If you’re feeling stressed and want to step back to a time when life was simpler and more tranquil, a trip to the small coastal town of Mendocino might be just what you need. Trying …

I arrived in Madrid from the airport via its sparkling, modern metro system a bit lost and concerned at how inadequate my Spanish was. Stopping at a corner market for assistance, I was guided by …

Author: Vincent Procopio Neighborhood: Ocean Beach Age: 39 Occupation: Unemployed Yeah, that’s right. ­It’s O.B., baby, a haunted seaside saltdream floating across the space-time grid like a languid specter in blank half-smile. An anachronistic funhouse …

Author: Siobhan Braun Neighborhood: Tierrasanta Age: 30 Occupation: Homemaker When I woke up this morning, I had an idea of how I would spend the anniversary of my ­father’s death. I imagined it to be …

Feel free to judge Taintstick's debut 6lbs. of Sound by its track list. Much like Spinal Tap and Tenacious D before them, the quartet line up the clichés of rock, slip them a Mickey, and …

"I hate Dubrovnik," my friend Amila hissed. "We go there every year. To us Bosnians, it's boring. All the tourists. Too expensive. I hate it." Perhaps. But to this American, no place is more epic, …

La Mesa police detectives are looking for two men who robbed a La Mesa 7-Eleven early Saturday, November 28. According to police sources, a man about 35 years old entered the Baltimore Drive 7- Eleven …

Beckie Sherman saw a woman being chased by a man on the San Diego River bike path at around 5 a.m. Friday, November 27. “I was with friends at the Doubletree Hotel, across the freeway, …

At about 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 28, an employee of the Albertsons supermarket on the 2700 block of Via de la Valle reported to police that a customer had pulled a knife on a …

U.K. alt-pop trio Friendly Fires jolted the sold-out crowd at the Casbah from the dreamy shoe-gaze spell put on by their opening bands. Starting with the infectious disco beat of "Lovesick," vocalist-programmer Ed Macfarlane, guitarist …

A fire broke out at the church on the corner of 30th Street and National Avenue at around 10 a.m. Thursday, November 26. The fire at Iglesia Pentecostes Jesucristo spread to the Ideal Market Liquor …

Big beachfront renovations have begun in Las Playas de Tijuana. The ancient breakwater is being rehabilitated with new pedestrian walkways to accommodate surfers, swimmers, and beachcombers. About 600 feet of walkway is being shored up …

Billy McIntosh walked from 16th Street and turned down on Commercial on Thursday, November 19. He had recently seen one cold-weather tent shelter built in the area, now he encountered another white tent going up …

This week, Tijuana’s secretary of public security, Julián Leyzaola Pérez, called for the revival of the death penalty in Mexico for those convicted of killing police officers. Leyzaola said that those who kill police should …

The Nag Champa began wafting stage front at House of Blues when Chris Robinson and the Black Crowes took the stage, which had a plain, black-curtain backdrop and low cubicle-like partitions to dampen Steve Gorman's …

On the eve of the release of Norah Jones's latest album, The Fall, Jazz 98.1 played a syndicated interview with the jazz-pop artist in which she discussed the disc song by song. Jones said that …

Author: Chad Deal Neighborhood: Hillcrest Age: 24 Occupation: “Pizza dude” Jamul is a little-regarded and gravely misrepresented speck of San Diego geography. Those “in the know” will drop names like “the Greek Sombrero,” “El Campo,” …

The eastbound Orange Line trolley leaving Lemon Grove at 4:44 p.m. on Tuesday, November 24, collided with a bicycle rider at the Greenwood Cemetery grade crossing. The bicyclist died at the scene. San Diego Police …

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the San Ysidro port of entry arrested five wanted fugitives between 6:00 a.m. Sunday and 6:00 a.m. Monday, November 23. Included in the roundup was a man wanted …

Investigators say the murder of pediatrician Dr. Ernesto Aguirre Lomelí — killed on November 18 — was solved two days later with the apprehension of Marco Alejandro, a 16-year-old. Alejandro had been hired by the …

Antonia Ramirez made her presence known at the November 24 meeting of the San Diego city council. Ramirez, an impassioned middle-aged blonde female of Mexican descent, commented on nearly every agenda item during Tuesday's meeting, …

This Thanksgiving, some Americans will be eating turducken, a turkey stuffed with duck that is in turn stuffed with chicken. It started commercially in Louisiana’s Cajun country about 25 years ago, spread to much of …

The kids chased each other around the coffee table in the living room while I helped carry food from the kitchen to the dining room. This is how it’s supposed to be, I thought. Sure, …

PRELUDE: FAMILY DINNERS A few months ago, my gardener (unaware of my ancestry) casually said, “Mexico City has too many Jews.” “What’s wrong with Jews?” I asked. “They’re all rich and stingy.” I thought of …

To be thankful for anything much at all requires humility, I believe. I have little enough of it; in fact, I have a dichotomy common to alcoholics, and that is a combination of both arrogance …

It’s late October and I am looking for a turkey, which is ironic. A decade ago, when I was a SWF, all I could find were turkeys. For a while, I even dated one. But …

“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is, to have a thankless child.” — King Lear Perhaps Shakespeare should have rendered that bit about the serpent as “How common as a horse’s hoof” or some …

