I have sort of re-directed my life I guess you could say and disposed of some of the wasteful + determintal aspects of it. I am currently obsessed with alternative spirituality + idealogies, trying to weed out the truth of religion through an open-minded personal exploration that is very eye-opening and satisfying. Everyone seems to be so quick to jump on a bandwagon, join a group, accept a faith wholeheartedly, or completely reject it all and i just find every single one of those processes to be completly naive. I wont go into my personal beliefs (because they are, well, personal), but i just dont understand how someone can say they dont belief in Jesus when their longest attempt at talking to him lasted a mere 2 months nor can I understand how someone can go around preaching Jesus is our savior when they have never given Hinduism an honest try. Dont join the first church that scouts you, dont stay at the temple with the friendlist people...

We find comfort in conforminig...but truth is far from cozy.

Also, lately i have been thinking about the elections a lot a lot (as everyone in this country should be). Yes, i understand that politics are not always the most interesting thing on tv but, come on already, you live in this country and should give a damn about what is going on in it at least a little bit. Ignorance is bliss, yes, but who wants to live under a rock regardless of how warm it is?

Despite your political affiliation (or lack thereof), there is a shit-ton of issues to consider going into the election with our nation's current volatile state. We are at a very vulnerable point in time due to the the 8 year decay of our economy, foreign relations, and rights/responsibilites of our country and the people. If anybody else is even semi-political and has been paying attention to the debates, interviews, statements, etc...I am realllly interested in what you think is the most important issue that needs to be considered as we get more + more near november. Did you watch the debates on friday, will you watch on thursday, anything stand out??

On a lighter note :] I am almost done decorating my new room in my new house and loving it. Its like a cute japanese dollar store gone awry haha. Pink, pink, and pink with all my knick-knacks in a million cubby holes. So lets all pray that i dont get evicted from this house now (only been here like 2 months and already had multiple noise complaints and eviction warnings due to the excessive amounts of parties on the weekends) ALSO, as of a week ago, my hair is now like shoulder length. Woop-de-woop haha. No more long locks for me, change was much needed and i feel like 20 pounds lighter because of it...i love long hair, but it gets so drab + blah, so for now ts all about the shorter hair :]

ps: dont eat poisonous substances...they taste much too bitter.

But now im stuck with a goofy grin and an interesting makeup job ;)

T minus 6 days and ill be moving back to LA into my new house!!! Its gonna be a stress filled week this week though b/c i finals for my summer classes that i need to start studying for asap, gotta say goodbye to anyone + everyone in this state, and somehow manage to pack all my clothes, shoes, etc into no more than 3/4 suitcases and then i will ready to jet set at 4 am on saturday morning in order to get back in time for a meeting at my work and then that night sit green-room at the hellogoodbye concert which should be fun if i can stay awake (hello energy drinks galore).

On top of all that I have to move into my new house before I start my fall semester classes that monday (yes my summer break will only be a whopping 2 days). Thankfully my amazing roommates already went to my storage place and took ALL of my boxes + boxes of random stuff out for me, set up my bed + furniture, moved my car from its storage lot + unloaded it, and so on and so forth. I honestly dont know if I would be alive without them, they are seriously responsible for my survival during the past 2 years...whether listening to me bitch about stuff for hours, making sure i get places i need to be, or saving my ass from many many sticky situations they take care of me like my mom had to when i was 2 haha. All-in-all though, m soooo excited to move in though. 1 house, 4 boys, and me. Its gonna be quite the experience for all of us and there is going to be far too much testosterone in my life. Enough said.

So i cant decide which text one of my roommates sent me the other day is worse...you decide:

1) 'I think we might have a roach problem already.'

2) 'Someone broke into your car...and they left a scewdriver jammed in your door'

I basically wanted to cry after reading both of those but being 2000 miles away from those problems there is nothing I can really do but shrug my shoulders and say 'oh well.' Ive realized that getting all upset about things like that is absolutely pointless...sometimes life sucks but might as just play along and laugh back at it.

So I did a photoshoot for Pure Imagination Clothing last weekend...the shoot took like 5 hours but was super fun so i didnt even mind. We shot down-town on the freeways and such so it became a game of run onto the road when stoplight turns red, pose + snap some photos, dodge the oncoming cars, wait pateiently on the side and then repeat. I havent seen the results yet but they should turn out really good after seeing the designer's other work. He does amazing graphic designs and is turning all the promotional and catalog photos that we took into these superhero comic-book character style type art.)Apparently my character is the bad-ass car-jacker...how fitting ;]

I also did an all-day shoot yesterday with a photography team in their studio. I felt really groggy the whole day but hopefully i dont look it in the photos! I wont get to see those final prints for a good month though cuz they are apparently super backed up in post-processing but Ill post everything once I get it from them :] 

Had an absolutely amazing night last night with an old friend i missed far too much that lasted until the sun came up this morning which has left me worn + exhausted so now its time to read for an hour or so + hit the hay.

According to prophecy, I live in a quasi-autobiography of make-belief and myth.

Inspiring or mind-numbing?

Informative or deceptive?

What do you see in that box we call our tv?

