Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, February 29-Wednesday, March 6, 2024: Arlo Parks | The White Buffalo | Zack Oakley | Kevin Devine | David Spade | G. Love | Grouplove | zzzahara |

I am pretty glad to be putting February behind us, but I've always thought we should get a rent discount this month for it being fewer days, even on a leap year. Oh well. I went to the Evan Dando show on Tuesday and it was pretty good, though I could've done without the girl who maneuvered up to the front and proceeded to dance like the show was all about her. It's a major pet-peeve. A solo acoustic guitar performance of Lemonheads songs has literally ZERO danceable moments. Go. Away. 

Thursday night, Darren, the kid and I will be going to Arlo Parks. I'm a little bummed my photo pass was declined but whatever. I haven't exactly posted a ton of show photos lately, and no photo pass means no obligation to anyone. 

I know this site is mostly about fun events, but don't forget Tuesday is election day, so mail in or drop off your ballots before then. My ballot came during the heavy rains so it was pretty soggy and damaged, so I'll just go vote in person. Be nice to poll workers, I'm super proud my mom got trained to be one and will be working through election day. 

There are some pretty great shows this week, so get out and enjoy this town. Just bundle up, because the next storm is supposed to be a cold one.

Stay safe out there.    

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, February 22-Wednesday, February 28, 2024: Husbands | Big Business | Ty Segall | Evan Dando | Great Lake Swimmers | Otoboke Beaver | KRS-One |

I stayed up all night on Tuesday to get listings done, while I watched all 8 episodes of Fool Me Once on Netflix. The minute I finished, I regretted not including February 29, because next week is Darren's birthday, Evan Dando is in town, and we're hoping to all go to the Arlo Parks show on Thursday and have some celebrating in between, so I don't know when I'm gonna have time to carve out for listings. But I'll do it, of course, that's what I do. 

I just finished a diary post, so I don't have much to say except that there are way too many good shows this week for me to get them all in my title, and I also included the Audobon's Bird Festival because it's really fun and there are plenty of free parts you can attend without paying for festival registration, even if it's just to check out their pop-up book store or the trade show, which always has a gazillion amazing cameras, binoculars, and lenses to check out. And who doesn't love bird merch? I mean, come on. 

I'm tired and want to have a productive Thursday, so I'm off to bed. These listings will see you in the morning. 

Stay safe out there. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: More Shootings. More COVID. | Pandas To Return!! | Massive Fentanyl Seizure in San Diego | Sheriff Refuses Body Scans At Jails | KC Shooting | RIP Nex Benedict |

Eloise, Kaja, and Sela conspiring (Taken 2.8.24)

Sorry I didn't get around to a diary post last week. We had the roofers here most of the week and I had the ear infection and it was the Superbowl and then there was that shooting and I just kinda felt limited in how I wanted to engage in that kind of world in that kind of moment. There are people who are definitely for gun safety and banning certain types of weapons, or getting background checks, or licensing and training requirements, and more, but if I had my way about it, there would be no guns owned by any private citizen anywhere ever. Unless, I guess, you really think you need a fucking musket. Then I guess, be my guest. When I have been saying, "Stay Safe Out There," in my posts, I always meant someone coughing in your personal space could be make you sick. I guess it also means, "watch out for random shooters when you're out doing life." 

On a more personal note, last week was good, but I didn't hit the zoo nearly as much as I prefer to. Three full days of Handymen working and then Darren using the van for floral delivery on Valentine's Day, led to a lot of moving and loading and unloading and organizing and cleaning. We're letting this first storm pass before restoring the catio, but I was happy to get my van organized and back to normal, and I carried the theme into the weekend. After Saturday morning at the zoo, I went to and from Jamul to the alpaca ranch and brought home Mexican food. Darren and I ended up hanging out having some beers while the kid was at OSP Prom, and then Darren eventually went to bed, so I decided it was time to clean. 9 hours of cleaning later, the studio is almost livable again. That made my Sunday not productive in any way besides taking my dog to Fiesta Island, but I've made up for it this week with my zoo time, and even going with a couple of my zoo friends to Sea World for Presidents Day. 

It's rained again this week, so I hope it's been just a normal storm and not too troubling for anyone out there and we can just go back to the good ol' days of San Diego storms where some ice cream shops in Mission Beach talk about loading up on sandbags and the rest of us just complain about some potholes and make fun of people who don't understand that the Fashion Valley parking lot was literally designed to flood. 

