Singer/songwriter Danielle LoPresti waited as the man behind the desk listened to her demo CD. When the last song came to an end, the man leaned forward, looked Danielle in the eye, and said he …

From the daily paper: "[The] president of Young Republican club doesn't appear to be getting unduly roiled at this picture of Adolf Hitler in the German bungalow, House of Pacific Relations, Balboa Park. "When San …

Children are a house's enemy. They don't mean to be -- they just can't help it. It's their enthusiasm, their energy, their naturally destructive tendencies. -- Delia Ephron David's sister, Michelle, relayed the usual sentiments …

Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, who created the first fretless electric bass guitar in the '60s, came up with the idea of a lightweight metal detector. "Well, it just came out this month," says Wyman …

Stephen Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley, turned 35 last Friday (yes, 4/20); last night, Stephen headlined at San Diego's House of Blues. He first performed on a downtown SD stage almost two decades …

Braxton Whitley is having a rough time producing his Southern Classic Music Fest. The former electrician contracted to hire the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Molly Hatchet, and Blackfoot for a May 11 concert at the 1500-capacity …

In 2005, ipayOne made a deal to pay $2.5 million over five years for San Diego Sports Arena naming rights. Last week, the venue reverted back to its original name and workers took down ipayOne …

De Shjon Mitchell, a.k.a. Spectrum, is a wheelchair-bound hip-hop artist who became paralyzed after the van he was in went out of control and rolled down a 45-foot drop. He wasn't wearing a seat belt. …

The sweet old lady has moved out of her house at the bottom of our back yard. In her place are young people. Young people with tattoos; young people with a band that practices in …

"I don't think it's ever happened that any San Diego rap group has had music on a major movie soundtrack," says Joseph Hendrick, a.k.a. J Savage. His seven-month-old group Mercenary Click recorded "Bring Your Body" …

Thirty-four years ago today (4/26/73), Elvis Presley appeared at the San Diego Sports Arena. He came to perform in San Diego five times (six, if you count his 4/3/56 set on the aircraft carrier USS …

When Monsters from Mars play their cover of Britney Spears's "Toxic," that spacey-sounding instrument is a theremin, an electronic musical device popularized in the 1951 sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still. "It sure …

Title: Esteban Says "Go Die!" Address: http://www.myspace.com/estesketch Author: Esteban From: La Mesa Blogging since: 2004 Post Date: November 17, 2006 Post Title: Another Straight Edge Rant by Another Straight Edge Asshole: Dirt-e Chris xROTx Don't …

Mayor Jerry Sanders packed his 15-person charter review committee with lobbyists and lackeys who are in the pockets of developers and downtown business interests. Now the community is fighting back. At least two groups, the …

The two friends were engineers, one trained in California and one in the Soviet Union. "He could talk about anything, from mathematics to world literature," says Imperial Beach resident Ralph Sherman of his departed friend …

Three familiar San Diego names are on a newly released list of Hillary Clinton "bundlers," volunteer fund-raisers who channel big money into presidential campaigns. Federal law limits individual contributions to $2300 each for primary and …

I got a call about a belly-dance party in Spring Valley. I'm sure my neighbors heard my car tires burn rubber. When I arrived, the place was SRO. I found space in the kitchen with …

His boss John Moores has long been San Diego's preeminent behind-the-scenes political boss, and now Padres CEO Sandy Alderson is stepping out of the shadows with his own high-dollar campaign, including a custom-designed website, sandyalderson.com, …

In his youth, John Donne (1572-1631) was a hot Metaphysical poet who wrote salacious verses and thought Shakespeare, his elder by eight years, a doddering oaf. Donne yoked religious language and topical references to his …

Name:Bill Dant Home: Pacific Beach Vehicle: 1997 VW Eurovan Surfing: Tourmaline surf park, Pacific Beach Bill Dant is a soul guy with a van to match his mellow explorer attitude. "It's a '97 Eurovan. They …

Olivieri Manor is the new name of my apartment. It was formerly known as the Embassy of Cool, but I was watching a Batman cartoon on TV last weekend and it struck me: Bruce Wayne …

I had just moved to San Diego, and there was a 7-Eleven down the street from my new apartment. I decided, "What the hell, I'll get a job there while I'm looking for a real …

I sit down, in shock. Feel like I've just found Howard Hughes.

