Contrary to popular belief, there is surf to be had off New York City. Just as one can purchase a bagel (or passable facsimile) in San Diego, one can ride a wave off Queens. It's …
February 16, 2006
News & Stories
Mushballs! Riding the Big Apple's little waves
The Green Flash
Two weeks before the Super Bowl, the conference championship games were played to determine what teams would make it to the big dance. Paul, a guy I know from my fantasy football league, thought he'd …
February 16, 2006
Fast-Casual Food Wave of the Future
If you see some silk-suited slicker snooping around your favorite taco shop, he's probably from Wall Street. The investment community has gone gaga over so-called fast-casual Mexican restaurants, and two San Diego-based public companies, Jack …
February 16, 2006
Land Management Questioned
In 1997, after six years of planning, the City of San Diego adopted the Multiple Species Conservation Program. The program proposed that 52,012 acres of undeveloped City land be set aside and maintained in perpetuity …
February 16, 2006
Breaking Stories
Air war With San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders's privatization and pension-reform measures barreling through the city council, November 2006 is shaping up as one of the busiest ballot seasons in memory. Adding to the lucre …
February 16, 2006
Vine Writer
'I actually broke the story in the state. Pretty nice for your first time out.'
Another Man's Purse
'I read the news. I know our foreign trade deficit and levels of credit card debt are at historic highs. People tend to talk about these things as if they were something new, some sort …
February 16, 2006
Under the bed are a few novels....
Some weeks back I wrote about yet another one of my many minor complaints. More annoyances than problems really, meaningless grousings about something or other. Like the one about sentence fragments. Only this time, the …
February 16, 2006
Villager Peak, high in the Santa Rosa Mountains overlooking Borrego Springs, challenges off-trail hikers.
Dotted with weather-beaten pinyon pines, Villager Peak in the southern Santa Rosa Mountains rises nearly a mile above the lowlands of Anza-Borrego Desert. Serious "peak baggers" from around the state are drawn to its summit …
February 16, 2006
First Lutheran Church of San Diego
The crucified Christ hung against an intense aquamarine background in the contemporary-primitive painting that adorned the chapel at First Lutheran. His heart was exposed and bleeding. The rough-hewn character of the painting provided dramatic contrast …
February 16, 2006
Diamond Has His Day
Brother Love -- Gary Day's heavy-metal tribute to Neil Diamond -- came about, he says, because of American Idol forerunner Your Big Break. "In 2001 a camera crew from Dick Clark Productions came down to …
February 16, 2006
Drinking: Straight Up
Non-drinker: Brianna Sheets, female, 17, Mt. Carmel High School What are your reasons for not drinking? "Honestly, I don't really have time to go out and party. Being involved with school, tennis, and community service, …
February 16, 2006
Cheney Bags Elderly Lawyer
I lean into the telephone and say, "I'm curious about this Katharine Armstrong. She called the Corpus Christi paper and told them Cheney shot a hunting companion and that's how the story got out." "That's …
February 16, 2006
Yelling Fire! in a Gated Community
Dear Matt: I'm moving into a new gated community. What I want to know is, how will the fire department get in if there's a fire? Do they have keys to every gated community? To …
February 16, 2006
Top Dogs
Movies reviewed this week: Eight Below, Final Destination 3, Firewall, Freedomland and The Pink Panther
February 16, 2006
Riff Lift?
Before Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" was named "Record of the Year" at last Thursday's Grammy Awards, it was the only song ever to reach number one on the following Billboard charts: alternative, active …
February 16, 2006
Put It On
Monday's "Bob Marley Day" show will be the last. San Diego has hosted a multi-band reggae festival every year since 1982 (a year after Marley's death). This year, as posters and flyers were being created …
February 16, 2006
Bring It on Home
"Our guitarist, Gretchen, moved to Leucadia about two years ago, and three of us are still in San Francisco, so we don't get to practice that often anymore," says Zepparella drummer Clementine, "but we know …
February 16, 2006
Another Rich Kid Gone
Jason Sears of Rich Kids on LSD died January 31 in a Tijuana clinic that reportedly specializes in alternative methods of drug detox. The clinic, operated by the U.S.-based Ibogaine Association, occupies a two-story house …
February 16, 2006
Mood Modifiers
New York City hard rockers the Hold Steady count their October 22, 2005, appearance at the Casbah as one of their best shows ever...probably because their tour bus accommodated 17 people after the show. "The …
February 16, 2006
Driven to Beers
When I saw Los Angeles underground rapper Busdriver would make his only San Diego appearance on January 21 at Escondido's Metaphor Café, I decided to go. I'd never heard of the Metaphor Café, and its …
February 16, 2006
One for the Road
After broadcasting for more than 50 years in English, last week the Rosarito-based 690 AM dropped American music for noticias, chismes, and deportes (news, gossip, and sports). Clear Channel sold the station to Spain's Grupo …
February 16, 2006
Don't Forget the The
"The following clauses must be agreed to prior to confirmation [of a February 17 House of Blues show] by the Sisters of Mercy. "1. The promoter must NOT USE any of the following terms, or …
February 16, 2006
Palmy Days
Would you believe the Gaslamp has a new steakhouse? Duh! The ever-spreading Palm has taken root here. The chain's 30th location caused a stir when it opened, with celebs and local politicos flocking to the …
February 16, 2006
Twilight of the Superheroes: Stories
Twilight of the Superheroes: Stories by Deborah Eisenberg. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006; $23; 240 pages. FROM THE DUST JACKET: Deborah Eisenberg is nearly unmatched in her mastery of the short-story form. Now, in her …
February 16, 2006
The Reader's Eye on Television
"Where the hell were you last night?" Mel's accusatory tone cracks across the space between our cell phones. "You were supposed to watch Project Runway with me." "Mel, now listen, this is important stuff," I …
February 16, 2006
Morenike Akinlawon in Rhode Island
It's Not You, It's Me I'm not a people person. I try not to be around them too much. I don't like to talk to them, and if I were ever to gain a large …
February 16, 2006
Despicable Diners
A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter is not a nice person. -- Dave Barry David sat across from me at one end of the long table. Or, more accurately, …
February 16, 2006
Ham Radios
Yes, I have an Uncle Buck, and yes, he's into "the ham," as he calls it. He's been messing about with amateur radio for about a year now and is forever peppering my husband Patrick …
February 16, 2006