The Ethiopian Army caught up with the boys at the Gilo River. "Most of us couldn't swim," says Isaac. "It was really very deep and swollen because of rains. The currents were very, very fast. …

Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno. Punk Planet Books (an imprint of Akashic Books), 2004, 270 pages, $13.95 FROM THE COVER: The riotous exploits of a Catholic school malcontent and a punk rock girl …

The Specialist, known in certain circles as Rocker Nutley Bugspray, said that she was willing to bet that recurring nightmares about my mother would recede, then fade, shortly after Mom's death almost two years ago. …

It's a challenge to stay unspoiled after Children of Men and Letters from Iwo Jima on successive weeks. Many a week out of the year, Le Petit Lieutenant would doubtless be a sight for sore …

The El Cajon Wherehouse closes its doors forever tonight. One insider says that its managers will likely be transferred to other stores but that many employees will be out of a job. In the early …

"Fuck George Bush I want my homies back/ I'll go to war with anybody if they can give your boy dat/ Then to top it all off when Katrina popped off/ I was in the …

"Maybe Guns [N' Roses] canceling the two local shows is why we're getting a bigger turnout lately," says Dust N' Bones singer Richard Gwaltney. "[Last month] we were contacted through MySpace by this indie record …

The four members of the Four Kings attended Point Loma High when they got some unexpected attention in 2003. Singer/guitarist Andrew Bent says, "A friend of a friend told us that he really liked our …

Anne Tropeano, manager for San Diego roots rockers Tapwater, recounts a stroke of good luck the band had while on a recent five-month tour: "We were touring through Georgia and someone recommended a booking agency …

"I didn't really know what I was doing," says Seventh Soldier singer Hyun Soo of his recent attempt to book a tour for his band. "I found this guy on MySpace, Captain Grind Me Booking, …

Thirty Years Ago Now that I am no longer querying and probing, the strangeness of this situation hits me full. I am sitting in a monastery, in a soundproofed room with a gate of bars …

One of the unwritten rules of theater: never let the audience get ahead of the story. If they can anticipate where you're going, you've lost them. Coughing bouts break out. Programs crackle. Chins nestle on …

Although it slices only six miles inland from the Pacific shoreline, Zuma Canyon harbors one of the deepest gorges in the Santa Monica Mountains -- and it has the further distinction of never having suffered …

People talk about "dysfunctional" families; I've never seen any other kind. -- Sue Grafton I don't know why I was so surprised. I mean, I've been with him for four years -- it was bound …

I was on my way to a belly-dancing party in Spring Valley while talkinq to a friend on my cell phone who said, "I would drive to Reno to see a bunch of hot belly …

Bernice's mom has diabetes. My friend began to take on the care of her mother's household -- shopping and cleaning. "Her feet hurt," said Bernice on the phone, "she has become more sedentary, and I …

"My goal is to make California-class wines in Ramona."

This blog started out as a school project (set up a WordPress and tweak the branding) that I didn't want to waste, so I started using it to pimp my YouTube show. Right now, the …

"I have the soup every time. That's every week, for ten years!"

Nearly everything about East Clairemont Southern Baptist's church was unabashedly midcentury Modern, from the rust-orange carpet and pew cushions to the rough-face concrete block to the space-age chandeliers to the quarter-circle shape of the place, …

Death of a cynic I'm happy. And it makes me feel pathetic on a very fundamental level. I'm a cynic, okay? I don't know what emotional or accessorized state you base your self-image on, but …

'I started playing the fiddle at the age of four," says Michael Cleveland. "I went to the Kentucky School for the Blind in Louisville, where they taught the Suzuki method -- this guy from Japan, …

"It's kind of a geographical expression of how I'd love my life to be!"

A stupid Matt Damon movie is on. Any movie will do. I turn the TV up loud, louder than my neighbors will like, but I don't care. I have to get her voice out of …

When Chicago plays Indianapolis on Sunday next there will be several Super Bowl games going on at the same time. One game will be on radio, one on television, one in the stadium, one on …

"Let me just say that the 91X vs. 94/9 feud is very real and leave it at that."