I love you. Stay safe out there. 

 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, February 15-Wednesday, February 21, 2023: Baby Bushka | The Slashes | Faetooth | Futurebirds | Little Hurricane | Ween | Steve Poltz | Peachy San Diego | Foxing | Helado Negro |

It's been a bit of a crazy week. Our downstairs neighbors got some water with that big January rain, so they decided to reroof over their bedroom, which is the floor of our catio, so we had to pull everything downstairs and I've had to hover around the house so the dog doesn't go crazy. On top of that, it's Valentine's Day as I write this and Darren needed the van for flower deliveries, so we had to pull out all the seats and all my stuff and now I'll have to organize my prepper essentials that I keep in there at all times. We're home now and I'm staring down five buckets of roses and lillies that I'm going to arrange while I have some beers and enjoy what's left of Valentine's Day with my boo. We don't get each other gifts, but the flowers and Hoppyalis are good enough for me. And as my gift to him, I organized his car while he was working because it was a disaster zone, too. So yeah. Remember those long pandemic days of never leaving the house? I kinda miss those days. 

On top of domestic life, there are a million amazing shows this week, plus it's Open Ranch at my favorite Alpaca Ranch and Lunar New Year at the Zoo, so hopefully you find something you love to share with people you love. 

Stay safe out there.  

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, February 8 - Wednesday, February 14, 2024: Slothrust | Say She She | Todd Barry | The Rural Alberta Advantage | Juice | Provoker | Pure Bathing Culture | Yo La Tengo |

I'm stoked that I was able to (mostly) finish my listings on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, so I'm actually about to walk to Soda Bar to catch The Bones of J.R. Jones. I don't have much going on this week besides my usual and then finding things to do to not watch football, but who knows, I do kinda love Patrick. But, I'm gonna be late if I don't scoot. Listings are after the jump. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: Atmospheric River Blasts California | Election Ballot Boxes Open | COVID Zapping Everyone You Know | FDA Recalls Mexican Quesos & Cremas (Check You Fridge!)| GRAMMY List |

Suyana, Ransisku, and Alba didn't seem to mind Monday's Rain (Taken 2.5.24)

What a week it's been. And it's only Tuesday. 

The Kid and I went to see Fun Home at New Village Arts Theatre on Saturday night and, wow! What an incredible show. I'm not a great theatre critic because there's really only one performance I've ever seen in my life that I thought was flat-out bad, but Fun Home itself is a Tony award winning musical and the cast on this local presentation was excellent. The theatre is beautiful and intimate, and every seat has a clear view of the stage. I cried and laughed and cried some more. If you're a person inclined to theatre, particularly touched by LGBTQIA+ issues, this one is one you should catch while you can. 

I know the storms have been top of mind for everyone, but I just chug along and do what I always do. Sometimes I go to the zoo all day, sometimes I just go for a quickie to see some of my little buddies. On Monday, I bundled up in all my rain gear and got five miles in, so proud of myself for having finally found the right gear to keep dry, getting some really special moments with the gorillas, the Andean Bears, the giraffes, Ernest the lion, Nindiri the Jaguar, and some incredible playtime amongst the brother elephants, which you can watch on my YouTube channel (I recommend playing your own soundtrack and watching the video on mute, since I couldn't strip the audio.) Other days, like Tuesday, I wake up after just a few hours of sleep and am super low energy. The rain came down in buckets and even my dry gear was no match, so I was damp and tired and certain I couldn't pull of as much walking in my knee high rainboots as I had in my water-resistant booties. I still made it to see my gorillas and had them nearly to myself for almost an hour, with a couple families popping by briefly but bored because the boys were mostly just sitting with their backs to the glass. As soon as people would leave, they'd get all active and Denny was splashing mud at his brothers and the chase was on. So fun. I'm glad I made it for that. But by the time I'd gone to orangutans, they'd gone back to their rooms, my favorite little monkey was cute but stayed high in his cage to stay dry, so I did a final lap to say goodbye to the gray parrots (talkative as ever) and decided to call it a day. I did some work and cleaned the house a little, but Monday's insomnia demanded a Tuesday nap, and man, did I need it. 

