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20-Something, Hipstercrite Life

Home is Wherever I’m With You

As of today, I officially moved into Geoff’s house.

When I tell friends this, they usually respond with, “Wow! Taking the big step! Are you excited or nervous?”

Because I feel neither, it confuses me when my friends ask this, but I guess it is a legitimate question. Moving into a boyfriend’s house is a big step, but for some reason I don’t view it that way. It just seems natural.

Considering I’ve been staying here almost every day since we first met, there is no fanfare for my official arrival into the house. Instead I have a pile of crap that needs to find a home in its new home.

As I sit here on his couch, a long, green mid-century couch that was oddly in the film Tree of Life, I look around and see very little that is mine because this is not my house. It is Geoff’s. He designed the house himself with his former long term girlfriend. The design and decor of the house doesn’t scream, “Geoff and former girlfriend!”, nor does it scream, “Just Geoff!” The design is minimal (more…)

February 1, 2012 by
Hipstercrite Life, Pop Culture

For the Love of Nerds

Ever since I was a little girl, I loved nerds.

The thicker the glasses they wore, the better. Even more attractive than coke bottles was social awkwardness. At eight years of age I loved my men weird and near-sighted.

When most of my peers were carrying notebooks featuring the profiles of NKOTB, I was doodling the name, “Mrs. Emmett Brown” over and over in my notebook. A few years later, I would lay my plastic figurine of Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm on my pillow and whisper made-up paleontology talk in his dog-nibbled ear. At sixteen I would catch myself losing complete control of my bladder while watching David Byrne dance in the concert documentary Stop Making Sense. Every time he would flail his arms around or choreographically trip, I’d seal clap in delight.

Even now, my boyfriend is what I describe as a “nerdy cowboy.” Social discomfort is not something he suffers from, but what he lacks in awkwardness he makes up for in his math degree and his desire to move to space. (more…)

January 28, 2012 by
20-Something, Hipstercrite Life

How To Stop Worrying

I’ve written a few times on Hipstercrite about how going freelance has improved my career confidence and has been mentally rewarding.

I’ve jokingly talked about how going freelance has made it difficult for me to remember to change my underwear or socialize with humans and not feral cats.

What I haven’t mentioned is that going freelance has amplified my anxieties and worries and at some point I’m concerned I will become agoraphobic.

This all sounds like wonderfully neurotic writer behavior but it is neither fun or helpful. It takes a lot for me to leave the house to socialize and when I do, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to pay attention or engage in conversation. I’ve mentioned this before, so I will not rehash too much. This behavior, which began before I went the freelance route and had decided to take my writing more seriously, has caused me friendships. When I started to stay home at the attempt of being more productive, it angered a few friends. One in particular (more…)

January 26, 2012 by
20-Something, Film, Music, Pop Culture

The Indie-Urban Existential Crisis

I’m reaching an age where it takes a lot for me to stay focused and interested in contemporary independent film and music.

I’m reaching an age where unless a film has a point or a song is originally written, displays some sort of individual talent and doesn’t sound like a band I heard back in the 60’s-90’s, I fall asleep, turn it off, or get up and leave.

This sort of behavior does not make it easy for me to go to the theater with friends or listen to music recommendations. Because of this, I’m absolutely not in the know on what is indie-urban popular, because, well, most of the time I think it’s absolute shit.

This goes against the idea of being a “hipstercrite”, I guess. I really can’t go on and on about how I hate Lana Del Rey, talk about what movies are currently hot at Sundance or manifest Ryan Gosling memes.

The alternative, the irreverent and the ironic is my bag, but lately I’m finding a lot of it forced and showing lack of skill. More often than that, I’m finding (more…)

January 24, 2012 by
Austin

Austin Is Changing: How Do You Feel About It?

On my CultureMap column, I’ve written a number of posts about how wonderful Austin is and how much I love this adopted city of mine. For this, I’ve received comments telling me to “go home” and that “I’m the problem with Austin’s recent changes.”

These comments make me think of a conversation I had with a waitress at relatively new neighborhood restaurant here in town. The restaurant does not stay open late and caters towards respectable diners, but that hasn’t stop a disgruntled neighbor from chasing down patrons who park in his neighborhood with a hammer.

I think it’s fair to say that some Austinites don’t like change.

The only other town where I saw physical opposition towards not just newcomers, but visitors too, was Marfa, Texas, where a man in a cowboy hat stalked us down Main Street giving us a sermon about the evil city dwellers from Austin, New York and LA.