The bowl of fruit salad sits at eye level in front of me. Through the dimpled red glass, I see the slices of bananas and strawberries, chunks of apples, and grapes resting in the sweetness …

Shoulda fixed that thermostat in the oven. Now Carla says she can’t cook no toikey for Thanksgiving and we’ve gotta go out. “Take me to Cowwonado, pwease?” she says in the über-cute voice she knows …

Eve: What I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving is my hubby Patrick’s bawdy jokes and funky ’70s dance moves and the spontaneous renditions of “Nessun dorma” that burst forth from his soul. My son’s pure joy …

To Be Thankful Requires Humility — John Brizzolara This Year, We’re Staying Local — Pamela Hunt-Cloyd Eat What the Politicians Feed You — Don Bauder This Is How It’s Supposed to Be — Barbarella Thanksgiving: …

During the November 23 city council meeting, representatives from the mayor's office and the office of the Independent Budget Analyst presented the city's fiscal year 2010 First Quarter Budget Monitoring Report to city councilmembers. The …

Since Bumbklaatt formed in 2001, two of the members have lived in Chula Vista and two in Tijuana. To play punk rock in TJ, they rented an empty building to put on shows. But there …

Thirty Years AgoSome people say that the only other thing a lobster fisherman does besides fish is drink. This image of the hard-drinking, hard-working, hardheaded fisherman is traditional, and it might even be true. At …

The origins of Quartetto Sorrento date back to the latter half of 2008, when Paula Simmons — violist, concert conductor, and co-owner of the Violin Shop in Sorrento Valley — received an email from Warren …

One looks heavenward and cries out, “What have I ever done that deserves having the Detroit Lions thrust upon me every Thanksgiving?” No answer. Has Detroit ever fielded a watchable team? If so, has that …

“The Island in the Sky,” reads the Tierrasanta sign. Great. But how come this end of the Island don’t have no buses? Okay, a mile back, I got off a buslet, a bumpety-bump van that …

And now for something (almost completely) different: for decades, the San Diego Rep staged A Christmas Carol during the holiday season. On the surface, this year’s yuletide production, The Seafarer, by Conor McPherson, couldn’t be …

When Fox TV airs tonight’s episode of its new hit Glee (over two million songs sold online), you may recognize some local ladies in the tough-looking Jane Adams School for Delinquent Girls band, including Emily …

“I am the author of The Source and one of Father Yod’s 14 wives,” announced Isis Aquarian in an email to me last year. She was inquiring about a “Blurt” concerning High Mountain Tempel, whose …

Recipe by Chef Martin Woesle, executive chef, Mille Fleurs. I grew up on a dairy farm, and my mom cooked every day for our family of six. We only went out to eat for very …

Architecture is a social act and the material theater of human activity. — Spiro Kostof If you told me five months ago that one day in the near future I’d be standing before 500 people …

“According to Plato, ‘The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life,’” observed my pal Bernice. “So, you need to reward these heroic teachers who put up with your little rascals …

I headed to La Mesa for a 40th birthday party. The first thing I noticed was the cake in the backyard: it was shaped like a huge Patrón tequila bottle. A woman named Juana told …

Hey Matt: And the sign said “Posted, no trespassing.” I could see that it was posted, why does it say that? 2 parter: Talking about parens, what about [ ]? I have seen brackets in …

What are you reading? “War As They Knew It: Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and America in a Time of Unrest, by Michael Rosenberg. It’s about the Ohio State–Michigan football rivalry during the era of those …

On the Thanksgiving menu: Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, which I was horrified to see is the verbatim title on screen and not just promotional overkill, would qualify as the year’s worst …

Jazz pianist Mike Wofford once performed with Michael Jackson. Sort of. “This was when it was the Jackson Five,” says Wofford. “It was a summer TV show. I’m thinking it was about 1969 or 1970…I’m …

“Our Border” (ourborder.ning.com), an online social networking website set up by Obama administration border czar Alan Bersin, is having a contest to recruit new members: “We just want to remind you about the Membership Challenge …

San Diego City Council president Ben Hueso has been feathering more than just his assembly campaign’s nest of late. A recently filed disclosure statement shows that he’s been getting big money for his legal defense …

Former eBay executive Meg Whitman, currently running first in at least one poll of voter sentiment in her race for the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination, gave $1.15 million to Valley Floor Preservation Partners. That’s the group …

Clear, late-autumn skies and cool temperatures inland beckon you to visit southwest Riverside County’s premier ecological showplace: Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. The leisurely half-day Punta Mesa loop hike will introduce you to virtually every …

A Reader For The White House I want to commend you for a marvelous, marvelous article on Mr. Bersin and his pattern of operations over the years (“Obama Taps Alan Bersin to Oversee the Border,” …

At Bernardo Winery, 50 large redwood vats have resided in the warehouse for more than a century. Until the 1960s they were used as fermenters, but today winemaker Ross Rizzo keeps the vats as decor …

The Nervous Wreckords — founded by former Louis XIV front man Brian Karscig and Anthony Saffery of the U.K. band Cornershop — have just returned from their first U.S. tour opening for the Killers and …