The noose is tightening around Marty Schottenheimer's neck, even though the Chargers have retained his services for next season. According to some howling fans and nitpicking sportswriters, the Chargers coach chokes in playoff games. His …

Ask a nonresident of Imperial Beach to name a restaurant or bar in San Diego County's southernmost beach town. If he can name anything at all, it likely will be Ye Olde Plank Inn. The …

Freshman San Diego city councilman Kevin Faulconer -- a close ally of Mayor Jerry Sanders -- is in the clear regarding a vote he cast January 9 to advance Doug Manchester's Navy Broadway Complex plans. …

The impending sale of the Copley newspapers in Ohio and Illinois has inspired some to reminisce about how the chain came to be in the first place. One interesting reference comes from Time magazine's April …

Democratic state assemblywoman Lori Saldaña was along for the ride on a lavish two-week postelection junket through South America that is causing big static in L.A. Paid for by an outfit called the California Foundation …

I wasn't always in trouble or on drugs when I was in the Navy. But I did report to the boat with two black eyes, a busted lip, and mangled nose. My new chief took …

It was a recent Friday night in Normal Heights and University Heights, each to either side of my address on Adams; I'm not sure in which I reside. My son was visiting for the weekend. …

The frenzy of the battlefield is not Eastwood's forte as a director.

Leonard Woolf: A Biography by Victoria Glendinning. Free Press, 2006, 512 pages, $30 WHAT THE CRITICS SAY: Publishers Weekly: Although Leonard Woolf (1880--1969) was a seminal figure in the Bloomsbury set, he is known today …

In Cervantes's great novel, Don Quixote, the don interrupts Master Pedro's Moorish puppet show. "You've put church bells in mosques", the offended Don exclaims. Pedro, the puppeteer, replies, "Don't be looking for trifles, Señor Quixote, …

I received an invitation to a funeral, which I didn't think would be fun to attend, but then several miniature five dollar bills fell out. It would be a Vegas-style memorial in honor of a …

Thirty Years Ago Art's wife suffered a stroke one afternoon in October. The North County paramedics, dressed in black Can't Bustems and blue work-shirts, did what they could for her. The ambulance came to take …

The linear, V-shaped gash of Hauser Canyon slices across one of the really remote, southern parts of San Diego County. Many years ago, travelers could descend into the canyon by car on a dirt road …

Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting. -- John Russell O vercome by hormonal surges, most pregnant women are a little crazy. My sister Jane, who was a bit off in the head before she …

T he cold fact of age -- ten years now -- has taken the spring out of our Scottish terrier Nellie's step. "She doesn't even jump up on the bed anymore," lamented Patrick, even though …

Title: Blog San Diego Address: www.blogsandiego.com Author: Eric Nielsen, Keith Boyd, Krista Nielsen, coeditors From: Ocean Beach Blogging since: March 2005 Post Date: December 27, 2006 Post Title: Post-Christmas e-mail from L.B. Children awake -- …

'T he Emperor,/ his bullies/ and henchmen/ terrorize the world/ every day,/ which is why/ every day/ we need/ a little poem/ of kindness,/ a small song of peace/ a brief moment/ of joy." My …

Glass, stained in various shades of smoky watercolor blue -- indigo, teal, cornflower -- covers nearly all of the church's side and back walls. Here and there, slashes of red and orange catch the light, …

Add To Cart As I clicked on the "Place Your Order" button, having once again spent more money on Amazon than I make in a week, I realized I didn't care. Because I am getting …

"The supplier I found was throwing away the extras from all the organically grown filet mignons he was cutting."

'It galls me that all these house-and-garden shows called 'restoration something' are showing people who own an old building, and the very first thing they say is, 'Well, we had to gut it,'" says preservationist …

"What I want to sell people on is the concept of discovering."

I've been calling for Marty Schottenheimer's dismissal since the day he was hired. I take no pleasure -- indeed, it is troubling -- to find myself in the company of corporate media at this late …

When San Diego lounge scenestress Erika Davies isn't belting out jazz standards by the likes of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald or doing her version of Sinatra or Nat King Cole tunes, she's busy playing …

One of the most popular videos on YouTube last week was Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz versus a security guard at a concert in Albuquerque. The video showed that Wentz had been helping fans …

The Bayside venue on the Embarcadero increased from hosting 8 pop-music shows in 2005 to 23 shows in 2006. Last year, Viejas Entertainment brought major-name artists such as the Black Eyed Peas, Radiohead, and Angels …

"I was driving on my own to a gig in Colorado when my tour van skidded on some black ice," says singer/songwriter Astra Kelly. "When the wheels hit the dirt, the van started rolling over, …

"I don't know what's going on, but 'Neo-Conservative Blues' suddenly jumped to number 88 on Neil Young's Living with War website," says Mark DeCerbo. A week earlier, the song -- cowritten with comic book and …

