I was walking down the street one day, Prospect, in La Jolla, in the merry month of May, when I was taken by surprise: a woman calling after me, "Sir. Excuse me. Sir. Sir!" But …
March 30, 2006
News & Stories
San Diego models tell all
En Route to Master
'It looks like you can never learn it all, and with 10,000 different grape varietals, I'll never get bored.'
Tortilla Toss
Our first day in Rosarito Beach we held the tortilla toss. This being the group's 32nd annual party, bragging rights were at stake. Bragging rights and a cheesy trophy -- a guy throwing a discus. …
March 30, 2006
Land of Cross and Dragon
'We use special wool from an old kind of sheep. It's a very beautiful sheep," says Lizzie Riiber. "The wool has a shine to it." The sheep from which Riiber's yarn comes is called spælsau. …
March 30, 2006
His fascination with the game may be rife with clues.
This Friday night I am doing homework. It is something of a reverse of the old image of a student muddling through a creative writing assignment, stretched out on the bed beneath the high school …
March 30, 2006
Smells Like Napster
Michael Robertson, former CEO of the once legally embattled www.MP3.com, is risking the wrath of the recording industry again. His new locally launched website, www.sideload.com, offers free access to "29,000 songs from more than 7,000 …
March 30, 2006
Snuffed
"We played a song called 'Methamphetamine,' " says Jake Precht, bassist for the punk band Misled Citizen. His band represented La Costa Canyon High School at a March 14 battle of the bands held at …
March 30, 2006
Hackers' Delight
The position of rock-band manager does not come with job security. Matisyahu and the Killers, who landed major-label deals not long ago, fired the managers who helped steer them toward international recognition. Rick DeVoe began …
March 30, 2006
Nailed
Former Nine Inch Nails drummer Jerome Dillon recently told MTV.com that his "cardiac disorder" during a September 2005 San Diego show led to his dismissal from the band. He says bandleader Trent Reznor never called …
March 30, 2006
Fractured Scene
After a four-year respite from playing music, Jade Shader vocalist Terrin Durfey missed the music he used to play with his Leucadia-based band, Boilermaker. "I regret that as lost time," says Durfey, who spent the …
March 30, 2006
Walk the Torrey Pines trails for close-up flower studies and spacious ocean vistas.
Don't let this season's lackluster bloom in the desert discourage you from seeking out spring wildflowers. Some of the most colorful and diverse displays of native flowers can be found right in our own urban …
March 30, 2006
Discontent in the House
Hourly employees who worked at the San Diego House of Blues before January 31, 2006, may soon be able to claim their share of a $1 million settlement fund set up in the aftermath of …
March 30, 2006
Everybody Knows
The NCAA tournament ends Monday. I've perused my sports calendar, and other than the first annual West Coast Beach Boomerang Tournament, set for April 8 at Playa Del Rey (on the beach side of LAX), …
March 30, 2006
Death by Spitwad
Dear Matt: Is my paper-chewing habit killing me? For years I've been tearing off fingernail-sized bits from legal pads, computer paper, note cards, paper napkins, and an occasional Reader movie review, chewing them into paper …
March 30, 2006
Plain Vanilla
Heymatt: Why do stores south of the border have such an abundance of vanilla extract for sale? The world wonders. Mark, Ocean Beach Well, at any rate, you wonder, Mark. I'm more likely to wonder …
March 30, 2006
David Copley's Wallet Losing Heft
Wall Street seems to be saying "Lights out!" to daily newspaper chains, but David Copley -- although almost certainly not the billionaire he is touted to be -- can still pay his utility bill. Stocks …
March 30, 2006
Knob Quandry
Heymatt: Why are bathroom doorknobs silver on the inside and brass on the outside? Jeff, Tierrasanta I'm not sure what this says about the research elves, but they spent an awful lot of time dissecting …
March 30, 2006
High-Rise Hopes Just South Of Border
Imagine a high-rise condominium offering views of downtown San Diego, the bay, and the Pacific Ocean. Each condo features granite in the kitchen, tile in the bathrooms, and wood trim throughout. The 25-story building stands …
March 30, 2006
Breaking Stories
Il duce During the past two decades, since political consultant Tom Shepard was forced to plead guilty to campaign-law-related violations in the 1985 political money-laundering case against his ex-client, fallen San Diego mayor Roger Hedgecock, …
March 30, 2006
The Reader's Eye on Television
Even though I've moved to the big city, I can't forget the wheat farm where I was raised. The color of San Diego stands in contrast to my small home. Here are the aqua tones …
March 30, 2006
Christ Church
"It used to be a very old congregation," says church administrator Susie Clifford. "But within, I'd say, the past ten years, young families have really started coming here. The Jazz Mass is part of that. …
March 30, 2006
From Amman to Beirut
"A Palestinian friend of mine in San Francisco told me, 'Try it, you'll like it!' " said my partner, after his first bite of Rannoush's extraordinary falafel. "Guess what? I hated it -- and kept …
March 30, 2006
Death's Door: Modern Dying and the Way We Grieve
Death's Door: Modern Dying and the Ways We Grieve by Sandra M. Gilbert. W.W. Norton, 2006; $29.95; 580 pages FROM THE DUST JACKET: Prominent critic, poet, and memoirist Sandra M. Gilbert explores our relationship to …
March 30, 2006
Rosa Jurjevics in Boston
Tucked In And Terrified Surprise, surprise. I can't sleep. I made a valiant effort, though. I went to bed at 11:30 to the sounds of my computer playing cheery sitcoms on loop and my ocean-waves, …
March 30, 2006
Contrary Godmother
He is a hypocrite who professes what he does not believe; not he who does not practice all he wishes or approves. -- William Hazlitt I was raised Catholic. For years I spent Sunday mornings …
March 30, 2006
Buffalo Meat
When Uncle Max comes to town, it's like Mardi Gras, St. Paddy's, and Halloween all rolled into one. Max is an eclectic gentleman, fond of the exotic. For last summer's family gathering, a Hawaiian-themed barbecue …
March 30, 2006