Introducing Julius!

      

       Hello world! My name is Simon, and I'm a bit better with pictures than words. However, I'll still try for an occasional poem or two, if not be me then Shel Silverstein or some other great mind. I'll do my best to post some original photos at least once a week, and maybe a book review or something else while I'm supposed to do something "more important". Also, since the nanes Simon and Simone look so much alike past, say, one in the morning onwards, I'll adopt the pseudonym of Julius to avoid confusion.

May the pastas be ever in your favor!

-Julius

In Defense of Hipsters

Hipster style
When you think of hipster style, you probably think of this. Vintage camera, giant glasses, messy hair.

Or maybe this:


It doesn't have to be like that, though, and it often isn't.  In the urban dictionary definition of the word hipster it describes "hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses".  In reality, it's more likely to see actual hipsters wearing clothes not too different from those that everyone else wears.  That's another part of this "hipster" persona so many people seem to be taking on - wearing clothes that are dramatically strange and different in the hopes of actually looking different.  To quote the fabulous Tavi Gevinson of Rookie magazine, "I don't like the term hipster - I think it's become so broad as to apply to basically everyone - but the defining quality is that a hipster thinks and cares about what their tastes say about them, instead of just liking what they like. And so there is nothing more hipster than a person who decides that the only reason another person is wearing a colorful dress is that they're concerned with what theat dress means for their image...because they're thinking that hard about it, and caring that much about what other people think."  I think there's a difference between those that really are independent and those that are trying really hard to be that way.  Though, at the same time that there are a lot of "mainstream hipsters" that everyone is trying to be right now, there is a lot of hipster hate.  I think the main things this hatred comes from are: those people that act too cool for everything, people that are jealous of those who dare to be different, and people that just don't understand why you would want to be different or stand out.  But come on, world.  It's exhausting and unnecessary to always be judging eachother.

Hipsters vs. the version of hipsters we all think of  

I hate to use the word mainstream when having a discussion about hipsters, but for the sake of ease I'm going to use it.  "Mainstream" hipsters are the trend of people, especially teenagers and young adults, that call themselves hipsters but are just following a certain personality type set by a bunch of other people.  They are entirely focused on the idea of defining what other people wear, listen to, talk like, act like, etc.  They are intent on defining what's cool and what's not, always having heard of everything while still being too cool for most things.  Buying a pair of thick glasses, an ugly sweater, and a Belle and Sebastian album and adopting a "too cool for everything" attitude makes you 0% hipster.  Oh, also, here's a huge point: if you flat-out call yourself a hipster, you are not a hipster.  Though, I don't want this article all to be slamming posers - I hate it when people do that.  Most of the time, posers are people finding their place in life and are in the period of figuring everything out.  They might pretend like they know the music/clothes/etc. of whatever group they're "posing" in when they don't, but if they decide they really fit they probably will learn.  Remember that at one point, you were probably a poser.   

But really, in the end, why are you sitting here, judging these people? I understand that it is really obnoxious when people act too cool for everything.  But when it comes to the clothes, it's their choice to wear weird or funky clothes and even if you don't like it, you're not wearing it.  Why do you need to have a reason why they would? If anything, admire those that are brave enough to wear things that are different.

~Simone

Why I Love Pinterest

1. The impossible nail tutorials

2. The DIY earring organizers

3. All the ADORABLE vintagey stuff

4. The amazing clothes you're not sure you'd actually ever wear out of the house

5. The converse

6. The incredible ideas that would be near impossible to make happen

7. The hair that you really really really wish you had

8. The seemingly simple hair tutorials
(...and then you just pull the hair through here, add some bobby pins, and you're good!)

        expectation:

        Result:

9. The awesome art

10. The awesome street art

11. The book quotes

12. The really pathetic, totally relatable, but mostly just pathetic pictures with words

13. The fooOOOOOOOoooddd! (drools)

14. The makeup you could never do yourself

15. All the random hilarious awesomeness

~Adair

Helpful Homework Hints

Recently, with the threat of new classes looming large, I've been thinking about my study habits (or lack thereof) and what I could do to improve them. In my fifteen years on this earth, I have amassed quite a few helpful tips. Not all of them have to do with studying - in fact, most are very specific, like "If you're going on a bike ride early in the morning before you're really awake and you see a scissor-tailed flycatcher on a wire and you try to get a closer look while you're turning your bike around the corner, and you're also ten years old but somehow you're still not that good at riding a bike, you'll probably fall off your bike and break your arm, so you should try not to do that." Some of them, however, might be helpful to other people too - and this blog is a great place to share them. That's why today, I give you...

