I was walking down the street one day, Prospect, in La Jolla, in the merry month of May, when I was taken by surprise: a woman calling after me, "Sir. Excuse me. Sir. Sir!" But …

'It looks like you can never learn it all, and with 10,000 different grape varietals, I'll never get bored.'

Our first day in Rosarito Beach we held the tortilla toss. This being the group's 32nd annual party, bragging rights were at stake. Bragging rights and a cheesy trophy -- a guy throwing a discus. …

'We use special wool from an old kind of sheep. It's a very beautiful sheep," says Lizzie Riiber. "The wool has a shine to it." The sheep from which Riiber's yarn comes is called spælsau. …

This Friday night I am doing homework. It is something of a reverse of the old image of a student muddling through a creative writing assignment, stretched out on the bed beneath the high school …

Michael Robertson, former CEO of the once legally embattled www.MP3.com, is risking the wrath of the recording industry again. His new locally launched website, www.sideload.com, offers free access to "29,000 songs from more than 7,000 …

"We played a song called 'Methamphetamine,' " says Jake Precht, bassist for the punk band Misled Citizen. His band represented La Costa Canyon High School at a March 14 battle of the bands held at …

“This is the only nighttime stand I know in all of San Diego.”

The position of rock-band manager does not come with job security. Matisyahu and the Killers, who landed major-label deals not long ago, fired the managers who helped steer them toward international recognition. Rick DeVoe began …

Former Nine Inch Nails drummer Jerome Dillon recently told MTV.com that his "cardiac disorder" during a September 2005 San Diego show led to his dismissal from the band. He says bandleader Trent Reznor never called …

After a four-year respite from playing music, Jade Shader vocalist Terrin Durfey missed the music he used to play with his Leucadia-based band, Boilermaker. "I regret that as lost time," says Durfey, who spent the …

Don't let this season's lackluster bloom in the desert discourage you from seeking out spring wildflowers. Some of the most colorful and diverse displays of native flowers can be found right in our own urban …

Hourly employees who worked at the San Diego House of Blues before January 31, 2006, may soon be able to claim their share of a $1 million settlement fund set up in the aftermath of …

The NCAA tournament ends Monday. I've perused my sports calendar, and other than the first annual West Coast Beach Boomerang Tournament, set for April 8 at Playa Del Rey (on the beach side of LAX), …

Dear Matt: Is my paper-chewing habit killing me? For years I've been tearing off fingernail-sized bits from legal pads, computer paper, note cards, paper napkins, and an occasional Reader movie review, chewing them into paper …

Heymatt: Why do stores south of the border have such an abundance of vanilla extract for sale? The world wonders. Mark, Ocean Beach Well, at any rate, you wonder, Mark. I'm more likely to wonder …

Wall Street seems to be saying "Lights out!" to daily newspaper chains, but David Copley -- although almost certainly not the billionaire he is touted to be -- can still pay his utility bill. Stocks …

Heymatt: Why are bathroom doorknobs silver on the inside and brass on the outside? Jeff, Tierrasanta I'm not sure what this says about the research elves, but they spent an awful lot of time dissecting …

Imagine a high-rise condominium offering views of downtown San Diego, the bay, and the Pacific Ocean. Each condo features granite in the kitchen, tile in the bathrooms, and wood trim throughout. The 25-story building stands …

Thirty Years Ago "Most of the bites are from German shepherds. Next, from poodles. Of course, people start shaking when you mention Dobermans, but there aren't enough around to make a big percentage of bites. …

Il duce During the past two decades, since political consultant Tom Shepard was forced to plead guilty to campaign-law-related violations in the 1985 political money-laundering case against his ex-client, fallen San Diego mayor Roger Hedgecock, …

Even though I've moved to the big city, I can't forget the wheat farm where I was raised. The color of San Diego stands in contrast to my small home. Here are the aqua tones …

"It used to be a very old congregation," says church administrator Susie Clifford. "But within, I'd say, the past ten years, young families have really started coming here. The Jazz Mass is part of that. …

"A Palestinian friend of mine in San Francisco told me, 'Try it, you'll like it!' " said my partner, after his first bite of Rannoush's extraordinary falafel. "Guess what? I hated it -- and kept …

Death's Door: Modern Dying and the Ways We Grieve by Sandra M. Gilbert. W.W. Norton, 2006; $29.95; 580 pages FROM THE DUST JACKET: Prominent critic, poet, and memoirist Sandra M. Gilbert explores our relationship to …

Tucked In And Terrified Surprise, surprise. I can't sleep. I made a valiant effort, though. I went to bed at 11:30 to the sounds of my computer playing cheery sitcoms on loop and my ocean-waves, …

He is a hypocrite who professes what he does not believe; not he who does not practice all he wishes or approves. -- William Hazlitt I was raised Catholic. For years I spent Sunday mornings …

When Uncle Max comes to town, it's like Mardi Gras, St. Paddy's, and Halloween all rolled into one. Max is an eclectic gentleman, fond of the exotic. For last summer's family gathering, a Hawaiian-themed barbecue …