I was about to participate in a seminar where women spend two days learning about men. I mentioned my upcoming appointment to a few friends and acquaintances and asked them what they thought. Woman One: …

'I call it Chuck E. Cheese for adults. I have to squeeze myself sometimes, business is so good.'

'If there were a remote tsunami in Japan or off the coast of Chile, it would be two to three hours or longer before it would impact the San Diego coast," says senior emergency services …

St. Paul's Cathedral displays a kind of unadorned majesty. Long green banners, tiny stations of the cross, and a couple of Madonna-and-child paintings are all that break up the great expanses of smooth, gray-green concrete …

Dear Matthew Alice: Any time you see judges on TV they're always whamming away on their desks with gavels. I've never ever seen a real judge use one. Do real judges ever use their gavels? …

Hey Matt: Who has been shooting bullets into our sidewalks? Everywhere I go downtown I see these round metal things embedded in the sidewalk that look like bullet casings. What are they? -- Matt Too, …

Matt: I have to know where those "Siamese twin" cherries come from-- you know, two fruits, one stem? -- Judith, San Diego We've meddled with cherry genetics enough that some of the resulting cultivars exhibit …

July 20, 1969, is the date that the moon landing was faked. It says so, here in black ink on the yellowing label that's peeling back from the metal canister on my desk. You see, …

Turns out last week's screed on gambling (emphasis on legal gambling in California) was incomplete. I assure you staff will be disciplined, but in the meantime, let's shout out the good news about mule racing! …

Franklin Canyon Ranch, a patch of open space north of Beverly Hills, belongs to a sprawling assemblage of interconnected parklands called the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Without the benefit of administrative protection, much …

Standing Eight: The Inspiring Story of Jesus "El Matador" Chavez, Who Became Lightweight Champion of the World by Adam Pitluk. Da Capo, 2006, $24.95, 248 pages. FROM THE DUST JACKET: Standing Eight is a riveting …

Thirty Years Ago "What's the matter, darling, you don't like New York? Listen, you came to the best, the very best, and after the sandwich, after the pickle, you know how you'll feel? 100 percent …

Several musicians I know have had their CD release parties this past month. Steph Johnson and Greg Laswell played at different venues on Kettner. Cathryn Beeks hosted a picnic. But CD release parties aren't parties; …

"Sicko Records Runs San Diego," says Sicc Made of the label founded by Southeast San Diego rapper Lil Uno. "We are all over the radio. We perform at car shows in front of 2000 people. …

Rock 105.3's Mikey Esparza once called members of a local Hispanic band "beaners" on the air and was once suspended after making a joke about the murder of a young girl ("...that's why I don't …

"We are being 'hush hush' because if word gets out, this could muster competition and that would be bad," says Todd Urick of his hope to launch "a local community radio station. Not a pirate …

"Viking on the Mountaintop petitioning the gods" is how Frank Melendez describes the sound of Riververb, his one-man experimental noise band. After watching him set up and suit up, his seven-word description makes sense. He …

Brian Barrabee, bassist for the Long and Short of It, is paralyzed from the chest down. He's been in a wheelchair since May 2004, the victim of a hotel-room accident. He explains how he was …

The all-age Bean Bar venue (and coffeehouse) on Rosecrans Street recently stopped booking local bands. Rick Dieterle, who manages the place, says, "We just didn't have the capacity for it. I wanted to do things …

'I haven't gotten any heat from the Gabor estate yet," says one-man band Zsa Zsa Gabor, who doubts anyone will mistake him for the Hungarian-born socialite whose name he co-opted. "What I do is perform …

To suffering there is a limit; to fearing, none. -- Francis Bacon 'This is taking a really long time. We should have given our ticket to our waitress and stayed inside," David complained. "She offered," …

Switchblades, rolled-up Levis, and greased-back hair...rockabilly is what the Buzzbombs are all about. Track 5, "Pintail," is an instrumental in the fashion of the old tune "Tequila." The song features a guitar riff inherited from …

“I flew in from Chicago this morning. I feel like I’m in old Mexico.”

