This year, for the first time since 1994, the 33rd annual winter Fancy Food Show came to San Diego, occupying the belly of the Convention Center for four days. Normally, the show is held in …

It has been suggested, and rightly so, that I have gone a bit far afield regarding what’s going on in San Diego on Friday nights. I have been given much freedom, and it seems it …

The grassy hillsides of Chino Hills State Park, which covers 13,000 acres in eastern Orange County and western Riverside and San Bernardino counties, are turning green these days in response to winter rains. Winter also …

Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering. — Carl Jung A ladybug ambled across my absentee ballot and paused, seemingly undecided between YES and NO on one of the Indian gaming propositions. As the …

I got word that Paul was having a party for the Chargers game. I looked for my Green Bay Packers shirt but couldn’t find it. I settled for wearing a Chargers cap. I brought cupcakes …

At [one] point, I felt there were people in the audience who had paid to come to see a conference about porn, who didn’t necessarily have any feminist concerns. I realize that I am approaching …

My daughter was thrilled to sew a baby quilt with Aunt Rose during her Thanksgiving vacation. It would be her first quilt — an Ohio Star pattern. “Bring one yard each of two high-contrast colors,” …

Thirty Years AgoEver since the Ocean Beach Planning Board has begun recommending how the beach community should grow, they have given fast-food franchises a cold shoulder. Now, however, the antifranchise wall may be cracking: although …

Zakiya KhabirSan Diego market coordinator, Landmark Theatres Many have said it before, but HBO’s series The Wire should be required viewing. Not only is it incredibly addicting, it’s scarily realistic. Having lived in Baltimore for …

By practice and principle, the Oscar nominations are not an occasion for me, as they are for so many in my fraternity, to guess the winners, to lament the omitted, or to fill out an …

Clue: Honk if you like pretty lake birds. Describe this location, name the nearest cross-streets, and win a Reader T-shirt. Click here to e-mail us your answer — include your name and address. (Deadline, Tuesday, …

DJ and recording artist Jon Bishop has been at the forefront of the Southern California techno scene since 1991. His radio show Sounds of the Underground on 92.5 FM was one of the first electronica/techno …

Does this ever happen to you? You’re listening to your iPod on shuffle mode and a song comes on that you just can’t identify. It’s your collection, you put it on the iPod — how …

With his long curls, wire-rim glasses, and red plastic shoes, Joel Bluestone looks the part of the rock star. I’m backstage with him at Mandeville Recital Hall, where Bluestone is listed as the guest percussionist …

Near the lifeguard station in Ocean Beach, nine homeless people have gathered. One lies in the grass of Saratoga Park, legs crossed and hat tilted over his eyes. One stands nearby, smoking a cigarette. Two …

You’re 1,000,001 Jay, Jay, Jay… Lestat’s is in Normal Heights (“Overheard in San Diego,” January 24). The sign is right there! C’mon, man! I’m sure a million people already emailed to tell you this. Still …

Some of them have been seen suspending large banners from freeway overpasses. Others have been spotted at busy intersections waving signs that call for revolution. And groups of them have been heard on street corners …

Increasingly, it looks as though the nation faces a recession and stocks are in for a bear market. San Diego is almost certainly in a recession already. Ditto for California. The national, state, and local …

Finest City Broad-Cutting? The 25th anniversary of 91X (on January 11) was ignored by everyone, including station management at Finest City Broadcasting. "For the tenth anniversary, they had the 'X years of the X' promotion," …

Album: Nothing Ringing True (2007) Artist: Trevor Davis Label: self-released Where available/price: Lou’s Records in Encinitas for $13.99. Online at myspace.com/trevordavis, CDBaby.com for $15, and iTunes for 99 cents per song Songs: 1) Arrowplane 2) …

Seeing Wyclef live will turn any fan into a fanatic. I have seen him break out into a tightrope walk on a wooden fence while rapping. I’ve seen him grab and play every instrument on …

Artist: Perpetual Groove Song: “Save for One” (from the CD LIVELOVEDIE) Heard By: Jeff Graves, South Park I liked the bass. That stood out a lot. The singing sounds very ’90s — very dated — …

Heymatt: I seem to remember that when Elvis died, he was buried somewhere other than on the grounds of Graceland, but something happened and they moved his body. Did somebody try to steal his body? …

“I needed a job that would pay me to travel and surf,” Chuck Bragg says about his decision to join the Navy. He’s surfed Hawaii, Baja, the east and west coasts of Australia…but as a …

