PLAID PARTY: Indy contributor Brandon Fastman — PhD in English candidate at UCSB whose stellar writing gives our seasoned reporters a run for their money — is a news junkie, and his penchant for plaid fits right in with our news team’s fashion sense. He’s reported on everything from election-night parties to military drone technology to the late Bill Freudenberg’s last book and is always hungry for more. The Baltimore native and married father-to-be said he’s always had at least 10 magazine subscriptions at a time — to the ire of his wife — but concentrates mostly on the Atlantic, the New Yorker, and espn.com. Follow Fastman at independent.com/fastman.