Word spread about how my friend Bernice was going to rent a margarita machine for her summer margarita bash. The guest list started growing from 20 to 40 to over 100. Along the way, someone …

Birdland and the Banana Belt I worked for 16 hours at San Francisco General Hospital yesterday. The final 8 hours was spent on 6B, where I worked with Trent. Trent is an erstwhile Marinite-turned-realtor who …

Outside lawyers and consultants hired by City departments are supposed to file Statements of Economic Interests listing their income and gifts from city sources, as well as stock, bond, and local real estate holdings that …

'I love to read," says Beverly Griffin, with a glance up from the bedding she is arranging against a chain-link fence behind the sidewalk on Front Street. As many as 40 homeless people will sleep …

For most people, charity begins at home. For William Robert Bradley, a cofounder of Metabolife International and onetime tow-truck operator, charity begins in the tax and secrecy haven Switzerland and winds through another hot-money haven, …

Divorce is seldom a happy event, and UCSD has been especially hard-hit this year. Campus counsel Ann Parode has split with her husband of 16 years, R.B. "Buzz" Woolley, the wealthy La Jolla financier and …

Among the expenses of the Brian Bilbray congressional campaign is a payment of $1137.75 to Dogs R Us of Richmond, Virginia, for "food for fundraising event" on June 30. But don't worry, the Washington lobbyists …

"A cat may look at a king," wrote Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland -- and a scuffling writer could look at the Prince of Wales. That's what I told myself when, some years ago, …

Dori Lowell, business manager for the National Pygmy Goat Association based in Snohomish, Washington, says, "People who love pygmy goats come from all walks of life, but they're usually animal lovers who've had some exposure …

It’s a little embarrassing that I’ve spent eight years in a 12-step program and not done a fourth step. Twelve-steppers talk about it (“made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves”) with a particular …

'You taste it, you like it, you can take it home for retail price.'

'Our tagline is 'Three guys, 37 plays, 100 minutes.' But it's really three guys just brutalizing Shakespeare," says actor Bruce Blackwell. From July 21 through July 30, Blackwell, along with David Pinson and Jaysen Waller, …

Father Acker first addressed the congregation clad in a white cassock with an embroidered green stole knotted into his rope belt. His chasuble hung over a nearby chair. In contrast to these formal trappings, his …

Matt: Sometimes in the afternoon I take a nap to feel fresh for evening classes. However, when I wake up,. I'm often very nauseated and wish I'd just stayed awake. Other people have told me …

Dearest Matthew: I remember seeing a sign somewhere that said it was National Letter Writing Week. How would I go about designating a week of my own? Could I just as easily make National PMS …

Heymatt: Why do dogs wag their tails when they're happy? -- Dave, La Jolla Uh, Dave, dogs also wag their tails when they're pissed, so we'd better clear up this mystery before some Dobie takes …

The "back way" up Mount Laguna via the obscure Kitchen Creek Road offers bicyclists a challenge to their strength and endurance, and little chance of serious interference by passing automobiles. The gravity-assisted return, down along …

D'aah, is it Hawaiian? Is it Japanese? Is it Filipino? Is it Mexican? Hank and I are seeing items like kalua pig (definitely Hawaiian), chicken katsu (Japanese), lumpia (Filipino, of course), empanadas and ceviche, direct …

Thirty Years Ago Just when the Padres get close to a pennant, just when Al Couppee looks like he might beat Assemblyman Larry Kapiloff, you have to print that nonsense by sore loser sportscaster Jerry …

Lifelong Following a brief illness, Grant Barba passed away peacefully in his hometown of San Diego on July 7, 2086. He was 97 years old. Born on June 3, 1989, he attended college in the …

When I was in high school, a woman walked into a local courthouse and shot a man in the back of the head. That's when I learned that everything in the news is reported in …

When Melissa invited me to a Fourth of July party, she said we'd be able to see fireworks shot from four different locations. She failed to mention, however, that her fiancé would be shooting some …

Jensen Rufe joined the Zappa-esque punk band Puddletown Tom after he left Poway High. "I was ahead of the blink guys at Poway High by about two or three years." During his UCLA years ('91--'95), …

Meaty Diabetes keyboard player Chad Tomlinson says he and the other four guys in the band have had it with the image-conscious all-age scene. "They aren't going to shows for the music. They are going …

Though he injured his knee in Iraq, Marine sergeant Gabriel DeJesus reenlisted for another four years last August. The Camp Pendleton--based motor-transport mechanic is on "light duty" due to his knee tear, but now he …

Despite allusions made by music reviewers suggesting otherwise, Minneapolis singer-songwriter Mason Jennings has never been a resident of Lemon Grove. In praising Jennings's 2004 album Use Your Voice, the All Music Guide website notes, "His …

"They don't even let you load in from the back door," says Crime in America bassist Eric Marcrum about Scolari's. He says the band will no longer play the North Park bar because of inconvenience, …

