When Tom (not his real name) decided to enlist with the United States Marine Corps in 2008, he had been renting a bedroom in his older sister’s El Cajon home for over a year. His …

At a March 13 meeting at the Lafayette Hotel, the North Park Community Association sponsored a meeting at which the Stonewall Citizens' Patrol presented their plans to expand into the North Park area. The volunteer …

By the time Mrs. Magician plays the Belly Up, their Swami Records debut Strange Heaven will have been released digitally. My advance copy reveals a collection of radio-ready indie power-pop tunes, all of them likeable …

When I was eight years old, I gave up candy. My mom was scared of the whole sugar thing. Had us on All Bran, for roughage, to rush the dangerous stuff through. Guess she scared …

The national drink of Brazil, the caipirinha (kye-pee-ree-nah) has had such a powerful attraction for Brazilians that it almost brought the Ford Motor Company to a screeching halt. After Henry Ford discovered that the low …

Hey Matt: Why has toilet paper technology maxed out at a mere 2-ply? Bar soap is constantly reminding us about the percentage of its moisturizer cream and I believe that there are now razors with …

I’ve watched the music video for the Cults’ “Go Outside” at least a half-dozen times now, and I still don’t know what to make of it. Directed by Isaiah Seret, the video is assembled largely …

“You do know that God created liquor to keep the Irish from conquering the world, right?” I smiled at my Irish hubby. “And tea to keep Irish women’s mouths from yapping at their men?” he …

The Tin Can Ale House in Bankers Hill recently completed a renovation including new sea-foam green flooring, a shortened bar to make room by the stage, a kitchen, and a revamping of the venue’s namesake …

Growing up, I was always in the kitchen helping my dad and grandparents cook. Coming from a Greek and Italian background, food was a major part of our culture, and eating and preparing delicious food …

We asked a dozen local musicos the best and worst things about their neighborhoods. Mark Haemmerle (Starcrossed): “Clairemont is conveniently located and has cheaper rent, but it’s kinda ghetto, and we have neighbors with big …

Despite the formidable name, Hellhole Canyon is one of the most delightful canyons in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, with sycamores, cottonwoods, and palm trees fed by intermittent streams. The goal of this hike is the …

“They hired him to improve the morning-show ratings and he ended up bringing them down like a big anchor.” That’s how one employee at a competing modern-rock station described Mike Esparza’s two years at FM …

Residents of Grantville and Allied Gardens and those living along Mission Gorge Road can agree on one thing: change is coming to the area. And it will come acres at a time, in the form …

San Diego State University president Stephen Weber received total compensation of $306,856 during 2011, the year he retired, according to a database of state salaries recently posted online by the Sacramento Bee and confirmed by …

When baseball icon Tony Gwynn revealed in 2010 that he had salivary gland cancer and blamed it on decades of using chewing tobacco, he set off firestorms: prominent Major League players and managers proclaimed they …

The problem is not that “they don’t make them like they used to.” The problem is that they continue to make them about what they used to, and they continue to make them the way …

Over the years, Democratic congresswoman Susan Davis has traveled around the world many times and back on field trips paid for by the nonprofit Aspen Institute. Last year alone, she and husband Steve visited Barcelona, …

Democratic governor Jerry Brown continues to pick up San Diego money for his various causes. Among the latest big donors: software maker Intuit, with $20,000 to Brown’s 2014 reelection campaign, and the Barona Band of …

According to Tijuana’s daily Frontera, lack of binational coordination and U.S. budgetary bottlenecks could make the effort to ease border-crossing times a spectacular failure — a fracaso, as one Mexican official put it. Although efforts …

Thanks to NPR.org, fans of Fanfarlo were able to get their first listen to their new release Rooms Filled with Light. The London-based indie band once again delivers a solid album of pop melodies. Similar …

San Francisco blues-rock quartet the Stone Foxes opened their set with "Cotto," a song about a Puerto Rican boxing champion who lost in a famous bout with Manny Pacquiao in the 12th round. Fans looked …

William the Conqueror was a busy guy in 1066 after successfully invading and taking control of England. After being crowned king in London at Westminster Abbey, William immediately took control of the town of Winchester, …

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in Tanzania includes the Ngorongoro Crater, covering 8,300 square kilometers and the only place on earth where mankind and wild animals co-exist in harmony. This uniqueness earned it a UNESCO …

Trial and Terror “Very few prisoners of war try to escape,” writes historian Dwight R. Messimer, “and very few of those who do, succeed.” When a German U-boat sunk his ship, Lieutenant Edouard Izac became …

Title: The Imperfect Blog Address: imperfectenjoyment.com Author: Dewan Gibson From: Otay Ranch Blogging since: 2009 Post Title: Black History Month is Over Post Date: March 4, 2012 I saw a brotha in a beat up …

It Ends Badly Regarding the March 8 cover story, “Bad House,” I just finished this story. I enjoyed it a lot, and when I got to the last page, which was page 40, the story …

for Clarissa My last love leapt into my life like a trapeze artist, flying across the air, arms outstretched, reaching toward me and I caught her, giving the crowd a scare. I took her quickly …