Guenevere Miramontes 12 Student Sherman Heights I like this shirt because it says, "I love nerds." I like nerds, so what better shirt could I have? My last boyfriend wasn't a nerd; I had to …

“I’ve got doctors, lawyers, CPAs coming in here. They’re ready to buy.”

'Least terns like an open, flat, sandy area. They like plenty of small fish that they can forage for, and they like solitude. Solitude is the problem," says Chris Redfern, volunteer coordinator for the San …

Thirty Years Ago I love the fair; flora and fauna, livestock and agriculture...and Don Diego himself, wearing more makeup than the Fairest of the Fair. But as I was saying, there are rabbits. There are …

Books Are Still My Weakness I don't remember learning to read. I enjoy fancying that I was born with this innate knowledge, that I tumbled out of the womb with the talent. It's my own …

“Actually, I had about a dozen different pen names — seems like they changed on every book. For a time I was known as Longjon Jones.” And that, he admonishes me, is how I will …

That is your trick, your bit of filthy magic: invisibility, and the anaesthetic power to deaden my attention in your direction. -- D.H. Lawrence 'You won't believe what happened to me today," said Jenny, setting …

Sweat cracked across my forehead, pooled in my eyes, and stung my cracked lips. The skin peeking from beneath my collar turned from irritated to burned. When my hands touched the granite, I smelled charred …

Get this. I'm holding a mulberry. Pale little thing...I've never seen one before in my life. "We only grow these for the birds," says Pio. "They love them. So they come and they eat the …

A cool coastal breeze, worming its way up through Mission Gorge, ruffles the mirrorlike surfaces of the seven Santee Lakes, and sets cottonwood leaves aflutter. A damp, wholly agreeable odor permeates the wooded shorelines. Does …

"We ditched the original driver [in Italy] 'cause we genuinely thought he would get us killed," says guitarist Nick Hipa of As I Lay Dying. The band was on a European tour in mid-June when …

"Ground Zero Concerts presents our last show ever." That was the announcement on groundzeroconcerts.net in reference to the June 11 show that included My American Heart, Get Back Loretta, and Goodbye Tomorrow. The 600-person--capacity room …

Last November, Brian Witkin opened Real 2 Reel, a record store at Mira Mesa's Epicentre, an all-ages venue. He says business is good. "I have five [part-time] employees now with workers' comp and all that," …

On this day in 1965, when Jerry Lee Lewis played downtown's Convention Hall, he got a "stern warning" from a "top local cop" because he allegedly violated city municipal code 33.1593: "It is unlawful for …

Beyond Black: A Novel. A John MacRae Book/Henry Holt & Company, 2005; 362 pages; $26 FROM THE DUST JACKET:A paragon of efficiency, well-schooled in the mundane tasks of an average existence, Colette took the next …

"Oldies isn't dying, it's being murdered," says local rock DJ Rich "Brother" Robbin about the "oldies" radio format. He suggests the people who run radio conglomerates are too lazy to make the format work. Last …

I was at a party once with local author and radio personality Richard Lederer. He told us that his son Howard (nicknamed "the Professor") is a professional poker player, as is his daughter, Annie Duke …

"He's the man," says Pepper drummer Yesod Williams about L.A. DJ Jed "the Fish." Three months ago, the KROQ DJ got his station to play the reggae/rock trio's "Give It Up." That airplay spurred other …

'Instant oatmeal is no good," said my dad during our Father's Day chat. "It's like wallpaper paste, gooey, yuck," he said. He is an expert on oatmeal. For most of his 80 years, he has …

Let's browse magazine-rack sports publications, see what's new. The usual way of going about this is to slog over to the chain bookstore nearest your kitchen (Barnes and Noble, on this occasion), order a café …

“What we have in California is a tremendous amount of sun during the ripening season.”

Ex-Nevada high-roller Steve Francis, who has vowed to spend what it takes to get elected, is not your usual candidate for mayor. In addition to the million dollars or so of personal money he's expected …

“I wanted to make a place where you got good food and could fill yourself up for five bucks.”

