Pacific San Diego Magazine, October 2011 issue by Pacific San Diego Magazine

SAN DIEGO’S WHERE, WHEN AND WOW!

BRAND DIEGO 9 Local Products with International Appeal

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OCTOBER 2011

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A 21 & UP ESTABLISHMENT 8

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What better way to celebrate this business issue of PacificSD than to take the rest of the day off? I’m outta here. Who’s with me? David Perloff, Editor-In-Chief

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staff

VOL.5

ISSUE 10

OCTOBER 2011

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

David Perloff PUBLISHERS

David Perloff Simone Perloff EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Pat Sherman

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Kenny Boyer

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Brevin Blach

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

PHOTOGRAPHERS

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING

Brandon Hernández Jennifer Fox Armour Amanda Daniels Brandon Hernández Catharine L. Kaufman David Moye David Nelson John Parker Christine Pasalo Cookie “Chainsaw” Randolph Frank Sabatini Jr. Rebekah Sager Jennifer Fox Armour John Audley John Mireles Greg Ronlov

Dana Schroedl dana@pacificsandiego.com

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Alyson C Baker alyson@pacificsandiego.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Tim Donnelly tim@pacificsandiego.com Brad Weber brad@pacificsandiego.com

INTERNS

Patricia Dwyer Seannen Sainz

Reach 150,000 of America’s Finest (and sexiest) readers via print, web and social media. Read, click, connect...BOOM! 619.296.6300 pacificsandiego.com, facebook.com/pacificsd Twitter @pacificsd 12

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P A C I F I C S D

Boo? Yah! Win a three-

dementianal Halloween

If death is becoming to you, you should becoming to these ghastly events, brought to you in small part by PacificSD. (Big part if you win the tickets. Booyah!) Scan below to add yourself to the PacificSD email list. We’ll send you event and insider info, and you might even win a pair of tickets to each of these three events. For details and to get into the spirit of Halloween, read below while channeling the lovable and lisping Mike Tyson. (Dim lights, tune Pandora to “spooky” and read in Count Chocula voice for best results.) Ith a thnap! Juth thign up for the Pathific email lith. Then, croth your fingerth that you win the ticketh. Ith really juth that eathy. You can altho check uth on faithbook. Happy Halloween, everybody! Ith gonna be thcary! Don’t forget to thcan to thign up.

deadmau5 Meowingtons Hax Tour (Petco Park) Friday, October 28 Tickets: $91 - $171 mylifeeveryday.com, livenation.com (See story, page 77) Hard Rock Hotel San Diego Saturday, October 29 3 floors + 5 venues + 12 DJs = 1 hell of a party! hrhsdhalloween.com (See ad, pages 18-19) Eighth Annual Halloween Ball at The Prado Monday, October 31 Presented by DJhere Productions djhere.com (See ad, page 89)

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

P R O M O T I O N

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Brand Diego Products of our own environment

CASHING IN

San Diego investors write personal checks to propel local entrepreneurs

Photography by Brevin Blach On the cover: WD-40, wd40.com This page: Model 614ce, by Taylor Guitar, taylorguitars.com.

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

pa c i f i c s d

DE PARTMENTS CURRENTS

GROOVE

25 Spaced Outing East County’s UFO-affirming spiritualists to celebrate ‘Conclave of Light’

78 Just For Show Watch the music happen

28 Know Fear Help yourself to these Halloweeny haunts

78 Sound Advice New CD reviews

32 GoreClosure ‘Bloody Mary’ further distresses local real estate with ongoing paranormal activity

81 Scare Waves Goth-loving 91X DJ still Robin the vaults after 20 years

34 Couture SHOCK Fabulous fashionista is sew going to give San Diego’s sartorial scene a jolt

82 Acing the Bar New book helps budding bartenders rise to the head of the glass

38 How Do I Loathe Thee Sport-hate, not to be confused with genuine hate

DATE

40 Time for a Change Cool lighting trends for when daylight savings ends

CALENDAR

44 A-Hem! Local designers command attention at New York Fashion Week

ABOUT FACE

65 Cooking, the Books Should aspiring chefs study first or sauté without delay? 70 Taste Test Chefs face off to combat domestic violence 74 What’s Shakin’ Ice cream-based cocktails have patrons grasping for straws in Encinitas

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87 PLACE OF HEARTS Betting on love at Sycuan Casino 94 Ten.Eleven October event listings 98 Suit Case For one of the nation’s most iconic mascots, it’s always Halloween

J oseph A nthon y B a k er

TASTE

pa c i f i c s d

Mau5 in da House Mega DJ brings mindmelting stage production to Petco Park

26 Something Fishy A USO (unidentified swimming object) spooks San Diego surfers, swimmers

48 Work It Health and fitness tips for mouse potatoes and other still lifes

10.11

The Absurdity of of Unreasonable Reasoning (acrylic, spray paint and pencil) by Eric Wixon

THE BEST SAILORS. THE FASTEST BOATS.

COMING TO THE SAN DIEGO BAY San Diego is the third stop in the inaugural America’s Cup World Series (AC World Series), which will take place November 12-20, 2011 and feature both fleet and match racing. Current plans call to hold racing within San Diego Bay, with the start/finish line just off Navy and Broadway Piers and spectator access along numerous points on the waterfront including Harbor Island and Harbor Drive. The regatta will give the public an opportunity to watch the world’s top sailors compete in the state-of-the-art AC45 wing-sailed catamarans, which will be the first time the high-tech boats will be raced in the U.S.A.

facebook.com/americascup

twitter.com/34thAC

youtube.com/americascup

SAN DIEGO NOVEMBER 12 – 20

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The Unarius trumpeters add fanfare and pizzazz to interplanetary proceedings.

S p a c e d OUTING

East County’s UFO-affirming spiritualists to celebrate ‘Conclave of Light’ Interplanetary Conclave of Light WHEN: Oct. 15-16 (Oct. 15 open house, 1 to 5 p.m., includes parade, dove release and performance by the Unarius Choraleers) WHERE: 145 S. Magnolia, El Cajon WHY: Hard to say INFO: unarius.org

B y D a v i d M o y e • P h o t o s b y GREG RON L OV

While Halloween is this month’s big shindig for Earthlings, other extraterrestrial life forms will be celebrating the Interplanetary Conclave of Light, a two-day event held around the universe on as-yet undiscovered planets like Vixall, Deva and Myton. (Continued on page 26) Oh, and also here in El Cajon. pacificsandiego.com

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Fishy A USO (unidentified swimming object) spooks San Diego surfers, swimmers

(Continued from page 25)

The Unarius Academy of Science’s 1970 “Space Cadillac” appears at parades across the country. Unarius cofounder Ruth Norman added the saucer in 1978 to promote the Academy’s film, “The Arrival.”

Earth’s version of the occurrence, observed by East County’s space alien-loving Unarians, supposedly denotes this planet’s induction into the Interplanetary Conclave, a sort of United Nations of the cosmos. The event, to be held October 15 and 16 at the Unarius Academy of Science (the Unarians’ cosmic compound) includes trumpeters (or “choraleers”) in Mad Men-esque space uniforms, a dove release, a “parade of planets” and the kind of celestially-attuned peeps your grandma’s hairdresser would have on speed-dial. Depending on your beliefs, the Unarius Academy in El Cajon could be the epicenter of human-E.T. contact, or just a storefront filled with DayGlo spaceship paintings, plastic Venus de Milo’s and Astroturf carpet. The group was most active in the 1970s and ’80s when one of its cofounders, Dr. Ruth Norman (think river-boat queen loses fight with crate of magic markers), made a splash on national TV, touting the benefits of past-life role-playing. Norman died—oops—“transitioned” in 1994, yet the Unarians trudge along, still waiting for the arrival of 33 spaceships in Jamul, east of El Cajon. Compared to previous Conclaves held in Balboa Park, “We won’t get as many tourists,” laments Unarius spokeswoman Tracey Kennedy.

Birds of a Feather MEET LA JOLLA WOMEN WHO ENJOY BEING alienated The Unarians are the region’s longestsurviving UFO-subscribing group, but they are not alone. La Jolla resident Nadine Gary is a priestess in the Raelian Movement, an atheistic religion that believes life on Earth was created scientifically, thanks to DNA synthesis and genetic engineering by an advanced extraterrestrial human civilization called the “Elohim,” a Hebrew word used in the Bible that some believe means those who came from the sky. “The Elohim would like us to understand that they are not gods, just human beings from space,” Gary says. “They would like us to comprehend that there is no god in the infinity of the universe.” These days, much of Gary’s time is spent working on an offshoot group, gotopless.org, which is trying to overturn laws that prevent women from going 26

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topless on the beach (because, if women’s bodies were created by Priestess Nadine Gary space geniuses, then covering them up would be an affront to their work). La Jolla-based artist Eve Featherstone says she’s been channeling E.T.s for the past two years, including a reptilian alien who also communicates with Lady Gaga. “I had to get rid of him,” she says. “Too intense.” In the process of chanelling aliens’ messages into her art, Featherstone says she’s learned plenty. “I learned that my breasts are a portal of universal unconditional love and should be available to whoever, whenever,” she says. rael.org

n August 25, near lifeguard tower 15 in Mission Beach, eyewitnesses described seeing a 15-inch dorsal fin protruding from the ocean about 100 yards offshore, suggesting there may have been a 10- to 15foot great white shark in the area. Lifeguards cleared the water and closed a two-mile stretch of ocean to swimmers while shark-patrolling helicopters circled overhead. The next day, what was believed to be the same shark was seen again, resulting in another closure. Less than a week later, a 12inch dorsal fin sighting in La Jolla closed waters for 24 hours and prompted the San Diego Police Department to scramble one of its helicopters for a recon mission. Then, on September 1, a man on the beach captured a photograph of

what appeared to be another giant shark, this one in the waves near surfers at Swami’s, in Encinitas. “It’s possible all these sightings were of the same shark,” says Nick Wegner, a shark expert at Scripps Institute of Oceanography. “Lifeguards are trained and if they say it looked like a great white shark, it probably was. However, the only picture I saw... looked like a dolphin.” According to Wegner, only two shark-related fatalities have been reported in San Diego County, one in La Jolla in 1959, the other in Solana Beach in 2008. “If you are attacked by a shark,” he says, “the best thing to do is gouge its eyeballs or gills or, better yet, get out of the water immediately.” Or just swim faster than the guy next to you. —David Moye

Oct. 1–Oct. 31

One Glass. One Roll. One Hope. $15 ONEHOPE & Pink Roll Special One Glass of ONEHOPE California Chardonnay & One Signature Pink Roll

During the month of October, RA Sushi will donate 100% of the profits from the sale of this special to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (NBCF), whose mission is to save lives through early detection and to provide mammograms for those in need.

65,/67, PZ H *HSPMVYUPH ^PUL JVTWHU` [OH[ KVUH[LZ WLYJLU[ VM P[Z WYVÄ[Z [V WHY[ULY UVUWYVÄ[Z that support six distinct causes. These causes are breast cancer awareness (National Breast Cancer Foundation), AIDS research and services (AIDS/LifeCycle), Autism research and services (ACT Today!), preservation and protection of US forests (American Forest Foundation), support for the families of fallen US soldiers (Snowball Express), and children facing injury and disease (Children’s Hospitals).

SAN DIEGO 474 BROADWAY

619.321.0021 RASUSHI.COM

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Haunted Hotel

Know Fear

Help yourself to these Halloweeny haunts, served up with gore galore, a slice of death and a splash of afterlife. Bone appétit! By Amanda Daniels

Ghost hunting at the Whaley House Blood money: $50 Maritza (who goes by just the one name) is cofounder of the San Diego Ghost Hunters, which, according to the firm’s website, is “an intimate team of paranormal investigators that specializes in assisting historical landmarks’ owners discover or confirm occupants and events that have passed from our mortal plane but still exist in spirit form.” From 10:30 p.m. until midnight on October 21, 22 and 26, Maritza and her spirit-chasing team of volunteers invite fearless members of the public to join them for some good, old-fashioned ghost hunting at San Diego’s historic Whaley House, once the site of public hangings. Bring cameras, voice recorders—and a change of shorts in case you find a real ghost. “They stare straight back at you if you catch them in the mirror,” Maritza says (perhaps wondering why the ghosts in the mirror often look just like her). 2476 San Diego Ave., Old Town 619.297.7511, whaleyhouse.org, sandiegoghosthunters.com Scream Zone Del Mar Blood money: $14.99 (single haunt); $18.99 (double); $27.99 (three-way) Haunted since 1998, Scream Zone offers a three-pronged axis of terror, curdling blood with the Haunted Hayride, the House of Horror and a spinning tunnel called The Chamber. Del Mar Fairgrounds, thescreamzone.com The Haunted Hotel Blood money: $15-$27 What ghost up must come down the Haunted Hotel’s Hellevator to a basement of unspeakable horrors inspired by the movies Legion, Shutter Island and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Zombie attacks and deadly virus outbreaks included. 424 Market St., Gaslamp hauntedhotel.com

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

Scream Zone Del Mar

Haunted Trail Blood Money: $15-$32 Try to survive the bloodthirsty serial killers lurking behind trees along this terrorizing, mile-long outdoor course, then fight for your life in “The eXperiment,” a maze that can trap you for eternity among the terrifying freaks that come out at night. 6th Ave. and Juniper St., Balboa Park hauntedtrail.net Haunted San Diego Ghost Tours Blood money: $35 Visit San Diego’s creepiest haunts on a two-hour storytelling tour through the Gaslamp, Sherman Heights and Old Town. The walking/bus misadventure forces ticket-buying victims to join the walking dead at a haunted graveyard and some of the city’s oldest, most ghostinfested buildings. Departs from Best Western Plus Hacienda Hotel, 4041 Harney St., Old Town hauntedsandiegotours.com Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Mariachi bands, ballet folklorico dancers and the Siempre Car Club—showcasing traditional altars in the trunks of their lowriders—transform O’side’s Mission San Luis Rey into a death zone, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. October 30. 4050 Mission Ave., Oceanside mslrdiadelosmuertos.com (Continued on page 30)

dinner is swerved

playful dining, elegant DJsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;soak in the AIRR (20 feet above the Gaslamp)

AIRR Time (Wed - Sat, 5 - 7 p.m.)

