“GO TO THE TORTILLA SHOP ON the corner. You'll find a big, dark-skinned man who works there and looks like a wrestler, with many tattoos of the Virgin of Guadalupe on his arms. He knows …
October 26, 1995
Thursday, October 26
Tijuana's famous death artist Asturiano hidden in Colonia Rubi
Manhattan classmate Penny had leukemia
I didn’t say anything. For two reasons. One was that my mother hated “emotional displays,” and the other was that how I really felt was that I was glad it was Penny dead and not me.
October 26, 1995
The fate of O. J. Simpson court evidence
Mr. (or Ms.) Alice: Now that the trial of the century has ended, and Mr. Simpson has apparently convinced the jury that the hat and gloves probably weren't his, what happens to those items and …
October 26, 1995
Thursday, October 19
I sail in Hawaii with Michael Reagan
Michael Reagan is fast becoming an honorary captain of the Ship of State, as I discovered when I signed on for the American-Hawaii cruise through the “ports of Paradise" on the S.S. Independence. Colleen, Mike's …
October 19, 1995
San Diego's David Casey – a lawyer's John Wayne
“We had seven little carriers, converted oil tankers, and I think 11 small destroyer escorts. The Japs came in with their big guns and their big battleships.”
October 19, 1995
Arguments against the drug Ecstacy
Matthew Alice: This is the second time I find myself typing a letter to you about the same subject. I sent the first letter some months ago. I had written you about the illegal drug …
October 19, 1995
"Fade to black" goes back to 1904
Don’t let me down! We’ve got a lot riding on this one, Mr. A. I could win myself an entire Saturday with my husband in tow, doing the “sacred DO list.” On the other hand, …
October 19, 1995
Mark Quark, turntable man at the Flame
When Mark E. Quark takes over the turntables at the Flame on Monday nights, the outside world gets lost between the beats. Quark, house DJ during a venue club called G-Force, steps into the booth …
October 19, 1995
Thursday, October 12
Catholic women head to nature religions
FOR YEARS I COLLECTED OBJECTS THAT HAD SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR ME, AND I KEPT THEM IN A WOODEN WINE BOX: SHELLS AND CORAL FROM FARAWAY BEACHES AND REEFS I'D VISITED; FEATHERS, SEEDS, STICKS, AND STONES …
October 12, 1995
Joyce Carol Oates' Zombie
"The serial killer has become our debased, condemned, yet eerily glorified Noble Savage, the vestiges of the frontier spirit, the American isolato cruising interstate highways in van or pickup truck.”
October 12, 1995
How to tell the difference between a crow and a raven
Mr. Alice: In the past, you’ve talked about how the big black birds we see in San Diego are ravens, not crows. Well, lately, I’ve had lots of big, noisy black birds in the trees …
October 12, 1995
Africanized bees mostly attack feral bees
Dear Ms. Alice: I understand that the Africanized bees are on their way, but for the first time anyone can remember, we have NO (zero, zip) feral bees in our garden. I understand that commercial …
October 12, 1995
Matthew Alice is not camera shy
Dear Matthew Alice: I would like to photograph you. Please entertain this request. — A.S., San Diego Well, I’d probably open with a little juggling — a slide rule, a nectarine, and a flaming volume …
October 12, 1995
Boxers and wrongful-death lawsuits
Matthew Alice: In the bizarre world of boxing, occasionally a fighter will die from injuries received during the bout. From a legal standpoint, do boxers sign away their lives as a condition to get in …
October 12, 1995
My grandmother's farm during World War II
I remember breakfast tables from my earliest childhood; sunshine spills across a blue-checked tablecloth stiff with starch and fresh air. Cut-glass bowls hold jelly and jam. The Concord grape and strawberry wriggle, seem to live …
October 12, 1995
I try to serve as Black Mountain’s principal for a day
Middle school and I go way back. My mother taught eighth-grade English and social studies. I attended PTA meetings before entering kindergarten. On Friday nights, the principal would show up at our house and play …
October 12, 1995
Thursday, October 5
My son's first year at Bird Rock Elementary
September 6, 1994—Yesterday I sat down with Elliot and a copy of Harry Goes to the Fun Zone. He as delighted. We’ve read it so many times, but he likes books that have already given …
October 5, 1995
Club Med within the walls of the Imperial Summer Palace
Dear Matt: My friend says there’s a Club Med in China. Can this be true? — Doubtful, El Cajon There was. And there will be. But there isn’t one now. In the late ’80s Club …
October 5, 1995
The logic of airport abbreviations like SAN
Dear Mr. Alice: My friend James and I have discussed the possibilities and can reach no logical conclusion. We simply wish to know the meaning of X as it is used in LAX or for …
October 5, 1995
O.J.'s trial part of civil rights struggle?
Only minutes before, Cochran had unctuously and fatuously portrayed the O.J. Simpson case as part of the long and unending struggle for civil rights in America, comparing this murder trial to the battles against slavery.
October 5, 1995
Coronado Playhouse director got so drunk he spoiled the first performance
The Old Globe is the big enchilada. If you’re an actor and you’re fortunate enough to grace this stage, you are cool. You’re not too concerned about acting lessons or becoming an extra in a movie.
October 5, 1995