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Content for Wednesday, December 20, 2017

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News & Stories

San Diego Reader writers dig deep into Christmases past

Every Power Rangers toy known to man The exact moment the sleigh bells stopped jingling — by Chad Deal Sister Santa’s once-a-year smile I adored American Christmas — by Tam Hoang We were ruthless Christmas-letter …

The angels sang through all the night

Christmas Carol The kings they came from out the south, All dressed in ermine fine; They bore Him gold and chrysoprase, And gifts of precious wine. The shepherds came from out the north, Their coats …

December 20, 2017
In pursuit of Nirvana

Former 91X DJ Marco Collins resides in Seattle now, but he still rents a storage space in San Diego. The unit is notable because it houses a large amount of unique music memorabilia that he …

December 20, 2017
Titanic deck chairs

Longtime city hall influence-peddler Richard Ledford has been retained by Orange Barrel Media, a client seeking to “obtain a contract to provide way-finding kiosks in the City of San Diego.” The Columbus, Ohio-based company, famous …

December 20, 2017
The ice melts slowly and the flavors peel off

As January draws near, Striders general manager Tony Martineau found a way to raise a glass for the old year rounding the last bend even as the new year comes galloping out of the gate. …

December 20, 2017
The time Scott Szikla evaded Russian arrest

San Diego–born-and-raised guitarist Scott Szikla, 29, who grew up Poway a few years after blink-182 and Unwritten Law became popular, played his first awkward teenage gigs at the Epicentre. He eventually became assistant manager and …

December 20, 2017
Call Me By Your Name, a frank depiction of desperate teenage longing

“What of [Alcibiades’] beard? Are you not of Homer’s opinion, who says, ‘Youth is most charming when the beard first appears’? And that is now the charm of Alcibiades.” — Socrates, the Protagoras That is …

December 20, 2017
Dobson's happy hour includes the bisque

Bah, humbug! Seriously. Just once, I wanna be rich at Christmas. Be able to splurge, party, take folks out, presents for everybody, not sweat the lettuce. Already, the holiday thing’s starting to strain wallet, patience, …

Machete trouble at La Jolla High

Santiago, La Jolla’s Darger of the Hedgerows, lives most of his life in a sanctuary he carved for himself amid the dense trees and underbrush separating a kindly Frenchwoman’s home from the busy street on …

December 20, 2017
Tubercular threat

The city’s hepatitis A crisis continues unabated, and now the county health department is looking for a contractor to help tame a cross-border tuberculosis threat. “Among clients who are diagnosed with tuberculosis in San Diego, …

December 20, 2017
God goes with submariners

Place: University Lutheran Church Pastor: J.L. Precup Age: 71 Born: Aurora, IL Formation: Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO Years Ordained: 45 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon? Pastor J.L. Precup: …

December 20, 2017
King Schascha of the dancehall

Frontman Dave Wakeling is the only original member of the two-tone British ska band that moved from England to Southern California over 25 years ago. He calls all the shots. “The rest of us are …

December 20, 2017
The old ranches of Borrego

The old Vallecito Ranch is now part of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and has been designated a preserve known as Hawi-Vallecito Cultural Preserve. Hawi is Kumeyaay for “the place where tules grow” and vallecito is …

Miracle Mai Tais

My Christmas miracle came in a highball glass filled with ice and equal parts rum and mai tai mix. At the time, it was clear that the drink had done what it was supposed to …

December 20, 2017
La Jolla's version of Henry Darger

A recent exhibition of works by the artist known as Santiago — aka Charlie Chimpo, aka “the Scripps Institute of Oceanography’s Retard Grandson” (a self-applied sobriquet) — during a festival at La Jolla’s Mary Star …

Dandelions are not the most Christmaslike plants

Last year, my wife and I hosted my entire family for a week over the Christmas break. All told, we had eight people in the house: me and Sara, my three brothers, my younger brother’s …

December 20, 2017
Violinistic rock

“I moved to San Diego from Philadelphia, and nothing really changed for me besides the weather,” says classically trained violinist Alex DePue. “I spilled out of the airplane with a suitcase and a fiddle and …

December 20, 2017
The Milky Bun from Orange County

Dear Hipster: Does hipster-ism extend to multiple cultures? Living in SoCal, one gets to appreciate, and even integrate with, people and neighborhoods with distinct cultural identities. Are there branches of hipsters among different cultural pockets, …

December 20, 2017
Sister Santa’s once-a-year smile

I fell in love with America for the first time on a sweaty night in a Bangkok refugee center in March 1991. “In America people have meat with every meal,” my dad told me as …

December 20, 2017
Come up with $8 mil and change, and the second floor is yours

Marketing copy for the three-bedroom condo at 202 Coast Boulevard (#3) says this “spectacular oceanfront property is ready for you.” Situated on a single level (the building’s second floor), the unit features direct elevator access …

December 20, 2017
L.A. Witch to fly in to the Casbah

“Expect 30-something minutes of reverb,” L.A. Witch frontwoman/guitarist Sade Sanchez has said of her band’s debut release. The L.A. music scene has long gone stale, but with this kind of raw music coming out today, …

December 20, 2017
I wanted every Power Rangers toy known to man

I’ll never forget the day the great Santa swindle came crashing down around me. It was Christmas morning, and I was eight years old. When I bolted out of bed, Santa was as concrete a …

December 20, 2017
A crystal-ball view into San Diego’s 2018 economy

Despite labor shortage, San Diego is due for a good 2018.

December 20, 2017
We were ruthless Christmas-letter mockers

When I married my husband Aaron I was well aware of his political leanings, his thoughts on religion, and that he was a saver not a spender. What I did not know was that he …

December 20, 2017
Adam Day’s other job

The board that runs the California State University system is expected to remain on the sidelines of the costly political battle between backers of SoccerCity and a group calling itself Friends of SDSU over the …

December 20, 2017
Letters on The San Diego Symphony, Star Wars , and Frank’s Philly Cheese Steak

Lizst the rock star Re: “San Diego Symphony, good but not sublime” First, keep publishing Garrett Harris’s column on classical music. Second, his December 5 column on Chopin stated that “according to the symphony program …

December 20, 2017
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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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