Now you'll be as plugged in and up to date as all those insiders scarfing up the invite to private KPRI listener parties, drinking free at HOB sidestage shows, and studiously ignoring Casbah headliners from the courtyard.
July 26, 2007
Thursday, July 26
San Diego's plugged In websites
Care Package
Absence is to love as wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small and kindles the great. -- Roger De Bussy-Rabutin I was reluctant to leave, even though it had been my decision to go. …
July 26, 2007
Christ Lutheran Church, La Mesa
"This is the liturgical service," said the usher as we stood in the entrance of the sanctuary, gazing over the scattering of congregants under the high, white ceiling. "Over in the gym is the contemporary …
July 26, 2007
The Reader's Eye on Television
"What the hell is going on?" I yell into the phone. "I've turned into a Possumizon!" "No you haven't," my girlfriend rolls with it. She's heard this sort of thing 14 times a day since …
July 26, 2007
New Elephant, Classic Lounge
John Reis (Rocket From the Crypt, Hot Snakes) becomes the latest rocker to enter the world of local bar ownership. Reis, his wife Ami, and two other couples formed a six-person partnership to purchase a …
July 26, 2007
Crazy, Nutty, Wacky
Posters advertised an "all-day rock festival" at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday, July 15. Tickets were $20 to see some 20 metal bands play in a fenced-off area of the Qualcomm parking lot. The bands, including …
July 26, 2007
Jackson v. Jackson
"I have not met or spoken to this imposter Action Jackson, but I would like to get a hold of him and simply ask him to stop using the name," says Jackson Milgaten of Action …
July 26, 2007
Whoa Is Me
Armada guitarist Dennis Rohde can tell you about hell. "I've been at practice rooms. I leave and go outside and vomit and go through all kinds of hell. But I know I have to go …
July 26, 2007
City council advisor Stanley Keller does Dobson's, Bojour, takes limo cab
How much is it costing to convince the federal Securities and Exchange Commission that it's safe for investors to buy all the debt the San Diego City Council wants to encumber taxpayers with? Plenty, according …
July 26, 2007
Props for Mono Mono
"I bring exploding foam, snow machines, confetti cannons, piñatas, and remote-control spaceships," says Jeffrey Beringer, a.k.a. Mono Mono, of his "interactive and inflatable" solo performances. Interactive? "The lights and other special effects are operated by …
July 26, 2007
David Copley's yacht Happy Days has departed Monaco
Union-Tribune owner David Copley's 164-foot yacht Happy Days has departed Monaco; on July 11, it was spotted at the docks of Luka Gruz harbor in Dubrovnik, Republic of Croatia. ... San Diego Magazine editor Tom …
July 26, 2007
Made in China
'We realized that our son, who was four at the time, needed new shoes," says Sara Bongiorni, author of A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy. "It's …
July 26, 2007
Santa Monica surf spot in Ocean Beach
Name: Kens Sullivan Jr. and Sr. Vehicle: 1992 Jeep Cherokee Lives: Point Loma Surfing: Santa Monica surf spot in Ocean Beach Ken Sullivan Sr. calls his Jeep Cherokee 4x4 the "soul car" because he can …
July 26, 2007
The Artist Formerly Known as President
I interviewed a Point Loma resident who had crashed 20 Super Bowls. What surprised me more than his success at crashing the games was that he once crashed an event for President Clinton. He got …
July 26, 2007
Peanut Butter Chaser by Robert Kirby
I once heard an analogy that being in a bad relationship is like owning a bad car. The more time, money, and energy you put into it, the harder it is to let it go. …
July 26, 2007
Melissa Plaut in New York City
The Five-Nine The 59th Street Bridge was a wreck. I knew because I called a few of my taxi buddies one night while they were driving their cabs. I was on an "extended hiatus" and …
July 26, 2007
Bingo Wings, Mouse Mustache,
Ron Peyton Age: 34 Occupation: Hair Stylist Lives: University Heights "Bingo wings," is my current favorite slang. It's a euphemism for the big upper-arm area of a chunky girl. You can imagine her jumping up …
July 26, 2007
Spanish Horses, Spanish Wine
"People want the romance; they want the story of your winery, the story of your vineyard."
