Slow Day, Slow Week...

Kind of seems like that on a lot of the net-rags so far this week.  A lot of recycled semi-"news," with very little insight.
I'm contemplating investing my entire bank account in a new fancy camera.  I've convinced myself I have other things I'm not using that I could sell on craigslist if straits become dire enough after the purchase.  Will it happen?  Stay tuned...

Robotspeak Closing It's Doors

While I was taking a brief evening stroll I noticed a sign in Robotspeak's window informing me that they will soon be closing their Haight St. location [looks like you got scooped Haighteration, jk, you know I love ya.]--[Correction - looks like Haighteration scooped us weeks ago].  For those of you that don't know, Robotspeak is a really cool little electronic music store that's sells all the gear you could possibly wish for and then some (not to mention they offer classes to learn that complicated synth software you just bought and have no idea how to use at supremely reasonable prices)  It's really too bad because I've only actually been in this store maybe twice, but I always intended to go in there and make some real purchases.
Anyhoo, it's looks like they may intend to open another store front at some point in the future, but where and when isn't clear.  As a result of this they are holding a discount sale on all of their gear and current courses.
Make sure you get in there and check em out before they close their doors at that location for good.

SIGN READS:

ROBOTSPEAK CLOSING HAIGHT STREET LOCATION - BLOWING OUT INVENTORY

To our loyal customers,

After almost eight years of computer music software and hardware sales, we have decided it is time to change our business model. As of June 1st Robotspeak will be closing our location at 589 1/2 Haight Street. In the near future we will continue operations at a new location, concentrating 100% on the very thing that we love most about the business, education. We will be putting all of our efforts towards hosting a full battery of affordable classes and offering private consultations. We will also still be available to take special orders for any gear you may need, but all of our current inventory must go!

So what does that mean for you?

1. The next month will be the best time ever to buy gear for your studio. Beginning now everything is on sale. Some items up to 30% off and all cables are 40% off. Additionally, Take 5% off any item not currently in stock for special order. Also available for sale: glass display cases, store studio furniture, CPUs, racks, etc!

2. We want to continue to be a valuable resource for San Francisco's community of musicians. By purchasing gear from Robotspeak between now and the end of June you will REALLY BE HELPING US OUT as we make our transition.

3. Please consider enrolling in one of our upcoming May classes! DIY MIDI Controller begins Thursday the 13th (this class is going to be killer, taught by our genius friend Craig Dorety, you will build your very own 8-fader, 8-button MIDI controller from the ground up. Three 2-hour classes and all equipment for only $325! Our hugely successful Ableton Live 101 begins Monday May 17th.

Thanks for all of your continuing support, we look forward to the future.

Sincerely,

Alan Stewart & Steve Taormina
ROBOTSPEAK

Sincerely,
Alan Stewart & Steve Taormina - Robotspeak

At Least the Chronicle Has a Sense of Humor

Sometimes the SFGate (aka The San Francisco Chronicle)'s headlines make-a me laugh.  Check out a couple of the hilarious/outlandish/sensational slugs from today followed by some from May 4th (a particularly crazy headline day):


Hundreds of kitten-sized rats in N.M. home  --- I smell a new meme, lolrats
Dog hero in Berkeley shelter fire that kills 15 cats --- hmm, something fishy's going on here
Buying pot's the most un-green thing you can do --- followed by blazing your H2 down the highway with the windows down and the ac blasting while burning a pile of tires out the back hatch
Craigslist ad claims underage sex for sale --- that'll get you some pageviews
Women allegedly try to smuggle meth inside Bible --- brilliant!


From May 4th (sorry I don't have links to the stories for these):
Oakland cops kill 'Bambi'
Grenada man hauls bucket of human heads to cops
Mom turns in son for stealing drugs from her bra
Police tell parents that son is dead -- he's not

Local Celebrity of the Day: Old Spear Street White Beard

Again, here's another half-assed feature of someone that I (and I'm certain many other people) see almost every weekday. 
He is another denizen of Spear Street between Mission and Market.  One of the kindest, least obtrusive bums in all of San Francisco.  I have never heard this man outright ask for anything whatsoever; he merely stands or shuffles up and down saying "have a good evening'" or some other variation.  You can tell all around nice guy.  If you happen to see him be sure to tip the hat and drop a dime if you can spare it.
I don't know much else about him other than what I can gather from passing him daily, although I'm sure he has an interesting background and present story.   Maybe someday when I have a little more time and something to give back I'll stop and chat with him a little longer. 

Actors needed for Discovery Channel Shark Week show

I love all of the recent open calls for shark attack re-enactments on craigslist, unfortunately I'm not much of a swimmer and am terrified of being in open water in the ocean...
Click on the pictures to jump to the ads

Lucha Vavoom at The Fillmore - Mexican Wrestling/Burlesque Show

Friday evening this was quite an event that a visiting friend from out of state suggested we attend; and might I add (not knowing what we were up for) that this was quite an experience!
Below I present to you some unedited clips from the evening.  Beware some of these maybe NSFW, and most of these will not do justice to the spectacle.
What more could you ask for?  Mexican Wrestling, striptease, midgets, a character named Dirty Sanchez complete with embellished pubic hair, midgets, a lady with an oversized bag of cocaine and razorblade, and much, much more.  This was a touch pricey but totally worth it in the end.