$4 signature sous vide (cryovac-infused) cocktails $4 Wagyu beef sliders, $4 rock shrimp risotto A portion of October AIRR Time proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure San Diego

SUPPER CLUB

526 MARKET ST., SAN DIEGO, CA 92101

P. 619-546-8306

NIGHT CLUB

F. 619-546-8309

INFO@AIRR.US

WWW.AIRR.US

currents (Continued from page 28)

C O O LT U R E “Theothanatos XIILegend” (oil on canvas) by David Gough

Art After Dark Death

Oct. 28, 7-10 p.m. Get your ghoulish rocks off while celebrating death and the dark artists whose work depicts it at Oceanside Museum of Art’s Halloween-themed costume contest and gallery event, October 28, combining DJ beats with the museum’s latest exhibit, “Memento Mori: Remember Your Mortality.” (Tickets are $25; exhibit on display Oct. 15 – 30.) 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside oma-online.org —Patricia Dwyer

marrow me We’re not talking necrophilia here, just some Day of the Dead awesomeness. New Mexican artist John De Jesus demonstrates his appreciation for the holiday through his woodcarvings of curvaceous skeletal ladies. His vibrant wooden vignettes will be on display October 15 through November 15 at Alexandar Salazar Fine Art. 640 Broadway, downtown alexandersalzarfineart.com —Patricia Dwyer

“Sonja” by John De Jesus

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GORECLOSURE ‘Bloody Mary’ further distresses local real estate with ongoing paranormal activity

he recent power outage had many of us fumbling in the dark. But things have been going bump in the night around San Diego in a big way since 2009, when the locally produced, no-budget, shot-on-video horror feature Paranormal Activity scared up tens of millions in ticket sales following two years on the film festival circuit. After conjuring a similar box-office boo!-nanza a year ago with the pricier, Carlsbad-set prequel Paranormal Activity 2, Paramount Pictures—the major Hollywood studio that has built a franchise on this pissed-offpoltergeist saga—is set to unleash the third film in the series October 21. So what’s new this ghost-round? Good luck squeezing more than a hint from anyone associated with the secretive project. Based on the trailer that debuted here at Comic-Con in July, it appears that Paranormal Activity 3 will serve up more back-story on its possessed female lead, Katie. Meanwhile, the childhood legend of Bloody Mary—a gory female apparition said to be summoned by repeating her name in front of a mirror—crashes the suburban spook party and presumably will help explain the tale’s evil origins. With Paramount’s creep-out cash cow entrusted to directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (the duo behind last year’s controversial “reality thriller” Catfish), the filmmakers have worked like demons to ensure that Paranormal Activity 3 won’t be a yawn of the dead. “The challenge we are dealing with is to create the same kind of dreaded feeling of terror and horror, while at the same time also (delivering) something fresh, different and unique,” said the first movie’s director and series producer, Oren Peli, to Bloody-Disgusting com. “(I am) hoping fans will be pleasantly pleased.” If Paranormal falls short, movie-goers may have to channel Bloody Mary in a bar glass. —Henry Chang

By Amanda Daniels

Thrill-O-Rama: Birch North Park Theatre will screen a marathon of ghastly retro horror flicks— The Fog, Burnt Offerings, Eyes of Laura Mars, Dressed to Kill, Black Christmas and the Italian masterpiece, Suspiria—from noon to midnight, Saturday, October 8. Admission is $5 per film or $20 for all six. 2891 University Ave., North Park birchnorthparktheatre.net, filmoutsandiego.com Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Before Drew Barrymore made her bloodcurdling comeback in Scream, granddad John Barrymore made the ladies scream as the lascivious monster, Mr. Hyde. His 1920 silent classic, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, will be brought back to life with spooky sound effects by the Teeny-Tiny Pit Orchestra during a free screening/ performance at 7 p.m. October 31 at UCSD’s Theodore Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) Library. 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla calendar.ucsd.edu (search: Jekyll) Rocky Horror Show: Experience the “Time Warp,” live at the Old Globe Theatre, in Balboa Park. Strange things happen when cleancut suburbanites Brad and Janet get caught with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and are forced to seek help from a devilishly charming, sexually adventurous transvestite, Dr. Frank ‘N’ Furter. Tickets: $29-$70; show runs through November 6. theoldglobe.org

halloween weekend oct. 28 - 31

Once upon a time ...with a twist

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COUTURE shock

fabulous fashionista to give San Diego SARTORIAL scene a jolt

By Rebekah Sager

Here in the land of surf, sun and Sea World, high fashion takes a back seat to board shorts and flip-flops (or skinny jeans and plaid shirts, depending on where you hang out). But a one-time craps dealer is betting on more stylish times to come. “I’m determined to change the way people see art and fashion in San Diego,” says Antoinette Love Ransom, who now works as a (actually, the first and only African American woman) pit boss at Valley View Casino in Valley Center. “I want to help this city become an international fashion capital.” On October 22, Ransom will assault San Diego’s senses with Exhibit Ambush, an immersive “multi-sensory” fashion, art and music experience at the Horton Plaza Event Center, downtown. In a space designed to look like an underground subway station, the event will showcase the work of 10 emerging fashion designers, including Ransom and her clothing line, LoveNote. The event, which will feature more than a dozen visual artists, DJs and body painters, will be hosted by Yara Sofia, a contestant from the hit reality TV show, (Continued on page 36)

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

C atharine A sano v

Kar l a T icas

LEFT: Exhibit Ambush creator, Antoinette Love Ransom. RIGHT: Dress by Suzzette Baltazar for Love Material Girl.

DON’T DREAM IT... SEE IT!

THIS

CEL OCTOBER HAL EBRAT L E WITH A OWEEN COC

The musical that became a movie and started a 35-year nonstop cultural phenomenon is back where it is meant to be seen—live on stage! A sexy, wild, funny, tongue-in-cheek interactive time warp through a kaleidoscope of camp with a musical score that has become iconic—one show-stopper after another! Scan with your smartphone for more information about this production.

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES

LIVE ON STAGE! NOW - NOV. 6 BROADWAY’S BEST AND SAN DIEGO’S FINEST

(619) 23-GLOBE www.TheOldGlobe.org

The cast of Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show. Photo by Henry DiRocco.

‘ROC KTAIL AT HOR KY ROR ’

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RuPaul’s Drag Race (season 3). Before she was into fashion, Ransom performed as a hip-hop dancer alongside the likes of Brian McKnight, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Missy Elliot, but her dancing career ended when she arrived in L.A. “Music video dancers were replaced by sexy, booty-shaking non-dancers,” Ransom says. “That was not for me.” Instead, she opted to follow her dream of becoming a fashion designer. “I didn’t know how to sew, make patterns, or sketch, though,” she says, “so I went to the Art Institute in Hollywood and worked on getting my BFA in costume design.” It was a match made in heaven. “Before Gaga wore meat, I created a swimsuit out of fruits and veggies,” Ransom says. “Tyra Banks’ mom heard about it and got me an internship on Tyra Banks’ (then) new experimental talk show.” When production of Project Runway moved to New York, Ransom moved across town to work with IMG Entertainment, which oversaw production of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Los Angeles. Exhibit Ambush seems to be a conglomeration of all the excitement Ransom has seen and created, blending facets of fashion with music, dance and art. “I’m pushing the designers to challenge themselves. I’m liberating them,” Ransom says. “I beat ovarian cancer and I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do. Today, Exhibit Ambush. Tomorrow, San Diego Fashion Week.” 36

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CLOCKWISE (from left): Exhibit Ambush’s celebrity host, Yara Sofia; screenprinted T-shirt and tights ensemble by Antoinette Love Ransom; recycled plastic dress by Annalynn Luu; “Garden Goddess with Wooden Wings” by Whitney Francis; menswear by Nico Stanzione, owner of Stile Italiano in Hillcrest. (Photography by Catharine Asanov)

Exhibit Ambush fashion show WHEN: October 22, 7-11 p.m. WHERE: Horton Plaza Event Center, downtown TICKETS: $25 general admission; $75 VIP INFO: ambushevents.com

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chainsaw ...I sporthate Y ankees third baseman A lex R odriguez . Y et, do I genuinely care that he took steroids , cheated on his wife . . . or was seen at the S uper B owl being hand - fed popcorn by C ameron D iaz ?

COOKIE “ C H AINSAW ” RANDOL P H

San Diegans who sport-hate Cookie “Chainsaw” Randolph don’t listen to him weekday mornings on The Dave, Shelly & Chainsaw Show at 100.7 JACK-fm.

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

HOW DO I LOATHE THEE? Sport-hate, not to be confused with genuine hate B y COOKIE “ CHAINSAW ” RANDO L P H

ver been watching a game on TV when a particular athlete comes on and you find yourself saying, “I hate that guy”? I contend you don’t genuinely hate that guy. But you definitely “sport-hate” him. Genuine hate is reserved for people like the bully who used to beat you up in school, and because you haven’t had the opportunity to pity what an incredibly pathetic douchebag he grew up to be, you still hate him. Or the dictator, terrorist or A-hole that wipes out a busload of innocent civilians and then offs himself (note to that type: off yourself first). Granted, we sports fans acknowledge the systemic hate in the European soccer culture, where fights between hooligans of rival teams are set up before and after matches at locations away from stadiums to avoid arrests; and random, preexisting hate looking for an outlet, such as the coma-inducing fan attack during the Dodgers/Giants opening day game; or the wide-spread mayhem at the Raiders/49ers preseason game this past summer. My brand of sport-hate is strictly verbal, non-violent. Harmless, except to the ears of a girlfriend/wife trying to watch Glee on the DVR in the other room. Example: I sport-hate Yankees

third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Yet, do I genuinely care that he took steroids, cheated on his wife, has a painting of himself as a centaur above his bed, kissed himself in the mirror for a Details magazine photo or was seen at the Super Bowl being hand-fed popcorn by Cameron Diaz? No, not really. Certainly not in the way that I care about my family, my job or the way the light shines off my ever-expanding forehead. I don’t even hate the Yankees, even though they swept “us” in the ’98 World Series. But I totally sport-hate A-Rod, and, admittedly, it’s not rational. The other day I was listing off all the reasons why I sport-hate A-Rod and actually said out loud, “I don’t like him, and he’s an ass”—as if those qualified as reasons. Very mature. This is all a sobering reminder that “fan” is short-form for “fanatic,” synonymous with insane, lunatic, demented, deranged and Michele Bachmann. But I’m usually not sober when I’m watching sports anyway, so screw that reminder. Without further ado, I present a partial list of athletes I sport-hate, and the irrational reasons why: Tiger Woods: He’s mean to trees: first with his Escalade, and now with an endless barrage of errant golf shots. Plus he’s a notorious

cheapskate, claiming he doesn’t tip because he doesn’t ever carry cash. Hey, Tiger, that line down there on your Visa tab isn’t for writing down the phone numbers of the Applebee’s hostesses. It’s to add 20 percent for the hostess who helped you cut to the front of the line. Tom Brady: He’s too good at football, he’s too good-looking, he’s too rich, he’s beaten the Chargers too many times, and, mostly, hear me out—I sport-hate the way his hair dangled out the back of his helmet last year. Troy Polamalu, yes. Tom Brady, no. Kobe Bryant: The only people he disdains more than opponents, coaches and fans are his teammates. Peyton Manning: The way he pouts on the sidelines. However, I “comedylike” him (completely different category) for his funny commercials and the SNL skit in which he curses at kids playing touch football. My number one sport-hate isn’t an athlete at all. It’s The Fan Behind Home Plate On The Cell Phone, waving at the friend watching at home. My number two sport-hate is the friend back at home, prompting, “OMG, Amber, you’re on again!” pitch after pitch after pitch. Security!

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(a.)

(c.)

TIME FOR A CHANGE

(b.)

Cool lighting trends for when Daylight Savings ends

B y Pat r i c i a Dw y e r

Before the nation (not counting Arizona and Hawaii) is cast into darkness an hour earlier on November 6, brighten your outlook with any of these brilliant bulb-holders.

(d.)

Arch You Glad? (a.)

Light Stick (b.)

See the Light (c.)

Can Do (d.)

The iconic, midcentury Arco Floor Lamp, with its 135-pound marble base and swooping stainless steel arch, was designed for FLOS (flos.it) by the Castiglioni brothers in 1962. Underground Furniture’s thiscentury knockoff costs about $2,500 less. Price: $2,696 for the real thing (pitcured) at roomandboard. com; $127 for the knockoff Underground Furniture 1345 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach undergroundfurniture.com

Blackout-proof your life with one of the brightest battery-operated LED flashlights ever made, the Coast HP21, which can shed light on situations up to five football fields away. Price: $399 Home Depot homedepot.com

Here’s a bright idea: nix the lampshades and hang around with Nuevo’s Ocelot bulb-cluster chandelier instead. Price: $195 Hold It Contemporary Home 1517 Camino de la Reina, Mission Valley holidithome.com nuevoliving.com

Your 15 minutes of fame can shine all night long with this Warhol-inspired, Ingo Maurer canned suspension lamp. Price: $310 Urban Lighting 310 4th Ave., Gaslamp urbanlighting.net

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STYLE

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(h.)

Chairing the Wealth Take a seat for charity

(g.) (f.)

(e.)

Mercury Rising (e.)

Strike a Pose (f.)

Shadow Play (g.)

Space Hip (h.)