8 Habits of Highly Effective Students, Brought to You By An Average Homeschooled Teenager Who Has Read Thousands of Helpful Study Advice Posts On Pinterest But Is Too Lazy to Actually Implement Most of Them In Her Real Life

1. Review your notes. This is best done directly after class, when the lesson is still fresh in your mind. However, it is more practical to wait until three weeks later, when you've changed your handwriting again and you can't remember whether that little jagged line is supposed to be a j or an a. The best way to review is to stare idly at the page for an hour or two, singing along to your music, then slam your notebook closed and declare yourself done.
2. This brings me to my next tip, music. Music is an essential part of the student's study tools. Some "experts" suggest quiet, classical music to stimulate brain activity and simultaneously expose you to great masters, but this is obviously ridiculous. I would suggest loud, angry music that will get you righteously indignant at being asked - no, demanded - to learn things that you will never use because you are above all this crap. You have better things to do with your life, like lie on your floor for seven hours listening to Paramore.
3. Other so-called experts suggest occasional exercise throughout your day, to wake yourself up and reduce boredom in between study sessions. This is unequivocally wrong. The only exercise that you should be getting during cramming season is the from the trip to and from the kitchen to get snacks.
4. Snacks are the most important resource for stressed students. Chips, cookies, and chocolate are the best food items for learning, as they make you feel tired and bloated, so you won't be convinced to leave your bedroom (a.k.a. The Study Cave) for anything. 
5. Flashcards. It is really helpful to spend several hours measuring the index cards to make sure they are all perfectly even before you write on them. Then, of course, you can't write on them until you have color-coded ink from a stationary store, and then you need to create a system with card boxes, post-it notes and illustrations to help get the point across. By the time the flash cards are finished, the school year will be over, but at least you'll have sixteen boxes of beautifully made cards with pre-calculus formulas that you will definitely use in later life.
5. It's really important to get lots of sleep during the school year, so you'll stay fresh for your intense studying. That's why I recommend going to sleep no later than 5 A.M. and try to wake up between 6 and 7 A.M. to maximize morning study time. You will be so well-rested that you might even feel tired or start to hallucinate, but it's just a trick of the mind.
6. In class, it can be tempting to let your attention wander. Do not let this happen! You must be constantly vigilant to prevent this disaster from happening. The best way to ensure your constant attention is to stop taking notes (they can distract you from the true message of the class) and draw lots of little stars on the side of your notebook.
7. It can be very helpful to get a "study buddy," a friend with whom you can compare notes and prepare for tests together. A good "study date" will go like this: put all of your textbooks and notes on the table, go into the next room for a High School Musical marathon, and pack up your books five hours later.
8. If you want to be successful in school and in life, procrastination is a big no-no. Writing blog posts, reading study tips, looking out the window, and standing up are obviously out of the question. However, when your research brings you to the Internet, it is occasionally acceptable to browse your Facebook for a short period of time, check your email for important messages, and spend upwards of six hours on YouTube.

These tips are crucial to learning how to study hard and fast. Cramming for tests is incredibly important, as it teaches you to regurgitate trivia on command, a talent without which you are a failure as a human being. Your worth depends entirely on being able to take a standardized test, which can equally and fairly determine every person's knowledge without bias. After all, the only way a person can possibly be intelligent is if they conform to an outdated system and are measured, graded, and compared to someone else.

Right??

~Maya

21 Actually Clever Jokes

     The other day I realized that I know no jokes. So I've decided to fix that. Please feel free to commit some of these to memory so that the next time you encounter an awkward lapse in conversation, you're prepared. However, if we ever meet, you'll know the punchline to everything I say.

1. What's brown and sticky?
    A stick

2. I told my friend that she drew her eyebrows on too high.
    She looked surprised.

3. What do you call a fake noodle?
    An impasta

4. What do you call a 5 foot physic that escaped from jail.
    A small medium at large

5. How did the Hipster burn his tongue?
    He drank his coffee before it was cool.

6. What did the shy pebble wish?
    That she was just a little bolder.

7. What do you call a pencil without lead?
    Pointless.

8. Did you hear they found Mozart's grave? Guess what he was doing?
    decomposing 

9. Did you hear about the new corduroy pillows?
    They're making headlines!

10. Why can't you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom?
      Because the pee is silent.

11. Why can a nose never be 12 inches long?
     Because then it would be a foot.

12. Do you know why calendars won't be around much longer?
      They're days are numbered.

13. Today I changed a light-bulb, and then I crossed the road, and then I walked into a bar and realized:
      That my entire life is a JOKE.