'I don't just deal with the text, I also deal with the rhythm," says Julie Clemmons, director of Infinite Kids, a nonprofit after-school program. "Like Sir John Gielgud said, if you learn the text just …

Sick haircut, dude! Some time ago, a heavily tanned, broad-shouldered, six-foot-tall baseball player from Texas, who used the word "dude" to refer to males and females alike, took up residence in the cubicle next to …

"Those of us who had been wringing our hands all that time in California said, "Well, yeah."

When people ask me about the best parties I've been to, my stock answer is "mansions in Rancho Santa Fe." Heading to one recent party in Rancho Santa Fe, however, I was driving on streets …

I ask, "Where did you go in San Diego?" "Mostly Balboa Park. It's a nice old park. I think it's one of the more successful parks around." Speaking is a man I'll call Charles Dyson. …

I read Kurt Vonnegut throughout the '70s, a bit in the '80s, and then didn't. The last of his novels I read was Timequake. I don't remember much of it, but the memory is a …

Dear Matthew: I am currently a "guest" of the San Diego George Bailey Detention Facility. For those inmates who were unlucky enough to be arrested without money, the jail provides free soap, toothpaste, and deodorant. …

Hello, Matt: When I get up in the morning and I look in the mirror, I resemble someone who went 15 rounds with Apollo Creed. My question is, why are there bags under my eyes? …

"This is one of the best churches that I've ever been to," said congregant John. "It's kind of like God's little secret. If you come here at nine o'clock, you'll see the other room set …

Nothing of the cheap comic abides in her characterization.

Thirty Years Ago It's the unleashing of one's inner conscience. We've thought of different aspects of prejudice and racial bigotry, but this has brought it all into chronological flow. It could only be done now …

So far and yet so close. Only minutes away from the hectic San Diego traffic, rolling meadows lie open to the sky, and boulder-studded hills form a backdrop akin to the interior of some sleepy …

Thirty Years Ago Approximately 10,000 Indians reside in San Diego County, with roughly 7,500 living in an urban setting and 2,500 on or around the 17 reservations. There are four tribal clans native to the …

Piano recital at Thearle Music Co., 640 Broadway, c. 1930. The Chicago-based firm opened a store in San Diego in 1903. The article that announced their arrival included this: "It has been and is today …

TRENDS STUNNA SHADES: "Stunnas" refers to the type of oversized sunglasses that make the Terminator's wraparounds look modest by comparison. Worn 'round the clock, indoors and outdoors, and most especially behind the wheel, where nobody …

If I'd belched, I'd have cleared the table, and some people would have passed out. -- My father It was decided months ago that if they wanted to jump into the deep end of the …

On April 6, Fall Out Boy announced that because of "personal issues" connected with bassist Pete Wentz, the band would postpone the first two weeks of its headlining U.S. tour. Instead of beginning April 28, …

Metal singer/guitarist Josh McArdle and two other Marine corporals formed Hatchet Wound in Iraq. Now at Camp Pendleton, they practice in a 10' by 10' barracks; they started in McArdle's, moved to the drummer's (Hunter …

David Bronner runs the Escondido soap company founded by his grandfather in 1948. Although his Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap brand has generated controversy for its hemp content, he couldn't have imagined that the product would …

"I will no longer be performing at Borders Stores in San Diego," read the subject line in an e-mailing from local guitarist Jim Earp on Monday, April 9. "Two days ago," Earp wrote, "all artists …

San Diego's Marcia Claire is one busy bassist -- she currently plays in four bands: Citizen Band ("power country rock on ephedra, caffeine, and Jameson"), the Cindy Lee Berryhill Band, the Barbara Nesbitt Band ("beautiful …

