The Clothes I Wear

I'm not what you would call fashion forward. I find something I like and stick with it. The seasons change but I stay the same. The outside world doesn't really have an effect on me as far as clothing goes. I tend to wear black shirts and more blue now for obvious reasons. People may call this boring, then again they are not me. I have even re-dyed clothing so it will last longer. I never wear shorts unless I am around the house or going to the beach. One reason for this is my constant fear of poison ivy carrying dogs and my own cat. Another, and more original reason, is that when I first started making jewelry I was pouring a lot of my own silver and was afraid of it spilling over and landing on my leg. I do wear a leather apron to prevent this, but I have become comfortable in pants, and comfort it king. I wear pants all year, even on 100F days. People think I'm crazy for doing this but I never complain.

The clothes I wear are also usually no design or bright color free. I like to fly under the radar and muted clothing keeps it that way. I wouldn't say I rival Amish people, though, but I'm not big on distracting colors or patterns. Back in high school I went on a dress pants wearing spree, which was sort of odd, but explainable.

I used to wear the most, well, low rent clothing to school. I wore summer baseball tea shirts and shorts you would wear to the beach. I still recall Chris Vining calling me out about it in front of the school library entrance. He said something to the effect of "You really have to start wearing better clothes". I took that to heart, but a little too far. I went out and bought dress pants, and nothing but dress pants. I wore them everyday, for five years. My friends in college asked me why I didn't wear jeans. I didn't really have an answer, so at the end of the year team party I showed up wearing jeans, and boy did they notice! Simple changes are always the most remarkable I guess. Clothes to me are just a pain in the ass, and a waste of money.

I don't like clothes shopping, it is so annoying and time consuming. It's a funny fact that my mom doesn't like it either, and here I was thinking all women were pre-programmed to love that kind of stuff. I generally know what I want before I go, I get what I need and get the heck out of there, back to my own life. I only like food shopping, specifically at whole foods. In college one of my roommates at the apartment Heather, the one who's platinum wedding band I made, had so much money in her closet it was ridiculous. She had 23 pairs of just blue jeans and probably over $10,000 worth of clothes in there. Maintenance actually had to come and screw the fixture back in the wall, twice, because she exceeded the 68 pound limit of the shelf and it broke. That amount of clothing just seems pointless to me, then again I'm not a woman who NEEDS an outfit for every occasion. I did go shopping with Heather and Danielle, my other roommate, and I hated it. They spent so much money it was unfathomable. They bought things just because they were on sale that they clearly could have done without. It does, however, keep the economy going.

 Here's to hoping all the girls I know want jewelry, and lots of it. Unlike the clothes they wear it will last forever and can be remade into whatever or sold quickly if they need it; although clothing was never really good at doing that.

Questions or comments?

Back From Vacation, New Posts to Follow

I was in Maine for a week, now back to blogging. New posts will be up with a couple days.

Coffee, Alcohol & Cigarettes: WHY?

Two things I have never done or will ever do: Cups of coffee or smoke a cigarette. Alcohol is in a category all its own and I'll get to that later. But with these two I have the right to ask why just as you have the right to partake. My only coffee experience was sitting at a restaurant with my mother when I was a child. She would pour a splash of coffee into one of the plastic containers of cream and I would drink it, mainly for the cream because it was so delicious. After I grew out of that phase, that was it. Growing up I never had the need for coffee. I can get up at any hour and function without the aid of caffeine, as many people cannot, and I have to many examples to list on both sides.
So why do people start drinking coffee? Is it because they imitate what they see from their parents, the media and friends? I guess it can be like beer where you don't like the taste at first but then get used to it and before you know it you have them casually with dinner. A lot more people become addicted to both because of the nature of the beast, but both boil down to what your brain craves. The whole thing becomes a physical battle. I know if I was stranded on an island I wouldn't want to blow my brains out during the withdrawal period.
I do think that the biggest factor is seeing everyone else partaking and feeling that pressure to follow the pack. As for myself, I don't necessarily run with the pack all of the time, as I'm sure you are well aware. In college it was more of a party atmosphere than anything else and I didn't want to be that guy who just hangs out and doesn't do anything, which I'm sure people respect for that, just not as someone they want to hang around with. Of course, there is the 'social lubricant' effect that alcohol has, although that has not been in my favor, yet. After school ended, and trust me I took every chance I could to party with my team, I was back to where I was. I don't casually crack open a beer with dinner or order a cocktail when I go out. It doesn't make me any more fun, and why do something just because everyone thinks you should? And no, I'm not a 'funectomy', I just pick my spots. The party I'm going to attend in a couple weeks with a whole bunch of my friends I am going to be drinking from 2pm-2am, and after that I'll be getting back to my own life. There is definitely a very fine line I walk on and I have heard people say that even if you don't drink during the week but party on the weekend you can still be an alcoholic. I counter that with the summer of 2010. I didn't have a drink the entire summer, simply because I didn't feel like it. This may be hard to believe. I forget what I was up to during that time but that is how it went down. No booze for four or so months. So tell me how, if I was an alcoholic, could I have done that. There is no answer for that and I'm sure the situation is a rare combination, just as I am. Now we come to the whole idea of cigarettes.
The factors that contribute to the use of tobacco are the same as coffee and alcohol, in a way, the only difference being that only one out of three a twelve year old can freely purchase. We clearly see the damage that they do over the long term so why do them at all? Am I really that stressed that you have to suck ash five or more times a day to help you cope with my problems? Do I want to look that much older so people will take you seriously? Can I afford it financially? These are the questions people don't ask when they take that first puff, then another, then another. They live in the moment and, before they know it, its too late! I will admit that I do, on occasion I do smoke weed. I treat it even with more respect than alcohol because no companies hiring test your BAC when you piss into a cup. I treat it as that fancy meal you go out for every few months. I also did not smoke any until I was 18 and did not while I was still a college athlete due to my fear of failing a drug test. It does normalize me, though, as I did go over in an earlier post; putting a temporary stop to most compulsions and overall slowing my brain down so I don't care about social pressures. But this doesn't mean my brain throws caution to the wind, its too tough for THAT to happen.
 I cannot however, justify its use simply because of what it does for me. I know it is wrong and I don't pretend otherwise, but just like alcohol, I know how to use it properly. I know its not going to make me smarter (in effect the opposite it true) or magically & permanently negate what my brain cannot seem to get over in terms of how it deals with people. All I ask is for a fun time at the ball before my carriage turns back into a pumpkin. Another word on cigarettes: You don't see a bunch of people laughing and having a good time when they are smoking them in a designated area, do you?

The thing to remember with all of these vices as that you are your own person and you can chose to do whatever you want, and no one can make you do otherwise (at least where I'm from). Unless, of course, you find yourself in rehab, then you should listen to those around you and start to make some better choices.

Questions or Comments? Let me know.