Interview: Michele Alaniz
Today's interview subject has reminded SFist of two websites we LOVE, but sometimes neglect. Catster (and its canine equivalent Dogster) is a forum where you can create a website for mr. fluffy and make feline friends (or at least friends with their humans) over the world wide web. If you don't have a pet, never fear... both site will still help you pass a few hours of MLK day with rare glimpses into the pet obsessed. Your best bet is to find some pet costume pages. Go there now, thank us later. Michele also has reminded us of Craftster. Think of it as free inspiration and cheat sheets on how to make any and everything cool and crafty.
Michele has some serious Bay Area credentials. She loves The Mummies and Needles and Pens. By the time you're done reading the interview below you'll know at least one way to make smoke come out of your ears (OUCH!). Perhaps the most important question Michele raises is why are we all so obsessed with burritos? SFist has our own theories, but we'd love to hear what you have to say? Why burritos?
Introduce yourself in one sentence: Rollerskating maniac and wannabe librarian.
Age and Occupation; 35, bartender, rabblerouser, and grad student.
Home Town: Fresno, CA
How long have you lived in the Bay Area and Where I moved to Bay Area in 1987 to go to UC Berkeley. After I graduated, I just stayed. I've lived in Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, the Western Addition, lower Haight, and currently in the Mission. I tried to leave, but lasted a little over a year in Brooklyn, NY.
Favorite website: www.craftster.org and www.catster.com (see my cat. he rules.)
Favorite local business: Needles and Pens on 14th near Guerrero
What I'm currently Reading: The Painting by Nina Schuyler
Best Deal in San Francisco: Do they still have the 25 cent PBR's at the Hush Hush on Fridays? If not, there's the free (please make a donation, though) movies in Dolores Park and Washington Square Park in the summer.
Favorite mode of transportation: The J Church
Best Band or Musician to come out of the Bay Area: The Mummies. Wait do they have to be famous? Well then, I guess, Metallica.
Favorite local hangout: Latin American Club
SF has the BEST: Beer and women.
You've never lived in SF until: you've seen THAT guy wearing a loin cloth, and playing his violin while singing opera. I used to think he lived here until I saw him doing the same act in Central Park. WHere does he live?
Favorite Bay area politician of past or present: It's a toss up between Harvey Milk and Matt Gonzalez
You can tell someone is a local here IF: They're not carrying a map, or they don't refer to the city as "Frisco."
SF would be soooo much better if only: They still had punk shows at the Kilowatt and the Chameleon/Chatterbox (pre-Amnesia era), and if The Mummies reunited. Oh, also if rents weren't so high.
Best Burrito: I wanna know why everyone around here is so hung up on burritos. You need to try the veggie torta at Cancun or have an al pastor taco off the truck (El Tonayense) on 17th and Harrison.
Best Restaurant: Delfina
Best movie scene filmed in or about SF: This movie is ridiculous, but have you ever seen "Another 48 Hours" with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy? Every five minutes a cable car goes whizzing by in the background. I guess I would call this category "Most gratuitous use of Cable Cars so that you know the movie was shot in SF."
I want all the SFists out there to know: I'm here to rock.
Tell us a San Francisco Story: One night I went to see the Mr. T Experience when they were playing at the Victoria Theatre (circa 1989), and my friends and I ended up in an alley on 16th and Capp drinking Mickie's Big Mouth that we had some guy buy for us. Some guys started hassling us, and in the end they hit my
friend Marisol over the head with a bottle. We were all fine, but in the end whenever she had a cigarette and plugged her nose, smoke would come out of her ears.