Tonight I've been catching up on work demands and setting up a couple ads and newsletters and procrastinating starting my listings, but I'm sure I'll be up for a while still with my polyphasic sleep cycle, so hopefully I can knock those out tonight and have a real day in normal shoes on Wednesday. Oh, and yesterday I watched two movies...Plus One (on Hulu) which is a completely predictable but cute rom-com, and Frybread Face and Me (on Netflix) which was so, so good, about a Navajo kid from San Diego who goes to live with his grandma and cousin on the "rez" for the summer as a tween and all the life lessons one would expect from that situation. 

Anyway, I hope everyone can enjoy the beauty of the rain and not just suffer from the power of it. Stay safe out there. I love you. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, February 1-Wednesday, February 7, 2024: Taylor Ashton | The Paranoyds | David Dondero | STORM AID FUNDRAISER | Plague Vendor | Portugal. The Man | SATH |

I survived a seven-day streak of selling merch at sold out Casbah shows. 

Well, mostly survived. 

That was two nights of Pinback, then RFTC, the aMiniature, then Lucy's Fur Coat, then two nights of The Bronx. 

Last week I started feeling an earache that by Sunday was incredibly painful. So I went to urgent care and turns out I had a full blown ear infection, I'm sure it was exacerbated by night after night on the patio and trying to keep warm. Even then, I still worked on Sunday and Monday, and I found that walking the zoo and getting oxygen in Fern Canyon would help clear my head a bit instead of the constant popping and sloshing my ear was doing when I'd lay down. So, now I'm a few days into an antibiotic and feeling much better, though I still have a way to go before feeling 100% again. But I'm good and Darren got back on Sunday and I survived the Casbah anniversary month and I could've made at least a few excuses not to do these listings, but I had some news and shows and YouTube things and the premiere of VPR to catch up on, so here they are. And now I shall sleep. 

If you're paying attention, tickets to Future Islands go on pre-sale today so make sure you use the Casbah code so they know you're reading our newsletter. And not gonna lie, I don't really get excited about sporting events, but did you hear there's gonna be a rugby match at Snapdragon this summer between All Blacks and Fiji Rugby? It's July 19th and tickets go on sale Friday and I think I need some comps just for mentioning it. 

Though I'm still healing up, I'll be back slinging at the Casbah on Friday, and I'm excited to take the kid see Fun Home at New Village Arts on Saturday. Then I plan on doing a whole lot of nothing to recover from January.  

Listings are after the jump.       

Stay safe out there. Hopefully this time around, the atmospheric river spares everyone's homes and businesses and studios and we can laugh at how overhyped they are/were. 

I love you all. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: San Diego Deluge and Aftermath, Resources, Where To Donate | COVID Up; Nobody Cares | GDP Growth | Humane Society Virtual Baby Shower |

Alba the Andean Bear Mama (Taken 12.5.24)

Last diary, I posted Loretta the bonobo, who was turning 50. This week I heard it was Alba's birthday, so I thought I'd share a pic even though I usually capture them with my phone, watching her 1-year-old cubs and their silly antics. So yeah. Not the best shot ever, but it's what I could find. 

This has been a really good week. I'm on my fourth night at the Casbah for Three Mile Pilot, and got to work both Pinback shows and Rocket From The Crypt, too. I'll be slinging for Lucy's Fur Coat and both nights of the Bronx, and then we'll see how much inventory I have and if it is worth it for me to sell Casbah stuff at both Earthless nights. 

My Darren is out of town at the moment; he went to visit his family up north and as much as I wanted to go, I couldn't pull away from work or leave the kid home alone for that long of a stretch. I'll be so glad when he's home again. 

Besides that, things are pretty good, I've gotten my mornings in with my apes and monkeys and have timed it, so I get a brief disco nap each night before work. It's been really great to see so many familiar faces and the different crowds that each headliner brings. Tonight is much louder than it has been, a bit of that Friday night relief that comes after a week of work. 

Obviously, the week started of with the storm deluge. I was a little oblivious, to be honest. I had to wear my knee-high rainboots to cross my own street, but besides that, I still went to the zoo when the rain slowed down a bit, so it wasn't until I was home that night watching the news that I saw all the destruction around San Diego. I've included a bunch of articles and resources, and San Diego Magazine compiled a list of places to donate, which is also linked below. Help out if you can. I think I'll finally clean out my shoes and get those down to Ringer's Roller Rink for people who might need something as simple and obvious as shoes. 

