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Hipstercrite Life

Austin, Hipstercrite Life, Writing

Beyond 6th Interview

On Sunday I was interviewed by the wonderful gang over at Beyond 6th.

Beyond 6th is a weekly love letter podcast to Austin. Hosts @EddieCantu @BriDraffen @JustinTArthur and @WadeofHonor interview local artists and talk about what is going on in this marvelous city. I had a blast meeting with them and I highly recommend subscribing to their podcast.

I met Beyond 6th in a swanky apartment above 6th Street. Did I think I would have the same fate as Paul Allen? Maybe. But that didn’t stop me from forgoing the beer they offered me before the interview and digging into the sweet, sweet sweet tea vodka. As you will notice, at some point in the interview I have difficultly finishing thoughts and sentences.

Listening to yourself is never a fun experience, but I was happy to notice that I didn’t sound like Kermit the Frog over the podcast. Not that Kermit the Frog sounds shitty, I mean, who the f doesn’t love Kermit the Frog? But Kermit is not sexy, you know? I’ve been striving for the (more…)

20-Something, Film, Hipstercrite Life

Under Your Spell

11:26PM 10/19/11

Watching Drive and writing that post today really got to me. The LA in Drive is the LA in so many movies and was the LA in my head when I lived there, though it’s not the LA that actually exists. I’ve written about this way too many times before, so I will not rehash it too much. Or maybe I will.

There are multiple LAs that exist in film- the glamorous 1920’s LA, the dangerous noir 40’s/50’s LA, the sunny carefree 1960’s LA, the porn/drug-riddled 70’s LA and the beautifully nihilistic 80’s LA. After that, the LA that exists now is the one we all know, but we want the other LAs, you know? The Day-Of-The-Locust-Who-Framed-Roger-Rabbit-Chinatown-LA-Confidential-Boogie Nights-Less-Than-Zero all rolled into one LA.

I just can’t stop thinking about her tonight. I can’t stop thinking about all the illusions and the dreams that weren’t real. The holding my breath, waiting for something to happen. The anticipation that anything– good or bad- would reveal itself to me. (more…)

Film, Hipstercrite Life, Music, Pop Culture

Songs About Los Angeles

Last night I saw the movie Drive starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman and Los Angeles. A lot of buzz has been going around about this simple, yet visually and auditorily delicious film. The Michael Mann-esque qualities, Ryan Gosling’s subtle performance, the 80’s font, and moody electronic music make for a wonderful, nostalgic ride. Besides the ridiculously long shots on Ryan Gosling’s beautiful face, what made this film particularly engaging is the ominous soundtrack composed by Cliff Martinez and featuring music by Kavinsky, Lovefoxxx, Desire, College, Riz Ortolani, and Chromatics.

“Drive” is an appropriate verb for songs reminiscent of Los Angeles. Any song that reminds me of that city, also reminds me of late nights driving through Hollywood towards the beach, the blur of lights in the background, the windows down and the warm wind holding me firmly into the passenger seat. It reminds me of trips through the city to nowhere in particular, (more…)

Hipstercrite Life

The Great White North

My favorite time of year is here! The time of year where I no longer have to worry if my ass cheeks are hanging out of the bottom of my shorts. The time of year my frame is no longer a terrain of small bodies of sweat and dried kneetop and elbowtops. A time where I can resort back to dressing like Truman Capote. A time of cardigans and scarves and stockings and pants and soon enough I’ll be bitching about how cold it is even thought it’s only 65.

In two weeks I will be heading up to the Vermont Film Festival with my honey sweetie child (the longer you date and become more comfortable with someone, the more obnoxious nouns you add to their name) for a screening of his first film, Mars. At that time, my mother will take a carload of people including my auditorily-challenged grandmother, the cognitively-challenged Lionel, and the hyper-activelly challenged Jack Russell Terrier named Lucy and meeting us in Burlington.

This will be the first time my mother meets my boyfriend, something (more…)

Hipstercrite Life

When the Car Speeds Out of Control

11:34PM 10/10/11 I think?

I spoke with my father earlier this evening. Dad is a part-time actor and part-time chauffeur in Los Angeles (aren’t they all?). He works for a well-known car service and because of his super flyness and charm, he often drives some of their largest clients. Most of his clients are kind or completely aloof, but never mean. Dad told me about one of the few cranky clients he had the other night, an older actor who had his heyday 40 years ago but is still milking it for all it’s worth. To make a long story short, the actor handed my dad a tip, but then decided he didn’t want to give the tip and pulled the money out of my dad’s hand and left. Dad thought it was hysterical.

