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Hipstercrite Life

Hipstercrite Life

Childhood Christmas vs. Adulthood Christmas

Bah!

This will be my third- THIRD!– year in a row that I’m unable to travel home for the holidays.

Since I no longer work a 9-5 job with set time off (though my last 9-5 only gave me Christmas day off- yes, they were conservative Republicans), money and time make it difficult for me to travel home to New York. Neither Austin, Texas or Syracuse, New York, the cities I fly out of and into have large airports, so the cost to travel between the two can get mighty expensive. Sprinkle in the fact that me and my family (my mother and grandmother) are a bunch of neurotic weirdos (I have a fear of flying, they have a fear of driving 45 minutes away in the snow to pick me up from the airport) and the whole experience becomes more stressful than it needs to be.

None of this takes away from the harrowing guilt (we’re Jews that celebrate Christmas) I feel associated with not going home for the holidays. However, home for the holidays has taken on a different meaning these days. Going back (more…)

December 10, 2012 by
Austin, Film, Hipstercrite Life

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR FILM!

Just a quick thank you to everyone who donated, shared or expressed interest in our film, Loves Her Gun, and our fundraising campaign.

We reached our $5,000 Indiegogo goal to finish post-production last night!

We are so touched by everyone’s support and are excited to keep you updated on any developments!

In the meantime, here are some behind the scenes photos!

Our lead actress Trieste Kelly Dun

Our lead actor Francisco Barreiro

Our lead actress Ashley Spillers

Our fearless director Geoff Marslett

Our crew taking over Wheatsville

Yes, we have mannequins in the movie

And my car stars in the movie too!

December 6, 2012 by
20-Something, Hipstercrite Life

Keep Your Feelings to Yourself

As of late, I present a lighter fare to nosh on.

I’ve drifted further and further away from any complex or adverse feelings due to wanting to keep the site a happy playground full of Jeff Goldblum photos, poop jokes and jointly Jeff Goldblum photos containing poop jokes.

This need to check rain clouds at the gate coincides with my own personal progression of keeping my emotions to myself. This isn’t due to any particular person or experience in my life scaring me into not sharing my thoughts (though I have a grandmother who stifles her emotions to the point where they manifest into random outbursts of directionless anger and a former, life-changing boss who often told me I acted too much “like a girl” and that I should stop it), but by the fact that I became sick of hearing myself whine, lament, sob and complain as an early twenty-something and have become increasingly annoyed by others who do the same thing (mostly the whining part). This act of personal defiance is not necessarily (more…)

December 4, 2012 by
Hipstercrite Life

What I’m Thankful For: Jeff Goldblum’s Hands, Magic Eraser & Denny’s

1.) I am thankful for Jeff Goldblum’s hands. Those hands touched my nose once. They also probably touched 4 million vaginas and the thought of 4 million vaginas touching my nose is scary, but I’m still thankful for his hands.

2.) I am thankful for David Bowie’s weird eye. I’m sure he’s thankful now, but when he got stabbed in the eye, he probably wasn’t thankful. In fact, he was probably screaming in pain and cursing life for being so cruel.

3.) I am thankful for Denny’s. When the real world gets to be too much and I’m tired of having to act like a concerned and responsible adult, I can crawl underneath the fiberglass booths and weep for the days of my childhood on the Moons Over My Hammy-stained carpets.

4.) I am thankful that Austin now has an H&M though I’m too terrified of the long lines to actually go in there.

5.) I am thankful for Mrs. Meyer’s Basil-scented hand soap. Sometimes when I have nothing better to do, I will take a bottle of this soap and (more…)

November 20, 2012 by
Hipstercrite Life

10 Ways For Artists to Fight Doubt and Insecurity

“You! You right there! You suck AT LIFE, mother fucker!”

For almost two years now, people have paid me to write for them. In the past year, I went strictly freelance and in doing so, my paid writing work picked up.

I feel very fortunate.

Actually, most of the time I feel completely bewildered.

Scared.

Confused.

Insecure.

Gassy.

Every day I envision a Russian totalitarian figure a la propagandic style standing tall amongst a backdrop of fire, pointing a giant forefinger at me and shouting, “YOU are obsolete! YOU have no idea what you are doing!”; a fleet of angular soldiers in perfect unison come to whisk me away and save humanity from the disease known as my poor prose.

I’m still not exactly sure where semicolons go and you will never see me use a word like “perfunctory” in a sentence. I’m not even sure what that means. Granted, I DON’T HAVE AN EDITOR TO FIX MY MISTAKES!

This is an insecurity I mostly keep to myself because, well, nothing is more unattractive (more…)

November 15, 2012 by
Austin, Film, Hipstercrite Life, Pop Culture, Writing

Holy Crap! We Made a Movie and It’s Almost Finished!

Last year, I co-wrote and co-produced a movie called Loves Her Gun.