Jason Mraz told a Canadian newspaper details behind his collaboration for the single "Geek in the Pink" with hip-hop honcho Scott Storch ("a guy on more rappers' speed dials than a weed-selling jeweler operating out …

The Reaganomics are an '80s cover band, churning out the pop tunes that bring back glorious high school memories for many middle-aged clubgoers. "Our very first show was about two and a half years ago," …

What is more agreeable than one's home? -- Marcus Tullius I opened my eyes and turned my head to face David, my hair trailing across the white pillow beneath me. This time it took only …

The federal Securities and Exchange Commission was established in 1934 with the mission to protect the public from Wall Street. Today, it's the other way around, say critics. Now there may be a national debate …

'Last time, I burned out two blenders," sighed Bernice as she began plans for another summer margarita bash. "I guess I'll have to serve them on the rocks this year.""But the slushiness is 90 percent …

Shopocalypse I went to see Reverend Billy in Petaluma. At the start of the day, I was going to go to an antiwar march in San Francisco, but then when I saw that Reverend Billy …

Paul Del Vacchio remembers the first time he gambled. "I was 12 years old," he says. "It was a $2 bet to show on a horse at Pocono Downs in Pennsylvania. I remember this weird …

The fortunes of San Diego city taxpayers may be in free fall as city hall awaits long-delayed audits and possible indictments of city officials in the great retirement-fund scandal, but city-council staffers aren't feeling the …

While Union-Tribune editorial writers and the United States Marines gear up for a nasty electoral fight this fall over a Miramar airport, Leon Campbell has another idea. The La Jolla lawyer has long been peddling …

“We never even thought about eating cows before the French.”

We're sitting in a room that's maybe 9 feet wide by 20 feet long, lined with countertops that hold 12 TV monitors. The screens let us spy upon what's normally one of the most private …

'Women were dominant consumers, making mostly anonymous purchases in supermarkets.'

The service opened with film clips: Adam Sandler doing a slow burn in Anger Management and Jane Fonda exploding with fury in Monster-in-Law . The congregation laughed throughout. Then a round of songs, ranging from …

'The whole thing about blues is the formula of the music," says Robb Bower, founder of the Blues Bash festival. "Most blues songs are built around three chords -- the one, the four, and the …

Matt: Why do whales have barnacles but dolphins, porpoises, and orcas do not? -- Barnacle Bill the Sailor Whale of a generalization, Bill, but sorta true. Barnacles are common on humpbacks and gray whales, but …

Hi, Matt: You sometimes hear about people amputating their own leg or arm in an emergency. That makes me wonder. Has a surgeon ever performed surgery on himself? -- Lois, San Diego Sez the American …

It's Monday and per usual I'm sitting at the kitchen table perusing our nation's leading newspapers -- The National Enquirer, Star Magazine, Weekly World News, Globe -- when I experience a moment that Einstein or …

This mini-tour of the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve, the jewel of southwestern Riverside County's remaining natural landscape, introduces you to a variety of hiking experiences -- in sun and in shade. The inclusion of …

Doing Nothing: A History of Loafers, Loungers, Slackers, and Bums in America by Thomas Lutz. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006, $25, 384 pages. FROM THE BOOK JACKET: Couch potatoes, goof-offs, freeloaders, good-for-nothings, loafers, and loungers: …

"It's Like Borg in Star Trek; it just keeps eating stuff." This is the comment made last week by a local independent promoter who heard about Live Nation's purchase of House of Blues Entertainment for …

The only local station that will play new music by Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Ziggy Marley may soon be reaching your ears for the first time. Triple-A (adult album alternative) station KPRI was recently …

Thirty Years Ago The bare bottom of San Diego sport is epitomized by the face of Canadian entrepreneur and Sports Arena operator Peter Graham. This contemptuous double-dealer is the best case yet for confiscatory inheritance …

Elective Maturity I can't remember the last time I shaved my legs. Wait -- yes I can -- it was the day of prom. So, I shaved my legs most recently on May 13, about …

On a midweek evening a few months ago, my partner and I rambled over to our brand-new neighborhood bistro, excited because in all of South Park/Golden Hill there are only two other genuine restaurants. "No …

Malcolm Gladwell introduced the concept of snap decision-making in his book Blink. He wrote about experts being able to size up a situation (be it a failing relationship or the likelihood of a new product …

"I have a kiosk -- actually, it's a cart -- in the Mission Valley mall," says assistant bank manager Persis Knipe, 28. Named My Stuff, Knipe's outdoor CD and clothing store opened July 1. "[The …