The Supersuckers took the stage just after 11 p.m. for a Sunday-night set at the Casbah. The band began with their signature barrage of near-deafening tunes “Bad Bad Bad” and “I Want the Drugs,” to …

Only Life, the Feelies' third album from 1988, finds Bill Million wandering away from the songwriting, and Glenn Mercer, possibly to fill that gap, pondering more on concrete matters. "Got a ways to go/and so …

“Is Levi or Guess considered a more elegant brand? Addidas or Reebok?” A couple of mid-twenties locals ask with anticipation. A young single mother shares her ideas on the “What is Cuba to you?” question …

One of our nation’s quirky roadside attractions has soul. Mysterious faces, called Tree Spirits, are carved into live oaks and hardwoods throughout Saint Simons Island off the Georgia coast. In 1982, local sculptor Keith Jennings …

They’re dark. They’re a bit creepy. They’re lava tubes. Lurking beneath the lush tropical foliage that decorates the island of Hawaii, what appear to be mine shafts drilled through solid lava are actually nature-made. During …

Against the backdrop of the magnificent Sierra Nevada mountains in Granada, the Alhambra, meaning “red castle” in Arabic, was named for the reddish-golden hue of its walls. Dating back to the 9th century, it became …

When the curtain lifted at the House of Blues on Peter Bjorn and John, the first thing you noticed was the word "backdrop" written several times in large letters behind the Swedish indie trio. I …

There just aren't that many honest bands around. I mean, bands that don't hide behind layers of sound and overdubbing. Not so Band of Skulls on their impressive guitar-driven debut album Baby Darling Doll Face …

Last night became a date to remember in the annals of San Diego homelessness. That said, I did not witness the incident. The information came from others, mainly across the street, on the west side …

On Thursday, November 19, residents on the eastern side of Chula Vista received a letter in the mail from the San Diego Association of Governments concerning a new rapid transit project. The South Bay Bus …

The San Diego City Council on Tuesday, November 17, unanimously adopted a resolution to authorize the Redevelopment Agency through the Centre City Development Corporation to administer and manage the construction of Interstate 5 streetlight Improvements …

British singer Noel McKoy has been on the fringes of the soul and acid-jazz scenes since the late ’80s. In the early ’90s he fronted the James Taylor Quartet. This year McKoy released his solo …

The island of Naxos, Greece, is a six-hour ferry ride from Piraeus, the port of Athens. The “doorway” to the island, the gigantic Portara, was also the portal to the ancient unfinished Temple of Apollo. …

Gustine, in California’s San Joaquin Valley, can transport you to Old World Portugal. Matadors, cavaleiros and forcados donned in colorful old-fashioned garb along with the fiesta atmosphere preserve the culture of this distant land. Keeping …

An Orange Line trolley incurred a mechanical problem at about 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 19. The trolley lost power from its overhead electrical source as it was coming into the One America Plaza station. …

One travels around the globe when listening to the contemporary flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook. From his eighth album, The Rumba Foundation, we hear the influences of Colombia with modern interpretations of international guitar music in …

At around 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19, a fire alarm started going off at Fahrenheit, a mid-rise condo building located on the 1000 block of Island Avenue. Nearly a dozen residents evacuated the building. …

Billy McIntosh watched the large white tent rise up against the downtown backdrop of tall buildings and a sky crane on Wednesday, November 19. He has been getting anxious as the nights turn colder in …

Take a stroll through Pacific Beach, and you’re likely to encounter just a few too many empty food containers, cans, bags, party flyers, bottles, and cigarette butts. “On a good day we probably remove between …

The most pressing issue addressed at the November 18 Pacific Beach Town Council meeting was the looming likelihood of a reduction in lifeguards. It was pointed out that the city’s reported goal of reducing the …

There is the curbside view of the Mexican border: severed heads on nightclub floors, migrant corpses in the mountains, fingers lopped off, armies in pursuit of drug lords, fleeing fugitives, gangs of money-washers, set to …

The Chargers’ 31-23 win over the Philadelphia Eagles led National City police to close off some streets on Sunday, November 16, at about 5 p.m. Fans cruising the streets had Chargers flags waving and horns …

It’s the area in between star-studded Los Angeles and ultra-elite Orange County. This is the city that people just drive past on the 405 freeway, or don’t bother mentioning in conversations covering Southern California. But …

I love to cook and I love music, so when I think of Jamaica, the first thoughts that drift to mind are Jamaican jerk spice, Blue Mountain coffee, the sounds of steel drums and Bob …

Like so many bookish boys, I devoured Sherlock Holmes stories. Years later, visiting my girlfriend in London, I discovered that 221B Baker Street, the detective's fabled domicile, was a "real" place. The Sherlock Holmes Museum …

Zagarolo, Italy, an authentic Italian village nestled in a wine region just above Rome, is yet to be discovered by tourists. Leaving the historic city of Rome was difficult, but once I ventured east by …

For me, being a B.B. King fan goes back to the late ’50s. I heard him on an R&B station in the Los Angeles area. I remember the name just stood out: those two Bs…and …

Howdy, Matt: I’ve always wondered how when I take an aspirin for a headache the aspirin knows to go to my head and not to my foot or my elbow or somewhere else. But if …

