Photo by Mat Luschek | NBC Bay Area

Around Valentine’s Day every year, the Academy of Sciences invites visitors to write Valentine messages on cardboard heart-shaped cards for the penguins. The penguins then use the cards for nest building.

One of the penguins, (generally the male of the bird-couple) will waddle over and take the card out of the biologist’s hand, then return to their cave, adding it to the nest. The birds are always working on their nests, and sometimes will even take to retrieving starfish from the bottom of the tank to use as nest-building material. [NBC Bay Area]

See more pics from the card-giving ceremony that took place on Monday. Or watch the live penguin-cam below to see if the birds are getting romantic today. (more cam views here)

Sarah B.

Photo by Mat Luschek | NBC Bay Area

We never know what will land in our inbox here at the Richmond Blog. Late last year, we got an email from a Mom saying “Just thought you might like to know that one half of the “Diet Coke and Mentos” duo, Stephen Voltz, grew up in the Richmond District.”

Somehow we missed this youtube sensation back in 2006, where two men in lab suits mixed Mentos candy with Diet Coke for a combustible result (see video above).

Since then, EepyBird – the duo comprised of Stephen Voltz and Fritz Grobe – have performed more mad experiments with Coke & Mentos, sticky notes, paper airplanes, shampoo, and more, garnering hundreds of thousands of fans on youtube. Their latest experiment powers a car using Coke and Mentos.

The duo has even appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, Ellen, The Today Show, Mythbusters, and more.

That’s pretty much celebrity status for the Richmond District, so we thought it would be fun to do a Q&A with Stephen to find out about what it was like growing up here, and how it may have led to his “experimental” career (for the record, he is also a licensed attorney).

Q: Tell me about growing up in the Richmond District. Did you try out any of your acts here in the neighborhood?
A: Growing up in the Richmond was great. I spent a lot of time in the park and at Rossi and Mountain Lake Park. My brothers and I used to pick blackberries in the old horseshoe courts in the park and sometimes bike out to the casting pools out near the buffalo paddock with our fishing poles and practice casting. I took courses at the Academy of Sciences and at the deYoung too. I took the MUNI over to Galileo to take after school chemistry courses through Lux Lab, and of course, the Exploratorium was huge for me. I think my folks took us there when it first opened and we never stopped going. I still go back whenever I can when I’m in town.

As far as trying out my acts in the neighborhood, I worked on them and practiced them at home in the basement or living room (don’t tell my Mom), but when I was ready for an audience I headed down to Fisherman’s Wharf or the theater district downtown to work the street corners where the crowds were bigger and there would be tourists. I do remember teaching my brother how to swallow fire in my mother’s basement on 15th Avenue, and having her call down to us to ask what we were doing. “Uh, nothing!” we shouted back, dousing the torches and frantically trying to wave the smoke away.

I remember practicing fire juggling out in front of my Dad’s apartment on Palm Avenue at one point and being surprised to see that people in the neighborhood had gathered at their living room windows to watch. (D’oh!) When I finished my set they all applauded and cheered, but since I was just learning and had no more tricks to show them, I just waved a thank you, cut my practice short and went back inside. I think that was the only time I performed in the neighborhood – and that was by accident!

Q: What do you miss most and least about living in the Richmond District? When you come back to SF, what places in the neighborhood do you make sure to visit?
A: I miss being able to walk to everything, and to have friends, family and an endless variety of smart, interesting, quirky stuff all w/in 20-30 minutes of my front door. And I really miss the Pacific Ocean. The Atlantic just isn’t the same.

I try to get back to the city 3-4 times a year for at least a week or two at a stretch. And whenever in town my first morning back I take my Mom and head out to the Seal Rock Inn or Louie’s for breakfast and then walk down by the Cliff House to Ocean Beach for my Pacific Ocean fix.

While I’m in town I’ll hang out and work at Royal Grounds on 17th and Geary or at Blue Danube on Clement. I have to browse the whole length of Clement Street at least once. Green Apple is my nemesis. I love it but it sucks me into its vortex and unless I’m super disciplined I don’t get out for at least an hour and a half, even if I just go in for a calendar. I could probably go in there to get change for the bus and not find my way out for 45 minutes. It has got to be the best bookstore in America. Growing up, it was just the neighborhood bookstore. Only after I started traveling did I realize how special it was. (Or rather how special it is.)

Q: While attending George Washington High School, what did you envision doing when you were all grown up?
A: At the time I was interested in graphic design and advertising, but had no firm idea of what I wanted to do. When I was in college I wondered seriously if it could be possible to make a living as a street performer and some of my experience working San Francisco street corners during college made me think it was possible. But that’s tough work – and in San Francisco, it can be COLD work. After college I considered going to Ringling’s Clown College, but the type of clown Ringling turned out wasn’t what I was interested in doing. I wanted to do that kind of work that Bill Irwin was doing with Pickle Family Circus or European clowns were doing in small one ring circuses there , but had no idea how or where to learn that style, so I didn’t know how to pursue it.

For years as a kid when asked what I wanted to do when I grew up I’d say “I don’t know, but NOT a lawyer. They work too hard!” My dad was a lawyer and I had a very clear image of him regularly falling asleep on the couch after dinner with a yellow legal pad over his face. Years later of course: I wound up going to NYU law and then practicing as a trial lawyer for 20 years. Of course, what I do now is a lot more fun. Turns out, I did get to be a clown!

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Thanks Stephen for the Q&A! We’re really digging those coveralls and white socks!

Sarah B.

I had a few friends over on Friday night to carve some pumpkins. Here are a few pics of our spook-tacular creations. Beforehand I found this fun site which has some great templates on it if you’re looking for inspiration.

