On the Street

"We Are What We Are"

Letters (to the On the Street Penthouse Suite)

#1 Viking Rollcall

(sin permiso)

Mark,
I just moved here from Hollywood, currently live in King William, and just read your Farmers-Market Proposal. I too have been lamenting the lack of freash, convenient produce downtown. How can I get involved in helping to promote your very good idea?
Lané

#2 Menudo Terremoto Williams writes to say...

Kobe v. Shaq hits the nation's daycares:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7xUQ5iHO0w

Kids behaving poorly always warms the blood. And aren't those two a little young to have career-ending mullets? (This a video response to a rap Shaq did last week where he had choice words to say to Kobe, through rhyme.)

#3 Okay

(Barry Stone)

Hi Y'all,

I am pleased to be a participating in a 2 person photography show with Anna Krachey at Okay Mountain here in Austin, Texas.

The show opens on Saturday, The Fifth of July, from 7-10pm. More info here: http://www.okaymountain.com/exhibitions/fifth-july/

The project room will have new works by by Elizabeth Chiles, Jessica Mallios, Andy Mattern, Ben Ruggiero, Adam Schreiber, and Laura Turner.
All great photographers I have come to know here.

Oh and Weekly Picture 122 can be seen at http://www.barrystone.com/.

Cheers,

Barry

Yeah, I'm not going to have to miss the customary walk through for First Friday this month. I'll be up in Austin, possibly checking by Mr. Stone's show among other things. And for the historians, my turning of the back on CAM opening is not because I'm afraid to see them tear down that piece of rope that's been dangling from the ceiling in the middle of Blue Star for the last several months.

Evidence A:

(C-14 dating on this exhibit indicates the Late Mesozoic Era.)

No, "schedules" pulled me away. If it was only CAW (Contemporary Art Weekend) then, yeah, I'd stick around but luckily it's CAM and there will be serveral weeks to browse through galleries with no intention or $ for buying anything. Joking, joking...not about the $ though (fotos of galleries later in the month.)

There's "Magic" In the Night

On the way down to downtown for the DHBC ride, I realized that Avenue B has been bike laneified. Though it says "Wrong Way" it really doesn't mean it, unless you're driving a car, but at that point you've probably already run over several cyclists and aren't paying too much attention anyway.

A very dedicated group this month. Fixie quotient was super high. Spandex count? Very low. It's all unpredictable. Next month unicycles and fake red noses could be in.

The destination - a magician's hangout somewhere in the near Northside. After some maneuvering through downtown we found our way to Main Street and began the climb up.

(On a sidenote, I didn't know Luther's by SAC was quite that popular on Friday nights. There's new management, and most likely, a new approach. I saw this review online...

06/09/2008 Posted by Alamo1909

I choose to visit this place after spending happy hour across the street. The restaurant was about half full with customers but fully staffed with waiters. I was one of the few over 45 crowd in the place and the waiters seemed to be more interested in the under 30 something customers. My waiter was friendly but not overly helpful in aiding me with my selections. I had a Grilled Turkey Panini that was very tasty and well worth the price, however, I never got a refill on my tea and had to hunt him down to get my bill. I will return again now that I understand the staff is more interested in flirting than actually giving service to the mature crowd that is happy to give a good tip for good service.

"Flirt or get the hell on" seems to be the new mantra. Being an expert in the mobile vendor food code, I wonder if Luther's, by staying open late on the weekend, forced the hand of the taco truck that had been doing its residency at The Saint to move locations. Somewhere in the rule book there's something about mobile food vendors not being allowed to set up within a certain distance from restaurants. Interesting...

*Entering Bonus Coverage*

(More details of this bar in the following paper version of the Current. Consider this free milk.)

As our huggie bear suggested, there would be a magician in the corner of the bar performing tricks. Lost in the velvety blacks of this awesome fotograph is a magician with cards covering his eyes. Move those cards a few inches north and that's another form of poker. Political correctness makes actually saying that name no longer workable. Let's just call it "Aggie Poker" and be done with it.

Thought it seems like a listing for a law firm, it actually a poster for magicians. Notice the animated spirit being hurled like Nolan Ryan fastball.

The bar was detailed with several vintage magician prints on the walls. The whole place, I was told, is an homage to Houdini. Interesting, I think.

As the assistant holds the coat, back there somewhere a magician works his dark tricks to break free.

And voila, freedom. The hard rock aesthetic and black magic have been linked before.

*Exiting Bonus Coverage*

As promised, the lost and found trails of Olmos Basin, like a set from an M. Night S. movie.

The bridge is still holding up. The human presence is everywhere back here. Trails intersect all over the place.

Yellow guide wires add drama, but I not sure what their function is. Keep in mind finding that bridge isn't a certainty depending on where you enter. It's pretty much impossible to get truly lost but the illusion of it makes the trails all the more appealing.

And then here, like out of a Charlton Heston movie, we see signs of an industrial age.

In the back right one can see a sleeping bag that may or may not have belonged to a guy named "Lucky".

Also, there seems to be a secret color coding scheme going on. Occasional flags can be found, possibly indicating order to the entropy.

And then this - heavily taped to make it through the flood. I'm not even sure if Park Drive actually is that way.

*Re-Entering Bonus Coverage*

(Some possible research for an upcoming piece on un-contemporary art. Again, giving away more free milk here.)

This shot has nothing to do with what follows, but it's an impressive cactus form dominating the front yard of where I ended up.

The sign-in book. Was it odd that another Mark Jones, one from California, had been there less than 24 hours before?

The doors just happened to be open...

I love this part...

...the supposed foreshadowing of the destruction of the Twin Towers through some convoluted folding of a 20 dollar bill.

Some hipsters from Austin had come down to snoop around.

If only one could still dress like that in 1958. Or better, receive instruction this way.

And of course, the Spurs. I didn't read the article included. The obvious question - does it mention Duncan and his penchant for Dungeons and Dragons?

And even the Ninja was represented.

More on this whole thing later. If you know then you know, if you don't then you will. But even if you think you know...you still don't know. Yeah, it's going to be that good.

*End Bonus Coverage*

Yuan

And lastly, an article to give some general insight into the high price of food and gasoline...

...here.

And so goes another week on the streets of San Antonio. As always, to be continued...