A woman bustles a child through a shopping mall as if he were one of the paper sacks she'd filled and purchased at a designer boutique. It seems harmless enough. You wouldn't expect something bad …

Local singer/songwriter Michael Tiernan performed in Texas at the 34th annual Kerrville New Folk Songwriter Contest over Memorial Day weekend. He competed against 32 other songwriters. "It's pretty much the American Idol of the folk …

Over burritos in Mission Valley, former local resort hotel concierge Juan Mas (not his real name) told of a visit paid by AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young: "My coworker Linda assisted him and I witnessed it. …

Music Trader district manager Darren Fionda was arrested in May at the chain's SDSU store for allegedly selling "pirated music." In a sting orchestrated by the Recording Industry Association of America, 195 discs were seized, …

I went to a Fourth of July party on July 1. When I got the call from Eric, he left a weird message. He told me there would be a dunk tank, lots of games, …

'The first Four Eyes album, recorded for MCA in 1982--1983, remains unreleased," says Mark DeCerbo. The guitarist/bassist/singer for Rockola and the Steely Damned founded Four Eyes in 1979 and revived the group late last year …

In attempting to get records of City Attorney Mike Aguirre's 1989 divorce unsealed, the Union-Tribune has proved definitively that it doesn't read its own newspaper. On a deeper level, the missteps the newspaper has made …

Elected to the House of Representatives in 1952 and serving for 14 consecutive terms, Republican Bob Wilson saw plenty of paperwork come across his desk. In 1973, he began depositing it for future researchers at …

From age to age, nothing changes, and yet everything...is completely different. -- Aldous Huxley David and I were distracted from the conversation when two young boys cruised by on bicycles. It wasn't the shiny red …

A group of San Diego Democrats has put together an organization intended to match the local GOP's Lincoln Club in fundraising prowess and ideological pragmatism. According to a blurb on its website, the newly hatched …

The sentencing of John D'Intino, ex-cook, gun dealer, and onetime chief aide de camp to San Diego Cheetahs strip-club owner Mike Galardi, has been put off yet again, this time until September 28. The voluble …

Connecticut Democrat Connecticut Democrat Joe Lieberman, Al Gore's VP candidate in 2000 and Middle East hardliner, is locked in a tough Senate primary race with liberal Ned Lamont, a rabid opponent of the war in …

As a child, I wore out a few bike tires riding around my New England hometown. The wind whipping against my face as I raced up and down hills was exhilarating. At adolescence, my bike …

Down The Street from the Death House The last time I had to look for a place to live, I looked outside of Marin County, where I've lived for 30 years. I moved to Marin …

“Sweet tacos? Yeah, right. And you found Bigfoot munching there, too, I suppose?”

The first drive-in theater I snuck into in San Diego was also the first one built here, the Midway, on the northwest corner of Mission Bay Drive and Sports Arena Boulevard. It was December 1979, …

1932: Richard Milton Hollingshead Jr., a chemical engineer and oil and grease salesman, conducts his first experiments in outdoor viewing by nailing a bedsheet between two trees and putting a 1928 16mm movie projector on …

'I think we have more of a finger on the pulse of what women really want.'

Pastor Misael Zaragoza was a Navy Seal in the Vietnam War, and it was his idea to hold a patriotic celebration service, which bore a strong military emphasis. But it opened with straightforward praise: Eddie …

'All jokes are about shattering assumptions," says San Francisco Comedy College founder Kurtis Matthews. "Horror has the same structure of comedy, but the result or surprise [horror hopes to achieve] is fear, pain, or confusion." …

I pondered some more (having brought it up once before) on the fact that -- Peter Principle--like -- I rather don't belong in what could be construed as the position of a regular-Joe voice, blue- …

Hey Matt: I have a special talent that nobody else I know has. I can write backwards without even thinking about it, with all the letters reversed. My friend says there might be something wrong …

Hey Matt: When I recently drove through Utah, I noticed that "regular" grade gasoline (in addition to costing a lot less) is 85 octane, not 87 like it is here. I thought this was maybe …

Hey Matt: What makes sauce lumpy? Or better yet, what is a guaranteed way to mix something like flour and water and never have lumps? -- Jerry in San Diego Grandma is teary eyed. Someone …

Last week, Hilary, who had been a 91X DJ since 1997, was shown the door. Her firing is curious because recent Arbitron ratings indicate she was doing well. For the past two months, among listeners …

Hey Matt: I was watching the NY Yankees vs. the Atlanta Braves this Wednesday and one of the graphics showed a list of the injured Braves and their injuries. Amongst all of the twisted ankles, …

