Brandon Vera stands facing David Loiseau in the center of an Olympic-sized boxing ring. David is turned to the side, holding a blue pad, six inches thick, against his torso. Brandon deals David several swift …

Thirty Years Ago BARRY, Work, Work, Work...How many days 'til we can play? I miss you. Love & Kisses, Mary. TO THE QUEEN of Cups from the Jack of Hearts: Happy Valentine's Day to the …

Around the turn of the century, a theatrical movement spread through San Diego that's still growing. Every company in the county, it seems, is doing staged readings. With only one or two rehearsals, three max, …

Last month, Carlsbad-based accordion player Matt Hensley said he would no longer tour with Flogging Molly, the band he co-founded ten years ago. He was the only local member of the Irish punk band; the …

While some local bands struggle to play outside the Southwest, the Bloody Hollies are planning their fourth tour of Europe. "The first time we played Tromsö, Norway, we got there at noon and it was …

"We'll be filming at Mardi Gras and several clubs downtown from February 19 through the 21st," says XL Staffing and Security owner Joe Mackey of the still-unnamed reality show being produced about his firm. "It'll …

With their Kiss-like makeup and occult lyrics, Crimson Moon released their first recording 12 years ago, though they never performed live until 2006. Core members Scorpios (bass, vocals, lyrics) and Nocturnal Overlord (guitars, keyboards, drum …

"I'm not even sure where ['Jungle Love'] fits into the Everybody Loves Raymond mythology," laughs Escondido guitarist Greg Douglass, who cowrote the hit for the Steve Miller Band. The tune was used as the theme …

The rustic city of Sierra Madre, just east of Pasadena, has long been a departure point for hikers seeking exercise and solitude in the adjacent San Gabriel Mountains. That part of the mountain range, known …

Robert plays drums in two Brazilian bands, Jangada (a mix of samba and reggae) and Banda Braza (traditional Brazilian forró). Since 1998, he has traveled to Brazil seven times to study music. He's connected with …

Raised in greater Detroit, Evan Demko left the University of Michigan with a degree in industrial engineering at a bad time. "Factories were moving out, and plants were closing down [in 2005]. All that's left …

As the second month of 2007 moves along, Wall Street and Main Street are still swashbuckling, but the San Diego economy is noticeably buckling. San Diego stocks? They are historically so speculative and volatile that …

I heard about a party near the UCSD campus, but because of other things I had going on that night, I didn't make it there until 11:00 p.m. I found the street easily enough, but …

Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have anything to do with it. -- Haim Ginott Rosa was replenishing her glass with red wine when she announced, "I hate children." After …

"I t is pronounced, 'bru-skay-ta,'" groaned my husband Patrick after I slaughtered the pronunciation for the millionth time. That thought kept popping into my head as I asked store clerks where to find bruschetta. Not …

Title: San Diego Restaurant Reviews Address: http://sandiegorestaurants.typepad.com Author: Captain Jack From: Pacific Beach Blogging since: May 2006 Post Date: January 11, 2007 Post Title: 1500 Ocean Restaurant week is upon us in San Diego, and …

What I remember most about him were the sweet murmurs of love he would whisper in my ear while we sat and held hands in the park. Also, the way his eyes changed colors with …

Play Nice We are staying in a quad of ten-man tents. There are four rows of ten tents. Between each tent is either a concrete barrier wall or a concrete mortar bunker. The ground outside …

"Come, now is the time to worship," crooned the praise leader to the congregation. Then he turned his call to heaven: "Come, Lord Jesus, come." Then back to the people: "Let the pain and the …

'My way of picking a topic is to make it kind of controversial," says Gary Grine. "I picked last week's title ['God Save Us from Religious Fundamentalists'] because I'm very concerned with fundamentalism, especially after …

'They might want to consult history," Jim Brown says of city officials who are trying to overhaul the San Diego Water Department's reservoir recreation program. Brown served as the program's director from 1974 through 2003 …

Ex-Democratic state senator Steve Peace kicked off his drive to remodel the San Diego waterfront last week by insisting that his boss, Padres owner John Moores, had no secret plan to oust downtown rival Doug …

The plan by David Copley, who turned 55 last week, to sell off Copley-owned Midwest papers continues to stir controversy. In Peoria, the Copley-owned Journal Star reported on its business page about a big meeting …

"If people are this generous and this willing to teach others about wine, it can't be a bad hobby."

On the black uniform of Polish police officers is a patch with a gold embroidered scorpion. There's a saying in Polish: "Don't get stung," or "Don't get stung by a scorpion." I only know how …

I've always wanted to try Osteria Panevino, and when my hometown friends Robert and Gail blew through just after New Year's, they furnished a perfect excuse. When we first met, they'd just returned from several …

Jim Burcio, 57, is sitting on a shop stool with a block of wood in his hand. He appears to be tall. He is slender, with salt-and-pepper hair and a ruddy, clean-shaven face. He's wearing …

Guess it's a macho thing, like I have to match-o Gustavo to show I ain't no lily-livered gringo afraid to eat tongue.

Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy by Barbara Ehrenreich. Metropolitan Books, 2006, 320 pages, $26. FROM THE DUST JACKET: It has been so suppressed that we lack even a convenient phrase for …

Ed Duke is a closet headbanger. Nothing in his outward demeanor would indicate that his listening preferences point to the extreme edges of rock's darkest fantasyland: thrash metal. Duke, clean-cut and 43, works as assistant …

February 7th would have been my father's 88th birthday. I've never visited his grave. Though, of the two of us, I'm probably the more sentimental, I think his belief in the afterlife was stronger than …