Mission Mission

Is this a picture from a new bike shop? Reader Olivia explains:

…this deserves some public recognition! a bike rack that my two friends built in their mission dolores apartment.

I know at least two apartments (you know who you are!) that would benefit greatly from this sort of arrangement. The commonly-used doorway bike pile is not a scalable system. It’s designed for quick deposit, not retrieval.

Got a better way? Send us a picture or explain in the comments.

A tree identified as Douglas Fir was found dead on 20th and Folsom this morning. Early reports indicate cause of death was dehydration after the victim was dismembered and forced to stand upright using an elaborate anchoring mechanism. Scarring on the limbs detail that the victim was bound with electrical wire and forced to wear weighted objects during this agonizing period of torture.

The perpetrators are still at large and their motive is still unknown.

[via calwong]

Sometimes “For a good time, call…” graffiti isn’t specific enough. What kind of “good time” are we talking about? The secret location of a warehouse with a ball pit?

“Free Beer” is the kind of good time we can all appreciate. I’m not sure how this transaction will be carried out, though. Delivery or pickup? Will you be shuffled into a conference room and forced to watch a DVD on Lake Tahoe timeshares?

[snapped at 24th and Valencia by pwacher]

Yeah we get it, snow is a magical gift of nature that looks pretty, makes passable forts, and can be sledded upon. Then you live in it and within days you realize it’s a pain in the ass. It’s cold. It gets slushy. Your face hurts and you start ducking into random stores on the street just so you can warm up enough to walk further.

Need further convincing?  Check out these luxuries we get to enjoy in our temperate neighborhood microclimate.

Riding bikes

I don’t care how “connected to the road” you feel on a fixed gear ride, nothing is “connecting” you to a thick layer of ice. Check out what those less fortunate cyclists in Seattle have to do:

Yup, those are zip tie tire chains. The innovator Fritz Rice says:

I can accelerate, brake, and corner with aplomb, even on the vile snowpack/sheet ice mix the plows leave in the bike lanes. The zip ties dig nicely into the hardest packed surfaces, but they’re thin enough not to bounce the bike around at low speed or on short pavement sections.

Bragging about being able to accelerate, brake, and corner in the winter? And here we are complaining that our butts get wet because of some puddles. By the way, if you don’t have a fender, we have our own little innovation. Bungee a folded up copy of the Examiner to your rear rack. Works great.

[Dutch Bike Co. via lifehacker]

Native Burritos

If we want a burrito, the process is simple: walk a block (or two if you want the better one), buy a burrito, and enjoy.

Apparently, this is not so easy in ski towns like Mammoth Mountain. Burritos must be imported to you on monstrosities such as this:

Think of the carbon footprint on that sucker. I feel like if I don’t comply with a valid order within 20 seconds, a machine gun turret will open up on the side and lay me to waste. I’ll bet the burritos stink, too.

[Thrillist via Laughing Squid]

Youtube user nico1001nico made a nice short documentary about Mission gentrification from the perspective of the small business owners. For the most part, they don’t really seem to mind the changes happening. There’s less crime, better business, and more diversity.

Micah from Black & Blue delivers the most scathing line, when asked what she’d like to see changed: “More low income housing, more services available to the poor, and less trust fund babies moving into the neighborhood.”

The most baffling quote comes from Connie, the Latina business owner, describing her dream of 24th becoming the next Noe Valley. For serious?

Previously:

Dregs One on Gentrification

Update: Video removed by the creator. Probably pissed off too many trust fund babies.

Update 2: Aaand it’s back. Not sure what’s changed:

Dude, CRAB BUNS.

In case you ever do find yourself in SF’s Chinatown, Golden Gate Bakery is where it’s at. Not only do they make adorable baked goods such as this, they are known for the best egg tarts in the bay. Follow the long line of Cantonese ladies.

[via calwong]

Yeah, so I guess that whole universal health care thing didn’t really work out. Nobody wants to be a communist, after all. So what are your options now?

Rupa Marya is a local medical doctor. She also happens to be the leader of the world-traveling band Rupa and the April Fishes. That makes her a pretty darn good authority on health care and how low-income folks with no insurance (most musicians and artists, for example) can access it. She is helping organize a free presentation on health care options in San Francisco this Saturday, January 8 from 2-3:30pm in the Mission. All are welcome.

Here are the details:

++CMF–Accessing Health Care for Artists in SF++

The Community Music Forum brings you another chapter. . .A FREE presentation of how to access services available at low cost (or no cost) in SF. This session is OPEN TO ALL—not just artists but will highlight health issues that tend to be more prevalent in SF’s art scene.

We will have a representative from SF’s HEALTHY SF there to demystify the enrollment process and answer any questions you have about HEALTHY SF–if you qualify for it (you probably do), what medications and services are covered, what is not covered and how you get set up.

We will also have a list of providers available from other healing traditions who provide sliding scale services. And if you have any random health questions, there will be a handful of doctors in the house.

COME ON BY! and RSVP so we can get a headcount and make enough chai.

The Porto Franco Art Parlor is the venue for this, and it’s located at 953 Valencia Street.

[photo by kapshure]

Taken at the corner of Folsom and 17th at City Cremation. Not everyone can afford a fancy urn.

[photo and title by reader Joel G.]

Last night at Amnesia, Emperor Norton’s Jazz Band introduced this as a 1930′s Louis Armstrong classic, but you probably know it as the 90′s remake “Buddy Holly” by Weezer.

They perform every first Sunday at Amnesia if you want to catch them next time and join the sing-a-long.

The instrument of choice for singers who don’t know what to do with their hands just got fishy.

I’m not sure what’s more amazing: the fact that fish tambourines are a real product, or that they are manufactured by a company called “C.O.D. Novelties”. Also available in dove.

[snapped at 21st and Mission]