I was living in Seattle [in 2005], across the street from the Space Needle...in the shadow of the Space Needle, really — no sunlight, and rain to boot; it made me want to sleep a …

Thirty Years AgoMany years before For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf appeared at San Diego’s Fox Theatre, a little black girl named Paulette Williams lived in Trenton, New Jersey. …

Thirty Years Ago FREDDIE FREAK. Didn’t you believe me when I said I met Eddie at Parkway Plaza? If I didn’t I got the next best thing. Eddie Freak. HECKLE JECKLE: Love to. Meet me …

My slang word comes from my quest to swear less. I know that it’s kind of an old word, but I say, “snap.” I say it whenever I’m surprised or shocked or exclaiming about something. …

Thirty Years AgoMoving through the shadows along Fourth Avenue is a man who appears to be another holdover from last night’s revelry. But as he draws nearer, the yellow light from the Cabrillo Theater reveals …

Mary Lynn Price, Underwater Videographer One of the aspects of underwater imaging that most appeals to me is the rhythm and motion of the underwater world — it’s like music. Two DVDs that have really …

I use the word “booty“ for almost everything. I started saying it about six months ago. I think I heard a friend say it or something. I don’t remember. Anyway, I thought it sounded fun …

Thirty Years AgoMao Tse-tung, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, will be dead exactly two years September 9. The only major confrontation the Mao Memorial Committee has had was with another communist group — the …

As a recovering stand-up comic, I have had the opportunity to open for many national acts. Sadly, this is more a reflection of a concert promoter’s frugality than an indication of my amazing comedic talents. …

Thirty Years Ago“I came across polyethylene foam in the 1960s,” he told me recently. “But it took a long time to turn it into something that could he used to ride waves. You could say …

Thirty Years Ago Josephine Scripps, probably the most eccentric living member of the Scripps clan, was coming out of the Natural History Museum one night when she spotted a garbage can of seashells discarded by …

She was breaking up with me for something that was not my fault, punishing me for something for which I had no control: a tragedy, an act of God. She had had a miscarriage. The …

Victor LarucciaManaging director and board member, San Diego Italian Film Festival The 2008 San Diego Italian Film Festival is dedicated to beloved artist Italo Scanga, who brought to San Diego and to his art the …

Thirty Years AgoThree weeks ago The Unhappy Gays — the 12th book written by Reverend Tim LaHaye, president of Christian Heritage College in El Cajon — was released in religious bookstores across the country. LaHaye, …

My slang word is “cinemuck,” which is the stuff on the ground of the movie theaters. All the popcorn and sodas and gross candy and stuff that sticks to your feet. Cinemuck is the word …

Thirty Years AgoLocal homeowners and their families know all about the prestige of living near the foot of Nautilus Street. Here is the spot where you catch the best waves — a spot out beyond …

Since I was “in between” apartments and sleeping on a friend’s couch, I was overjoyed when Steve, a regular at the restaurant I was waitressing at, offered me the sublet of his room for the …

Thirty Years AgoIn ironic contrast, I find the embarrassing effort at achieving intellectualism exhibited by Duncan Shepherd in his film reviews distasteful and a real turn-off. Now, I’m not putting down intellectuals.— LETTERS: “MUNDANE MOURNING,” …

I met Patti LaBelle after a concert in the late ’80s here in San Diego at the Sports Arena. She was playing with Luther Vandross. Her hair was mindblowing: it swept straight up and flared …

My slang word is “sexlexia,” which is pretty much a word for those people that claim that they’re all that in the sack but really don’t know what they’re doing. And “twanky” means that something …

Thirty Years AgoEleanor Widmer’s article about Michael Copley was the most compelling reading to be seen in the Reader in many long months. My congratulations to her for taking a surprising (and apparently long overdue) …

Thirty Years Ago Neddy Massaro’s jail is the best in San Diego. She lives on the tenth floor of the sleek Metropolitan Correctional Center, the federal highrise at F and Union streets in downtown San …

The word that I’m using is “right sized.” A lot of companies have been laying people off; you know, they’re using “right sized” so that you feel that [being laid off]’s a good thing. The …

Thirty Years AgoOne of the most fascinating aspects of interviewing Michael Copley is that despite his best efforts, there exist questions about his past which he has not thought of before, nor has he placed …

Jung-Ho PakArtistic director/conductor, San Diego Chamber Orchestra 2001 is an example of how to execute a brilliant screenplay while still elevating the vision into a more profound work of art. Kubrick’s eye for combining steely …

