Courting Disaster is Jackalope Ranch’s weekly column of dating horror stories, observations, how-tos, and more by Katie Johnson. Names of ex-boyfriends, past hookups, and bad blind dates have been changed to protect the guilty. I have this weird thing I do in the bedroom. I ask my partners to get…
While the well-connected and the Hollywood indie elite are spending the week in Utah, attending the many premières and parties of the Sundance Film Festival, the rest of us are confined to living vicariously through celebrity gossip sites and waiting for the winners to slowly make their way to Camelview…
Jesika Novoa always has had an eye for beauty. In fact, it’s been her driving force toward happiness. Once upon a time, the 31-year-old was working for an insurance company doing accounting work and making really good money. “I was able to afford anything I wanted, but I was really…
“Let’s play VWs,” Randy Slack says. It’s a phrase the Phoenix artist and his fellow local Volkswagen lovers use when they want to meet up at Kevin Stramandinoli’s Phoenix auto shop, Crown Restoration. The shop’s a clubhouse of sorts, where Slack geeks out over obscure parts and hard-to-find models. He’s…
Oh, Instagram. Where else would we so easily broadcast photos of animals looking particularly pensive? We are officially a few weeks into January, and if your New Year’s resolutions are going anything like ours, it’s time to get some help. Unfortunately, we can’t offer much in the way of helping…
Better strap on that tinfoil helmet, cut up your credit cards, and erase your identity online, because Amazon.com is about to take online shopping to a whole new, drone-delivered level…
Monique Sandoval made her wedding dress the night before her big day. She sewed up the gown, which she describes as Mexican bohemian, with her step-grandmother, who taught her to use a needle and thread. She remembers the late night fondly. With antique crocheted fabric Sandoval found on Etsy and…
Historically America and its artists have seen their fair share of tough times. Following the Great Depression, President Roosevelt’s New Deal did its part to help the country and its creatives get back on their feet with the Works Progress Administration’s “See America” project…
If intense pattern clashing, saturated florals, and squint-worthy brights are your thing, then the Peter Pilotto capsule collection for Target will fit in nicely with your likely kaleidoscopic wardrobe. Out February 9, the nearly 70-piece spring set includes swimwear, dresses, skirts, and accessories, most of which cost less than $60…
Welcome to the Phoenix Bucket List. Robrt Pela and Amy Silverman — two New Times contributors and longtime Phoenicians — have put together a list of 100 things to do in this city before you die. Each week we’re presenting another 10; in March we’ll wrap it all up in…
Because barely trying is the new black, a new line of wear-to-work workout pants is heading to digital retail shelves. Soon, hardworking ladies everywhere will be able to breathe a little vinyasa into their vocation, regardless of whether that job happens to be with a once well-respected corporation, law firm,…
A woman gazes out at the horizon. “Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?” A man looks directly at her. “No. No I haven’t.” What was once a romantic scene has now turned downright creepy, thanks to a new site that acts as a free GPS for international hotties…
Like a “Game Over” countdown clock urging you to drop in another quarter after getting annihilated by an arcade game bad guy, the days and weeks are ticking away until ZapCon 2014. But if the mid-April vintage arcade and pinball convention can’t get here fast enough for you, some additional…
Courting Disaster is Jackalope Ranch’s weekly column of dating horror stories, observations, how-tos, and more by Katie Johnson. Names of ex-boyfriends, past hookups, and bad blind dates have been changed to protect the guilty. Sex is all about marketing. Please, understand your audience and choose your words carefully. From “making…
With names like Arrow, North, Blue, and Apple floating around in the modern-day baby ether, expectant parents this year are really going to have to dig deep to bring something new to the table. (There’s one: Table.) Which is why Nameberry is offering up its 14 newest choices for baby…
Patrons of the light rail got a little in-ride entertainment on Sunday afternoon, and not from some excessively loud and outrageous fellow passenger. More like a few men and women kicking it onboard in excessively loud undergarments and equally loud clothing — with the exception of pants. The No Pants…
Cody Grosse is the definition of “suited up.” The 22-year-old musician, model, and marketing pro prides himself on always looking his best, from the streets of downtown to his in-house studio…
From her ill-fitting Golden Globes dress to pretty much every plot move made by her character Hannah Horvath on Girls, Lena Dunham is all about uncomfortable situations. Which is why we secretly wished that Hannah’s upcoming eBook could be real. Revel in another person’s awkwardness at leisure? Yes, please…
If you’ve ever owned cats, then you know that they can be complete dicks — knocking over fine china, biting your toes in the dead of night, using your newly upholstered sofa as their personal cat scratch station. All these actions go without any consequences because, let’s face it, they’re…
Welcome to the Phoenix Bucket List. Robrt Pela and Amy Silverman — two New Times contributors and longtime Phoenicians — have put together a list of 100 things to do in this city before you die. Each week we’re presenting another 10; in March we’ll wrap it all up in…
If you’ve ever used OkCupid, PlentyofFish, or the lazy man’s matchmaker, Tinder, you know that dating is scary. Fortunately, there’s a new app that quells at least one of your many dating fears…
Take heed, superheroes, superheroines, sci-fi cosplayers, and costumed geeks of the Valley — the City of Tempe is in need of your services tomorrow afternoon for a special mission. Just like Commissioner Gordon firing up the Bat-Signal to cajole The Dark Knight into service, Tempe’s city officials have put out…
