I'll Never Be Indie

I would love to be Indie. Really I would. I'd even settle for faux-indie. However, sitting here in a very boring Micro-econ class, I have come to the realization that my dreams will never come true. Here is why:

Cool Indie Music - Those who know me well, or even just sort of, know that I am musically challenged. I rely on various wonderful sources for my music: daddy, cousins, roommates, significant others... and all of these ensure that I am never ahead of the curve, and also that I never have to know who or what I'm listening to because it is just played for me. This makes it difficult to be all supportive of some unknown band, unless one of the above happens to drag me to a concert. With recent aquisition of car, I also listen to the radio but that just makes me even more mainstream and also, I still have no idea who I'm listening to, as usual I can only hum along.

Cool Indie Clothes - I hate vintage shopping. I would love to love it, but I don't like the smell, or touching old things, or the idea that I am wearing something that has been worn by some stranger's armpits. No thanks. I also don't make my own alterations to generic pieces, nor do I support small boutiques. I am definately more of the Payless kind of girl (which has actually gotten a little ridiculous. This morning in class I triumphantly noted that the girl next to me was also sporting some Payless footwear, then was horrified to realize that I am obviously over frequenting the place...), and nothing gives me more pleasure than a shopping spree at Wet Seal / Forever 21 / (horror of horrors) Elegance at the UV. For those of you that aren't familiar with USC's amazing University Village, Elegance is the only clothing store and is basically like someone inhaling the worst of Hong Kong and sneezing it up in the ghetto of Los Angeles. Anyway, my point is: my style just doesn't cut it.

Cool Indie Job: I don't even know if this is actually indie, but I've always wanted to work at a record store a la Empire Records (but as previously discussed, this is just not in the stars for me) or else, how do the kids at Borders and Hard Rock and almost any cafe always look so cool? Any job I've ever done has always had the resume-building incentive of getting me closer to being swallowed up by the corporations.

Cool Indie Smoking: I don't, but dang it looks cool. I know there was that whole "smoking isn't cool thing", but really, who are you kidding? It's super cool. Not when I do it, because I cough up a black phlegm filled lung with every puff, but everyone else does pretty good with it.

Cool Indie Artsy-ness: I am not talented enough to be artsy. I would love to be a great photographer and take beautiful over-exposed polaroids of my friends and I lying around in our quirky outfits, unforch I am definately more the drunken snaps on my digi cam facebook photo kind of gal. I also can't write songs, or poetry, or publish a zine, or do a comic strip, or make beautiful art. I can barely write screenplays and even those aren't very good.



And here is the worst one, that I definately do not have. It is also the no 1 thing that you need accodring to wikiHow under How to Be Indie:

Cool Indie Mentality: "Recognize that being indie isn't just having the look. Indie is all about embracing individuality, and consciously deviating from elements of mainstream society." Well sheet. There goes my dream. Because I am tragically mainstream - last week I watched Jumper and am desperate to see Definately Maybe. And I like to copy people. And I like mainstream society, especially the TV watching.

So really the only thing I can do is lie on the grass between classes with the Neighbour Boy and doze in the sun. For those few moments I feel terribly chic and trendy, but then I realize that my butt crack is showing and it's back to reality.

PS. I stole these pictures off this girl-I-sort-of-know's facebook, without her knowledge and thus duh, permission. As such I will probably be imprisoned for copyright infringement or something. But she does terribly cool things and is my secret hero.