Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, June 25-Wednesday, July 1, 2026: Tim Kasher | Dawes | Tulengua | Maren Morris | OB Street Fair | Three Bad Jacks | Missing Persons | Kid Cudi | Anna Ballew |

Karen & Kaja Sharing A Bounty of French's Mustard (Taken 6.24.26)

I just haven't been feeling right this week. I guess this is life when you're born the year of our country's bicentennial, but ICK. Do not like. 0/10, do not recommend. So I I missed an Open Alpaca Ranch day over the weekend and haven't had a whole lot of Zoo and SeaWorld time this week, and , but the little time I've had still manages to fill my soul with the good good. I also had a couple merch gigs this week, with Skillibeng on Sunday and Aaron Hibell on Wednesday. I didn't get my act together this year, so I missed out on a few opportunities to hit the San Diego County Fair, but it's still going until the 6th if you're trying to make a day of it. The Casbah had a few announces this week and the Brian Fallon (from Gaslight Anthem) show nearly sold out in just a few days, so keep eyes out for an announcement on that front. The 4th of July holiday coming up usually messes everyone up and things get out of rhythm, and with it being on a Saturday this year, I don't expect any less, but maybe I'll sneak off to the mountains or something to get away from the noise. 

Also wanted to mention if you haven't heard, Tara and Dean Reis bought the bar on El Cajon Blvd formerly known as Cricket Pub. They've been cleaning it up and making it nice, but I just read that they're doing a Bar Pink takeover because Lorenxo & Barb will be in town. So if you wanna come hang out at the super fun new bar, literally across the street from my house, check it out on Monday. Like Bar Pink, it's cash only, so come prepared and then leave a 5 star review on the platforms. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, June 18-Wednesday, June 24, 2026: Neil Hamburger | Metric | Emo Nite | Deceits + Past Self | The Lemon Twigs | Bob Dylan | Heavenly |

Amahle & Guadalupe Pool Party Playing (Taken 6.18.26)

Darren was sick all weekend, so I took the opportunity while I was already going to Murietta to see the twinsie babies in their new home, that I would make it a whole thing. I was gonna camp, but didn't really like the camp facilities, and at that very time, my friends messaged that they were going to LA Zoo on Monday. I reached out to my cousin who gave me her house to crash and so it was. Only thing is I have felt behind all week because of it. So I'm happy to say it's only 2am and I'm done with listings, which means staying up til 6am yesterday was worth it and I don't have to do it again.
I'm hearing from many people that San Diego Zoo will be phasing out Nighttime Zoo, and in 2027 and beyond will only stay open until 7pm (instead of 8pm as it is this year, or 9pm as it had been in the past). Let me tell you that this will be a super bummer because the animals really come alive in that 4-8pm window. Similarly, I heard there was some sort of Grand Jury audit of LA Zoo and they want to shift from being the last City-run zoo in the country to a "public-private partnership". FUCK. I HATE "public-private partnerships". Somehow the Private entity always ends up being the winner and the Public part gets fucked. 

Anyhow, that's neither here nor there for now. What is up is that Friday is Juneteenth, and while I completely expect TFG to do something completely stupid, complain about too many Federal holidays, or some other racist nonsense, I intend to enjoy the shit out of a three day weekend. There's even a Juneteenth Birders walk that seems quite appealing. Whatever the case, there's a shit ton to do this week in San Diego. I saw some Friday event on IG but forgot to save it, so if anyone knows what I'm talking about, feel free to send it over. 

Stay safe out there (the respiratory illnesses are knocking people out right now, and summer World Cup travel is only going to exacerbate the problems.) Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: City of San Diego Passes Budget | Persistent Public Parking Problems | FIDO Battles Bayfair And Wins | Judge To DOJ: Leave The Kids Alone |

Bat-Eared Fox Kits at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 5.19.26)