“This isn’t a garage,” complained my husband Patrick. “This is a landfill. Let’s get rid of this junk.” Fred Siegel of San Diego Junk Removal and Disposal (aka Fred’s Hauling Service, 619-245-9957, junk80.com) was happy …

Halloween was a complete nightmare for me. I had three parties lined up and the easiest costume in Halloween history. My girlfriend had ordered a Kate Gosselin wig and goofy big sunglasses for herself. I …

Continuing with our colleges of San Diego road tour. Moraga, California, is 20 miles, 20 years, and two climatic zones east of San Francisco. Moraga has a population of 16,000 rich white people and is …

In the category of lobbying standouts, there’s both Sempra Energy’s Heidi DeJong Barsuglia, who purportedly mixed it up with ex–GOP assemblyman Mike Duvall this summer (they both later denied the hanky-panky), and Jim Cassie of …

American Medical Response, which has lucrative paramedic and ambulance contracts with the cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City, and a host of other local government agencies, gave $2000 to the county …

After a delay, San Diego State University, in response to a request under the state’s Public Records Act, has turned over the contract between itself and the nonprofit Watchdog Institute, the experiment in investigative reporting …

Why would a one-time Nepal trekker ever want to eat Nepalese food again? Is it masochism — or is it just that Nepal casts such a powerful spell? You just know there must be better …

Huh... A gold, studded “Champion’s Booth,” a corner throne area where, it looks like, champion wrestlers get to chow down. There’s a chandelier above, wild-pink-and-sea-green walls, a gold table cloth, and a red velvet rope …

Link and younger brother Booth have virtuoso hands. To hear him tell it, Link was “the Stink,” the “be all end all,” best three-card monte hustler in town. He could “throw” the cards — two …

Ah, swine flu. Or, maybe not. Maybe just regular flu. Either way, I’m not going to church today. It’s as good a time as any to spend some time with the Other Side, the crowd …

“Whenever I see pop groups perform,” says John Stubbs, “I wish that I could see that same level of fun at classical music performances.” Stubbs should know — he spends a lot of time around …

“There aren’t any country music clubs in San Diego that hire bands,” says Sara Petite, “unless you go to Lakeside. And then, it’s all Top 40” or what she calls “radio country.” A singer-songwriter and …

“I’ve got to be the first person ever to play Joy Division in that club,” says DJ Atari, after being hired with Junior the Disco Punk to bring their club DJ sound to Kearny Mesa …

Local progressive rock band ASTRA and musician-producer Rafter Roberts have been included in British music magazine Mojo #193 (on newsstands in the U.S. through December), a special-edition issue celebrating the 30th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s …

Artist: Trouble in the WindSong: “Mr. Whiskey” (from the CD All My Hopes on a Sailing Boat)Heard by: Elliott, North ParkWhen I thought the song was over, it kept going. I’d probably like this song …

Thirty Years AgoLast Saturday the sun was shining on the 5100 block of Cape May Avenue in Ocean Beach, and Red House at 5113 was in full flower. At the side yard gate, casually dressed …

Through Independence Day and Godzilla, pre-9/11, and The Day after Tomorrow post-9/11, transplanted German filmmaker Roland Emmerich has inched closer to the edge of the abyss for a view of the apocalypse. In 2012, which …

“I play acoustic rock with a twist of country and a dash of the blues,” says Eddie Jason Coven, who arrived in San Diego in 2004 after a two-year stint as a musician-for-hire throughout Northern …

Georgia rockers the Black Crowes launched their career on the back of two hit records from their landmark debut album Shake Your Money Maker, which includes songs that are as dissimilar to each other as …

The Big Pink take their name from a famous album by the Band, but their music sounds — at first, anyway — as if it has little in common with the American roots music of …

After an agonizing wait of more than 40 years, science may come up with a treatment for lupus. But the two companiesworking together on the promising development are not based in San Diego County. At …

Conflict has surrounded the South Bay Expressway, the southern extension of State Route 125, since its inception. Prior to groundbreaking in 2003, the privately held four-lane toll road was opposed by community and environmental groups. …

Mexico Without Fear Dear Folks @ the Reader, I was really glad to see Ed Bedford’s “México” (Cover Story, November 12) expressing the positives of Tijuana and Baja, Mexico. I, too, fell in love with …

The truth brings with it a great measure of absolution, always. — R.D. Laing After I broke the news to my mother that David and I would be traveling to the East Coast to celebrate …

Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson, itching to create a prog-metal masterwork with the audacity of Tales From Topographic Oceans or The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, at last materializes his wish. The Incident takes up 55 …

Former New Order singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner debuts his new outfit, Bad Lieutenant, with Never Cry Another Tear. In the ranks of BL are New Order conscripts Stephen Morris and Phil Cunningham, but anyone expecting a …

Two years have passed since the Arctic Monkeys’ sophomore disc Favourite Worst Nightmare, so was Humbug worth the wait? On the first listen, it seems layered, structured, safe...mature. Happens to the best of us. Or …

Tranquility is a state of mind that is hard to achieve in today’s world. Fortunately for the addled and the anxious, there are Japanese gardens. One of the loveliest Japanese gardens in the state is …

