The Urge to Be Vintage (and Why It's Not Cool to Judge People's Lifestyles)

Lately I've been restlessly browsing vintage cameras on Ebay. One of my summer projects is making a leather messenger bag (that looks vintage). I honestly have a vested interest in the whole vintage/hipster aesthetic (I also like 20th century history....but that's a different topic). One of my favorite brands/shops is Anthropologie (website). I love antique stores and visit them when I can. Almost all my clothes are worn out looking (but that's because I generally don't go clothes shopping often). To be honest I'm hipster...kinda, sorta; aesthetically speaking.

I feel kind of feel guilty about these particular preferences of mine because of how mainstream society views hipsters. You know, the stereotypical, negative views on hipsters? "Hipsters are so condescending and pretentious!" "He thinks he oh-so-cool with his organically sourced canvas bag and Starbucks coffee." "She talked about art and she sounded like a pretentious bitch." Consider this quote from Urban Dictionary:

Hipster: Someone who listens to bands you've never heard of, 

wears ironic tee-shirts, and believes they are better than you.

You see my point? It appears to me that lots of mainstream consumers reject and oppress hipsters because they value free-thinking, overall intelligence, the arts, irony, witty banter, and progressive politics (to name a few).

All to often hipsters are seen as the "bad guy" only because they act different. They dress different and have different world/political views. Mainstream culture tends to shun things that aren't in the "mainstream" (I don't know how this works since our culture is all about "individualism"). It is very shallow to discriminate based on a person's choice of lifestyle.* Don't hate on someone who dresses differently. I mean seriously, that guy's organically sourced cotton plaid shirt isn't hurting you! Or maybe it's the guy's pretentious attitude that's bugging you? News Flash: you are an adult and can actually control how you react to other people. In other words, be polite to the hipster guy and avoid future contact, if possible. Adults don't judge peoples' choices of clothing/music/food/etc. Duh.

Maybe I should stop feeling guilty about my love of the hipster aesthetic. If only society wasn't so harsh on them, or I could have the aesthetic without the attitude. As for me adapting the ideals/morals/political views of the hipster subculture...no, I'll keep my own, thanks :)




Thanks for reading! Have some brownie points for making it through my nonsense ranting.

Further reading: Urban Dictionary, definition of the word "hipster".
                         Wikipedia: Hipster (contemporary subculture) 

*I do not accept or believe the homosexual lifestyle to be moral in any way, but this topic is not meant for footnotes.  

 

A Fork in the Road

Walking down a forest path

I happen upon a fork in the road.

Left of right?

I can't say where they go

and not knowing creates a load

on my mind.

Which place will I call home?

Along this forest road?

Metro

Music Mondays #4

Beautiful Times by Owl City

The latest song by Owl City. This year Owl City will be releasing songs in the form of EPs, which kinda disappoints me because I really prefer full albums over EPs. Whatever. I'm also somewhat surprised that Lindsey Sterling and Owl City teamed up. The pairing does make sense though, when you think about it. I'm just happy because awesome violin part in a Owl City song.

Update

I haven't posted anything here for a week and then some. How about I tell you a little bit about the past week (for lack of better things to post about)?
Let's see....

Work was herp derpy derp.
I've started working at a daycare (a couple of weeks ago). Yay?
Working out has been fun, I can't wait to start biking again!
I finally finished "remodeling" my turtle tank, Leonardo is one lucky terrapin.
This morning I applied to a staffing agency called Spherion (they're based all over the country, give them a look).
My birthday was yesterday, it was kinda lack luster (except for the eating out part, we went to HuHot).
That's to be expected when your birthday falls on Palm Sunday and Confirmation Sunday.
Only two weeks before I get to see my friends, and single, solitary blog follower. Yay!

How I Escaped From Retail Part 1

Level 1: Write resume and Gather References

I have finished rewriting my resume. I have two references lined up. I have *almost* beat level 1 of Escape From Retail. A few tips for derps like me who a) don't have a college degree yet. b) have little to no real professional experience. 

1. Play up your academic achievements. 
1. Did you have a high GPA; cool, write it down. 
2. Write about any classes you took that can translate into workplace skills. Speech classes and business classes are good candidates for a resume.   
3. List and explain some major projects you worked on (papers, presentations, etc). Bonus if you worked with a group. 
4. Student jobs, list them, duh.
5. Volunteer-y thingys. Also good. 
6. Extracurricular activities that make you look good (bonus if they involved volunteering). 
2. List and explain any
1. Summer jobs
2. Internships
3. Volunteer work
4. Other jobs/things that make you a qualified candidate for a particular position. 

Important note: Be sure to provide details and use "resume power words" because the hiring manger doesn't know you. You know you so "worked the cash register" sounds good because you know what you did but the hiring manager doesn't.

I recommend quality over quantity when choosing words and writing a resume.

Also a helpful list of resume power words:

Further reading at ResumeEdge.com 

Music Monday #3

Big Jumps by Emiliana Torrini

Taking risks in life is essential for accomplishing goals. Move forward courageously, work hard, and don't worry about tomorrow. Time will pass anyway.