The funniest thing happened when I was selling merch for Rostam. This man came to the merch table and couldn't decide if he wanted to buy a sweatshirt...he has two from past tours that he said he wears all the time. While he kept talking, I couldn't help but ask if I knew him...his voice was so familiar...maybe he was a friend of my friend Kristian (who seems to know everyone), I asked? No, he said, but I insisted he was so familiar. He said he used to work for County Health. YOU GUYS! Remember how I literally watched every single City and County update during C-19??? It was Dr. McDonald from all those many, many daily briefings.
Anyhow, that was May 15. We're now a month later and I finally got around to finishing up a link-heavy diary post. Leading up to the election, my inbox was just out of control, and I felt like I was just trying to keep my head above water day by day...I have a few tour agents really on my tail at the moment...but hopefully spending a Saturday night getting things under control was a smart move, even though it probably means I won't be making 8:30am yoga at Seaworld. I've mentioned how Toby was moving back home after finishing his freshman year at UCSD and living on campus, and I'm so grateful that Darren handled it, even though he's super sick right now. I'm kinda worried though he's negative for the C-19, because he did that whole deep cleaning of our studio last week and I was temporarily convinced he had the hanta-v. He says he's fine and will be okay, but we'll keep an eye on him. At this point, this post is more to document the shit that has been happening in the City and State. The national craziness is just so beyond that I'll leave it to greater minds to document; mandatory reading: Letters from an American, Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance, and Popular Information. 
Stay safe (and healthy) out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, June 11-Wednesday, June 17, 2026: Monolord | Fruit Bats | Alain Whyte | Ásgeir | Switchfoot Bro-Am | Surf Trash | Searows | Taylor Hunnicutt | Fai Laci | The Dimes |

Half Brothers Tsundzu & Nipho Enjoying A Warm Spring Night (6.10.26)

I'm keeping it short this week. There is a ton going on right now...World Cup is kicking off with lots of spots broadcasting games for the entire run. I'd say avoid the masses and commit to Blind Lady Ale House...which normally doesn't do sports, but futbol is the exception and they have the games listed out on their calendar. It's also Fair season, so I included the big shows but obviously they've got lots of stuff happening all day, every day. We had a whole situation in my studio that had long been ignored, so Darren took the lead and handled it, but yuck...unoccupied spaces are a magnet for unwanted visitors...especially when used primarily for food storage. I've been pretty happy spending late hours at the San Diego Zoo and the animals have been...shall we say, "feisty" doing "it like they do on the Discovery Channel," if you catch my drift. This weekend Seaworld launches into their extended hours for summer and are debuting nighttime dolphin and orca presentations. So yeah, I'm keeping occupied surrounding myself with all the animals I love. I hope we've all recovered from the election and thank goodness that it appears LA dodged that Pratt bullet. What a fuckface piece of shit. 

Anyway, stay safe out there, especially as summer travel picks up and places get us more packed with people and all their summer snot. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, June 4-Wednesday, June 10, 2026: Quintron & Miss Pussycat | Racing Mount Pleasant | The Lagoons | Otis Kane | North Park Music Fest | Daniel Ezra Band | Messthetics | Paul Simon | David J | Monolord | Sir Woman |

Little Bear (Taken 4.18.26)

I've been so proud that for the past several weeks I was able to get my listings done by Monday night so that the rest of the week I can focus on actual work and getting out and about. That didn't happen this week and everything has just felt a little off all week, though it's hard to know if that's because I didn't do the work or I couldn't do the work because this week was gonna be a pit of suck. Besides the shitty election (voted for Becerra, but NOT looking forward to the next 5 months of campaigns and ads), we have an appraiser coming to our apartment on Thursday which is NEVER a good sign and has given me pure anxiety all week. Darren is a calming presence and talked me down, but I guess we'll deal with whatever that may bring when it comes. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to this weekend...I've been invited to shearing day at Hazpaca and I am hoping I can make it. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 28-Wednesday, June 3, 2026: Old Mervs | Kinky | Caskitt | Ringo Starr | Fiesta Del Sol | Egg Records Fest | Los Lobos | Foxtide | RnR Marathon | The Last Dinner Party | Mikaela Davis | The Human League | Allah-Las |

Rostam at Music Box, 5.27.26

There is such a strange feeling when you become acutely aware of time. Darren is in his final week of his work project in the mountains, and you would think that being home alone for four weeks, at least Monday-Friday, that I'd have this big swath of free time, but it didn't work out that way at all. Instead, I feel so rushed. I sleep in increments, 3 or 4 hours, then wake to work, then try to get back to sleep. Toby will be coming home from school soon and then my unusual schedule is just gonna really mess with everyone. Is Lestat's still 24 hours? because maybe I'll have to weave that into my life. 