My Weak Bay To Breakers Coverage

Look, we all know all the other blogs are going to oversaturate B2B coverage so I'm not going to waste a whole lot of time here on the matter.  Let's just say it was fun as always.  In fact it felt like it was even crazier this year, but it probably always seems that way.
So here's a short video I shot at the intersection of Fillmore and Hayes around 10am:

Like Him or Not, This Guy is Rock

I meant to post this amongst other video oddities that I saw over the weekend, but because of some trouble I was having with my editing software I am temporarily unable to bring you video of "Sweet Dudes Dancing" at the How Weird festival.  I'll get that up eventually.
In the meantime enjoy this video of San Francisco's one and only Jord Peck - One Man Band...

Sketch 4 Sketch at Upper Playground

On Saturday a friend turned me onto the Sketch 4 Sketch that was happening at Upper Playground.  This is basically where a bunch of established, brilliant artists sit behind a table and will trade a one of a kind original sketch for your own original artwork.  The artists in attendance on Saturday were Alex Pardee, N8 Van Dyke, Dave Correia, and Jeremy Fish.
This whole experience was a blast!  Yeah, I had to wait in line for around 3 hours and Jeremy Fish had to take off just before it was my groups turn.  BUT we did get the chance to meet and hang out with some great new, like-minded friends while we waited in line and drank tall-boys;  And the hype-man/line-tamer was genuinely entertaining.  Not to mention I left with three original sketches from some great artists at the cost of trading some prints that I made a while back.  All in all not a bad deal, check it out:

Original sketch from Dave Correia

A little less original(I definitely saw some other people with very similar sketches from him) sketch, but still very cool, from N8 Van Dyke

 

Original Sketch from Alex Pardee

Alex Pardee at work

 

Couldn't avoid dropping a few bucks for a limited edition print too

BLF Speaks at De Young Kind of a Bust

This is a great time of year to be a resident of SF.  The weather is generally pretty nice, and there are non-stop happenings every single day.  To the point where the decision becomes what will I least regret missing.
This past weekend I attended a handful of affairs, which I will now recount for you.

On Friday I decided to check out the Billboard Liberation Front pow-wow at the De Young Museum (see Thursdays post).  Because of a number of other things going on that night I kind of made the decision at the last minute and only went specifically to see Russell Howze do a stencil cutting demonstration.  Unfortunately, the scheduled events did not occur in order or on time, and I don't know if Russell Howze actually even spoke; If he did I had to leave before it happened.  It wasn't a complete wash though, at least I got to go up to the observation tower at beautiful time of day:

Lack.

For a lack of anything to discuss today I bring you pictures of stuff on my cat.  I do, however, think I will try and attend the Billboard Liberation Front event at the De Young Museum tomorrow night (via Laughing Squid).  This looks like it will prove to be a promising Friday evening activity. 
But back to the matter at hand.  Here is my cat impersonating a chicken wearing a cat shaped backpack

Now here is a standard cat pose:

I decided to post one more cat photo for good measure.  Here he is in his secret garden:

That about wraps it up for today.  If you're lucky you may spot my cat in the front window of my apartment as you pass by.

Leftovers from the Weekend: Space Car, Twat on a Train, and Great Name for a Jeweler

Pretty much exactly what the Title says.  Some leftover snaps from this weekend.  First a space car spotted in the Mission:

Then this next series is meant to shame this inconsiderate twat on the over crowded outbound N train on Saturday after the Giants game.  Normally I wouldn't use the term "twat" when referring to a female, but it seemed rather fitting for such a priggish human waste.  Mind you this train was more packed than usual on a Saturday afternoon and people had to let several trains pass them by as they were too crowded to fit anyone else and this fine specimen decided she needed the extra seat next to her for her bag.  Also to be noted she was pretending not to notice how crowded the train was by concentrating on her third-grade level biology and math workbooks.  She was not mentally disabled, just a bitch.

Finally, I came across this hilarious jewelry store somewhere in the Financial District (I don't remember what street it was on).  Anyway, if you don't know why this is funny clearly you missed out in your youth.

Cap'n Tappin'

With a lack of motivation to discuss much today I bring to you this short video of a man tapping his feet at Powell and Market.

Mind you this is not the usual man who taps there (although he was present at this time too), but an altogether different man who appears to be a LOT better than the usual shirtless sweaty guy who's always there.  Don't get me wrong I appreciate that guy for what he is too, but he kind of comes off to me as if he hasn't been trained at all (again, nothing wrong with that).  And my final comment, I don't know if this "new" guy really is new as I this is a section of the city I generally avoid unless I'm looking for a reasonably priced new pair of jeans, nothing nevermind.