This Indie Life: The Adventures of Annie Rexic

my life is insane.

2009-10-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

since my last blog post, alot of things have happened. obviously. it was in like, april or something. and im not really going to give a list of all the aforementioned things, as it would take forever and really just bore the crap out of you.

but most importantly, since dropping out of usc, i really feel like im on my way to living the indie dream for the first time ever. yeah, i still live with my parents, yeah i still have to get a day job (but cosmetology guarantees a fun one, and im stoked), and yeah, im still horribly disease ridden.

but on the bright side, ive gotten myself involved in doing shows with the handmade brigade of orange county, and annie rexic is starting to be really financially sustainable, i work at a law firm once every week or so, making things so i can afford to actually leave the house now and again, AND cosmetology school is basically the coolest thing everrrrr.

new new news

2009-05-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

i noticed i havent posted in a very very long time. which is particularly ironic considering my intention was to blog every day for a year. i guess thats just how things go.

anyways, heres some updates on whats going down at the annie rexic camp:

im working on listing some super awesome new scarves hand knit from recycled tshirt material, heres an example:

some were knit with colored shirts and make stripes, and others were knit with white shirts and will be dyed in turmeric.

ALSO!!!

ill be vending at this event in costa mesa next month, you should come:

so, as always, stay tuned in for more updates on all the crazy stuff ill be doing this summer!

this has been simultaneously the shortest and longest week of my life

2009-03-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

its hard to believe that only week ago i was at musink, where i realized that yes, there is a place where no only do i somewhat fit is, but, people are nice to me, AND boys like me, although that might just be the result of my new three-colored hair. so no, i wasnt being a whiny baby about usc and its engineering students, that place in my mind does exist. its the body modification industry.

anyways, i had a really great time. i helped music saves lives hand out free t-shirt cards and got over two pages of email sign-ups. i got a new piercing. i took a whole roll of hopefully really neat pictures of people getting tattooed.

the only thing that sucked was after saturday was over i had to go back to my painful commute, my rusty bicycle, my boring classes, my arbitrary and obligatory projects, and no more boys.

all is not lost.

i have a new job now. i guess its not a real job, and more of a side project, but still, its an enjoyable activity with an attached income. you know how i love income. im crocheting bikini pieces for a designer who lately has been featured all over maxim magazine, which i think is pretty neat, especially the part where i get paid to do something i do all the time for free, that is, make stuff.

oh, by the way, atreyus new music is the just about the worst music ever. they used to be so good. i guess metalcore is dead.

things are definitely getting alot less boring

2009-02-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

its nice.

saturday night i volunteered for music saves lives at the taste of chaos tour, where i was really sad that i didnt bring my camera, cause i got to watch a really great acoustic set by thursday, and was also like ten feet from the bring me the horizon signing. but thats ok.

and this coming weekend im helping out the good folks at msl again, at (you wont believe how stoked i am about this) MUSINK!

if that werent enough excitement for this week, i also have a meeting lined up with someone who is looking for help with production on their new line of crochet accessories, which i hope will go well, as paying gigs are hard to come by in the "i can only do part time no commitment stuff cause i go to college" field.

so yeah, ive got a nice and full next few days. im pretty happy about it.

oh the joys and sorrows of buying new records

2009-02-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

today i went to fye, cause ive been really sad lately and i figured a new record would be a nice, not to expensive way to cheer myself up. which it did, and now i feel like gushing about one of my super favorite bands, alkaline trio.

i was introduced to the not so acidic three by my friend nicky, where all music circa 2003 comes from. i never bought my own copy of good mourning, but stupid kid and weve had enough are longtime favorites. anyways, ive totally been hooked on them since. agony and irony is no exception.

ive only seen them play live once, in october 2005, when they opened for my chemical romance, BUT! at warped 2004, the first and only time ive had access to watch bands from the side of the stage, me, nicky, and our respective parents watched rise against with none other than matt skiba. who apparently touched nickys wheelchair. then we went to in n out. the end.

i dont even know how many posts ive missed.

