Uncanny Valley

I am livid about this place. I just heard about it a month ago, and was super-excited to check it out. I went to the Pulgas Water Temple, which is supposedly not nearly as cool, and that was cool, so i was amped up to see the one in Sunol. I planned a whole day off around a visit, due to the draconian hours. But apparently they had MLK day off too. Riddle me this though: Why is this only open on weekdays, and at times when one can’t even skip out of work early to visit? It seems like they only want the terrorists who can take a day off or don’t have jobs to get access, and not normal people. This above and beyond the security cameras and so forth all around. Apparently those won’t foil terrorists on weekends and holidays.

Course if I were a terrorist, I’d just go for the unprotected reservoirs all around and not the temple which would have too many dog walkers to leave me in peace. But that’s just me. It’s not even like anyone can get here from public transportation. Heck, most people don’t even know this place exists. I told you it took me years to learn about it, and even when I told the chatty server at the vegan Japanese restaurant that we we’re going to the water temple he assumed it was the one on the peninsula: He didn’t even know about the one way out in Sunol. I don’t think many people even know where Sunol is either.

I’m also peeved at Save Our Sunol, who’s big agenda after getting the place reopened (thanks for that much atleast) is to stop a quarry from being built next door. Now I’m sure that will be an eyesore, but you know what ruins my panoramic view? These huge bars and fences in the way. Sure wish I had a nice water temple to look at. That would be way cool.

So this is in the ‘defunct’ section because it is dead to me. I know maybe three people can get to see this place, but until normal people can,it’s dead to me. Sorry Sunol.

I had only vague information on this place, but when I walked up to it I thought: “Good, it’s here.” However, it isn’t. There still is a tattoo studio here, but no more museum. So a tourist attraction this is not. Even the website is only a “virtual museum”as far as the subject line goes.

I was pretty sure this one would be a bust before I even started. But again, I feel the need to dispel rumours as well as spread knowledge.

Years ago, there was a factory tour or museum at 250 Valencia Street in San Francisco. Levi’s has since moved their headquarters uptown between the Embarcadero and Telegraph Hill. The old building still says “Levi Strauss &Co.” on it, but has a large green fence around it. The only information posted are signs stating no trespassing.

The new complex is now called Levi’s Plaza, strangely enough. The picture above is the inside of the foyer of the Levi’s building. There are a number of vivid displays, but the information is mostly ads. There is a brief history of the company on one kiosk though. The highlight of the area is the nice fountain in the plaza, with nice stepping-stone paths over the water.

So unless you are stalking Levi’s, I suggest you skip this place. Even the welcome sign in the lobby says to go to the flagship store in Union Square. Maybe if you go to Indonesia or wherever you can get a tour.

I was raised Catholic. Many kids in my church raised money to go to MeÄ‘ugorje, Herzegovina and see the Marian apparition there. Even then I was a bit skeptical. I still keep an open mind, even though I have very much lapsed as far as being a Catholic. Sure it can always be pareidolia, but if people believe in all these other ghosts, why can’t Mary also come back from the beyond?

But, since I have no first-hand experience I can’t really give much of an informed opinion. Yes, even though I visited the cemetery and the trees where a vision appeared, I think I missed the boat. The person at the office informed me and my sister (after consulting with unseen individuals in the back) that the tree in question is in section D. So we putter over after checking out the Showfolks Memorial in another section. There are only two trees in section D, and neither one had anything that appeared to look like anything at all. We went to section E across the drive and didn’t see anything better than the above image. Supposedly the cemetery has or had two trees with Marian apparitions in them, but we found bupkis.

But I’m glad I went anyways. Part of why I put this site together is to get some real facts out there. If something disappears, people should know. And if I miss something, you can always post and let everyone know. So that’s my story.

Despite being Czech and Polish, I know very little about polka, nor even how to do the polka. So I can not really describe the nuance involved in the different styles. Supposedly the SF style of polka is like the SF style of anything, more eclectic. And probably involving some inability to drive. Then when you realise that the official musical instrument of San Francisco is the accordion, it all fall into place. I guess.

All this would be fine and good if it existed. Now I thought it was a little odd that this was supposed to be in a pizza parlour, but all I saw on the walls were empty display cases. I would understand if they were rotating with displays for other polka halls of fame, but there was nothing there.

Now I have a few defunct attractions on my site, but they all existed when i wrote the initial entry. This was gone before I knew about it, and despite my desire not to put any more ephemera up, I feel I should make a page so that people will not go and get too disappointed. Sorry folks. You’ll just have to check out the appropriate attractions for Chicago-style or Cleveland-style polka.

A way to relive the reign of the Khmer Rouge in culinary form. The menu consists of gruel-like dishes as well as a fancy egg dessert made for the anniversary of the Khmer Rouge’s rise, and a tea made for Khmer officers. The staff wears period garb of black ‘pajamas’ and checkered scarves too keep you in the mood.

The restaurant is across from the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, which is where thousands of Cambodians were tortured and/or killed.

The restaurant was closed 1 October 2005 because it had no license. Business was also a little slow, and I hear the government is not very thrilled about this place. The owner has stated that he will get a license and reopen, but we shall see.

Bloomed in the second week of June 2003 as the biggest bloom on record. Course it’s not technically one flower, but thousands of teeny tiny ones. Too bad they only have steaming video and not streaming olfactro or whatever you’d call it. The unopened bloom is more than 7′ tall already. Looks like it’s the season for Amorphophallus titanium, or corpse flowers to bloom.

The plant is in Botany Greenhouse #8 on Birge hall’s lower level at UWM. Picture of 2001 bloom of Big Bucky courtesy of Michael Rothbart/University of Wisconsin-Madison.

A corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanium) was in bloom in the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. I don’t know why noone informed me of this in time. I got there when the bloom was nearly closed, but still large and sturdy. There was no real smell when I got there. There was more the lack of a smell when you left the room. I guess it reminded me of this classroom I had a class in in university. The room was in an animal science building and built like an abattoir, with rails on the ceiling to cart in carcasses. The place was clean, but you could tell that there was a smell there before that had permeated the place. That’s what the flower smelled like at the point I caught it, just a heaviness.

They did show Ted’s two ’siblings’ whose alliterative names i neglected to remember. One had bloomed a few years ago, and was merely a tuber. The other had some green and was set for a grand opening in a few years hence. Hopefully I’ll know about this one before I have to try to replicate the smell again.

A Billboard Liberation Front prank on McD’s in the Haight of all places. The billboard referenced a short story by Damon Knight, which if you don’t want to read it or watch the Twilight Zone episode based on it, was also referenced in The Simpsons. We know McDonald’s is making us (read: you) fat, but why? Now we have a theory.

Good thing they arrested Ronald McDonald there in the video. Too bad when I visited the site a few days after the billboardwas put up it was already ½ gone. Guess they should use better glue next time. The one on 13th st was still up though.

Poorly plastinated art corpses leaking body fat from suspiciously-obtained corpses are on display in SF. This seems to be a rip-off of what is now somewhat less gruesome Körperwelten-Bodyworlds by Gunther von Hagens. Apparently the bodies were obtained from a factory in china that makes this stuff. If this is some sort of new layer to U.S. immigration policy I don’t even want to know.

I’ve only seen von Hagens’ show, but from what I see on the news I’m not keen on a visit here.