Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, April 2-Wednesday, April 8, 2026: Marshall Crenshaw | Pump Action | Wallice | Schizophonics | Saintseneca | NP Festival Of Beers | Bay Faction | Elise Trouw | H8BB | DAIISTAR | Pink Turns Blue | Casualties | Years Around The Sun |

Extended San Diego Zoo Hours end on Sunday, April 4

It's Easter weekend, which as a reformed Catholic means almost nothing to me, but it's also my parents' anniversary weekend which also means we just passed the anniversary of my sister-in-law dying from breast cancer and we're coming up on the anniversary of my dad's death, which happened two weeks after her passing. It's hard to believe it's been three years for both of them, and the whirlwind that came in the months before and after both. Everything is so different, I feel like a whole lifetime of change has come in the last few years, and yet there's also so much that feels exactly the same, as time ticks on. It's probably why I've grasped so hard to spending so much time among animals at the Zoo and SeaWorld: while some have passed, new babies are born, and animals transfer, there is so much comfort in their daily routines...the zoo itself as a living breathing organism that has to wake up every day, with animals that have to be fed every day, animals that only feel the rhythm of the day, of the year, of the change in seasons, the change in guests, adapting when it's slow days or insanely busy days, but their lives in general don't really care about all the outside noise of this crazy world. Makes sense that I feel so much peace there, a calm it can be hard to find when you watch the news or exist anywhere in this mad world. 

May you all have a great weekend, see some great music, enjoy a beerfest, celebrate Easter, or Ēostre, or Pascha or just that we live in this amazing place with endless opportunities to find peace. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.  

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, March 26-Wednesday, April 1, 2026: Girl In A Coma | Bad Cop Bad Cop | House of Heavy | Tiltwheel | Digable Planets | NO KINGS MARCHES | Creature Canyon | Charlie Parr | Sarah Kinsley |

I had planned to go on another camping trip with Darren and his work but the dates got pushed back and I have to work, so no camping for me after all. I'm a little disappointed, though with gas through the roof and my minor ear infection, maybe staying home in pajamas isn't the worst thing in the world. I'm currently following the Kelsey Fitzsimmons trial in Massachusetts and there's nothing that will make you distrust the cops more than any Massachusetts case, though the problems seem to be rampant everywhere. If you haven't yet watched the Afroman trial, do yourself a favor and watch the actual trial beyond just the headlines. 

As far as music goes, there are some great shows in San Diego this week, plus Tara and Dean have officially taken over the bar across the street from my house, so maybe when I feel a little better, I'll pop over to High Seas Bar for a cocktail. 

Things are crazy out in the world, stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: Outta Control Ticket Prices | Rattlesnake Season | SD Lowering Speed Limits | SDZWA Gets Lease Extension | Beware Mosquitoes |

Darren is out of town and it's so funny because I cannot remember the last time I was home alone. He's traveled before but I don't think since Toby's been in college. It's strange, even though he's often asleep when I'm up working or writing or whatever anyway. I hope he's enjoying his trip to Ocotillo and that his students stay in line. In the meantime, I am looking forward to the weekend, mostly because I have zero plans whatsoever. That is a very nice feeling, to have literally no obligations or commitments and all of San Diego to explore should we feel inclined to do so.

I've been continuing to do these diary posts, with links that catch my attention, but obviously TFG is just so outta control it would be unhealthy to even try to summarize what garbage he wreaks upon us multiple times daily...if you want that kinda content, you should be following Heather Cox Richardson or Anne P Mitchell, especially in light of our local channels being sucked up by Nexstar (though illegally, I might add, and I suspect there could be litigation on it as the State has already sued). Nonetheless, you know our local Nexstar stations were already garbage, so maybe find something else anyway. I hope to make it to some NO KINGS events this weekend, but if not, I hope everyone stays super safe out there. Have fun if baseball Opening Day is your jam. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, March 19-Wednesday, March 25, 2026: Liz Cooper | Marissa Nadler | Emo Nite | Radium Dolls | The White Buffalo | Alex Bergan | Bre Kennedy | Jesse Welles | Serengeti | Redd Kross | PEACHES | The Third Mind |

Denny trying to keep cool during a winter San Diego heatwave

I was fully consumed by the Kouri Richins murder case on my LawTube for the past few weeks, so after she was convicted on all counts on Monday, it felt like I needed to decompress, even though I literally have nothing at all to do with any of it. I guess that's how people feel with sportsball and their favorite teams or something, but I was definitely invested since her arrest in 2023 and following the case through all the pretrial motions to the actual jury verdict. So that said, I feel like I was in a bit of a cocoon and can reemerge, just in time for Friday's vernal equinox. 