U2 front man Bono recently disavowed the band's current greatest hits compilation, U218 Singles, as "a joke, really, because we've never been much of a singles band." However, the set has been a boon for …

Carlsbad-based Van Halen tribute band OU812 concentrates on the Sammy Hagar years. "Plenty of bands do David Lee Roth, but we don't think anyone wants to see us in Spandex," says bassist John Osmon. OU812 …

Last week, a song by the reunited Sassy MoFoS was ranked number 3 (of around 6100) on the alt-punk chart at www.soundclick.com. "It's called 'You Smell Like Something I Wouldn't Want to Touch (But I'm …

It's a huge boat for a tiny tax-and-secrecy haven. The new $33 million yacht sported by David Copley, owner of Copley Press and The Union-Tribune, is registered in Majuro, capital of the Marshall Islands, a …

Much of the downtown hotel industry gets a "double subsidy of taxpayer support plus public assistance for its hardest workers," Micah Mitrosky tells me. That's one conclusion she reached after taking the Graduate Student Practicum …

Two impending San Diego conferences are of more than passing note for those with an interest in the dicey side of politics. First up is called the Capital Campus California Retreat, sponsored by George Mason …

Capitol Weekly, a Sacramento paper aimed at state government insiders, is out with its annual list of legislative staff salaries. Among San Diego representatives, Wade Teasdale, ex-staff director for North County GOP senator Bill Morrow, …

Since Chargers star running back LaDainian Tomlinson isn't going to the Super Bowl this year, he can now turn his attention to some of his other interests, which have included politics. On January 4, 2006, …

Will a North County Southern-style barbecue created by a Bronx-born Italian American become the next Jack in the Box? Maybe not -- but how about the next Rubio's or Sammy's Woodfired Pizza? That's the kind …

It is almost precisely equidistant, like the fulcrum of a scale or lever, between two imposing monuments to San Diego's vanity, its corruption, its detachment, and the city's characteristic insistence that All Is Well, America; …

Pat Robertson, the TV evangelist, got me thinking. Another sign of the apocalypse possibly, but there it is. I saw him on The 700 Club this morning after a channel-flipping moment of desperation born of …

Del Toro never lets his special effects take over to the same extent as in his Hollywood movies.

Baja! Cooking on the Edge by Deborah M. Schneider. Photographs by Maren Caruso. Rodale, 2006, 274 pages, $27.95 FROM THE DUST JACKET: Chef Deborah Schneider first saw Baja in the '80s and fell in love …

I was invited to over 70 Halloween parties this year. For New Year's Eve -- none. It would be a night that I'd have to earn the title "crasher." A friend gave me the scoop …

Thirty Years Ago These, then, are my top ten movies of 1976, in order of ever more mixed feelings: Claude Sautet's Vincent, Francois, Paul, and the Others, Arturo Ripstein's The Castle of Purity, Hugo Fregonese's …

The north-to-south Bluewater Traverse route takes you through the heart of southwestern Riverside County's San Mateo Canyon Wilderness by way of old roads and primitive trails. You can do it quickly as a long day …

How few of his friends' houses would a man choose to be at when he is sick. -- Samuel Johnson I stabbed a chunk of potato salad with my fork and brought it to my …

My little sister Nancy is turning 30 this year, and she's planning a grand bash at a swanky club in Manhattan. Unfortunately, big sis Eve won't be able to attend. But that's not going to …

Josie grew up in the Oakland, California of the '30s. As part of her training, after college she went on to earn her teaching certificate. Since then, she has spent her entire adult life teaching …

Title: Here in the Bonny Glen Around this time of year, I get inquiries about my picture book, Hanna's Christmas. Since you can't find a copy on Amazon this year, I thought I'd post about …

"A prayer before worship," read the screen at the front of the tidy church, its oak-and-white simplicity spruced up with poinsettias, garland, wreaths, and Christmas trees outfitted with gold and white ornaments fashioned along Christian …

Wet Dragon Cloudblaster If you'll just take a minute to read over my brief profile on the left-hand side of my online blog, you'll discover that "malfunctioning technology" is listed under "Peeves." That's because my …

'W e moved all the bathrooms around, broke through a lot of walls so we could combine all the buildings, and built a staircase to the adjacent building on Girard," says Erika Torri, executive director …

"It's easy to believe that there are a lot of unaccounted-for vineyards in the region."