Stay safe out there. I love you all. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, January 25, 2024-Wednesday, January 31, 2024: RFTC | Poolside | 3MP | La Santa Cecilia | Twin Tribes | Explosions In The Sky | The Bronx | Earthless | Tanlines |

Here's a pro-tip: If you're going to work 9 nights straight at sold out shows, maybe don't blow your wad the first night and consume exorbitant amounts of whiskey after your shift. Just sayin. I'm on my second night of Pinback and they're amazing, but I didn't take a single photo because I had to get these listings done or I would never get sleep and said whiskey made me miss a whole day of the zoo. So yeah, I'm gonna maybe join the masses and declare the rest of my month "dry January" so I can get back to the zoo for the BGE (Big Gorilla Energy) that replenishes my soul.

Obviously the Casbah 35 Year Anniversary month is wrapping up and it has been a really good run with sold out shows every remaining night except that 2nd Earthless show, which I'm sure will sell out by the time Wednesday rolls around. If you're at the Casbah this week, pop by and say hi. Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do in San Diego: Thursday, January 18-Wednesday, January 24, 2024: Cayucas | Mayer Hawthorne | No Knife | aMiniature | Tomcat Courtney Memorial | Ozomatli | Y La Bamba | Pinback |

I didn't go to the zoo on Wednesday and instead spent the entire day slowly doing listings because I finally caught the funk. It's not COVID, it just feels like a cold, nothing Alka Seltzer Plus and Nyquil can't quash, but I figured if I'm bitching about parents bringing their sick kids to the zoo, and they in turn get me sick, I have to at least try not to go and get everyone else around me sick, too. So a day of rest, and green juice and effervescent tabs and nearly four hours of the Murdaugh hearing and I'm wrapping up my night and ready to go to bed. I just got word that JJUUJJUU has to cancel their Thursday night appearance at the Casbah so it sounds like we're canceling entirely and will be closed for the night. I expect this was a quick 24-hour knockout and I am willing myself to be better and able to rejoin the world on Thursday, and ready for my merch gigs on Saturday and Sunday.

Stay safe and healthy out there. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: Tripledemic Peaked But Still Kicking Ass | TFG on School Shootings: "Get Over It" | Ape Recognition | Diving In To 2024 |

2024 is off and running and I'm exhausted already. I did three nights of merch in a row for The Dragons and then The Beat Farmers, and then Monday was Otto's memorial and I am pooped. The kid has been sick, my sister had COVID last week, and everyone seems to think taking their kids to the zoo is okay when they're staying home from school and daycare because they're sick. So I'm not gonna lie, I'm pooped. I usually start my listings on Tuesday so they're ready to go on Thursday, but I'm gonna call it an early night and hopefully the kid is back at school on Wednesday and I can watch the Murdaugh hearing that I started watching today and get my work done in the peace and quiet of an empty house. 

Today you get a picture of sweet Loretta. She is the matriarch of the bonobos and turns 50 years old on January 22nd. There are only 8 zoos in the US that house bonobos and they are critically endangered within the politically volatile Democratic Republic of Congo where they are endemic. Bonobos are amazing great apes and to get to watch and know their personalities is an incredible privilege. Go visit her.  

Stay safe and healthy out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, January 11-Wednesday, January 17, 2024: Casbah Day 2024! | Neil Hamburger | The Dragons | Sum 41 | Tommy Castro | Talib Kweli | The Beat Farmers | Memorial For Otto | Dessa | Buck Meek |

This week has been a little busy so I'm feeling pretty behind in work at the moment, but I had to get listings done. The Music Box had a holiday/staff party this week and it was pretty great. It was a casino night at the Carte Hotel rooftop, so I had great fun playing blackjack most of the night. Also this week, San Diego City Council proclaimed January 12th, 2024 as Casbah Day in San Diego in honor of the 35 year anniversary, so although there wasn't much fanfare in council, it is still pretty cool to be a part of that.

 

I will say that I'm a little irritated with San Diego at the moment for having two horrible events this weekend. I can't believe a place called PETCO PARK would play host to a goddamn rodeo, an event completely devoted to animal cruelty. This is why stadiums shouldn't get one fucking dollar from the cities in which they build. Meanwhile, Snapdragon is getting demolished by Monster Jam, a stupid event borne of destruction and the weird worship of truck culture. It's gross and I don't understand how hauling 26 Million pounds of dirt is even allowed in light of the Climate Action Plan and the fucking waste of it all just makes me insane. 

