another sf costume experience - critical mass

San Francisco has no shortage of opportunities for craziness. 2008 heralded the intersection of two of SF's traditions - Halloween and Critical Mass - on the same night!

Halloween in the Castro was a tradition until last year, when the city made a grand effort to squash the celebration. (And check out this weird PSA from this year.) I've only heard the stories from previous years before I moved here, but the Castro knows how to party.... It was the place to be on Halloween until 2006, when some people were shot as the party was ending.

With the intense hills in San Francisco, Critical Mass is still something I have yet to try. (I can barely handle my regular commute sometimes!) The first Critical Mass was on Friday, September 25, 1992 at 6 p.m. in San Francisco. At that time, the event was known as Commute Clot. It has grown quite a bit, and now over 1000 riders take to the streets, generally on the last Friday of the month. Critical Mass is meant to be a celebration, and not a protest, however it remains controversial as it completely blocks vehicular traffic in the streets.

This StreetFilm captures this year's zany Oct. 31 event.

In case you are interested... there's Critical Mass in Chicago! Brrrr.....

bad idea for show and tell

So, apparently a kindergartner in Akron, Ohio made a bad decision in choosing his show and tell item. Teachers at Seiberling Elementary say children have to guess what classmates bring in. The boy gave a clue Friday that his item was something that blows things up.

The teacher looked in his book bag and wasn't sure if what she was a real grenade or a toy. Apparently the school called an emergency "fire drill" while the bomb squad arrived and discovered it was a "dummy" grenade.

Phew!