"I wanted to be a model. If I was white, I'm sure, what with the connections white folks have, things would have gone easier, and they would have introduced me to people and helped me on my way."
August 29, 1996
Thursday, August 29
San Diego African-Americans to try imagine a different reality
Where Gen X comes from
Matthew Alice: I was told “Gen. X” meant the 10th generation since the USA began. Others say no. What is its meaning? .. — B.J. Nobles, San Diego You’ve been hangin’ out with discount know-it-alls, …
August 29, 1996
Mis-matched shoes
Dear Matthew: Why do some shoes, my left one in particular, cause their mated sock to slide down the ankle and foot and end up bunched about the toes? Is there a way to correct …
August 29, 1996
Why everyone isn't a chocolate lover
Matthew: Three of us went to lunch and ordered three very different desserts. We decided to taste each others’ dessert and vote on the favorite one. Interestingly, there was no agreement as to which was …
August 29, 1996
Thursday, August 22
Checking one more thing – Bal Jagat foreign adoption
Next to the bed, in a box painted like a clock face, is a short history of our attempts to have a child. The folded pamphlets assist me in Understanding and Recording My Ovulation Cycle, …
August 22, 1996
Arthur Fry, the inventor of Post-Its
Matthew: The person who invented Post-its — is it true that he worked for 3M at the time and did not make a cent on the idea? — Sherry, University Heights Stop any Average Joe …
August 22, 1996
Goats with stomachs for metal
His Mattness: Do goats really eat cans? — Bill Herzog, Pacific Beach Well, if they did, Bill, there’d be a whole lot fewer goats. They’re not picky eaters, but nothing in a goat’s digestive system …
August 22, 1996
Golf fanaticism in Rancho Bernardo
Cooper has the Golf Channel in his cable TV package. “It’s golf, golf, golf, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. I always turn it on when I come home to see what they have on.”
August 22, 1996
The apple in Judeo-Christian theology
Hi, Matthew: How did the apple come to be the symbol for the “forbidden fruit” in the Garden of Eden mythology? The account in Genesis doesn’t say anything about an apple, so why has it …
August 22, 1996
Thursday, August 15
Coronado lifeguards on the other side of the beach
“You play games in the winter. You see how long you can drive the truck without stopping. You close the truck windows and turn on the heat full blast. The first one to open the windows loses.”
August 15, 1996
Herman Irwin gives a thousand books a day to jail mates
"Hi, I'm Herman Irwin, the book man. I acquire books. I sort them and I bring them to the people who can appreciate them. I'm in jails, prisons, literacy groups for children, seniors, people in …
August 15, 1996
How to change traffic signal with your headlights
Dear Matthew AIice: My friend Billy seems to think that if he flicks his high beams on and off, he can trigger a sensor on traffic lights and cause the light to turn green. He …
August 15, 1996
The danger of inhaling your own methane
From Aug. 1, 1996 issue: Matt:Do you know if it’s harmful to smell a fart? Does inhaling the odor really mean that you inhale actual particles of the stuff? How does it compare to, say, …
August 15, 1996
The gooey, dramatic John Tesh
Matt: Okay, what's the deal with John Tesh? Why would they pick him to do commentary for Olympic gymnastics? Does he know anything about the sport? Any sport? He's been the topic of discussion for …
August 15, 1996
Thursday, August 8
Welcome, GOP Convention Delegates, to San Diego, City of Shame
The maid had been referred to the Wilsons by Neil Morgan’s wife. The legality of her work status was still not known, said Davies. He said Wilson’s ex-wife Betty had handled all of the other details.
August 8, 1996
Thursday, August 1
Heroin $10 on outside, $40 in prison
IT HAD BEEN RAINING OUT IN THE YARD, and the air, he remembered, smelled like thunderstorms. "I was scared, because I’d never messed around with heroin before. It was easy to overdose. With cocaine I …
August 1, 1996
Gun metal, German silver, or nickel silver will stain your finger
I recently went to one of the local cinemas to catch a viewing of The Phantom, one of my childhood comic strip heroes. When I purchased my ticket, I received a nifty Phantom ring embossed …
August 1, 1996
The characteristic jerk when falling asleep
Oh Grand Mattster: Why is it that right as I’m falling asleep and beginning some sort of dream sequence, then — BOOM — in my dream I trip or fall or get hit by a …
August 1, 1996
The English are not Eurotrash
Dear Matthew: My colleagues and I are at a standoff as to whether England is considered a part of Europe or not. They say it is, but I disagree. I recall that in college it …
August 1, 1996