But this wasn’t the story that struck me during our conversation. No, it was the part about getting hit head-on by a drunk driver on Friday night. “Now, I don’t want you to worry,” he said, “I’m fine.” My Dad knows I worry a lot. However, I think he thinks I worry more than I do. I’m not (more…)

20-Something, Hipstercrite Life

Dear Diary!

I was telling a friend the other day that my blog was stressing me out. He asked why. I told him that I didn’t have a freakin’ clue. And that’s totally not true. It’s just that I didn’t want to think about why it was stressing me out.

“Well”, he typed over Gchat, “Isn’t your writing supposed to be therapeutic?” I thought about it for a second and realized my writing has become anything but. At one point a long time ago it was a form of therapy. I was young and I was lost and I discovered that putting those two truths down into words helped. A lot. Looking back on those posts I probably sounded like a nutjob, but weren’t we all at 22?

When more than my Mom under a fake pseudonym started reading my blog, I got nervous. I was afraid that people would think it was some lame-ass teenage-esque diary of a young woman who needed a can of “SHUT THE HELL UP!” . Something I wish they actually sold in grocery stores so I could strategically leave outside college student’s dorm rooms in the (more…)

Austin, Fashion/Design, Hipstercrite Life

Guess That This Must Be the Place

I have a new article up on Culture Map today that I wanted to share with you guys. Last week was my three year anniversary in Austin. I can’t believe how much time has gone by. It seems like decades ago that I moved here. I barely remember the time I lived in LA 🙁

Above are the first two pictures I took in Austin. The out-of-focus one was my Hipstercrite header photo for a long time.

Austin has become my home and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

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Last week I celebrated my third year in Austin.

Well, actually, it kind of came and went without me even noticing. You see, Austin has become home. I no longer view it as this animate object that swept me up into it’s arms and saved me—I just simply live in it now. I’m an Austinite. I have a 512 phone number and I wear pearl snap shirts.

I used to romanticize a lot about Austin. Hell, I even drunk dialed her frequently. She was this near-mythical (more…)

Hipstercrite Life, Writing

No Bizness Card is Complete Without Chest Hair

Got my Moo mini business cards for my blog this week.

I’ve gone legit!

What do you think?

Not sure if giving a stranger a photo of yourself with a hairy chest is the best way to win them over, but what the hell, right?

I’ve totally fallen in love with Moo. I got this business card through a perk on Klout. 100 mini cards for free. Somehow I managed to spot the perk before everyone gobbled it up! Only had to pay shipping and I could have made all 100 have a different photo. The cards are otherwise $20 for 100. Love that you can have fashionable biz cards for cheap!

 

Hipstercrite Life, Writing

Writing Makes You Weird

Ever since I’ve started writing semi-regularly, I feel like I’ve gotten super weird.

Like I’ve lost all ability to socialize with other human beings and I just find myself standing crosseyed and painless in the world- as David Byrne would say. I look like I’m staring at a giant naked man disco dancing on top of yo’ head while you’re talking to me. Half the time I’m floating off into space with my lamé rocket suit because I’m thinking about what to write that day. I’m always thinking about what to write. The other half of the time I look like someone slapped me upside the head because I’m trying to find the words to say. Talking in your head a lot and regurgitating those words onto a keyboard, then constantly reediting those words and when you don’t like those words going to an online thesaurus to change them, makes for awkward fun time when you finally open your mouth in public.

“Grmerph!”

While someone is talking to me I begin a sentence only to find myself stopping because (more…)

20-Something, Austin, Hipstercrite Life, Writing

Occupy WallStreet Occupy Austin

Photo from ABC News

On our last night filming in New York City we were burglarized.

Our two lead actresses and female DP had their computers, camera, and tax paperwork stolen from the apartment they were staying in. The apartment is located in a co-op in Brooklyn that has a locked main entrance and individual locked doors for the apartments. This particular apartment door was left unlocked for a few hours and within this time, someone stole the items mentioned above.

When the three individuals discovered that their belongings had been stolen, they immediately called the police. The dispatcher told them that a police officer would not be sent to the apartment and that they needed to go to the police station to file a report. The three women all headed on foot to the police station. A male crew member called 911 not knowing that the DP had called the police and they dispatched a police officer to the (more…)