Change can suck ass. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

I’ve been here 3 1/2 years and even I can remember (more…)

January 23, 2012 by
Fashion/Design, Music

Life and Style Icon of the Day- Warren Zevon

Yesterday, I asked my father, a pianist and music lover, if he was familiar with Warren Zevon’s music. Considering that Zevon was a classically-trained musician, popular in a pivotal decade of music for my father and featured piano in many of his songs, I figured he was a fan.

“Sure, I used to listen to him back in the day. Has he come out with anything new lately?”

“Dad, he’s been dead for eight years.”

“Oh, wow. Really? I guess I haven’t listened to him since “Werewolves of London”.”

After my Dad said that, I figured he never actually listened to Warren Zevon at all. “Werewolves of London” is not a song you bring up if you’re a fan.

At one point that was the only song of Warren Zevon’s that I knew as well and I kind of hated it. It was on every Halloween compilation my mother owned and it would get played over and over during the holiday. After each howl, I swore off Zevon more and more.

I spoke of Zevon a bit on my recent CultureMap post about being indie-ignorant (more…)

January 19, 2012 by
Writing

How Social Media and Blogging Can Help You Get a Job

As I’ve mentioned before, back in September, I went the freelance writer/social media marketing route.

It’s been such a rewarding and educational experience. To do what I want to do, finally, for the first time in my adult life has been so incredible. Going freelance has given me the confidence in knowing that I’m capable and have something to offer.

However, this time has not come without its down moments. There have been many somber times of me standing by the mailbox waiting for a check or lying awake at 3AM thinking about what kind of taxes I’m going to owe.

Luckily, the work keeps coming in- with the ebb and flow that freelance work does. Sometimes I’ll hear nothing for a few weeks, then a bunch of offers coming streaming it at once. Sometimes the offer is big, sometimes it’s little.

When thinking about the work I’ve received over this time, it dawned on me that most of my work I received through the powers of social media. Facebook, Twitter and my blog. I’m still learning (more…)

January 18, 2012 by
Austin

Shit Austinites Say

Taking cue from the popularity of “Shit That (insert whomever here) Says”, Austin filmmaking troupe, PossumBox, made this endearing film about the stuff that comes out of Austinites’ mouths. At first I thought this was going to be a biting portrayal of the pretentious hipster jargon that comes out of our mouths, but instead, I think we come across as kind of adorable. What do you think?

Follow these guys:

PossumBox website
PossumBox Twitter
PossumBox Facebook

January 16, 2012 by
Writing

Hipstercrite is Lame

Lately I’ve been getting a lot more negative comments. Some on my blog and some on my column at CultureMap.

I knew this day would come and I told myself not to let it bother me. I take it as a sign that my work is reaching a broader audience, but it does sting a little considering people use harsh and less constructive language when leaving negative comments.

I came across one today on Get Off My Internets where a follower complained that I’m “super obsessed with my boyfriend”, that I’m “trying so hard to be relatable that I’m coming across as lame”, that I’m “flipping out about turning 30” and that I “overblow my life events to get more traffic-y posts”. Below that comment another person suggested that I talked about my boyfriend too much as well.

Though all these words hurt a little, it made me stop and think.

Maybe I do talk about my boyfriend a lot. For the first time in my life, I’m happy and in love. It’s gross when people talk about relationships too much, I agree, (more…)

January 13, 2012 by
Film, Hipstercrite Life

Rudy’s Barbershop Loves Loves Her Gun

So check this.

We partnered with one of my all-time barbershops on our film, Loves Her Gun.

Rudy’s Barbershop is featuring our little movie as one of their Rudy’s Saves projects. Every year, the company selects an artistic endeavor to support and this year they chose us! Rudy’s supported artists in the past like Shepard Fairey, OJAS, Eric Elms, KAWS, and our lead actress Trieste Kelly Dunn.

We’re so stoked to be working with Rudy’s. When I lived in LA that was the only place I got my hair cut. At the Melrose store, I always enjoyed looking at the cut-outs of scantily clad 70’s men. Rudy’s is the original hipster barbershop.

Rudy’s interviewed Geoff and I about writing and making the film. Somehow David Byrne and Pee-Wee Herman got mentioned.

If you’d like to learn more about our partnership with Rudy’s and read our interview, go here.

If you want to get the most awesomest haircut on the planet, check out the list of Rudy’s locations here. Rudy’s is located in Seattle, (more…)

January 12, 2012 by