2009-02-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

but i think its time to christen this 365 blog project a big fat failure.

the thing i find interesting is how my life got so much more eventful right as i stopped posting.

i guess i can only do one thing at a time.

in other news,

annie rexic sasspants not only got blogged about today, but they were in the same post as some RUFFEOHEARTSLILSNOTTY undies. i was stoked, cause rhls make some really rad underpants.

im lazy

2009-01-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

and its a problem.

i hope you can forgive me.

i forgot to post again

2009-01-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

and i apologise, but things are really boring.

the semester is at that awkward beginning phase where i sort of have work to do but nothing due anytime soon so ill just not do anything.

but i suppose today i need to go to the camera store and office depot.

i sure hope that by the end of this semester

2009-01-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

ill be really really good at taking and manipulating photographs. cause taking two photo classes at once is really intense. as much as i super love (and sorta collect) cameras, darkrooms and photoshop scare the crap out of me, but, hopefully 15 weeks from not they wont be so intimidating.

on the less anxiety ridden side, some annie rexic buttons made it onto the lovely objects of affection blog today.

sustainability class is pretty neat

2009-01-13T22:01:00.000-08:00

although it sorta seems like im probably one of the only students that actually practices (or at least tries to) sustainability.

anyways, this class seems to have more potential than even classic rock class.

first day of school

2009-01-12T21:22:00.001-08:00

= longest day EVAR.

on the bright side, my classes are really neat.

why is it?

2009-01-11T22:02:00.001-08:00

that my greatest concern tonight, the eve of the first day of my second semester at the university of suits and conservatives, that my main concern is what i should wear?

seriously.

right now im leaning towards a pink embroidered sort of free-peopley dress with leggings, flats, and my new homemade operation ivy sweater.

but by 7:30 or so tomorrow, who knows.

wheeeee

2009-01-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

i just checked the terribly not to scale map of campus to see where my classes are, and not only are three of them in buildings ive never even heard of, but my geography lab (seriously, geography lab?) is on a corner of the school that last semester i would have sworn didnt exist.

well, heres to adventures.

my new camera needs a name

2009-01-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

something tells me that i should put signifigant thought into it, as i assume we will be spending alot of time together, and he should have a nice name for me to call him.

any suggestions?

thoughts on disneyland

2009-01-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

1. autopia is the lamest ride with the longest line ever. and i really worry about the environmental impact of that ride.

2. apparently pirates of the carribean is frightening and inappropriate for young children. that never occurred to me till yesterday when my sister flipped out on it.

3. i totally forgot that the matterhorn was fun.

4. that new buzz lightyear ride/game is really hard, and somehow my brother totally owned me at it.

5. disneyland is where really cute boys go to make out with their girlfriends.

6. the jungle cruise is still my favorite ride, and i still wish i was one of the boat drivers.

and finally,

the sourballs are still the best part.

disneyland was great

2009-01-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

and ill tell you more in the morning.

my dad was supposed to come over with my new camera today

2009-01-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

but he didnt.

on the bright side, ive learned two new songs on the guitar in as many days AND im going to disneyland tomorrow.

with my old camera.

i guess i forgot to post yesterday

2009-01-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

which doesnt surprise me at all, seeing as i went to church then took a nap then ate dinner then played animal crossing then watched tv then went to bed.

anyways, i think jennys gonna come over and help me re-organize my studio today.

vh1 countdown shows can be surprisingly educational

2009-01-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

today, while watching 100 greatest hard rock songs, i learned that flea from the red hot chili peppers studies music at the same school where i study art.

hopefully one day ill find him around the music department and hell be my only usc friend.

cause nobody else will.

today i was supposed to:

2009-01-03T00:02:00.001-08:00

1. go to the bank and deposit my christmas check from grandma

and

2. go to the post office and mail two small packages.

i took a nap instead.

three six five. two thousand nine.

2009-01-01T16:10:00.001-08:00

happy new year folks.

this year im gonna try and do my version of the flikr 365 project, im gonna do one blog post every day for the 365 days of 2009. im sure each post will vary in intensity, ranging from what i did that day, a list of ten things i thought about, interesting things on the internet, or perhaps a thoughtful anecdote

ill start this project with some about new years resolutions.

i think they suck. i mean, the idea is quite nice, but seriously, unless you have a VERY specific and achievable resolution, you absolutely, without a doubt fail.

which is why im not making one this year, unless you count this new blog project.

i feel the irrepressible urge to rant about how not very cool usc is

2008-11-14T20:49:00.000-08:00

1. on hug a vegetarian day, i made a super cool and totally diy "free vegan hugs" halter from an old plain white shirt and some sharpies, and i got a grand total of zero hugs, unless you count the one from my sister, but she hugs me everyday anyways.

2. on halloween, there was a whopping one other person sorta dressed up.

3. the majority of the student body comes from a conservative enough background that my new bright turquoise hair has upgraded my social status from "someone we all ignore" to "fascinating oddity that we can ask inane questions". seriously, nobody has talked to me all semester, and the first day with turquoise hair, i get invited to eat lunch with a group of kids in my philosophy class.