Gerald R. "Jerry" Sanders and William Robert "Bob" Bradley are friends and business associates. Each faces problems. Sanders's potential woes are voluntary: he wants to be mayor of a financially ailing city, San Diego. Bradley's …

Movies reviewed this week: Land of the Dead and Yes

Mr. Alice: I walk my dogs., A lot. Which takes me around a lot of different neighborhoods. On my walks I see, o occasion (not particularly commonly, but enough to make me wonder WTF??) a …

Heymatt: In today's world we have an atomic clock in Ft. Collins, Colorado, that keeps time within 14 millionths of a second of the earth's rotation, and we have clocks and watches that receive a …

Third Day Churches is a house church movement founded in San Diego that has since spread to eight countries. Gary Goodell birthed the idea in 2001 from 34 years of ministry experience that spans 12 …

I didn't recognize where I was. "Things have changed a lot," said Jorge Rodríguez, leading me out of the rain, into his two-story cinder-block house. "I came to Los Arenales looking for new horizons," he …

“It’s been around for a while — you can pretty much guess what they have on the menu.”

'For the most part, this stuff is high energy and high emotion. This is not lullaby," says director of the Chula Vista International Mariachi Conference Mark Fogelquist. The conference includes three days of workshops at …

Thirty Years Ago THIS EERIE MALE still playing long shots, nevertheless would like an eerie female around the house. Special inducement, summer trip to Lake Erie. Truman. -- CLASSIFIEDS: June 26, 1975 Twenty-Five Years Ago …

Rice and Gravy Days bright with heat, afternoons merciful with rain. When I think of summer, I think of Mississippi. As a military brat, I spent portions of all my summers around the South of …

Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday. — Albert Camus, The Stranger …

Mary had a little lamb. Mary's ovine pet propelled her, not just to stardom, but to galactic fame. It was the TV show featuring Mary and her adolescent sheep where her acclaim started. It was …

Far from sight and sound of the city, the Burkhart Trail blazes a lonely path over the desert bordering range of the San Gabriel Mountains and down into the upper margins of the Mojave Desert. …

Word on the street was that Jose Sinatra and the Troy Dante Inferno were about to take to the road again. The performer and sidemen haven't toured since April of 2001. That was the "bizarre" …

Harder to Cross the Border for Eek-A-Mouse. "Rumor has it he can't get back in this country," says Coach House Records CEO John Bullard about his label's dancehall-reggae star. For the past 15 summers, you …

"They need to understand they can't make a living on what the Belly Up did," says Belly Up Tavern talent buyer Jeff Gaulton. What the House of Blues did was snag Neil Diamond tribute band …

When my brother and I were in high school, he was in some boring Shakespeare play that I got dragged to see. It was fun hearing him talk about the cast party, though. Larry Zeiger, …

"What do indie musicians and Tupperware have in common?" That's what an article in the June 20 issue of Newsweek ponders as it suggests local O.B. reggae-rockers Slightly Stoopid have tapped into a hipper version …

Who is Ziyad Abduljawad and why is he giving all those travel freebies to GOP congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the embattled old Navy fighter ace from the Vietnam War? According to congressional gift records, Cunningham …

"The days are over when a single local independent promoter will dominate the local scene," says longtime promoter Harlan Schiffman (Fineline Entertainment). Schiffman reflects on the life of Jim Pagni, San Diego's first major rock …

The Deadheads' Holy Grail -- tapes of every concert the band has ever played -- is within grasp, thanks to a phone call from the former wife of onetime Dead keyboardist Keith Godchaux. Official Dead …

When the Neville Brothers appear at Humphrey's on June 24, in the tuning room, they want a bottle of V-8 juice, a bag each of "individually packed cookies" and "individually wrapped candy" as well as …

