I have been secretly fascinated with Meghan McCain ever since she started her Blogette on the ’08 campaign trail. At first I thought she was some teenager who wrote about the most mundane aspects of her Father’s campaign and I pictured her as a human Smurfette (which, she kind of is, except not blue). Then when I saw her on the Rachel Maddow show I was surprised to find out that she was around my age (quarter-life/mid-twenties) and despite the fact that she wore an unbelievable amount of make-up, had …

I am a cheapskate. I know that. Everyone knows that. I hate paying for goods or services I can handle myself. This has led to a desire to learn to cook. I hate paying what I feel are excessive amounts of money for food I can make at 10-25% of the cost.
My idea for a garden stemmed from the fact that a basil plant was cheaper than a small package of fresh basil. Seeds were even cheaper than that. I planted the seeds in pots that my roommate already had …

Comic-Con is something people wait for all year. Sure, you are taking time off work and driving for hours to come down and check out new Magic the Gathering cards, but think of all the free things! Getting something by standing in line for it is better than a job because you will feel like you earned it. Plus, it’s educational. Where else can you find such a rare opportunity to see so many celebrities up close and take tense awkward photos with them while you feed them peanuts? Sometimes …

With San Diego Comic Con just around the bend, and numbers of attendees surely through the roof, as a first time comer you are surely excited, nervous, and probably slightly clueless as to how the whole thing works. SDCC is massive — far vaster in numbers of people and content than other comic or entertainment conventions-and  stepping  in the doors for the first time can be very intimidating. Here’s what you need to know.
1.  First things first — Comic Con is no longer just for nerds. While your friends may …

Zane Lamprey
W/ Steve McKenna and some other dude
Drinking Made Easy Tour
House of Blues Anaheim
3/10
Zane Lamprey, the host of the show Three Sheets (which has been on the Travel Channel and Fine Living Network, soon to be on the new Cooking Channel), is out on touring, trying his hand at comedy, and has invited the show’s “legend” Steve McKenna and “comedian” Marc Ryan to go with him. By “legend,” I mean Zane’s drinking buddy, who is the source of the phrase “Steve McKenna’d” (which means “fucked up”) and by …

For many Los Angeles residents, Los Angeles International Airport is a towering monument of steel and concrete. A white, modernist structure rising out of the ground, its four lengthy runways and iconic landmarks are visible even in the hazy, orange streetlights that pierce the metropolis’s darkness every night. Those lucky to be grabbing a quick lunch or dinner at the nearby In-and-Out fast food joint in Westchester- one of the few local spots directly underneath the airport’s flight path- may have the distinct pleasure of catching sight of one of …

Somerville, Massachusetts is a quaint little town. Known more for Sanborn maps and Fluff marshmallows, the blue collar city doesn’t exactly scream hip. There are more taverns per square mile than coffeehouses- and everyone has their favorite. Redbones, the Independent, Highland Kitchen.
So it’s no surprise that gossip- morning or otherwise- is more likely to transpire over a cold one than a piping hot cappuccino. But there is another side to Somerville than Little League games, body shops, and Bud Light. Enter Papercuts.
Although it’s the most recent resident to call …

The most magnificent things are often created with the simplest tools. The Man Who Planted Trees is a beautiful and heartfelt tale about the power of small gestures to make a remarkable difference in the world and tells the story of an old man who single-handedly transforms a wind parched wasteland into a thriving oasis of beauty and life. The show was performed at the Orange County Performing Arts Center by a cheerful duo of Scotsmen from the Puppet State Theater Company. I had seen the elegantly animated Academy Award …

The plight of the migrant farm worker seems to get caught up in controversy in the US. “Migrant” is often confused with “illegal immigrant,” and the issue becomes lost in politics.
What really lies beneath the politics and the issues is a problem- families struggling to support their way of life, moving from town to town, following whatever harvest or work they can find.
Harvest of Hope, created in 1997, is moving forward to becoming a solution to that problem.
“In 1995, I began work at the State University of New York at …

Well, it’s that time of the year again. A moment when everybody crowds around at the local bar, sloshes themselves with their favorite dark pint, and watches their favorite dribblers slam dunk their way into sports history. But the Big Dance isn’t the only game in town this March. The next 31 odd days will see people crawling, clubbing and various other things. So if you’re tired of seeing Duke and Carolina square off with each other on national television for the millionth time, here are …

Pee-Wee Herman Show
Club Nokia
I admit, I was terrified as I waited for the curtain to lift on the Pee-Wee Herman Show. Was Paul Reubens just doing this because he was broke? Was it gonna be a rush job? How were they going to pull off all the characters? Thank God that it was everything I could have imagined it and more. This was not Paul Reubens playing Pee-Wee Herman, this was my childhood icon live and in person. From the Pledge of Allegiance to the adult-friendly jokes (ie. calling Conky’s …

Lela Lee is an internet success story. Actually, make that success story, period. In the space of sixteen years, the cartoonist, actress (She’s appeared on Scrubs numerous times), and Los Angeles native has gone from relative unknown to one of the most recognized individuals in California’s Asian-American community. Her strip Angry Little Asian Girls has become an internet sensation in itself, and made characters such as the angry Kim, soul-sistah Wanda, and depressive Xyla recognizable figures in their own right.
Not bad for a child of immigrants from Korea. …

As our series on hipsters comes to the end, we look at the history of the subculture- it’s past, its present, and its precarious future.Will they continue to dominate long after shutter shades and ironic tees disappear from the mainstream, or fade away in wake of one of the worst economic malaises in modern history?
What do a documentarian, a humorist, a journalist, and a professor have in common?
They’ve all known hipsters, or someone who does. Some have even penned books and lengthy articles about them, many more verbose than …

I’m sitting here, pondering where to being detailing my weekend at the largest entertainment convention in the world, and I can’t seem to wrap my head around it. Forty years ago, Comic Con started out as a gathering of comic book fans (come on, the term “geek” is kind of passé now), and now it’s almost hard to pick the true diehards out. It’s a mass media advertising frenzy- books, movies, video games, and TV, and I wouldn’t really be surprised if music was on the horizon for this enormous …

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they are forced to make a choice that reveals their true character, this time came to Racket during Comic-Con in the form of a decision to go see hot hot girls tearing each other’s clothes off or hang out with sweaty guys in a crowded convention hall, and the gang over at Racket did what any red blooded American would do… go to Comic-Con. So, I stepped up and fulfilled my duty by going to watch girls fight each other in skimpy …

A week ago I joined my friends at the OC Epicrew to brave a deep fried expedition through the wonders of the Orange County Fair. Rather then attempt to describe this flavor adventure and the delicious horrors I was witness to with my eyes, and at times even with my mouth, I thought it might be fun to make a little game of it.
Play along at home and experience the the mystery and surprise for yourself, just as if you were actually there!