Don’t Yuck My Yum It’s the best thing to say whenever anyone tries to shove their opinion on you. I hate it when I’m into something and someone comes over and starts yucking and making …

“How do you establish camps, find water, and fight long-distance when it’s 110 degrees? If you’re not acclimatized, you’re fighting your environment and not your enemy,” says Fred Jee, supervising ranger for the Anza-Borrego Desert …

What’s the title of your book? “Waterman's Eye. The term ‘waterman’ is from the ‘20s and ‘30s. It was applied to gentlemen who ran the gamut in terms of their involvement with the ocean — …

La Jolla’s Bishop’s School, tony alma mater of the late Andrew Cunanan, the gay serial killer who murdered fashion icon Gianni Versace before killing himself in 1997, is on the prowl for a new “Head …

Oooohhhh, my head. My back. My joints. My everything. Sick, sick, sick. No way I’m getting to church today. No way I’m even getting out of bed. Thank God — so to speak — for …

How much does it cost to harass Mike Aguirre? San Diego County’s Republican Central Committee forked over $375 on the 16th of this month to pay for a “Protest clown to oppose Mike Aguirre for …

Padres owner John Moores, no stranger to legal scrapes himself, has given $25,000 to the legal defense fund of state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, a longtime buddy. State voters approved legal defense funds …

“I tell you, man, they were dancing.” “Dancing in a pizza place? Yeah, right. The pizzicato waltz?” Hank swears he saw it, last night, through the window in the eatery behind the Shell gas station …

A woman walked into Ion Theatre’s intimate space, glanced at the set, and froze. The stage is an interrogation room: institutional gray, cinderblock walls, a rickety table, and a blindfolded prisoner on his knees, downstage …

The AP headline reads, “Super Bowl a magnet for prostitutes.” Phoenix police sergeant Joel Tranter explains that Phoenix PD and FBI “are going to go undercover to stop prostitution.” On one hand, early reports do …

I Interview the Billboard Down the Street Me: Hey, how’s it going? Billboard: Not bad. It’s been rainy, but I usually get good sun, just sort of standing here. Me: Yeah, that’s not bad. You …

Portland didn’t agree with marketing VP Kathy Bankerd. Her employers at the tech company InFocus had moved her up north and bought her a house, but she still hadn’t sold her home in sunny SoCal. …

In August of 1961, a homicide detective (left) brought in a suspect to face murder charges after a woman's body was found in the Mission Bay Channel. A newspaper editorial in 1961 noted that the …

All anybody really wants is to be naked. Well, there are other things that one might want, but “nude” sits — on a towel, one hopes — proudly at the top of the list. Watch …

Dmonstrations have confirmed upcoming tour dates in Japan, thanks to their new overseas booking company. They would have toured Europe last year, were it not for a falling out with Germany-based Dial Booking, which had …

Album: Wired (2007) Artist: Retrolust Label: Nethertune Records Where available/price: CDBaby.com for $11.50 or iTunes for 99 cents per song Songs: 1) In My Head 2) Superstarrr 3) RX 4) In Vein 5) Faith for …

Name: Mark Thompson Lives: Ocean Beach Surfing: South of the pier in Imperial Beach “It’s a known fact that I.B. has some of the dirtiest water, but I mean, I don’t hear of people getting …

Heymatt: I was wondering if propane is harmful to inhale. I’ve used spray-on contact cement for my work, and the propellant is propane. If I am working in an enclosed area, the propane gets so …

Artist: Gemini Song: “Priceless” (from the CD Do What We Do Records Presents) Heard By: Greta Smith, North Park Essentially, I feel like what they were trying to say is that “their love is priceless” …

The hills across the road from Steve Chapin’s Temecula vineyards — situated out past the tourist-friendly wineries and a short hop from Lake Skinner — are fallow now. Chaparral grows where vines once stood — …

Stanley Clarke is back after a five-year respite from solo recording. He has a new CD and a hot young band that is reviving the sound of ’70s jazz fusion with an animation and propulsion …

Los Angeles band Health (or, as the band members like to spell it, HEALTH) has two MySpace pages — one to showcase the band’s noise rock and one to show off electronic remixes of their …

“The North County Times has a unique policy of printing virtually any letter they get, as long as it is 200 words or less and has no profanity or slander,” says Dick Eiden. “After a …

Thirty Years Ago Dear Jonathan Saville: I have read all your reviews since you began writing for the Reader, and I have hated them all. But the one in the January 26 issue on the …