Heat up your décor with Banks Mercury Table Lamp, which pairs a black velvetprint shade with a crackle-glass and metal base that sparkles even when the lights are off. Price: $129.99 Cost Plus World Market 372 4th Ave., Gaslamp worldmarket.com

Make every day feel like your own highfashion photo shoot with a Fortuny Ornaments floor lamp, reminiscent of a photographer’s strobe. And in a flash, you just dropped five grand on a lamp. Price: $4,700$4,995 Urban Lighting 310 4th Ave., Gaslamp urbanlighting.net

Decorate your walls with festive shadows cast from this modish Maskros pendant lamp, a fairly snazzy item considering it’s made of paper and other Ikeatype materials. Price: $49.99 Ikea 2149 Fenton Parkway, Mission Valley ikea.com

Looking for a new sphere of influence? Have a close encounter with Ikea’s Fillsta floor lamp, sure to diffuse (the light in) any situation. Price: $69.99 Ikea 2149 Fenton Parkway, Mission Valley ikea.com

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Hold it Contemporary Home in Mission Valley is hosting its third annual Chairs for Chair’ity event, October 13 to 20, selling stylized and artistically rendered seats via silent auction to raise money for the San Diego chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation. “Not only will people with the winning bids go home with a piece of functional art,” says Hold It managing partner, Mike McAlister, “but they will also have a part in making a very special child’s biggest dream come true.” That child, in this case, is a 12-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis that Make-A-Wish is sending to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. (Tickets: $10 in advance, $15 at the door.) holdithome.com/chairs-for-chairity —Patricia Dwyer

Bike chair by Jeremy Dahl and Stine Poole

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FROM LEFT: Tan silk suit by Haus of Estrada and fringed bag by Danielle Gonzales; Haus of Estrada’s strapless silk chiffon gown, worn by Shangela Laquifa Wadley of RuPaul’s Drag Race; black sequined shorts and strapless silk top from GOGA by Gordana; black sequined gown from GOGA by Gordana.

A-HEM! Local designers command attention at New York Fashion Week By Rebekah Sager

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“The scariest thing is to fail— and it’s hard to please everyone,” says Estrada, who runs his business with help from his identical twin, Antonio. “You don’t want to lose confidence, because it drains your creativity and makes you question yourself. My brother and I get into fights when we’re doing this. I literally feel like our lives are a reality show.” Estrada and Gehlhausen showed their Spring/Summer 2012 collections at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York’s Chelsea district. The show, entitled The New York FAME, also showcased

the work of other former Project Runway contestants and emerging designers to support the Twin Tower Orphan Fund, which raises money for children who lost a parent on 9/11. Singer Natalie Cole was in the (Continued on page 46)

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an Diego clothing designers and former Project Runaway contestants Gordana Gehlhausen (season 6) and Jesus Estrada (season 7) represented America’s Finest at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (aka New York Fashion Week) in mid-September— each looking to snip a swath out of the Big Apple. Gaining access to Fashion Week is tough and typically takes big money. Luckily for Estrada, who owns Haus of Estrada in the Gaslamp, and Gehlhausen, owner of GOGA by Gordana boutique (also in the Gaslamp), the velvet ropes are more slack when you’ve already stitched a name for yourself in reality TV.

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STYLE CLOCKWISE (from top left): Contestant Yara Sofia of RuPaul’s “Drag Race” rocks a Haus of Estrada mermaid gown (pictured with designers Antonio and Jesus Estrada); designer Gordana Gehlhausen at New York Fashion Week; 12-year-old Diva Davanna rocks a hand-beaded dress by Haus of Estrada; GOGA by Gordana’s runway finale.

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audience, and America’s Next Top Model runner-up, Bianca Golden, hosted the event. Gehlhausen’s models sashayed down the runway in what she considers a utilitarian “mix of wearable reality and unreal fantasy”: bold prints inspired by designer Emilio Pucci, glittery spandex shorts and Capri pants worn with halter tops fashioned from muted silk strips. “I launched my wholesale line this year,” Gehlhausen says. “I’m trying to have GOGA sold everywhere. American designers have to compete against the Korean and Chinese markets (during Fashion Week). Asia is not only making the clothing cheaper, but now they’re designing, too.” Haus of Estrada closed the show, proving just how far 23-year-olds Jesus and Antonio Estrada have come from their native Sinaloa, Mexico, and from the collection they showed at Fashion Week last year. Proving style is not always what it seams, the twins turned gender on its ear by featuring mermaid-themed menswear that looked like women’s suits, modeled by drag queens. But it was Haus of Estrada’s fringed bohemian handbags and

dangerously curved heels that stole the show. “The eight-inch heels were really hard for the models to walk in, and they were whining backstage,” Estrada says. “We were afraid they would fall—especially with the long gowns.” Luckily, the drag queens managed to stay erect. “I knew we did well when the audience was on their feet, clapping, at the end,” Estrada says. “They’re the ones who buy the collection. That’s how I judge success.”

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WORK IT

Health and fitness tips for OFFICE WORKERS and other still lifes By John Parker

•

Photos by Brevin Blach

Boost Productivity, Blast Fat, Achieve Balance Inactivity is health’s kryptonite. Meet on the move instead of in the conference room. Propose the idea of having a meeting while walking around your office building or while engaging in yoga to burn up to 10 times more calories. Standing while talking on the phone, typing or firing returning e-mails allows your body to stretch and your spine to realign. To increase circulation for a mental and physical boost, stretch three times a day, holding each position for 10-20 seconds.

L O C AT I O N : S y mphon y E x ec u ti v e S u ites , 6 1 9 . 9 6 1 . 4 1 5 0 , sa l es @ s y mphon y e x ec . com

echnology has streamlined the workplace, making legions of workers more efficient— not to mention deskbound and Kit Kat-andcoffee-fueled. Within a single generation, the average American is burning far fewer calories per day, and our sedentary work practices have led to an increase in chronic lower back pain, carpel tunnel syndrome, obesity and diabetes. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans are consuming almost 500 calories more per day than they were 30 years ago. More calories plus more time seated in front of the computer equals a country of mouse potatoes, pudgy automatons with decreased flexibility and sluggish performance. Healthy employees are good for business, taking fewer sick days and remaining mentally alert. And given the rising cost of health insurance, it’s critical that employers encourage workers to reduce their waist-bandwidth. That’s why forward-thinking companies like Qualcomm offer their employees access to free, onsite gyms, kick-boxing classes and tennis lessons. Encinitas watch manufacturer, Nixon, encourages its employees to stay active with open office floor plans, long weekends and exercise reward programs. Seasoned office jocks may have no trouble tackling some cardio at lunch or after work. For those with more hectic schedules, here are some ways to keep fit on the job by applying simple dietary tips and quick, covert office exercises throughout the workday.

Mouse Potato Fitness Here are a few exercises that can be performed at the office (despite the risk of reprimand by heavyset bosses) without disturbing coworkers. Perform two sets of 15-20 repetitions of each exercise three times a day, and keep it fresh with your own favorite moves. LEGS—Chair Squats: From a seated position, with your feet on the floor and shoulder-width apart, stand slowly. Then descend back to the chair slowly, concentrating on good form. Repeat.

ARMS/CHEST—Desk Pushups: Standing in front of your desk, grasp the edge of the desk with your hands at shoulder width. Step back so that your body forms a 45degree angle with desk. Keeping the glutes and abdominals tight, slowly lower your body toward the desk, and then push back up to the starting position and repeat.

ABS/CHEST—Office Planks: Lie on the floor facing down. While flexing the abdominals and glutes to keep your body in-line, use your forearms and hands (with elbows shoulder-width apart) to support your weight such that only your forearms, hands and toes are touching the ground. Raise the body eight to 10 inches from the ground, maintaining good form for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat.

John Parker is a certified strength and conditioning specialist who trains clients at FIT Athletic Club downtown. facebook.com/johnjeffreyparker 48

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Products of our own environment

I G Thanks to these Finest City companies setting up shop in our backyard, â&#x20AC;&#x153;shop localâ&#x20AC;? are words we can be proud to live buy.

D By Catharine L. Kaufman Photos by Brevin Blach

From a miracle solvent that repels pythons to sporty shoes that attract Sarah Palin, a surprising array of household-name brands are headquartered right here in San Diego.

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LET US SPRAY

Th e s q u e a k y wheel (and pooping pigeon) gets the degreaser

n 1953, a trio of scientists at San Diego’s Rocket Chemical Company embarked on a mission to create a rust-busting solvent that would prevent the skin on NASA’s SM-65 Atlas Missile from corroding. After 39 failed attempts, the scientists struck gold on number 40 with their winning Water Displacement solvent, hence the name of the now ubiquitous lubricant, WD-40. “We create positive, lasting memories by solving problems in factories and homes of the world—from squeaks in China to rust in Russia,” says Garry Ridge, president and CEO of the San Diego-based WD-40 Company. “We have an honorable product that delivers in a simple yet effective way, at under $5 a can.” WD-40’s 2010 sales of about $322 million represent more than a billion ounces of the company’s secret formula (which is written on a notepad in a San Diego bank vault) being sold through nearly 170 countries worldwide.

Lube Jobs The company’s website boasts 2,000-plus uses for WD-40, which include not only liberating snakes—in Asia, a bus driver used WD-40 to dislodge a python wrapped around his vehicle’s undercarriage—but also loosening zippers and removing (incriminating) lipstick stains. The multitasking mixture also keeps pigeons off balconies (they’re repulsed by the smell); removes black scuff marks from floors and crayon marks from walls; lubricates squeaky door hinges, bikes and other moving parts; removes splattered grease from stoves and grime from barbeque grills; untangles jewelry chains; keeps bathroom mirrors from fogging; cleans and lubricates guitar strings and does about 1,990 other things.

wd40.com

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

Nailing It

A local nail polish company gains the u pp e r h a n d

ounded in 1979, Vistabased Creative Nail Design (CND) has become the Gucci of the nail industry, producing fashionable shellacs, polishes and tips sold at salons, beauty supply stores and online. CND’s Shellac Power Polish has added flash to the fingertips of Katy Perry, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez. Available exclusively at salons, the polish is cured under ultraviolet light for 10 minutes, leaving clients with a mirror shine and nails that won’t chip for two weeks. “With nails, you have 20 opportunities to thrill yourself,” says CND co-founder and style director, Jan Nordstrom-Arnold, who, aided by CND’s research team, looks at trends in fabric and home design to create each year’s fresh crop of nail colors. “Our recent CND Shellac has validated a place for nails alongside the best in hair and make-up,” Nordstrom-Arnold says, “and our secret to defending that position is innovation.” CND’s Colour & Effects line, favored by Oprah’s bestie, Gayle King, includes 50 cream colors that can stand alone or be kicked up a notch with 15 shimmering top-coats. “It’s almost like an adult box of Crayolas,” Nordstrom-Arnold says.

C N D S H E LL A C F R O M R E V I V E S A L O N A N D S PA , R E V I V E S A L O N A N D S PA . C O M

Fa c t s at y o u r Fingertips • All CND products are conceptualized, developed and tested at the company’s laboratory in San Diego. • CND co-founder Jan NordstromArnold has personally buffed the fingernails of Ricky Martin, Fergie (the Black Eyed Pea, not the Duchess of York) and Slash (Guns ‘n’ Roses guitarist). • Nordstrom-Arnold’s family began creating CND formulas in their basement in Oceanside in the late ’70s. Her father, Stuart Nordstrom, a

dentist and organic chemist, developed the company’s first product, SolarNail Liquid, during Jimmy Carter’s solar energy crusade. • CND’s first poster girl was Susie Coelho, Sonny Bono’s third wife. • CND products have adorned nails on runway models for Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan and Vivienne Westwood. • Virgin Atlantic Airlines’ official nail color for flight attendants is CND’s Shellac Wildfire.

cnd.com

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Monkey Business

Fa s h i o n a b l e s h o e c o m pa n y ta k e s A BIG STE P A H EAD

aunched in 2004, Rancho Bernardobased Naughty Monkey Shoes gained a foothold in the athletic shoe arena, gradually wedging itself into the market as a “playful, sassy, fashion-obsessed footwear brand,” says shoe-biz veteran Jonathan Mohseni, president of Naughty Monkey’s parent company, Brand Headquarters. Naughty Monkey’s kitschy yet classy leopard print and “mixed media” flats,

sandals, wedges, platforms and boots can be purchased at Nordstrom, Macy’s, independent boutiques and on e-commerce sites such as zappos.com. “The success we are seeing is based on seven years of keeping the brand true to its original message,” says Naughty Monkey brand director, Jay Randhawa, “essentially ensuring that the looks being generated are different from the competition—ahead of trend but still understandable to the fashionable consumer.”

Foot Notes • More than 200,000 pairs of Naughty Monkey shoes were sold in 2010. • Cosmopolitan magazine deemed Naughty Monkey’s five-inch-heeled Retro Glam loafer one of the sexiest workplace heels. • Naughty Monkey strode a political platform in 2008, when Sarah Palin wore a pair of its Double Dare red pumps during John McCain’s speech that announced the Caribou Barbie as his running mate. • Paris Hilton was photographed rocking Naughty Monkey’s Out of Line camouflage pumps in Los Angeles.

naughty-monkey.com

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

Slice of Life

Local golf companies keep their eyes on the ball

n 1981, golf enthusiast Ely Callaway sold his Temecula winery to Hiram Walker for $14 million (at a profit of $9 million), quickly transitioning from grapes to birdies. At age 60, Callaway paid $400,000 to purchase the California-based company that manufactured his favorite hickory-shaft golf club, pinning his name to the brand. “Ely moved the headquarters to Carlsbad for perennially perfect conditions in which to develop and test new equipment,” says Callaway Golf Company’s director of communications, Tim Buckman. “Callaway was the first company to meld the golf industry with aerospace and technological innovation, and remains the dominant force within (the industry’s) DNA.” In 1991, the revolutionary Big Bertha driver was launched with endorsements by Celine Dion and Bill Gates, driving Callaway’s

sales past the $800 million mark by 1999. TaylorMade, another Carlsbad-based golf manufacturer, is hoping to chip away at its competitors’ market share via sales of its new driver, the R11. The club’s satin-white finish is designed to help golfers align the club more easily and to reduce hot spots and glare often associated with glossier, more reflective drivers. “A new chapter is being written in the golf equipment industry,” says David Abeles, TaylorMade’s executive vice president. “White technology is here to stay.” TaylorMade was founded in 1979 by Gary Adams, inventor of the metal driver (aka “metalwood”). At the time, most drivers were made primarily of wood. Today, the company offers a line of metalwoods, irons, putters and golf balls, as well as golf apparel and footwear.

