'In the early '90s I had a tongue piercing, before most people knew what they were," says "extreme artist" Scott Nelson. "I would go to bars, take a nail, and nail my tongue to a …

"I grabbed the palm-sized, diamond-studded medallion hanging from a platinum chain around his neck and said, “I see you brought your bling."

When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude. -- G.K. Chesterton "I spare no expense when it comes to my girls," Dad said …

'Bringing a picture of your dog and saying, 'This is my family dog,' is not much of a story," says San Diego Public Library representative Lynn Whitehouse. "But if you bring a picture of your …

"Some people think they're looking at a video and think that it's fake," says Bob Nanz, the San Diego Astronomy Association's North County coordinator. "Especially Saturn, because you can really see the rings. I say, …

I have learned silence from the talkative, tolerance from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strangely, I am ungrateful to these teachers. -- Kahlil Gibran The woman with one dreadlock in her otherwise …

To have another language is to possess a second soul. -- Charlemagne It began as a routine trip to Borders. Once we had arrived at the mega bookstore (or as I sometimes refer to it, …

'Most opportunities [to catch fish] exist in late spring through early fall -- June, July, August, and September," explains Catherine Miller, a representative of the San Diego Sport Fishing Council. "San Diego's glamour fish are …

I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means "put down." -- Bob Newhart I thought he was kidding -- …

'For Iraqis who have been suffering inside Iraq and those who have been violently uprooted, the word 'today' begins in 1963 with the fascist military coup that brought the Baath Party, in which Saddam Hussein …

It was early on a Saturday morning and showering was my only accomplishment thus far. I was digging through a pile of clean laundry, looking for a shirt to throw over my blue jeans and …

'There were three bizarre theories for his disappearance, beyond the possibility that he had met with a tragic accident: That he committed suicide, that he had taken off and started a new life, and that …

It's a pleasant thing to be young, and have ten toes. -- Robert Louis Stevenson I should have taken her someplace nicer. As I parked the car, I tried to remember my motives for bringing …

'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. …

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 …

'Be brutally honest. Look at yourself and see if you look like you could be commercial," says Becky Rash, co-owner of Active Audio and Entertainment. "Ashlee Simpson is a little more regular-looking than her sister …

Remember, our conduct is influenced not by our experience but by our expectations. -- George Bernard Shaw I was 14 the first time I learned there was a party held by one of my friends …

'The bulk of our trails were laid out by the CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps] during the late 1930s, when they tended to install trails similar to how you would put in a roadway," says Michael …

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live. -- Mark Twain This was a bad idea, I thought, guiding the two wheels beneath me in a wobbling maneuver to avoid the cement …

'When people paint it, they stop the dynamic of the adobe. They also seal in moisture -- adobe is wicking moisture up from the ground, destroying their walls, and they can't see the damage," says …

Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale. -- Hans Christian Andersen 'I'm so tired," David said. "It's like I have no energy." His eyelids drooped and his shoulders fell forward; he had dragged his …

'I try to go online as much as possible. I'll log on [to internetchessclub.com ] for a few minutes just to check in -- lots of times it has live games from tournaments being played …

Providence protects children and idiots. I know because I have tested it. -- Mark Twain I stood by the door and waited for Jane. "Come on, Bella, we're going for a walk! Want to wear …

'The general rule has been that no one can kill off somebody else's character without their permission. Everything I do is owned by George Lucas, so technically [Lucas Films doesn't] need our permission to do …

I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their own happiness or satisfaction. -- Dalai Lama 'I need your advice," I said. Jennifer and Grace …

'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 …

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, …

He couldn't have been more than five feet tall. I guessed him to be around 50, taking into account that Asian men often look much younger than they are. The music began, a flattened sound …

'Frank Gormlie started the [Ocean Beach Grassroots Organization], and his original mission statement was, 'We're eternally democratic, activist oriented, and we are for the protection of the environment, human rights, labor rights, civil rights, diversity, …

She's lookin' for a prize, man you killin' me/Actin' like you don't see the dollar signs in her eyes/She wants her nails done, and her hair, too/Plus a diamond necklace, that's all on you. -- …

'Once you take a cannon off of land and put it on a vessel on the water, it becomes a gun. The Californian has six-pound long guns. We also have a swivel gun. Our enemy …

Identity would seem to be the garment with which one covers the nakedness of the self, in which case, it is best that the garment be loose, a little like the robes of the desert, …

'Unfortunately, the West Nile virus decomposes rapidly. We have about a 24-hour window to get the bird in here and get it tested," says supervising vector ecologist for the County of San Diego Vector Control …

Skiing: I do not participate in any sport with ambulances at the bottom of the hill. -- Erma Bombeck The sunlight glinting off the crystalline snow was painfully bright. I traded my rectangular black and …

'One way to discover reality is through science. Another way is through philosophy. Both are complementary to one another, not oppositional," says Thom Pham, cofounder of the San Diego Philosophy Reading Group. "We [approach philosophy …

The robb'd that smiles, steals something from the thief. -- William Shakespeare 'How could they not feel guilty with all of our pictures here? I mean, we were basically staring at them as they did …

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. -- Mahatma Gandhi 'We live like kings," Dad said. The last pill from the colorful assortment in his hand disappeared …

'Even though the animal was dead, it was a real encounter to know there was a [mountain] lion there, to know this is where it fed on this animal," says Deborah Knapp, manager of the …

I feel like I have a hangover, without all the happy memories and mystery bruises. -- Ellen DeGeneres David groans in anguish. "I'm old enough to know better," he sighs, dragging the last syllable, eeerrrrrr, …

'Everybody has a different style and technique for how they sharpen their knives," says Jeff Thurston, executive chef at the Prado in Balboa Park. For hard German steel knives like Wüsthof or Henckels (brands used …

She's proved herself enough. It's not like she's looked at as a female on track. She's just another driver and a very good one at that. -- Dan Wheldon I reluctantly shed the warm comforter …

'I had new knees and my wife got new hips. One of the things that is really bad about the recuperative process is that we couldn't really handle a hike," says volunteer trail guide Henry …

The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease. -- Voltaire I shivered with cold, or was it nervousness? Every object in the dark room was bathed in the red …

Museo de las Californias, a permanent installation at the Tijuana Cultural Center depicting the history of the Baja California peninsula, leads museumgoers on a regional time-trek beginning 73 million years ago and ending in 1935. …

Children have neither a past nor a future. Thus they enjoy the present -- which seldom happens to us. -- Jean de La Bruyere 'David seems tense," said Ollie. I waited for him to collect …

'They [the whale watchers] sign a waiver. Then we get them in their wetsuits and booties, give them a paddle and a lifejacket, and head outside for a brief paddle instruction and safety talk," says …

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all. -- Stanley Horowitz I woke up to the sound of rain drumming on the cedar shingles and …

'I took self-defense classes, so I had had some of the same training. When I saw my first ultimate fighting championship, I was like, 'Wow, I know that move!' and I got hooked. This was …

Silly is you in a natural state, and serious is something you have to do until you can get silly again. -- Mike Myers "Don't do it," I warned. "Don't do what ?" "Don't play …

'The disadvantage of selling hydroponics equipment is that everyone thinks that everyone buying this equipment is growing pot," says Bill Tall, owner of City Farmers Nursery. On Saturday, December 3, City Farmers Nursery is offering …