Rolling Stone's April 7, 2005, "Children of Rock" cover story mentioned the Fabulous Rudies, a North County band with ska roots. The issue included short articles and photos of 15 rock-star kids (Sean Lennon, Ben …

This was supposed to be a Tour de France drug-bust column. I wanted to talk to a knowledgeable San Diego bike rider about the sport and its habits. There are at least 18 bicycle clubs …

Benedictum played Italy's Gods of Metal festival over the first weekend of June. Def Leppard, Whitesnake, and Guns N' Roses were the bigger acts on the bill. "On the first days, each band had their …

Last March 28, as the sun fractured behind iron-gray clouds, six Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet gazed in awe from Sacatone Overlook. Three miles east, on terrain bleak as Sinai, railroad trestles perch 1000 …

"He keeps asking for a new brain," says Joaquin Torres, guitar player for San Diego band Frogsbreath. Torres speaks of his band's bass player, Brian McClure, who is in the University of Utah's medical center …

On the scrub-covered slopes overlooking eastern Chula Vista's Rice Canyon, hardy coast chollas raise their asymmetric arms in what seems a gesture of defiance against the surrounding phalanxes of cookie-cutter, pseudo-Spanish-style homes. The yellow-centered, magenta …

Mark McLarry, a Point Loma resident, co-owns a solar-powered stage that is being used on this summer's Warped Tour. His company, Sustainable Waves, rents out the stage for other events throughout the year. Though McLarry …

Forty to fifty bottles of tequila dominate occupy Whole Hog's practice room. "We were a Pabst Blue Ribbon and Jack Daniel's band before Khrys joined," says guitarist Rich Travers. "It started with one bottle of …

When Pearl Jam appears at Cox Arena tomorrow, July 7, they'll allow "no signage on, around or about the stage [including] any corporate sponsored venues, radio and TV stations, etc." And, "There is to be …

The Few and the Proud: Marine Corps Drill Instructors in Their Own Words by Larry Smith. W.W. Norton, 2006, $26.95, 325 pages. FROM THE DUST JACKET: The Few and the Proud examines how Marines are …

Thirty Years Ago Writer Jane Stein will tell you that Golden Hills is the first place where she has ever wanted to live permanently. "I grew up in housing developments and shopping centers. This is …

Months ago, I decided to go to an art party in North Park after a racquetball game. It wasn't the best idea. It was a weeknight and I would be all sweaty. I planned to …

I had never been so disappointed as the day a troupe of Harlem Globetrotters came to town. On TV they were the finest club of ballplayers anyone had ever seen. Steven Brown and I had …

You'd love to place a bet on a horse after the race is over and collect your winnings without getting caught and fitted for cement boots. Don't laugh: almost daily we're finding out that top …

Frustration with the noise from SeaWorld's fireworks has long simmered in the neighborhoods near the theme park. In May, the pot began to boil over when a local newspaper, the Peninsula Beacon, printed a letter …

Bay-front developer Doug Manchester, who has taken to calling himself "Papa Doug," has made a big chunk of his multimillion-dollar fortune doing deals with the Port of San Diego. The onetime life-insurance salesman found his …

Most of San Diego's Vietnamese restaurants are out in City Heights or up in Linda Vista — and most start their names with "Pho," North Vietnam's hearty peasant noodle soup. Nothing wrong with pho, but …

San Diego's city ethics commissioners and staff have filed their annual statements of economic interest for 2005, revealing a raft of gifts. Executive director Stacey Fulhorst reports getting "2 invites to a party" from San …

If you've ever been kicked out of Winstons in Ocean Beach on a rowdy night when a popular reggae or blues act is onstage, chances are you were bounced by Ted Washington, front man for …

While Democratic candidates for governor were bloodying themselves in their bitter spring primary battle, GOP incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger was quietly building up his campaign war chest. As usual, San Diego Republicans, along with some Democrats, …

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. -- Wayne Dyer As my sister declared how fed up she was with someone who seemed unwilling to return her …

'We go through an awful lot of beer," confided my dear friend Bernice recently. "I'm almost embarrassed to put out the recycling, it's so full of cans and bottles.""Is your husband happy in his marriage?" …

Darning Socks I came across an odd piece of rounded wood on a stick, and for the life of me, I couldn't remember its purpose. Looks like a hardboiled egg on a Popsicle stick. It's …

“They liked Mexican girls, too. But since 9/11 they have stayed away.”