Katherine Jackson takes the toothbrush out of her mouth. "In an old house in Paris all covered in vines lived 12 little girls in two straight lines..." This is Jackson's way of telling me what …

FROM THE DUST JACKET: Over the course of his life, Robert Lowell impressed those who knew him by his "refusal to be boring on paper" (Christopher Benfey). One of the most influential poets of the …

My niece Bridget is fashion-conscious. Though she lives in a small town in rural New Mexico, she is, thanks to catalogs and the Internet, always bedecked in the latest fabulous must-haves. But there is still …

"Pacifica Del Mar, seafood is our passion! How can I help you?" are the first words you hear when you phone this restaurant. And phone you must. This place is a-hoppin' -- especially now that …

I mistype a Web address that results in a visit to the Sports Authority website. Their opening ad reads, "Lionel Riding the Rails Hobo Train Set. Our Price: $259.97. During the Great Depression, many men …

This January, Stephen L. Baum will retire as Sempra Energy's chief executive in fine shape (rich as Croesus) and at a fine time (as the company faces a jury in a potentially backbreaking lawsuit). Maybe …

“Once people understand it, they feel cool. They’re in with the clique.”

Movies reviewed this week: Après Vous, Bewitched, Heights, Land of the Dead, and My Summer of Love

"Beer is one of our core values. We enjoy it and like to drink it. Drinking is part of our culture and a great way to spend time with others," said Pastor Justin Bragg of …

Hey Matt: What's the deal with quicksand? As a child I saw movies where people died in the stuff. Cartoon characters sank in it. Yet in all my years of reading the newspaper and hearing …

“They’re growing up soft, less healthy, because they eat burgers and tacos and fries.”

Mustache also mous-tache (m s-tash, m -stash) noun 1. The hair growing on the human upper lip, especially when cultivated and groomed. 2. Something similar to the cultivated, groomed hair on the human upper lip, …

“I kind of relate to being a fat little kid.”

Omar Julio, better known in the club scene as DJ Power, has reunited with David Porras, known as DJ Impact, to form Da Big Boyz. The two will perform a live set together for the …

Late Bloomer As I slide my Hejira CD into the player, I think, "Joni Mitchell makes me want to cry." Maybe it's the third glass of Riesling talking, but it's a reunion with one of …

Thirty Years Ago MALE PROTECTIVE LEAGUE seeks members. Learn from female counterintelligence how to protect against the Disapproving Female hell bent on humbling and humiliating the convenient male. Self-addressed, stamped envelope...for membership application. -- CLASSIFIEDS: …

Oh, I know a lot of men are made uncomfortable by this monthly miracle. But not me. No, I embrace it. Embrace it the way some men embrace the weekend! Why, I anticipate it the …

Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, on a book tour to promote his autobiography Searching for the Sound, was at the Mira Mesa Barnes & Noble on June 9. Over 300 people were in line when …

"The last thing I remember was flying out the window," says 21-year-old drummer Sid Hilarides. "I flew about 30 feet." Hilarides and two of his Irieside bandmates were traveling north on I-5 from a Solana …

"Vice officers went into [Winstons on] May 27 to do a regular check of their permits," says SDPD Lieutenant Lawrence McKinney. Winstons management told the undercover vice detectives that permits were not needed because the …

"The army shows that to get somewhere you have to prove something to yourself and others," says 23-year-old guitarist Kelli Ruddick, an Israeli army veteran. Ruddick, who plays Lestat's, E Street Cafe, Twiggs, and the …

On TV, people's faces look dramatic in the rain. In real life, the rain doesn't impart that magic quality of passion. The air between cars is painted with a gray, oily brush. The black dots …

REO Speedwagon plays the Del Mar Fair tomorrow. While the band is in town, they would like to do some golfing, particularly "if the golf course chosen would agree to trade tee times for tickets …

DEFRAUDING AN INNKEEPER Location: 660 K Street, Gaslamp Quarter Time/Date: 1:45 a.m. on 6/5/05 Investigation: Officer Ramirez #6056 and I responded to a radio call to take custody of Ryan A. A. had been placed …