So I traveled to Miami this Christmas to see my family, mostly to see my mom, who was diagnosed earlier this year with breast cancer and needs all the cheering up she can get. Two …

Whenever I hear the name Ian, I think of the singer of Jethro Tull. Or my friend’s grandfather, who knew everything about sports. He was like Rain Man with statistics. If you were talking about …

It was a little over a year and a half ago. I left my old, faithful, beat-up Karmann Ghia stowed in a garage in La Mesa and left for Antarctica. Why Antarctica? The adventure, I …

We’ve all done it. It doesn’t matter how confident you are, how secure, how much you wear self-love on your sleeve for all to see — if you’re a woman with a pulse, chances are …

The Atoms are a young band, barely old enough to play the bars around town. The members came together at Bonita Vista High School in 2003 with a dream to play music. They have a …

Those posh new digs for UCSD's chancellor will have to wait at least another month or so. In the face of protests from historical preservationists and Native Americans, the University of California Regents, meeting in …

A firm run by San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders's key political advisor has lobbied city hall during the run-up to Sanders’s re-election bid, raising conflict-of-interest questions for a mayor who has repeatedly touted his ethical …

A Mexican woman in traditional Indian garb, loose long hair swaying, strides past stone outcroppings toward the Sonora Desert, like a pilgrim or wanderer, except that she’s carrying what was called in 1979, when the …

Breathe a sigh of relief: It’s not your grandma’s Chez Loma anymore. The lovely, long-running Coronado bistro has sprung back to vivid life with new owners who quietly took it over two years ago. This …

Rose turns her back on me. She picks up the phone. “Hello? No, I don’t see him.” She puts the phone down. “I can’t tell a lie,” she says. “I’m telling the truth! If I …

Clue: Holy Wisdom in the House of Gold? Describe this location, name the nearest cross-streets, and win a Reader T-shirt. Click here to e-mail us your answer — include your name and address. (Deadline, Tuesday, …

Right place, wrong timing: In 1938, a friend of mine’s great-uncle saved his shekels and went to the, at that time, Fight of the Century — the Joe Louis/Max Schmeling rematch at Yankee Stadium. Along …

“I have no hands but yours,” read the plaque below the statue of Christ outside the church. No tengo mas manos que las tuyas. And it was literally true — Jesus’ outstretched arms ended at …

Wetware. Hardware is part of the computer; it’s internal and it’s permanent. Software is executed with the hardware, like a game or program. And wetware are the brains in your head that let you keep …

What book are you currently reading? What page are you on? “WATERMAN'S EYE Emil Sigler-Surfing San Diego to San Onofre 1928-1940 by Yann Martel. I just finished it.” Tell me about the book. “It is …

Friday nights here at what I will call the Mayflower Villa Apartments in San Marcos are a far cry from what goes on those same nights in, say, Pacific Beach. I am learning about this …

Time to get your seat on the bandwagon, and I would claim mine, except I don’t see why this New England/New York Giants Super Bowl game should be any different than the December 29th New …

Remotely situated at San Diego County’s far east side and surrounded by Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Agua Caliente Regional Park draws winter visitors to its comfortable warm and hot bathing pools and its homey campground. …

It is impossible to overdo luxury. — French Proverb The orange light reflecting off the water’s surface slowly transformed to red. “You should have put some music on,” I said, gesturing at the iPod dock …

The fast-buck peddlers slinking out of the subprime mortgage morass are getting their sticky fingers into reverse mortgages, a business that caters to the vulnerable elderly market. San Diego is no exception. As housing prices …

It’s Good Good article on soccer moms! Karyl Miller via email Neurotic Moms I came out of Vons and saw the Reader cover story (“Soccer Moms Are the Absolute Worst,” Cover Story, January 10), and …

Correction: Since publishing the story below, the following statements have been disputed by an attorney for the subject of the story, Michael Rood: 1) “Alexandria Melchior thought of Rood as her advertising representative at the …

Fancy wimmen are okay, but there's nuttin' like the real thing: a nice warm adobada taco on a nice cold night beside a nice hot grill outside a friendly taco catering truck, with that marinated …

Tim BerrothFilm reviewer, www.hollywoodjesus.com In Deathtrap, director Sidney Lumet ably crafts Ira Levin’s play into an engrossing thriller with wicked plot twists and a deliciously devious ending. The brilliant Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve (shedding …

No matter how generally annoying a technical innovation or stylistic vogue might be (the telephoto lens, the zoom shot, rack focus, etc.), there will always come along a movie to show how it can be …

Music lovers, surfers, "eco-freaks" and fabled masked robbers: An interview with Beth VanBoxtel about her home town.

