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How to Handle Debt: A Personal Story

The other day, I posted on Hipstercrite’s Facebook page that I had just finished paying off my car, and in a several months, my credit cards too.

I’ve written about debt before; like many twenty-somethings, I’ve been strapped with school loans, credit card and car payments for most of my third decade.

When you’re facing debt, it’s often difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, many mornings you wake up in a cold sweat, suffocating from the heavy blanket of your finances.

I was raised by a fiscally conservative mother who always paid her bills on time. When she pushed me forth into the world that was the only advice she gave me. Fresh out of college, I landed a salaried position in Los Angeles and thought I was set. Boy, was I dumb!

My debt was established in several steps: 1.) I often used my credit card to go out to eat (I was very sad and lonely in LA and didn’t want to be at home) 2.) I foolishly put the down payment of my new car on a credit card and (more…)

April 3, 2013 by hipstercrite

Austin

Austin Changing: Why My Love for Austin is Being Challenged

When I first drove into this city five years ago, I fell head over heels in love.

Lately, my undying love for Austin has been challenged.

I’ve learned the hard way that writing about Austin as though I’ve lived here a long time will provoke scorn, but to hell with it. Even within the five years I’ve lived here, I’ve seen rapid growth that makes one’s head spin.

Austin has been in influx for decades, but it’s hard for anyone to argue that the “big city” changes have been most prevalent these past 5-10 years.
Unlike LA and NYC- who came into their own decades ago- we’re watching a city grow and mold right before our eyes.

Readers make fun of writers who talk about Austin as though they’ve lived here a long time because they write articles titled this: “Austin is ch-ch-ch-changing: Give up the hate and embrace the non-natives who make our city great.”

This article, which I wrote in January of 2012, was from the perspective of someone who was confused as to why Austinites were (more…)

April 1, 2013 by hipstercrite

Film, Pop Culture

The Many Faces of Chevy Chase (pictures)

Well, yesterday’s post provoked the wrath of Khan, so I’m going to write about something warm and fuzzy today… like Chevy Chase’s face!

I had no clue what to write about earlier, so I sought inspiration from my friend Mike who has been on a Fletch kick lately.

“What should I write about today, Mike?”

“The many faces of Chevy Chase!!!!” he said to me.

I snickered to myself. Surely Chevy Chase only has a few faces!

I did a Google search and was surprised to discover that Chevy Chase does indeed make many faces.

Now, I think Mike was implying the wonderful faces that Chevy Chase made during the Fletch era, when Chevy was a stud muffin, like this endearing photo here:

And here:

But what I discovered is that the double and triple-chin modern day Chevy Chase makes waaaay more interesting faces, like:

The Val Kilmer Meme Face

The Farting With Each Step I Take Face

The Recalling Seeing Beverly D’Angelo’s Boobies Face

The Trololo Face

The Cerebral Masturbating (more…)

April 1, 2013 by hipstercrite

Music, Pop Culture

Lady Crush of the Day: Nicole Atkins

Sad fact: I typically don’t gravitate towards female singers. Their voices often sound too perfect- too clean– and in the great words of David Byrne, “The better the singer’s voice is, the harder it is to believe what they’re saying.”

Only the ladies with stories to tell in their voice and lyrics such as Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks, or the ones who challenge gender norms such as Annie Lennox and Patti Smith, or the ones who are just as gritty as they are beautiful such as Deborah Harry and Chrissie Hynde are of interest to me. As for the the Gwen Stefanis, the Beyonces and the Taylor Swifts: I will not argue their talent, but their music does absolutely nothing for me.

To me it is all pop drivel.

It has been a very long time since I had a contemporary female music idol.

I wasn’t very familiar with Nicole Atkins’s music until recently. Why? I’m not sure, other than that I’m really bad at checking out new music (side note: Nicole Atkins is not new new; her first full-length (more…)

March 19, 2013 by hipstercrite

Austin, Film, Music, Pop Culture, Writing

Has SXSW Music Gotten Too Big For Its Britches?

via www.lauragibsonmusic.com

Well, SXSW is over.

We all survived.

We had a busy week with our film, Loves Her Gun. I won’t bore you with the details, but if you’re interested in reading reviews, awards etc. that the film received, check out our Facebook page.

Participating in the film portion of the festival spoils you. It’s contained and organized, no unofficial events surround it and you casually run into peers and friends within the Austin film community and beyond. It is always a pleasure and a treat to experience this part of the festival.