Veteran Portland garage-pop duo the Bugs includes S.D. native and Grossmont High School grad Michael Coumatos. On the band's new vinyl LP, Paul Haines and Coumatos alternate singer-guitarist and drummer duties on 18 stripped-down tunes …

Folk Arts Rare Records owner Lou Curtiss was recently awarded $35,128 by the Grammy Foundation Grant Program to preserve 400 tapes of concert performances. "It only covers a fraction of my collection, but it's a …

Why is it that every time I use this jigsaw, the blade breaks right before I finish the project?" complained my father. My parents were visiting and Dad was spending a lot of time in …

On January 23 of this year, city land czar James Waring wrote a letter to Jeff R. Brown, aviation safety officer of the California Department of Transportation in Sacramento. In the City of San Diego …

In 2003, Bruce Francis was driving a taxi late into the night and sleeping daytimes at the Baltic Inn on Sixth Avenue downtown. One day he lodged a complaint. "I told the managers, 'A lot …

Title: Information Week Blog Address: http://informationweek.com/blog/main Author: Mitch Wagner (among others) From: La Mesa Blogging since: 1996 Post Date: April 10, 2007 Post Title: Ten Fun Things to Do in Second Life that Aren't Embarrassing …

A key lobbyist for the parent company of Student Loan Xpress, that controversial student loan company founded by San Diegans Robert deRose and Fabrizio Balestri in 2002, used to work for GOP congressman Randy "Duke" …

When Dr. David A. Brenner was named vice chancellor and dean for the school of medicine at UCSD in February, his salary was the talk of the campus. Brenner, a gastroenterologist who came from New …

Warning: mysql_num_rows(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /mnt/disk1/sdreader/php/smith_show.php on line 87 Flawed scripts, polished productions. The long, sketchy first act of Enchanted April, at Lamb's Players, recalls Chekhov's Three Sisters. …

I knew from our first phone call that Jim was a self-centered, self-absorbed, man-sized boy. We met via the Internet. I was newly out of a long-term relationship and 12 years older than he was. …

Hey, man, could you stop doing that? Could you stop marching American kids to their deaths in a crappy desert country so we can lay claim to their oil? Also, could you guys over there …

'Sometimes students will create something that is super stable but becomes too heavy and laborious to even move it," says Leonard Perry, professor of industrial engineering at the University of San Diego. "They'll have a …

Fifteen feet from Natalie My interest in Natalie Portman began when I saw a trailer for Mars Attacks . I was 16. I didn't know who she was, but her almond eyes and aquiline nose …

I went to a tiki party at a campground by the beach in Cardiff. Over the weekend, they had over 200 people there, which, they told me, was their biggest turnout yet. They had tiki …

"France is known for great wine, but that will never happen down here, because we're just South America."

"Just be there when I get back? Please? Here. A sawbuck. Beer on me, okay?"

"I've been to some places that consider themselves liberal and accepting," said one congregant at St. John the Beloved. Those qualities were important to him because he was both gay and divorced. "But for them, …

George Orwell once said something to the effect (which is why I won't put quotes around it, but I need to attribute it to him) that, ahem, deciding to write a novel is to deliberately …

If the laughter tends to be spotty and unlusty, the labor is always energetic.

Jack's La Jolla has been on my "must do" list ever since it opened well over a year ago, but the daunting question was always "which Jack's?" The restaurant offers three distinct venues -- the …

The Chiquito Trail, a multiuse (hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding) route down from Blue Jay Campground to Ortega Highway in the Santa Ana Mountains, is best explored (if hiking) in the one-way, downhill direction. Mountain …

Most-Filmed Wild West Main Street Don't look yet. Turn off Woodside onto Maine and behold a li'l old Wild West street that'll knock your spurs off. It huddles beneath a perfect movie-set backdrop of towering …