Across the Line
Negative Filter is a three-piece hard-rocking band that began playing gigs in Tijuana and music festivals across the state of Baja. They now live in San Diego and rock out stateside. "As for politics, right …
July 26, 2007
The Gift of Deliciousness
It started with an e-mail from an unknown sender -- "Who's rojo?" I wondered -- friend, Viagra-pusher, virus-carrier? A friend I'd never met, it turned out -- a reader who shares my tastes, suggesting that …
July 26, 2007
Trust Me
You know things are bad when, as of Monday afternoon, NBA.com had no news about Tim Donaghy, the recently retired referee and alleged mob connected game fixer, save for a two-paragraph Friday press release from …
July 26, 2007
Chula Vista and Gaylord Entertainment deal falls apart
The convention center deal between Chula Vista and Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment has apparently collapsed. People are wringing their hands. They should be clapping their hands. Chula Vista and the Port could not afford the heavily …
July 26, 2007
Golden Hill's flirtation with city maintenance districts
Members of the Greater Golden Hill Community Development Corporation recently discovered a ruse that might help them overcome opposition to assessing their fellow citizens nearly $489,000 in increased taxes. Heretofore the development corporation has not …
July 26, 2007
City Attorney Mike Aguirre warned by D.A. on downtown ballpark deal
City Attorney Mike Aguirre is getting threatening letters. There is nothing new about that, except that these have come from purported law enforcement agencies. On July 17, Aguirre got a hand-delivered letter from the district …
July 26, 2007
David Malcolm finances Steve Peace purchase of Chula Vista property
The wife of Steve Peace, the former Democratic state assemblyman and senator most famous for his role in the disastrous state utility deregulation follies of the 1990s and now chief political advisor to Padres owner …
July 26, 2007
Consistency, I'm learning, is a huge component of what we call sanity.
It is close to my son's 30th birthday. In most ways he is much younger than this, and in even more ways, he is older. Geoffrey is on disability. It sometimes seems as if the …
July 26, 2007
Spare, Well-Spoken
You learn a lot about a director's concept of Hamlet the instant the guards appear. I've seen everything from German storm-troopers to surreptitious CIA types -- gray suits, sunglasses, ominous smirks -- to generic soldiers, …
July 26, 2007
Hot Buns
Hey, Matt: Why are cinnamon candies "red hot"? I have never thought the taste of a cinnamon roll or other baked good was particularly eye watering. -- RR, SD Tastes that bludgeon our senses have …
July 26, 2007
Spit, Sneeze, and Other Origins
Dear Matthew Alice: Where the heck did the expression "spitting image" come from? -- Wendell, San Diego Heymatt: Where did the expression "nothing to sneeze at" come from? It obviously means something important but makes …
July 26, 2007
Library Love
December 2006 Sitting in the Learning Resource Center at San Diego City College. I am among at least 100 empty chairs, many of them comfortable enough to sleep in, though I hesitate to say so. …
July 26, 2007
Hike through one of Southern California's first greenbelt parks -- the James Dilley Preserve near Irvine.
The James Dilley Greenbelt Preserve, a unit within Orange County's Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, dates back to a landmark purchase by the city of Laguna Beach in 1978. Environmentalist James Dilley helped champion the concept …
July 26, 2007
Pool Cleaners
'I was up in Carlsbad and stopped into a thrift store," chirped my friend Bernice, "and do you know what I found there? A Barracuda pool cleaner for $40 ! In perfect working order! Fitzgerald …
July 26, 2007
Thursday, July 19
Pacific Beach cracks down on beach boozers
Pacific Beach. 2:00 p.m. A typical, sunny summer Saturday. The smell of spilled beer mingles with sea mist and wet wood. I'm bar-hopping, and not one establishment I enter at midday is empty. Many are …
July 19, 2007
Them
Fear is not the natural state of civilized people. -- Aung San Suu Kyi If the morning had been anything other than unremarkable, I might have been better prepared for the terrible onslaught that was …
July 19, 2007
Bonita Orthodox Presbyterian Church
July 15 was summer intern Christopher Chelpka's first Sunday morning sermon at Bonita Presbyterian. "Many seminaries are starting to require these guys to go out and have a testing of the gifts they think they …
July 19, 2007
Hater High
Best known as Tom Waits's alma mater, Hilltop High's current rock scene is identified by its two active camps: you have the fashion-conscious emo kids and the always-aggro hardcores. No One Home, nicknamed the "Hispanic …
