The first drive-in theater I snuck into in San Diego was also the first one built here, the Midway, on the northwest corner of Mission Bay Drive and Sports Arena Boulevard. It was December 1979, …

1932: Richard Milton Hollingshead Jr., a chemical engineer and oil and grease salesman, conducts his first experiments in outdoor viewing by nailing a bedsheet between two trees and putting a 1928 16mm movie projector on …

'I think we have more of a finger on the pulse of what women really want.'

Pastor Misael Zaragoza was a Navy Seal in the Vietnam War, and it was his idea to hold a patriotic celebration service, which bore a strong military emphasis. But it opened with straightforward praise: Eddie …

'All jokes are about shattering assumptions," says San Francisco Comedy College founder Kurtis Matthews. "Horror has the same structure of comedy, but the result or surprise [horror hopes to achieve] is fear, pain, or confusion." …

I pondered some more (having brought it up once before) on the fact that -- Peter Principle--like -- I rather don't belong in what could be construed as the position of a regular-Joe voice, blue- …

Hey Matt: I have a special talent that nobody else I know has. I can write backwards without even thinking about it, with all the letters reversed. My friend says there might be something wrong …

Hey Matt: When I recently drove through Utah, I noticed that "regular" grade gasoline (in addition to costing a lot less) is 85 octane, not 87 like it is here. I thought this was maybe …

Hey Matt: What makes sauce lumpy? Or better yet, what is a guaranteed way to mix something like flour and water and never have lumps? -- Jerry in San Diego Grandma is teary eyed. Someone …

Last week, Hilary, who had been a 91X DJ since 1997, was shown the door. Her firing is curious because recent Arbitron ratings indicate she was doing well. For the past two months, among listeners …

Hey Matt: I was watching the NY Yankees vs. the Atlanta Braves this Wednesday and one of the graphics showed a list of the injured Braves and their injuries. Amongst all of the twisted ankles, …

Rolling Stone's April 7, 2005, "Children of Rock" cover story mentioned the Fabulous Rudies, a North County band with ska roots. The issue included short articles and photos of 15 rock-star kids (Sean Lennon, Ben …

This was supposed to be a Tour de France drug-bust column. I wanted to talk to a knowledgeable San Diego bike rider about the sport and its habits. There are at least 18 bicycle clubs …

Benedictum played Italy's Gods of Metal festival over the first weekend of June. Def Leppard, Whitesnake, and Guns N' Roses were the bigger acts on the bill. "On the first days, each band had their …

Last March 28, as the sun fractured behind iron-gray clouds, six Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet gazed in awe from Sacatone Overlook. Three miles east, on terrain bleak as Sinai, railroad trestles perch 1000 …

"He keeps asking for a new brain," says Joaquin Torres, guitar player for San Diego band Frogsbreath. Torres speaks of his band's bass player, Brian McClure, who is in the University of Utah's medical center …

On the scrub-covered slopes overlooking eastern Chula Vista's Rice Canyon, hardy coast chollas raise their asymmetric arms in what seems a gesture of defiance against the surrounding phalanxes of cookie-cutter, pseudo-Spanish-style homes. The yellow-centered, magenta …

Mark McLarry, a Point Loma resident, co-owns a solar-powered stage that is being used on this summer's Warped Tour. His company, Sustainable Waves, rents out the stage for other events throughout the year. Though McLarry …

Forty to fifty bottles of tequila dominate occupy Whole Hog's practice room. "We were a Pabst Blue Ribbon and Jack Daniel's band before Khrys joined," says guitarist Rich Travers. "It started with one bottle of …

When Pearl Jam appears at Cox Arena tomorrow, July 7, they'll allow "no signage on, around or about the stage [including] any corporate sponsored venues, radio and TV stations, etc." And, "There is to be …

The Few and the Proud: Marine Corps Drill Instructors in Their Own Words by Larry Smith. W.W. Norton, 2006, $26.95, 325 pages. FROM THE DUST JACKET: The Few and the Proud examines how Marines are …

Thirty Years Ago Writer Jane Stein will tell you that Golden Hills is the first place where she has ever wanted to live permanently. "I grew up in housing developments and shopping centers. This is …

Months ago, I decided to go to an art party in North Park after a racquetball game. It wasn't the best idea. It was a weeknight and I would be all sweaty. I planned to …

I had never been so disappointed as the day a troupe of Harlem Globetrotters came to town. On TV they were the finest club of ballplayers anyone had ever seen. Steven Brown and I had …

You'd love to place a bet on a horse after the race is over and collect your winnings without getting caught and fitted for cement boots. Don't laugh: almost daily we're finding out that top …

Frustration with the noise from SeaWorld's fireworks has long simmered in the neighborhoods near the theme park. In May, the pot began to boil over when a local newspaper, the Peninsula Beacon, printed a letter …

Bay-front developer Doug Manchester, who has taken to calling himself "Papa Doug," has made a big chunk of his multimillion-dollar fortune doing deals with the Port of San Diego. The onetime life-insurance salesman found his …

Most of San Diego's Vietnamese restaurants are out in City Heights or up in Linda Vista — and most start their names with "Pho," North Vietnam's hearty peasant noodle soup. Nothing wrong with pho, but …

San Diego's city ethics commissioners and staff have filed their annual statements of economic interest for 2005, revealing a raft of gifts. Executive director Stacey Fulhorst reports getting "2 invites to a party" from San …

If you've ever been kicked out of Winstons in Ocean Beach on a rowdy night when a popular reggae or blues act is onstage, chances are you were bounced by Ted Washington, front man for …

While Democratic candidates for governor were bloodying themselves in their bitter spring primary battle, GOP incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger was quietly building up his campaign war chest. As usual, San Diego Republicans, along with some Democrats, …

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. -- Wayne Dyer As my sister declared how fed up she was with someone who seemed unwilling to return her …

'We go through an awful lot of beer," confided my dear friend Bernice recently. "I'm almost embarrassed to put out the recycling, it's so full of cans and bottles.""Is your husband happy in his marriage?" …

Darning Socks I came across an odd piece of rounded wood on a stick, and for the life of me, I couldn't remember its purpose. Looks like a hardboiled egg on a Popsicle stick. It's …

“They liked Mexican girls, too. But since 9/11 they have stayed away.”