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In October 2003, the worst wildfires in California came to pass in San Diego County. The Burning of San Diego takes a closer look at what went down in my neck of the city, and where we are today, two years later.

"I was a chubby kid in catholic school. Not popular, very naïve, I was a daydreamer. It was all about GI Joe, the Transformers, and Choose your own Adventure books for me. Friends were never a problem, but it was the overall environment that wasn’t so hot. The girls snubbed me, and I was in and out with the more popular kids. In spite of it all, I survived, but not without a few scars."

Yup, I dare revisit Catholic School, in the first of a three part series. Check it out.

Happy New Year, fellow storytellers...

Check out Subterranean Parking Blues, a tale of holiday cheer, and Conversation In Bronx Pizza, a nostalgic look back at a crush unrealized.

We're back after a bit of a hiatus, with a new story and a redesign. Got a few more coming down the pipe soon. Stop on by and have a look at Four-Fingered Frank.

Twenty-five years ago, San Diego experienced one of the worst aviation disasters of its time. We remember Flight 182.

To commemorate San Diego Stories' first birthday (I almost forgot!), here are a few new stories:

I Pledge Allegiance to the Grand Wazoo is a nod to one-time San Diego resident Frank Zappa. Sal tries his best to track him down...

Holy Cards looks at the relationship between a young man and his 103 year-old Sicilian great-aunt. Yes, she is really 103.

Also, a hat-tip to the Fray, called Scar Tissue.

A new tale for March...

"I concentrated on the counting, going into a zone where I couldn’t hear anything. Nothing mattered…eighty, one hundred…not the bank, not the customer, nor the guy with the ski mask who was brandishing a huge shiny gun."

Stop by and check out "Numb".

Hello all, and Happy February! After a short hiatus, we're back with a new tale, about the closing of a quaint old theater in the town of La Jolla, called "Curtain Call".

Giuseppe explained that they were Sicilian playing cards, and that all the playing cards were the same, except that their illustrations varied from region to region. What he said was true, because folks in the village could tell which region you were from by the cards you played with.

Sal waxes nostalgic over the card game of Scopa.

Be sure and stop by to have a look at the redesigned San Diego Stories!

I was overseas in France when it happened. That day, I learned the meaning of the word papillon.

"I sat once as a child in a field of whispering wheat swaying. This,
among so many countless, was such a moment. It captured for me the
essence of life." pause, by Cyndi Arnette.

We called him Zeus, because he had short dreadlocks that wrapped around his head, in a way that resembled the leaved crown of a Greek God. It was on an afternoon drive home from grade school when I first spotted him, walking along Pacific Highway, a dirty canvas bag slung over his shoulder. He was talking to himself, his other hand punctuating his words with the skyward jabs of a preacher.

Stop by and read Zeus, a new tale from Salvatore Filippone.

I was on my way home from a barbecue at a friend's house when I saw the bright flashes reflecting against the thick blanket of clouds covering the city. I had committed the gravest of sins: I had forgotten about the fireworks.

Stop by and read about Roman Candles and other things July 4th.

"Boxes lay strewn across the room, full of my belongings, full of stuff I'd bought over the years. I'm a total packrat, and now I was paying for it."

Check out Moving, by Salvatore Filippone.

"I wake up early ... too early. In spite of all my recent radiation-inspired sleepiness, I still wake up too early. I think my mother planted the wretched idea in my head that after one turns 30, one inevitably begins waking up at 5 am. So, regardless of when I fall asleep I now think of any hour past 6 am is sleeping in."

Come on by and give a warm welcome to our new featured contributor!
Read Random, a new tale by Cyndi Arnette.

"As I approached the water, I became more self-conscious. I could feel the stares. I thought I heard some call out, “Barney!” Were they talking to me? Crap. I was already being called a barney. I was pretty obvious, I guess. I shrugged it off, and started paddling out. I hadn’t paid attention to the size of the waves on my way to the water. Big mistake. It was a big day ."

Check out "Surf's Up", a new San Diego Story by Salvatore Filippone.

Wow. It feels great to write that subject line, and on the City Stories website, too.

My name is Salvatore, and I’m pleased to announce the launch of San Diego Stories, complete with two new, bona-fide stories!

Be sure to check out: Double Espresso, which explores an encounter with an upstart barista, while Il Giardino (The Yard), is about an unexpected trip down memory lane…

Thanks to {d m p} and to all of you for making this a reality.

So what are you waiting for? Come visit the ‘sleepy town south of L.A.’ and make yourself at home. Enjoy!

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