Weekend Photo Diary

Here Nor There
Photo by Troy Holden

What a week! We’re still riding the high of being voted Best Local Blog by readers in the Bay Guardian‘s Best of the Bay 2009. We’re honored and humbled, and truly, seriously, honestly couldn’t make this site what it is without our readers and contributors. The stories on the site come from you and your friends. That’s the idea, anyway. And we say: Keep ’em comin’!

What else? Well, as Greg at N-Judah Chronicles was wise to alert us all to, tonight is Critical Obnoxiousness Mass, that monthly hullabaloo that snarls traffic both public and private, and really seems to have lost its political message. Before you get all self-righteous on me, I ride my bike almost every day, so I know what I’m talking about here. Expect a particularly fucked-up Muni commute this evening.

Tomorrow’s August 1, and you know what that means: The month with no holidays officially begins! Yay! It looks like our late-to-arrive, typical July weather will extend into the weekend, with dreary mornings and some sun, if we’re lucky.

Also, Sex Pigeon will be selling nifty Muni tees tomorrow from 12:30 to 4, roughly, at Dolores Park. They’re only $15, and they’ll prompt you to decide what Muni lines, if any, you have an emotional attachment to. Tough one … love/hate, anyone?

Go forth on your merry way and enjoy yourselves! See you Monday!

xoxo

Muni Diaries

Tragic Death of Muni Driver

Golden Gate Bridge

This very sad news just came into our inbox via Andy at SFWeekly: a Muni driver jumped off of the Golden Gate Bridge and died last Thursday. The coroner told SFWeekly that he was wearing his full Muni uniform. Rene Lee Ing, 56, was a veteran Muni driver with 20 years of experience.

From SFWeekly’s Joe Eskenazi:

At least a dozen calls to the Transportation Workers Union have not been returned, and our queries to Muni’s management haven’t been answered yet either. But several Muni drivers — speaking on background as Muni has supposedly “really been coming down on” drivers who talk to the media following this month’s train collision — paint a hazy portrait of a desperate man in an unenviable work situation.

Read the rest of the SFWeekly post.

Details about Ing’s employment situation are still fuzzy, but we will keep you posted.

BART, union reach deal; strike averted (updates)

Update 3: SF Appeal is on it.

Update 2: SFGate gets the story first, as far as we can tell:

BART asked its five labor unions to agree to $100 million in concessions over the next four years. The transit district targeted the costs of employee benefits along with work rules that it says contribute to excessive overtime.

Update 1: ABC 7 has the story headline, but no story.

Original: KCBS reports that BART negotiators and union reps have reached a tentative four-year labor contract agreement. Check back here or here for details on the agreement.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/31/BAFN1926DB.DTL

Muni Mind Reader: The Drunkard

Bay to BreakersMuni Mind Reader is back, y’all! After a one-week hiatus (she refuses to disclose her where- and whatabouts, as any true mental maven would), Tiffany is back, and in high fashion. This week, she takes us down, around, over, and through the sloshy synapses of … the drunkard.

Wahoooooooooooo!!! Nothing like a killer happy hour to get things rocking and rolling. Am I right? You! Yes, you right there. Yes! You have got to be able to see me. I’m sitting directly across from you. Helloooo!!!. C’mon buddy, I’m wasted, but I’m certainly not invisible. WE WON’T BE INVISIBLE!! Oh, wait, that’s “invincible.” WE WON’T BE INVINCIBLE. Gimme five if you like Pat Benatar. Anyone? GIVE THE BOY HIS SCOOTER BACK!

Oh man! What a crazy afternoon. Lay-offs suck, but the parties sure are killer. I thought about driving, but then I realized I left my keys in Jackie’s purse, so that’s no good. So then it was like TAXI! And then as if Muni were reading my mind, out of thin air appears a 30-Stockton. Suh-weeeeeeeeeeeet! You can’t get much luckier than that. Well, I guess I could get much luckier, but that’s later tonight, am I right? Heh, geez people, where is your sense of humor?

Read more

L-Taraval, car crash? (updates)

What matters?
Photo by Flickr user warzauwynn

Update: SF Appeal reports that the L-Taraval is running again. No injuries have been reported (yet?).

Original: I’m seeing a few tweets about a possible crash involving the L-Taraval and a car. Namely:

@cellojules Just heard a MUNI collision involving an L and another car. Yes, heard. Avoid 19th and Taraval and expect L delays. Glad my bus not involved

@cwbuddha Getting reports of an SUV/Muni collision at 19th and Taraval. Situation Snarled.

Please comment if you know more, and of course if you were on the LRV or saw this happen. Or have photos/video.

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