July 19, 2007
Street Hits the Road
The Union-Tribune has shrunk its weekly eight-page "Street" section from eight pages to one. Over its 21-month history as a pull-out section in "Night and Day," Street had featured local-music types such as Michael Horvath …
July 19, 2007
Shipwrecked
"It was a full-on bar brawl, like you see on Most Shocking Videos," says VV Morgue of a July 5 event she promoted at Chasers. As the band Ghost Ship was playing, Morgue reports, "I …
July 19, 2007
Housebroken
Habitat House, a residence and home recording studio at 1008 21st Street, has been hosting house parties with live music for several months. Upwards of 100 people attend, with cover charges usually waived due to …
July 19, 2007
Love Juice Liquidation
When Brian Witkin opened his Love Juice Labs last year, he scoffed at those who dismissed the discount recording facility as "McStudio." He maintained there were three other successful Love Juice Labs, all franchised by …
July 19, 2007
The Reader's Eye on Television
San Diego Public Access Channel presents: Sex Education as Taught by Your Bashful Nephew Hi, I'm Ollie, your bashful nephew. They told me to give this sex education class on the TV because I screwed …
July 19, 2007
Xeriscape: Rock Rose, Kangaroo Paw
'We hit 115 [degrees] here last July, and the rock rose and lavender did fine," says Don Schultz, horticulture manager for the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College. In the desert, where temperatures recently reached …
July 19, 2007
Windansea Beach, La Jolla
Name: Larry Davis Vehicle: 1995 Toyota pickup Lives: University City Surfing: Windansea Beach, La Jolla "Not born here, but raised here," Larry Davis said. "Moved here from Memphis, Tennessee, when I was two or three. …
July 19, 2007
Room for Jell-O
Making it to two parties in one night isn't usually a problem, but driving down from L.A. for a 5:00 p.m. event, traffic gets in the way. The first event was a fundraiser for Habitat …
July 19, 2007
Avalanche Jetty, Ocean Beach
Name: Julian Vereda Home: San Diego Vehicle: 1991 Jeep Wrangler Surfing: Avalanche Jetty, Ocean Beach While serving aboard the USS Cleveland (LPD-7), Julian Vereda saw the greatest site ever offered to any surfer: Cortes Bank …
July 19, 2007
Dream Come True
"They want to have their own private label - the family wine."
Slam Pick, Talent, Muffin Top
Chris Hall Age: 32 Occupation: Remodel/construction Lives: Mission Valley "Slam Pick" is what we call the last girl at the bar. She's just hanging out until closing time, waiting to get picked up. A lot …
July 19, 2007
Spunk
'The band started out as a one-off thing, to play a Halloween party with our friends in the band Three Piece Unit," says Dave Howarth, guitarist for Blue Shift. "When we started getting gigs at …
July 19, 2007
Mid-Summer Sports Issue
Regulars are aware that the Box regards American politics as a spectator sport. There are star players, teams, leagues, playoffs, and a national champion. Fans follow the game from childhood on, and once a fan …
July 19, 2007
Sunroad, McMillin, Pardee pay to rewrite Otay Mesa community plan
What is it about Sunroad Enterprises and regional airports? During the same period in which certain City planners were plotting to use Sunroad's defiance of federal and state air safety laws as a pretext to …
July 19, 2007
Copley Press sells nine newspapers in Illinois and Ohio
On April 11 of this year, Copley Press, parent of the Union-Tribune, sold nine newspapers in Illinois and Ohio for $382.5 million. Now we know: those papers were losing money. The buyer was GateHouse Media …
July 19, 2007
Barona Indians kick up motorcycle dust onto San Diego Country Estates
On a weekday, the west end of Barona Mesa Road in San Diego Country Estates is as bucolic a spot to live as any in San Diego County. An eclectic array of $600,000 homes on …
July 19, 2007
San Diego Library Foundation only scrapes together $2 million
Almost six years ago, on July 30, 2001, the San Diego city council, led by Mayor Dick Murphy, voted to give $1 million to the San Diego Library Foundation, a small nonprofit group incorporated only …
July 19, 2007
Literary agent Sandy Dijkstra attacks Union-Tribune killing of book section
The great debate over the demise of the Union-Tribune's freestanding book section rages on, led by outspoken Del Mar literary agent Sandy Dijkstra. "My point is that even though the U-T's revenues may not be …
July 19, 2007
Crowd Pleaser
Looking for an undemanding summer bagatelle? Go see the Old Globe's Measure for Measure. It's a real crowd-pleaser. Of course, if you want an earnest exploration of one of Shakespeare's most intricate works -- designed, …
July 19, 2007
I dream of Paul with more frequency in the summer, and he is always a boy.
