Outs

LA CAÑADA - Flintridge Prep boys' swimming captain Bruce Park admitted his team wasn't expecting a victory Thursday when it hosted South Pasadena High, a CIF Southern Section Division I opponent. Six races into the dual, the Rebels, who dropped to Division III this year, not only had hope for an upset, but an 18-point lead. The Tigers pulled as close as eight and 10 with one race to go, but were held off as Prep picked up a signature 93-77 win. “It was really unexpected, we just all tried our best, tried to put everyone in their best events to get as many points as we could and I guess it worked out in the end,” Park said.

Runners hit Brand Boulevard Sunday morning for the Glendale News-Press Downtown Dash, now in its sixth year. The Glendale Adventist Medical Center and Downtown Glendale Merchants Association are the hosts of the 5K run, which started and ended outside the Alex Theatre. Proceeds from the event go to the hospital's stroke program, which officials say is the second-leading cause of death in the area. To make a donation, visit: http://www.active.com/donate/DowntownDash -- Dan Evans Follow Dan Evans on Twitter: @EditorDanEvans .

LA CRESCENTA - The Crescenta Valley High and Burbank boys' volleyball teams expelled a great deal of energy in the first game of their match Friday. The teams opened the contest with an epic stanza, rife with thrilling moments and changes of momentum. In the first game, the Bulldogs had game-point seven times and the Falcons were one point away from winning five times. In all, 70 points were scored. Burbank was able to survive to win the first game and was able to ride that momentum to a 36-34, 25-22, 28-26 win in the Pacific League opener at Crescenta Valley.

The folks at Cordon's Smokehouse & Grill are smoking purists. Their barbecue philosophy is not about sticky sauces or high-heat grill marks. It's about high-quality meats and fish smoked slowly over hard wood, seasoned by the best blend of rub spices. The meat this technique renders meanders into jerky territory, where the edges are crispy and the flavor of the meat itself reigns supreme. It is tender all the way to the bone, though not what you'd call super juicy. The offset smoker sits just outside the front door of the little cafe (which is attached to the beloved Cordon's Ranch Market)

LOS ANGELES - For the second game in a row, the Crescenta Valley High boys' basketball team found itself in a quick double-digit hole. Unlike the Falcons' CIF Southern Section Division I-A semifinal game at El Toro, they managed to climb back into serious contention - within two, six and eight points - in their CIF State Division I tournament opener at Crenshaw High. The result was the same for CV, however, as a handful of poorly timed turnovers helped end its season with an 89-74 loss Wednesday night.

A member of the family that created Zankou Chicken is staking his name - actually his brother's - on his ability to replicate the success of the rotisserie chicken chain with a new Mexican restaurant called Ara's Tacos. Steve Iskenderian, 34, is hoping that customers will line up for Mexican-flavored, spit-roasted chicken and beef the way they do for Zankou's chicken tarna and beef shawerma when his new restaurant opens next week. It shares a building with a Zankou restaurant, which Iskenderian co-owns, at 901 W. Glenoaks Blvd.

Why are we taught not to cry? Especially boys and men? Society often gives us the message that crying is weak, wrong, or uncomfortable for others. The truth is, crying is extremely wise. And adults need to cry to heal from grief, anger and many other stressors. Crying restores us to a base line of emotional, physical and psychological health, especially when one is under stress, in pain, or grieving. Often in crisis or pain, we think we have no time to cry so we just hold it in. But even allowing yourself to cry for two minutes when you find yourself in a place to do so has tremendous healing power physiologically.

Crossing the threshold at Casa Cordoba in Montrose is like crossing eight time zones. You land smack dab in southern Spain. A bubbling fountain in a Spanish courtyard lures you in. Strains of classical guitar draw you deeper inside where custom-built tiled tables and Moorish lanterns stand among Picasso, Miro and Dali prints. Another room holds pretty earthenware imported from villages in Andalusia, traceable on a large, beautifully lit map under glass. Owners Jeannie and Chris Bone took their time decorating the cafe, an homage to their beloved vacation spot of Cordoba, and they did a splendid job. The food matches the decor - unique yet well-suited to the Southern California lifestyle.

Visitors to Glendale's downtown business district can now count on getting pointed in the right direction by blue-shirted "ambassadors. " Rick Lemmo, president of the Downtown Glendale Assn., said the ambassador program is contracted through Block by Block, a company based in Louisville, Ky. that provides safety, cleaning and hospitality services such as greeting shoppers and theater-goers as well as picking up trash and keeping the surroundings tidy....