Hey Kids -

So Saturday night we had our first FlashDance of the season at the 24th & Mission BART station, very close to “Deep International HQ. Not surprisingly, this 13th FlashDance ROCKED. Why did it rock? An excellent question, Dear Reader! It rocked for the same reasons FD always rocks:
- great people
- good music (I was pretty happy with the mix - see the playlist after the jump)
- random sillyness (human arch, dancing in the streets, 12 year old (?) break dancing girl, invasion of the Dance Mission dancers, and me serenading the crowd to the Pet Shop Boys’ “You Were Always On My Mind” )

Also for once, someone took some really great pix (Thanks Kelleth!)
(for more GREAT pix just click here)

Anyway - if you missed this one, get on the list & get ready for May when we’ll have another one - I hope you make it!

For the Playlist - click “More” below

Click HERE for more…

[Ed. note: What follows is a slightly edited (mostly punctuation fixes) version of an email I just sent SOMA Fabrications, makers of my current water bottle of choice. Those of you who know me, know how big my water bottle is in my life. I’ll keep you posted if they reply.]

[UPDATE: They contacted me 2 weeks after I posted this - see the bottom for the update.]

Dear Soma Folks,

First off let me say that I love that you are here in SF & that you make awesome bike stuff. Keep on Rockin’!

The reason for my email though, is my love/hate relationship, no - let’s say “love/deep-abiding-sadness” relationship with your Crystal Polypropylene Water Bottle. The love comes from the fact that as a constant-water-drinker I tried out one of your bottles a few months ago & it was love at first sip. No rubbery taste! Clear and large and clean! I felt a revolution in my water intake was afoot! And so simple! Seemingly, so obvious! Happy Happy Joy Joy!

But a few days in, I noticed that it leaked around the top. Must be a dud I thought, a one-of-a-kind manufacturing mistake, I’ll just get another one! That will be perfect! Sadly no - it still leaked.

Sometime into my third one (having lost my second one) I just tried to ignore the drips of water on my face as I drank, or the small puddle of accumulated leaks in my bike bag. But how much can you ignore at 4 in the morning when you reach for a sip of water in a cozy half-asleep daze, only to be awakened fully by the needle-like prick of ice cold water on your chest? No - there is no ignoring, only sadness.

When I lost my third one, I briefly thought about going back to an older water bottle - but the thought of all those rubbery chemicals that I have imbibed all through the years was too scary to consider. “Maybe they have fixed it!” I thought. This was just three days ago mind you.

So I bought my fourth one, but no, it still leaked. I actually lost it a day after I bought it*, but today, I sadly & resignedly bought my fifth. It seems I am your customer regardless of what happens now. But know that with every drip upon my chin, there is also occasionally a tear in my eye.

yours
‘deep
SF Bike Coalition Board Member (FOR ID PURPOSES ONLY - My views have NOTHING to do with the SF Bicycle Coalition)

*Yeah, I DO lose a lot of water bottles! What IS up with that!?

UPDATE: So two weeks after I posted this, Stan at SOMA Fabrications found my website somehow & responded (I had sent him an email, but he never got it, due to an outdated email address I found for them). Anyway, he was super helpful and interested. But of course, now that I finally got their attention, Water Bottle #5 turned out to not leak. Theoretically, I’m happy about this development…..

Seriously, though THANKS STAN & I do love my water bottle, so I recommend ‘em.