If you've been out of your house this week, you have certainly felt the Spring Break fever in the air. It feels like the whole country is being devastated by snowstorms, tornadoes, flooding, and they've all decided to escape to San Diego. The Zoo has been packed, SeaWorld has been bananas, every store feels busy, there is no "rush hour" on our freeways as they are just constantly congested. So here's my two cents: s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. Leave earlier when you've gotta be somewhere at some specific time. Load up your phone with podcasts or music or youtube that you love and put on your headphones and just chill out. Take a bus or a cab if parking is gonna stress you out. Get your shit done early mornings or later at night, when things aren't packed to the gills. If you're traveling, incorporate the extra hours on the road, parking, and getting through airports. Almost 400 TSA agents have quit because of the government shutdown, which we are fighting because we cannot concede more money to ICE, this orchestrated and illegal war on Iran, and supporting the chaos muppet in chief. So take a breath. We live in San Diego. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, March 12-Wednesday, March 18, 2026: Slady | Elefante | Twin Ritual | moondaddy | Margo Price | Creepy Creeps | Fitz & The Tantrums | CRSSD | Ally Nicholas | Son Little | Nefesh Mountain |

I had to get listings done a little early this week because I can never count on my merch nights leaving me enough time to get them done and I had two this week; Rio Kosta at the Casbah and Band of Skulls at Music Box. I was happy to get them mostly done enough on Monday that I spent all of Tuesday at the Safari Park, finally checking out the new Elephant Valley. It really is a stunning space, and I got there early enough that I got to see my other favorite parts of the park, have lunch near the elephants' watering hole at some of the high-top tables, and did all the things so that I could time my afternoon tram near the end of the day. One benefit I didn't know about was that since they have the new fancy restaurant situation in Elephant Valley, it restored Kijama Lookout to a public space; the Watering Hole restaurant is now just a snack bar, which made me so very happy. I got to sit and work for awhile while looking down the Africa habitat at the 3 baby giraffe--one born Jan, one born Feb, and one supposedly born on Monday! If you're a zoo person, Spring Break hours kick in on Saturday, so the Zoo will be open until 7pm through April 5. Hopefully the Safari Park reconsiders their summer hours so people can enjoy the eles when they're at their best...the late afternoons to sunset. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, March 5-Wednesday, March 11, 2026: Bad Bad Hats | Gurriers | Aimee Mann | Lala Lala | SoundCheck Flix Party | Grieves | Donny Benet | NIN | RIO KOSTA | Band of Skulls | Shannon McNally |

Earlier this week, a friend of mine showed me a post from some dude who was like "it's just so hard to find things to do in San Diego, so I've made a website to do just that!" or something to that effect. Good luck, Buddy! Hope that works out for you.😂This site will turn 20 years old in November. 

It's been a nice week, I mean, if you ignore all the parts about people continuing to die in ICE custody, the US just "randomly" starting a war in Iran--then saying it's not a war, and Texas demonstrating how far Rs will go to stop people from voting. Yeah, BESIDES ALL THAT, we're in beautiful San Diego, with almost always perfect weather, and we've got lots of things to do to try and keep ourselves sane is these insane times run by sociopaths and oligarchs and pedophiles. Sheesh. It's a lot. Take care of yourself. Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Bits: SDZWA Opens Elephant Valley (Don't Say His Name) + Zoo Lease Extension To Be Heard In Council on Monday | SDPD Ends Press Pass Program | Traffic Stops Down/Traffic Deaths Up | Voters Will See Controversial City Budget Items On Ballot | SeaWorld Acquires Two Female Walruses |

Kora, a new SeaWorld Walrus (Taken 3.4.26)

I decided I would get a quickie post up instead of continuing to gather news and links. I have to be real, I can't really even watch news right now. We're bombing the shit out of Iran, ICE is still out here running amok, everyone in the Epstein files is still being protected except for the actual victims, and instead of fearing what TFG is gonna do next, we have to worry about the real ones behind the puppetry who are vying to succeed him when they can't weekend-at-Bernie's him any longer. So instead, I do my days at the Zoo and Seaworld, I bought a new couch, so actually working from home is no longer miserable, Darren and I take every chance we can to drive to the mountains or desert for quick daytrips, and last week when he was sent on a work job in Ocotillo Wells, I joined the group for a night of camping, then a trip out to The Living Desert when they all had to go back to their project. So yeah, things can be good and amazing and then all around terrible at the same time, so I'm just trying to focus on the good and keep my head above water. I hope you can do the same. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, February 26-Wednesday, March 4, 2026: Night Blooms | Violent Femmes | Makeout Reef | Matt Pryor | Band Argument | A Wilhelm Scream | Yellow Days | Cochemea | Allie Paige | Sturdivant | Indigo De Souza |

I'm beat. I just got home from a quick camping trip in the desert. I was not planning on 90+ degrees in February, but Darren was going for work, so I met up with his group for camping, then went my own way on Wednesday to hit The Living Desert, which sadly got rid of their reciprocal membership pricing, meaning it might be a long time before I go back even though it's a lovely place. So yeah, I'm wiped out. Van camping in the desert ain't for everyone, though I was impressed by the seemingly random campsite where we stayed which had clean bathrooms and showers and was free to stay. 

