Techno music thumps and throbs and spills from the room. The "Earth Room." It's early, about 9:30 a.m. An instructor leads 30 men and women, ranging in age from 18 to maybe 60, in movement …

The band would play the stadium (which would be renamed Qualcomm) on October 7. A year earlier, Emotional Rescue topped the charts, but the Stones didn't tour because Mick Jagger and Keith Richards weren't getting …

Loquacity, n. A disorder which renders the sufferer unable to curb his tongue when you wish to talk. -- Ambrose Bierce, from The Devil's Dictionary The blaring phone interrupted my intense struggle with the latches …

"I don't want no soggy sushi. I ain't into yucky teriyaki."

Last week, Patrick, normally the very embodiment of composure, chucked a pen across the kitchen island in frustration. It nearly landed in my scrambled eggs. "I have had enough of crappy pens!" he yelled. "Damn …

She was born in Marvel, Arkansas, and delivered by Dr. Wise," it says on Astra Kelly's website. "Early interest in music was fueled by family jams, school choirs, and formal music studies." "I've been living …

Title: Mark Dice Address: www.markdice.com Author: Mark Dice From: Vista Blogging since: February 2007 Post Date: April 9, 2007 Post Title: Rescue Me Co-Star Daniel Sunjata Says 9/11 an Inside Job Tony Award-nominated actor Daniel …

"Get your hands off of me, vile woman!" I scream. "Turn me loose, Martha Stewart!" Martha Stewart's hands have the strength of a steroidal orangutan. It's all that scissor work. And the tying of stiff …

'We use Norwegian fjords the most," says Deborah Shinner, executive director of Riding Emphasizing Individual Needs and Strengths, or REINS, an organization that offers assisted horseback riding for the disabled. "The fjords can take a …

Name: Dan Belec Home: Carlsbad Vehicle: 2003 Ford Ranger XLT Surfing: Tourmaline Surfing Park, Pacific Beach The surf gear in Dan Belec's truck is minimal. He has a Block Surf pad to keep his Sunny …

I met Todd five years ago in Tampa, Florida. We were servers together at Bella's restaurant. Todd was so charming, energetic, and fun that I immediately had a huge crush on him. We became friends …

Back in the 1960s, people were pigeonholed by the movies they enjoyed. Critics concluded that bumpkins liked The Sound of Music (1965), while the worldly-wise liked The Graduate (1967). One movie was light and maudlin, …

In February, a Nicaraguan court convicted former UCSD student Eric Volz of murdering a beautiful young Nicaragüense he had previously lived with. She was found dead early on an afternoon last November, strangled and hog-tied …

A drug that bombed as an antidepressant is now being touted by its maker as a possible "female Viagra," and local women wanting to take a chance on the experimental substance in exchange for a …

The latest statewide poll shows Hillary Clinton out front of Barack Obama in the race to collect California's Democratic presidential nominating delegates, but some rich La Jollans aren't taking any chances. Investor Murray Galinson, for …

Spatiotemporal Unfairness The other day I leisurely rode the escalators of the central subway station of Athens, at Syntagma (Constitution) Square, situated right in front of the parliamentary building. It was ten minutes before the …

Just how much is ex-GOP mayor Susan Golding going to be making as the new president of the San Diego Child Abuse Prevention Foundation? The foundation's spokeswoman didn't return calls, but it's likely to be …

"One Sunday a month we have a 'loud and local' night," says Matt Hall, owner of the Jumping Turtle in San Marcos. "Rock 105 sponsors the show." Hall says the radio station suggested holding a …

"Two sober gothic couples were followed, harassed, and assaulted in Old Town on a Friday night by a drunken Navy SEAL," according to James Howard, president of the San Diego chapter of Goth Help Us. …

Street Scene at the Del Mar Fairgrounds is not a done deal yet. On May 8, the fairgrounds board was expected to vote on whether the event would be held there in late September. Fairgrounds …

Soma owner Len Paul says because two recent local ska-band shows on his side stage sold out, next month he'll present a local ska concert on his main stage for the first time. (The rooms …

Loss of Control has been accepted to perform for American troops in USO-style tours with the Armed Forces Entertainment Program. "You send an application along with some audio, video, and a list of past gigs," …

"We were illegally carrying this monster 16-mortar firework cube, 'Deep Impact,' for thousands of miles," says Johnny Verruto of the High Rolling Loners. While in North Carolina on a recent cross-country tour, the band received …

"We would call them the "get drunk and take off your T-shirt" crowd."

I crashed a benefit concert for a woman who crashed her car. I intended to pay the $5 cover at Portugalia in OB, but I forgot my wallet at the racquetball courts. The kid at …

Contributors to the message site have suggested it, and other more conventional letters-to-the-editor types have urged that I get a sex-change operation and "whine on Oprah." I have puzzled over this probably more than I …

Dear Matt: Now that I am approaching the big 5-0, there is a question burning in my mind. As a kid growing up in San Diego, I could never get away with sneaking pistachios because …

heya matt... A friend of mine (who's more often right than wrong) claims that Sony Corporation was originally founded by Shell Oil of New York during the occupied-Japan period after WW2. I find it hard …

Hey, Matt: What do the words inside "honeymoon" mean? Busy space bees? -- Best Man, Bay Park Warning: Many ridiculous stories exist about "honeymoon." Please, no e-mails involving Attila the Hun, honey-beer bashes at weddings, …

Thirty Years Ago "These guys complaining ought to get down on their hands and knees and thank God that they have a job that pays them so good. Because if it wasn't for NASSCO, they'd …

Given the star-rating of this restaurant, I'll anticipate the critics-of-the-critic: Why did I eat at Ben's 1615, and why am I reviewing it? To answer the first question: About a year ago, a colleague who …

As San Diego County's newest (2006) open-space park, the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve is already establishing a reputation as one of the county's finest parcels of unburned montane landscape. Actually, the Cedar Fire in …