Summer seems to be more and more a reminder of mortality -- traditionally, poetically, ass-backwards from the norm, I would think. When my English teacher Mr. Grey asked the class of high school sophomores why …
July 19, 2007
The Case of the P.B. Mermaid
The Case of the P.B. Mermaid All manner of stuff sails in through the open windows here at Alice Inquiries and Pedicures, LLC. Some of it from places not very near us at all. A …
July 19, 2007
Exploding Heads
Dear Matt: I just received this e-mail. "Doctors are blaming a rare electrical imbalance in the brain for the bizarre death of a chess player whose head literally exploded in the middle of a championship …
July 19, 2007
A Motel 6 of the Mouth
I've always wondered why I've never seen any reviews of The Shores, the less formal, less ambitious restaurant next door to the exalted Marine Room, but under the same ownership and same awesome executive chef, …
July 19, 2007
Catch the cool evening breeze from a hilltop in Heller's Bend Preserve near Fallbrook.
Once rich in rural landscapes, the area between Fallbrook and Bonsall has experienced a lot of suburban growth -- everything from full-blown subdivisions to large-acreage lots with mini-mansions placed on them. Fallbrook remains the "avocado …
July 19, 2007
Flavored Water
The bottled-water section dizzied me as I searched through the sea of containers for flavored water with no sugar. I was hunting out beverages for Jennifer, a pregnant pal of mine who has gestational diabetes. …
July 19, 2007
Thursday, July 12
20 years of San Diego Reader's Matthew Alice
Yeah, it really has been 20 years — 20 years of you Alicelanders bugging us with pointless questions; 20 years of Grandma Alice bugging us to separate the lights from the darks and not eat …
July 12, 2007
R & R
The whole celebrity culture thing -- I'm fascinated by, and repelled by, and yet I end up knowing about it. -- Anderson Cooper I surveyed my surroundings, noting the worn carpet, the paint peeling from …
July 12, 2007
The Rain
"Is church hell for you?" asked the glossy ad in CityBeat. "You're not alone. http://www.therainca.com The text was split between an image of hymnals in a church pew and a photo of raging flames. I …
July 12, 2007
Scalped
"Our days are numbered," says Vince Campise, owner of Atlas Tickets, a ticket resale company of nine employees. "If it wasn't for the fact that we have a successful football team, we'd be out of …
July 12, 2007
Haypunk
Guitarist Rene Romero spent his teen years in El Centro, where there was one Top 40 radio station and no live-music venues for kids. "I learned about the Velvet Underground and MC5 from a book …
July 12, 2007
Radio on the TV?
Plans are afoot to resurrect Fox Rox, a weekly rock TV show on the local Fox channel. "Yes, we are trying to figure out a way to make it work," says Richard Doutre-Jones, station manager …
July 12, 2007
San Diego Shakira impersonator causes stir
America's Got Talent contestant Boy Shakira -- a local male Shakira impersonator -- has polarized the show's three judges; Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan have approved him as a contestant, while David Hasselhoff argued on …
July 12, 2007
Self-Serve
"We showed up at the Bean Bar, where five bands had a combined draw of ten people standing around," says Four Kings singer/guitarist Drew Bent of a recent gig scheduled near the Sports Arena. "We …
July 12, 2007
Pleasant, Odd Fashion
The Wrong Trousers can often be found on weekends in Balboa Park, performing the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" on mandolin, standup bass, and full-sized concert harp. "On our best days at Balboa Park, …
July 12, 2007
Gooseberry Gumdrops
Title: Gooseberry Gumdrops Address: http://gooseberrygumdrops.blogspot.com Author: Michael Rheinbold From: Tierrasanta Blogging since: March 2007 Post Date: April 13, 2007 Post Title: Pistol Skittles Things continue to go south for our fearless hero. My roommate, Vladimir, …
July 12, 2007
Doggy Daycare
When her third child bolted off to college, my friend Janice thought she was free of her domestic duties. She returned to the workplace -- college is expensive, and a bunch of her friends had …
July 12, 2007
The Reader's Eye on Television
Foxy has mad gameness. "Gameness" is a word my friends and I picked up from a book, A Fighter's Heart , by Sam Sheridan. It means a willingness to fight even if a dog is …
July 12, 2007
The People's Music
'Verdi was really good at not just writing the music, but making the music match what it was about," says Timothy Todd Simmons, chorus master for the San Diego Opera. "You can listen to the …
July 12, 2007
Dog Beach, Ocean Beach
Name: Tom Downer Home: Normal Heights Vehicle: 1971 Volkswagen Bus Surfing: Dog Beach, Ocean Beach Tom Downer's wife calls his '71 Volkswagen Bus his "beach garage." Tom says, "It's still the only vehicle I can …
July 12, 2007
Underdressed
It was getting late on a Friday night, and a woman I was with wanted to get something to eat. As we passed by Domino's, she insisted we stop. They were closed, except for deliveries. …
Local Only
Like others before her, Gotfredson found selling San Diego wine to San Diegans a difficult business.