The Five Stages of Grief as They Pertain to Spilling Beer On My Cable Box and Only Receiving the Asian Channel Denial This should clear right up. I'll try flipping channels. Using the "up" and …

"I've been a fan of Jimmy Gnecco since Distorted Lullabies, the first Ours album," says local singer/songwriter Simeon Flick, who caught Gnecco's solo House of Blues performance in December. "Jimmy, about three quarters of the …

"I just got a call from the agent who has MC Lars ["Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock"]," says promoter Sulo King. "They were going to book him at 'Canes, but they decided to put …

The Box will stand second to no one in getting game-ready for Sunday's Chargers/Patriots contest. This is the best playoff match-up to date and is required viewing for sports enthusiasts. But, let's not take our …

FM 94.9 DJ Tim Pyles is teaming up with producer Alan Sanderson (Weezer/Rolling Stones) for a series of live-in-the-studio recordings. Inspired by the late BBC DJ John Peel's legendary music showcase "The Peel Sessions," this …

'The show was a who's who of the early- to mid-'90s local music scene," says Jason Bang, whose public-access TV program Leche: The Musical aired on Oceanside's KOCT from early 1993 through early 1995. Each …

San Diego--based three-piece bill was recently named one of Rolling Stone magazine's top 25 MySpace bands. "Basically, a friend sent us a message telling us [about it]," says Riyadh Drebika, the band's manager. "All we …

The North Atlantic, an explosive math-rock trio from Michigan that formed at Kalamazoo College in 1999 (and migrated to SD within a year), offered this Gerald R. Ford obit on their MySpace bulletin: "...Ford is …

"They want to tear it down and build 22 condos," says Danny Salzhand of the 101 Artists' Colony studio near Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. The venue, which hosts one or two all-age shows a month, …

"I was in our rehearsal studio in L.A. [in 1993]," says Encinitas drummer Jon Dette. "I happened to be playing Testament songs one day. Testament drummer John Tempesta hears me playing. He opens the door …

Robert Nardelli is corporate America's new symbol of wretched excess. He resigned under pressure last week after refusing to take a cut in his bonus. He had been making more than $10 million a year …

If you think volunteer advisory boards are rubber stamps for San Diego's municipal shenanigans, meet attorney Bob Ottilie. As a member of the Park and Recreation Board, Ottilie has lately been causing heartburn in at …

When David Copley isn't busy shedding reporters and other employees who worked for his late mother's rapidly shrinking newspaper chain, he can be found on the gentle Mediterranean waters off Nice and Antibes, between Monte …

Fallout continues over the prospective sell-off of the Copley newspapers in the Midwest. In Peoria, Illinois, home of the Journal Star, the Peoria Newspaper Guild, which represents reporters and photographers at the paper, has set …

Mike Aguirre and his brother Gary aren't the only locals to receive recent write-ups in the New York Times. Dave Cummings, a 66-year-old porn star from University City, was featured in a year-end story headlined …

"Ricky's is as near as you'll get to what the founding fathers ate."

I found Zen purely by serendipity when I was looking for something else, which is exactly the way that followers of Zen Buddhism are supposed to find enlightenment. One evening, I ventured out to the …

San Diego City Hall Two thousand six marked the end of San Diego's brief Prague Spring, a short interval of freedom and turmoil between the fall of Mayor Dick Murphy and the rise of Jerry …

You started Friday afternoon at the office party, you think. Technically it was Friday morning with the eggnog instead of a second coffee by the fax machine where you started talking to Danielle. Okay, that …

The audience declared itself unwilling to follow this filmmaker down the path of anguish he has chosen to explore.

WHAT THE REVIEWERS SAY: Booklist: Ruby Kincaid can't believe the way her life is going. While running her late husband's bowling alley, she is also taking care of her wayward daughter's two small children. When …

When the movie Wedding Crashers came out, I started receiving a lot of wedding invitations. Except for CD-release parties, weddings are the most common parties I'm invited to. I pick a few each year to …

All those flyers you find on your car after a concert are the result of illegal activity. "It's considered littering," says Steven S., who used to "paper" parking lots for several local bands. "If someone …

Just across the courtyard, without fanfare, the Globe staged one of the year's gems. I suspect I'll remember 2006 as much for its disappointments as achievements. This was the year Claudio Raygoza's Ion Theatre and …

Thirty Years Ago Just a Suggestion, You Understand After returning from Red China in November, Colleen O'Connor said she always believed that "the corporate executives ought to be on the line riveting bolts for a …

