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Pre-gaming
By Chad Deal, Published March 3, 2010
Friday, February 26, 8:45 p.m. A University Heights house at Georgia and El Cajon is illuminated by the retro neon “Boulevard” sign, lending the epithet “The Big Pink.” The theme is “Walmart Rollback.” Leif opens the ...
Happy Holly Daze
By Josh Board, Published Jan. 6, 2010
I went to a huge Christmas party a couple of weeks ago at the University Heights home of Liz Abbott and Kent Johnson. They publish the San Diego Troubadour — a local paper that covers country, ...
Lofty, Bizarre
By Josh Board, Published Dec. 23, 2009
A woman named Cynthia was having a birthday party downtown. I was told we were supposed to bring something, so I bought cupcakes at the store. When I arrived downtown, I parked far away from the ...
Ho-Ho-How About a Cookie?
By Josh Board, Published Dec. 16, 2009
I found out from a friend with a six-year-old son that one of his playmates has a mom who throws elaborate Christmas parties. I drove ... More Comments (2)
Star Power
By Josh Board, Published Dec. 9, 2009
I was able to hit two parties recently because one involved a student film festival, and the kiddies don’t usually party into the late hours. ... More Comments (2)
Amy Wallen Will Give You Crickets
By Josh Board, Published Dec. 2, 2009
As I drove by the Swedenborgian Church around the corner from my place in Normal Heights, I saw people entering for some event that included ... More Comments (25)
Who You Callin' Chicken?
By Josh Board, Published Nov. 24, 2009
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 ... More Comments (9)
Halloween Police
By Josh Board, Published Nov. 18, 2009
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 ... More Comments (7)
Tipsy and Talkative
By Josh Board, Published Nov. 11, 2009
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 ... More Comments (34)
Gypsies, Snacks, and “Steve”
By Josh Board, Published Oct. 28, 2009
I collect vintage radios, phonographs, and jukeboxes, so I go to O.B.’s antique stores a few times a year. A few weeks ago, in the ... More Comments (8)
San Diego, Las Vegas
By Josh Board, Published Oct. 21, 2009
Someone on the Reader website clued me in to a Las Vegas–themed party going down in North Park. I’m glad they did. The small backyard ... More Comments (10)
Friends Are Like Jewels
By Josh Board, Published Oct. 14, 2009
I was walking my dog around University Heights and saw a party setting up at a house near Adams Avenue. I dropped my dog off ... More Comments (161)
No Pictures, Dude
By Josh Board, Published Oct. 7, 2009
In L.A. at an autograph and collectors’ convention, I smiled at Playboy Playmate Candy Clark as I walked by her table. She was charging $25 ... More Comments (36)
L.A. Stories
By Josh Board, Published Sept. 30, 2009
When radio station KPRI announced a Van Morrison concert in L.A. that they’d be taking listeners to, I talked my way into joining afternoon DJ ... More Comments (13)
Shotski!
By Josh Board, Published Sept. 23, 2009
I went to a pool party in San Marcos in August that began with a morning visit to a Stone Brewing Company beerfest. I showed ... More Comments (2)
Mutt Mixer
By Josh Board, Published Sept. 16, 2009
My girlfriend told a coworker who was going out of town for two weeks that she’d watch her dog for her. As we were walking ... More Comments (13)
Crest Burgers
By Josh Board, Published Sept. 2, 2009
When I checked my voice mail to see if anyone called in a party, I heard there was a barbecue in Crest, so off I ... More Comments (15)
Dangerous Bird
By Josh Board, Published Aug. 26, 2009
I ran into Nick Simmons, the son of Kiss bassist Gene, at Comic-Con. I told him I caught the episode of his reality show on ... More Comments (10)
Pile-Drivin' Tacos
By Josh Board, Published Aug. 19, 2009
A Mexican wrestler was pictured on the invitation to a party I went to a month ago. The card was for John’s 40th birthday “smackdown,” ... More Comments (7)
Golding's Grudge
By Josh Board, Published Aug. 12, 2009
I was having a rough patch in crashing some events. It started with Comic-Con. Organizers refused to give me a press pass because something I ... More Comments (16)
Salsa Susie, Tango Tony
By Josh Board, Published Aug. 5, 2009
On the same weekend last month, I went to two dance parties. One was for a salsa dancer who turned 40. The locale, in P.B., ... More Post a comment
Beckett No, Hendrix Yes
By Josh Board, Published July 29, 2009
A handful of the people who post on the Reader website planned a get-together. I think it stemmed from one of them being in town ... More Comments (8)
GPS Yourself
Published July 22, 2009
On days that are known as party days, I try to challenge myself. I’ve had a few New Year’s Eves when I went to over ... More Comment (1)
Something to Smile About
By Josh Board, Published July 15, 2009
Mahsa graduated from La Costa Canyon this year, and her mom threw a party for her at a pizzeria in Encinitas. I showed up late ... More Comments (2)
Punk Politesse
By Josh Board, Published July 1, 2009
A woman in the Serra Mesa area was turning 21. I got an invite to her birthday party from her mom. When I arrived, the ... More Comments (2)
The Lakers vs. Luna Llena
By Josh Board, Published June 24, 2009
I drove up to Oceanside for a surprise party that Wayne was throwing for his wife’s birthday. I squeezed into a spot on the street, ... More Comments (5)
Jack and Duke and Tiffany
By Josh Board, Published June 17, 2009