4. the parking structure is a freaking half mile from the edge of campus, which is a good half mile from the building my print class is in.

despite all these terrible terrible things, im getting far better grades than i ever expected, and theres only three weeks of class left.

oh how times change

2008-10-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

when i was 15, i liked this band called my chemical romance.

ok, that was a lie.

ages 15-17 were spent MADLY IN LOVE with my chemical romance, and i still love them, but in a more sophisticated, not dressing like gerard way kind of way.

but anyways, in those days, even the thought of meeting gerard, of touching gerard, of having a conversation with gerard, were unfathomable.

enter obsession ages almost 18-present, shawn harris, singer/guitarist of the matches.

he looks like this:

as of tonight, ive seen his band play whilst pressed against the stage four times.

ive spoken with him, on two separate occasions.

i baked him cupcakes, which he apparently liked very much.

ive touched various parts of his body while he leaned into the crowd. p.s. he kind of smells.

im not exactly sure what the difference is this time.

im just gonna come out and say it

2008-10-18T12:30:00.001-07:00

i love american apparel.

seriously, no matter how creepy that dov charney guy is, how tasteless and offensive the ads are, how terrible the music in the stores is, and how rude the employees always are, i cant help but love locally made and sometimes organic super soft cotton jersey clothing, that not only mixes and matches with other american apparel, but works REALLY well with vintage and homemade pieces.

so, if spending my birthday giftcard (and then some) on fine jersey leggings, a deep vneck summer shirt, a triblend deep vneck, a pocket miniskirt, and an organic vneck makes me stupid trendy hipster wannabe, i dont really care.

lonely day adventures

2008-09-25T22:37:00.001-07:00

those are my favorite days, when i have several things to do in one neck of the woods, so i do them all in one day. alone. its quite fun and not nearly as depressing as it sounds.

tuesday was the last day i would be able to hit the LACMA to write my paper for my stupid visual culture class, and also the day that frank from post secret would be speaking at usc, where i just so happen to be a student.

so, i combined my having to go to class with a lecture that i really wanted to go to but was six hours after class by sticking a museum visit and dinner smack dab in the middle.

see, after class ended, i went to LACMA, where i *gasp* bought. a. membership. so apparently im now one of those people that is a member of the museum. i tooled around the contemporary art building, picked a piece for my paper, (andy warhols big electric chair, in case youre interested), wrote my outline, and then left, since, now that im a member, i can afford to go back whenever i please.

on the way from school to the museum i noticed that my favorite mexican restaurant was on the way back to the freeway, even though i KNOW that this favorite place of mine is on the way back to the freeway from anywhere in the westside/hollywood/anywhere that involves getting off the 10 and going north, but thats beside the point. this place has excellent bean burritos, better than lbjs, if anyone from the south bay reads this. my favorite thing about being a vegan in los angeles is that you can get whatever you want at any restaurant for just $5, provided that its a bean burrito and soda.

after eating, i headed back to school for the postsecret lecture, which was very nice, except i was too afraid to say my secret in front of the auditorium so i wrote it on the postcard that they gave us at the door and left it in the bathroom.

then i went home.

by the way, tomorrow is international hug a vegetarian day.

can i say im famous now?

2008-09-21T21:17:00.001-07:00

first, id like to take a moment to address the happenings of the glasshouse swapmeet yesterday.

thank you kayte for organizing the handmade district, despite poor sales, it was definitely a blast. thank you, chick that bought a vinyl cuff. thank you, marisa, for driving, and doing most of the work. thank you jeremy, for making the banner so i can feel like a real clothing company. thank you, three chicks that bought the same pack of buttons. thank you glen from spittingimage, for making my new favorite shirt, that im wearing right this second.

and thank you, kidrobot, for giving me something to make fun of. but most of all, thank you guy that works at the glasshouse that has the cool dog, for making me totally want a bulldog.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, CLICK ON THIS LINK:

www.skwigglekreations.com

yeah, i got interviewed. by someone i dont even know! and i was funny, which i totally forgot i could do.

anyways, its a good read, and that corrinne is a very nice lady.

i really hope this gets me some sales, seeing as i came home yesterdays with $16, ten of which was already mine.

best/worst day in a long time

2008-09-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

on the one hand, i got some much needed work done at the rad coffee shop, and made the first good art ive made in MONTHS.

on the other hand, i fell off my skateboard. twice, cause im the kind of idiot that gets back on the board they just fell off.

i cant wait for the swapmeet, or as marley called it, the meet-n-sweep.

