Champagne events on a Kool-Aid budget.

First, 'tis the season of many happenings here in SF. Well, okay... maybe no champagne at these events but free is pretty cheap, last time I checked with my accountant.

Then there is the un-eventful North Beach Jazz Festival, which looks to be cancelled this year 'cuz the City will not allow alcoholic beverage sales in Washington Square Park (where drinking is prohibited). Organizers say that 75% of their revenue comes from alcohol sales each year. Gee, and I wonder why I'm always broke... just kidding.

Stern Grove Festival: starts season 6/18 with Aimee Mann and Seu Jorge which should be good. The SF Symphony, Opera, and Ballet performances for free are always notable. Beautiful venue since renovation was completed, better acoustics than we'd expect, and it's always free (well, I always donate about $3).

Plan for NEXT TUESDAY. The first Tuesday of each month is free at many local SF places:
SFMOMA, De Young Museum, Legion of Honor, Asian Art Museum, and the Conservatory of Flowers.

SFMOMA: showing Shomei Tomatsu is an influential post-WWII photographer from Japan.
De Young: ending soon! ends MONDAY June 5 Textiles & Costumes from permanent collection. Ending 6/18 Arts + Crafts : William Morris to Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Legion of Honor: Picasso as Book Illustrator, coming 6/17 Monet in Normandy exhibition should be a good one.
Asian Art Museum: The Elegant Gathering is noteworthy for some beautiful calligraphy.
Conservatory of Flowers: with 130 years of history, this is one unique building in SF. The butterfly exhibit can be interesting, but I've recently heard they don't have many butterflies : (

SFJazz Summerfest: Free concert series presented by SFJazz, starts 6/8 and performances are at Stanford Shopping Center, Union Square, and Levi's Plaza. Every Thursday; Stanford and Union Square are evenings, Levi's Plaza is lunchtime concerts. Kim Nalley at Stanford (June 22, 6 pm) and Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers are sure to bring a swing dancing crowd to Union Square August 10th.
A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books: Another mention of ACWLP and their event tomorrow, Calvin Trillin reads from his book A Heckuva Job. Promises to be an interesting time.
SF Zoo: I know... I haven't been to a zoo since I was about 9. It always seemed sad. But now, they are sad. The SF Zoo has been struggling financially and finished some major renovations. Now zoos are toted as being 'sanctuaries' for wildlife (gee, 'wildlife exhibit' sure seems an oxymoron, eh?) and a great place for educating people on conservation. Anyways, free the first Wednesday each month.

Now, the not-free stuff.
Raiders of the Lost Ark: 25th Anniversary Print of the film showing at the Castro June 2-8.
Savion Glover is performing for one day only, Sat. June 10th. Some critics proclaim he is the best tap-dancer in ever. Others say he is the most innovative. Anyways, this star of Bring on the Noise Bring on da' Funk in something to only see live.
Silent Film Festival: One of my fave SF events happens at the Castro Theatre. Take a step back in time and watch a silent film just as you would've experienced it when it opened 80 years ago. Coming July 14-16.

Okay.
Here's an amazing site for its design and interface... all of it: architecture, graphics, web design, photography. wow. Tell me how those "+" signs are interactive? on the A + M link. MUST have Flash to view this site.

Wi-Fi is coming. Coming to a neighborhood near you. Whether NYC or SF... or not.

Footballers (uh, that actually means soccer players) will like all these clips of C. Ronaldo. This guy is amazing. As in ridiculous.

For those not quite so skilled with their feet, you can still try to learn double-clutching in your ride. Be c-a-r-e-f-u-l when learning. I am not responsible for your actions. Anyways, if you've got road rage, at least learn to drive like the pros. Cheers.