San Francisco and what to do in it

we're probably moving out of our 2-br on Dec 15th. Our current rent is $1,400, but I expect the landlord to jack it up to at least $2k when we leave

Mirkarimi wants to ban paper bags...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/21/MNUT1A8DSG.DTL

sfgate comment crazies are crazier than usual about this story lol

is he trying to one-up Gavvy Gav for his soda tax?

if I didn't have paper grocery bags to use, I'd end up using more plastic garbage bags instead...

paper grocery bags are convenient for putting all the mixed paper recycling in.

yeah it could be a real pain for many people. for me, I try to use my little ultra-compact reusable whenever possible, and it works for most types of groceries. I found this site while looking around for more options: http://www.reusablebags.com/

I don't think it's a bad thing, but I can totally see it pissing a lot of people off. It basically means people will have to buy their own bags and reuse them. To me it's worth it. It's a small step toward reducing waste, cutting down less trees, and it's inevitable anyway.

We use paper bags for our recycling as well. Though the same store that we get most of them from also sells those biobags which are on that site I just linked. they are surprisingly sturdy, too.

there are tons and tons of reusable bag options most of them are very cheap

and last quite awhile. some are even compostable!

I bring a reusable bag to the grocery store most of the time, and because I'm usually only getting a few things at a time, it works out. But sometimes I get groceries on the way home from work, or am getting more stuff than I have reusable bags, or realize I need to get something from the store in the middle of a bunch of other errands. This legislation - along with a bunch of other SF laws - just seems to assume a certain lifestyle that often is associated with affluent people.

yeah no real argument there

I guess I'm ambivalent about regulations like this -- the rational part of me sees their value in terms of environmental impact and the "greater good," but instinctively I perceive them as some California Über Alles suede-denim secret police shit.

Why would you read the comments on an SFGate article?

I can think of plenty of reasons, none of them healthy though.

paper grocery bags are convenient for putting all the mixed paper recycling in.

I can think of plenty of reasons, none of them healthy though.

^ yes, this describes it.

I HATE the SFGate comments section but can't help reading it every damn time! They need to delete it for my own good.

In fact sometimes I click on an article I'm otherwise uninterested in, just cuz "Man, I bet the comments will be *horrible* for this one."

so yeah, unhealthy

SFGate comments forced me to explain the concept of trolling to my wife. "There are really people who do this? Why?"

it makes ilx looks really civilized by comparison

paper grocery bags are convenient for putting all the mixed paper recycling in

this really bears repeating - unintended consequence of proposed legislation: less recycling

recycling itself requires a fair amount of energy to conduct, though, doesn't it? I'd hope anyone serious about recycling would consider it worthwhile to find another way of getting the stuff to their bins. maybe a designated cardboard box or something?

SFGate comments forced me to explain the concept of trolling to my wife. "There are really people who do this? Why?"

the best way to troll SFGate commenters is to reply with a reasoned left-leaning argument to anything. they make 4chan look civilized sometimes.

considering SF's recycling laws (which I am totally down with btw, and require all residences and businesses to have three bins - one for compost, one for recycling, and one for trash) I don't understand the "I need paper bags to put paper in!" argument. Um, you can just put it in with the composting or the recycling, depending on the type of paper.

the large majority of people are only going to recycle if they don't find it to be a huge hassle.

the city hands out bins! where's the hassle

How do you transport your recyclables from your apartment to the bins?

bin /= cans

Although I guess in this case they both = carts.

I have a little compost bin and an older recycling bin, but I guess they don't give those out free anymore?

the city hands out trashcans for compost to residents. I have one. There's a larger one for the apartment building that it gets emptied into. Otherwise I have two trashcans in my kitchen, one for trash (which is sadly mostly plastic bags and packaging) and one for recycling. this is not difficult.

yeah I don't think it's a big deal not having paper bags to use for recycling. we've got plenty of other containers for that... but I *do* know that I often end up grocery shopping when I don't expect to, and thus do not have any reusable bags with me.
...which is part of the reason I've got too many paper bags around the house now.

I mean, I'm sure I'll live.

Oops I mean
Give me a break! Work on crime and MUNI and the HOMELESS that are STINKING up the streets. SF City Government is probably the sorriest lot of losers ever in office in any city anywhere. Get your priorities straight you pack of idiots. Eat compost!

(finally read the article and it's just a mandate for stores to offer a rebate to those who bring their own bags... hardly banning anything)

"I *do* know that I often end up grocery shopping when I don't expect to"

You should always EXPECT to grocery shop.

expect the unexpected, right?

last xmas, my aunt gave me a grateful dead reusable shopping bag. it's actually pretty nice and not totally LOL HIPPIE but i'm still way too embarrassed to use it

bay area makes me feel like such a mongoloid for eating pre-packaged food, not bringing my own bags, etc

ill trade u a burrito for that bag

xp

lots of people in the bay area eat pre-packaged food and don't bring reusable bags - it is not a monolithically foodie/enviro-conscious place.

http://d1.biggestmenu.com/00/00/e0/641b1bc3113b5603_m.jpg

i was almost up for the trade but yo what kind of a burrito is that

Man, an It's It sounds really good right now.

"It's its It's It" was a common exercise for learning apostrophe use in high school.

what is the plural possesive of "It's It"?

"It's Its'"

Now I have Faith No More in my head. Thanks a lot.

I keep seeing these food vendors in parks and near restaurants. Today, I went to Farmer John's Little Skillet for lunch, and they had all these gumbo, jerk chicken, and other people out there selling food. They had white boards up with their Twitter addresses on them so you can find out if they'll be nearby. I like this trend and want to see more of it. It's also the first use I have found for Twitter. I worry a little about the quality/cleanliness of these operations, but from a distance everything seemed really good and it smelled delicious.

whoops, Farmerbrown's.