It’s a beautiful day in Pacific Beach as Nate approaches the bronze pelican statue on the boardwalk. He’s slight and blond, spectacled and clad in jeans and an army-green T-shirt. He squints. The sun’s so …
July 15, 2009
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So many San Diegans carry guns
Montevideo, Uruguay
“I feel like I’m back in 1950s America,” commented a visiting American. An amiable people, first-world atmosphere and slow pace of life combine to make Montevideo, Uruguay. Smaller than the state of Washington, Uruguay is …
July 15, 2009
Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
“Pandemonium” would be an appropriate word to describe a soccer, or futebol, match at the venerable Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Maracanã is the mecca of futebol in Brazil – every child in this …
July 15, 2009
Palm Springs
Visiting Palm Springs is like getting two vacations in one weekend. Enjoy a cool dip in the pool at Caliente Tropics Resort, a hip, mid-century-era Hawaiian-style motel complete with poolside cabanas and tikis, for about …
July 15, 2009
You Must Keep Reading
Haven’t done this for a while. Seems indicated: recommendations for summer beach reading. In the past few months I have happened upon three extraordinarily excellent novels I’d like to share with any dear and constant …
July 15, 2009
Astra, Boomsnake, Dakotafish
Artist: BoomsnakeSong: “Busy” (from the CD Give and Take)Heard by: Jon Carmack, Mission Bay It was pretty good. It started off with a nice, raw acoustic sound, and then the full band kicked in midway …
July 15, 2009
Unforgettable: A Walk on the Stingaree Side, Part 3
On February 15, 1898, the Monterey sailed into San Diego Bay. The ship had been at sea for more than a month. The next day around noon, half the crew got liberty and hurtled through …
Retired at 34
“Most indie artists don’t even make the chart,” says Blame One, whose self-released Days Chasing Days charted at number 39 on iTunes’ Best-Selling Hip-Hop Albums in early April. At the time, nobody seemed more surprised …
July 15, 2009
Platinum Equity acquires Union-Tribune, hires Mad Dog Singer
If you go to the website of the Los Angeles law firm of Lavely & Singer and click the bio of cofounder Martin Singer, you find a Los Angeles Magazine article in which Singer is …
July 15, 2009
Open Book
The executive director of the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission has ordered San Diego retirement board member Herbert W. Morgan to disclose the identities of nine customers of his investment operation, Del Mar–based Efficient Market …
July 15, 2009
Ticks-ident
There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them. — Andre Gide I sensed that the status was definitely not quo, even before I noticed the reddish-brown spot that had appeared …
July 15, 2009
Bargain Golf
Patrick hasn’t been playing golf lately. Three years ago, he played a game about every two weeks. That became a weekday-morning nine-hole at Mission Trails near our La Mesa home ($15 to play the back …
July 15, 2009
Dirty Cowboy
The John Corbett Band plays Brick by Brick on Saturday, July 18. I really didn’t think I would be impressed with John Corbett, musician. As an actor, I think he is appealing. He has a …
July 15, 2009
Oil Craters, Crane Construction, Sunny D Writes In
Heymatt: I’ve always wondered what happens to the big hole left when we pump oil out of the ground. Considering all the oil taken out of the Middle East, I would think the whole area …
July 15, 2009
Crest Canyon Open Space
Crest Canyon, an open-space park within the city limits of San Diego, helps separate the woodsy City of Del Mar from the bustling sprawl of inland Del Mar and Carmel Valley to the east. The …
July 15, 2009
In the Realm of the Senses
Marine Room kicks off this summer’s unofficial series on “Rooms with a View — and Bargains, Too.” The small tradeoff that recession brings to visitors and staycationers alike is that some of San Diego’s most …
July 15, 2009
Gay Abandon
Reteaming the star and director of Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen and Larry Charles respectively, Brüno peddles the same or a similar shtick in a different persona: a different funny accent, different funny wardrobe, different funny …
July 15, 2009
Lick Vocabulary
Since 1967, guitarist Wayne Riker has played just about every musical style, and in an array of musical settings — house parties, coffeehouses, nightclubs, musical theater, cruise ships, arena rock concerts, and stadium festivals. As …
July 15, 2009
Handsome Ensemble
The boondoggle makes logical sense, at first. A storm capsized Viola and twin brother Sebastian’s ship off Illyria. When the ship split in two, Viola went with one half; Sebastian, lashed to the mast and …
July 15, 2009
The Ron Good-bye?
San Diego school-board president Shelia Jackson has filed a statement of intention to run for the Fourth District seat on the county board of supervisors, currently occupied by Ron Roberts. The election is next year, …
July 15, 2009
Earl Klugh
The music press at large may define him as one of the founders of the hybridized genre that would eventually come to be known as pop (or smooth) jazz, but Grammy-award-winning guitarist Earl Klugh doesn’t …
July 15, 2009
Monetize the Station
X1FM, the local digital broadband radio station also known for its Open Door Concert series, has purchased defunct Long Beach nightclub the Vault 350, due to reopen in January 2010. In partnership with local Medina …
July 15, 2009
R.I.P., M.J.
The late Michael Jackson had several San Diego connections, aside from performing and recording with once-local bassist Nathan East. The official Michael Jackson Moonwalker 3D comic book, based on a long-form 1988 video, was published …
July 15, 2009
Kiwi Crowd
So here I was, walking the Gaslamp one night, minding my business, when this dude thrusts a flyer in my hand. “Burger, fries, and draft beer, $5,” it says. Wow. And that’s just the first …
July 15, 2009
Platinum Equity sued for sexual conduct
There is no question that executives at Platinum Equity won’t back down from a fight. The Beverly Hills–based buyout firm, which is willing to purchase sick companies in ailing industries, this spring bought the Union-Tribune …
July 15, 2009
Horizon Coast Chapel
The front of Horizon Coast Chapel’s worship booklet doesn’t read “Horizon Coast Chapel”; it reads “Church in Mission Beach.” Yes, yes, this allows them to highlight the word “Mission” in red — fitting for a …
July 15, 2009
This Is Getting Interesting
As Wednesday’s morning sun rose over El Cajon’s In-N-Out Burger, Lance Armstrong is holding third place with 11 stages to go in the 2009 Tour de France. For those who don’t follow professional biking (and …
July 15, 2009
June's Most Downloaded: "mikelewismusic"
Mike Lewis’s “mikelewismusic” was the most downloaded MP3 from SDReader.com during the month of June. Below is an interview with the musician. You’ve got an interesting, wistful sound at work on this track. What instruments …
July 15, 2009
Rave Wrecked
DJ/promoter James Reynolds thought he had found the perfect place to throw a rave. According to the drum-and-bass DJ who goes by the name DJ Rabid, his May 16 party called Shipwrecked “…was the most …
July 15, 2009
Something to Smile About
Mahsa graduated from La Costa Canyon this year, and her mom threw a party for her at a pizzeria in Encinitas. I showed up late and there was only one place to sit, next to …