Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
Want to Play the Credit Scoring Game?
Remember, though, that the variables work in strange ways. If you have a credit card with a large credit line (say $30,000.00), which they give you because of your good credit in the first place, then only charge maybe a couple thousand and pay it off every month, this can also drag your score down, as you have the potential to accrue a substantial amount of debt if you choose. Requesting that your credit line be reduced also has a negative impact on your scores. Some factors used to determine FICO scores make little sense. It really should be based on your history of making your payments on time, but they use risk-assessment factors in their determinations.— May 25, 2010 9:49 a.m.
The Doctor Is In
Dear Grasca: The presence of an unauthorized feline is indeed disturbing and the ensuing fury you refer to was the result of your feline's territory being encroached upon by an aggressive gato who displayed no signs of being run off in its quest for kibble. I am happy to hear that no evidence of a ruckus was found, but one is most likely inevitable if blanco gato is allowed access to your property without fear of repercussion. While it may just be curiosity on the part of blanco and upon the discovery of the lack of morsels he may just lose interest, there is still the possibility of his trying to establish dominance over your feline. Therefore, I suggest the following: Check with your neighbors to see if someone claims ownership of said blanco gato. If no one steps forward, you must stand vigil for the next few evenings to see if the presence of blanco is to become a regular occurrence. In the event blanco makes his presence known, you must keep a spray bottle of water handy and be sure to use it, at the same time encouraging the interloper to scat in a manner slightly more amplified than normal speech (we do not want to appear undignified and resort to "yelling"). I would employ this method only after establishing that blanco is unapproachable and non-responsive to the prospect of being petted. After a few days of this, he should feel threatened enough by your presence to have the good sense to choose another deck upon which to trespass. That said, being partial to all felines, indigent or otherwise, I feel for the poor fellow if indeed he is a stray. You could take it upon yourself to establish his residency or lack thereof and retain the services of a humane trap at the local animal control. They will make sure he is disease free and up to date on his shots, and you can request that if no one claim him you will be responsible for his relinquishment, although I would hope this drastic measure not be necessary, as someone from the neighborhood will claim ownership. We here at Cat Prancy would be very anxious to know the outcome, so please keep us informed of your progress with blanco gato. There are no bad gatos, only bad owners.— May 25, 2010 9:22 a.m.
The Doctor Is In
Dear Grasca: Felines are far superior in the practice of yoga than their human companions. Their non-competitive nature make them ideal practitioners. Jennifer was astute in her suggestion of companion yoga. The combination of Cativan and yoga will hopefully bring the puppy-induced stress to a more managable level for you both.— May 24, 2010 6:54 p.m.
The Doctor Is In
Dear Grasca: Your feline is already well-traveled, what with daily changes of locale from chair to bed to sunny deck. The doctor/patient relationship, as you have mentioned, is confidential, and although you are the legal representative of your feline, you cannot be privy to the content of her therapy sessions. I applaud her for seeking the services of a professional, as puppies do indeed induce anxiety with their appearance (something about all that tail-wagging and relieving of oneself on carpets). But mine is an equal-opportunity advice column, and I invite all who have seemingly unresolvable complications in their lives to reap the benefit of my experience. That said, I have contacted Jennifer (Dr. Melfi) on your feline's behalf, and she has called in a prescription for Cativan to the Rite-Aid on Sunset Cliffs Blvd., this indeed being the proper drug to treat puppy-induced anxiety.— May 24, 2010 4:49 p.m.
The Doctor Is In
Dear Surfpuppy: I believe you would make a splendid advice columnist for The Reader, given your propensity for bluntness. Survival of said advice would be the responsibility of ones on the receiving end, eliminating those of thin skin and weak nature.— May 24, 2010 3:29 p.m.
The Doctor Is In
Dear Grasca: It is not unusual for felines to go into a human-funded witness protection program to shield themselves and their children from past "indescretions". It sounds as if she has made the adjustment with better-than-average results. The need for papers of a dubious nature should be unnecessary, as long as no travels to Arizona are impending.— May 24, 2010 3:24 p.m.
The Doctor Is In
Dear Cuddlefish: I appreciate your confidence in my abilities to perform such a task, but The Reader dumped their advice columnist several years back. I have always thought it to be a bad move on their part.— May 24, 2010 12:42 p.m.
The Doctor Is In
Dear Grasca: Dr. Melfi is an esteemed colleague and close confidant. It is no breach to say that she of the great legs confessed to me as her friend the reciprocal nature of Mr. Soprano's interest in her, but that her ethics ran too deep to act upon it. Should your feline ever divulge her mysterious past, I would be interested in interviewing her, but I can say with utmost certainty that confessions of a feline nature are typically taken to the grave.— May 24, 2010 11:30 a.m.
The Doctor Is In
Dear Grasca: Apology graciously accepted. Your feline appears to be a charming lady well-versed in social graces. With regard to breath, I must re-post a previous caller's request pertaining to same and my response: "Next Caller: Dr. Peanut, my co-worker has terrible breath. How do I tell him without hurting his feelings? Dr. Peanut: You’re asking me? Cats eat fish then lick their butts. I’m afraid breath is not an issue for us." There is a tuna-flavored feline toothpaste that you can purchase, but I am afraid this defeats your purpose, which is to eradicate feline breath issues, but I can assure you, none exists, as felines are stellar examples of fasitidiously clean habits. To even mention the potential for such to your feline may make you a second candidate for afore mentioned widowhood.— May 24, 2010 10:23 a.m.
The Doctor Is In
Dear Quillpena: I will take that as a compliment and also add that the feeling is quite mutual.— May 24, 2010 8:24 a.m.