i should probably say something about this new school ive been going to

2008-08-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

except its probably in poor taste to keep talking about how much i dont like it, especially since as time goes on it will probably get less and less bad until im apathetic about the whole matter and maybe have a friend, and then i will graduate.

anyways, i made a hat last night, of my own design, and i think its rad.

i might make a few more for the etsy, and you can already custom order them on the myspace.

but self promotion aside, i have a new hat, and it makes me things feel a little less sucky.

oh warped tour,

2008-08-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

i love you so much. you are my favorite day of the year, no question about it. i enjoy you more than my birthday and christmas combined. and this year, i got THREE of you!!!

but rather than giving the typical detailed play by play analysis of the warped tour that readers of my old blog have become accustomed to, ive decided to just lay out the highlights of this years triple dose of warped, and some of them have *gasp* PICTURES!!!!

so, lets get this party started, eh?

(note to self: stop being such a tard)

1. seeing motion city soundtrack for the sixth and seventh times, making them win by three in the bands that ive seen the most times contest.

2. seeing the academy is... for the first and second (but missing the potential third) times, crossing them off the list of bands i really like but havent seen yet.

3. seeing the higher for the third time, adding them to my collections of bands that i dont really like but keep ending up seeing. see also, as i lay dying.

4. getting my super awesome custom bike basket liner from kayte of lucky finds designs

5. meeting jefree star. shut up, i find him fascinating, in that cant look away train wreck kind of way.

6. working for music saves lives in chula vista and meeting a ton of awesome folks, drinking free monster water, and also saving lives.

7. getting into the carson date free cause i kept my vendor wristband on

8. kind of getting into cobra starship, even if it makes me sound like a total idiot.

9. hanging out in the msl backstage area with all its free beverages and swag, where :

10. i met fred, from the color fred, but more importantly from taking back sunday, who has GOT to be the happiest guy on the planet.

and also,

11. WILLIAM FREAKING BECKETT. probably the most beautiful human being that i will ever have in my arms for the rest of my life. and im not kidding.

12. realizing that im not a crap photographer, and ending up with way too many good shots of TAI and MCS to post here.

13. getting the inside scoop on getting a tent for annie next year.

and lastly,

14. crowd surfing for the first time ever. to the future freaks me out.

i have more anecdotes, some that ill tell occasionally throughout my life, and others that ill forget until years from now, but i think ill end things here.

block printing. its not easily miniaturized!

2008-08-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

or kitchen-tabelized!

who knew!?!?

but in an effort to do as many productive and creative things before school starts, i decided to utilize the adorable 2 x 3 inch lino blocks i bought at the blick in pasedena. and boy did i miss school.

see, i dont have any bench hooks of printing frames, so i had to both carve and print without any kind of support. which wasnt that bad, just alot more difficult, and i had to be alot more careful not to cut my hand open. i also had to clean up my mess cause i couldnt just leave it for that one guy to clean up and then yell at me the next day, but that was also fine due to the large sheets of newsprint i took out of the trash in life drawing last semester.

but other than that, it was great. being a printmaker without a studio often sucks, but lino aceos are totally doable. in the end, i was left with a very small mess and some very small burtonesque stylized faux bois prints

see:

i got the best email ever today

2008-08-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

cause it pretty much stated that i have to spend the entire day at the chula vista stop of the vans warped tour with this:

i love life.

just a heads-up

2008-08-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

for the first time in a while ill be participating in a swap-meet, and i figured that all my faithful readers, if there are any, would like to know about it.

why i love being indie, part two

2008-07-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

yesterday i spent almost the entire day "at work", which sounds kind of like it sucks. i mean, i doubt there are that many people who, when hearing they get an extra long day of work, say, "yay! i love working extra!". im sure the vast majority of the working class dread, and probably go out of their way to avoid, excruciatingly long, difficult days. of course, most people dont have this for an office:

yeah, i spent all of yesterday printing shirts. i think i made like 20, and maybe 10 or so patches. it was a long (by my standards) day, working on and off from about 10 or 11 am till 8 or 9 pm. printing by hand, on the floor, which leads to very sore shoulders. but it was totally worth it. cause even after cleaning up the massive mess of newsprint and tshirts, and having to wash the screen four times cause all the shirts were different colors, therefore requiring different colors of ink, i still had an enjoyable day.

oh noes! ive been tagged!

2008-07-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

just when i thought nobody ever reads my blog, i get i nice little comment from littlelotusdesigns

saying ive been tagged, and now have to participate in this communal blogging activity. hey, it should be fun, right?

so here are the rules ive gotten, from the littlelotus blog:

"The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person know when you've posted your answers"

1. Favorite ethnic food

i dont know if i can pick.... probably sushi? or maybe panini? ramen?