About a month ago, I drove to El Cajon for an annual horseshoe tournament in memory of Jack and Duke, two deceased friends of the ... More Comments (2)
A Chihuahua Named Wanda
By Josh Board, Published June 10, 2009
Nothing better than an afternoon party on a sunny day with barbecue and a live band. At this house in Kensington, they were cooking up ... More Comments (2)
Sorry, Charley
By Josh Board, Published June 3, 2009
I was given detailed directions on how to get to Charley’s party. He was graduating from Cal State San Marcos. But the beachfront condos in ... More Comment (1)
I Would Drive 100 Miles
By Josh Board, Published May 20, 2009
I covered a hundred miles driving to three different parties on one recent Saturday. The first party was up in Murrieta. I would’ve blown it ... More Comments (3)
Fowl Play in Fallbrook
By Josh Board, Published May 13, 2009
There are lots of local film festivals, but Fallbrook’s is my favorite. This year’s second annual started on Thursday, April 23, but it wasn’t until ... More Post a comment
Skullcrusher and Vaporizer
By Josh Board, Published May 6, 2009
Chad teaches at SDSU and lives in the Clairemont area. He threw a party for his 30th birthday about a month ago. I brought a ... More Comments (3)
Australian Rules
By Josh Board, Published April 29, 2009
In late March, I went to a park in Hillcrest for a going-away party. People there dubbed the theme “crokaoke” because they were playing croquet ... More Comments (5)
Cold Clues, Hot Shaves
By Josh Board, Published April 22, 2009
About a month ago, I went to the opening of a music store in El Cajon called Guitar and Bass Land. A guy was talking ... More Comments (6)
Four People, No Laughs
By Josh Board, Published April 15, 2009
I fit a couple of parties into one night. Both were at bars. Well, the first wasn’t really at a bar, per se. It was ... More Comments (4)
Shamrocks and Cotton Patches
By Josh Board, Published April 8, 2009
They say your home is your castle. So it is with Jim’s place, which is shaped like a castle. He’s known as the P.B. Millionaire. ... More Comments (21)
Eddie + Alcohol = Air guitar
By Josh Board, Published March 25, 2009
I got a call about crashing a wedding in Spring Valley a few weeks ago. I had a lot going on that day, but when ... More Comments (6)
Neither Had a Monkey
By Josh Board, Published March 18, 2009
On a Saturday night a few weeks ago, I went to a Saturday Night Live theme party at the Tivoli Bar in the East Village. ... More Comments (6)
Space Chimps Travesty
By Josh Board, Published March 11, 2009
I love movies — watching them and discussing them. I’ve gone to the Sundance Film Festival a few times and recently started going to some ... More Post a comment
Escorts & Engagements
By Josh Board, Published March 4, 2009
I remember getting a call years ago from a girl named Caryn. She was having a birthday party, and I hadn’t been doing this column ... More Comments (203)
Hat Trick
By Josh Board, Published Feb. 25, 2009
My girlfriend spent $20 on a pirate hat for me to wear to a party. I gave her crap because I didn’t think I’d ever ... More Comments (9)
Cardinals, Steelers, Dangerous Dolphins
By Josh Board, Published Feb. 18, 2009
Each year I go to two Super Bowl parties. I leave the first party at halftime, which I don’t mind doing if the TV halftime ... More Post a comment
Party Like a Barack Star
By Josh Board, Published Feb. 11, 2009
Barack Obama was predicted to win the presidency. Nobody was surprised when he did. I was surprised at how many inauguration parties there were. I ... More Comments (3)
Celebration of the Lizard
By Josh Board, Published Feb. 4, 2009
Last December 8 would’ve been Jim Morrison’s 60th birthday. Two of the surviving Doors threw a party in Hollywood at Barney’s Beanery, famous in the ... More Comments (8)
Deion Disses L.T.
By Josh Board, Published Jan. 28, 2009
When I learned Harrah’s Rincon was opening up a sports bar called the Sports Pit in late September, I decided to hit it. They offered ... More Comments (21)
Pigs at the Post
By Josh Board, Published Jan. 21, 2009
I get invited to a lot of art openings and recently had to tell some friends that I was burned out on them, recalling a ... More Comments (4)
Rockin' Around the Block
By Josh Board, Published Jan. 14, 2009
When I was four, I formed two distinct memories of events that happened at Christmastime. The first was when my mom, newly single, took my ... More Comment (1)
Nightcaps
By Josh Board, Published Jan. 7, 2009
I had three parties to hit one December night. Maybe the stores were taking a hit from the bad economy, but it wasn’t cutting down ... More Comment (1)
College Area Kookout
By Josh Board, Published Dec. 30, 2008
There was a story on CNN about the controversy surrounding a public Christmas tree in Washington, D.C. In the interest of fairness, apparently, an atheist ... More Post a comment
Tiny Bubbles
By Josh Board, Published Dec. 23, 2008
There was an October wedding in Coronado with a reception on Soledad Mountain. A guy named Jeff called to suggest I crash the Hawaiian-themed affair. ... More Comment (1)
Hurricane P
By Josh Board, Published Dec. 17, 2008
About four months ago I was having Mexican food at a vegan place at Sunset Cliffs — I have friends who are vegetarians, and this ... More Comments (2)
Fabulous Femurs, Aluminum Boots
By Josh Board, Published Dec. 10, 2008
I remember the first time I came in to a little money as a teenager and went to buy Christmas gifts for friends and family. ... More Comments (4)
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