Happy Halloween!

Need something to laugh about? Head out to Sharon Meadow in Golden Gate Park this Sunday to yuck it up at the 31st annual Comedy Day festival.

The free festival runs from 12noon until 5pm and features over 30 comedians doing their very best to make you laugh out loud.

Alongside some of San Francisco’s funniest, like political comedian Will Durst (he’s in the third set from 2-3pm), the occasional secret guest (like Robin Williams) takes the time to make an appearance. Check out the 2011 lineup & schedule here.

Sarah B.

A “limited edition” t-shirt available at Q Restaurant, 225 Clement; $22. Presumably in honor of their delicious tater tots.

Sarah B.

Here’s Q being featured in Guy Fieri’s Food Network show:

Some CLASH hunters who had to persuade a fitness instructor to lead their team in a set of lunges

This Saturday, the California League of Adult Scavenger Hunters (CLASH) will host a hunt here in the Richmond District (” Inner Richmond Antics”). Here’s your chance to get to know your neighborhood better and meet some fun people in the process.

Here’s how it works, from the CLASH website:

You show up as an individual or with friends and we put you on a team with other players. It’s a 60 minute free for all as your team performs as many of the designated challenges as possible, taking photos along the way as proof. When time ends you meet at a final bar and hand in your camera. The photos are projected and the judges give points. The winning team is determined and bestowed with a prize. Individuals on the team are awarded points towards the neighborhood or suburb they live in. These points go on the CLASH leader board and dictate which neighborhoods or suburbs will compete for the CLASH Cup at the end of the season.

The cost to participate in the hunt is $5.15 when you pre-pay online – register here. If you wait until the event, the cost is $10 and there is a chance it will be sold out. The hunt takes place rain or shine. 21+ only.

Saturday night’s hunt begins at 9pm at Irelands32, located at 3920 Geary Boulevard between 3rd and 4th Avenues.

Sarah B.

Mike Moss has lived in the Outer Richmond for the past 6 years, but it’s his work experience around the city at retail stores that provides fodder for his comic, “Quitting Time”.

Mike’s just released a compilation of his “Quitting Time” comics which he says is the “perfect addition to your library or a gift for anyone who’s ever had to do time in retail.”

Ahh, retail. When I was in high school I worked at Lombardi’s Sports when it was on the corner of Clement Street and 3rd Avenue (now City Kids). The Lombardi brothers paid me minimum wage and I learned more about selling athletic shoes than I cared to (though today I can tell from your soles whether you’re a pronator or a suppenator – a very handy useless skill!).

Working retail meant I got my fair share of difficult customers, low pay and a bad case of clenched jaw trying to bite my tongue with customers and my bosses. Mike’s “Quitting Time” comic collection is a humurous look at those working in the retail trenches.

Mike tells me “Quitting Time” was originally two comics. Time Out – a comic about life as a young single dad and Why I Hate Retail. Eventually he merged the two and it’s evolved into a slice-of-life cartoon with a retail setting. “Like the television series Chuck where they work in the Buy More,” says Mike.

Some of Mike’s favorite retails spots in the Richmond? Green Apple Books (“I used to work for the Strand Bookstore in High School in NYC so I have a special place in my heart for indy/used bookstores”), Gary’s on Geary (“he has great stuff and I like that he’s a bit cranky”), and the Balboa Theater.

“Quitting Time Volume 1″ is now available for sale exclusively at fine retailers everywhere, which is code for “Mike is reproducing the book at OfficeMax and binding it himself”. You can order the book off his website; $11 for an unsigned copy or $16 for a special signed Artists’ Edition. Mike’s website is also chock full of past “Quitting Time” comics.

And just for RichmondSFBlog readers, Mike drew a special Richmond comic of Quitting Time which is at the top of this post. Thanks, Mike!

Sarah B.

Last Sunday, I stopped by the Cliff House to check out the infamous “Giant Camera” that sits below it. I hadn’t been there in years and the last few times I’d tried to gain entry, it was closed due to poor weather conditions.

But this time, the doors were wide open and I was greeted by Robert who runs the small attraction. After paying my $3 ($2 for seniors), I was ushered into a black room that had a white, concave table in the middle. Robert made some noises and voila, a crystal clear view of Ocean Beach and Seal Rocks lay on the table in front of me.

The building is one giant camera obscura. Sitting atop it is a series of mirrors that rotate (or can be held still). The outside image hits the front facing mirror which then reflects down through a series of lenses. The image is ultimately reversed and projected down onto the viewing table inside the dark building.

Watching the image is mesmerizing. As the fixture atop the building rotates, so does the crystal-clear image, giving you a 360 degree view of the area including Ocean Beach, Seal Rocks, the Great Highway and the southern end of the Cliff House.

The giant camera was used by Leonardo da Vinco in the 15th century and was adopted by other artists who would project their image onto a canvas and paint over it to create their pieces.

Check out the video below which includes narration from Robert, who runs the giant camera. What kind of maintenance is required on a giant camera? Regular cleaning of the mirrors atop the building plus painting of the viewing table with a fresh coat of white paint twice a year.

The giant camera was built in 1946 as an extension attraction for the Playland-at-the-Beach amusement park. The Cliff House, Sutro Baths, and Playland were all owned by George Whitney at the time. Outsidelands.org has a great article on the history of the giant camera, which recently celebrated its 9th birthday as a National Landmark.

The giant camera is open to visitors year round from 11am to 5pm, but only on days when the weather is nice and clear. Visit giantcamera.com for more information. Don’t miss seeing the camera in person – it’s very cool!

Sarah B.