Matt: Since everybody’s all hopped up on football these days, here’s a question for you. Why is a football called a pigskin? Is it/was it ever made of pigskin? What’s the story? — Wes, San …

Heymatt: Why is there an expiration date on a container of sour cream? It’s already sour. How much more sour can it get? More sour sour cream doesn’t seem like a big problem. So, why …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why do we measure dates from B.C. to A.D.? Where did this system come from? I know it’s measured from the time of Jesus’s birth, but who decided that? And what did …

My original thought here was to write something about winters in the near future — you know, with global warming in mind and all — but my science fiction writer’s instincts seem to have atrophied …

Before the Charger Girls, the team and fans had Chargettes. Here they are in 1961. According to a posting on glorifythepast.com, in 1970, "A lot of Bolts were caught up in an NFL drug scandal, …

I’ve had the pleasure of having dinner several times with Fourplay’s keyboardist Bob James. One funny time, at Croce’s, Fourplay had a new release out [in 1994]. We were talking about the guest artists featured …

Over the past year in southern Hillcrest, starting at the corner of Fourth and Pennsylvania and ending at the corner of Sixth and Redwood, the sounds of construction on several condominium complexes have dominated the …

By half past nine, all of the pool tables at Bar Leucadian are taken, and fortysomething couples line the bar like birds on a wire. They are exposing an inordinate amount of cleavage and chest …

College students often think they are ready for everything. I know I did, but I was sorely mistaken — I was in no way ready for what was about to befall me. After my second …

Brandon Boyd plays up the new-age, en vogue rock star thing a bit too much for my tastes, but there’s nothing wrong with his band. Incubus is a wonderland of power chords and hip-hop beats …

Jello Biafra has called Legendary Shack Shakers vocalist J.D. Wilkes “the last great rock and roll front man.” I don’t know about the “last” part, but I agree that there are not many singers left …

Singer/guitarist Kyle Phelan was honing his rock chops while still in high school, crafting his first album at the age of 17. After graduation he kept busy appearing in concerts, on the radio, and on …

“Colony collapse disorder is an immune system disorder. The bees’ immune system is compromised, which might be due to the stress [commercial beekeepers] are putting on the bees,” says beekeeper Diane Busch. “It’s big business. …

And now for something completely different. Persepolis, from France and in French, is a cartoon recap of the comic-strip memoir by Marjane Satrapi, covering her childhood in Iran under (and then out from under) the …

I had these old roommates that used the word “dinty” to describe a good, hearty meal. I don’t know if it comes from Dinty Moore stew, which is not a good, hearty meal, but I …

Interviewee: Judy Reeves | Occupation: Author/Teacher Neighborhood: South Park | Where Interviewed: Rebecca’s Coffeehouse What are you writing? “A novel. I’ve been working on it, it was three years in December. And I’m almost done …

“A church for Ken-Tal,” read the glossy cardboard flyer that arrived in my mailbox. The usual photos of lovely, multiethnic churchgoers were accompanied by the less usual word “skeptical.” Ah. Going for the affluent intellectual …

Clue: Many cool, creative ideas evolve here. Describe this location, name the nearest cross-streets, and win a Reader T-shirt. Click here to e-mail us your answer — include your name and address. (Deadline, Tuesday, January …

Former president George H.W. Bush pledged to make the U.S. a “kinder and gentler nation.” He was not thinking of James Kinder of La Jolla, a onetime lawyer who resigned from the state bar in …

With Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposing draconian cuts — including closing 48 state parks and beaches, slashing Medi-Cal and school funding, and releasing 22,159 “low risk” inmates from state prisons — it might not seem like …

There’s been another development in the slow but steady liquidation of the newspaper holding company of late Union-Tribune owner Helen Copley. Last week Copley Press quietly recorded a document giving GP Associates LLC, run by …

The California Tribal Business Alliance, a well-heeled political action committee backed by six Indian tribes, including the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians and the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, staged a lavish “back-to-the-session bash,” an …

Thirty Years AgoBallard Smith, executive vice president of the San Diego Padres, had a terrible day at city hall last week. Councilman Larry Stirling called him “Mr. Ballard,” Bill Mitchell forgot Smith’s name altogether, and …