I'll be at the Casbah all weekend selling 35 year anniversary merch, so if you have tickets to the Dragons or The Beat Farmers, pop over to my table and say hello. 

Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, January 4-Wednesday, January 10, 2024: El Ten Eleven | TSOL | Princess Goes | Starcrawler | Charlatans UK | Bowie Birthday | Sutton James |

Happy New Year!! I know we're already a few days in, but to me, it didn't count until the Casbah's Anniversary month began. And it does, tonight! El Ten Eleven kicks off with a sold out show, and for those in attendance, you'll have first crack at the new Casbah 35 Year Anniversary merch (without shipping fees!). I'll be there to sell it to you. We'll have it available at several other sold out nights this month, so if you don't want to order it, you can grab it in person if you have tickets to those particular shows: Dragons, Beat Farmers, 3MP, No Knife/aMiniature, Bronx, Earthless, and maybe a couple more, depending on demand. I heard we already sold out of 2x-4x hoodies, but hang tight and we'll work on another run of printing those sizes. 

Meanwhile, it's gonna be a killer week for music, even if our hearts are heavy with the loss of soundman extraordinaire, Otto Valentine. 

All the listings are after the jump. 

Stay safe. 

I love you. 

Rosey's Diary And Newsy Things: 2024 Is Here | Respiratory Viruses On The Rise | Election Year Nightmare |

I always imagine that I'll write some big end of the year recap and beginning of the year 'fresh start' post, but to be honest, after finding out today that our friend and sound guy extraordinaire, Otto, has passed away, it just brings back all the real shit parts of 2023 all over again. Losing my dad, losing my sister-in-law, losing O, losing so many others, human and animals alike. It was a steady parade of grief and loss. 

And not to say it wasn't also a good year, because that is life, right? Shitty things and good things and all the things in between, until it's our turn to fade out and everyone is remembering us. But let's hope that is many, many years away and we continue to grow as people with each moment we have. My "zoo year" has been incredible, I've been getting in better habits - getting up earlier, staying on top of my work, setting and hitting daily step targets, making lots of new friends from all walks of life, getting daily sunshine, getting my ass off the couch. Admittedly, that means I write and post less and I haven't been going to shows as much as I once did, which I expect to find better balance for both in 2024. 

Of course there are always goals to set...like cleaning out our studio and apartment and 'cleaning out the old', or taking better advantage when Darren actually has time off, but let's just marvel that we made it out of 2023. And while we have the shit elections to deal with this year, let's do our best to make 2024 a good one. 

I love you all. Stay safe out there. 

 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, December 28-Wednesday, January 3, 2024: NYE + Black Lips | Wild Horses | Transfer | Schizophonics | The Creepy Creeps |

I always think I'm gonna have time. I wanted to dig through my archives and find a more NYE festive photo, but now I realize the photos I'm thinking of are actually probably from like five years ago so I'm just not organized enough to track them down because I need to sleep. I didn't realize the kid was flying out on Thursday and I get to be the one for airport dropoff at 8am. Sooo. I hope everyone had a really great Christmas and is ready to ring in 2024. I did my best with listings this week, but didn't go above and beyond for NYE for venues that I don't normally list here...frankly the high ticket parties and prix fixe dinners aren't what I'm after, so I'm sure you can find those sponsored listings elsewhere. I may add anything relevant to this site, but in case I get caught up and never get to my final diary of the year, have a great week and I'll catch ya in the new year. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, December 21-Wednesday, December 27, 2023: Well Well Well | Moans | Los Lobos | El Vez | Crasher | Exile on Kettner Blvd | The Silent Comedy |

Toby & I at Wild Holidays at Safari Park 

I was feeling like I was closing the year on a high note just after giving in and getting this new laptop, a new camera, traveling to the Great Lakes region and then ready to hit the holidays. In fact, we never ended up getting a Christmas tree, I'm spending more than I'm making at the moment, and one of the car registration lapsed which went completely under our radar, so not only are there late fees, but it's going to have to go into the shop (impossible during the holidays) to get the engine light off to then pass SMOG to then late-register. And of course, any time it's parked or driven could add another ticket. What a clusterf**k. 

