Mother’s day is always a hard one. This year I want to suggest some great gifts you can buy locally to keep that economic stimulus money back here in San Diego.

First lets go with the obvious. Spa Treatments!! All mothers like to be pampered. The Knot Stop in Hillcrest has a Mother’s Day Gift Special where you can grab 2 gift cards for a Swedish massage for $99. Treat yourself and go together! If maybe she is worrying she is looking older try a facial at Model Call Salon on Park Blvd. Book an appointment with Mari Symington and mention this post to receive a discounts on Aromatherapy facials: includes deep cleaning, mask, a relaxing face, shoulder, neck massage, and hand massage with heated mittens. Infused with the essential oils recommended for her skin type - 75 min for $65.00 Reg. $75.00.

If your mom is a Gardener make your way to Encinitas to any one of their local nurseries. A list of them is here but I would recommend Anderson’s La Costa Nursery. Package a great plant, with a homemade apron from M.O.M you can pick up at the Pannikin Sample Sale this Saturday. If getting down and dirty isn’t her thing but reaping the benefits is I can’t recommend enough the Little Gardens for Urban Farmers by Full-Moon Farms. These gardens are all ready and set to go. Just add water and sunshine and the plants have been harvested already. I personally have one and use it for fresh herbs while cooking.

Great gift ideas for Mothers Day including homemade candles, cards and aprons alongside amazing flower arrangements. If you have Mothers Day handled check out discontinued items from Pony Attack!!, UNIV Shop, and Lewsader Collective at up to 90% off!

A total of 96 people, 75 San Diego State students and 21 non students, were arrested for their involvment in the selling or buying cocaine, marijuana, or ecstasy were arrested. If you watched the final season of The Wire on HBO you might find some parallels in the story line with today’s news of the drug bust at SDSU.

The Drug Enforcement Agency’s undercover investigation, known as Operation Sudden Fall, was initiated in May of 2007 after an SDSU student was found dead of a drug overdose in her bedroom. DEA Agents infiltrated several student drug distribution cells and more than 130 drug purchases and seizures were made during the five-month operation.

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I really do pay for music, mostly on iTunes, but lately some forward thinking musicians have been giving it away. Not to be outdone by Coldplay’s free release of Violet Hill last week, this weekend Nine Inch Nails released a new song titled Echoplex on the popular Facebook App iLike.

Download Echoplex for free on iLike

Unlike Tom Yorke, who says Radiohead’s NiggyTardust, an album Reznor helped produce. This year Reznor made the first nine tracks of Ghosts available as a free download. While Reznor initially found the NiggyTardust numbers disheartening, Saul Williams was long on free music and now it appears Reznor is as well.

Anyone who passed by the old Children’s Museum in downtown recalls the jubilant old truck out front that children were allowed to paint on. Luckily for children in San Diego, The New Children’s Museum opens this Sunday with a free grand opening block party from noon - 4 p.m. and the old painted truck is back as The Painted Bug.

Visitors will be among the first to tour the innovative and dynamic building and opening exhibition, childsplay, while enjoying fun and festivities as The New Children’s Museum comes to life. Plans for the Block Party include entertainment by the San Diego Youth Symphony, Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theater and Eveoke Dance Theatre; displays and sales at the Museum’s gift shop—Gizmo Garage, hands-on activities, giveaways, tours, and tons of engaging family fun at the Museum and across the street at the park.
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Centre City Development Corporation’s (CCDC) Downtown Education Task Force has just announced the first-ever Downtown Education Fair. The free event will highlight schools from preschool through college as well as showcasing summer programs and other educational and cultural programs and events for children and adults available in downtown San Diego. The event will also include a variety of children’s activities.

Details:
What: Downtown Education Fair
When: Saturday, May 10 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Where: San Diego City College, Gorton Quad (Parking available at City College or the San Diego Trolley stops at Park Boulevard and C Street)

PARTIAL EXHIBITOR LIST:

• Balboa Park Museums
• City College
• Junior Theater
• Maritime Museum
• Museum Charter School
• New School of Architecture
• San Diego Public Library
• Urban Discovery Academy Charter School
• Washington Elementary School
• YMCA

For more details, visit www.ccdc.com and click on the Education Task Force Link.
Interested participants, please contact Jacki Taylor at 619-533-7103 or taylor@ccdc.com.

I don’t know about you, but I am a huge fan of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. The band just released their fourteenth studio album entitled ‘Dig!!!, Lazarus, Dig!!!’ and will kick off their North American tour on September 16, 2008 here in San Diego. Tickets for the show at 4th & B will go on sale May 3. This is a Casbah concert and you can get tickets from The Casbah website as well as Frontgate tickets. Don’t wait, tickets will sell out.

I leave with a quote from Nick Cave: “An artist’s duty is rather to stay open-minded and in a state where he can receive information and inspiration. You always have to be ready for that little artistic Epiphany.”

‘Commune Wednesdays’ is a successful monthly event put on by Ashley Gneiting and Jenny Kondrasky. Last month the event was held at The Whistle Stop. This time around the gals decided to bring their monthly music, art and fashion collective to Bar Pink Elephant.

Don’t miss Atoms (who put on a great show if you have not seen them already), a DJ set by Sassy Boys (who get your booty shakin’) and a designer trunk show by Dekline (who have some kick ass gear)! You can also get a limited edition ‘Commune Wednesdays’ Dekline t-shirt.

The event is FREE, so unless you have something pressing to do, there is no excuse.
Bar Pink Elephant - 3829 30th St., Wednesday April 30, 9pm - 21+

P.S. You can look in the Sandiegoish archives and find an interview I did with the band called Atoms.

If you have not already done so, check out the band ((sounder)). I listened to them for the first time today and really enjoyed the melodies and lyrics. Tonight you have a chance to check out Mike Aho and Steve Stratton, the duo known as ((sounder)) at the Beauty Bar. The show is free and is celebrating their CD Release of ‘Good Things Come and Go Like Bad Things’ on May 6.

((sounder)) recently played SXSW and you can find information on the band at Volcom Entertainment and on their myspace page.

And as an added bonus, if you go to http://www.celebratemagichands.com/ you get to watch clever videos by Rooster, updated monthly.

What: ((sounder)), Modern Subject
When: Monday, April 28
Where: Beauty Bar 4746 El Cajon Blvd
$$$$$: FREE - Show starts at 9pm. 21+

Radiohead appears to have inspired many musicians with last years free giveaway. Shortly after the October release of In Rainbows, Trent Reznor told his fans to steal it and Reznor later released an album he produced, from rapper Saul Williams, for free.

As announced on their website, Coldplay is the latest band to give their a fans a freebie. Beginning April 29th at 12:15pm UK Time (5:15AM Pacific) you have one week to download Violet Hill, a new song from Coldplay’s upcoming album Viva La Vida, for free on Coldplay.com.

The giveaway does not end there, if you pick up a copy of NME magazine you can get a limited edition 7″ vinyl single featuring Violet Hill and A spell a rebel yell.

Coldplay also announced a free concert on June 16th in London at the British Academy, and a free show at Madison Square Garden on June 23rd. Check Coldplay.com for updates.