionately as “the Girl from Empanada”), owing to the deliciousness of her specialty and her friendly demeanor.

However, as SFoodie points out, wasn’t the Americans with Disabilities Act instituted in order to protect a certain (under-represented) group of people from discrimination?  Yates obviously feels that he is being discriminated against by not being allowed to fit inside a restaurant like other customers.  Just because he’s being a jerk about it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s wrong.  He views himself as a crusader for disabled rights.  Tejada sees him as an opportunistic nuisance out to make a quick buck on the backs of small business owners.

It’s a much trickier issue than anyone initially anticipated.  I don’t even know what to think anymore.  I just wish she had installed a ramp at her place before this whole thing got out of control.

[Photo by Melody Wong]

Previously:

It’s Always Sunny in the Mission: Chile Lindo Empanadas

Chile Lindo Moves to 16th and Capp

(Miranda July at Modern Times by the omnipresent Steve Rhodes)

Since 1971 Modern Times Bookstore has provided the people of the neighborhood with quality reading material. They’re an independent collective which has held its own against the rise of the major book chains and even the creation of the virtual bookosphere. But they’ve been struggling for a while, (they recently added used books to their shelves) yet they continue to stock the latest in progressive, alternative, LGBT and main stream product, as well as hold reading events in the back of the shop. If they don’t have something you want they’ll order it and call you for no extra charge.

They’re a rad store and they need help to stay open. So stop by, buy a book or three, or donate some cold hard cash if you’re so inclined. They’ll definitely appreciate it.

Found at Curbed, read more at Mission Local.