2. something you've always wanted to try

ive at least tried almost everything ive ever wanted to try. but ill say absinthe. which apparently is quite popular.

3. Favorite color

mostly purple but right now im really into teal.

4. Something you collect

vintage cameras, vintage candelabras, and plastic dinosaurs.

5. something you do to relax

go into a room with no other people in it (this can be quite difficult in my house) and take a nap.

6. something you never leave home without

underwear.

7. bloggers i am going to tag:

and now, i leave you to go do the sorts of unimportant things i do between dinner and bedtime.

adieu.

this is probably why i dont have a boyfriend

2008-07-20T19:26:00.001-07:00

friday night jenny and i went to a local show. nothing fancy, just our friends the king is dead playing in hermosa. and during their set, they decided to take a break from playing for a round of musical chairs.

yes. musical chairs. played by the five or six most hardcore guys at the show, and me, 125 pounds of peroxide blonde, no makeup, fluffy miniskirt, pointy flats, flagrant disregard of social expectations, and wicked musical chair skills, who isnt afraid to not only be the only girl in any given situation, but to kick the asses of guys not only larger, but with more street cred, than me.

in the end, i got second place, losing to the guy that guy that i hate because he almost breaks my foot or some other body part at every show i go to.

maybe, if i knew my place, i wouldnt be so lonely. but i definitely wouldnt have nearly as much fun.

im in a nostalgic mood today...

2008-07-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

one year ago today, i went to by far the best concert of my life.

i still have the ticket stub for motion city soundtrack (with special guests sherwood) at chain reaction on july eighth, 2007. its on my corkboard of memories held in place by the "stuff i did with that one guy" pushpin.

that was a night ill never forget. despite the fact that i felt like crap, and i was with a boy that i barely knew, who didnt yet know that i was madly in love with him, who is still one of my favorite people despite the fact that there was no chance of us at all, i had an amazing night.

i fought my way through the crowd to the second or third row of the smallest, hottest club in southern california, to spend three hours vacuum sealed in a sweaty sardine tin of rock and roll. i couldnt feel anything below my pelvis, i could barely breathe, and within minutes i was so dehydrated that drinking from the water bottle that was making its way through the crowd seemed like a good enough idea to act upon.

i didnt care about the opening acts, though they werent terrible, ive gone on to see two of the three of them again. i didnt ditch work to buy tickets for the sure to sell out show for them. i was there for motion city soundtrack, a band who have yet to stop inspiring me to do whatever it is im doing at any given moment, a band who always has the words to say how i feel even when i dont, a band who i firmly believe saved my life, a band i finally go to thank that night.

yes, after the show i took the opportunity to say hi, and tell justin pierre what his music means to me. i almost cried, and my eyes mist up and my heart races when i think about that conversation, where he participated by giving me a hug, signing my shirt, and teaching me (and the boy) to sign "im drunk", which i still use as often as possible.

the ride home was almost silent, i had never, and still havent, felt so terrible physically, yet so amazing emotionally.

i saw motion city soundtrack again last month, and im seeing them twice next month on warped.

its kinda like an extra sexy PIF

2008-07-07T15:38:00.001-07:00

like most days when im not in school, i went to 7-11 with just a little bit more than exact change for a large soda. so im at the register, counting out dimes, and this really hot hipster boy comes up to cash in some lottery tickets, apparently for the second or third time that day.

now, im REALLY bad at math, especially counting while other people are saying numbers of things im not counting, and both hot guy and the cashier KEEP SAYING NUMBERS.

so i keep having to start over, and its starting to look like im struggling to fine enough money, which couldnt be farther from the truth, as i had about fifteen cents more than i needed. so the hot guy hands me a dollar.

i smile and say "thanks, you totally just made my day", and he says "well, im having a really good day today"

and then i got in my minivan.

life makes me laugh something.

wow, i really miss making money while not working

2008-06-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

i know what youre thinking, "how on earth does anyone make money while not working?", but its true, i used to make money while not doing a single thing. thats not to say that i didnt work for that money, see, i used to have my clothing in a local brick and mortar boutique. this was a consignment arrangement, so i would make clothes, jewelry, accessories, or whatever, bring it into the shop, and in anywhere from a few days to a few months, id have money, there in the store, waiting for me to pick it up. all i had to do was make the merch (which, i will admit, was often quite difficult and/or laborious), there was no selling. now, i still have etsy as an outlet, and dont get me wrong, i love etsy, but photographing, measuring, describing, listing, and promoting each individual item? thats alot of work that i cant always do. not to mention, (well, in my opinion) everything looks better in real life. and so, im left with quite an extensive inventory worth hundreds, maybe even thousands, and unless i work my ass off to get it sold, its not going anywhere.