Making the Green • Callaway sells more clubs than any other

manufacturer, snagging the lion’s share of the world’s $3 billion golf equipment industry. • Callaway’s annual revenues exceed $951 million, with total assets topping $876 million. • Callaway was the first golf manufacturer to use titanium and carbon fiber in its clubs, which are sold in more than 100 countries. • More PGA Tour pros use TaylorMade drivers than those made by Callaway, Cleveland, Cobra and Ping combined. • TaylorMade hit the $1 billion revenue mark in 2006, the second time in history a golf brand has achieved this milestone.

callawaygolf.com taylormadegolf.com pacificsandiego.com

PICK A WINNER

A f i r s tstring g u i ta r company rocks with the best of them

ounded in 1974 by visionary stringedinstrument craftsmen Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug, Taylor Guitars has evolved into one of the world’s most prominent guitar manufacturers. Combining innovative computer technology with a master craftsman’s attention to detail, Taylor is the guitar of choice for Dave Matthews, The Killers, Beck, Jason Mraz, Taylor Swift and Social Distortion frontman, Mike Ness, to name a few. “With a variety of acoustic and electric guitar models and a wealth of customizable options,” says Chalise Zolezzi, the company’s public relations manager, “not only are Taylors expertly crafted and beautiful to look at, they are sonically inspiring to play, with a sound that’s all their own.” Taylor Guitars are the top-selling acoustic brand in the nation. The company’s 2010 sales chimed in to the tune of $70 million. Take a free tour of the Taylor Guitar factory, 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, at 1980 Gillespie Way in El Cajon.

No Fiddlin’ Around • Taylor Guitars range in price from $398 to more than $20,000. • Taylor Guitar’s top seller is the 814ce acoustic-electric, which retails for between $2,500 and $3,000. • The company’s 2010 sales were about $70 million. • Taylor produces roughly 500 guitars each workday, which totals about 100,000 units per year.

taylorguitars.com

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

I MEAN, CEREALLY

Local cereal company thinks outside the box

n the early 1980s, grainloving La Jolla residents Phil and Gayle Tauber created a puffy breakfast cereal that has become a staple of healthy lifestyles. Giving refined wheat the shaft, they concocted a “breakfast pilaf” of seven whole grains and sesame, forming the cornerstone of the Kashi Company. Purchased by Kellogg Company in 2000, the company continues to operate in La Jolla, selling all-natural and organic products ranging from GOLEAN hot and cold cereals to frozen entrees and whole grain crackers. Kashi recently launched a back-to-school challenge with author/chef Domenica “Mom-alicious” Catelli to get kids to swap junk food for healthier snacks. “The foods that kids eat when they’re younger may affect their taste preferences as they grow up,” Catelli says. “By introducing them to healthful yet deliciously prepared foods, parents have an opportunity to help shape their choices.”

Grains of Knowledge • The name Kashi was formed by a blending of “kashruth” (or kosher) and “Kushi,” the surname of the pioneers of macrobiotics. • Kashi’s other cultural meanings include “porridge” (Russian), “energy food” (Japanese) and “happy food” (Chinese). • Kashi’s annual sales exceed $200 million.

pacificsandiego.com

THEY SURE CAN San Diego’s tuna companies make a splash

n 1914, Frank Van Camp purchased the California Tuna Canning Company, renaming it Van Camp Seafood. At the time, fisherman used the idiom “chicken of the sea” to describe the delicate taste and white color of albacore tuna. The popular catchphrase soon replaced the company’s original name. Today, the Sorrento Valley-based seafood

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

company continues to market assorted items under the brand, including cans and pouches of salmon, sardines, clams, crab and mackerel. “We have a long-standing history of providing healthy, nutritious and convenient products to consumers,” says John Sawyer, senior vice president of marketing and sales. “Our brand and iconic Mermaid are wellknown throughout the world.” Apparently, songbird Jessica Simpson wasn’t clued-in to the can’s contents.

During a 2003 episode of the MTV reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, Simpson pulled one of her trademark moronic gaffes while consuming the product, blurting, “Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? It says chicken... by the sea. Is that stupid?” The blunder launched a publicity boon for the brand. Later that year, Simpson was invited to the company’s U.S. sales conference, where she was educated about the product before entertaining a sea of sales executives by singing the company’s jingle: Ask any mermaid you happen to see. What’s the best tuna? Chicken of the Sea. With or without Simpson’s help, Chicken of the Sea’s annual sales exceed $600 million.

MEANT TO BE e Founded by a group of Oregon Salmon canners in 1899, Bumble Bee Foods is now headquartered in San Diego (near Interstate 15 and Aero Drive) and owned by British equity firm, Lion Capital. Though generations of Americans have grown up with Bumble Bee canned tuna, today, the company also markets salmon, sardines, clams, mackerel, an assortment of crustaceans and ready-to-eat meal kits. Bumble Bee focuses on “providing quality products to meet consumer demand for healthy, nutritious, affordable and convenient foods harvested in a sustainable manner,” says Dave Melbourne, senior vice

president of marketing. With annual sales scaling $1 billion, the company is a leader in North American and global fish markets.

Gone Fishing • Americans consume an average of 2.5 pounds of tuna per person per year. • The most popular kind of tuna, whether in a can or pouch, is chunk light, comprising 68 percent of annual consumption. • People consume 30 percent more tuna in the summer, the biggest tuna season of the year.

chickenofthesea.com bumblebee.com

pacificsandiego.com

CashingIn San Diego investors write personal checks to propel local entrepreneurs

By David Perloff

PHOTOS by John Mireles ngels don’t need wings to help businesses fly. They need money and expertise. The private investors of the non-profit Tech Coast Angels (TCA) have both—and they give them to entrepreneurs. “Our purpose is to facilitate (TCA members’) ability to invest in early-stage companies,” says Stephen Flaim, president of TCA’s San Diego network. By analyzing companies and constructing their term-sheets (documents that outline the value of a company and the means by which an investor can buy in), TCA provides entrepreneurs a

roadmap to fundraising. For an entrepreneur, such assistance from a seasoned veteran—one who has not only the wherewithal to write a check for $25,000 but also a network of colleagues who can do the same or more—can feel like a heaven-sent gift. The help doesn’t stop there. TCA members/investors also mentor entrepreneurs, guiding them through fundraising and beyond, in some cases directing them toward either another round of financing or the sale of the company. With roughly 300 members spread across five Southern California chapters, TCA is the nation’s largest angel investment network. “We’ve invested over $100 million of our own money,” says Flaim. “The companies we’ve invested in have gone on to raise over a billion dollars in follow-up financing.” Despite all the cash they put in, however, TCA members don’t strike gold every time: Flaim notes that getting a good return on one in 10 investments is a solid track-record. About one out of every 100 investments, he adds, becomes a “massive deal.” “We had a company we invested in seven years ago called Green Dot, which owned the technology for rechargeable gift cards, basically. That went public, and the people who invested at the very beginning got 180 times their investment back. They are very happy.” “Very happy,” in this case, describes the feeling one gets when an investment of $25,000 (the minimum chunk a

TCA member can cough up for a deal) yields a return of $4.5 million. The next investment on track to make TCA members very happy is AnaBios Corporation, which has developed technology enabling researchers to conduct drug trials on human tissue, versus human subjects. Previously, researchers who had proven the efficacy and safety of their drugs on animals would then have had to take a leap of faith (and cash) to begin testing on humans, which Flaim says is expensive. “You need to plunk down the $5 million it’s gonna take to do the first human clinicals, and a lot of times those fail,” he says. “What these guys are doing is exciting for the fact that it’s going to help a lot of companies basically get drugs to the market quicker and cheaper.” (Somebody loan me 25 grand, quick.) Less-wealthy, non-angel San Diegans also have something to be excited about. “Anabios will get a lot of contracts,” Flaim says. “They’re going to hire a bunch of people, so we’re going to see jobs created around that company here in San Diego.” Putting together deals of this magnitude must take some brainpower, but Flaim doesn’t regard himself a genius. “I’ve never considered myself to be very smart,” he says, “but I realize that I’m willing to roll my sleeves up and work. If you want to be successful, even more now than ever, you have to be willing to work for it.” On the following pages are the stories of five entrepreneurs whose hard work has paid off in the form of investment from TCA, angels who not only write checks—but also take entrepreneurs under their wing. techcoastangels.com

FROM LEFT: Tech Coast Angels board members Bob Freid, Jack Florio, Stephen Flaim, Doug Giese and Jay Cunaan. Photo by Brevin Blach.

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

by Pat Sherman

Oneto Watch New technology reduces video surveillance energy needs

TCA beneficiary MicroPower Technologies manufactures wireless data transmission systems that can transmit video footage while using up to 95 percent less energy than current technology. The company’s first target applications are video surveillance cameras used to monitor freeway traffic and parking lots, which currently require either bulky batteries and large solar panels or power cords laid beneath the concrete. Brad Wallace, MicroPower’s founder and chief operating officer, says his cameras require dramatically less energy thanks to the hardware’s design and a proprietary wireless link that makes video transmission more efficient. “Video is the biggest bandwidth hog and the biggest challenge in doing wireless,” Wallace says. “We operate on the Wi-Fi band, but it’s non-specifically Wi-Fi; Wi-Fi is power-hungry.” Wallace says the 4-inch-by-10-inch solar panels used on his outdoor cameras (and the batteries used inside them) are also nearly 95 percent smaller and require no outside electricity or cabling. “They can accomplish the same thing for one-tenth the (normal installation) cost,” he says. Though Wallace says the U.S. Department of Justice is interested in utilizing his technology, when he and co-founder Jon Siann launched MicroPower in 2008, venture capitalists still reeling from the stock market crash were looking for companies further along in development. “Gone are the days where the venture capitalists will fund a concept on the back of a napkin,” Wallace says. “They like to see proof of concept— and revenue. The sweet spot for angels is to come in earlier: they’ll take more risks, but they’ll get a better (return).” After filling out an initial funding application through TCA’s website and meeting several times with the group’s investors, Wallace and his partner secured $365,000. “They were willing to take the risk without much more than our laboratory testing and being able to convince them our product would work without an actual prototype. That takes a lot of faith.” Wallace says the potential applications of his technology are limitless and include providing police officers and other emergency responders with a wearable camera (the size of a Bluetooth headset) that’s capable of transmitting live video anywhere. In the future, Wallace sees MicroPower moving away from manufacturing and into the sale of its technology. “We’re kind of looking at the Qualcomm business model,” he says. “They introduced products that proved their technology worked. Now, (they don’t) make any of those products.” micropowerapp.com

Capital Gains

A number of San Diego-based companies have received a cash infusion from the Tech Coast Angels’ (TCA). Here, company founders and executives share how TCA was indeed an angel on their corporate shoulder.

swarm Wishes Data-mining entrepreneur strike gold

Since launching Swarmology at the end of last year, Malcolm Bohm has raised about $750,000 for his company—the majority of it from TCA. The company analyzes conversations taking place across social media networks, providing a context for the digital dialogue that can serve as an invaluable marketing tool. “It’s strategic market intelligence from social media,” says Bohm, Swarmology’s CEO. Swarmology first garnered buzz in the healthcare industry, which sees the technology as a way to enter into existing conversations about healthcare taking place online. “Ninety-one percent of U.S. adults look for health solutions on the Web,” says Bohm, who previously served as a global development team leader for Viagra. “Over 30 percent of them are talking about health solutions in the social networks.” Initially, TCA members didn’t swarm around the concept—Bohm first had to prove himself. “I was prepared to do this great presentation,” Bohm says. “I got there and one of the guys came over and said, ‘We prefer to just talk.’ So I sat down at this long table with all these new faces, and we had a quick Q-and-A session. It was challenging—these are pretty sophisticated individuals.” Bohm and his partners eventually passed muster, earning the confidence of TCA. Beyond the money his company received, Bohm says he gained much insight. “Angel funding is actually a very important early step for smoothing out the model for companies at our stage,” Bohm says. “(TCA) certainly wants to put their hands in and give you the opportunity to take their assistance. What they don’t do is force themselves on you.” swarmology.com

pacificsandiego.com

When Doug Giese was seeking a cash infusion for his company, AgileNano, he needed look no further than his fellow TCA members— who invested about $600,000 in his company. AgileNano produces an energy-absorbing liquidand-silica mix that is used in athletic shoes and military helmets. The product, named AgileZorb, has proven particularly helpful in reducing the blast impact of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). During such a blast, the liquid is forced into the normally empty pores of the silica, absorbing and then releasing a significant amount of the pressure and vibration that would otherwise be transferred into a soldier’s body. “Hundreds of thousands of soldiers have been affected with traumatic brain injury,” says Giese, noting that helmets made with AgileZorb were tested via lab blasts conducted on crash test dummies. “This material appeared to be a really good way of absorbing high-energy blasts, so we focused on the military market.” The technology was invented by Dr. Yu Qiao, UCSD Associate Professor of Materials and a member of AlgileNano’s management team. Though Giese usually dispenses advice to TCA beneficiaries, he says fellow members served as “a good sounding board and second opinion, bringing up things I may not have thought of.” Giese says he ultimately wants to, “as the angels say, have a nice, profitable exit— sell the company for a good amount of money.” agilenano.com