I could tell the second that SXSW Film and Interactive had ended and Music began when we tried driving out of our neighborhood. Living on the eastside now means you co-exist with official and unofficial music events. No longer do you have to live a couple of blocks east of downtown to experience this; you can live as far as a few miles away to feel the effect. The story I’m about to tell you I already shared on my Facebook (more…)

March 18, 2013 by hipstercrite

Austin, Film, Pop Culture

SXSW Film 2013 Infographic: How Many Films Used Crowd Funding This Year?

Amanda Farmer at Austin Freelance Writer was kind enough to share with me her fascinating infographic on SXSW Film 2013 stats.

It gives tremendous insight into the what films will be debuting at SXSW and how many were crowd funded (our film Loves Her Gun was partially funded by Indiegogo and USA Projects).

I also spy one of our film’s actresses, Heather Kafka, in the infographic!

Make sure to check out Amanda’s work here!

March 6, 2013 by hipstercrite

Austin, Film, Hipstercrite Life, Pop Culture

One Week Before SXSW!

It’s one week before SXSW starts and one week and one day before the premiere of our film Loves Her Gun.

I’m nervous and I’m excited and hopeful and fearful.

What if no one likes the film?

What if during the film, the audience collectively rises in a wave of anger, throws vegetables or dead animals they had been hiding in their purses and pockets at the screen and tackle me into the theater seats to ensure my broken arms never write again?

Like George McFly to Marty when he sheepishly explains why he can’t ask Lorraine out, “I don’t know if I could take that kind of a rejection.”

This movie is my density.

I’m scared shitless!

I’ve never experienced anything like this.

Will you still love me even if my dangling broken limbs are covered in tomato juice?

Over the next week, I’ll probably be posting a significant amount about the film since it will be taking up a good chunk of my life.

It’s a tough industry and every share and retweet about our film (more…)

March 1, 2013 by hipstercrite

Austin, Music, Pop Culture, Writing

RSVPster: Revolutionizing the SXSW festival going experience

Have y’all heard of RSVPster, yet?

How could you not with their recent FREAKIN’ AWESOME Forbes interview and all.

This brilliant service created by one Austin woman, Jennifer Sinski, is revolutionizing the festival going experience.

So, we all know how insanely Godzilla-like SXSW has become, right? All the unofficial parties, shows, taco face-stuffing contests and free swag that is open to us is often hard to keep up with. Sinski, who was already the go-to party RSVPer for her friends, came up with the idea in 2011 to have a concierge service that does the SXSW RSVPing for you- all for a mere $40. Not only will RSVPster get you on the list of every open, unofficial party and event at the festival, they will also send you a full calendar of dates and time to update to your iCal or Google Cal.

In its first year, RSVPster proved to be popular and Sinski brought on business partner, Miles Dahmann. Word of mouth spread quickly and the site gained customers and press. Now in its (more…)

February 26, 2013 by hipstercrite

Film, Pop Culture, Writing

How to Not Annoy Bloggers With Your Press Release

via All Points PR

I’m now a publicist!

Kind of.

I have a secret to share with you: there is no money in independent film and you often have to become your own press agent, cheerleader, champion and drinking buddy.

I’ve been (nervously) sending out press releases for our film Loves Her Gun and I can’t help but feel like a GIANT ASSHOLE every time I hit the “send” button. You see, I receive a fair chunk of press releases for my blog each week and the majority of the time I completely disregard them. If the sender- particularly the actual client and not the publicist- appears to have put effort in their attempts to reach out to me, then I will politely respond with a “thank you for reaching out, but this isn’t a good fit….yada yada blah blah.” If the press release is from a publicist who included me on a mass email with no regard to what my blog is actually about, then I promptly banish them to my trash. (more…)

February 25, 2013 by hipstercrite

Hipstercrite Life, Writing

I Need Your Blogging Expertise! What Should My New Layout Look Like?

Over a year and a half ago I switched from Blogger to WordPress, two-column template to magazine layout.

Moving to WordPress was the best decision I ever made for my blog (note to Blogger bloggers: my traffic doubled shortly after I switched to WordPress).

My initial drive to move to the magazine layout was that I was ambitiously planning on posting multiple times in a day. I wanted my blog to become an online zine of sorts, where one could find plenty of posts on Austin lifestyle, fashion, pop culture, etc.

Yeahhhh….that didn’t happen.

Blogging every day is hard. Blogging multiple times a day is really hard.

The zine idea I had was more appropriate for a team of writers and not one pseudo-writer who spends her days holed up on the couch in her sweatpants. I guess if I wanted to take Hipstercrite to that level, I could have, but I kind of just like blogging whatever the hell I want to whenever the hell I want to (i.e. don’t fix something if it ain’t broken).

So….with (more…)

February 20, 2013 by hipstercrite

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