Adorned in traditional attires of a groom, my friend, you look handsome, and your bride so elegant. The mandap, garland in bright yellow marigolds, the sparkle of the jewels of the wannabe brides, dazzling the …

Some friends and I decided to crash the Comedy Palace on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard to check out the comedians. We talked our way into the club and I somehow ended up backstage with a few …

‘Cork is random,” observes Michael Friedman, CEO for Oneo Closures North America. “It’s a plant. When you punch a cork out of a piece of bark, it’s very unusual to get one that’s absolutely perfect, …

When the wine goes in, strange things come out. — Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller David opened a second bottle of wine and circled the room refilling glasses. Our guests were neighbors from the building …

They may not do it this way down here, but in my little town in the hills, kids slept outside when the weather was right. In the summer, it was cooler to sleep outside. I …

Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park is the wordy title of a strip of public land squeezed between Tarzana, at the south edge of the San Fernando Valley, and “dirt Mulholland,” the unpaved section of the …

It’s morning. Feeling lousy. No, wasn’t grog last night. Toothache. Normally, I never take pills. But Carla persuaded me. Took an antibiotic. Gripped my gut like a vice. This mawnin’, still recovering. Weaving gingerly through …

This restaurant is closed. I suspect that all middle-class (and up) native San Diegans have dined at Rainwater’s on Kettner at least once — for a birthday, a graduation, an engagement, an anniversary. According to …

In the 1950s and 1960s, several Bay Area painters — David Park, Richard Diebenkorn, Elmer Bischoff, and others — were working to revivify traditional figurative painting while juggling formal issues raised by Abstract Expressionism about …

What About Soccer Dads? Please fire the person who approves your cover titles. In “Soccer Moms Are the Absolute Worst” (January 10), the article discusses parents who pressure and berate coaches, referees, and their children …

A cloud of fog hangs over the mountains as morning begins at the Friends of Cats shelter in Flinn Springs, a small community just west of Alpine. At 7:00 a.m., the day is already underway …

…destroy their perfection, thereby establishing athletic dominion over the continent, AFC-wise, and, at the same time, crush the hopes of little boys and girls living in Eastern Europe. The Bolts will win for the simple …

Artist: The Napoleon Complex Song: “Handcuffs” (from the CD How Does Salt Water Mix with Tea?) Heard By: Patrick Ewing, Phoenix, AZ I liked it. The vocals reminded me of the Blood Brothers a little …

Name: Caroline Minkowski Home: Hillcrest Surfing: Tourmaline “It was about three years ago,” says Caroline. “There were Santa Ana winds, and while we were out there, there was this huge swarm of butterflies. I think …

Album: A Lighthouse for the Sun (2007) Artist: Solarminds Label: Mind Altering Records Where available/price: Lou’s Records in Encinitas ($10.99), Cow Records in Ocean Beach ($8.98), Mojo Sounds/Thrift Trader ($8.99), Taang! Records ($9.99), M-Theory in …

Local music lover Stacie Somers is so mad about her iPod’s limitations, she’s suing Apple. Her lawsuit seeks class-action status, contending that Apple monopolizes the music-player industry because iPods and the online iTunes music store …

Heymatt: What’s up with the Chia Pet? Why every Christmas are we bombarded with ads for these weird things? Where did they come from? Who buys them? Some things in the world need an explanation. …

Cecil PrattAssistant manager, UltraStar Mission Valley 7 School Daze: Set on a historically black college campus, this film shows the struggles against racism within the black community. Although it presses on a heavy subject, your …

Escondido music instructor Linda Menendez locates songwriters and musicians for Rhino and Sony Records, companies that pay her to track down outstanding royalty recipients and deliver accrued funds. "It's pretty cool to see the reaction …

The 35th annual Adams Avenue Roots Fair will take place this May 3 and 4, but founder Lou Curtiss is on his way out. Curtiss started the event on the SDSU campus in 1967 and …

When Rickie Lee Jones played the Belly Up Tavern on January 5, a person in the audience was overheard saying, "Wow, she's fat! She's a bad looking 52." Another guy said, "Chunky's in love," a …

"I grew up with the Circle Jerks, but I never got to see them. Finally, I got to," says Erik, who was at the band's January 5 House of Blues show. Erik, well over 21, …

Petra O. was at the Beauty Bar December 10 with her friend Charles Crisp. "It was a Monday night," says Petra. "It was pretty packed. There was a black female hip-hop MC. She asked the …