Still, even with all that, on Wednesday night we had a big family dinner with my siblings and nieces and nephews and my cousin and uncle and it was the first time we'd all been back to Volare as a group since before my dad stopped walking, which was several years ago. So it will be a present-poor Christmas without a lot of gifts but filled with a whole lot of love, which is really the whole point of it all anyway. 

There's great stuff happening this week leading up to Christmas, I'm gonna do my best to go to Exile, and then more of the usual with the San Diego Zoo and Sea World with my family while they're all in town, and you know I'll be there even without them. 

Merry Christmas, y'all. I love you. Stay safe out there. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, December 14-Wednesday, December 20, 2023: QOTSA | Grateful Shred | Emo Nite | TV Girl | Ziggy Shuffledust | Swive | More Fatter | Holiday Ramble |

I am sooo looking forward to the weekend to try and recover from my trip, spend some chill time with my visiting relatives, and enjoy the Casbah's holiday brunch on Sunday. I was able to hit the San Diego Zoo on Thursday to see all my babies that I missed so much. I got a little love from the gorillas before they went in, Karen the orangutan sat with my while I worked on my laptop, even little Kaja popped over to say hi. It was nice and empty, so I had the run of the place and also visited the gray parrots, Andean bears, my favorite langur, the red panda, the snow leopards, the red-tailed and swamp monkeys and more. There's a new binturong at Explorer's basecamp, but the tamandua is gone. If you are a take-pictures-with-Santa kinda person, there has been a line on weekends but on most days you can literally walk right in with no wait. It's kinda shocking actually. I've shaved a lot of time off how long the listings take with this new laptop, but I still had to do a newsletter and go through a zillion emails so I am fried. Have a great weekend, stay healthy, and when you hear all the people hacking around you, get as far away as you can-- they probably have COVID but many people don't even bother testing for it anymore, so steer clear. 

I love you.  

Rosey's Diary & Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, December 14, 2023: Sego | Coastal Wolves | Zoltan Kaszas | La Diabla | Meg McRee | Strung Out |

Sister Claudia, My Mama, Nadia, Jojo, Uncle Willy, & Me. Christy took this one. 

So, I really was not realistic at all when I went on this little trip for the past few days. I haven't flown anywhere since 2016, and I forget how much time I really end up sitting around talking with family, riding in cars, or driving and seeing scenery and how much time I am NOT online, or at least, not able to use my laptop. (Email is still amazing anywhere, anytime, except when I'm driving, of course.)

We left San Diego on Saturday at 6:30am, which made me wake up at 3:45am to be ready to go. Of course I don't really sleep on planes, so by the time we landed in Chicago and walked all up the Miracle Mile or the Magnificent Mile or the Millionaire Mile or whatever it is really called along Lake Shore Drive and then back to our hotel, I was zonked. But this was a girls trip for that part of the weekend, so I was with my mom, my sisters and my nieces, at the W, known for having Djs in the lobby and being a destination on weekends and, let's just say the no sleep week continued. Beyond going to Millennial Park to see The Bean (which is now behind security fences because, as the street vendors told us, "los jovenes") and Christmas stuff, I have to say it was all kind of a bust. I was in Chicago but by no means did Chicago. That was the theme for this whole trip, actually. Not that I didn't enjoy family time and seeing new things, but I didn't pack in what I would do if I had my say in all of it. Or any of it, really.

On Sunday, we left Chicago to drive to South Bend and that was the day of my uncle's Surprise Birthday Party for his 80th birthday. He got all weepy and it was beautiful and beers at the Country Club were $2.50 so I enjoyed myself and also learned a bunch of stuff about my family that I didn't know before and saw pictures, like of my real grandma who died when my mom was only 2 years old, that I was seeing for the first time. That was magic. 

By Sunday night, I was in party mode, drank beers and rye at our hotel while everyone slept, knowing I would be the one to stay while my sisters and nieces returned home on Monday. When it was just me and my mom and my uncle, we spent the greater part of a day at a local casino and then the next day driving around different nearby areas to eat, shop, and see Christmas lights. 