Thirty Years Ago I'm a Padre maniac! I think Ray Kroc (owner) has done a good job. I'm against the proposed ban on booze...if people are so inclined, they're going to get drunk anyway. They …

The hotel consisted of approximately 40 cottages that rested on pilings driven into the sand. The hotel's former site (where West Point Loma Boulevard meets Voltaire Street) is the present locale of the Ocean Villa …

Brian Witkin, 21, started his Pacific Records label in 2003. He now has a roster of three local bands (Long Live Logos, Get Back Loretta, a Dead Giveaway) and Life's Only Lesson, from Virginia. Last …

The City of San Diego helps pay rent on the Epicentre, the all-age venue in Mira Mesa that regularly hosts touring bands. David Prolux, youth program coordinator for the Epicentre, confirms that the City does …

Boden Suzuki cofounded Earthbound Radio last year with ten volunteers in a Mira Mesa business park. Earthbound now has about 20 on-air deejays who play reggae, hip-hop, jazz, and soul music over the Internet. To …

"I heard the sirens, but I had no idea that she'd just been [allegedly] murdered by her son," says Clay Colgin of Sagebomb and Clownsitterz. His Chula Vista neighbor, EastLake High Assistant Principal Diane Carpenter, …

"All I heard is people complaining all night about how long it takes to get a drink," blogs Casbah bartender and Bunky singer/drummer Emily Joyce of one recent shift. "End of the night, this guy …

"You put ten personalities in one room, especially with more than one girl, and there's going to be some shit," says guitarist/keyboardist Joey Guevara, whose Afro-funk band ¡Society! includes go-go girls, dual percussionists with painted …

"There are legal issues with mash-ups and bootleg remixes because of their unauthorized nature," says DJ Riko, a.k.a. Erik Battenberg, of M*A*S*H*up Unit 619. "When we do a live gig, I spin mash-ups on records …

Strength of mind rests in sobriety; for this keeps your reason unclouded by passion. -- Pythagoras I melted into David's side and craned my neck to see his face. "Kiss me," I prodded. It sounded …

'Music allows me to express myself, while acting allows me to get away from myself," says Amber Ojeda, who plays a recurring role in the TV show Veronica Mars, shot around San Diego. "I originally …

A year ago, Tijuana's daily papers, Frontera and El Mexicano, reported that Internet cafés were proliferating throughout Northern Baja in response to growing demand for Internet access. The stories predicted that the number of Internet …

Civic activist Mel Shapiro says that Centre City Development Corporation is "a sacred cow." Actually, it's more like a 500-pound gorilla that plops itself down anywhere it desires. Recently, Shapiro thought it odd that Centre …

Thanks to a flurry of press releases from the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a Santa Monica-based group that advocates legislative gift reforms, and major stories in the L.A. Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and …

Padres owner and chronic wheeler-dealer John Moores, who seems to have inherited the city's Daddy Warbucks role once played by late GOP financier C. Arnholt Smith, may be about to get even richer. The Wall …

A year ago last month, San Diego Union-Tribune editor Karin Winner was fiercely crusading for "Sunshine Week," an effort by the American Society of Newspaper Editors to focus attention on the problem of getting stubborn …

It's the end of an era here at the Kelly home. For over a decade, I've bragged to friends about my Electrolux vacuum cleaner, the one I inherited from my husband's grandmother. I called it …

Title: Blue Poetic Address: http://bluepoetic.wordpress.com Author: Eric Williamson From: University Heights Blogging since: December 2006 Post Date: March 29, 2007 Post Title: 20 Worst Song Lyrics EVER! Being a poet, writer, artist, I ask, "Where …

Depending on who does the defining, Erika and Jessica are either semi-permanent or entry-level clerical workers at Solomon, Greenspan, Sachs. In their mid-twenties, they see themselves as semi-permanent and fast-tracking toward their chosen career, whatever …

