You and I both know what saved me: My son. A gorgeous Botticelli-in-diapers on the day his father left for good. The reason I am a single mother, Pablo, is that, over long swaths of time, there's a certain amount of grace in being a single mother. Something exquisite and beautiful, crammed with the experience of life and death itself.
Meaty Reader My kids both love books, and one of the things that I look forward to most as a parent is introducing them to my favorite books. We've read to our kids for almost …
"It isn't often that you find a pastor who has been in prison and been divorced but has a real heart for people. He isn't judgmental at all. If you are struggling with sin, this …
'We've played in 64 countries on 6 continents," says Liquid Blue singer/songwriter Scott Stephens. "The Stones have played in 39." I take his word for it. The band does seem to be almost always abroad, …
Children make the most desirable opponents in Scrabble as they are both easy to beat and fun to cheat. -- Fran Lebowitz 'These are tough letters," I said, sliding my "Z" tile to the left …
It's a sorry state of affairs when your ace in the hole is a black hole: possible bankruptcy. That's the situation with the City of San Diego: its best defense against another pillaging by the …
When Michael Moore finally arrived at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on October 12 to rail against a second term for President Bush, he promised to devote the ticket proceeds to scholarships for the biggest hell-raisers …
Being hung over is a special treat. Last night I felt like I was made of golden light, all smiles and surrounded by fluffy pillows. This morning the harsh crash of trash cans in the …
The Mount Waterman Trail traverse across the north rim of the San Gabriel Wilderness provides almost constant views of statuesque pines, yawning chasms, and distant, hazy ridges. The rugged topography of the wilderness area is …
The Best Day the Worst Day: Life with Jane Kenyon by Donald Hall. Houghton Mifflin, 2005; 258 pages; $23. FROM THE DUST JACKET: Donald Hall's celebrated book of poems Without was written for his wife, …
'When I moved here from Boston years ago," says Elizabeth Huller-Eisemann, "I brought ten goldfish with me on the plane. Or rather, they were supposed to be in cargo. They actually missed the flight, and …
Before we move into football (the NFL preseason kicks off on Saturday), the Box would like to award its Sportsman of the Year trophy. Regulars will recall that the trophy is a handsome 18-inch-tall bronze …
In June I got a call about Patrick Henry High's grad-night event at Party Pals in Sorrento Valley, not far from where I live. I had three other parties to go to that night (tough …
'We call it a 'screens'l,' which is a contraction of 'screen' and 'sail.' It's kind of tongue in cheek because in the sailing world, things are slurred," says Pete Sharp, a member of the sail …
Movies reviewed this week: Broken Flowers, Lila Says, Murderball, and November
Matt: Why is Canada so special? -- GZ, the net Lucky for us, Canadians seem to spend most of their free time answering survey questions. Maybe we can find some clues in statistics from public …
Heymatt: On the day of the tsunami, did the world population go up or down. I trust it didn't stay the same. -- Joel Fentin, the net Trust misplaced, Joel. The most recent total (estimated, …
Recent rumors of Michael Jackson sightings at Carlsbad's Chopra Center for Well Being are true. Deepak Chopra, who calls himself Jackson's "spiritual guru," wrote in the July 14 Delhi Times: "After the verdict clearing him …
"Oh, you mean Cheap Channel?" 91X morning DJ Chris Cantore joked on the air last month. A few years ago, nobody at the modern-rock station made on-air jokes about Clear Channel, the mega-chain that owns …
Longtime local guitarist Michael Goodrich Jr., who moved to Ketchum, Idaho, last year to play for Staggering Home, suffered third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body after falling into a bonfire pit on July …
Last week was not a good week for Diana Laird, the program director who oversees Clear Channel stations KHTS/Channel 9-3-3 (Top 40) and Z-90 (hip-hop hits). On Monday, July 25, it was announced that she …
Irradio, Yovee, and Operatic are out. Billy Daniels is incoming managing partner at what is now Martini Ranch in Encinitas. He says a new name and music policy are in store for the bar and …
Bruce Hornsby played Humphrey's on July 21. I caught up with him that afternoon and asked if there is anything he can do to keep his hit ("The Way It Is") from being played on …
"We figure we lose $300,000 to $400,000 a year [in profits]," says Patrick Glynn, owner of Wireless Flash news service. Based in Hillcrest, the Wireless Flash sends out at least nine weird-but-true stories daily to …
Ravi Shankar almost canceled a July 10 appearance in Arles, France, after two of his sitars were broken during an Air France flight from Lebanon. Shankar, an Encinitas resident since 1998, wouldn't play a replacement …
I set out to review a little ethnic "gem" this week, but when my partner and I both came down with food poisoning six hours after eating there, my tummy told me I needed a …