COMING UP THIS WEEK:

Get blinded with science: Watch a Tesla coil do its thing
If big displays of electricity are your jam (and they should be), head over to the island city of Alameda to watch a demonstration of Greg Leyh’s 40-foot tall Tesla coil at the Lightning on Demand Lab (isn’t that a terrific name?).
SAT SEPT 14, 8:30 PM (check their Tumblr at 3 PM on the day of to make sure it’s a go), 1651 Monarch (on the old military base), Alameda, Free

San Francisco Independent Short Film Festival
Twelve indie shorts in three days. Get on it, film buffs!
FRI THE 13 to SUN SEPT 15, various times, New People Cinema, 1744 Post St, Japantown, SF

Conversation with Erstwhile Philatelic Society (EPS)
When the EPS is up to something, I pay attention because they’ve brought me a lot of joy over the years. This small collective brings new meaning to the words “mail art.” For the past decade or so, they’ve sent many on an adventure to collect faux postage stamps. Now, they’re giving a talk, which I think is their first. It should be good. Do recommend.
TUE SEPT 17, 7 PM to 9 PM, 3264 Mission St SF; Free

The 24 Carrot Show & Dance Party by the sexy, gender-bending clowns of Fou Fou Ha!
A Klown friend from back in the early SF Cacophony Society days told me about this one and she has impeccable — if not absurd as all get out — taste, so I’m recommending it to you too. It’s a new and totally outrageous, audience-interactive “cartoon cabaret” and this friend of mine says it’s worth every penny.
FRI SEPT 20, 11 PM to 2 AM, Oasis at 298 11th Street, SF, Tickets are $30 to $70

San Rafael Porchfest
Alex G., one of the readers of my inbox zine, gave this Marin County event a big thumbs up: “Porchfests… are small neighborhood music festivals where houses in a given neighborhood will host bands/artists on their porches. The streets are closed, there are food trucks and you can wander from house to house and hear all sorts of music… Rock bands, folk bands, solo artists, local favorites, and even The San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers. I believe it is going to have 60 acts… A neighborhood throwdown.”
SUN SEPT 22, 12 PM to 5 PM, SAN RAFAEL’S Gerstle Park Neighborhood, Free

Drawn Together, an after-hours, live-art event for grownups at Fairyland
If you don’t have a kid, or didn’t grow up in the East Bay, you probably haven’t been inside one of the most iconic gems of the greater Bay Area: Children’s Fairyland. Since it opened in 1950, this storybook theme park for little tykes has enforced the rule of “no adult without a child, and no child without an adult.” But, rules are meant to be broken and this is one of your two yearly chances to get inside their fairy gates as an adult sans the kiddo. What is this event? Well, imagine a chill evening where 50 or so local artists make cool art pieces which are then sold individually at the end for a fixed price of $40 in a wild, raucous auction… all in the charming mid-century park that partially inspired Walt to create Disneyland (check it, it’s true). I mean, you can’t really go wrong. I’ll be there, for sure.
FRI SEPT 27, 6 PM to 9 PM, OAKLAND, Tickets are $28 now, $30 at the door (if available), For adults 21+ only because beer and wine are served

Your humble editors have a couple additions to Rusty’s wonderful list for this week:

SciComm Studio 018: The Sky is Not the Limit
Meet some inspiring women who embody the spirit of exploration: “From pioneer Daphne de Jong — who climbed Mt. Everest only after finding that the equipment was made for men — to Vera Mulyani, who envisions futures settlements on distant worlds. NASA’s Ariel Waldman takes us from Antarctica to outer space. Finally, meet “Galactic Chloé,” who is exploring immersive games and storytelling that transforms science into a space to explore.”
TUE SEPT 12, 6 PM to 9 PM, swissnex San Francisco, SF, $8

September Bookstore & Chocolate Crawl
Reading has never been so sweet. Enjoy one of the most book-dense strolls in SF, with pit stops for desserts and concluding with a happy hour.
SUN SEPT 15, 1 PM to 6 PM, Charlie’s Book Corner, SF, FREE

Caitlin Doughty: Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?
Out of a surprising number of morticians we know, Caitlin is among our favorites. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and watch Ask a Mortician on YouTube.
WED SEPT 18, 7:30 PM – 10 PM, Green Apple Books on the Park, SF, $30 (includes a copy of her book)

Thank you, Rusty, for the delightful suggestions! If you know of someone with a unique perspective on Bay Area happenings, we’re always looking for guest curators. Drop us a note! — Ed.