It still seems like a dream that the film even happened.

One day we were coming up with an idea for a movie, the next day we were shooting it. For a month.

And in that time, I don’t think I slept, took a proper bowel movement or tended to my daily needs such as personal hygiene or eating.

Filmmaking is both an exhilarating and exhausting experience.

Guerrilla filmmaking is both those things times TEN MILLION HUNDRED!

Imagine feeding a crew of 30 on no budget (sorry, guys…I’m glad you liked the cream cheese sandwiches though), housing five-ten people in your home, driving an old-school RV half-way across the country in 30 hours, experiencing a devastating wildfire that effected the lives of several of our crew members, working on a movie with your boyfriend and generally feeling like poo-poo that you can’t pay people Hollywood pay because you’re a little movie mostly funded by credit cards.

THAT (more…)

November 8, 2012 by
Fashion/Design, Hipstercrite Life, Pop Culture, Writing

What I Wore Today: Election Day Edition

 

Today is Election Day!

The Instagrams has been all aflutter with photos of long voting lines, “I voted stickers” and Election Day outfits today. Even Lena Dunham has implored with us to share our voting ensembles with her. It’s been a very exciting day in the world of social media.

I feel a little left out today. You see, I’m registered in another state and very boringly sent in my absentee ballot a few weeks ago.

Luckily I took a picture so I can share with you my “Sending in My Absentee Ballot Day” outfit with you!

It also happens to be the outfit I’m wearing today (and tomorrow).

What I wore:
Top: a “vintage” baseball t-shirt found at the bottom of a clothing pile in the backyard of American Apparel $0
Bottom: the California Fleece Slim Fit Pant from American Apparel $36
Shoes: Keen flip flops given to me at an event involving popsicles $0
Hair: Hard water and shampoo
Makeup: Bare Essentials, allergies
Mood: Simultaneously proud and defeated. Proud that (more…)

November 6, 2012 by
Austin, Hipstercrite Life, Writing

How to Find Balance in Life

I never thought I would become one of those people.

The kind that forget to breathe, who developed a detestable ability to stare at something with no thought coming to mind.

A person who forgets to see the wonder in the world.

Blaming a career built around the Internet would probably be fair, but it’s my duty to keep it in check.

It’s my job to put up barriers and it’s my job to crawl outside of my head day in and day out.

Yesterday I happened upon an anole.

He surprised me by appearing on my chair.

Lizards are very common in Austin, and we find them in our house quite often. Typically they are no bigger than an inch; their underage bodies a translucent peach, a window to their blood-pumping veins.

However, this one was different.

He was big.

Full grown and curious.

When typically an anole will run with all its might in the opposite direction of my looming presence, this one stayed put. His blinking eyes studying me.

And I studied him.

For a long time.

And (more…)

November 2, 2012 by
Film, Hipstercrite Life, Music, Pop Culture

The Attack of the Frank Zapp-o-lantern

Geoff and I had a pumpkin carving party!

Everyone’s pumpkins looked awesome, except for mine. Mine looked like ass.

I was trying to make Frank Zappa pumpkin, but as my friend Don pointed out, it looked more like an abstract painting. I think it looked like an orange pile of shit.

I almost threw my pumpkin out in a fit of childish rage.

When it came time to light the pumpkins and bring them outside, I was embarrassed to add my pumpkin to the group. Geoff had this awesome Nick Cave pumpkin, Ludwig had a great Pee-Wee Herman pumpkin and Don had, well, a Don pumpkin.

I lit a tea light, plopped it inside of Frank’s head and begrudgingly carried my pumpkin outside. As I walked past my friends, theirs jaws dropped. Something magical had happened- the pumpkin actually looked like freakin’ Frank Zappa…or George Harrison, depending on who you are. The spirit of Frank had guided my hands to make his likeness out in a giant squash.

I spent the evening rejoicing by hitting repeat (more…)

October 29, 2012 by
Hipstercrite Life

To Try Everything in Your Power Not to Get Old

“Lionel stopped calling me,” my grandmother said to me last week.

“…and I’m lonely.”

Lionel, my grandmother’s boyfriend, has been calling her 5-10 times a day since he moved into the Alzheimer’s unit at an assisted living home earlier this year.

Then last week he just stopped.

Forgot that there was someone he was supposed to call that day.

Since Lionel moved out her house, my grandmother has been at a complete loss as to what to do with herself.

This boredom has led to long phone conversations with scammers.

And sending money to scammers.

“Grandma, why in God’s name are you talking to these people? When they call you, just hang up!”

“Oh, I know they’re silly, I just like entertaining them.”

What’s she really not telling me, and what my mother has shared with me, is that deep down, my grandmother really thinks she could be “the next millionaire!”.

Having been a business owner for 35 years, I’m absolutely floored that my grandmother has fallen into this (more…)

October 25, 2012 by