My spiritual quest began in what was once a quaint Spanish fishing village. Nerja, in Andalusia, Spain, is located 50 kilometers east of Malaga along the Costa del Sol. Imagine standing on the “Balcony of …

Copenhagen may lack the glamour of London, Paris or Rome, but the discerning traveler can find just as rich a travel experience in this cosmopolitan city. If arriving by train, you’re within walking distance of …

Danish rock duo the Raveonettes stopped at Solano Beach's Belly Up, bringing their harmonies, fuzz noise, and solid rock ’n’ roll to the show. Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo shared the vocal duties, utilizing …

Visitors to the spiritual center of Sedona, Arizona, may not know of the many wonders nearby. Sedona is known for amazing red rock formations and its “vortexes,” centers of spiritual energy. But in addition to …

I’m not much of a morning person, so if I’m going to get up at 3:00 am and trek up a 10,023-foot dormant volcano to watch a sunrise, it better be worth it. Watching the …

In an effort to slow erosion at Fletcher Cove, a popular strip of coastline in Solana Beach, the United States Army Corps of Engineers proposes constructing an artificial offshore reef. The reef's main purpose would …

City plans for the development of the parcel of land at Abbott Street and Saratoga Avenue have been approved by the California Coastal Commission, but one important consideration seems to have been given short shrift. …

I was driving through Pacific Beach on Saturday, September 14, when I noticed a small group of people on Garnet Avenue clad in orange vests and armed with trash tongs. I stopped to chat. Turned …

At a Friday, November 13, news conference held at the 12th and Imperial Avenue trolley station, Metropolitan Transit System representatives announced plans to make cutbacks to service. According to transit-system spokesman Rob Schupp, “Sales-tax shortfalls …

A small protest was held in front of the Family Court at 1555 Sixth Avenue in downtown San Diego on Friday, November 13. A sign leaning against a planter read, “STOP giving kids to abusers!” …

SDG&E issued notices to La Jolla property managers a week in advance of a planned energy outage to occur at 11 a.m. on Monday, November 9. But the outage affected approximately 20 buildings on Genesee …

On Monday, November 9, I filled up my empty gas tank at a station in Mira Mesa. (The tank was so empty, the car had stalled once just before I reached to the station.) After …

This morning I sat on a bench with my organic cup of joe, but this was no typical bench, for it looked as though it belonged in a museum rather than on the sidewalk in …

My previous experience of Detroit cult act Electric Six was in the U.K., in the cavernous surroundings of Hull University, where the sextet played to frenzied students. It was a more subdued Dick Valentine and …

"Behavior modification takes time," said a San Marcos city employee during a November 11 city council meeting. The behavior they would like to modify is to prevent smokers from lighting up in nondesignated areas and …

Friday the 13th brought the premier of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel (sung in English by Lyric Opera San Diego) to the Birch North Park Theatre. It was an entertaining performance even in the absence …

The Rhythm Lounge gig was billed as "the official album release concert" for San Diego hip-hop compilation Young Mass Presents...the Best of Daygo City. Opener Forte rocked the spot with a Zapp-style talk-box rendition of …

With the economic slide has come an increase in the number of women applying for state-sanctioned prostitution licenses in Tijuana. For the past three years, the number of such licenses issued by the state under …

“While standing in the jewelry store of Jorge Espinoza, I realized that I had a bag on my right shoulder but no bag on my left shoulder,” Colleen McAvoy recounted of an incident that occurred …

San Diego police took a 17-year-old documented East San Diego gang member into custody on a curfew violation Tuesday, November 10, at about 11:30 p.m. after a disturbance in the 4200 block of 46th Street. …

Just before noon on Monday, November 9, an indecent-exposure incident occurred at the San Diego State campus. According to reports, a man who had yellow teeth and a strong musky smell followed a student to …

Why Tijuana? That’s what everybody asks me these days. I know. These days, the headlines about Tijuana feature murder, mayhem, and misery. But here’s the thing. These days, when nobody’s going to Tijuana, wouldn’t you …

Paul Borja wanted to earn some extra income on weekends, but when he went to the temporary labor office recommended by a friend early Monday morning on November 9, he found a “For Sale” sign …

Demolition of the buildings at 4868 Santa Cruz Avenue began November 1. Residents who had lived there for years were given notice at the end of June that work would begin the day after Halloween. …

Steve Vaus has twice been nominated for Grammys for children’s records released in 2007 and 2008. He wrote the Jerome’s and Barona Casino TV jingles, and he’s done studio work for Willie Nelson, Kim Carnes, …

Why do women talk so much? — A Dude on the Internets Hard for us to believe that in the 50, 60 years we’ve been toiling at this dodgy gig, this question has never, ever …

Recipe by William Bradley, executive chef, Addison Back when I started, I worked in an Italian restaurant in Bonita. I did it for the money. But, eventually, I fell in love with cooking — the …

“The old guard is passing away,” sighed Aunt Azelda. “Nobody wants monogrammed shirts anymore. Except my brother Wilfred, bless his heart. Help me out, won’t you, Evie?” The first lady I called — a veteran …

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. — Eleanor Roosevelt David swirled the wine in his oversized glass and brought it to his nose. After an exaggerated sniff, he said, “I’m getting a …