Thank God it’s January. All of January is the New Year, I’d say, and the equivalent of a Saturday morning on a close-up of a calendar. In this case, this January, it is a Saturday …

At the Mira Mesa Recreation Center, playing for my fifth-grade youth basketball team, I watched as my coach threw a chair onto the court in anger. On another occasion, the referee threw my coach out …

Joshua and Zachary Wheeler (Scarlet Symphony, Society!) play every Sunday morning for the Beautiful Rescue, the Mission Gathering's worship band. While Zach has been playing bass for Mission for over a year, Josh joined in …

Before saxophonist Chris Klich founded his Jazz Quintet, he played club and corporate events with the Mar Dels, who have taken their act around the world. "When we traveled to Macau in China, I had …

Paul Devitt opened the Beauty Bar in late 2005 after launching other salon-themed nightspots in New York, L.A., San Francisco, Austin, and Las Vegas. Erica Jessup ran the Beauty Bar as general manager until vacating …

Drummer Freddie Fontaine once spent six months touring with the Blue Man Group. "I was with the band; I wasn't a Blue Man," says the longtime local wedding-band vet. "It was still a difficult audition, …

Last month, the online "Pacific Songwriting Competition" named local Michael Tiernan "2007 Songwriter of the Year" after he briefly was recognized as runner-up in the contest. Privately sponsored by New Zealand opera singer Deborah Wai …

The annual "Mods vs. Rockers" scooter rally rolls out next weekend. The two archetypes were portrayed in the 1979 British cult film Quadrophenia (based on the Who's rock opera of the same name). The sharply …

San Diego ranked number 17 in U.S. terrestrial radio-market earnings last year, with the 45 stations in operation generating around $203 million of income. The same Arbitron ratings show the two most-listened-to local stations are …

Tamzon Feeney outside the Box Office nightclub, 1965. According to our local daily, she and "a band of teenagers have attempted what may be the city's first statue veiling. The 17-foot fiberglass-and-steel statue of a …

This is how far we’ve come: An affordable new neighborhood eatery, warm and pretty but unpretentious, serving humanely raised natural Niman meats, precious Jidori chicken, local organic veggies in thoroughly tasty simple dishes — am …

“We went to Europe four or five years ago,” said 20something pastor Jeff Holmes, “and we saw that the church...was not really relevant to the real life of most people — the young people, especially. …

The triple set of waterfalls dubbed the “Three Sisters” is an amazing San Diego County feature not many have seen. In full flood, these cascades put on a show reminiscent of Yosemite’s show stoppers — …

Lo! Men have become the tools of their tools. — Henry David Thoreau I remember my first time like it was yesterday. My heart beat fast with the excitement and trepidation of journeying into virgin …

I heard about a jungle-themed party in National City. I put on a pair of khaki shorts and a jungle shirt that my mom gave me years ago. I’d worn it only once before. I …

Hours grew into days, days into weeks, weeks into months, and yet time gives me the illusion that it was just a few days ago when my illness began. Ah! Time had ceased to exist …

The after-Christmas glut of stuff landed hard on the Kelly home — every surface was laden with goodies waiting to find a place on our crowded shelves. Hubby Patrick and I decided it was time …

Thirty Years Ago Soon I will join the bulk of you in the suburbs. I can hardly wait. In my mind is a vision of provincial bliss, complete with the aroma of back yard barbecues …

Ten years ago, Elissa Davey received her vocation. She was a 50-year-old realtor, mother of two sons, and resident of San Marcos when the call came in the form of a story in the newspaper …

José Sinatra is a good-time party and music man around town, first as front man for the former José Sinatra and Troy Dante Band and now as host of the “O.B.-oke” at Winstons, which draws …

The Electric Prunes are best known for their 1966 hit “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night),” a great song and a fantastic example of psychedelia kitsch. With its backwards-playing guitars and unusual echo …

It would be a mistake for history to remember L.A. Guns only for the temporary merge with Hollywood Rose that spawned the first official lineup of Guns N’ Roses. During the last great hard-rock era …

Tom PlonkaHockey player from Rhode Island I’m on the water a lot with my boat going to Catalina and Mexico, so I guess I like movies that take you out to the high seas. I …

There is an old Wall Street adage that is apt for both 2008 and 2009: “When they raid the whorehouse, they take the charwoman and piano player too.” Translation: when the stock market panics, it …

Longtime Encinitas singer/songwriter Jack Tempchin did well when the Eagles released his "Peaceful Easy Feeling" in 1972 and "Already Gone" two years later. Both were top 40 hits. Every time the Eagles rereleased the songs …