San Diego County is riddled with edges or "ecotones" -- boundaries between different geographic regions or ecological habitats. Ecotones harbor great biological diversity and often feature spectacular scenery, especially when the transition from one type …

After locals Louis XIV played in Illinois May 25, the Chicago Sun-Times called them "more eyeliner than talent.... Despite its royal moniker, salty lyrics, and heavy eyeliner, Louis XIV's hour-long show at the Metro not …

Whenever I try to write about high school parties that involve the schools, the schools freak out and don't let me anywhere near the campus or party site. When I tried to write about a …

The memo, dated September 6, 1978, is from San Diego Police Captain P.H. Rose to Captain M.C. Guaderrama. It sings the praises of a 28-year-old officer, badge number 1840, bucking for promotion to the rank …

In chaotic times, outsiders have the inside track. So-called "outside" lawyers, accountants, consultants, actuaries, investment bankers, and self-proclaimed experts-for-hire are like taxicab drivers: they salivate when the meter is running. Often, opposing lawyers, feigning belligerence, …

English teachers at Bell Junior High School must have an easy time teaching irony to their composition students these days.Irony abounds at the Southeast San Diego school. For example, the campus and buildings, after six …

Two Trains Running. Pantheon Books; 2005; 112 pages; $25. FROM THE DUST JACKET: Electrifying, compelling, and ultimately terrifying, Two Trains Running is a galvanizing evocation of that moment in our history when the violent forces …

My hubby Patrick made his first visit to the dermatologist last week. A brown spot on the back of his neck had him worried about skin cancer. But the doctor relieved his fears. "It's a …

“What a day. Nothing’s falling right. Gimme a beer, sweetheart. And meatballs. Your famous meatballs.”

Movies reviewed this week: Batman Begins and Howl’s Moving Castle

Father Edward Gallagher's homily at Saint Gregory the Great began with a story of the son of a minister who left the Protestant church to become a Catholic. After Mass, Father Gallagher said many Protestant …

Distant wars, nearby tables: Thirty years ago, North Vietnam conquered Saigon, the capital city of South Vietnam. When the U.S. withdrew in '72, many professionals and prosperous businesspeople came to the U.S. Members of the …

I am soon to be divorced, for the second time. I should be ashamed, but I'm not. Mostly, I'm inconvenienced: Sometimes sad, sometimes grateful, as though I have been untied from the train tracks of …

“They served Tater Tots all night.”

'It's not like a field camera; it's more like a precision instrument," says Graham Flint. Flint, an aerospace physicist and photographer, started the Gigapxl Project with his wife, Catherine Aves, in 2000 to create "an …

Jazz Fest Virgin Honestly, it was more the allure of a day off from work than the concert itself. "We're going to see Widespread Panic at Jazz Fest," said the Fiancé's best friend, Josh. He …

Thirty Years Ago Marie Callender's used to be a place where you could dine for less than $3, and, if you limit yourself to one and only one item on the sandwich menu, or chili …

On Saturday, May 28, I went to see Link Wray at the Casbah. He's known mostly by older folks for his 1958 instrumental hit "Rumble." Younger people know him for the same song, included on …

When Wayne Newton plays Viejas tomorrow, June 10, he expects, aside from his own limo, "a separate vehicle for Mr. Newton's pilots and mechanic." His wardrobe needs a clothes rack and an "upright steamer." Newton's …

Attorney Sandy Troy says he's tried to mediate the problems between Hot Monkey Love Café owner Alma Phelan and her El Cajon Boulevard neighbor. "He's put a chain across the driveway while customers are there," …

"We'd have burlesque dancers onstage with us," says drummer Morgan Young about his decision to leave the Millionaires, a glam band that packed the Casbah, Ken Club, and the Alibi during its three-year run. "A …