Sunny winter days are perfect for exploring San Diego County's population-equivalent of Saudi Arabia's Ar Rab al Khali, or "Empty Quarter." Virtually no one lives in the county's northeasternmost 100 square miles, an arid region …

There are three stages of man: he believes in Santa Claus; he does not believe in Santa Claus; he is Santa Claus. -- Bob Phillips I heard the faint tinkling of bells and urged my …

When I was in fourth grade at Sacred Heart Academy in Ocean Beach, a new student came to class. Her name was Stephanie. She had golden hair, freckles, and a smile that caused heads to …

'Idle hands are the devil's tools" was a favorite saying of my great-aunt Josephine. But as she's gotten on in years, she's become increasingly idle herself. Christmas this year may have provided a solution. Josephine …

Yesterday — all those dinners seem so far away. Another hundred-odd restaurant meals have gone to my hips since the Best Bites of '05. This past year has seen more chefs who are dedicated to …

Title: The Dim Sum Diaries Address: http://chiuster.blogspot.com Author: Mir From: Carlsbad Blogging since: March 2003 Post Date: December 8, 2006 Post Title: OMFG Now that I have inhabited this plane of existence for 34.5 years, …

Manga-Eyed Terror My boss is a crime lord. I don't want to talk about why it is that a couple of weeks ago I was online at 5:20 in the morning, except to make myself …

Something about the flavor of that goat cheese, and what the pear does to it.

'W e built a boat for a cinematographer of Star Trek," says Dan Peter, owner of Cabrillo Yacht Sales. "He wanted a perched perspective of everything and had us build a radar arch davit system …

After Rocket From the Crypt's final hometown gig on Halloween 2005, the Sultans became the last John Reis band left. Last Wednesday, news of the Sultans' "last show ever!" was included in a press release. …

"We played a small show on a cold, snowy winter evening in Flint, Michigan," writes Brian Sheerin, vocalist for Mower, a San Diego hardcore band that's now on tour. "It was at a really cool …

"I just got named the national music director of the Paul Green School of Rock and will be opening a San Diego branch of the school early next year," says guitarist Mike Keneally. "I've come …

Blender magazine reports that Jewel (Kilcher) has left Atlantic Records after a six-album deal that began in 1995 with Pieces of You (which sold ten million copies worldwide) and ended with last year's largely ignored …

"Our band revolves around a purple electric guitar, drums, and a multicolored toy xylophone that cost $14 at Target," says Tragic Tantrum Cabaret singer/guitarist Zeph. "We aren't afraid to venture into the territory of melodicas …

"He hath sent me to proclaim liberty to captives," read the Scripture verse painted on the side wall. The Lucite lectern bore the church's logo: a crown imposed over a tilted cross, itself imposed over …

"Mark and Tom made the call to MCA," says former Finch drummer Alex Pappas. Five years ago, former blink bandmates Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge signed Finch to their Scout Management company. The duo helped …

"The dude [onstage] was wearing a strap-on dildo," says local scenester Dammit Dan of an unnamed band seen at Scolari's Office. "So he's wearing that, and he sprayed Zippo lighter fluid all over [it], and …

For some reason I wanted an old fashioned, hang-up paper calendar. I'd never had one before. I always relied on people telling me if the date was closer to Martin Luther King's birthday or Hanukah. …

When Lisa Marie Presley played at the Belly Up Tavern in November, I saw Linda Love Saenz, whom I had met at a party a month earlier. Years ago, I had seen her collection of …

Most of my four-gig iPod is taken up with audio books. There's a little music, too, mostly country-western tunes or torch singers such as Diana Krall. I get along with my iPod, not looking for …

Sell the family jewels cheap and then go into the tank. That's Mayor Jerry Sanders's secret long-term plan, say more and more observers of city hall. His strategy is, first, to sell or lease San …

'The first thing that came to my mind," remembers Tom Miller, "was to arm myself with a screwdriver. The Rodney King riots were taking place in Los Angeles, and the tension in the yard was …

With the death of Jerry Ford last week, distant but colorful memories have come flooding back to many of San Diego's political elders. Ford's personal and political ties to America's Finest City were extensive. When …

California state senate president pro tem Don Perata has named San Diego Democrat Denise Ducheny chairwoman of the powerful Budget Committee. Senator Christine Kehoe, who has received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the …

Dear Sirs: Do spiders bite people on a regular basis? In my short time on planet Earth, I must have heard women complain about "spider bites" 400 or 450 times. Now that I am married …