At night, the exterior of Kearny Mesa Bowl is not inviting. Set toward the back of a big parking lot on the south side of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, about a block west of Convoy, the …

Tristan Prettyman is a rare breed among San Diego's growing crop of acoustic crooners -- she's signed to a major label. Virgin Records released twentythree in August 2005, followed by a ten-month national tour with …

Thirty Years Ago I PROCLAIM MYSELF chess champion of Solana Beach. Anybody wishing to challenge this claim may do so in a nine game match. Call George. JANNIE, I love you babe, and I always …

In Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart, Doc's young son Scott is going to the dentist for the first time. And just about everyone else in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, is having the adult equivalent. Lenny MaGrath …

The Main Divide of the Santa Ana Mountains follows a significant Southern California watershed division, and also quite closely marks the Orange/Riverside county line. On the divide, you can often spot both the Pacific Ocean …

There are no good girls gone wrong, just bad girls found out. -- Mae West Jen and I sat on the bench in the entryway to the theater. We rested our backs against a poster …

"The rap scene has started to get like karaoke," says Richard Gendron. "We did that for a while, but we were limited because we had to write our lyrics to these [prerecorded] beats." With partner …

The day after the Grammy awards, the KUSS (95.7 FM) morning team of Tony and Kris talked about the previous day's on-air stunt: urinating into adult diapers. They didn't play any Dixie Chicks music, even …

On January 13, a group of San Diego indie rockers, including guitarist Dylan Martinez (Rookie Card), drummer Mike Kamoo (the Stereotypes), keyboardist Kelly Duley (the Kite Flying Society), and bassist Justin Bryant (Static Halo) performed …

"Punk rock is really starting to get big in Mexico, especially in Mexico City," says singer/guitarist Irving Lugo, who estimates that there are now over 100 punk bands in Tijuana. But, "Norteño is still the …

"With the resurgence of Bill Shatner's acting career, there's been a lot of interest in his music," says Dan Lederman, a.k.a. ShatMan, the One-Man Shatner Tribute Band. "I started doing karaoke shows to discs of …

"The women's room has only one commode in it, and the room has a locking door," says Lorrie Merriman, co-owner of O'Connell's in Bay Park. "Two women and a hot topic of discussion can tie …

Our 15-year-old wedding ceremony VHS tape sits in the bottom drawer of my bedside table. The mini DV tape of our first child's birth and baptism lies in the inner door of my secretary desk. …

For 14 years, Stacey Ellis was the lead singer for San Diego threesome Ellis. The band, including her husband Brett Ellis on guitars and Mike McFarland on drums, had its share of ego clashes. Yet, …

Top Five Gems from recent posts on the San Diego Musicians webpage at craigslist.org: "CD artwork...can provide samples on speculum." "Metal guitarist looking to form or join group...not into Cookie Monster sounding vocals." "Death metal …

As Super Bowl halftime approached, I headed off to another party. I had two more to catch. The first, which the host dubbed the "Nacho Bowl," was in North Park. He said there would be …

Title: Little Bohemian Address: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog. ListAll&friendID=12030916&MyToken=249b5fe0-0017-4489-8af1-469d3fdb4198ML Author: Little Bohemian From: Hillcrest Blogging since: April 2006 Post Date: January 21, 2007 Post Title: San Diego Part I I've just moved out. The magnitude of the change …

As I sit here typing, I'm a little distraught by the unkempt state of my hair and my unmade face. It's because I haven't been out all day because I'm grounded. I'm grounded because I …

It was the summer before my second year at the University of Arizona when I learned that Christine was graduating Coronado High School and was to attend the U of A. Christine was what my …

Sleep Monster As a traditional guardsman, I have to live a dual life and with the consequences of doing so. Going from a normal work week to drill weekend is not so bad, but coming …

'In many things in life, we have a tendency to go one way or the other, and not much in between," says Richard Halsey, director of the California Chaparral Institute. "Once, fire was all bad. …

People often ask me, "Where should I go for a gala brunch that doesn't cost a fortune?" I mumble, "Aaagh, I don't do mornings." And when they ask where to get good home-style German food, …

"It's valuable to see the date integrated -- if every time you log in there's a gauge saying, "Everything's A-OK.""

At some point, we're going to have to dig up Mister Rogers's body. I know it's not a pretty business, but there it is: little kids are turning up at the morgue in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. …

Swaths of rough white stucco surrounded the stained-glass windows at St. James by the Sea. The windows -- saints above and the life of Christ below -- were tastefully small, yet rendered dramatic through their …

Three years ago I wrote a column about taking up the practice of tai chi and said I'd report back after a year. I did and promised an update in 12 months time. Did that …

The hamlet of Potrero in southeast San Diego County, 45 miles from the city and just 8 minutes from Tecate, is being ambushed. The attackers are county bureaucrats marching alongside Blackwater USA, the private military …

Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease by Dr. Sharon Moalem, with Jonathan Prince. William Morrow, 2007, 267 pages, $25.95 FROM THE BOOK JACKET: A fresh and engaging examination of …

MiraCosta College dean Eileen Kraskouskas was in San Francisco for a three-day conference last March when she got e-mails and calls from the office of the MiraCosta president telling her that 2006 would be her …

A subsidiary of the real estate outfit that recently recommended taking day-to-day approval of San Diego's real estate dealings away from the city council has again been tagged with campaign-reporting violations. According to a stipulation …

The wife of ex-Democratic state senator Steve Peace is no longer a member of the state's Integrated Waste Management Board following the expiration of her term last month. Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata named …

A longtime friend of mine -- a professor in Tacoma who worked with me at Hunter's Books in La Jolla when he was going for his PhD and his divorce at the same time -- …

Jim Carrey's ability to "stretch" himself has proven to be strictly physical.

These guys are the first missionaries of post-fat America.