So while I go get some sleep, note that the San Diego Music Award nominees have been announced. The awards take place on May 6th at Humphrey's and you can get tickets here. Showcases are also being announced, but weren't yet posted when I put these listings together earlier this week.  

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, February 19-Wednesday, February 25, 2026: Benefit for Soda Bar Dave | Sudan Archives | Cold Cave | rum.gold | Rebirth Brass Band | Steve Poltz | Tim Lowman Celebration of Life | SDMA Nominee Announcement Show | Noeline Hoffman |

There's so much to pack in this week and weekend, no matter what the weather may bring, but I thought I'd highlight the benefit for Dave Castaneda at Soda Bar on Thursday night. Times of San Diego did a nice little article about it, but Dave's been a good friend for a long time, and though I'll be working at Music Box, if you can make it out to support this benefit, I know he'll be super appreciative. He is fine, by the way, but his apartment with all of his things in it, flooded and was condemned, leaving all of his possessions inaccessible. 

This weekend is also the public Celebration of Life for Tim Lowman on Sunday at the Bali Hai. If you plan on attending, please RSVP first so they can have some estimate of how many guests to expect. Please also mind the schedule: Doors will open at 3:00 PM, allowing time for guests to arrive, connect, and spend time together. Formal programming—including remarks, tributes, and special moments of remembrance—will begin at 4:30 PM. 

Additionally, there's a bunch of Lunar New Year events, it's Hazpaca Open Ranch, and there is probably gonna be some snow in the local and near mountains. 

I've got lots of stuff on the agenda, but still hope to take in some more Winter Olympics at home with MY NEW COUCH! which finally arrived after waiting for it all day Wednesday. I love it, I'm so happy with my purchase, it's changed my whole work vibe on the couch. 

Stay safe out there...flu is on the rise so get your vax if you haven't already!! Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Rosey's Diary & Newsy Things: San Diego Chases Bad Ideas With Worse | Paid Parking Installed Along ECB, Adams, More | Will Our Police Protect Us From ICE? | Rady's Gender Clinic Must Continue Care |

I mentioned that I had a pretty great week last week. After seeing Dan Mangan and Israel Nebeker (Blind Pilot) at Soda Bar on Sunday, I couldn't get their songs out of my head, which gave me the perfect excuse to go to LA. When it was raining on Wednesday morning, I thought it a great sign to drive up to spend the day at the LA Zoo, figuring the rain would drive down crowds. I was correct in my assessment and had an amazing day with the orangutans and chimps, and a little bit of time with the gorillas, too, but they spend most of their time along the rear wall of their habitat, so I didn't stay long. After the zoo closed, I freshened up and changed and made my way to Moroccan Lounge for the show, which was extra magical and my first time at that venue. You can read all the rest, after the jump. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, February 12-Wednesday, February 18, 2026: Blackwater Holylight | ALO | Los Yesterdays | The Loons | Squirrel Nut Zippers | DENM | Heartbreaker's Ball | Valentine's Day | Mardi Gras | Cat Power |

Another edition of Rosey gets a wild hair. I spent the rainy morning of Wednesday driving to LA to spend the day at the zoo, and now find myself writing this from The Moroccan Lounge to see Dan Mangan and Israel Nebeker again. Their show on Sunday at Soda Bar was incredible and I knew there was a good chance I could just grab a ticket at the door. I don't exactly have a plan after... drive home, grab a hotel, sleep in the van and maybe return to the Zoo on Thursday... all up in the air. 

It was a good week... Darren and I made a rare appearance out for Shame at the Casbah (thanks to sddi reader Bill for the drinks!) I got to spend plenty of time between Seaworld and San Diego Zoo... in fact we watched the Bad Bunny Bowl at High Tide Brewery at Seaworld among an international representation of  Bad Bunny fans, which was pretty incredible. Then like I said, I went to Soda Bar to round out the weekend.  Not gonna lie, my body wanted to quit on me until I refreshed with more sleep in a day than I usually clock in a whole week. And so here we are. I hope everyone has a really great week... lots of fun shows to catch along with Mardi Gras and Lunar New Year events. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

I'll reformat in the morning. (As I reformat, I'll tell you I opted for sleeping in my van and then hitting Griffith Observatory as soon as the road and bathrooms opened at 5am in the morning. Super cool. I can't believe I've never been up here before. But now I'm gonna get a little more sleep before the sun makes that impossible in my van. It's kind of insane how fast people drive on the road to get up here!)