I get invited to a number of pub-crawls. I’m not a beer drinker and usually pass. But a guy named Steve, who logged on to the Reader website once to comment on a party, informed …

When the Raveonettes’ Facebook account announced the release of their new album In and Out of Control last month, one disillusioned fan commented, “I don’t know how you went from Lust Lust Lust to this …

Does anybody remember Lost Sounds from Memphis? Cheery tunes, dark themes, noteworthy members. Alicja Trout played in the Clears; Jay Reatard and Rich Crook both came from the post-punk thrash band the Reatards. In 1999, …

It’s starting to become a new tradition: celebrating Thanksgiving with “dinner out” or with home dinners utilizing restaurant takeout. More and more restaurants have jumped on this cash, uh, turkey. The list below begins with …

Encinitas. Hour to kill before the Coaster. Spotted these giant ficus trees. They’re the kind you see in National Geographic, strangling ancient cities. Then I noticed a little ol’ building huddled under them, and a …

For me to write of family strikes me as vaguely pretentious if not outright hypocritical. Possibly we all feel like failures in this area, at least to some degree. Those who do not I tend …

Big bright sun, blue sky, no wind. I am standing on a small bluff overlooking Lake Merced, said lake located between the backside of San Francisco State College and the Pacific Ocean. This is dragon-boat …

“My wife and I have been here for four years now,” said Captain John Van Cleef, senior pastor at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Center’s Kroc Church. “When we came, there were something …

Serene Dos Picos County Park, outside Ramona, nestles into East County’s sweet-smelling chaparral hillsides like a dewdrop caught in the hollow of a leaf. The name refers to two prominent mountain peaks nearby, though which …

“I once watched Norton play a blazing version of ‘Turkey in the Straw’ at a party on a piece-of-shit toy harmonica that was about one inch long,” says local musician Greg Douglass of Norton Buffalo, …

Formed in Fresno in 1984, the Crucified are considered pioneers of the punk-rock subgenre Christian hardcore. Despite limited exposure of the early Christian hardcore scene, the Crucified had taken the stage with punk hits D.R.I. …

“We filed a claim today against the city [of San Marcos] on nine different counts,” says Matt Hall, operator of the Jumping Turtle since February 2003. The lawsuit alleges harassment, intentional and negligent infliction of …

Thirty Years AgoBOSK - Compt-troller is functioning perfectly, War Tarn is no traitor. Need to send written communication, Reader is too confining. Say Where. Your Brother Misk. STEVE & STEVE at State Square Pan on …

Democratic San Diego city councilman Ben Hueso has collected another $31,845 in his bid for the state assembly, bringing his grand total so far to $167,341, according to a recently filed campaign report. Among the …

Anyone who wants to know how the well-connected world of San Diego’s power brokers works need look no further than Mary Lindenstein Walshok, associate vice chancellor for public programs and dean of Extension at UCSD. …

The battle over a new city hall is already costing taxpayers a small fortune, judging from a recently filed lobbying disclosure report by California Strategies, the Sacramento-based firm run by Bob White, the ex-aide to …

Quite A Turnaround I’m calling to thank you so much for choosing the cover of the paper on July 9. The title was “What’s so funny?” and it shows Santa and a psychiatrist, and the …

Lured in by the promise of large-scale development in East Village, to be anchored by a state-of-the-art baseball stadium and filled with high-rise luxury condominiums, plenty of entrepreneurs took the plunge and opened businesses in …

The pay of American top corporate executives is obscene. About the only people who don’t agree with that statement are the executives themselves. In 1980, chief executives made 42 times what the average worker made. …

Dave Mustaine says, “The NHRA [National Hot Rod Association] heard the song, and they loved it. They wanted to use it.” Megadeth’s Endgame was released September 15 and features a song about drag racing. “1,320” …

John TigheGraphic artist Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was one of the steps that Robert Downey Jr. made on his way back from jail and rehab to A-list billing that culminated with Iron Man. Unfortunately, few …

Beg pardon, but it has taken me a week to untie my tongue on the subject of Antichrist, which closes out its seven days at the Ken on Thursday. A piece of art-house schlock from …

First bold and underlined rule when approaching the new Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn duo disc: forget Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. I mean, remember Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin if you want to. They …

The Manic Street Preachers' latest culls lyrics from the unearthed notebook of their former guitarist Richey Edwards, who vanished without a trace in the mid '90s after the band released their tragic masterpiece The Holy …

Last Tuesday morning, November 3, 11 people were in line at the RB Recycling center behind the Rite Aid off Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. Seven of the people were either homeless or didn't have any transportation. …

Lee’s Café, long a familiar sight if you could ever manage to find it (738 Fifth Avenue) among its hoity-toity neighbors, has apparently bid adieu to its patrons and habitués. The seemingly 1940s vintage chow …

A novice bassist at 17, a professional bassist at 18, sideman to legendary trumpeter Chet Baker at 20, sideman to legendary pianist Bill Evans at 23, dead in a car wreck at 25: Scott LaFaro …

“What are they all waiting for over there?” A group of women are waiting on a neighborhood street corner. The truck is arriving sometime in the day, exact time unknown, to deliver their monthly ration …