so, if you know of any friendly indie boutiques that like to do wholesale of consignment with local artists, and theyre located in the greater los angeles/orange county area, could you please let me know? id appreciate it.

from now on, im just gonna go to shows alone

2008-06-13T15:03:00.001-07:00

really, after a very traumatic afternoon where ALL of my friends flaked on me, i realized, im better off on my own anyways.

ok, let me back up, im getting ahead of myself again. i have a tendency to do that. im sorry. last night my current favorite band in the middle bracket of my hierarchy of bands, the matches, played a show at the knitting factory in hollywood, which, is not too far from where i live, and tickets were dirt cheap. so i call up the three friends i went with to see the same band at a different club in february, jane didnt know, but she never knows what shes doing in advance, and thing one and thing two said they were in, for sure. so i bought three tickets.

then, yesterday, hours before the show, thing one calls me to tell me shes sick, i say, no worries, but i still need the ticket money, she says fine. i cant get ahold of jane. then thing two calls and says if janes not going than her parents wont let her go, because three teenage girls in hollywood is fine, but two is dangerous, or something like that. and guess what! i finally get ahold of jane and she CANT GO! (im not upset with any of them, really)

i panicked. i have HUGE social anxiety issues. the thought of going to something somewhat social ALONE paralyzes me. i cry for a bit and my mom helps me out the door, cause we both know ill be fine once the music starts, cause then its just me and the band and the weight of the crowd, my friends dont exist in that world.

so i leave, and after stopping at my dads house in glendale to feed his cats, and then circling the same two blocks of hollywood boulevard looking for the club, i make it in time to only miss a couple songs of the first band. the band was called the vouge in movement, and, well, i didnt get much out of them. it was all a bit cliche, in this five piece band, three members are rocking the urban outfitters sheer jersey t-shirt with black vest and skinny jeans. they didnt impress me musically either, i mean, they actually had a song called "fire on the dance floor", and yes, that was the hook.

the second band however, scissors for lefty, really impressed me. like, i bought a shirt impressed me. not only did they have a great poppy indie rock sound, but they also had really great style and stage presence. and their bass player, oh the bass player. he made me melt, i dont know if it was his pink gaping v-neck shirt exposing his hot chest hair (ya know, like an american apparel model), that it was tucked into the tightest black jeans held up by a rad thrift store belt, that said jeans were tucked into vintage moccasins, or that he (nor the rest of the band really) absolutely COULD NOT dance, but did so anyways. i made it a point to say hi at the merch table, and he was nice too. though he shook my hand like three times, THAT was a bit odd.

anyways, i was there to see the matches. now, i forgot to mention that between clichebob urbanoutfitterpants, and scissors for lefty, i saw shawn harris standing in a corner, and actually, after a few minutes of standing awkwardly, said hi, and talked to him a bit. which was a huge deal for me, being so ridiculously shy, but he seems to be a special case, im alot less afraid of him than most other guys of his attractiveness level. back to the program, the matches played a typical REALLY good set. of course, they didnt play any of my favorite old tracks, but bands never do cause i always like the most obscure tracks possible, so ive gotten used to it. the only thing that irked me a bit was that the bassist was NOT being a team player in the wardrobe department, i mean, suck it up and wear the tight red pants, you look like a jerk for wearing regular jeans. but other than that, GREAT set, GREAT energy, GREAT crowd participation, and GREAT stage presence and end of set stage dives, which were awesome cause i got a handful of shawn ass.

so, long story short, i had a great time. and it didnt matter that i was alone. i couldnt wait around after to talk to matt whalen (the drummer), cause i was tired and waiting outside a club alone looks really creepy, but honestly, i didnt miss friends.

also, the knitting factory is quite possibly my new favorite venue, and from this day forward i will always pick it over chain reaction. now, this is probably mostly based on my intense dislike of anaheim and high schoolers, and while chain is always packed to the brim with irritating 15 year olds, the knitting factory was pretty chill, and had an older crowd that i felt much more comfortable in. but also, the security was MUCH nicer, i mean, as i was leaving, i was drinking a cup of ice water, and the told me i had to finish it or throw it away before i went outside, so, i stood in the doorway finishing it (i was hella dehydrated), and as i was standing there, one of the security guys hands me a bottle of water. a COLD bottle of water. seriously, this guy deserves a medal for being nice.

