Learn to Let Go

The internets are amused at a sign posted in some store, linked here. This is along the lines of no shirt, no shoes, no service rules that greeted me at eye level as a child when I accompanied my father into various gas stations in rural Wisconsin. I often wondered why "pants" was left off, and then I wondered what the big deal was about the lack of either article of clothing. If it was hot, lots of men wore no shirt, but their wallet was in their pants. When I was on a long car trip with my mother to Cincinnati, we might not have our shoes on when we stopped to use the restroom. But no shoes was an obvious safety problem, shirts less so. And this ban on saggy pants seems even less logical.

I didn't get socialized in a normal way. I've always been on the outside of normal society and thus looked at it from the outside and learned the views of the outsiders. I've only recently realized how abnormal I am, which led me to think that any knowledge I gained in the course of my life was simply the information that all the normies acquired when they didn't invite me to parties.  So when I look at strange clothing, different ways of behaving, music and dance, I don't assume that my initial reaction of shock should turn to disapproval. I assume my shock is simply a result of me being on the outside, so I accept the reality that is and move on. Sometimes, I look into the roots of what I am seeing, but if I find no harm in the newness, acceptance is enough for me.

So I do find the low pants phenomenon to be strange. It has been going on since at least the mid 1990's (see Clueless), so I think it has passed the 'fad' phase and it is now a staple in American dress styles. I've seen pants so low that I wonder how a person can walk. It seems utterly impractical to me, similar to the fad (I can only hope) of the platform high-heel, but without the inherent foot damage. And yes, I can see the plaids and stripes of boxer shorts between the pants and the shirts, but they don't register to me as offensive. One could be wearing plaid pants, or these guys could have briefs on under those boxers.

This is where cultural relativism has completely taken over my value system. I do not believe in absolute cultural relativism by any means, but perhaps my childhood spent not feeling a full part of my own culture, then studying other cultures and feeling ashamed for mocking them has made me immune from the outrages that others of my culture jump to so easily. The only things that bother me are the things that cause real harm, all else is noise or intrigue.

More Like Project Funway

This year's season on Lifetime is much more melodramatic than the Bravo seasons. I don't root for any of the designers to win, and things seem less "real". Maybe it is their location in LA, maybe it is the new network. In the middle of the season it became clear that the design skill was split by gender, which is not normal for this show. Christopher needed to go, as did Logan. Nicholas was annoying sometimes, but he was more talented and creative than Logan and Christopher. Chris was one of my Minnesota boys, so I enjoyed watching him, but his dresses were all "play on volume" crap, emphasis on the crap. Logan was boring and no, I did not find him to be attractive, I don't know what everyone is so excited about. I was so happy to see him go, yet Christopher is still here. Here is how I think it should shake out.

Winner: Irena, but I will not be surprised if Carol Hannah wins.

Bryant Park, no win: Althea, possibly Gordiana (but unlikely), and Carol Hannah

Next off: Chris (retroactively enforced five episodes ago) and Gordiana

Fight Oppression by Pants

From a Michigan friend

You can de-pant if you want to.
You can leave your trowsas behind.
Because if you wear pants, and if you use pants, then you're no friend of mine.
Hey depant.
Hey depant.
Everyone loosen their pants.

It seems she has also learned the excitement of skirts :D

Just a Farm Girl from the Middle of Nowhere

I spent the day analyzing information, then I stopped by a local bar and had a shot of Patrón, an early birthday gift from the co-worker that invited me out. After some socializing, I set out for home to get ready to go dancing in the city. I missed the 9:20 train by just a few moments, but I wasn't very late to the club. After running across the street, I waited in the short line, then showed the bouncers my ID. The normal $20 cover was waived because I was on the guest list, and I made my way inside.

The video isn't that great, but I wanted to show one outing option for visitors :D

There were three dance floors, one electronic, one hip hop, and the other kind of a mix. I liked them all, because I just like to move, but my friend was partial to the electronic floor. That floor was a little more friendly and fun, and I had a great time. My friend told me this was the most upscale club he'd been to, and it was pretty nice, but I knew it was hot when I saw the guy with the mullet. If you don't know, much to my chagrin, mullets are all OVER Europe right now. I thought for sure this was a group of kids from Europe - Italy, Spain, maybe southern France, but when I asked the guy where he was from, he said "Texas"! I was shocked, the told him that the mullet, essentially (I gestured to his hair), was all over Europe and that he looked omg so hip.

I love clubbing - I may not be the best dancer, the drinks might be overpriced, I may get slightly skeevy guys trying to dance up on me (and sometimes slightly cute guys too), and I might get really sweaty by the end of the night, but I love it all. I think my favorite part is when I think about where I'm from and where I am right now, and then how much more awesome life will get. The SATC girls taught me that life definitely does not end at 30 or even beyond, so I look forward to years of good times, laughter, and dance. The past 5 weeks of New Urs have been the best of my life, and I'm glad I get to share the experience with you, dear readers. You're very welcome to partake in the fun.

This Year's New Trend

A while back, a friend left a pen in my office, then he left another one in my car, and I'm pretty sure he left still another one in a huddle room. That last one was a red pen, and I learned that it was very effective in drawing on my fingernails. So, until the pen ran out of ink, I would color in my nails, then paint over them with clear polish. Some co-workers found it hilarious, others found it smart. You can sort of see the remnants of the red in the Catcher video.

Then my co-workers got me some red pens and my red nails were back. But they ran out of ink too. Not one to steal office supplies, I went to Office Depot myself and bought me a whole box of red and blue pens. Well, I bought the wrong red pens (just fine point, not the ultra fine point, now I know) but the right blue ones, so now my nails are blue.

Nevermind the bits of polish on my skin - I just painted them and in order to cover the whole nail, some gets on the skin.

I should also note that dark blue was one of the first non-conventional colors I experimented with when I began painting my nails creatively in the 8th grade. I began with dark blue, red, black, and white. I mixed those colors to make as many colors as possible, but without yellow, I couldn't do much. I looked and looked for yellow every time I could, and finally, I found it, and I began several years of painting my nails in ten different colors. That lasted a whole decade, from roughly 1996 until 2006, when I started my current job. I haven't been brave enough to try this look in the business casual world.

As for why do I do this, I love color and can't bear to be "normal".

You Moistened My Dry Look!

Maybe its because fashion is cyclical, and I'm about ready to bring back the late '70s. Maybe its because I watched Puma Man (Pyuma Man?) last week. Maybe I'm just a sucker for guys with a good head of hair, but I say its high time we brought The Dry Look back.

Thoughts?

The 80's are Back

They're back in a big big way, on the heads of Spanish men everywhere, if everywhere is within the borders of Spain. While there, I saw lots of boys with rat-tails, men with full out mullets, and even a guy (white) with jerry-(geri?)curls on the metro. One guy in the Cordoba train station had a dreadlock mullet, I'm so not kidding.