Man, can Jenn Grinels sing! Her sultry voice growls at the hot, slow parts in song one, “Misery,” and it rings out like gold in the quick-paced and heartfelt track three, “No Better.” The album …

Name: Marty Cowles Lives: Ocean Beach Surfing: Avalanche Jetty, Ocean Beach “Go home, Barney,” Marty Cowles says is the worst insult he’s heard from locals. The most he’s been hassled is at Oceanside. “They get …

Dear Matthew: I got a Swiss Army Knife for Christmas. The person who gave it to me keeps trying to tell me that the Swiss Army actually uses these knives. I think that’s baloney. It’s …

Artist: Ajizza Song: “Do What We Do” (from the CD Do What We Do Records Presents) Heard By: Gabe Gayhart, Escondido It was average. It wasn’t something that I’d necessarily buy, but I think it’s …

This started with Brian McNamee saying he injected Roger Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone from 1998 to 2001. Fast forward to Monday, the Clemens press conference, and a secretly recorded telephone conversation. As …

Gotta be careful here. To say something’s the best. But…oh, to heck with it. This is the best freakin’ sandwich I can remember munching, okay? It’s enough to make a vegan out of me. I’m …

Sorry, Babe A necessary and sufficient characteristic of an a******* is being self-consumed ("Merry Tuesday," "Diary of a Diva," January 3). Barb's entire essay was about Barb. Family, friends, and tradition be damned. Ergo: David …

What are you reading? “Keeping Faith: A Novel (P.S.), by Jodi Picoult.” Tell me about it. “It’s about a lady who is getting a divorce, and she’s trying to keep her daughter. The daughter has …

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: PLAYS AND PRODUCTIONS. Last year, several shows arrived ballyhoo-first. Pre–opening-night accolades promised “Broadway bound” quality and SRO houses both here and in New York. Some of them, however, were a letdown, …

Hungarian plumbers are all great fans of M.C. Escher, I’ve deduced. They don’t just see the artist’s creative works as pleasing concepts but more as hard-fact schematics and blueprints for their own work. In the …

A limousine operator in Washington, D.C., linked to the Randy “Duke” Cunningham scandal is suing the Copley Press for libel, alleging that Union-Tribune business writer Dean Calbreath falsely reported that company limos “would pick up …

Charger owner Alex Spanos, who has proclaimed Chula Vista the ultimate locale of his new football stadium — if it is to be built in San Diego County at all — has been putting a …

If past behavior is any guide, last weekend’s playoff game between the Chargers and the Tennessee Titans resulted in a full house at the City’s Qualcomm Stadium box, to which each San Diego city council …

In Kearny Mesa, on a road called Opportunity, people in the Transportation Management Center watch over us. The operations room looks like a set from a film on NASA space travel. Designed like a theater, …

They passed on in 2007: January 12: Jimmy Cheatham, 82/Jazz trombonist, UCSD educator, recording artist. January 27: Glenna Hazleton, 91/Founder of La Jolla Athenaeum noon mini-concerts, 1970. February 6: Frankie Laine, 93/1950s--1990s crooner, TV and …

" 'Well, let's have a benefit show for you!' -- that's what everybody was saying," relates Glossines singer-bassist Amber Everson. The native San Diegan needs surgery to remove a polyp from her vocal cords as …

Jess Reed, singer/songwriter/guitarist with Diamonds of Rome, says, "If a band is starting up, you have to do everything you can do to promote. Competition is really fierce. If you really believe in your music, …

When San Diego's Creedle suspended operations a decade ago, the quirky avant-rock-jazz band had streamlined down to a quartet. In 1996, the bass/drums/guitar/sax lineup released its third and final album, When the Wind Blows -- …

Will the Union-Tribune be cutting back on its music coverage? Earlier this month, a memo from U-T management to employees said that 43 editorial positions were going to be eliminated, including 3 "critic" positions from …

San Diego musicians did not have a major impact on the national album charts in 2007. Angels & Airwaves' second Geffen album, I-Empire, debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart when it …

Speaking of private flying, the most dangerous local airport of 2007 turned out to be County-owned McClellan-Palomar in Carlsbad, with a total of five fatalities in two separate accidents. The first, on April 29, involved …

San Diego city councilwoman Toni Atkins’s significant other, Jennifer LeSar, has asked the City’s Ethics Commission for some conflict-of-interest advice about her relationship with several unnamed clients who apparently may soon be doing business at …

A great blue heron ambles on stilt-legs across the reed-fringed shallows, stabbing occasionally at subsurface morsels of food. A willowy egret glides in for a perfect landing, scattering concentric ripples across the surface of the …

“One nesting pair of California barn owls could consume as many as 2000 gophers, rats, and mice.”