then i went home, which was quite uneventful, and i woke up at like 10, and now, at 4, im still in my jammies. the end.

yes, i do realize i havent blogged since march

2008-06-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

and i have absolutely no excuse. im lazy. there. i said it. adventures HAVE been a tad slow this semester, but they were certainly in existence. i just felt the need to address this issue before it became a problem.

my splendid little adventure at fye this morning

2008-03-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

thats the nice way of titling this post. it was really anything but splendid. fye irks me to no end for reasons that very few people i know understand. i mean, tower records wasnt perfect, BUT at its core, it was a record store. fye, not so much. honestly, i avoid going. in fact, i dont, except on special tuesdays when a record that i absolutely NEED is being released. today was one such day. the last one was in mid-september, if you need any further evidence as to how much i hate what record buying has become.

yes, today was the day that the new matches record, a band in hope (which i recommend you go buy RIGHT NOW) was released. so i had to go to fye. i just had to. after the show at chain on february fourth, i was sold. after their feature in alternative press, i was DYING to get my hands on it. and so, i resigned to a morning at fye.

so i get there, go inside, look for the general music section, where im assuming a punk rock record released on epitaph records would be located. it takes a while, cause since that fye has been not a tower records, ive been there maybe three times, actually, i think exactly three times, before. once i find where the rock and roll records belong, i look for the letter M. i see motion city soundtrack, so im in the right aisle, then, find marylyn manson, meaning im close, at least alphabetically, and then i reach the other match themed bands, and alas, no matches. i look again, and theyre not there, not even the little plastic place holder to let me know that they normally carry that artist.

i ask for help, and the kid who looks barely my age checks the computer, and goes, "yeah, we have like 20 of them". really now? and where are they hiding them? in the HEAVY METAL section. yes, the matches are heavy metal, didnt we all know that? yes, all this time i have been totally skewed in my categorizations of music. you know who else i saw in the heavy metal section? THE RAMONES. yes, the ramones who embodied the very essence of not heavy metal. however, marylyn manson, hes in regular music.

fye is run and staffed by idiots. and their cataloging system was developed by proverbial monkeys at typewriters.

wow. i just listed my first art on etsy.

2008-02-03T17:32:00.000-08:00

this is a really big step for me, in a way, its harder to put my art out there with my clothing, but, i dove in headfirst anyways!

the blue ones in my etsy shop and the pink ones about to follow, take a look over at annierexic.etsy.com, where this month only all proceeds go directly to buying annie a button press.

finally, something good.

2008-02-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

so, yesterday was the postmark deadline for my usc application, but, because i am awesome (and it was really starting to piss me off) i mailed it on thursday, and marisa jane and i went on a celebration adventure. we had also already planned an adventure for today (oh, the irony), so i got me a two adventure weekend. a two very different adventure weekend.

thursdays adventure was a typical annie and jane adventure of spontaneity, see, she wanted to go to bff and pick up money and have lunch at lbjs, and i wanted to go thrifting in hollywood. so we did both, with a leaving a creepy note on a certain boy's window (um, long story, its on the maybe ill tell you later list) in between. this adventure was extra cool cause we found a new shop on la brea that was really rad, and like usual, i spent all my money on lunch, a top, the worst latte ive ever had, a sweet mens button-up and an apron, and like usual, jane spent two dollars on lunch. but the most important thing was that at jet rag, we found the cutest boys ever. the cutest "were 99% sure theyre not gay" boys that could possibly exist in hollywood. and then we went home.

today, however, happened on bikes. all around 20 miles of it, and im tired. the way this one worked was that i had a sleepover at my house with jane and jenny, and then we rode from my house, to that one boys house (he wasnt there again), to mickeys deli for lunch, then to janes house cause she had to get home, and finally back to my house, where jenny got picked up and then i took a very very long nap. then i at dinner, did a little (about as much as i could given the liquididy of my legs) annie work, and now im eating a very large piece of cake.

thats the end of the adventures, but, since youre here anyways, i just thought id share this months promotion over at annierexic.etsy.com: 100% of all proceeds will go directly into the "annie really needs a button press" fund. so please, shop for a good cause.

why i love being indie part 1

2008-01-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

note:

this may or may not become a recurring topic. lets see how this goes.

so, today i was reminded of exactly why i do what i do. and no, its not because people constantly bow down to my awesomeness, although that is a plus.

its because i have absolutely no control over my income, which, when coupled with my irresponsible tendencies in the financial department, leads to an extreme case of feast or famine syndrome.