Want to relive 18th-century Venice? If you visit Venice along with thousands of other tourists during Carnival, you’ll experience one of the world’s irresistible attractions. Walkways are filled with crowds of mask-wearing characters headed to …

He was one of four British teens who forever changed the face of rock & roll. An advocate for peace, politically outspoken and senselessly murdered — but his words continue to inspire. For these reasons, …

Residents of Vantage Pointe were alerted to an emergency via the alarm system at about 6:30 p.m. on the night of Tuesday, November 4. "Attention! Attention! An emergency has been reported," blared the tinny-yet-somehow-comforting recorded …

When they heard the smoke detector going off in a vacant condo unit, neighbors called the fire department to the Bayside Villas in the 600 block of 13th Street on Saturday morning, November 7. Ten-year-old …

Avoid the tourist throngs and discover two desert oddities three hours east of San Diego, in Calipatria and Niland. From a distance, the Mud Pots look like giant anthills, and the sulphur smell will knock …

As a student of ancient Greek history and mythology and a follower of the Olympics since I was a child, the site of the ancient Olympic Games has always held a fascination for me. Olympia …

Embryonic, the Flaming Lips' 12th release, is a monster of an album. The Oklahoma trio channeled all the psychedelic guitars and raw sound they could into 18 tracks that sound more in tune with 1990's …

On November 4, Congressman Bob Filner of the 51st District, an area covering south San Diego County, was one of 331 congressional representatives who voted in favor of the Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act. …

The noise was deafening on the corner of Sixth Avenue and C early this Saturday morning, November 7. A Roel Construction crew worked on a contract for SDG&E. Avoiding this intersection would be beneficial because …

Touted as California’s toughest “century” (a 100-mile bicycle ride), the Tour of the Unknown Coast lives up to its appellation. Held annually in early May, the TUC attracts both sightseeing tourists and serious cyclists who …

Since the mid 1950s, Swami's surf break in Encinitas has been at the center of Southern California surfing. The right point break, known for long rides and clean conditions, has carried some of the world's …

The California Coastal Commission has issued the Poseidon Resources Corporation a construction permit for the Carlsbad desalination project, according to a November 3 press release. “With this permit in hand, the project’s preconstruction phase formally …

Glendale group the Henry Clay People delivered a rote workingmen set at House of Blues Tuesday night, which was met with audience apathy. It would be novel to see an emerging band display the talent …

At the November 2 meeting of the Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Council, members approved the placement of 15 benches along Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. The council’s bench committee, chaired by Camilla Ingram, worked for two months …

An accident between a truck and motorcycle startled a crowd of onlookers on November 4 in downtown San Diego. The collision occurred at about 2:00 p.m. at the intersection of Ash and West A streets. …

As soon as Art Brut took the Casbah stage, the English quartet launched into a frenetic version of "Formed a Band," their signature song. It got the crowd jumping, but how were they going to …

Each Weezer record produces at least one radio hit. The blue album had "Undone," the green album had "Hash Pipe," and the red album had "Troublemaker." These songs were good but each had the purpose …

Whenever a major label drops a band, there's a feeling that the artists are living on borrowed time. Danish duo the Raveonettes, who parted company with Colombia Records after failing to take the world by …

An attempted mugging at the bus stop near the Lemon Grove trolley station on Monday, November 2, was foiled when the perpetrator slipped on some lemons...near the city’s lemon statue. Cristiana Flores was waiting at …

One of the most exotic travel experiences I’ve ever had was in Varanasi, India. Varanasi, sometimes called Benares, is the holiest city of the Hindu religion. The highlight of any trip to Varanasi is a …

Before I visited Bosnia, I heard that Sarajevo was once revered for its beauty. Visitors were awed, during the 1984 Winter Olympics, by Sarajevo's sumptuous valleys and alpine mountains. When I visited the city in …

How can one possibly encompass Paris within a brief article? Arthur Frommer considers “the city of light” his #1 travel destination in the world. Ernest Hemingway called it “a moveable feast.” The Eiffel Tower, the …

This year, the City of Oceanside couldn’t afford to host its downtown celebration of Día de los Muertos, but the festival found a new (if slightly smaller) home on the grounds of Mission San Luis …

Froebel “Fro” Brigham, namesake of the Fro Brigham Preservation Band, 1981. In the 1950s, Brigham booked the Creole Palace in downtown San Diego. Billie Holiday, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington may have performed paying gigs …

Linda Perry might not be the only pop star to emerge from the streets of San Diego. In the late ’80s, the ex–4 Non Blondes singer was a homeless teen in Balboa Park. Two years …

Artist: The Heavy GuiltSong: “Clove” (from the CD Lift Us Up From This)Heard by: Mike Motz, San CarlosIt’s not exactly the style of music I listen to. It almost seems like a cliché. It’s rock. …

Thirty Years AgoA few months ago, local homosexual activists were eagerly anticipating passage of the first “human rights” ordinance in San Diego County. Legalization drafted by the San Diego Democratic Club, a political organization of …

J. David “Jerry” Dominelli is famed in San Diego lore for one thing: his 1980s Ponzi scheme that bilked Southern Californians of $80 million. A full 24 years after Dominelli was sentenced to prison, and …