You think I don't want to? It's those TV networks, Marge: they won't let me. One quality show after another, each one fresher and more brilliant than the last. If they only stumbled once, just …

Tracy Johnson, general manager of KFMB (100.7 FM), says he had second thoughts after he dropped his live DJs, quit playing new music, and switched to an '80s-oldies format called "Jack 100.7." "I'd wake up …

People don't talk in real life the way they do on TV. In real life nobody makes a statement then waits for the other person to speak. Nobody answers a question directly. People don't listen …

Prior to October 2003's great Cedar Fire, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park sprawled across more than 25,000 acres of chaparral, gentle meadows, gurgling streams, and forests of pines, firs, cedars, sycamores, and oaks. Today, of course, …

When I got an invitation to attend the grand opening of the House of Blues, I was jazzed. Those parties have great food, lots of booze, and interesting people. The entertainment for the evening was …

It's bad enough to have a fox guarding the henhouse. Having a Cox guard one suggests that the corporate crook will once again be the cock of the walk, crowing as investors get skinned. Some …

They are symmetrical, with pointed noses, vacuous eyes, and rigid appendages. It is the job of men like Frank Acuna to slice through them. The harvesting of pen-fattened bluefin tuna began in Australia in the …

I make a mean cream cheese-and-crab wonton; high school Home Ec did that much for me. The sewing was another matter. It took only one dress in which the waistline crossed my torso some three …

The History of Love. W.W. Norton & Company, 2005; 252 pages; $23.95. FROM THE DUST JACKET: A long-lost book reappears, mysteriously connecting an old man searching for his son and a girl seeking a cure …

'For general-interest sports consumers, this is an esoteric activity. What is it about racewalking that captured you?" Curt Clausen says, "Random chance. It was the summer between my seventh and eighth grade. I was a …

“The older clones had a lot of leaf-roll and other issues that led them to not produce as much sugar.”

Movies reviewed this week: Cinderella Man, Lords of Dogtown, Mad Hot Ballroom, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, andThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Matt: Would you please clarify the "Pedestrian has the right of way" rule before I kill somebody? If I get to an intersection in my car and a pedestrian is waiting, I let the pedestrian …

Hey Matt! Why are the states named as they are, i.e., Ohio, Texas, Utah, and so on? Where did these names come from? Why didn't they get simple names like Bob or George? -- Darth …

Matthew: Why does every escalator in the world have those green lights in the works under the steps at the bottom and the top? And why always the same shade of green? -- Steve, the …

Early birds heading to the Del Mar Fair often arrive hungry, appetites aroused by the pre-festivities thrill ride through the I-5/805 Merge of Death. There's food inside the fairgrounds, but as the locals already know, …

I make a pig of myself, crunching the tostada, gunging into the fish taco, and slurping coconut.

He had a passion to do well. She had a passion to do good. Together, they touted his investment scheme, which bilked a thousand investors of $80 million. He has confessed to planning and running …

“It was nice to see she’s human.”

In My Parlor This article comes to you sponsored by plain M&M's, several 20 ounce Cokes, and a large bag of Cheddar Cheese Pretzel Combos. How do you introduce yourself to the Internet? With a …

Thirty Years Ago But stories about Lifeguard School sounded pretty scary. She heard they made guard candidates jump off the Clam, 35 feet into a shallow surge -- if you timed it right. Thirty-five feet …

"We got our name because we're all getting a little bit older, and it's about time to send us off to the glue factory," jokes Greg Lowther, 40-year-old drummer for Glue Factory. "We're not hiding …

When the Beach Boys play Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay on Sunday, June 5, the venue isn't allowed to report box-office totals "unless the concert is a complete sellout," whereupon "it must be reported to …

Two people have talked to me about record producer Phil Spector's affiliation with guns. A photographer who once took photos of John Lennon (and sold me an autographed Lennon album) told me a story 13 …

The Locust recently posted on their website: "Clear Channel is still dead set in [our] rifle sites [sic].... [We] call for a boycott and follow up...by not playing Clear Channel shows, no matter how incredible …