Connie Chung
Amber Hinajosa Age: 28 Occupation: Law Office Queen Bee Lives: University Heights Whenever someone upsets me I say, "I am going to Connie Chung you." As in, "I'm going to kick your ass." Or if …
July 12, 2007
Heart in the South
Singer Kitty Baudoin moved to San Diego in the summer of 1994 after spending five years in Hawaii and has lived here since then -- with "many trips home to New Orleans thrown into the …
July 12, 2007
Latham & Watkins attempted whitewash of Peregrine Systems
After pleading guilty to conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction of justice in the Peregrine Systems swindle -- the biggest and most blatant in San Diego history -- former chief executive Stephen Gardner last month got on …
July 12, 2007
Their Own Little World: Mission Beach
In Mission Beach, every foot of space counts. Five surf shops, four bars, a handful of restaurants, a resort hotel, a Turkish-style coffee lounge, and an amusement park all fit within its bounds, packed in …
July 12, 2007
Pacific Coast Office Building raises hackles in Mission Valley
Community height limits for buildings in San Diego will face another test this summer when the San Diego City Council revisits plans for the Pacific Coast Office Building in Mission Valley. At issue is the …
July 12, 2007
Forget San Diego's wi-fi network
The City's ambitious behind-the-scenes quest to build a municipal Wi-Fi network is virtually moribund, according to a slew of e-mails obtained from city hall last week under the state's public records act. The saga began …
July 12, 2007
News From The Camps
Coming close to football. The NFL preseason kicks off in three weeks and change, so it's not too early to start collecting the best sports reporting from team training camps. To begin, the Denver Broncos …
July 12, 2007
Surfer Emery Kauanui beaten outside La Jolla home
The case of 24-year-old professional surfer Emery Kauanui, savagely beaten after a May 24 bar dispute with old childhood chums outside the La Jolla home he shared with his mother Cynthia, is fodder for plenty …
July 12, 2007
Al Gore global warming speech gets Moores, Aguirre, Schenk, Sanders, Copley
The University of California has finally released cost and attendance details of that 150-person "V.I.P. Cocktail Reception" held for visiting ex-vice president Al Gore before his May global warming speech at UCSD. According to a …
July 12, 2007
Raging Romance
By the end of Shakespeare's romance The Two Gentlemen of Verona, you wonder when the title characters will show up. Valentine and Proteus begin as best friends: inseparable -- until separated. In one of the …
July 12, 2007
Everybody makes mistakes, John. Everybody.
Cozy up to writers at your own peril. -- Truman Capote In human relationships, kindness and lies are worth a thousand truths. -- Graham Greene In spring of this year I wrote about a friend …
July 12, 2007
The Emperer's Hand
Johnny's 72 and is most famous locally for being kissed on the cheek by Sophia Loren.
July 12, 2007
Clean Cuisine
JRDN (short for Jordan) doesn't have a long-shot panorama of the ocean like other "view" restaurants. Instead, it's up close and personal with the beach. Surfers tromp by, heading seaward with their boards, while tired, …
July 12, 2007
Visit Charlton Flat, gateway to the high country of the San Gabriel Mountains, for a picnic and a short hike.
