"It's catastrophic!" Duncan McFetridge flings his arms out. "Look, can't you see the change?" Several years ago, when I last came here to the Cleveland National Forest outside of Descanso, McFetridge's cabin nestled in a …

With the passing of Chilango's in Hillcrest, I've begun a quest for other authentic Mexican restaurants in the city. By "authentic," I mean restaurants serving the wonderful, varied cuisines of mainland Mexico, rather than bare-bones …

"I was pretty shocked that [Tommy Lee] would call me at 10 a.m. on his birthday."

"Before bourbon goes into the barrel, they char the inside by literally lighting the barrel on fire," says Sheri Haupt, Southern California area manager for bourbon distributor Future Brands. "They char it to a depth, …

DJ:Madison Station:KPRI/102.1 Shift:5:00-10:00 a.m., Monday-Friday; 6:00-10:00 a.m. on Saturdays I saw the Stray Cats for the first time, like everyone else, on MTV. I liked rockabilly. It wasn't a popular genre of music and was …

Name: Colin Foulke Lives: Clairemont Surfs: Windansea Colin Foulke grew up a few miles from the beach in San Clemente, and although he surfed and played in the water during his early childhood, he started …

"Women are a bit more adventurous when it comes to trying different varietals."

Thirty-seven years ago today -- 10/18/70 -- Pink Floyd performed in San Diego for the first time at the Intercollegiate Baseball Facility (a.k.a. the Polo Field) at UCSD. Touring behind their Atom Heart Mother album, …

When Jennifer Lopez appears at Cox Arena on Wednesday, October 24, expected munchies include chocolate chip cookies, brownies, an apple pie ("à la mode"), honey peanut Balance Bars, mango, and papaya. Her dressing room requires …

"San Diego to Tijuana... Arguably the most infamous border town of the Western World. The last hedonist haven. Crossing from a city that thrives on consumerism to a city that survives on debauchery, we were …

Ranchita Rocks took place September 28 through the 30th on Golightly Farms Ranch in Ranchita. The event was intended to raise money for lawyers to fight SDG&E's Sunrise Powerlink plan. "The turnout wasn't what we …

Jason Nascimento, 31, knew other local Portuguese restaurants had come and gone when he opened Portugalia in Ocean Beach five years ago. "They only marketed to local Portuguese," says Nascimento. "We market to everyone." Yet, …

Rapper Lunchmeat has been arrested six times on charges such as robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a bulletproof vest. His longest stint lasted five and a half years in the California …

On FM94/9 last Thursday, before his Satellite Party show, Perry Farrell said that he doesn't surf anymore because he lost his board. He mentioned that he might surf again if someone gave him a board. …

Ricasshay has been involved with hip-hop culture since 1983 and active locally since 1993. The MC/lyricist was a Best Hip-Hop nominee for a San Diego Music Award this year. He's cried foul over the selection …

"Snow Patrol wrote the greatest worship song," proclaimed Pastor Rich McCullen. "'Open Your Eyes.' As a church, we've decided to open our eyes to the world and what's going on around us. And sometimes, that's …

Pasquale VerdicchioProfessor, UCSD department of literature and board member, Cinema Sud Italian Film Festival The South of Italy figures prominently as a setting in Italian cinema. The Cinema Sud Festival is particularly important because it …

I trust My husband, Mark, is a sex addict. Four years ago, before he came clean about his sex addiction and started his recovery, I would have told you that he never lied. I lied, …

Our local daily used a helicopter to photograph the waves pounding our shores. "No one rode [the waves because they were so big]," says surfer/shaper Steve Scatolini, who was in his early teens. "I heard …

Tim Fair Age: 21 Occupation: Electrical Engineer Lives: Clairemont I have a couple good examples of aliases me and my friends give random people we see in public situations. For example, my go-to name for …

Wealthy La Jolla socialite Lisa Barkett has agreed to pay a $2340 fine for failing to report in a timely fashion a $10,000 contribution to the unsuccessful June 2006 Democratic gubernatorial primary campaign of Phil …

San Diego city attorney Mike Aguirre hasn't been much of a friend to realtors and development interests during his controversy-filled tenure, so it's probably not that much of a surprise that the local Republican Party …

So-called behesting, in which an elected official asks special interests to make contributions to the officeholder's favorite charities, has become a frequent practice for San Diego city councilman Jim Madaffer. Under the City's ethics ordinance, …

If you ever suffer insomnia, you might play the streaming video of a San Diego City Council meeting. While you're at it, check whether the minutes of the council meeting are accurate. The video of …

Dear Matthew Alice: What is the symbolism of a teardrop tattoo at the outside corner of an eye? -- Anonymous, somewhere Bigger subject than it might seem. What the teardrop means depends on who's wearing …

October 1 seems like a long time ago. Two and one half weeks is one way of calculating. Or, you could say it's a previous season using baseball time. Or, maybe it's no time at …

Bonita lies in the Sweetwater Valley, nestled inside three freeways--I-805 to the west, 54 to the north, and 125 to the east. To the south lies the city of Chula Vista. Small though Bonita may …

Name: Diana Snyder Age: 22 Occupation: Starbucks barista/student Neighborhood: Clairemont Mesa Where Interviewed: San Diego City College What are you currently reading? "Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert." Tell me about the book. "It's the second …

Artist: Retrolust Song: "Japanese Hot Rod" (from the CD Pump It) Heard By: Nature, Downtown I really liked the song; I thought it had a lot of good energy. I really liked the progression of …

Humble Boy, by Charlotte Jones New Village Arts Theatre, 2787 State Street, Carlsbad Directed by Kristianne Kurner; cast: Rosina Reynolds, Daren Scott, Jessica John, Jim Chovick, Dana Case, Tom Deak; scenic design, Francis Gercke; costumes, …

There's a type of person who likes veiny blue cheese. Hunks of it, with raucous funky ribbons that smell like abandoned gym socks and taste like postage stamps, dish soap, and couch. That type of …

Thirty Years Ago Vince Miranda, king of the Pussycat Theaters, had blown into town and was visiting his new venture, the Backstage. It was past 9:30 p.m., time for the show, and Miranda was watching …

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. Mark Twain She looked amused. Or terrified. It was hard to tell. I had only spent three, maybe four hours with her, …

Before football season started, Dan invited me to his fantasy football draft party. I'm in a fantasy league and was curious to see how others ran theirs. I checked out their website -- "Williams World …

I finally got Ernie Halter figured out late one insomnia-plagued night. As I lay sleepless with one of his songs spinning around in my head, it occurred to me that Halter's stuff would be just …

Clooney has firmly suppressed the head-waggling smugness that so often chills his charm.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon... -- from "The Owl and the Pussycat," by Edward Lear I know that line because my fifth-grader came bouncing through …

"There's a Milan style of living. Quick. We want everything yesterday."

Sandstone Canyon has been called the most spectacular small wash in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Like a hidden jewel, this particular natural feature requires time and effort to find -- and it is often necessary …