At any rate, I'm just trying to keep up with all of it, and the Casbah is going bananas right now with fall and winter booking as well as filling out the rest of spring and summer calendars, so it's busy. And maybe election season's looming deadlines makes me feel a bit of anxiety, too. Can you imagine if either of the republican fuckers end up in the run-off? Gross. Anyway, I hope you find a good show or two this week, because there are some good ones, plus lots of free stuff if the budget is a problem. Don't forget to plan around Rock N Roll Marathon this weekend, as everyone seems to forget about parking restrictions and blocked off streets. Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 21-Wednesday, May 27, 2026: Bike Anywhere Day | Nathan Raney | Dry Cleaning | Supersuckers | Swingin' Utters | Afghan Whigs | Mac DeMarco | World Goth Day | Broncho | The Paper Kites |

I was hoping to get up to Palomar to camp this week, but since it didn't work out, I'm just enjoying that I busted out listings early this week. I also understand Memorial Day is a day to be solemn and honor the men and women who've lost their lives while serving in the Armed Forces, but Memorial Day has long been the unofficial kick-off to summer and I'm pretty much checked out and ready for a three-day weekend. There are a lot of great shows this week but I'm already overextended so I am not committing to anything. Also, don't forget to look to the sky if you're in the area, as SeaWorld kicks off their drone shows to replace their fireworks shows. Whatever you do and however you choose to spend your time, may you find some joy however that may come. 
Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Rosey's Diary and Newsy Things: SDMA Winners | Nighttime Zoo | R.I.P. Paul-Donn | SeaWorld Reopens Shark Encounter, Dolphin Stadium, Kicks Off Drone Shows | Living in Kleptocracy |

 

Paul-Donn at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Taken 12.26.25)

If I'm being honest, I have controlled and fixed my notifications and algorithms so much that I didn't know anything about the shooting at the Islamic Center until several hours after it happened. So I'm making the choice not to post any links about that story in this latest news roundup. Not because I don't care or because I don't want to acknowledge the tragic loss of life at the hands of radical incel-adjacent shitheads, but the links are everywhere and the discussion about it is super triggering and angering. I'm sure you've read every detail that is known and many that are unknown and I just don't have the bandwidth for it. I'm trying to live in La La Land these days. The election, the City and County budget wars, the abject corruption by TFG, and the many wild things going on in LawTube...it's enough to make anyone crazy. So yeah. I'm soaking in a lot of zoo and SeaWorld time, I spent Tuesday doing work (namely, these listings) and then going to Safari Park, and exploring North County, since I was already up there. I even went to Oceanside Harbor to see their sea lions, and I can't believe I've never explored that whole area north of the pier. So this post is short, even though I haven't really posted a diary in a couple weeks. I'm trying my best to be out living and off the laptop. I recommend the same for you. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 14-Wednesday, May 20, 2026: Holy F | St. Lucia | Emo Nite | P!NK | Daikaju | Electric Six | Ben Folds | Bob Log III & Strange Vine | Echo & The Bunnymen | Alex G | Babes In Canyon | Yumi Zouma |

Road Shadows at Palomar Observatory (5.13.26)

I tried to bust out of town this week, so listings were done on Monday. So I'm sorry if I missed anything. May is super busy...we had a great Mother's Day having a picnic at Liberty Station, my niece is coming home from college, plus lots of end of the school year stuff for lots of people in my family so things feel extra hectic, and all I wanna do is get 10 hours of sleep a night and spend my days among the animals. So yeah. But listings are done and I'm super proud. But also, the Casbah is crazy busy and we've announced like a dozen shows this week, so go take a gander and grab your tickets to some great summer shows that won't leave you bankrupt or taking out loans. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, May 7-Wednesday, May 13, 2026: Robert Lester Folsom | Gator By The Bay | Forester | Mrs Magician | Vincent Neil Emerson | El Ten Eleven | Avett Brothers & Mike Patton | Palmyra | Tyler Halverson |

Cousin Connie, Mama Rosie, Me, and Sister Christy at Gator 2015

Not gonna lie. I'm kinda feeling some FOMO this weekend. Back in the day, my family would all gather up our smugglers backpacks and beach chairs and head to Gator By The Bay. It was our Mother's Day tradition for many years, but that was back when comps flowed abundantly and if they didn't, tickets were like $20. We missed several years when my dad became too unhealthy to be left alone, and then one year lapse turned into two, three, four. Now we'd love to resume the tradition, and I understand the costs associated with throwing a festival of this size, but we are priced out. I hope everyone goes has a super great time and enjoys all the music, but we can't justify paying $400 for the family to just hear a couple zydeco bands. Maybe we'll just sit outside on the harbor. The cool thing is there are still plenty of other things to enjoy this weekend, from the Powwow at Balboa Park to the Viva La Musica festival at Seaworld that is included with admission. Plus, I'm gonna have to get some Darren time since he's been gone all week on his work trip. If you're planning on shows for the week, the Casbah's Thursday and Saturday shows are almost sold out, and Friday might sell out the night of the show, so get there early if you wanna pay at the door. Also, Plosivs tickets went on sale this week, and the tickets are almost gone. Grab them at the Casbah site. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.