Found this photo in our Flickr account the other day. It touches off all sorts of geek nerves in me — from the suggestion of speed and motion to the wide-angle aspect and blurring of imagery. Great photo by Rick.

Well, nothing much going on this weekend. Ah, we kid. Hell, the weekend seemed to start early for most of you (not us!), so you’re probably reading this Sunday or Monday. Hope you enjoyed it.

If you’re still looking for things to do Saturday, the day the country we live in was born, look no further — SF Appeal has a great round-up.

Weather in the city should be mild by July standards. Go forth … on the fourth. [the sound of fellow Muni Diaries editors beating Jeff]

xoxo

Muni Diaries

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Another week off has given the Muni Mind Reader the fortitude to channel deep into the darkness of the Muni DJ’s brain. Brushing aside neurological cobwebs, Tiffany gets at this budding phonophile’s intentions, which might just surprise you. Everybody dance now!

They say that music is the universal language.

No one speaks, feels, or lives this language as much as I do. Call me an ambassador, yeah, an ambassador of life, love, peace, and most of all, bass and treble, who just wants to break down these oppressive walls of society with my music. My music. Well, that makes it sound like I’m being greedy. This is your music too, people. Your music. No! It’s our music. This language that we can all speak.

So when you see me climb onto Muni with my sweet-ass radio, one that you thought had long been extinct, rather than smother me with looks of horror, maybe you should break out into thundering applause. I’m also a fan of the “slow clap.” Better yet, I dream of the day when everybody puts down their books, disgruntled looks, and hand-held devices, and we all just sing together. Who didn’t love chorus class, right?

Anyone want to do that?

Are we all ready? And a 1, and a 2. And a 3…everybody!

[Silence]

Ugh. What’s wrong with you people? I remember the days when people sat on the bus and talked to each other, shared ideas, maybe even made a friend or two. Now, everyone’s just plugged into their iPhones or texting on their Blackberries, and keeping to themselves. Where is your sense of community? You think I don’t know what I’m doing? You think I just play this stuff as loud as I can simply out of a love for the song? C’mon, I’m smarter than that. I’m trying to reach you! That’s what’s going on!

When I picked out this little gem for your listening pleasure this morning, I just knew, KNEW, I had knocked it out of the park this time. It got me thinking about a possible career change. I have always dreamed of being a DJ, one of those big-club DJs who can demand ten or $20,000 a gig. And here I am, every morning, performing for you for free. You’d be amazed at how few appreciate this gift I bring every day.

Instead, everyone’s trying to pretend like the music isn’t even playing. I even took the liberty of playing this one track twice in a row. Everyone was staring at me as I made my way to the back of the bus. I saw all of you glance up and stare at me. I felt your eyes boring into my back as you tried to figure out where the hell I was going to sit (which by the way, all DJs sit in the back as it’s the preferred position for achieving maximum amplification). I figured I had stirred your heart a little bit, freed your mind even. Looks like all I did was aggravate you instead. Sigh.

I just have to believe. I just have to know that perseverance always wins out in the end. And one morning, when I least expect it, I’m going to play the one song that’ll make everyone drop what they’re doing and get their ass out of their seat. A mobile dance party!! If those rented trolleys can do it, why can’t we? Those people pay big bucks for their dance party on wheels! We only have to pay $2!!

Now, I realize that maybe it’s the morning and you just aren’t ready to rock, or maybe it’s the afternoon, and between myself and the screaming teenagers, you were hoping for a little quiet.

Or maybe, you just don’t like this song. But hey, I take requests.

Muni Mind Reader takes requests, too. But she can’t promise anything. Check back next Friday for her next crystal-ball-to-website delight.

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The city of SF and muni continues to amaze me. Besides having to endure the always “colorful” 47/49 on my commute to & from work, I now have the pleasure of walking past huge piles of crap next to the stop @ North Point. For TWO days now this lovely pile has been sitting here hanging out greeting tourists as the make their way over to Ghiradelli [sic] Square. Are there wild horses roaming around that I don’t know about?

It’s amazing that tourists still visit our city given how we don’t really give a crap about keeping it nice and clean for them. I guess we natives can just pass along stories to you muni diaries to share in the pain and misery.

-vivian

Step in something on or around Muni lately? Send us stories and photos!

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~ 11:54 a.m., 7.2.09: God, this guy is tweeking OUT on this 49. #muni

~ a few minutes later: funny thing is he looks very clean. New shoes, hands look clean, clean new clothes. Meth is weird.

Video could’ve made this experience even more lovely. But for now, Connor’s kind message to us will have to do.

Anyone see/hear/god forbid — touch this fella? Let us know in comments.

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But all I did that one workday, I swear, was jump on a #14 Mission bus in the late afternoon and stand near a tiny, Mexican-or-Central-American-looking lady about the same age as my granny who was sitting in one of the front seats.

We inadvertently made eye contact. She scoped out my outfit, my jewelry and my general demeanor…then slowly and deliberately *crossed herself* while looking right at me and audibly whispering *”Dios mio!”*

My jaw dropped a little. I wasn’t going to say anything — I was raised to be really, really polite to older people,and besides that, y’know, First Amendment and all — but she got up and started to debus in rather a hurry. So I said “Thank you, ma’am”, like a well-mannered Childe Ov Satan, and sat down in her just-vacated seat.

Been blessed or saved on Muni lately? Time to sing it from the mountaintops, so to speak. Send us your stories!

Photo by Flickr user Marc Broens

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… along with this penetrating question:

Is it wrong to kind of wish the mini fridge was still in this box? It’s AC/DC powerd AND can do hot, also.

Are your editors simply out of the consumerist loop? WTF is a mini-fridge, any-freakin’-way?

Send your WTFs and other poignant observations of life on Muni to us!

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I was waiting for a 22 in front of the Potrero Center the other night. The bus pulled in to the stop and I waited for the door to open.

Suddenly, a man pushing a granny cart piled high with stuff came up right next to me and loudly yelled, “Excuse me! Excuse me!”

I looked at him, blankly. I was tired, it was hot, mostly I wasn’t sure why he needed to squeeze between me and the bus.

“Excuse me!” he yelled again.

A woman standing nearby shook her head.

“Don’t you yell at her,” she said. “That ain’t very polite.”

She grinned at me. “See, I got you covered, honey.”

I smiled back at her, thanked her, and got on the bus.

We love love love these “day in the life,” and really all types of Muni stories. We’ll publish your stories about BART, as well. Drop us a line sometime.

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Start sharing your Muni photos and Muni stories today. Why wait?

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Image from Flickr user eviloars

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No, this is a simple notice that today at noon 5 p.m., voting in the SF Bay Guardian’s Best of the Bay 2009 poll will close. Today will be your (and all your friends’ and family’s) last chance to tell the Guardian (and the world) how awesome this site is by choosing us as Best local blog.

The incentive? Here’s our imagined scenario: We win (shameless? okay …) and Jerry Brown just happens to read the Best of the Bay awards issue. He wins the Democratic nomination for governor of California, he wins the governor’s seat, he solves all the problems of the state and becomes, yet again, nationally recognized. But he never forgets that Muni Diaries is the best blog in the Bay Area, and by God, he takes that knowledge with him … all the way to the White House in 2016! At the presidential inauguration on January 20, 2017, Muni Diaries is mentioned, as a shining example of an outstanding …

Or not. Maybe we just win. Or place. Either way, we’re humbled by your votes. All several thousand of them.

Have a great day, and check back later as we return to our normal programming.

xoxo

Muni Diaries

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