There are times, sometimes in the midst of otherwise polite conversation, when it comes out that I make my living writing for the Reader. The follow-up to this revelation is almost never “Oh, that’s right, …

French vermouth-Italian vermouth-Gin-Twist of lemon Mix French (dry white) vermouth and Italian (sweet red) vermouth into a cocktail glass, favoring the French. Add a shot of gin. Garnish with a twist of lemon. José Palma’s …

Just like most other communities in the county, Carlsbad’s finances are tanking. The City’s finance experts are projecting a deficit during the next three years. For the first quarter of the current fiscal year, general-fund …

During the April 21 meeting of the County Board of Supervisors, 17 speakers opposed a plan to bolster the use of food stamps throughout the county. Those who opposed want to factor in the recommendations …

On April 13, San Diego–based Sempra Energy gave $25,000 to the campaign in favor of Props 1A through E, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s five measures on the May ballot. Prop 1A would hike state sales and …

Thirty Years AgoFor Marty Levin, life can still be a drag. Once the area’s most celebrated ex-smoker, the Channel 10 anchorman is now back puffing away, although at a reduced rate. A year ago Levin …

Wavves — the local duo brainstormed by former Music Trader manager Nathan Williams — are being called lo-fi poseurs by Columbus, Ohio, garage band Psychedelic Horseshit, which manufactured “Wavves Suxx” T-shirts after sharing three shows …

Eric Woodard, aka Dizzy Order, has been rapping locally for 15 years. He used to freestyle at underground shows based in Encanto in the mid ’90s and frequented a short-lived rap collective in 2000 in …

When independent filmmaker Tray White contacted Matt Resovich last year through MySpace to do the score for Impaler (a documentary on self-proclaimed satanic vampire Jonathon “the Impaler” Sharkey, who ran for Minnesota’s governorship in 2006), …

Pass The Kudos, Please He has done it again!! That Ollie guy, your writer, has sucked me in again!! I read his story a few weeks back and read this story about the Extreme-X dude …

Album: I Was Young, It Was Dark (2009)Artist: Modern RiflesLabel: Self-releasedWhere available/price: ModernRifles.net, $10; CDBaby, $10; Amazon, $11.99Songs: 1) Introplane 2) Terroplane 3) Lie to Me, Ian. Lie to Me 4) Feck Me If I’m …

What are you reading? “Exit Here. by Jason Myers.” Tell me about it. “It’s kind of his life story. He was in Minnesota, and instead of following the dream that his dad has laid out …

The ambitiously constructed Secret Canyon Trail, circuitously nosing its way down the canyon walls of Pine Valley Creek for 14 miles, traverses nearly the entire length of the Pine Creek Wilderness in Cleveland National Forest. …

“I met my wife in a bar in New York City,” said Barabbas Road pastor Matt Smith. “I was a rower, training for the Olympics, and I hated religion. I knew she was the girl …

It is strange how a housekeeping ritual can grow to such a magical height that a continental gaggle of disparate people, all of whom have no role in the actual ritual, nonetheless make a career …

It seems as if the same number of people now spend their Friday nights watching YouTube (and other nights, and sometimes 24/7 — the meth users, for example) as once watched DVDs and VCRs (VCRs …

Can’t believe it. Here I am in North Park, yapping away with Albert Einstein’s cousin! Evelyn, who runs this eatery with her husband Jeff, casually drops it that her grandpa and Albert were first cousins. …

“There may be trouble ahead/ But while there’s moonlight and music/ And love and romance/ Let’s face the music and dance.” Irving Berlin wrote that at the height of the Depression, and Fred and Ginger …

Robert Fisher, the man behind the Willard Grant Conspiracy, has a deep voice and a talent for dark but sophisticated lyrics. His music is usually categorized as Americana, but it can just as easily slip …

Dynamite Walls first crossed my radar in 2007, after the band, while on tour, unknowingly spent a night in a rented home that had once been the site of a mass murder. That same year …

At last a bone to gnaw on. Not a very meaty bone, only a very scrappy bone, but a bone nonetheless. State of Play, the Americanization of a BBC miniseries, qualifies as a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, …