As travelers make their way up from Los Angeles into the San Gabriel Mountains via Angeles Crest Highway, Charlton Flat is the first place they encounter true coniferous forest -- stately pines, firs, and cedars …
July 12, 2007
Thursday, July 5
Two decades of bootleg San Diego concert recordings
At first, Tracey thought I was an FBI agent. I'd been bidding on his eBay auctions for weeks, purchasing CD recordings of local concerts that took place from the mid-'80s onward. Though clearly not official …
July 5, 2007
The Penetrators, 1980
The Penetrators at Western Audio recording studios in Kearny Mesa, May 15, 1980. "Need good personality art," reads the photo assignment sheet. Standing in the back of the room are Gary Heffern, Chris Sullivan, and …
July 5, 2007
Roughing It
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities. -- Frank Lloyd Wright For every five people who hear me say, "I'm going to Martha's Vineyard for a few weeks," …
July 5, 2007
Aargh!
Three weeks ago, the Federal Communications Commission fined Donald J. Payne $750 for the operation of FRSD/Free Radio San Diego, the local "pirate" station that has broadcast sporadically on 96.9 FM since October 2002. In …
July 5, 2007
Dimeless
The Hi-Lites didn't play their scheduled Warped Tour kickoff show at the Pomona Fairgrounds last Friday. Five members of the eight-piece ska band left the group due to a falling out with bassist James Trent, …
July 5, 2007
Women on the Edge
The straight-edge subculture arose from the male-dominated punk scene in 1981. The rejection of mind-altering substances and promiscuous sex was an idea presented by Minor Threat lyricist Ian MacKaye in the song "Straight Edge." Though …
July 5, 2007
Gangsta Rap in Decline?
Carlsbad resident Carlos "Numbiz" Rodriguez performs as a solo artist and with Latin rapper Blaze in a group called LPLD. More lucrative are the hip-hop lyrics and beats Rodriguez composes and sells to producers for …
July 5, 2007
First Southern Baptist, University Heights
They aren't exactly stained-glass windows at The Fellowship. They're mosaics, made from thick shards of colored glass set in hardened sand, and they lay out salvation history through landscapes: creation, the flood, the parting of …
July 5, 2007
For the Little People
Large-venue concert after-parties at which the performers show up have become more frequent at the Casbah. "We did a Faint after-party last December that was pretty successful," says owner Tim Mays. "Two of the guys …
July 5, 2007
Deuteronomy, Where's My Music?
"Due to a mix-up at the CD factory," says Shoestring Strap guitarist Dave Lowenstein, "some copies of our new CD Mudgrass have two tracks of Mormon sermons instead of our 14 songs." Lowenstein didn't know …
July 5, 2007
Frankie's Rides and Tirades
Title: Frankie's Rides and Tirades Address: http://frankiesrides.blogspot.com Author: Traci Brynne From: North Park Blogging since: June 2007 Post Date: June 25, 2007Post Title: Frankie Goes to Australia, Part 1 Six months ago, I applied for …
July 5, 2007
Potluck Recipes
Summer party season is upon us, and my clan has already attended quite a few potluck barbecues. But I'm sick of my potluck side-dish offering: penne pasta with chopped spinach, golden raisins, tomatoes, and slivered …
July 5, 2007
The Reader's Eye on Television
"Would you get off the phone?" my dad yelled. "I'm setting my watch. Give me a minute." "It's close enough." "No it isn't." I wanted to synch my Batman watch with the infallible voice of …
July 5, 2007
Fragments Of the Past
'A guy named Norm Golb just loves to follow these Dead Sea Scrolls around the country and talk about how we've got it all wrong," says Delle Willett, director of marketing for the San Diego …
July 5, 2007
Avalanche Jetty, Ocean Beach
Name: Seth Roloff Lives: Alpine Surfing: Avalanche Jetty, Ocean Beach Vehicle: 1984 Mercedes 300SD Turbo Diesel Seth Roloff's 1984 Mercedes 300SD died in its spot on this hazy Saturday morning. "I was excited to see …
July 5, 2007
Dirty Harriet
When my friend Mike told me that he was offered a gig to announce for a San Diego roller derby team, I responded, "San Diego has a roller derby team?" I had yet to see …
July 5, 2007
How many bees died to make my pollen smoothie?