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

SHOCKING SUCCESS

TCA member taps into own network to lessen IED blast impact

Gaininga Foothold

Angels give lift to a local company’s shoe insoles When Thomas Pichler decided to launch his company in 2002 (in the shadow of the dot-com crash), big-time investors weren’t racing to put their money in untested shoe supports. “The bigger venture capitalists who like to give a few million were pretty much dried up,” says Pichler, chief executive officer of Orthera, a manufacturer of medically engineered orthotic shoe insoles. “If your friends and family don’t have a lot of money, you’re basically looking for angel investors.” Pichler found one in TCA. Orthera’s insoles offer an affordable alternative to the pricey custom shoe orthotics prescribed by doctors, which, though effective, are rarely covered by health insurance and “can cost anywhere from $200 to $600, and that’s a lot of money,” Pichler says. Orthera insoles cost around $15 a pair. Pichler’s initial pitch to TCA in 2004 was well received but did not result in funding for the Harvard Business School grad. Undeterred, Pichler stayed in touch, providing TCA with updates every couple months. He took their advice to heart, building the business and his client base before interviewing with TCA a second time. “They went through all the levels of due diligence, talked to different customers, looked at the books and everything around it,” he says. In the end, TCA invested $250,000 in Orthera, allowing Pichler to grow his business. As a condition of his recently inked contract with one of the largest warehouse retailers in the U.S. (which Pichler chooses not to name), Orthera moved its production stateside from Colombia. It also went from fewer than 20 employees to about 100 at its production facility off Miramar Road and Interstate 15. “We’re probably (making) three or four times last year’s revenue,” Pichler says. “We’re probably one of the fastest-growing companies in San Diego right now.” orthera.com

AScent totheTop Fledgling fragrance innovator passes the smell test

In 2007, the budding San Diego fragrance and flavor ingredient manufacturer Allylix wowed a group of local TCA members—so much so that they encouraged members of the Pasadena Angels and the Life Science Angels (not part of the TCA) to join them in investing more than $3 million in the company. “That was the key funding round for us to be able to start scaling up our platform and getting our products closer to market,” says Allylix’s chief operating officer, Carolyn Fritz, who joined the company in 2004. In 2010, TCA spritzed another $2 million at Allylix as part of a venture capital round of nearly $9 million. “Not only did they give us a good, solid initial investment, but were there to help us continue to build,” Fritz says. With 22 employees and a research facility in Lexington, Kentucky, Allylix manufactures a class of organic compounds known as terpenes, which are produced naturally by a variety of plants. While terpenes are found in oranges and grapefruit, extracting them from citrus is expensive. Allylix produces its terpenes more economically, using yeast strains fermented in stainless steel tanks. Its first two terpene-based products, valencene and nootkatone, are used in the manufacture of products ranging from citrus-flavored sodas to household cleaners and to high-end perfumes. The company is currently developing a replacement for DEET, an active ingredient in insect repellents that can cause skin irritation and has been linked to seizures. “We believe there’s a significant opportunity to provide substitutes that are safer and equally effective,” Fritz says. allylix.com

pacificsandiego.com

taste w hat ’ s cookin g DINING OUT DRINK

Cooking, the Books Should aspiring chefs study first or sauté without delay?

B y F r a n k S a b at i n i , J r .

•

Photos by Brevin Blach

hen it comes to education versus experience in the kitchen, there are different schools of thought.

Famous chefs like Thomas Keller (born at Camp Pendleton in 1955, named the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef in America in 1997) of Napa Valley’s famed restaurant, The French Laundry, and TV host Rachael Ray went on to make millions without formal schooling, while the late Julia Child professed that she would never have mastered the fine art of bouillabaisse (and the copious nips of brandy required to make it) without her rigorous training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. (Continued on page 66)

Chef Ricardo Heredia’s braised pork belly in taro root taco shells with spicy cucumbers, bacon salt and micro cilantro, available at Alchemy in South Park.

pacificsandiego.com

taste (Continued from page 65)

ocally, we’ve zeroed in on two toques: one who never set foot in a cooking class and was repeatedly banished from the kitchen when attempting to learn to cook as a kid, and the other wielding an expensive degree from the country’s most prestigious culinary school.

SCHOOL OF HARD CHOPS

DRINK

Where to get cooking on a culinary career

Ricardo Heredia roasted his first chicken at the age of nine, although he recalls having to cook on the sly while growing up under the watchful eye of his ovenhogging grandmother. “She thought boys shouldn’t be in the kitchen and she’d yell at me for burning her pans, so I would practice on my own,” Heredia says. At 24, the aspiring chef landed a job at a gourmet deli in his native Ohio and began winging it. “I was around ingredients that were unfamiliar to me—cheeses, produce and seafood,” Heredia says. “I worked there for two years, and that was my schooling.” After moving to San Diego, Heredia worked briefly as a sous chef at The Prado in Balboa Park before taking over the kitchen at Alchemy in South Park, where he recently introduced a menu of “street foods from around the world.” Along the way, he spent countless hours reading cookbooks and food blogs and even conquered the tricky maneuvers of pastry-making. “Cooking is a continuous learning process. It’s all about understanding the transfer of heat and chemical reactions. Do I have to spend $50,000 to learn how to make a roux (a mixture of butter and flour used to thicken sauces)?” Heredia’s advice to the culinary interns he trains: “Get your feet wet first and read, read, read. You can make money while you learn all the basic concepts.” (Continued on page 68) pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

DINING OUT

making dough The Art Institute of California, San Diego Art Institute features a public restaurant called The Palette that’s staffed by students pursuing three-year Bachelor of Science degrees in culinary management, culinary arts or baking and pastry. A program in hospitality food and beverage management was recently added to the school’s roster. The price for a bachelor’s degree is just under $97,000. For students who don’t have that kind of dough, the institute offers shorter and cheaper associate-degree programs, as well as two diploma programs, the latter averaging about $33,000. Among the school’s alumni is Craig Jimenez, who went on to become executive chef at the former Guild Restaurant in Barrio Logan and presently works in the same capacity at Craft & Commerce in Little Italy. artinstitutes.edu/sandiego

THIS SELF-TAUGHT chef CAN STAND THE HEAT

w hat ’ s cookin g

Ricardo Heredia Position: Executive chef at Alchemy in South Park Age: 35 Training: Self-taught Honors: Won “Best Dish” at this year’s Beer and Sake Festival in Del Mar for his braised pork belly in taro root taco shells.

San Diego Culinary Institute This private, family-run school just marked its 10th anniversary by adding hours to its culinary and baking-pastry programs. In addition, extra days were added to the entrepreneurship section of the programs, which is designed to help students open their own restaurants. Those seeking a Diplome de Commis de Cuisine (872 hours in culinary arts) or a Diplome Professionnel du Boulangerie et de la (1,190 hours in patisserie), should expect to pay $23,500 or $20,420 respectively. Torn between attending or not? Consider that former Top Chef contestant Rich Sweeny (owner of Hillcrest’s R Gang Eatery) completed the school’s culinary program, and chef Chris O’Donnell, who earned both diplomas, carved a name for himself as executive chef of Dolce Pane E Vino restaurant and wine bar in Rancho Santa Fe. The school is accredited internationally through the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training. sdci-inc.com (Continued on page 68)

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taste (Continued from page 66)

w hat ’ s cookin g

ADVANCED Degrees The makings of a well-schooled flavor maven Chef Barry Coalson’s dues-paying, doughslinging days at Pizza Hut are long gone. After a stint in Santa Barbara City College’s culinary program, followed by a $50,000 associate’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Coalson is living—and cooking—large. While fulfilling his required five-month externship for the CIA at Park Avenue Café in New York City, Coalson encountered his first taste of the relentless pace and exactitudes of a serious commercial kitchen. “The chef told me that he was going to make this the hardest experience of my life,” Coalson says. “I was yelled at and had stuff thrown at me. It was pretty intense, but in the cooking world, you can’t just slowly do your work all day.” Coalson made $75 a day during his externship, working 12-hour shifts, six days a week. But the CIA classes, he says, are what ultimately exposed him to a full menu of global cuisine, from Asian and South American to Mediterranean, American and French. He also came away with a wife, a fellow student whom he met while attending the institute. Coalson’s top-selling dish at La Bastide is roasted acorn squash with truffle risotto and seared scallops, although he admits a preference for making mashed potatoes. “You can add in any number of ingredients to make them better, such as leeks, nicoise olives or garlic,” he says. 68

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

DINING OUT DRINK

TOUCH OF CLASS Get a taste of culinary training via these local cooking classes Cooking with Beer WHEN: Oct. 8, 11 a.m. WHERE: Great News! Cooking School, Pacific Beach COST: $54 INFO: great-news.com Katherine Emmenegger, executive chef of Great News! Cooking School, will teach students how to use the bold flavor of craft beer to enhance the taste and nutrition of an array of recipes. Students will make everything from spicy beef chili with stout to lagerscented oysters Rockefeller. Other Great News! offerings during October include cheese-making, sausage-making, chocolate decadence, Mediterranean cuisine and cooking with pumpkin. Meat Lovers Yacht Dinner WHEN: Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m. WHERE: The Floating Chef School (demonstration-style class taught aboard a private yacht docked near Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina) COST: $75 INFO: thefloatingchefschool.com

Barry Coalson Position: Executive chef at La Bastide in Scripps Ranch Age: 33 Training: Graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y. Honors: Nabbed the grand prize of $1,000 for his pepper-crusted flat iron steak with foie gras butter in a 2008 meat-cooking competition at Barona Casino.

Chef Carole Jensen will prepare a triple entrée of Hoisin braised short ribs, honey-dijon pork loin and London broil, served with a lemon-toasted ciabatta crouton salad and couscous with apricots, cherries and pistachios.

Coalson urges aspiring chefs to first get a taste of working 50 to 60 hours a week in a restaurant before embarking on a cooking curriculum. “You don’t have to really go to school to become a chef, but if you do, you’ll likely end up getting the job over the person who didn’t go,” he says.

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pacificsandiego.com

taste

Taste Test

w hat ’ s cookin g DINING OUT

Chefs face-off to combat domestic violence

DRINK FROM LEFT: Chefs Chris Powell of Bali Hai Restaurant, James Montejano of Le Papagayo and Amy Dibiase of The Shores competed in the 2010 Chef Showdown.

heathere l isephotograph y. com

t’s not hard to get Brian Malarkey excited about cooking, especially when he’s talking about events where chefs are competing ladle-tospatula. On October 6, the Bravo Top Chef finalist and chef/partner in Searsucker (Gaslamp) and Burlap (Del Mar) restaurants will co-host the seventh annual Chef Showdown with his buddy Sam Zien (aka Sam the Cooking Guy). Malarkey says he’s hot to chill with some of the town’s top chefs. “It’s a wonderful night to hang

out with some of San Diego’s premier chefs,” he says. “And believe it or not, not only are they good chefs, but they’re also great people.” San Diego’s very own version of Iron Chef will pit chefs from Bali Hai, El Vitral, Harney Sushi and Sea Rocket Bistro against each other and their counterparts from other leading eateries in nose-to-nose competitions on the historic Promenade at point Loma’s Liberty Station. Judges include well-known chefs and local restaurateurs Bernard Guillas

(Marine Room, La Jolla), Ingrid Croce (Croce’s restaurant and jazz bar, Gaslamp), Joe Busalacchi (Busalacchi’s, Hillcrest) and Michelle Lerach (CUPS, La Jolla). Proceeds benefit the Center for Community Solutions’ mission to help prevent sexual assault, domestic violence and elder abuse. —David Nelson Chef Showdown WHEN: October 6, 6 to 9 p.m. WHERE: Liberty Station, Point Loma TICKETS: $125 INFO: 858.272.5777, ccssd.org

WinE Receiver

Chargers kick-off what’s sure to be a grape season

T 70

he San Diego Chargers have had some vintage seasons—1981’s epic playoff victory against the Miami Dolphins and the team’s 1994 Super Bowl appearance spring to mind.

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

Now, the franchise has a new vintage to cheer about: its own Cabernet Sauvignons and Sauvignon Blancs to toast each touchdown and game-winning interception. Produced by Napa Valley-based Bell Winery, (Continued on page 72)

taste (Continued from page 70)

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w hat â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s cookin g Chargers Legacy wines are sold in bottles bearing the blue and yellow shield logo DINING OUT the team used from 1961 to 1973. The wine, available DRINK for purchase at local retailers and at Qualcomm Stadium during games, was developed to commemorate more than 50 years of Chargers football. South African-born winemaker Anthony Bell says the wines are â&#x20AC;&#x153;designed to be enjoyed by both the serious and casual wine drinker.â&#x20AC;? The first in the series, a 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet, contains 80 percent Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and lesser amounts of Petit Verdot, Merlot, Syrah and Malbec. The deep ruby beverage North Park boasts a fruity nose rich in cherry, eatery offers cassis and blackberry aromas. solution for Bell says the vino â&#x20AC;&#x153;pairs weeping on wonderfully with steaks,â&#x20AC;? the job while its â&#x20AC;&#x153;fruit-forward Rather than alienating natureâ&#x20AC;? also makes it a suitable coworkers with sob stories by accompaniment to tailgating the water cooler, complain staples like barbeque ribs and about work to a larger hamburgers. His partners in audience while sipping $10 flights of quality vino at Bell Wine Cellars include A.G. West Coast Tavern in North Spanos Co., parent company Park. Every Monday after 4 of the San Diego Chargers p.m., West Coastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wine (another nice pairing). About the Work Weekâ&#x20AC;?

