When my cell phone rang at 9:17 p.m., it was Officer Rohatan calling to tell me that he and a few colleagues were planning a surprise visit to our street. "Tomorrow night, between 7:00 and …

The first North Park Little League team meeting of the new season had ended at Morley Field, and we were starving. “Mom! Tonight’s the fundraiser for my school at Paesano’s. Can we go there?” I …

‘Where have you been?” asks Carla when I get back. Okay, it’s a little late, and, uh, I failed to mention I was going down to TJ. Last-minute decision. I’d kinda given up on trying …

“‘Rock ’n’ Roll” Peg Pollard got into radio to marry Bob Seger. She was in the sixth grade, she heard Live Bullet, and Pollard fell in love with the Detroit rocker. “I decided my route …

Being a hockey fan in San Diego is like being a cow tipper in Delhi, which is to say, lonely. Sure, despite their Cool Runnings disadvantage (watch the movie), the Gulls were an impressive flock …

I ask Joe Louis Walker if Hellfire, the title of his debut release on Alligator Records, is short for “hellfire and brimstone.” He says it could be. After all, he does have a background in …

Hey, Matt: I really enjoy learning about “real” history versus what has been popularly pasteurized. As a (laid-off) 3rd generation aerospace worker I’m of course aware of the accusations of a faked moon landing. While …

“I came here to help out at the request of the owners,” says Joe Rinaldi, the Griffin’s new talent buyer. He speaks of creating an image for the venue that was once O’Connells, an Irish-themed …

Itai, Erica, and Neil are no longer the Mashtis. The band has apparently called it quits after a notable three-year run. The seven-inch “A Canopy of Sundays” and the complimentary digital EP included for free …

Patrick’s a little jealous of my new exercise regimen. I told him we should work out together, but he doesn’t want to belly dance. So we looked into boxing. “We offer Western boxing,” said Dustin, …

San Diego Democratic assemblywoman Toni Atkins amended her year-end campaign filing last week to include a previously omitted in-kind contribution: $2650 on July 16 for use of the Petco Park skybox belonging to the Sycuan …

Next time you see a Ken Burns documentary, think of Lou Stoumen. It was Stoumen who invented a track that allowed a camera to slowly pan up and down while zooming in and out of …

Jefferson Jay says the open-mic scene that launched Jewel and Jason Mraz is not as vital as it once was. Jay, who started hosting acoustic showcases in 2003, thinks, however, that there is still enough …

In the mid-’70s, Peter Case and Paul Collins played together in a San Francisco band called the Nerves. Appropriately enough, they played melodic, guitar-based rock ’n’ roll with a nervous intensity. Before long, the style …

Rose Canyon is one of the many local canyons set aside for walking, jogging, and bike riding. Views of the canyon from the bridge show its diversity, with four different habitats easily distinguished: chaparral, coastal …

Title: The Imperfect Blog Address: imperfectenjoyment.com Author: Dewan Gibson From: Otay Ranch Blogging since: February 2012 Post Title: Denzel Washington Taught Me How to Fight Post Date: February 14, 2012 There was a time when …

’Tis a pity he’s a bore. That idea might creep up as you view the creepy Shakespearean “hero” of Coriolanus. Ralph Fiennes directed and stars as Rome’s General Caius Martius Coriolanus. A killing machine who …

It felt scandalous, my going to an Oscars party when I’d only seen one of the films nominated for Best Picture. It was a fluke I even saw the one — David and I had …

To recap: the NFL released the following statement Friday afternoon, a traditional dump day for embarrassing news. “A lengthy investigation by the NFL’s security department has disclosed that between 22 and 27 defensive players on …

The latest breed of hybrid has arrived from Finland in the form of an electric luxury vehicle. The Marvin K. Brown dealership in Mission Valley has an inventory of a dozen Fisker Karmas. A showroom …

It’s time again for cooking with Susan Davis, that semi-regular event for which the Democratic congresswoman from San Diego flings open the doors to her D.C. home and whips up custom omelets for a cadre …

In the fall of 2010, Raul Carranza arrived on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles by way of Eastlake High School and Southwestern College, pursuing a psychology degree. By the following January, …

Who was the highest-paid employee at the University of California San Diego in 2010? Not chancellor Marye Anne Fox, at a mere $387,886. Nor Edward Babakanian, chief information officer for the university’s health sciences division, …

Trust Me, I’m A Jock When I saw your front cover with the jock sitting in front of gym lockers with his eyes closed, it reminded me of all the dumb jocks of yesteryear (“Grappling …

Charles Lloyd, American, not only the most lyrical but frankly the most conversational of jazz saxophonists, is a musical orator and curator of quiet fire. Maria Farantouri, well on her way to legend in her …

Following a loose, impressive opening set from Unknown Mortal Orchestra, San Francisco's Girls plugged in at the sold-out Birch North Park Theatre, a venue that has operated as everything from movie theater to playhouse to …

Only until this cigarette is ended, A little moment at the end of all, While on the floor the quiet ashes fall, And in the firelight to a lance extended, Bizarrely with the jazzing music …

Capture “I rather expected to be wounded or killed or even drowned,” writes Navy lieutenant Edouard Izac. “It was only natural that…the [USS President] Lincoln would finally be torpedoed….But never once had the thought of …

Membership: 500 Pastor: Dwayne Edwards Age: 57 Born: Montgomery, Ala. Formation: Southern Nazarene University, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego Years Ordained: 25 San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on …