That is until I realized that there were way more people around me that put the amount of time I played games to shame.
I got my first game system when I was about 4-5, it was a cousin’s atari 2600. I still remember how much I played that thing when I was that age, though all I remember…
Tameshigiri is the art of practicing slicing drills with your katana. My sword form is bad, and completely non-traditional. Iaintevenmad.jpg
I go to university, I respect women and the law, I read novels and comics, I love movies and video games, I don't wear a baseball cap( though I very much enjoy baseball), but I wear some American eagle and holster clothing. What does that make me?
What do you get when you combine an Elephant and a Rhino? ….. A “hell-if-I-know!” Ba-ba-ba-ba-da-da-yeah!
In their debut album release, The Mars Volta, which consists of Omar Rodriguez and Cedric Bixler, formerly of the incredible post-hardcore band At the Drive In, are trying something new here. It’s really not like ATDI’s previous releases, actually it’s nothing like ATDI’s previous releases….
The Difference Between Style and Stupidity
I’ve always like hats as a fashion statement, as far back as I can remember. A wide variety of icons from my youth, both animated and live action, wore a myriad of stylish hats that came to be identified with them, and made bold striking statements about their possible character traits.
Once I got out of high school and I didn’t have to worry about having my freedom and safety taken away from me for being different, I started to explore the options of hats that I always wanted to wear. I tried on more than a dozen styles of hats with mixed results and reactions. I can honestly say that I’ve worn a military beret, a gambler style cowboy hat, a top hat, a fez, a bowler, a fedora, and multiple colors of trilbies, all in public. And before we go any further, I find it necessary to point out to those who aren’t savvy in the fashion lingo that most of the time when you call something a fedora, you actually are looking at a trilby. A trilby is a fedora with a shorter rim that is bent up in the back. It might also have a smaller bucket (place where your hair goes.)
Most of the time when I wear interesting things, in an attempt to express myself, I get interesting reactions and comments. Back when I used to wear 20 eyed doc-martens that came up to me knees, I was out at a Wal-Mart wearing my camoflage BDU’s with suspenders and my belt buckle with the surfer’s cross on it. Some neo-nazi asked me if I listened to “Tiger Army.” Sounded like some white-power metal band so I retorted,
“No, I actually listen to Panther Navy.” He didn’t find it funny. At another Wal-Mart wearing a very similar outfit the elderly greeter made a comment as I was leaving. He asked,
“Are you a descendant of Orville Wright?” It was a funny thing to hear, actually and it made me smile. That was back when I had long trimmed sideburns, however.
It seems to me that there is leeway in our society to wear strange shoes, or shirts, but an exotic hat invites a whole other level of judgement from those in the general public. That is unless you’re an attractive young woman, in which case, you can do no wrong, and practically everything is handed to you.
Whenever I’ve ventured to wear interesting hats in public I’ve usually gotten extremely over-reactions from people walking by. They stare like racists seeing a black-man use a white man’s water fountain. I find the best way to deal with them is to stare right back until they feel uncomfortable.
I’ve had some people suggest that these reactions are what I’m trying to illicit in people, and that’s why I try to dress as an individual, but that’s pure nonsense. I dress differently from what is the fashion of the times because the fashion of the times is shit. It’s seriously offensive to the eye, and to the soul.
I recognize that I’m basically taking a leap of faith on my point, and suggesting that I couldn’t possibly be wrong or this just be a matter of my opinion. I honestly don’t care, and you’re free to disagree with me, however, I never could undestand why people consider it so strange to wear a fedora or a cowboy hat, which are styles that have been around for a hundred years or so, but it’s considered socially acceptable to wear a “faggy ballcap.” Especially the way that the usual wigger or douchebag does. Sideways, on an angle, or “popped up” on their shaven heads. I’ve even heard the phrase,
“This derp, his hat was sitting on his head — not worn — SITTING!!”
The current style of head wear that is being sported by the youth of America (among other things about their fashion) is possibly the most offensive and blatantly stupid fashion expression to date. Whenever I see one wearing a hat like that, I get the feeling that they’re trying to prove how much of a thug they want to be, and how they despise the idea of having a job and being a productive member of society. How much they want to reject intelligence and civil behavior.
One time to illustrate a point, I was passing a derp-wigger in the mall, and taking notice of just HOW off axis he wore his hat, I couldn’t help but parody the ridiculousness of the situation by taking my sunglasses and hanging them crookedly from one ear to the other, covering neither eyes. I stared right at him, and watched as he took genuine offense, like he knew exactly what I was trying to say.
What further amazes me is that regardless of how insane modern styles of the youth are allowed to get, there is a big resistance among the average American to wearing a trilby in public, though it is probably one of the more tame styles of alternative hats that can be readily purchased in America. You’ll find less people care in the city or in areas of greater education and refinement, however, there is still a meme out there that people like to quote to me that truly makes me shake my head.
This is a huge mind-fuck for me. So few people actually have the courage to be interesting and make the world more colorful should be shamed for wearing a legitimate style of hat that has been around since the 1930’s. All because it’s not the 1930’s any longer. This, to me, is like saying that a classic car is only beautiful if its driving down an Alley in St. Luis in the year of 1943.
Again, I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I’m being a “contrarian” and that I can only be happy if I’m in the minority, but this too is false. I actually just am fascinated by original styles, and every time I see a black cowboy with a nice suit, or a pretty woman in a bright red burka, I am interested and excited. I’ve often actually had awkward moments where I ran up and asked to get a picture with my phone of some of the interesting people I cross on my path. I wish there were more people out there who weren’t swayed by the style of the time, which panders to de-evolving sub-humans who are completely controlled and subservient to the politics of fictional high school characters on TV.
For future reference, this is how I look in a felt, Canadian, hand stitched trilby:
And this is how I THINK I look in a trilby
im looking to buy an airsoft gun that won't break really easy, what brand would you recommend?
Not sure. There seems to be some trouble getting your hands on quality one’s these days. Problem with Chinese manufacturers I’ve heard, but I don’t know.
What 'Brand' of knives should I go too if I'm looking for a balance between wicked and useful. (i.e. you "fatman" look useful and cool/funny) Where should I go/Where do you go for your airsoft guns?
Cold Steel
I noticed a pretty nice looking Bali-song in your collection. Is it one of the classic ones from the Philippines, 80's style, or is it a cool little C3?
No, unfortunately it isn’t a classic 80’s style, it’s a C3. In the 80’s before they were outlawed in most states, butterfly knives were coming in from countries like Japan, the Phillipines, and even Pakistan with really good build quality. Alas, this is no more. Gun shows are filled with crappy stainless steel knives that are probably more threatening to the user than they would be anyone else, unless the knife flies apart and hits somebody standing too close to him while he’s flipping. That’s happened multiple times to a dull trainer balisong that I have. So… that should be a lesson to you.
A photo of the top of a bookcase that hasn’t changed it’s position since I was born. The sampan hat was a birthday present to my mother, and I think it looks interesting next to the antique oil lamp and the rack of wine bottles. There’s a pinot noir on the top that me and Zach are saving for a later day. The year is 2009.