sometimes, like this summer when, seriously, i was depending on a not very lucrative custom silkscreening gig to barely keep gas in my car, and mcdonalds diet coke (anyone else remember the 75 cent giant sodas?) in my bloodstream, and using my bff money to fund a local show habit (i dont think the king is dead know how many times ive given them my last $10). it was really fun, and i was really happy, but i couldnt afford ANYTHING, and racked up something like $300 in debt. to my mom. cause cell phones only break when your scraping up quarters for coke.

but on the other hand, right now, i have more money than i know what to do with. of course, i really *shouldnt* buy any expensive things, cause i have to pay my car registration and buy school supplies next month, but still, i thought i was doing pretty good with that extra day at work last week, but that was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. cause i have more money at bff than ive ever had before, and if that wasnt rad enough, i just got a pretty big order via myspace!

yeah, im pretty much loaded, and if i knew what was good for me, id wait things out and with the next big wave of money and buy me that button press ive been coveting. hmmm.... lets see.

well, this has been an interesting weekend

2008-01-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

its funny how things always happen to me like that. for starters, my aunt (the cooler one, im sure youll hear about the other one later), calls me friday, asking me if i want to chaperone the "little girls", which is what i call my oldest sister and cousin, partly cause neither of them is very little, to a show. in riverside. im not sure why, but i said yes, even though it meant going all the way to riverside with my cousin, sister, and cousins uncle to see the other uncle's band play at this surprisingly cool club. i guess i went cause i just cant pass up supporting (at least somewhat) local music on somebody elses money. we saw two bands that night, the first one totally sucked and the singer was pretty much my dad (it was sooooo creepily funny), and the other was the intended band (called i am in your radio if youre interested) they were ok. but for the most part, i was really bored, and ended up dancing. alot. im still sore. its weird.

anyways, yesterday i had a big "portfolio meeting" with one of my dads artist friends (his name is chris davis). it was really difficult, looking at all of my artwork and pick out my favorites, and then put them in order, and then photographing them, all while keeping in mind that this portfolio is supposed to represent me as an artist to not only usc (where im applying to transfer, again, youll hear about it later), but also to any galleries i deal with in the near future. yeah, i not only had to go through the emotionally draining process of explaining about 30 different pieces of artwork, but chris also decides to really like my work, and tell me that i should start making as much art as possible, AND start showing and selling. great. now im annie rexic, college student, secretary, clothing company owner, picnic enthusiast, habitual thrift shopper, occasional merch girl, and professional artist. can i lock myself in my room with some iced tea and just sew in my little imaginary world now? thanks.

so, i guess the moral of today's story is that 1. my life is really really strange, 2. i am quite a bit further towards being a legit indie designer than i thought, and 3. i can not take very much emotional stress.

tune in next week for when annie starts extra freaking out about transferring!

alright, here goes....

2008-01-10T16:21:00.001-08:00

hi, my name is annie rexic, pleased to meet you. i shake you warmly by the hand. i am not going to share my life story with you now because that would be quite redundant as i will have to reiterate any points of importance as they apply to my anecdotes.

i will be your tour guide through this fantastic fascinating indie life of mine. ok maybe not. but i am here to share with you the ups and downs of my adventures in the pursuit of the indie dream. that is, to make a living (not much, just enough to live independently and support at least a little bit of my typical frivolity) off of my craft and assorted side gigs, without much of a legit job, the ultimate goal being opening up an indie boutique/art gallery with my best friend (marisa jane), to help out the other kids like us get started.

this will take time though, lots and lots of time, and hard work, proper time management, and patience, and all kinds of noble qualities that i apparently lack. for instance, today i woke up at 1:00 pm, got out of bed at 1:30, ate some sushi (that my mom made for lunch while i was sleeping), took a shower, and now i am sitting in my bed blogging with an empty glass of iced tea and a half-crochet hat calling for my attention. this is a typical day. i will probably eventually get up, change my shirt (i dont like the one im wearing very much) and get to doing some kind of crafty work (probably finishing that hat, and maybe ill start something involving the 5 or 6 trader joe's bags of vintage ive been meaning to attend to) in the hours before and after dinner, before roaming myspace, facebook, icanhascheezburger.com, and the etsy forums doing nothing productive and then going to bed.

i presume the first step in achieving any sort of goals would be to spend my days in a more productive manner, at the very least not sleeping for half of them. and so, i am now setting my alarm clock for 7:00 am, and leaving the computer to re-fill my iced tea, finish this hat, and finish whatever the hell it was i started on tuesday.

thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the next episode, when annie rexic probably actually has something cool to say!