How Not to Get into College.

Step 1: Use a really shitty wifi router.

I'm having an extremely hard time filling out all of my applications, what with my lack of reliable internet. There are so many various, seedy networks in my neighborhood that no matter what I do, I can't stay on my own. It doesn't help that the new router is a piece of shit, but whatever. C'est la vie.

The more I think about it, the more I want to just give up on Berkeley and move to Brooklyn. The Bay Area feels like home to me, but I'm starting to think that in order to really be happy and be my own person without having to deal with anyone else's influence, Oakland may not be far enough from San Francisco or even Madera. Maybe I need to just get the hell out of California altogether, despite the fact that it's been my home all my life. Of course, I'd move back after college, but I think it might be good to get away for a few years. Even if I don't get into Pratt, there are plenty of other schools. Then again, there's the question of whether I'm making this decision based on actually wanting to live over there or just on a desire to get away from people and things that are bringing me down (and believe me, there are plenty of them). Either way, I suppose it's a valid concern.

Reasons to move to New York:

• Pratt Institute
• Blake Schwarzenbach and his various musical endeavors
• New people
• Tons of things to do
• No need to drive
• Closer to England
• No need to deal with Maderans
• More vegan options
• More record enthusiasts
• Different weather

I'm sure I could think of more if I really tried, but I think that's a pretty decent amount. I suppose we'll see what happens. God only knows where I'll be this time next year heh.

Before I go, I'd like to wish Morrissey a speedy, successful recovery. My thoughts are with you, dear Sir.

SXR

Elliott Smith and the Pains of Being Young.

Today marks the sixth anniversary of the death of (absolutely amazing) singer/songwriter, Elliott Smith. If you're unfamiliar with his music, familiarize yourself now; while he didn't have the best singing voice, Elliott certainly did have a voice in that he could write a song, sing it like a guy who'd never learned a thing about singing in his life, and still make an impact.

In other news, applying to colleges is a pain in the ass, being criticized for doing things differently is a major confidence-breaker, and hating your body is perfectly normal as a teenager, but annoying nonetheless.

SXR

Fashion: Rants and Raves for October

Ah, fashion. Some people love it, some people hate it, but those who hate it generally just hate what the mainstream would call "fashion" but enjoy it in their own sense of the word and mock those who have different taste. No matter which way you look at it, I think it's easy to say that fashion plays a very important role in society. Of course, this is all thanks to advertising, the media, tradition, et cetera, but try as we might, we can't escape these things; we can avoid them all we want, but we will always inadvertantly revert back to them one way or another; that's just how we, as humans, are.

So, we've established that fashion is rather important, and we're all aware that it's constantly changing (sometimes for the better, sometimes... well, some things are best left on the runway or the rack), so I've decided to discuss this season's trends and spotlight a few things I'm interested in at the moment, fashion-wise.

Without listing the season's trends, I'll simply make a general statement about them: the look for this season is (to put it broadly) a variation on the goth look. Which goth look exactly? Perhaps all of them? If not, there's certainly a wide range of subcultures being represented. For example:

• Deathrock: black leather, boots, ripped stockings, sheer clothing (mostly tops), and ripped pants.
• Victorian: It's more of a Regency style (close enough, right?), but the "Female Dandy" look is in; jackets, trousers, dress shirts, high collars, et cetera. Think Oscar Wilde meets Ben Sherman meets Chanel.
• Other goth trends: military jackets, capelets and cloaks, batwing sleeves, dark makeup, oversized sweaters, et cetera.

Who's responsible for all of this? I don't claim to be a fashion expert, but it does intrigue me, especially the darker, more avant garde side of fashion, so I have been keeping up with this season's trends a bit more lately. Several brands and designers are putting these trends on the runways and on the shelves, including:

• MAC- MAC recently released a collection called "Style Black," which includes nail polishes, lipsticks, lip glosses, et cetera all in black or black with different colors (fuschia, blue, and silver). I have the black glimmerglass (or whatever they like to call it), and although it isn't totally opaque, it's nice; it gives a nice shine and a subtle grey tint.
• Gareth Pugh- Enough said. Everything he does every season is amazing, and it almost always revolves around leather, jackets, flowing coats, military style, et cetera.
• Balmain- Brought to the mainstream by Rhianna, Balmain often uses leather and lots of interesting angles (although not as epic as the ones Pugh uses). Balmain often uses military-style jackets, which can be used when going for the Female Dandy look, as well.

Forgive me if I seem slightly scattered heh. I've had too much on my mind to write a fully-coherent blog about something I could cover in-depth.

SXR