I'm now on the flight home and there's no way the wi-fi can handle me doing the listings for the whole week, so I'm just doing Thursday's and I'll do the rest on Thursday. I underestimated how much time we'd spend in cars, how much time we'd be hanging out telling stories, how much time I'd spend in the kennels and among the cats of the house. I especially underestimated how much time I would be the one driving, though I guess I should be used to it with my 80 year old uncle and 70+ year old mom. I also didn't know I'd be sleeping on a waterbed for 2 nights which makes laptopping in bed pretty much impossible. So I'm sorry the listings are abbreviated but when I get home, I need space, I need drinks, I need some loving from my babies, and I don't want to be up all night working on listings because I really need to see my favorite primates at the zoo in the morning. Also, thanks to this stupid bitch that won't stop coughing with her mouth open, even though I got my booster last week and even though I wore a mask during the stagnant air parts of the flight, I'm eating and drinking and trying to get cool air, so I'll be monitoring my health and thank goodness I am a bit overstocked with COVID tests at the moment. I actually think she's coughing out loud AT me, but I'm not about to start a fight on Southwest.  

Besides surprising my Uncle on his turf, we bought him a one-way ticket to San Diego to hang out as long as he wants. The last couple times were sad and for my dad's death, so hopefully this one will be more joyful. But also it means I'll probably be chauffer for at least some parts over the next couple weeks. Forgive me if you don't hear from me or if things are late or my Insta is all out of order or whatever. I gotta spend the time with these Olds while I can. xoxo

Here are Thursdays listings. I'm sorry if I missed stuff.

Rosey's Diary | Christmas In San Diego | COVID-19 & Flu & RSV | Biden's Economy | Housing | Citrus Quarantine |

DeBrazza Monkeys Lillie and Baby born 10.28.23

I am trying to wrap up loose ends before I get outta town this weekend, so it seemed like a good time for a post. I'm excited about my trip, but I can't really talk about it until after it happens, so just know that I'm going to be cold and I haven't been on a plane since 2016. I'm kinda freaking out a little, but I'll have to sort it all out tomorrow and I'm sure everything will be fine, but my biggest problem will be packing. I'm terrible at it. Have you seen how much stuff I take with me just to go to the zoo everyday? So yeah. At least I learned today that my leggings were ineffective at keeping me warm today in San Diego, so they're definitely not going to cut it where I'm going. 

So beyond that, things have been good. Work is crazy busy, this week we announced another 16 shows, when a typical week is about 5. In starting this post, I learned that my new laptop doesn't have an SD card slot, so that kinda blows, but I guess the HDMI will be adequate. The zoo has been especially fun this week because I found a better loop and get to spend more time with my favorite primates. Last weekend was the final open house of the year at the Alpaca Ranch, so I went to the zoo in the morning, then my mom and I went out to the ranch, and then I finished the evening at the zoo, which was deserted and perfect. When it's late like that, generally all the primates are all asleep, but it's a good chance to go to Basecamp to see the caracal, tamandua, coati, and sometimes local opossums or skunks moving around under the platformed walkway. I also like to visit these adorable little crocodiles that will sometimes swim right up to glass to make deep eye contact. It's kind of an amazing thing and they look really cute when they swim. At night, it's also fun to do the big lap around the elephants and into Kopje because sometimes you can hear the hyrax screaming, which is a pretty crazy sound if you're not expecting it. The zoo will get a lot crazier when Jungle Bells kicks off this weekend, but walk around the dark if you get the chance. Do it without a flashlight, and especially DON'T use the one on your phone.

I'll catch you all after my trip.

I love you. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, December 7-Wednesday, December 13, 2023: Depeche Mode | The Woggles | Dresden Dolls | The Tighten Ups | Rosa Rossa | North Park Winter Wonderland |

I feel like I have a little bit better control of everything now that I've got a new laptop and camera situation. Listings were a little slower because all the sites I use aren't cached in my history, but overall I'm happy with my purchase. I still have files to move and I'd like to eventually get the old one looked at because I think it's fixable, but I'm going out of town for five days and won't really have a chance to settle down for some time. It feels like with the holidays coming up and then Casbah anniversary month, I'm going to be busy af. All that is fine, as long as I get my zoo therapy in between it all, I'll be good. I'm going to do my best to get next week's listings done on time and ready to post by Thursday, but just in case, be forewarned that I'm traveling on Wednesday, my usual time to get them done. Maybe I can do them on the plane. 

Anyway, I love you all. I'll miss San Diego while I'm gone.