» Sarah Marie Pittman

“How can we rock your face today?�? the headline on Fresno band Head Rush’s MySpace profile asks its fans and Web page viewers.

WHEN MY CHILDHOOD best friend Megan Pauls and I were young hipsters, trying to find our way in our newly discovered hipster world, we would spend a lot of time contemplating where all the truly cool kids hung out.
We would sit in the In-N-Out on Blackstone and Ashlan, the ultimate hangout for Fresno bands [...]

FOR THE LAST few weeks I have been utterly, over-the-top scared out of my mind.
And no, it’s not been in anticipation about the latest nail-biting thriller — “Vacancy.â€?
And no, it’s not about “Disturbia,â€?either. (Man, what’s with all these scary movies? There’s nothing like April flowers and showers to get one all spooky [...]

Many college students have been forced to pay double and triple the price they once paid for birth control from their college pharmacies, as a result of a 2005 deficit-reduction bill that went into effect in January.
Although the bill has affected many college students across the United States, it has not affected the price of [...]

Nobody likes to be called fat, but plenty of girls are willing to call themselves fat, overweight or unattractive, especially if their friends start the self-degradation. A personal pity party turns into a group self criticism where participation is mandatory.
“I’m not negative about myself until someone else is negative about themselves. I’m thinking, ‘Damn, if [...]

Wrap yourself in graphic T-shirts, miniskrits for under $10
On a recent episode of “America’s Next Top Model,â€? the wannabe supermodels were challenged to find the best ensemble possible in a thrift store — in three minutes.
It would have been easier to eat worms on “Fear Factor.â€?
Thrift store shopping is not for the faint of heart. [...]

There are only three places Howard K. Watkins won’t take his trusty camera: the bedroom, the bathroom and underwater.
“Very seldom do I go anywhere where my camera is not available to me,â€? Watkins said. “For the last 15 to 20 years I’ve just kept a camera in my car.â€?
Watkins, 59, has worked for the [...]

College-related stressors can trigger first mental health episode
Curtis Q. Thornton’s parents knew something was amiss when they received a phone call from him one evening around midnight.
Their 21-year-old son had a grandiose plan to sell vacuum cleaners that he thought would change his life. Thornton said the scheme would quickly make him a millionaire. He [...]

OPRAH IS A woman people either love to love or love to hate. Especially when it comes to a controversy. From James Frey and his not so true nonfiction book, “A Million Little Pieces,” to her claim that she wouldn’t eat another hamburger and the effect she had on the cattle industry — her [...]