Our camping trip was near perfection. Long hikes in the backcountry, bird-watching, warm days followed by cool nights gathered around the campfire singing songs… The only wrinkle was the much-anticipated s’mores. On the way out …

I have never smuggled anything in my life. Why, then, do I feel an uneasy sense of guilt on approaching a customs barrier? — John Steinbeck It was 10:30 p.m. on Friday night, and the …

Matt: Does San Diego’s hard water cause any problems in a person’s body? Sometimes when I’m forced to drink tap water, it’s like drinking Clorox and rocks. I mean, people aren’t dropping left and right …

Food can be a deeply political issue, but in this case it’s the merely skin-deep question of the restaurant’s name that’s bugging me. (Didn’t Shakespeare say, “A grill by any other name would smell as …

Washington may declare that the recession is over, but don’t tell that to Chad and his cousins at Market 32. They’ve had to close the doors on their original, very green idea. These guys from …

If she’s right, Tiffany Stern has cracked a theatrical mystery: how companies rehearsed — or didn’t — between 1567 and 1780. Her book, Rehearsal from Shakespeare to Sheridan, first appeared in 2000. Reactions to it, …

It may well be behind us as this sees print, but I will comment again on the fascination this part of the country has with the macabre at this time of year. Between Halloween — …

‘I’ve been surf kayaking for 12 years,” says Dan Carey, 60, owner of Carlsbad Paddle Sports in Oceanside. “There are guys who have been at it since the 1940s and ’50s. The sport didn’t sweep …

Southern California abounds with duplicate place names such as Devil Canyon, Devil’s Canyon, Devil’s Peak, Devil’s Punchbowl, and the like. In the particular Devil Canyon described here, which lies at the northwest corner of the …

What are you reading? “The Fabric of Faithfulness, by Stephen Garber.” Tell me about it. “I’m trying to remember the subtitle — I think it’s Weaving Together Belief and Behavior.” [He left off During the …

Music-history books and websites report that the Rolling Stones visited San Diego ten times to date, but tour posters and handbills have turned up that shed light on a little-known 11th concert a matinee on …

“Nobody is safe from getting something snuck into a drink,” according to Syndicate bassist Tim Nelson, who says someone surreptitiously slipped band vocalist Chase Shelton a “roofie” before a Ken Club gig. “Chase and I …

The Padres earned no invite to baseball’s Fall Classic this year, but San Diego already had its 2009 global champs in Chula Vista’s Park View Little League Blue Bombers, who beat Taiwan in the Little …

If ever there were a San Diego Charger whose postcareer success has matched his years spent on the field, it’s the great Ron Mix. Mix’s glory years came in the 1960s, when the Chargers were …

I first got tipped off about the Electric Six when a friend sent me links to their videos on YouTube. Funny stuff, in a lowbrow sort of way. Adam Sandler could front this band. E6 …

When Sea Wolf released their first album a couple of years ago, they had a name taken from a 1904 Jack London novel, music with old-fashioned instruments, lyrics about mysterious old Gypsy women, and a …

Thankth The gopher on the front page (October 29) is missing his or her two front teeth. Don D’Ercole via email How Silly Of Us Re “The Scariest Part of Halloween” (“City Lights,” October 29). …

The dolphin skimmed down the face of a cresting wave mere feet from where I sat on my surfboard. Then, circling around, it joined up with three friends outside where the waves were breaking. The …

On Monday, November 2, the second Sonic Drive-In in San Diego County opened for business on the corner of Broadway and South Santa Fe Avenue in Vista. Like the Santee location, this time North County …

Protesters demanding that Blue Shield stop lobbying against health-care reform blocked an entrance to a Mission Valley office of the California insurance company on Monday, November 2. Company officials initially refused to meet the protesters, …

On October 31, myself and a couple other urban campers went to Balboa Park, at Sixth Avenue and Hawthorne, to take part in a get-together especially for the homeless called “H.O.P.E.” The flyer that was …

A recent increase in early-morning police patrols in Tijuana’s Zone Norte has been noticed by this reporter, and the police substation at the juncture of Constitución and Callejon Coahuila has reopened after being closed for …

East Village hot spot El Dorado Cocktail Lounge played host to Dirty Sweet’s sold-out Halloween bash. The band was ghouled and tuxed-up for the evening and kicked off an 11-song set at 11 p.m. The …

The air exploded with cheers as reggae star Matisyahu took the stage Saturday evening to cap off the MTS Kick Gas Festival at Qualcomm Stadium. The preshow excitement would prove to be justified, as Matisyahu …

Wikipedia calls the two-man bass-and-drums OM a “stoner metal band,” but as the Good God is my witness, they don’t sound that stupid. Trying and esoteric, yes — if you’re looking for rough noisy explosions, …

"When you want to watch a Charger football game, you should just go over to the new police and fire headquarters because they are going to have the latest in audio technology," Escondido mayor Lori …

Are you a cultural festival junkie? Treasures abound in Mexico and in your nearby Mexican neighborhood. I still have my sugar skeletons from the Day of the Dead (El Día De Los Muertos) in Pátzcuaro, …

What I found most fascinating about Salt Lake City’s Temple Square was the tour of the Tabernacle and the performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The choir’s Sunday morning broadcasts and Thursday evening rehearsals are …