Chopstork

I expect you guys in SF to participate and take pictures and bring back stories:

Pillow Fight, Web Feb 14, the plaza at Embarcadero and Market.

Pillow Fight Returns

SF Chronicle - Hundreds attend mass pillow fight

Things I’ll miss about San Francisco in no order at all…

• Goat Hill Pizza’s neighborhood night. All you can eat pizza and salad every Monday. They come around with all kinds of pizza, “tomato, garlic, and artichoke?” “Suuure, I’ll take one.” The trick is, don’t eat the crusts—you can fit more pizza in your belly.
• The Live105 Surf and Ski report. How many places can you go skiing in Tahoe and surfing in Santa Cruz on the same weekend? I’ve never surfed in my life, but the point is, it’s nice out.
• No weather. It rains some during the winter rainy season. But besides that, it’s so nice here all the time that you don’t even take rain into consideration if you’re planning something outdoors. You can alwasy go outside. Of course, being in California I’ve missed weather too. I like clouds. I like driving in a storm. I like the smell of humidity.
• The drive up 280 to the city in the afternoons. When the fog pours over the hills around the Crystal Springs Reservoir.
• Stern Grove. Even though we only went two times in the two years we lived in San Francisco proper.
• Stupid fun events. Like b2b, urban iditarod, byobw, santacon, and all the other craziness I didn’t do but should have. Anything goes in San Francisco, and I love it.
• Live 105. At least I can listen online.
• Screw it, I’ll just make a big list… Peak’s, Fresca, Savor, Eric’s, Goat Hill, Cha Cha Cha, Baobob, Dragon Bar, Elbo Room, Romolo, Gravity, Warfield, Fillmore, Greek Theater, Citrus Club, corner store at 23rd and Kansas cuz they have 15 flavors of Boone’s Farm, Naan ‘n Curry, Thirsty Bear, Blondies, Bohemia Lounge, the Cellar, Bayside, Mauna Loa, Kookez, Klein’s, Baraka, Aperto, Eliza’s, Kell’s, Bubble Lounge, House of Nan King, Bamboo Hut, Clown Alley, Grub Steak, Medjool, Skylark, The Ramp, Cassanova Lounge, RBar, Bar None, City Tavern, Blue Triangle, Bruno’s, Bus Stop, Hobson’s Choice, Specs, Boom Boom Room, Tosca, Grant and Green, Savvoy, Fiddler’s Green, Fly Bar, Eos, Beatlenut, Rambla, Burger Joint, In-N-Out, Polyester’s, Mel’s Diner, Golden Boy Pizza, Cable Car Pizza, Pizza Orgasmica, Dak Win, La Taqueria, Taqueria San Jose, Taqueria Panchovia, Casa Mexicana, those other burrito places, Beach Chalet, Speedway Meadow, Lindley Meadow, Polo Field, Washington Square, Sweetwater, Sam’s, Guaymas, Spinnaker, Great American Music Hall, Stern Grove, Rikshaw Stop, Frjtz, Moshi Moshi, Hanamaru, Hardy’s, Blue Chalk, Blue Bonnet, Molly’s, Ugly’s, Shooters, Paul and Harvey, Miyake, Pearl’s Burgers…
• The hills and the views.
• Smoke-free bars.
• Liquor in the grocery store. Gotta go to the ABC store in Virginia, and you can’t buy beer after midnight at the grocery stores either.
• Taxis. There aren’t any cabs in Charlottesville. But it’s ok, cuz we’ll live close to downtown hopefully.
• And of course, all our friends. We really like our friends. We will miss our freinds. But we’ll visit for more good times, and hopefully you will visit us on the east coast. I don’t want to get sappy, so I’ll leave it at that.

Today was the last time we will wake up in San Francisco in our own home. We are sad.

The home of Tom and Jerry, in Noe Valley on 21st Street. I think I heard someone saying they’ve done this for 20 years. People come from all over the City to check it out. If you go on Christmas, rumor is Santa will be there too.

The Old Man sent an email today: “Last rent reminder…probably forever :( “

That is sad.

On a related note, if anyone knows anyone in Charlottesville that has the capacity to give me a job, please let me know. Professional shopping cart float designer would probably be the ideal.

On Sunday when you’re all hungover from our party, we can check out Pedal Monster by Cyclecide. They’re throwing a festival at the Mission Village Market at 18th & Alabama in the city—”a freakish, pedal-and-contraption-centric carnival of stupid and epic proportions.” Last time I saw them it was a circus-rodeo full of crazy bikes, bike-jousting, and pedal-powered carnival rides that you’re not quite sure are safe to ride. From their press release:

Featuring:
-Cyclecide Rides & Sideshow, with Skits, Mutant Bikes, Rodeo Clowns, and punk rock mariachi band Los Banos

-An Only In San Francisco Circus Midway, with Wrong-Way Bike Games, Ornery Clowns Doing Incredibly Stupid Things, and Hot Utra Gypsy Bellydancers Selling Raffle Tickets for Mutant Bikes and Other Prizes.

-Interclub Tallbike Jousting, as seen on TV and in the 2003 film-festival hit documentary *Too Dumb To Die* — contestants include Neanderthals from out-of-town bike tribes, Doyle the 2005 World Tallbike Jousting Champion, and Gorgar the Vain and Belligerent Urine-Eating Monster

-Pervitadora Records’ Glen Meadmore — the Hot, Horny, and Born-Again Singing Cowboy

-The Life-Size Mousetrap — the Rube Goldberg-inspired creation based on the children’s board game but instead of a net at the end there’s a 2-ton safe that smashes things. With three-a-day performances by sexy mice, cranky blue-collar clowns, and the one-woman-band Esmerelda Strange

The Disgusting Spectacle — a Giant Head Sculpture that Picks its Own Nose with an Equally Giant Pointy-Fingered Hand, Powered by a Human-Sized Hamster Wheel

BMX Ramp Competition and Flatland Expo Presented by First Rule

Kielbasa, the Accordion-Playing Lunch Lady

Yes! Just found out about Bring Your Own Big Wheel (BYOBW) this Sunday. The sixth annual Big Wheel race down Lombard St. Haven’t decided if I’m participating or just spectating. Where to find a big wheel? Maybe I’ll make like the kids in our old ‘hood Potrero Hill and ride a Sunset Scavenger trash can—no rubber wheels, so it’s legal, right?

And from the organizer’s site: “Lombard Street is of course not the crookedest street, especially compared to Vermont Street in Potrero Hill….” Damn straight. Ah, the memories.

The local ABC 7 did a 6 o’clock news story about one of the projects Laura is working on. Check out the story here: Project Works to Restore the Bay. Click “watch this report” on the right to see the broadcast.

The Urban Iditarod is apparently an annual race in San Francisco. We just heard about it this year (thanks Herbert). Replace the dogs with people, the sled with a shopping cart, and Alaska with San Francisco, and there you go. Here’s a little chronicle of our adventures. Feel free to add your own stories.

Our team - the Incredibeagles and LABraDORKS.

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