The real menace in dealing with a five-year-old is that in no time at all you begin to sound like a five-year-old. —Joan Kerr Bella approached the refrigerator with cautious curiosity. “Are you thirsty, honey?” …

About a month ago, I went to the opening of a music store in El Cajon called Guitar and Bass Land. A guy was talking about how he plays bass in a Dio tribute band. …

I will not be surprised by 2009’s Mother’s Day. The 2008 observance caught me off guard. I found myself in a crowded mall the day before the holiday, frantically searching for gifts for my mom …

They say that people are attracted to one another because of pheromones that we can smell. What would happen if you took pheromones from a woman that I’m attracted to and applied them to a …

Recipe by John Robert Kennedy, executive chef, The Better Half. I started cooking growing up. At big family gatherings, I was always in the kitchen. When you were brought into my household, into my family, …

Irradio will play a free release party for their album I Am the Horn on Sunday, April 26, at the Casbah. “All attendees can expect a night full of magic, free food, good spirits, and …

Should it appear in California, there might be no stopping it: citrus greening, or huanglongbing. The fearsome citrus-killing bacterium, first seen in China in the early 1900s, has spread steadily across the continents. It recently …

Now that Alan Bersin has been appointed “border czar” of the Obama administration’s Homeland Security Department, the race to replace him as chairman of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is on. Insiders say …

While the economy tanked last year, salaries of staffers working for San Diego’s congressional delegation were on the rise. The GOP’s Duncan Hunter, who retired in 2008 and was succeeded by his son, paid his …

7 oz. coffee in glass coffee cup Generous shot Jameson whiskey 1⁄4-inch whipped cream on top The Ould Sod on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights is my favorite San Diego bar. Formerly the Elbo Club, …

12 oz. red wine-3 oz. brandy 2 oz. triple sec 2 oz. orange juice 2 oz. pineapple juice 1 oz. simple syrup 1/2 oz. anisette Top with 2 oz. Sprite and garnish with fresh fruit …

Do you guys serve beer? Only to ourselves. — From the Bronx Pizza FAQ on the back of the to-go menu It’s a good, pithy answer, entirely in keeping with the feel of the place. …

Bourbon Dash of bitters Muddled cherry and orange Serve on the rocks Booze holds a storied place in the serious business of turning things unserious. As with everything, there’s a time and a place; specific …

-1-1/2 oz. tequila -1 oz. triple sec -Margarita mix -Sweetened lime juice -Splash of orange juice Some people sound so damn cool ordering their drink. “Martini. Shaken, not stirred.” Or they know which vintage of …

2 oz. orange vodka 3 oz. pomegranate juice Fresh mint leaves to garnish Pour vodka and pomegranate juice into a cocktail shaker and add ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish …

-50 percent white port -50 percent tonic water -Slice of lemon, on the rocks in a highball glass My taste in adult beverages, like my taste in friends, has become more refined with each passing …

-1-1⁄4 oz. Montecristo Premium Blend -Club soda -8–10 mint leaves -2 lime wedges or 1⁄4 oz. fresh lime juice -3⁄4 oz. simple syrup -5 fresh raspberries In a tall glass, muddle 3 raspberries, torn mint …

Whenever I go to Shozen & Manpo, I drink soju, and whenever I drink soju, my wife and kids tell me it does strange things to me. I’m not sure if they’re right, but even …

-2 oz. vodka or gin -4 oz. grapefruit juice -Garnish with lime or lemon wedge -Serve in a glass with a salted rim Jimmy’s days behind the bar at Nunu’s are over, but you’ll likely …

-1 part vodka -1 part tequila -1 part rum -1 part gin-1 part triple sec -1-1/2 parts sweet-and-sour mix -1 splash Coke It’s about efficiency. When I need to catch a buzz, I need to …

2 oz. vodka 1 oz. melon liqueur Pineapple juice Maraschino cherry and pineapple for garnish The Pearl Harbor is a “tropical” drink that, I have found, most urban bartenders do not know how to mix. …