Matt: Bee-ing a concerned smoothie drinker, me and a few colleagues were wondering what the actual process was in collecting bee pollen that we use in our smoothies. A few of us were hoping that …
July 5, 2007
Grape Landscape
"The ethos," says Norby, "was to blend in and respect nature, be part of it."
Poised in Amber
June 23, Saturday afternoon, a celebration of fun, sun, food, tunes, jewelry, junk, and groovy funkinabulation on the planet Obie -- a cluster-funkinabulized vibefest of love. The outpouring of Obecians and pilgrims to the time-warp …
July 5, 2007
Shrimping, Spit Roast
Janet Age: 34 Occupation: Corporate Executive Lives: North Park I follow language, especially slang. I've heard two new ones recently. One of them is "shrimping." It's a foot-fetish thing where someone's big toe is sucked …
July 5, 2007
Mayor Sanders calls state attorney general to investigate Mike Aguirre
A beggar comes to the door and asks for food. The housewife says he can have dinner if he will whitewash the porch. Ten minutes later he is back, claiming the job is done. The …
July 5, 2007
Employees at UCSD Moores Cancer Center complain of abuse
The University of California San Diego promulgates a list of nine "Principles of Community" to its faculty, staff, and students. The second principle states, "We affirm each individual's right to dignity and strive to maintain …
July 5, 2007
UCSD gives Al Gore more than $100K lecture fee
When ex-vice president Al Gore parachuted into town to give a speech at UCSD on May 21, many locals seemed starstruck. Four thousand free tickets to Gore's "multimedia lecture," based on his Inconvenient Truth, the …
July 5, 2007
Julie Meier Wright blames fines on assistant
The chief executive officer of San Diego's taxpayer-funded Economic Development Corp. and a big backer of last year's failed campaign to move the airport to Miramar, Julie Meier Wright, has quietly agreed to pay a …
July 5, 2007
David Copley's yacht at Antibes and Portofino
It's summer on the Riviera, and U-T publisher David Copley's 164-foot yacht Happy Days is making good progress through the balmy waters of the Mediterranean. Spotted at the International Yacht Club of Antibes on May …
July 5, 2007
Field Trip
Aimlessly walking a bookstore floor letting what happens happen is a 20th-century amusement. Still, every few months I'll hie to a mall, load up on some tutti-frutti, mocca-yoko yummy ice slurp and stroll a vast …
July 5, 2007
Now and Then
I hope they never make a movie of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. The chances are unlikely, since the play's set in two different eras (1809-1812 and 1989) and takes place at a long table where people …
July 5, 2007
Within moments I was actually listening to this nearly 40-year-old record. Pure dumb luck, surely...
Though I have owned and used a computer since 1983, I am like a man who owns a perfectly fine V-8 engine automobile and uses it only to listen to the radio -- that is …
July 5, 2007
Save the Fleas!
Heymatt: I've heard during the golden era of the flea circus, there were some who complained about the mistreatment of fleas. Is it possible for a human to have so much misplaced empathy that they …
July 5, 2007
Bad Beer
MA of Reader: I have a cabin in Julian that has a collection of nine bottles of beer in the fridge. Two Budweisers were left over from a housewarming party in April of '04, two …
July 5, 2007
Plane Lights
Matt: Why do commercial jetliners fly around with their headlights on? Are they going to prevent the plane from running into something up there? -- Jeremy Barwick, Lemon Grove Sorry, Jeremy. Those are landing lights …
July 5, 2007
My Shallow Heart
At least half the menu's devoted to the sacred ritual: breaking the overnight fast.
July 5, 2007
The Fountain, Mysterious Skin, One from the Heart
Jacquelyn DaniellEnglish major, Biola University If you are looking for something artistic this summer, The Fountain will not disappoint. Darren Aronofsky's latest film is the story of a man's quest to save the life of …
July 5, 2007
Room with a View
I've always been curious about Azul La Jolla. Although it's one of the Brigantines, other restaurants in this group bespeak a chain of semiprecious metal, rather than the standard dross: Zocalo is tasty fun, and …
July 5, 2007
Hike along the Cowles Mountain crest to reach a seldom-visited viewpoint in Mission Trails Regional Park.
Pyles Peak is a prominent bump in the series of mountaintops stretching between Cowles Mountain in the south and Fortuna Mountain in the north. Collectively, these high points constitute the spine and centerpiece of the …
July 5, 2007