Paul Sommers promised his mother, when she was dying in 2002, that he would wisely invest the money she was about to leave him. After she died, he began looking for land in East San …

Who could have foreseen the housing bubble? And its malodorous bursting? Well, San Diegans, certainly, should have seen it, and some did: until late 2005, home prices had soared beyond anybody’s imagination as buyers grabbed …

What book are you currently reading? “The History of Christendom, which is actually a series of six books. Only five are published — I’m waiting for the sixth. I just finished the fifth one: The …

One:We sit silently together for an hour every day, each of us pretending to be engrossed in the iPod/the book/ the computer/the knitting/the cell phone/the journal we brought to entertain us for the duration of …

“This year five shows announced themselves ‘Broadway bound’ even before they opened!”

One breast implant was punctured three weeks into his practice. Saline shot into the air.

“When I was courting my wife, I’d turn up outside her home with ten mariachis.”

Fifteen Years Ago The death of shopping center czar Ernest Hahn last week got plenty of coverage in the San Diego Union-Tribune. There were three stories and one editorial the day after his death, and …

If you and your eating buddies feel like tasting your way through several Asian countries and are looking for economy fare, then Chow is designed for you. It’s the latest venture of restaurateur Alex Thao, …

“These are people who are established. They’re well known for writing books.”

A number of spiritual currents ran through the service on the Sunday before Christmas at Hope United Methodist; several made themselves felt within the choir’s opening set. We began with the traditional: a straight-up rendition …

Wow. 2008 can choke on it. First day, I was shot in the butt with a BB gun. I’m not kidding. Some little terrorist with a pump-action Daisy and a swift bicycle lay in wait …

Louis XIV formed in early 2003 when former members of alt-country locals Convoy chose sexed-up pop over redneck rock. In January 2005 the Illegal Tender EP, self-released on their own Pineapple Recording Group label, popped …

It’s probably a bad idea to name your band with a Beatles reference, especially if you write melodic, exquisitely arranged guitar-pop songs with lots of vocal harmonies. That’s like having a Led Zeppelin-y hard-rock band …

“I wasn’t a singer,” says Jeannie Cheatham after I tell her how much I have enjoyed her singing over the years. “I was always a piano player,” she says, “that played for other vocalists.” Maybe …

Francis WeidingerIndependent filmmaker Lost Horizon: Garden of Eden in black-and-white. Frank Capra can be awesome, funny, and satirical. But in Lost Horizon, he got lost. It’s still fun to take the trip and see utopia …

Shameless Abe Lover Dear Ollie, What is this morbid obsession you have with Abe Lincoln? (“Remote Control King.”) You have mentioned him randomly in your last three columns. Have you ever asked yourself why it …

Fifty on Their Heels manager Scott Pactor offers advice on how bands can land repeat paying gigs: "Low bar total equals failure, high bar total equals success," he blogs at catdirtsez.blogspot.com. "The success of the …

Artist: Mike “The Feel” Schaub Song: “The Greatest Wife in Texas” (from the CD One Man Wilding) Heard By: Rebecca Moos, Mission Hills His voice sort of reminds me of Nick Drake. His voice wasn’t …

The Box is nothing if not forward thinking. Who cares about “Sports Year in Review” rehash stories? Not me. Not you. Stories about the past bore forward thinkers. Anybody can write about what happened; the …

Name: Lyn Siem and Lisa Carulli Live: Ocean Beach Surfing: Black’s Beach Black’s Beach, famous for being “clothing optional,” is also a favorite of surfers because of its ability to hold a large swell. While …

Nothing can be said of track 5, “Lazy Naked Sundays,” except it is downright irritating. The other songs reach the ear somewhere in the range of “slightly talented beach jam-band pabulum” and “overwrought pretentiousness.” Agave …

“I hate the holidays,” he had said on more than one occasion. “The obligation, the pressure, the spending money on things that people don’t need.”

Four years ago, usgennet.org issued a report on the cemetery located in Nestor off Saturn Boulevard, near Coronado Avenue. The report indicated that the 20 found gravestones were "unmarked," "broken," "toppled," "disintegrating," "buried," and "vandalized."The …