Mission Mission

What better night to tempt the lords of darkness with a wild Smiths/Misfits dance party than Friday the 13th?  Afraid?  Too bad, because the Smithsfits Friend Club makes it triumphant return tomorrow at the Knockout, and the best part is that the first 36 people to walk through the door get a rad limited edition Smithsfits button!  You’d be surprised how well the Smiths and Misfits go together when you just want to dance, which is why this night has become one of my favorite parties in the neighborhood!  Be sure to Like the page so you stay up to date on when the next party’s going down (that is, if you make it through the night).

Oh, and don’t forget to RSVP and invite your friends here!

Although I’m on record as a skeptic of bedazzling bike helmets, the fact remains that nowadays everyone seems to be wearing those rad Bern helmets with the visor, so the only way to differentiate yourself from the crowd is to really do it yourself.  And who better to help you out with this fabulous task than the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, who recently launched their new Bike Safety Campaign back at the last Sunday Streets.

Should you find yourself aching to try your hand at your own disco ball protection, they’ll be holding a HELMET BEDAZZLING workshop this Saturday the 14th from 4-6pm at Alley Cat Books on 24th and Treat.

RSVP and invite your friends here!

[Photo]

Previously:

• Disco ball helmet is either the greatest idea ever or the worst folly in the history of cycling

Did you know there is a whole video/production studio at the back of Artist Television Access on Valencia at 21st? It’s called Goldwave and lately they’ve been producing an ongoing series called Chromavision which highlights local musicians who are bridging the worlds of analog and digital production. Check out their second episode featuring both an interview (above) and live set (below) with Mission resident Natural Curves!

One of our readers seems to have a little problem with his musically inclined neighbors:

I live in a house on a purely residential block in the Mission. Like most of the homes in the neighborhood, we have a zero lot line with the neighbors (ie our exterior walls touch). My neighbor is in a band, and they regularly practice at the house on weeknights until after 11pm. Occasionally they will play past midnight. The sound travels quite clearly into my bedroom.

The music, incidentally, is pretty good. The problem is that I have a job that requires me to wake up before 6am. For me, this means I need to get to sleep around 10pm.

Over the course of 8-10 months, I have repeatedly reached out and asked them to music on the weekdays to 10pm. The response is generally friendly, but the next day I need to ask again, and again and again. They clearly don’t care at all.

I certainly realize that I live in a dynamic neighborhood, but it just doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect band practice to stop by 10pm on a weeknight in a purely residential neighborhood.

Am I out of line? If not, any suggestions on remedies. I would like to salvage the relationship, but am out of ideas.

My take on the situation?  This is bullshit.  These jerks need to get a practice space and play their music there.  That’s what bands do in a city where everyone lives in apartments.  If you don’t, you’re a selfish douchebag.

Note:  I am NOT referring to the amazing Dennis Richmond rooftop band that occasionally plays above the Attic.  Those guys are rad and have their own practice space at Secret Studios.

[Photo by Burrito Justice]

While we’re on the subject of burritos in other countries, our pal Ashley reminded us about her first experience with a burrito in Korea.  Let’s see what we’ve got here:  Kidney beans, steamed white rice, lettuce, cabbage, sliced olives, and melted cheddar all contained within a rather hastily wrapped tortilla.  I suppose that if you were trying to describe a burrito in the most basic sense to someone who has never seen or tasted one (“yeah dude, it’s easy–just rice, beans, cheese, and some veggies in a tortilla”), then it’s conceivable that this is something they could come up with.  On the other hand, just no.

Previously:

• This is a burrito in Paris

Although French cuisine may be celebrated as some of the finest and most influential in the world, our pal Natalie discovered that the lofty reputation unsurprisingly did not apply to Mexican food, as she recently endured what appears to be the saddest burrito ever assembled.  When asked what might be found within this astoundingly pathetic tortilla wrap-job (even worse than in NYC), she tentatively replied:

Shredded beef and cheese, there might’ve been beans but I didn’t eat it so I’m not sure!

Smart move, Natalie.  I’m not sure how hungry and homesick I’d have to be in order to scarf down this “wet” burrito slathered in some sort of tomato-esque sauce with a dollop of sour cream, served with a side of burnt white rice and Shirazi salad.  On the plus side, one thing they did manage to get right was the chip-to-guacamole ratio.

Wow, they sure do it better in Berlin.

Previously:

• Guten Tag! Mission Burritos in Berlin!
• Another Mission Review of Dolores Burritos in Berlin
• NYC ‘burrito’
• NYC Burrito Makers Have Weak Arms
• Mission Burritos for Rhodes Scholars

Just a minute or two after they were called.  Nice work fellas.  Everyone seemed to be safe, too.

Be careful tomorrow everyone!

Electrical lines are blowing sparks so please stay away. We’ve already called the FD.

What do you do when the same car alarm continues to drive you absolutely bonkers every single night but you just can’t discern the source? Such is the case for a couple of new residents to our fine neighborhood:

My roommate and I just moved to the lovely intersection of 21st and San Carlos. We are both new to this illustrious city and are proud to call ourselves residents of the Mission. We have, however, one single complaint and were hoping you and other residents might provide some assistance into the matter. You see, we are fully aware that living in the city comes with some city noises (we’re from Houston and Chicago respectively) so the odd siren or car alarm is only a temporary nuisance. Yet, there exists a car alarm which is audible from our intersection that goes off approximately every hour or so.

Our assumption is that it’s triggered by pigeon farts, clouds shifting or someone thinking about buying a Brooks saddle. It’s very identifiable, because instead of your typical car alarm it has an odd series of chirps and squeaks. It’s the only alarm of it’s kind I’ve heard. Both my roommate and I work long hours, and any attempts to triangulate its position have been so far fruitless, yet we know it can’t be too far off. We figured others in the area must hear it all the time. Day and night. Beeping. Blaring. Driving us mad. Any who our end goal is to locate it and either place a note for the owner, or submit a noise complaint to the city of SF. Or pay some guy $20 to rip the cable out from under the hood. Whatever works.

Well, at least it’s not a mockingbird car alarm!  And before you give ‘em the old “Durrrrrr, welcome to the Mission motha-fuckas!” comment that I know you’re just dying to submit, perhaps you can come up with something a bit more clever?  Or, God forbid, constructive?  And I’m not talking about employing something that shares its namesake with our friend from the photo above!

Previously:

Mission Mockingbird Car Alarm

Our pal Veljko just returned from a month overseas in the Middle East and Eastern Europe complete with a new look that is sure to sweep the nation.  Confused?  Here, have a closer look:

Bonus points if the two patterns are as starkly different as possible.  Well done sir!