14. What did the evil chicken lay?
      A deviled egg

15. What happens when you put explosives in a french bathroom?
      Linoleum blown-apart.

16. What's the difference between a coyote and a flea?
      One howls on the prairie, and one prowls on the hairy.

17. Why do seagulls live by the sea?
      Because if they lived by the bay they'd be bagels

18. What's brown and sounds like a bell?
       DUUUNNGGGGGG.

19. What do you call a monkey in a minefield?
     A baBOOM

20. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.
      hahaha

21. A priest, a blonde and a horse walk into a bar and the bartender says
      "What is this, some kind of joke?"

There ya' go! 21 awesome jokes. I hope I made you laugh.

~Adair

Street Art

Street art, though still somewhat frowned upon, has recently been gaining acceptance and even popularity throughout the world. This is mostly due the overwhelming success of Banksy, the elusive and influential "guerilla artist" who uses stencils, statues, and anything else available to create his masterpieces. His unique style of dark, satirical humor has been recognized from London to Los Angeles to Palestine. His true identity is still unknown - most agree that he began his career in Bristol, England, in the 1990s, but few details are certain. You can see more of his work and learn a bit about him at his website.

Banksy created this in 2006 and placed in on a street in SoHo, London.

Banksy explains why street art is not only acceptable, it's necessary. "People are taking the piss out of you every day. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you. You, however are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity. Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at you head. You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don't owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don't even start asking for theirs." 

-Banksy

In his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, Banksy describes his work as being in a "legal gray area." Street artists are always facing the risk of being caught and punished - depending on the place they choose, they could be fined or sent to jail. So why do these artists choose to work on the street, where they are more vulnerable? Their art won't be sold in auction houses or hung on walls - they produce their images purely to share them with the world, with no expectation of any kind of reward or appreciation. Street art reaches a much wider audience than more traditional gallery art. Its message is more confrontational, and forces its viewers to notice things they might have overlooked before. The artists feel so passionately about their art that they need to share it with the world, and they are willing to ignore the risks. Most street artists will never receive recognition from anyone other than pissed off authorities.

-Banksy

Austin has its own graffiti park, where it is completely legal to leave your mark. It is located near the corner of Baylor and 12th Street (just a block behind BookPeople, an amazing indie bookstore). It began as an apartment building but when construction stopped, it became a street art gallery. The art there changes daily; every time I've been, I've seen artists spraying new tags and murals onto the walls. The great thing about street art is that artists can work off of each other, using previous images as inspiration or a background for their work.

Several other iconic street art images can be found throughout Austin.

Street art is a way to celebrate the unnoticed corners of a city, to raise awareness, and to communicate dissent. Banksy describes a place where street art is valued: "Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that. Stop leaning against the wall - it's wet."

~Maya

15 Pictures That Will Cheer You Up On A Bad Day

Bad days.  We all have them.  They suck, but there are some things you can do to help yourself feel better. One of those things is to look at these 15 pictures.

1.  A shaved llama.


2. Imagine a t-rex making a bed.


3.  Ryan Gosling and Ellen wearing onesies.


4.  Speaking of Ryan Gosling, here's his baby self with Justin Timberlake.


5. Now, speaking of Justin Timberlake, this happened at some point.

You will never have to wear those clothes.

6.  Check out this dog's stache.


7. Look at this diver's face in midair.

This one is slightly more disturbing than funny.

8.  You're not a hamster stuck in your slide.


9.  Look at this hipster dog.


10.  This will never happen in your city.


11. Look at this squirrel that got his face a mask and ran around scaring a town last Halloween.


12.  You're not wearing this shirt.


13. This disturbing picture that will be on the internet forever is not of you.
 

14.  Look at this lamb's face.

15.  Give it time.
Matthew Lewis looked like this.

Megan Fox looked like this.

Jake Gyllenhaal looked like this.


And most of all, Zac Efron looked like this.



Feel better yet?