STICK A CORK IN IT

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pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

West Coast Tavern 2895 University Ave., North Park 619.295.1688, westcoasttavern.com

employees and other working woes. The expressions of jobrelated angst, written on-site or in advance, are entered in a contest that rewards the most caustic complaint with a West Coast gift card. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;David Nelson

taste w hat ’ s cookin g

what’s SHAKIN’

DINING OUT DRINK

Ice cream-based cocktails have patrons grasping for straws in Encinitas By Christine Pasalo Photos by Brevin Blach

ave the Milk Duds and candy corn for the bloodsucking trick-or-treaters at your doorstep and satisfy your sugar cravings with a frightfully good, boozeinfused milk shake instead. At his new Encinitas eatery, Solace and the Moonlight Lounge, chef/owner Matt Gordon is shaking things up with two frozen treats he calls “hot shakes.” The frothy confections are served in chilled glasses—the hotness comes from the alcohol, which generates internal warmth with every sip. Gordon’s Gin Gin Ginger shake is made from ginger ice cream, ginger beer and Tru2 Organic Gin. “I tried to make a ginger cocktail that tasted good or passed my wife’s taste test, and it didn’t really happen,” Gordon says. “I added ice cream to it a yearand-a-half later, and it really seemed to work.” Gordon’a other frozen masterpiece blends white whiskey (devoid of color because it hasn’t been aged in barrels), vanilla ice cream and coffee liquor—with a marshmallow cream float. Dubbed the Duderino, the drink pays liquid homage to Jeff Bridges’ White Russian-drinking character in the movie The Big Lebowski, a silkscreen image of which hangs by the bar at Solace. “A take on the White Russian was just a natural progression,” Gordon says. Getting to the bottom of one of these beverages is a breeze. And while it may be uncouth to make slurping sounds when you get there, Gordon says bring it on. “They used to say a burp was a sign of appreciation for food,” he says. “If you’re slurping (a hot shake), that means you want every little drop.” 25 East E St., Encinitas 760.753.2433, eatatsolace.com

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

A Duderino chills on the bar at Solace and the Moonlight Lounge

Dude, Sweet!

Too chill to remove your bathrobe and head out in public? Try whipping up a Duderino at home with Matt Gordon’s no-longer-secret recipe. The List 3 large scoops of vanilla bean ice cream 1.5 ounces High West White Whiskey (or your favorite, non-flavored vodka) 1 ounce coffee liqueur 1 ounce marshmallow syrup 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

Matt Gordon’s Gin Gin Ginger shake

The Gist Blend the ice cream, whiskey (or vodka), coffee liqueur and marshmallow syrup in a blender. Swirl the chocolate syrup around the inside of a chilled, empty glass. Pour the shake into the glass, top with more marshmallow syrup and serve with a straw.

THE RITUAL Step Nº 9 : The Bestowal

The perfect Stella Artois is not only poured. It is served. A ritual that for centuries has left patrons the world over watching and wanting. And this, their refreshing reward. So before you say cheers, expect to hear a few of them.

StellaArtois.com

Always Enjoy Responsibly.

Stella Artois® Beer, Imported by Import Brands Alliance, St. Louis, MO

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T H U R S D A Y S

A UNIQUE BLEND OF HIGH ENERGY SOUNDS L AU N C H PA R T Y / O C TO B E R 13 / OCTOBER 20 / BRET BODLEY OCTOBER 27 / NOVEMBER 3 / FLESCH NOV EMB ER 10 / N O V E M B E R 17 / C H E Y E N N E G I L E S

TABLE SERVICE 858.273.WEST(9378) / VIP@BARWESTSD.COM / BARWESTSD.COM TWITTER.COM/BARWEST / 959 HORNBLEND STREET / SAN DIEGO / CA / 92109

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deadmau5 WHEN: Oct. 28, 5:30 p.m. VENUE: Petco Park, downtown TICKETS: $91-$171 INFO: mylifeeveryday.com, livenation.com

Mau5

in da house

Mega DJ brings mind-melting stage production to Petco Park

S piros P o l itis

No way the world’s sickest and most intense stage show of the moment—that of superstar electro/ house DJ deadmau5 (pronounced “dead mouse”)—was going to be contained by San Diego’s 2,600-personcapacity concert venue, SOMA.

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g r r o o o o v v e e g (Continued from page 77)

A l b u m D rew R ess l er

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks Mirror Traffic

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

Bobby Self-titled

Zee Avi Ghostbird

hhhh

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Stephen Malkmus’ previous band, Pavement, might be the most influential indie rock band of all time. When Weezer played its first shows in LA, the band was frequently mistaken for Pavement, who invented the arty rock that Weezer copied, popified and brought to the masses. Throughout Malkmus’ 11-year tenure with The Jicks (Pavement’s been dormant since 1999), he swapped the skittish lo-fi model that Pavement thrived on for jammier guitar-rock trickery. On Mirror Traffic, Malkmus’ most sundry solo effort to date, he opts for a mixed bag of flighty melodies, spastic rock jams and folky balladry. Thanks in part to Beck’s (another Pavement disciple) subtle hand in production, Mirror Traffic conveys a sophistication that Malkmus’ previous outings lacked. Those who caught Weezer’s show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in August owe it to themselves to check out Malkmus and his Jicks, October 20 at Belly Up.

Disclaimer: Bobby has zero band members that actually go by the name Bobby. Bizarro name aside, the Massachusetts collective (with seven members) make sonically fertile space-rock that’s hard not to like. The majority of songs on the band’s self-titled release—some surpassing the seven-minute mark—go from really pretty to downright serene. Standout track “It’s Dead Outside” is the aural equivalent of slipping into a Snuggie: it’s furry, warm and strange. And while the majority of Bobby relies heavily on milky textures, a few tracks, like “Sore Spores,” cut through with a marriage of creepy synth hooks, bouncy acoustic guitars and quirky percussion reminiscent of early Modest Mouse. Bobby lets their dense arrangements breathe by utilizing sparse vocals that are more functional than indulgent.

Zee Avi’s whirlwind rise to fame is the quintessential Youtube fairy tale. She posted a video, her friends told her to post more and soon thereafter, Avi was signed to Brushfire Records (partly owned by Jack Johnson). The Malaysia-born singer-songwriter makes tropical folk that borders on cutesy (she sings about honey bees), while still striking a nerve with lucid tales of despair. That said, Ghostbird should be consumed in minute doses. Like Jack Johnson’s sing-songy nursery rhymes, longer stints of Avi’s Ukulele-infused pop can become redundant and flat-out annoying. But for now, Ghostbird is a major step toward maturation for Avi. Her experimentation with country, afro-pop, jazzy and waltzy rhythms represents a tasteful shift in artistic direction that will likely set her up for a long and prosperous career.

For fans of: Weezer, Nada Surf, Sonic Youth Standout tracks: “No One Is (As I Are Be),” “Tigers” Goes well with: Flannels, Vans, underachieving

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For fans of: Pinback, Bjork, Stars, Broken Social Scene Standout tracks: “Sore Spores,” “It’s Dead Outside” Goes well with: Leisurely bike rides, napping, spooning

MUSIC

For fans of: Cat Power, Regina Spektor, Billy Holiday Standout tracks: “Anchor,” “The Book of Morris Johnson” Goes well with: Post-breakup sulking, bonfires, chick-flicks based in Hawaii –Tim Donnelly

H A P P EN

Saviours with Weedeater

WHEN: Oct. 1, 8 p.m. WHERE: Soda Bar, North Park TICKETS: $15 INFO: sodabarmusic.com According to their Myspace profile, Oakland-based stoner metal band, Saviors, are interested in “Metal, Hard Rock, Punk, Drugs, Booze and the people who enjoy these things.” But these dudes play like they’re anything but stoned, making speed metal sound like jazz. Show closers Weedeater are no slouches, either. The sludge-metal outfit’s lead singer blew off his big toe with a shotgun and probably enjoyed it. Buy earplugs for the show and a cervical collar for the post-show, headbanging-induced neck trauma. —Tim Donnelly

Kemado

After much head-scratching over the venue choice, it was announced that Toronto’s Joel Zimmerman (aka deadmau5) had in fact pushed his San Diego gig back two days (to Friday, October 28), and way up in capacity, relocating to Petco Park for an under-the-stars, pre-Halloween extravaganza in downtown San Diego. Named after his pet cat, Professor Meowingtons, deadmau5’s Meowingtons Hax tour debuted in August during Chicago’s Lallapalooza show, leading festival-goers on a mouse-in-a-maze sensory roller coaster ride. Expect a colossal kitty of LED trickery from the artist’s Q*Bert video-gameinspired stage show, pulsing and strobe-flashing to deadmau5’s catalogue of killin’ club hits. Though there are sure to be costumed “deadmau5 heads” in the house, the DJ’s own trademark mouse helmet— which acts like a video monitor, lighting up a lyric-mouthing mouse face—is sure to command the most attention. The evening, which will include a set by deadmau5 label artist and Mötley Crüe drummer, Tommy Lee (with DJ Aero), will feature new mixes of deadmau5 hits including “I Remember,” “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff ” and “Raise Your Weapons,” and vocals by SOFI (“Sofi Needs a Ladder”). Swedish DJ/producer and Beatport chart-topper Avicii (“Seek Bromance”) will make his only tour appearance in San Diego at the event. —Pat Sherman

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The Rapture

WHEN: Oct. 4, 9 p.m. WHERE: BellyUp Tavern, Solana Beach TICKETS: $18- $20 INFO: bellyup.com These NYC-based electro punks are credited with revitalizing the art of mixing disco beats with post-punk guitar riffage. They’re touring in support of their latest output, In the Grace of Your Love, which is chock full of funk’d out grooves sure to incite a dance riot. —Tim Donnelly

D FA

Dum Dum Girls with Crocodiles

S u b P op R ecords

10/1: Dum Dum Girls w/ Crocodiles @ Casbah, casbahmusic.com 10/1: Saviours w/ Weedeaters @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com 10/2: Tiesto @ Valley View Casino Center, valleyviewcasinocenter.com 10/2: Erasure @ House of Blues, hob.com 10/3: Misfits w/ Agent Orange @ House of Blues, hob.com 10/6: Blink 182 w/ My Chemical Romance @ Cricket Amphitheatre, livenation.com 10/6: Dash Berlin @ FLUXX, fluxxsd.com 10/8: Fountains of Wayne @ Anthology, anthologysd.com 10/7: Chris Lake @ voyeur, voyeursd.com 10/9: OMD @ Humphreys, humphreysconcerts.com 10/10: Chad Vangaalen @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com 10/11: Ryan Adams @ Balboa Theatre, sandiegotheatres.com 10/11: Drop Kick Murphys @ House of Blues, hob.com 10/13: Morgan Page @ FLUXX, fluxxsd.com 10/13: Tech N9NE @ House of Blues, hob.com 10/14: EMA @ The Casbah, casbahmusic.com 10/16: The Naked and Famous @ BellyUp Tavern, bellyup.com 10/17: Foo Fighters @ Viejas Arena, stubhub.com 10/18: Billy Idol @ Humphreys, humphreysconcerts.com 10/19: Foster the People w/ Cults @ Soma, somasandiego.com 10/19: Judas Priest @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, livenation.com 10/20: Paul Oakenfold @ FLUXX, fluxxsd.com 10/20: Taylor Swift @ Valley View Casino Center, valleyviewcasinocenter.com 10/20: Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks @ BellyUp Tavern, bellyup.com 10/21: The War on Drugs @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com 10/21: Cedric Gervais @ Voyeur, voyeursd.com 10/22: Mason Jennings @ House of Blues, hob.com 10/24: K.D. Lang @ Balboa Theatre, sandiegotheatres.com 10/26: Trentemøller @ BellyUp Tavern, bellyup.com 10/27: Male Bonding @ Casbah, casbahmusic.com 10/28: Deadmau5 @ Petco Park, ticketmaster.com 10/28: Heavy Hawaii and Raw Moans, Til-Two Club, tiltwoclub.com 10/29: The Lemonheads (feat. Evan Dando) @ Soda Bar, sodabarmusic.com

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WHEN: Oct. 1, 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Casbah, Little Italy TICKETS: $14 INFO: casbahmusic.com Kristin Gundred (aka Dee Dee) first perked ears with her raucous San Diego three-piece, Grand Ole Party, back in 2006. After GOP disbanded, she bailed to LA and formed Dum Dum Girls—an all-girl group that crafts fuzzy, lo-fi, ’60s-inspired pop. Gundred’s husband fronts Crocodiles, another local act heavy on the noise-pop cocktail. The bands have toured the globe separately for years, so this should be a match made in noisy-pop heaven. —Tim Donnelly

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Trentemoller

WHEN: Oct. 26, 8 p.m. WHERE: BellyUp Tavern, Solana Beach TICKETS: $18-$20 INFO: bellyup.com This Danish wiz of an electronic producer is in a league of his own, backing up his dubbed-out techno sound with a live band, causing concert-goers to absolutely lose it. Trentemøller’s latest album, Great White Yonder, takes audiences on a dark detour. This is a gigantic booking for the BellyUp and should sell out quick. —Ben Farquhar

Chad Vangaalen with Gary War and Roll Film

WHEN: Oct. 10, 9 p.m. VENUE: Soda Bar, North Park TICKETS: $10 INFO: sodabarmusic.com This handsome Canadian recluse and freakishly talented DIY purist rewires his own keyboards, plays and records all the instruments on his albums and animates the creepiest music videos—ever. He rarely pokes his head out of the snowy foxhole of a recording space he calls home in Canada, so this folk-rock spectacle should be a rare treat. —Tim Donnelly