Names: Brock Linder, Chris Mastrandrea Home: Portland, Oregon Vehicle: 2006 Subaru Forester Surfing at: End of Pacific Beach Drive, Pacific Beach Brock Linder, 19, and his friend, Chris Mastrandrea, 20, came down to San Diego …

It's funny how when you're young you think everything is forever and every guy you date is the one. That's the mistake I made with Josh. We met at work. He would have parties at …

An Interview with the Easter Bunny Ollie: Thanks for sitting with me. Easter Bunny: Well, sure. It's my week off. I'm not doing anything until next Monday. O: What's next Monday? EB: That's when I …

The Guild occupies an out-of-the-way location, but don't even think about sneaking there for a secret tryst. Not if you're a foodie, an academic, or any other sort of creative or intellectual type -- you'll …

'A really beautiful point [triangular stone] made out of chert was found in Mission Gorge," says Cindy Stankowski, director for the San Diego Archaeological Center. "There isn't any of this kind of chert [hard sedimentary …

Nukkles I would have never guessed that the massage of my life would be at the hands of an elderly entrepreneur suffering from a case of dandruff, but sometimes life surprises you. I was at …

Parking downtown is a pain. I was surprised to find a pay lot for $4. Even more surprised when, as we paid, my date and I overheard a couple having sex in a van. As …

'You'll notice these labels don't look like German labels," says Damon Goldstein, walking me through his storeroom at Truly Fine Wine on Morena. What he means is that the labels are relatively simple -- no …

Since we have a circus, we might as well treat it like a circus and put some money on the second clown from the left. I'm referring to the presidential campaign that began the day …

A sort of cutout bas-relief depiction of Leonardo's Last Supper stood on an easel outside the Friendship Hall at University Christian Church. Inside, at the front of the hall, a long table stood empty, glowing …

I like to think of Barry Rovner as my personal driver. Last week I interviewed taxi driver Ellen Rae, whom I met through Barry, as it was his day off, and I will take the …

The three-hour-plus running time comes to seem increasingly inexcusable.

"Don't let me down. Don't steal this from me. Don't be one of the 40 thieves."

The nearly flat ramble along Daley Ranch's Jack Creek Meadow is best in the springtime -- and also comfortably suitable during the summer, provided you travel in the cooler early morning or late afternoon. If …

Here's my theory: I've noticed this weird "no look" policy that San Diego girls and young women — and even some San Diego boys and young men — seem to have. You pass them on …

Thirty Years Ago Courthouse records show that at least three senior staffers at the Union-Tribune, who hold high editorial posts, have had moving violations dismissed or reduced by Judge Nottbusch. The incident that sparked the …

Last Wednesday morning, Morning Riot played for southbound I-5 commuters at the Manchester Viewpoint rest stop east of Cardiff. With their equipment powered by a rented generator, the band put on a show 12 feet …

"There have been wedding receptions at the Casbah, but apparently this is the first actual wedding ceremony performed there," says Rookie Card singer/guitarist Adam Gimbel. Last month, with Lady Dottie and the Diamonds as the …

One recent Monday, Rock 105.3 DJ "B.C." (Brian Christopher) described on-air partner Clint August's face as "an ugly purple mound of flesh"; August had been attacked two nights earlier in a Santee restaurant. "This guy …

In an interview, Lawson said, "Renewed interest in tattooing, which is world-wide, is due to the war in Europe." Japan bombed Pearl Harbor nine months later. The article went on, "...Army and Navy authorities have …

"I've been asked by many musicians how they were onstage and what improvements they can make to their performances," says Sound Guy Dave, who works the mixing board at the 710 Beach Club and the …

In 1981, hardcore punk band Minor Threat's "Straight Edge" song presented the idea of living drug-free. The song became the impetus for a subculture that advocated abstinence from promiscuous sex, alcohol, and recreational drugs. Today, …

Royalty Share says it helps bands get paid by tracking digital music sales through services such as iTunes, Rhapsody, and Napster. "As labels shift more of their revenue to online outlets, ringtones, traditional downloads, and …

