Ear Plugs

Johnny Fain was Malibu's golden boy of surfing in the late 1960s. Known for an aggressive surfing style of quick, slashing turns and "hang-ten" riding (10 toes over the nose of the board), Fain became one of the world's top surfers, and was rewarded with endorsements and years on the professional surfing tour.

* Name: Jerry Jellison * Position: Professor of psychology and management consultant * Institution: University of Southern California Jellison travels about three times a month to give speeches and train managers on overcoming resistance to change. To make life on the road easier, Jellison packs his briefcase with these inexpensive but useful items. * Small Swiss Army knife.

Sunset Beach was reopened Monday afternoon but a mile-long stretch of Bolsa Chica State Beach remained closed as workers continued to clear scores of hypodermic needles and other medical waste that washed ashore over the weekend. Meanwhile, officials with the Orange County Health Care Agency began to sift through the debris, finding some prescription containers that they hope will help them determine the dumper's identity.

Carrying placards decrying the tomahawk chop and the name "Atlanta Braves" as insulting to American Indians, about 200 protesters gathered outside the Metrodome to demand the elimination of racist team names and mascots. Minneapolis police Sgt. W.J. O'Rourke estimated the crowd at about 200 and described their behavior as orderly. He said about 60 extra officers were called in to ensure the protest remained peaceful.

"I can feel my hearing going," said one respected saxophonist in the audience at the Strand in Redondo Beach, where tenor-sax veteran Sonny Rollins was providing an assault on 500 pairs of eardrums. Rollins, one of the giants of jazz in the 1950s and '60s, has evolved into an ear-piercing musical jokester who seems to delight in putting on unsophisticated audiences.

Bring out the smoke machines, the black leather and the ear plugs: Blue Oyster Cult, the sinister heavy metal demons of the 1970s, will be appearing tonight and Thursday at the Bacchanal nightclub on Kearny Mesa.

Tokyo Delve's is the kind of place you never forget--the music's loud, the food's not especially appealing and the service borders on slapstick. So why is it a kick in the pants to spend an evening at the North Hollywood sushi bar? If you love rock 'n' roll with a dash of camp, the garishly decorated hot spot is your place.

How to avoid surfing injuries and common ailments: * Cuts--The most common injuries surfers suffer when they tumble into the waves can be revented by sanding down the sharp edges of the surfboard fins and by adding a rubber tip to the nose of the board. * Severe sunburn and skin cancer--Surfers should use waterproof sunscreens with high levels of protection against ultraviolet rays.

So this guy walks into a bar ... and hands the cocktail server a note that reads: "Dirty martini, extra olive." The server nods and heads to the bar without a word. Welcome to the world of the Quiet Party, where silence is not only golden but the golden rule. Part social experiment and singles scene, Quiet Parties are a way to fraternize without the usual noise pollution of city nightlife.

Tepper Jackson luggage tags with colorful motifs and catchy travel terms, $18 each, at www.pajamasseenontv.com. In-Flight valet lint brush/shoehorn, part of Flight 001's Aeropak, $25, which includes an eye mask, mints, ear plugs, inflatable neck rest and socks. www.flight001.com. Smythson of Bond Street leather passport covers in aqua, $170, and lilac, $270, at Smythson, Beverly Hills.