There are women out there who seem to really understand how dating works. They meet guys everywhere and go out all the time. When you ask them what they did over the weekend, they say, …

Thirty Years AgoOf Big Wednesday I have heard almost nothing good. My sources range from a Warner Brothers studio insider who rather traitorously has nicknamed the movie The Endless Bummer, to an Ocean Beach surfer …

It must be because he just rode his bike here to meet me, I thought. Why else would a twenty-something male who appeared to be in good health be sweating profusely on a cool fall …

I came up with a term because I hate the term “beastly”; I think it doesn’t rhyme off the tongue as well. But “beasty” describes something so gnarly. It’s just, like, anything that is a …

You almost kind of expect to have some bad dates in your twenties. I’ve had my share: Still Living at Home Guy, Always on His Cell Phone Guy, Just Not Ready for a Relationship Guy, …

Thirty Years Ago“Larry was so nice at first,” Mary sighed, recalling the nights she had spent in his warm embrace. “But then he started getting weird. He bought a big German shepherd and brought him …

The Tiki House in Pacific Beach is a very surf-friendly venue. I’ve seen surf bands from around the world tear it up behind the pool table and on the stage built for a one-man band. …

I have an adorable golden retriever named Charlie who was four years old on May 9. I have always said he should be a dodel, which is a dog model. I don’t know if there …

Thirty Years AgoIt grieves me that my first letter to the Reader should be in criticism of my favorite columnist, Eleanor Widmer. In writing about Sheldon’s Restaurant, her comment about “aging waitresses in orthopedic white …

When I first met my roommate, she was a very involved and social person. We were fine for the first year; neither of us was home often, as we kept busy. In the second year, …

Thirty Years AgoIn a little under nine hours Eichberger takes a dead bird from a clear plastic bag, does things to it that would be unspeakable at the dinner table, and ends up with a …

You know how sometimes you’re just kickin’ it at home, wearing a shirt but no pants? That’s called Porky Piggin’ it. If you’ve seen the cartoon Porky Pig, you know he wore a top but …

She sent me an email from work: “I’m bringing some friends over to help me move my stuff out at 6 o’clock. It’ll take a few hours. You probably shouldn’t be there. You can if …

Thirty Years AgoDear Matthew Alice:With the biggest proposition in years coming to the vote June 6, I’m completely bewildered over what could, should, or would happen if Proposition 13 passes.G.A.B.North Park The thunder of debates …

Buttery, is something my friend came up with. It means that you did something with no problems. It’s very slick and smooth, something that gave you no problems. Another expression that I say a lot …

The University of California San Diego has a system regarding on-campus housing for returning sophomores. Toward the end of the spring quarter, all freshman students seeking on-campus housing for the following year are put into …

Dave Koz plays the Gaslamp Jazz Festival this Saturday, May 24 One of the most versatile musicians of the smooth jazz format these days has to be saxophonist Dave Koz. His latest CD, At the …

Thirty Years AgoThe sport survives around here — in Escondido, Solana Beach, Harbison Canyon, La Mesa, San Marcos, and Eden Gardens — but that kind of cockfighting is very secretive and done on a small …

The “suck knob” is a myth I have created with bands, performers, and entertainers. I do sound at bars and events and stuff, and I set up their equipment. I got so sick of being …

“I can see them now! They’re coming over the walls!” Chilling words, made even more frightening by the fact that they were coming from my roommate’s bedroom. Steve had shown up out of the blue …

Thirty Years Ago “Got a bell at Palm and Kettner. Anybody for Palm and Kettner?” The call means someone at that corner has telephoned for a cab. But Taheri, cruising nearby, considers the location of …

I worked with special-education kids for a very long time, and you have to be really careful what you say around them. You can’t cuss or say anything dirty because they will pick it up …

I was scraping by as a line cook in San Francisco in the mid-’80s when my landlord offered me the job of managing a 24-unit apartment building on Pine Street. It sounded like easy money: …

Thirty Years AgoWhen Weird Marvin screams, he means business. He says he once screamed from the top of Mount Helix and a friend over on Mount Miguel heard him. Now Marvin is screaming off Hawley …

Lady BotoxFilm critic, soberingconclusion.com The 2006 re-release of David Lynch’s Dune contains both the extended version that you could previously only see on TV and the original theatrical release. This is an amazing movie staring …