Katie Herzig with Butterfly Boucher

E M I M u sic

WHEN: Oct. 12, 9 p.m. WHERE: The Casbah, Little Italy TICKETS: $10 advance, $12 at the door INFO: casbahmusic.com, katieherzig.com Colorado singer-songwriter Katie Herzig hopes to prove she’s more than a poster child for folk music. The Grammy-nominated banjo strummer/multi-instrumentalist cut her teeth on folk and bluegrass in college. Since then, her more pop-centric solo tunes have been used in film and TV scores, from Grey’s Anatomy to Smallville. When asked to create a song for the second Sex and the City film (to replace contributions from Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas), Herzig knew she had to evolve. “I mean, that was Fergie,” she says. “I wasn’t going to sit down and pick up my acoustic guitar and try and replace that.” Herzig saved some of those new ideas for her fifth studio album, The Waking Sleep, a richly textured mix of electronic beats, digital flourishes and stringed orchestration. —Christine Pasalo

Billy Idol

WHEN: Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, Point Loma TICKETS: $78 INFO: humphreysconcerts.com Expect gems ranging from Idol’s days with 1970s British punk band, Generation X, to his reign as an MTV music video icon to a few tunes from his forthcoming album, Keep Out of Reach of Children. The snarling comeback kid, who introduced himself to a whole new generation in The Wedding Singer, is sure to dust off “Dancing With Myself,” “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell” and other faves. Longtime guitarist Steve Stevens adds shredability. —Ben Farquhar

k atieher z ig . com

WHEN: Oct. 14, 8:30 p.m. VENUE: Casbah, Little Italy TICKETS: $10 INFO: casbahmusic.com Super hip and very hot indie rock chick, EMA (aka Erika M. Anderson) nearly gave up music before she came back to release what many consider one of the best albums of 2011, Past Life Martyred Saints. There’s a lot going on sonically in the music of this searing guitarist and ex-Gowns frontwoman, who seems to conjure the ghosts of both Lou Reed and a Broken English-era Marianne Faithfull. —Ben Farquhar

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EMA with Misspent Warhead Premise

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The Cramps: “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” Joy Division: “Dead Souls” Cast of the Rocky Horror Picture Show: “The Time Warp”

Robin Roth’s favorite spooky spins

Ministry: “Everyday is Halloween” Bauhaus: “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” Danny Elfman: “This is Halloween” The Damned: “Grimly Fiendish” Michael Jackson: “Thriller”

Black List

Robin Roth

AGE: “On my fourth life and going strong.” ’HOOD: Rancho Peñasquitos EATS: Urban Solace, Café Chloe, Hash House a Go Go, West Coast Tavern HAUNTS: Kava Lounge, The Flame (for Shabbat), Voyeur and U-31 FAVE HORROR FILMS: The Shining, Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, The Hunger and The Crow. “And, yes, I have the Buffy and Angel box sets.”

Scare

waves

Goth-loving 91X DJ still Robin the vaults after 20 years Story and photos by Jennifer Fox Armour

ou might not want to tell darkly dolled-up 91X DJ Robin Roth that “black” is not a color. If you do, “You might get smacked,” quoth the Robin. In her 20-plus years as a San Diego radio and club DJ, modern rock’s first lady has facilitated onair marriage proposals, given away a bat-swarm of concert tickets and chatted up everyone from Goth icon and Bauhaus frontman, Peter Murphy, to the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corrigan and Robert Smith of The Cure.

In 1994, a former La Jolla security guard named Eddie Vedder (yep, that one) employed Roth in his battle against what he viewed as exorbitant service charges being tacked onto Pearl Jam’s concert tickets. Vedder dialed up Roth on the request line to garner public support for his crusade against Ticketmaster. “I was like, ‘Why are you calling on the request line?’” Roth says. “He said, ‘Because I remember the number. I listened to 91X for so long, it’s stuck in my brain.’” Once, when preparing to interview a ravenous Kim Deal (Breeders, Pixies), Roth suggested that Deal

make an on-air plea for food. “Within 30 minutes we had like 300 bean burritos outside,” Roth says. “We started getting calls: ‘We brought you a bean burrito, check the door.’” Roth began her career in 1982 at KSDT, UCSD’s campus station, eventually landing a job at what is Magic 92.5 FM today. In 1986, she saw an ad in the paper that said 91X was hiring. “I was like, ‘Are you freakin’ kidding me? Hell, yeah, I am going to apply,’” Roth says, sheepishly adding, “and here I am.” Roth spent more than 18 years

on-air at 91X before being let go in 2005, when she was told the station was moving in a “different direction.” Five years and one job later, 91X, with new management at the helm, asked Roth to return. This month marks her first full year back behind the mic. “I think they were looking for what I represented—familiarity, heritage, longevity,” Roth says. Roth can be heard on 91X, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information about her club gigs—including the Club Pussy Galore at the Whistle Stop—visit djrobinroth.blogspot.com. pacificsandiego.com

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New book helps budding bartenders rise to the head of the glass

ACING THE BAR

By Brandon Hernández Photos by Brevin Blach

ordan Catapano has created cocktails for bigname celebs including Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx and Bradley Cooper. Now, the former San Diegan has compiled her A-list-worthy bartending tips in her new book, This Girl Walks Into a Bar: A Woman’s Guide to Professional Bartending and Home Mixology.

Raised in La Mesa by two longtime SDSU professors, Catapano, 36, moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a screenwriter. To support that endeavor, she did what many starry-eyed young college grads do. She learned to bartend. “There were so many women who asked, ‘How did you get into this and how can I do it?’” says Catapano. “I went to the bookstore and all I found were books on how to make cocktails, but no common sense approach for getting into this work.” Catapano spent two years compiling information on everything from landing a bartending job to maximizing tips and dealing with inebriated customers. The result is a guide that’s easy to follow and includes dozens of fun, real-life stories from her bartending buddies. The author, who also blogs about San Diego cocktail culture at thisgirlwalksintoabar.com, says her book’s “3-Day Cram” is a good place for tenderfoot ’tenders to start. (Continued on page 84) Author Jordan Catapano (right) and sister Jocelyn Dunn Muhlbach of This Girl Walks Into A Bar: A Woman’s Guide To Professional Bartending and Home Mixology.

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This Girl Walks Into A Bar By Jordan Catapano; design by Catapano’s sister, Jocelyn Dunn Muhlbach. Available at Amazon.com

The List 1.5 ounces light rum 1.5 ounces vodka 1 ounce grapefruit juice ½ ounce blueberry juice Splash triple sec Squeeze of 2 lime wedges Salt and organic sugar combination (for the rim) The Gist Mix a tablespoon of salt with a tablespoon of organic sugar, then spread the mixture onto a plate. Using a lime wedge, moisten the rim of a “low ball” glass. Place the rim of the glass into the mixture, coating the rim evenly. Fill the glass with ice to just below the rim, being careful not to knock off the salt and sugar. Fill a martini shaker halfway with ice. Add the light rum, vodka, blueberry juice, triple sec and lime juice, and shake until well mixed. Strain the liquid into the glass. Drizzle the grapefruit juice over the back of a spoon into the glass, so that it gracefully joins the other ingredients. This keeps the blue base and pink drizzle slightly separate, achieving the effect of a sun setting over the ocean. Garnish with a lime, colorful straw and cocktail umbrella. Repeat. 84

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Jordan Catapano created a cocktail in honor of the magazine that loves you back. She dubbed the drink “The PacificSD,” describing it as “zesty and refreshing,” with a salt and sugar rim that looks like beach sand.

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“There are lots of little tips for practicing before a job interview,” Catapano says. “You can’t fake how you cut a lemon or lime like you can a resume or references.” The book isn’t just for aspiring pros. It also includes 100 drink recipes and sections like “Cocktail Party 101,” geared toward the recreational mixologist. In the end, however, Catapano’s aim is to provide practical advice for readers itching to get behind the bar and emerge with fistfuls of cash. “People are going to drink, whether times are good or bad,” she says. “You can supplement yourself in a job that’s fun and not too stressful—and there are no PowerPoint presentations or Excel spreadsheets to bring home.”

Place of Hearts

love

Betting on love at Sycuan Casino

D AT E

B y D a v i d P ER L OFF P h o t o s b y b r e v i n bl a c h

rab your ATM cards, date fans—this game of high-stakes matchmaking is about to begin. Tonight, everyone’s a high roller. We’re talking limo ride, comped dinner courtesy of the casino host and private-table gaming action. Before blind daters Gretchen and Jonathan meet for the first time at Starlite, the slick yet inviting restaurant and cocktail lounge opposite the airport in Midtown, let’s sip our Mules (one of Starlite’s signature drinks, made with organic vodka, ginger beer, lime, Angostura bitters) and check out the pre-date interviews. Where are you from? GRETCHEN: I’m from Thousand Oaks, California. Now I live in P.B. JONATHAN: I was born in New York and moved to San Diego two years ago from New Jersey. What do you do for a living? GRETCHEN: I’m a graphic designer and I waitress on the weekends. JONATHAN: I oversee all marketing and business development stuff for a tech company in La Jolla. What do you do for fun? GRETCHEN: I love trying new restaurants, wine tasting, watching stand-up comedy, live music, painting, interior decorating and I take a dance class. JONATHAN: Enjoying music, being a football fanatic, drinking wine while watching alien documentaries and acting like a degenerate with my friends downtown. What makes you a good catch? GRETCHEN: I’m focused on my career, but I never stop having fun. I’m always in a good mood and it takes a lot to get me down. People tell me that I look like Holly Madison, so apparently I’m also good-looking. JONATHAN: I’m straightforward and honest. And I have good credit. (Continued on page 88) pacificsandiego.com

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A Starlite Mule, served in a chilled copper mug

What are you looking for in a date, physically or otherwise? GRETCHEN: Someone intelligent, successful and funny. I appreciate sarcasm because I’m a smartass myself. Physically, I’m a sucker for a nice set of teeth and large hands. JONATHAN: I like the girl-nextdoor look. Also, someone that is athletic, acts like a lady and has long-term goals. What is your biggest fear? GRETCHEN: Snakes on a plane—I fear both equally. JONATHAN: Being old and having regrets. What’s your favorite kind of music? GRETCHEN: Gangster rap and classical jazz. JONATHAN: House music is my drug of choice. What’s the sexiest thing about you? GRETCHEN: I can hold a conversation and drink you under the table, simultaneously. JONATHAN: My cankles. 88

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I’m joking, I just wanted to say “cankles.” Fill in the blanks: In general, the people I date are “blank” and “blank.” GRETCHEN: Handsome and funloving. JONATHAN: Drunk and unstable. Fill in the blanks: I want my date to be “blank” and “blank.” GRETCHEN: Outgoing and sexy. JONATHAN: Sane and under 50. What’s your favorite thing about yourself? GRETCHEN: I’m creative. JONATHAN: My spontaneity— some of my biggest life decisions have been made on a whim. What’s the biggest gamble you’ve ever taken? GRETCHEN: I usually stick to $5 blackjack. JONATHAN: Eating sashimi from an airport food court. What’s the biggest gamble you’ve

ever taken in love? GRETCHEN: Falling in love is always a gamble. JONATHAN: Moving in with a girlfriend of only a couple of months. Are the odds in favor of Gretchen and Jonathan hitting the romantic jackpot? If past PacificSD blind dates are any indicator, the couple has a 1-in-56 chance of getting married, a 3-in-56 chance of moving in together and a 9-in-56 chance (of the ones who’ve admitted it) of sleeping with each other tonight. The daters arrive at Starlite and begin to break the ice over cocktails and a cheeseboard. Within minutes, they seem to be hitting it off—talking, laughing, sitting close. After about half an hour, they head out onto India Street to mount their stretch-Escalade chariot for the ride east to Sycuan. It’s so hot and dry outside when the limo rolls up to the casino 30 minutes later, it kinda feels like Vegas—the valet guys are even handing out free bottles of water. As the daters walk inside, a security guard stops Gretchen and asks if she’s over 18 (she is), which

gets a big laugh. Inside, Sycuan is sparkling. Having just undergone a $27 million makeover, the casino now features new bars and restaurants, a dramatic chandelier and floorlighting installation and more slots than you can shake your life savings at. (Disclaimer—don’t blow your lifesavings at Sycuan Casino. Save that for your 401(k).) Ladies and gentlemen, please place your bets. THANK YOU! Starlite 3175 India St., Midtown 619.358.9766, starlitesandiego.com Sycuan Casino 5469 Casino Way, El Cajon 619.445.6002, sycuan.com Epic Limo 858.270.LIMO (5466), epiclimobus.com Peroni Nastro Azzurro peroniitaly.com Blue Moon bluemoonbrewingcompany.com (Continued on page 90)

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Cash Me if You Can

D AT E

Two daters, two $100 bills, too hard to predict…

o magnify the magic of the moment, Team PacificSD gives $100 bills to each of the daters, who then proceed to the nearest slot machines. After a few uneventful spins, the planets (and Megabucks symbols) appear to be aligning for Jonathan—one gold shield… two gold shields… OMG!, OMG!, OMG!… nada. So close! After a few more tries at slot glory, the couple decides to grab dinner at Wachena, the casino’s new restaurant and gaming lounge. Once they’ve had a chance to order, they’re split for mid-date debriefings. Please place your second-round bets now. PacificSD: How’s it going so far? GRETCHEN: Very well. We’ve been laughing a lot. He seems like a really nice guy. He seems smart, which is important for me, and we have a few common friends, which is kind of a nice starting-out point, considering we’re totally strangers. JONATHAN: I think she’s great. We have a lot in common. We both like to drink, so I think we’re getting along great. What was your first impression of your date? GRETCHEN: He was very goodlooking, which was a relief, ‘cause I was afraid of being set up with a troll. And he’s friendly and outgoing but not like obnoxious or cocky, which I was also afraid of. He seems very down-to-earth. JONATHAN: She seemed like just a totally cool girl, just someone immediately who I thought I could get along with. Is this the type of person you’d normally date? GRETCHEN: Yes, in the sense that he’s handsome; yes, in the sense that he seems like a nice guy. No, in the sense that I’m usually attracted to people that are more outgoing, I think. GRETCHEN: She’s not necessarily someone I would approach right off the bat, but if she was someone that I started talking to… it could happen where we could end up dating. How was Starlite? GRETCHEN: It was a cool place. 90

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I really liked the interior design—it was beautiful and the drinks were really good. JONATHAN: Good ambiance, unique drinks. I think it’s a great place to take a date. How was the limo ride? GRETHCHEN: We were like, “Oooh, lets go to Vegas,” ‘cause it kind of felt like that atmosphere. It was fully stocked with beer; that was cool. JONATHAN: We had a lot of fun in the limo. Towards the end we put on the music, but we were just talking a lot. What’s the most attractive thing your date has done so far? GRETCHEN: He put his arm around me in the limo. That was cute. I’m a sucker for a little bit of physical affection. JONATHAN: I think it’s just her personality. She’s just so easy to talk to, so easy to get along with. Rate your date on a scale from one to 10 for looks. GRETCHEN: Nine. JONATHAN: She’s a solid nine. And for personality GRETCHEN: 8.9. No, I take it back. Nine. JONATHAN: Nine. Would you like to kiss your date now? GRETCHEN: Yeah, I’m interested. JONATHAN: Sure, yeah.