Dwight Arnold says no one can top his cache of rock-star interviews. During his days at KSM/Palomar College (1980--'82), 91X (1983--'93), and the Flash 92.5 (1993--'1995), Arnold interviewed touring artists on his Backstage Pass show. …

'Freshman year in high school, I signed up for choir thinking it would be an easy class to ditch," says San Diego composer Cathryn Beeks. "Instead I ended up figuring out that I wanted to …

Sanity is a small price to pay for happiness. -- Marabeth Madsen It had only been a clump of clay, a pebble-sized bit of hardened scraggy earth the color of cement; but once wedged in …

Last week, members of the mainstream media believed they were covering a story about a search warrant issued by the city attorney's office and approved by a judge but blocked by the police chief. The …

Ocean Beach real estate broker David Stebbins is like a man standing in the front row at a theater: when viewers behind him ask him to sit down, he yells, "I paid for this seat; …

San Diego Democratic congresswoman Susan Davis has turned up on a list of lucky lawmakers who went on a five-day winter getaway to balmy San Juan, Puerto Rico, this February thanks to the Aspen Institute, …

Financial disclosure statements for city and county public servants were due Monday of this week, and as usual they revealed that many local officials are not above accepting free meals and other gratuities. Take San …

One actor speaks. The other listens. They talk back and forth through a scene. But D.J. Sullivan's teaching a class on "overlapping dialogue," where the actors should jump on each other's lines. For Sullivan, the …

The Irish soda bread wriggled inside the lifeless Saran Wrap. The van rounded a corner and the bread pan slid to the edge of the seat, nearly toppling but for my last-minute grab. "Is there …

Title: San Diego Blog Maybe I'm just naive. Maybe I just like Rich Baiocco. And maybe, just maybe, San Diego does have an arts community. Maybe, just maybe, you have to open your eyes and …

Okay, here's a bad date: I met this guy at a frat party right when I moved to Philadelphia for college. As in, right when I moved to the West Philly ghetto from the middle-upper-class …

What I Will and Won't Watch This Week Why are they called permanents? I know that sounds like the setup to a joke that isn't funny, but I've read about the "permanent-wave hair treatment" online, …

'If the water level is low, the fish are more concentrated, but only for a short period of time," says Tim Douglass, assistant reservoir keeper for Lake Hodges, which is currently 76 percent full. "Right …

Kickboxing's Fine Print Thinking over my years, there've been a few things that I regret doing. For instance, that night I drank 11 beers in one sitting -- it seemed like a good idea. I …

PRICES: Appetizers, $5--$14; sandwiches, $7--$15; salads, salad platters, and smoked-fish platters, $5--$23; dinners (with soup or salad, sides), $12--$26; sides, soups, small salads, $3--$6; breakfast dishes, $5--$14 (higher for smoked-fish platters serving two or more). …

I often am invited to parties where a gate code is required. As I stood outside the gates to the million-dollar homes inside San Elijo Hills, I remembered that Lynn had given me her cell …

The first tasting was in the Rheinhessen; the cellarmaster was a 90-year-old woman.

April. Masters time again. Tiger Woods time again. Mr. Eldrick Woods has been around for a while -- turned pro in 1996 and won his first Masters in '97 -- so we can call him …

"I was at Shadow Mountain for 17 years, from the time I was 19," said Metropolitan Community Church congregant (and choir member) Kelly Holmes when I spoke with him. "I was gay the whole time. …

Longtime driver for San Diego Cab Ellen Rae has her own anagram for Friday and that is P.O.E.T.S. day. This was tossed off to her in parting from a British fare like a verbal tip …

Soon she's telling us about the fight she had trying to cuff this giant fellow she was arresting.

It is not a world for the tourist on a tight schedule.

The dark west flank of Monserate Mountain rises abruptly alongside Interstate 15, its chaparral-coated surface relatively uncut by roads and graded residential lots. The Fallbrook Land Conservancy has established its largest preserve here, the 340-acre …