"We sold around 350,000 albums [worldwide]." Sprung Monkey drummer and co-founder Ernie Longoria is proud of his band's track record. "We cracked the top 20 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. We got MTV play." Active …

Sacked Chargers quarterback Doug Flutie surprised some last month by turning up on the New England Patriots' team roster for a one-year "backup" gig. The audience at the Medford, Massachusetts, Music for Middlesex III concert …

"They haven't died out, but they ain't got no work," says singer Dottie Whitsett. "A lot of the old blues people don't try and do blues no more. I can't find them." Whitsett has performed …

Noah Gabriel plays Paul McCartney's "Blackbird" at the Sunday market in San Diego's old Chinatown (at Third and J). A year and a half ago, he was a singing star in China...well, around Shanghai, anyway. …

I missed a couple of Cinco de Mayo parties because of a migraine headache. A few weeks before that, I missed some parties I didn't know were going on until after the fact. On April …

You don't have to be a "person of influence" to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me. -- Scott Adams …

I kick my feet up on my coffee table. My reclined position affords me an unusual view. On the expanse of white ceiling the contrast of a small black dot catches my eye. The dot …

For much of the past century, Paramount Ranch has served the needs of an entertainment industry always hungry for rustic outdoor scenery. Since 1980, however, the core of this property has been in the hands …

The clerk in downtown's divorce court says that the 1993 case of former police chief, now mayoral candidate, Jerry Sanders and his ex-wife Kerrill is under seal and not available for public inspection. In March, …

At close to midnight during the April 15 meeting of the San Diego City Council's consideration of the Paseo de Mission Hills project, District Seven representative Jim Madaffer observed that moments earlier he had received …

Plop! It's not a baseball dropping into a mitt. It's a company falling into Wall Street's doghouse. Still another corporation that shelled out bucks to have its name on a pro-sports stadium has taken a …

As every good chef — and good mom — knows, we eat with our eyes. Food is both a visual art and the artful combination of flavors. In traditional sushi, the visuals are vital. Sushi …

“I was distressed to find out that he was so close to the whole Copley organization, and here I was working for them. I came into a situation where I was really walking on eggs.”

My friend Sasha is type A; she always has her ducks in a row. She's been married for several years now and is thinking of starting a family. She's read a slew of books on …

Guitar: An American Life by Tim Brookes. Grove Atlantic Press; May 2005; 339 pages; $24. Audio book version Blackstone Audio. FROM THE DUST JACKET: "Shortly before his 50th birthday, baggage handlers destroyed Tim Brookes's guitar, …

At 15, violinist Eugene Ugorski has performed with over 65 orchestras, most recently in Moscow, where he played a Tchaikovsky concerto. "It was a very important concert," says Ugorski, because it fell on May 9, …

Regulars may recall an April 7 column about Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Alex Sanchez. Sanchez, 28, was the first major league ballplayer to be suspended under Major League Baseball's steroid-policy-of-the-month; in this instance, the …

“There are no ways of knowing that kids aren’t doing these things. This is a preemptive strike.”

"There is a renewal of interest in the Reformed faith from people who have grown weary of the subjectivity of the broad evangelical faith," said Pastor Stephen Donovan. "In the first 45 years of our …

“The secret to doing well here is don’t come looking for something.”

Movies reviewed this week: Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Matthew: While chucking my spent chewing gum into a major retailer's landscaping, I got to wondering. Are there any insects or animals that make use of it? For food or nest building or what? What …

Hello: What does the "M" in M-16 stand for? -- Mira Fae Sobson, UCLA Remember, Mira, we're dealing here with the U.S. Army. Mostly a no-frills, no-imagination outfit that runs on codes and letters and …

Hey Matt: I got this email today and am wondering if it is true. Before everyone with a computer receives this, and I start hearing people in taverns repeating it, what's it worth? "In the …