Does your date want to kiss you now? GRETCHEN: Yes. JONATHAN: Of course, definitely. What games are you going to play after dinner? GRETCHEN: We’re going to probably do the $5 blackjack tables. Hopefully we win. JONATHAN: We’re gonna play a little blackjack, ‘cause she plays blackjack, and we’re gonna play some craps, because that’s what I play. And obviously we’re gonna win, and then we’re gonna get a hotel room. (Continued on page 92)

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D AT E

Big Deal The blind daters double-down at the blackjack table

our nines and two yeses on kissing? What a winning hand. There’s gotta be enough hearts in that combo to make someone flush. Gretchen and Jonathon finish dinner and then have a drink in the Game Day sports bar before heading over to the new Primrose room to play blackjack. After they’ve been dealt a few hands, the couple is finally left alone for the evening. We call the next morning to see if anyone got lucky. Time to place your final bets, folks.

PacificSD: Overall, how was the date? GRETCHEN: Going on the blind date was a gamble, especially knowing all your friends are going to read about it. It was a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone. JONATHAN: I just wanted to have a unique experience and some fun, which is exactly what happened. We got along great, because, I think, Gretchen had the same attitude. At least she did after we met and realized I wasn’t a “troll,” in her words.

I ordered a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries. The bottle of wine we had made us nice and loose with our gambling money.

How was dinner? GRETCHEN: The restaurant was good. We shared a bottle of cabernet sauvignon. He ate a cheeseburger, and I ate a Mongolian dish. It was interesting that they had both American and Asian food, so we tried both. JONATHAN: By the time we got to the restaurant, I was starving, so

How much cash did you leave with? GRETCHEN: Ten dollars cash and a big, blue Snuggie. JONATHAN: No comment, I still feel a little violated by the dealers right now.

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

What games did you play after dinner? GRETCHEN: We played blackjack and craps. I was up for a bit in blackjack, but then we switched to another table and we both started losing. JONATHAN: We played blackjack and craps. Our money would’ve been better spent on penny slots and booze.

Which of you is the better gambler? GRETCHEN: I’d say he was,

because he seemed to have strategy, whereas I just go with my gut instinct. But then again, I was the one that was up in blackjack. JONATHAN: I had to stop her a few times from hitting on 14 when the dealer’s up-card was a 5. So, I’d say overall I’m the better gambler, but she was definitely the luckier one last night. What was the best part of the night? GRETCHEN: Getting a Snuggie at the gift shop. I’ve always wanted one. JONATHAN: Being high rollers for the night. Was there a kiss or romantic moment? GRETCHEN: We shared the Snuggie on the ride back from the casino—we looked like a cross between conjoined twins and a wizard. Super romantic. JONATHAN: There may have been a moment or two.

Will there be a second date? GRETCHEN: No. He doesn’t eat bread and I’m a carboholic. It would never work. JONATHAN: Possibly, but the next date is on her, since she walked away with our remaining $10 dollars and the Sycuan Snuggie we purchased.

Raise your hand if you just lost all your money. Yikes—look at all those hands. At the mid-date break, the smart money was on at least a good makeout session during the limo ride home. (According to PacificSD’s bookie, there was even a chance for nookie.) If only Jonathan had gotten that third shield… Dear Reader, whether you’re looking for or have already found your King or Queen of Hearts— even if you’re thinking about going home with a pair of sevens—here’s to your always being lucky at love. Hit me!

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calendar

10.11

Submit events to calendar@pacificsandiego.com.

10/24

Compiled by Patricia Dwyer

WOMEN’S MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

Suffragette City

Display to mark 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the U.S. Thanks in part to the hard work of bold San Diego suffragists, male voters passed the California Women’s Vote Amendment in 1911, giving California women the right to vote in state elections. To mark the centennial celebration of the historic event, the Women’s Museum of California will display photos of the era’s wheelin’ and dealin’ women (alongside a vintage vehicle of the type they drove cross-country while fighting for their cause) in San Diego City Hall through November 4. On

October 11, a parade commemorating the anniversary starts at the Laurel Street entrance to Balboa Park and culminates at the Organ Pavilion with a drum roll by the San Diego Women’s Drum Society. Dates: 10/24-11/4 Venue: San Diego City Hall, downtown Admission: Free Info: womensmuseumca.org

10/1-2: La Jolla Art & Wine Festival

10/8-9: The Gourmet Experience

10/2: Diamond Dash

9/30-10/2: Miramar Air Show

The Exendables

1969, by leah devora

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

9/30-10/2: Miramar Air Show Location: MCAS Miramar Admission: Free general admission, $8.50 for grandstand, $189 for Flying Aces Club Info: miramarairshow.com Watch the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcons thunder overhead, the Shockwave Peterbilt Jet Truck rocket down the runway and the U.S. Army’s Golden Nights skydiving fly back to earth at this annual event, bringing Top Gun glory to the masses with more than 100 aircraft on display and simulation rides for those with the need for speed. 10/1-2: La Jolla Art & Wine Festival Location: Girard Ave., La Jolla Admission: $10 Info: ljawf.org A jury selected the artists showing their work at the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival, meaning not just any old paint-pusher or woodchipper could snag a booth at the event—but anyone can snag a wine or a beer and enjoy live while music checking out art. 10/2: Diamond Dash Location: Balboa Park Admission: $25 donation Info: charleskolldiamonddash.com Diamonds really can be a girl’s best friend, especially when they’re used to raise money for breast cancer awareness. This text message-driven scavenger hunt sends couples on a wild chase for a $15,000 engagement ring, with proceeds benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure San Diego. 10/8: Taste of North Park Venue: Restaurants throughout North Park Cost: $30 advance; $35 day of Info: tasteofnorthpark.com Sample local seafood, ethnic cuisines, desserts and more on this self-guided culinary tour of North Park, and check out the local galleries serving up art alongside tastings of local microbrews and ales. 10/8-9: The Gourmet Experience Venue: Del Mar Fairgrounds Admission: $25-$45 Info: thegourmetexpo.com Foodies and winos, prep your extended pinkies for a swanky, two-day gourmet lifestyle expo of cookware and accessories, imported cheeses and spices, fine wines, craft beers and demonstrations by celebrated chefs. 10/9: Fifth Avenue Auto Showcase Location: Fifth Ave., Gaslamp Admission: Free Info: gaslamp.org Lead-foots, gassers and hotrod hustlers, drive your whip to Fifth Avenue, or just walk the strip and drool over drag racers, Italian Exotics, Detroit Muscle and more. 10/9: Little Italy FESTA! Location: India St., Little Italy Admission: Free Info: littleitalysd.com Eat authentic Italian food, learn how to make some for yourself and watch chalk artists recreate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel on the streets of Little Italy.

calendar

10.11 10/10: Grub Sprawl La Jolla Venue: Various restaurants in La Jolla Admission: Free Info: grubsprawl.com Spend an evening sampling an array of gourmet, as participating La Jolla restaurants serve up meals for a steal: specialty dishes for just $5 a plate. 10/13: The Lord of the Rings in Concert Venue: Valley View Casino Center, Sports Arena Admission: $30-$95 Info: lordoftheringsinconcert.com Indulge that Lord of the Rings addiction by watching the film on a 60-foot screen, while the Munich Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Chorale and Phoenix Boys Choir perform the motion picture’s entire score in time with the film. 10/16-4/15: San Diego’s Craft Revolution Venue: Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park Admission: $8 Info: mingei.org Mingei International Museum’s latest exhibit highlights the contributions San Diego’s craftiest craftsmen and handymen have made to Southern California’s post-war art scene. 10/20: Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Location: Walk starts at 4th Ave. and K St., downtown Registration: $35 Info: ywcasandiego.org Men and women, strut in high-heels to help stomp out domestic violence during the annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser, organized by the YWCA of San Diego County.

this photo: 10/10, Grub Sprawl La Jolla BELOW: 10/13, The Lord of the Rings in Concert

10/20: La Jolla Gallery Wine Walk & Taste Location: Art galleries in downtown La Jolla Admission: $35-$40 Info: lajollabythesea.com Soak in art, wine and delicious cuisine on this self-guided tour of La Jolla galleries and restaurants. 10/20-28: San Diego Asian Film Festival Venue: UltraStar Mission Valley theaters Tickets: $7.50 to $15 Info: sdaff.org/festival/2011 Choose from more than 50 features and nearly 100 short films produced in more than 20 countries during this annual festival of Pan Asian moviemaking and culture. Stick around after the lights come up for Q-and-A sessions with directors.

10/16-4/15: San Diego’s Craft Revolution, ART BY JAMES HUBBELL

ABOVE: 10/29: Monster Bash this photo: 10/20-28: A STILL FROM THE EXTREME JAPANESE ACTION FILM, YAKUZA WEAPON, SHOWING AT THE San Diego Asian Film Festival

9/30-10/2: La Mesa Oktoberfest Where: La Mesa Village Admission: Free Info: lmvma.com Could the 200,000 chicken dancing, brat-eating beer-lovers that flock to this annual German-themed event each year be wrong? Maybe. Drunkish and wearing lederhosen? Definitely. 10/29: Monster Bash Where: Streets of the Gaslamp Admission: $30-$53 Info: sandiegomonsterbash.com If you’re dying to go “bump” in the night this Halloween, compete in the $3,000 cash costume contest at Monster Bash, an outdoor block party that draws a crowd of more than 10,000 with three stages of DJs and live music. 10/30: Celebrate the Craft Venue: The Lodge at Torrey Pines Tickets: $75 Info: celebratethecraft.com Join California’s premier growers, vintners and culinary artisans for a glorious, oceanfront afternoon of exquisite regional foods and exciting chef demonstrations at the AAA Five Diamond-rated Lodge at Torrey Pines.

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

pacificsandiego.com

think

SUIT CASE

TOP ROW (from left:) The San Diego Chicken with David Letterman; chicklets at a Padres game; an umpire making stinky calls. MIDDLE: Mike Schmidt and Johnny Bench; Ted Turner and sportscaster Skip Caray; Regis Phil Philbin; the Ramones. BOTTOM: “Barney”-lookalike; President Ronald Reagan; President Gerald Ford; San Diego’s home-field advantage; feeling pecky.

For one of the nation’s most iconic mascots, EVERY DAY IS Halloween

ed Giannoulas is the funniest muthaclucka you’ve never seen. What started in 1974 as a $2-an-hour job promoting KGB-FM radio events blossomed into a lifetime career for Giannoulas, otherwise known as the Famous San Diego Chicken. For more than 35 years, Giannoulas, an SDSU grad, has performed acrobatic slapstick— delivered anonymously from within a chicken suit. His longstanding gig has taken him to eight countries and 50 states. He has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman; clucked around with sitting U.S. presidents, professional athletes and actors; and has been onstage with Cheap Trick, Sammy Hagar and the Ramones. “It’s very hot,” Giannoulas says 98

pacificsandiego.com {October 2011}

of his 10-pound costume, which he has donned for up to14 hours straight, working double-header Padres games followed by rock concerts. “It’s a low-tech chicken suit, be assured,” he says. “There’s no padding, no fan, no air conditioning. It’s like my own organic rain forest in there—that’s how much I sweat.” Now 57, Giannoulas still takes his chicken shtick to about three dozen cities each year.

“I still enjoy what I do quite a bit,” he says. “Whether it’s a major town or a small town, it doesn’t matter to me—as long as they laugh at the jokes, I’m loving it.” Giannoulas was sued by former employer KGB-FM and by the creators of Barney the purple dinosaur, a likeness of which he pummeled during performances in the 1990s. Through it all, he never chickened out or missed a gig, suiting up for an estimated 7,000 major and minor league baseball games, plus various television interviews, trade shows and parades. “I gave away the bride at a wedding one time, where the father was snowed-in back east,” he says. “I stepped in and pitch-hit.” After flying the KGB coop,

which he celebrated by emerging from a giant egg during a Padres game at Qualcomm Stadium, Giannoulas tweaked his costume and became a free agent, commanding much higher fees. Media tycoon and Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner (CNN, TBS) once tried to woo the chicken away from San Diego—to the tune of more than $100,000—but guiltinducing TV editorials and weepy letters from local children convinced the birdman not to leave. This summer, Giannoulas was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals, which honors the sport’s unsung and atypical heroes. “I don’t know when I’ll quit,” he says. “I’m sure the Rolling Stones have been asked that question since they turned 30.”

DROPS IN HOLLAND BECOME PINTS IN AMERICA. The people of Holland craft a mighty ﬁne brew, that’s why every drop of Heineken is taken straight from Amsterdam. Every. Single. Drop. And if these pints could talk, well, we’d need someone who spoke Dutch.