Mission Blue, Mission Reds
Red and blue? Norteños and Sureños? Not so fast.
Thanks to Mission Mission, we all know about the Mission Reds, the minor league baseball team defending the ‘hood from 1928-1937 against the evil San Francisco Seals.
They even had their own mural at Albion and 16th in the 1980’s — a mashup with the Mission’s own Woodward’s Gardens from the late 1800s (which deserves its own post later…)
But these Mission cycling guys decided to use baby blue, not red for their colors. Whaaa??? Where’s your historical continuity, bike dudes?
But wait! Baby blue actually makes sense as I just read about the rare Mission Blue butterfly via Eye on Blogs.
It used to be widespread throughout the Bay Area, but you can guess the story — it is now only found in the Marin Headlands, San Bruno Mountain and… Twin Peaks. But even the Twin Peaks population (PDF) has taken a serious hit over the past 10 years — their main meal, lupine, has not been doing so well lately. However efforts are underway to bring them back to the hood.
To aid the recovery of the beautiful Mission Blue Butterfly, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (SFRPD) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will start releasing 22 of the endangered butterflies on Thursday, April 16, 2009 in natural areas on San Francisco’s Twin Peaks….
…“The mission blue butterfly is a critical indicator of the health of San Francisco’s biological diversity,” said Jared Blumenfeld, General Manger of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. “This magnificent species, which can be found nowhere else in the world, cannot be allowed to go extinct. By releasing twenty-two mission blue butterflies into their native habitat on Twin Peaks, we hope to bring this species back from the brink.”
They’re about the size of a quarter, so keep an eye out. And plant some lupine.
This has been your irregularly scheduled color commentary on the Mission.
Yet Another Reason Caffeinated Comics Rocks
Reasons why I like Caffeinated Comics:
Four Barrel Coffee made using a french press? Check.
Grand opening party tonight at 7? Check.
Hand Made Frequent Imbiber Card? Check.
Mission & Valencia, 7-9, check it out.
Do Not Poo Between These Cars
(At least according to this diagram.) Haircuts are OK though.
But what do position 4 and 5 indicate?
Can You See in 3D?
So, for reasons still mysterious to me, I was asked to moderate at the SPUR Blogging-In-SF meeting last night. On the panel were such diverse elements as Plug1, Mission Loc@l and SF Streetsblog.
(I highly recommend moderating a panel. You get to listen to everyone’s answers and then sound really clever by repeating what they just said, but using different hand gestures. Make sure everyone has a beer though, and that you are taller than them.)
In all seriousness, a great event. I met many blogs for the first time — NJudah, MuniDiaries, SFist, EveB, MeganAllison, Bikes and The City, just to name a few. All were as witty and attractive as their writing indicate, and the evening was an interesting discussion on the future of blogging and journalism. Number one point — we need to have a better word than “blaaahg”.
However, the most shocking revelation of the evening was that Allan Hough of Mission Mission CANNOT SEE IN THE THIRD DIMENSION. (At least using that cross-eyed method, a la my upside-down traffic cone experiment of yesterday.)
Below is another 3D sample — behold the Shmaltz RIPA I had after finishing my taxes this afternoon.
Can you see my Shmaltz in the THIRD DIMENSION? Answer in the poll below.
Squirrel Literary and Musical Trends
In this week’s SF Weekly I Heart Street Art, Allan of Mission Mission notes this Valencia-based rodent bearing musical tidings and literary warnings:
I love this Newsprint Rodent. As print news makes its final descent into oblivion, what better way to commemorate its reign than by turning one of its pages into a whimsical woodland rodent ventured into the city for some action? Note the Hemlock, Elbo Room and Fillmore ads as black striping on the tail, and the 540 Club elephant mascot as a tuft of white at the tail’s tip.
I believe this rodent is also clearly pining for a nut-filled Valencia Street Park, along with the “Blue Jackal” (my new name for the Blue Macaw International House of Music.)
Cones of Distress – In 3D!
Sexpigeon documents the meaning of various urban signs, a la shoes hanging from a telephone wire = crack dealer, etc.
- Pair of shoes, side-by-side: This way to haircuts.
- Pair of shoes, toes pointed towards each other: Safe to poo between these cars.
- Pair of shoes, toes pointed away from each other: Do not poo between these cars.
Along with many more.
Allan asks what the meaning of a “cone in a hole” is — low-rez, grainful goodness below.
I too recently noted this “cone in a hole” phenomena in La Lengua. If you can do that eye-crossing thing, you may observe this cone IN THE THIRD DIMENSION.
“Cone in the hole” sounds like an old British Navy expression to me. Ships often fly flags upside-down to indicate distress. I believe this is a budgetary cry for help from the SFDPT.
Mission Microhoods, Oblique Edition
The Overhead Wire brings us this perfectly aligned and elegantly lit shot of SF. Hi Sutro! Hello hills!
This reminded me of this oblique shot my mother took of the Mission a few months back:
Rotated, de-Noed and un-Potrerod.
And now, with microhood names – click on the image to zoom past the WordPress 450 pixel width limit.
By request, a 144 dpi version (2.3 MB).
Gorda My Torta
I need a nap.
Rock And Roll Is Not A Crime
Support Slim’s and the Great American Music Hall in an epic battle against the State of No Fun’s ABC.
“Slim’s and GAMH are under siege from the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) with regards to our All Ages licenses. We have had a great deal of legal expenses in the past year. Purchase of this shirt will go to support our ongoing legal bills and help to keep Slim’s and GAMH alive. Only $20! Thanks for your support. “
$20, available at the box office or by email.
Cafe du Nord, Bottom of the Hill, where are your shirts? (Here’s my jailbird logo. Poor little guy can barely get his head through the bars.)
Doctor Memory notes that the State ABC is also going after the DNA Lounge:
On July 9, 2008, we had a hearing to contest ABC’s denial of our license conversion, and we reached a settlement with ABC. On Aug 14, 2008, our petition to convert our Type 48 liquor license to a Type 47 was finally granted.
However, on Aug 6, 2008, we received a citation from ABC for “lewdness”, “discrimination”, and “running a disorderly house injurious to the public welfare and morals”!
Oh my. You can contribute to their defense fund here.
The biggest complaint seems to be utter inconsistency on the ABC’s part, never mind nitpicking that seems from another era.
Forlorn Candy Corn on Valencia Street Art Wall
Why so sad? Perhaps he misses Lou and the Buffalo Bomber.
Burrito Justice 