Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, January 15-Wednesday, January 21, 2026: Lion Cut | Emo Nite | Braxton Cook | Leavers | Mariachi El Bronx | Eric Hutchinson | Hauntu | City Of The Sun | Pinback | Fuzz |

Maned Wolf (first-time mom) Cora Carries one of her three pups in her mouth to orient it to the habitat at San Diego Zoo. (1.12.26)

I'm a little glad it's a bit of the slow time of year because listings don't take me quite as long these days so I have more time to read all the things about how paid parking at Balboa Park is backfiring spectacularly (as I said it would in three separate City Council meetings), more time to watch all my LawTube which seems to be exploding with cases...turns out I'm super fascinated (and terrified) by government and police corruption, insecure men who can't handle their feelings and m* their intimate partners, and the intersection of those two. I went to Seaworld last weekend for Inside Look and if you have an annual pass, I encourage you to take advantage this weekend. It's my favorite SW weekend of the year, as you get behind the scenes keeper talks, you can watch an Orca training session, and just get to see all the animal husbandry stuff that is normally hidden from view. I won't be able to go again, however, because I have a short little jaunt that I'll tell you all about next time you hear from me. Until then, stay super safe out there. Shit its bonkers. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, January 8-Wednesday, January 14, 2025: Bowie Birthday | Band Argument | Laser Disco Drum Orgy | RJD2 | Adolescents | Weatherbox | Jim Ward | The Dimes | Odessa Kane |

Now that the kid is back in school and Darren is back at work, I thought I'd be chillin hard at home alone. But I thought wrong. The ADUs being constructed next door are almost done, but their crew shows up at 6:30 every morning and by 7 is in full blown construction noise along with the project manager parking his monster truck and blaring the radio to the construction site...like 12 feet from my pillow. So I've been trying to go to bed earlier so I can handle the early wakeups. On Tuesday, I was up so early I decided I would just drive to LA to get to the zoo before they opened. Wednesday I was up early again and went to Cabrillo Monument before going to the zoo. Now it's approaching 1am and I think I might actually be tired enough to sleep and listings are done before 4am. 

The whole world is going fucking insane right now, We are seriously living in Gilead. Find something that brings you joy. For me, it was seeing those baby apes in LA. Maybe I'll hit the free Bowie party on Thursday night at the Casbah. Find joy wherever you can. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, January 2-Wednesday, January 7, 2026: Starcrawler & Plague Vendor | Java Joes Reunion Show | Swami Sound System | Poncho Sanchez | The Devastators | Duran Duran | Back To The Garden |

So I didn't post listings on Thursday since I'd included it on last week's events. And then I went to the Zoo bright and shiny in the morning on New Year's Day for several hours, then I went home and coerced Darren and Toby to stack in the van to go to Seaworld so we could watch the Holiday Bowl Marching Bands and Cheer Squads in a little band battle. It was the cutest nerdiest thing and we loved it. After it ended, we stayed at the park for a couple more hours and then I was wiped out, so I slept. But I knew I had work to do, so I prioritized my work newsletter before getting to the listings, even though I usually publish these earlier. Whatever. So I'm an hour late. I gotta be honest, I was tempted to make 2026 the year I just throw in the towel and stop listings altogether...there are so many other places to find such things nowadays, but I guess my need-to-know won out and so this week, we carry on. 

For anyone wondering, I've been told that there are two memorials for Tim Lowman being coordinated with his family, so hang tight and give a minute for everyone to take a breath...it was a devastating way to end 2025 and dampened any kind of celebratory yearning for hope going into 2026. So let's all take a breath. We can mourn the losses and hardships of 2025, while also trying to appreciate what we have and find all the reasons to put one foot in front of the other as we move into 2026. 

I love you all. Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.