Television has never been something I have become engulfed in or addicted to...it has just never had a huge hold on my mind. Maybe its because I grew up actually playing outdoors and making up my own games rather than sitting on the couch or maybe its because I'm far too ADD to sit and let some object choose how to entertain me. Lately, however, I have noticed how absolutely infatuated the world is with this console of telecommunicating static and pixels. Its like the leader of a cult; the preacher of the church; the dictator of a mass of people with one thing in common: the need to stare at a screen and let it invade their brain's space.

Its interesting to realize that at the origins of television… Before it was cheap enough for the common household to buy, public television (in Germany – the first country to have regular public television) was controlled by the Hitler regime. Rather than television being a private undertaking inside the home, the mass public would watch tv at special television docking points around town. Although, similar to today's programming, tv consisted of the usual news, music, food, and sports being aired, there were obvious overtones of racism, hatred, and conformism linked into every show. Subtle warnings were devised into programs, every news anchor hailed Hitler, and swastikas were flashed regularly. Television was not being utilized for public entertainment; it was an extraordinary means of public brainwashing. Although Hitler's actions were unbelievably inhumane, crude, and barbaric, he was a highly intelligent individual. Its absolutely tragic how he used his intelligence, but he achieved his goals in a very thoughtful way…by dulling the senses, the morals, and the judgments of the public and morphing them into a pre-designed form of thought through the use of easy entertainment.

We flock like sheep to the television, internet, and all other mass media. Really makes you wonder how your own thoughts are being transformed. Im not saying that television and/or the internet are these horrible destructive inventions, but its interesting to note how highly we uphold things that were invented with the intent of numbing our minds into the programmed minds of the government's soldiers. Just to put it out there…I still barely watch tv although I do from time to time when Im with friends and what-not…but for example, in the apartment I lived in all of last year, I only turned my television on TWO times. The only shows I have ever found to be somewhat exciting? 'Weeds' and the teenage British drama 'Skins'  If you watch 'Seinfeld' you deserve to be brainwashed…worst show EVER haha.

I don't think television is a bad thing, I just think we should be aware of the vulnerabilities we face when facing it. Same for the internet and magazines…you need to try and realize that barrier between entertainment and propaganda, impossible though it exists…

Because are minds were made to expand through knowledge, not be controlled through deceit.

Some people work hard all week and use the weekends to relax , whereas others play hard all weekend and use the week to recooporate+regroup. I guess im just the outsider b/c I dont belong to either group. Most people know how I am so very obsessive about school, grades, and learning shit that I spend an average of anywhere from 2 to 6 hours studying a night...i dont have a choice really, the type of kids in the classes i choose to take are the kind of people who dont have a life beyond the library. HOWEVER, on the weekends I dont waste a single moment sleeping in or watching tv...its always go-go-go. The type of people I like to go out with are the people who live in the moment and make horrible decisions but are tons of fun. I think everyone needs a balance in their life...too much of either type of life just isnt healthy. Knowledge is power, BUT life is too short to be spent alone.

So recap on the weekend...

Friday:

Got stopped by a guy at the Starbucks I go to at the vert same time every single day. Turns out he writes a fashion editorial in Minneapolis and told me he had seen me there and had chosen as one of the 4 best dressed people in Minneapolis. Asked me if I would mind being interviewed + photographed for the article on the spot...only problem was that that morning I was still wearing my makeup from the night before and had grabbed the clothes closest to my bed cuz I was so tired and had literally 2 minutes to get ready. I was what I thought was a train-wreck. Will be interesting to see the article when it comes out nonetheless, especially the photo of the mess I was that day haha. Biggest fashion advice I gave...DONT EVER WEAR CROCS NO MATTER WHAT!!!!

Friday night lasted until 6 am (ironically) running, screaming, jumping, and wrestling like we were all far younger than any of us should really act. Some intersting events finally led to sleeping in a little girls bed with 2 of my lovely friends, all of us wearing a combination of wet and/or borrowed clothes. I personally sported someones bob marley tee that was 2 sizes too big. Reason for wetness? Everyone piled into a tiny jacuzzi at 3 am with clothes still on. We went in the water only to find a few interesting sponges and a couple pairs of womans underwear stuck to the bottom and came out leaving hair-balls floating in brown water. End of story...

Saturday: headed to Uptown Minneapolis w/ my mom at 9 am to go check out the Art Fair...it was 90-some degrees out and the fair went on for blocks+blocks so my feet felt like rubber by the end ...but I did find some amazing artists and great inspiration which made it worth it. Afterwards went shopping at some vintage stores in Uptown where I bought a few 50's style dresses that I am going to reconstruct along with some rad pink winter moonboots so I can walk outside when I come home for Christmas. Milkshakes for dinner + finished up some sewing projects with the mother and called it a night after getting treated to a manicure+movie.

Sunday: Dragged my sleepy-self out of bed and over to the cities at 8:30 am to meet up with Ana + Travis to go to Warped Tour....what a day, oh geeeeeze. Ana and I always end up in some sort of mischief...which is exactly why I love her. Long story short: we met at a leadership camp my school forced me to go to when we were both still sophomores in high school. We became far too well known at the camp before officially becoming the first people to ever be banned from the camp for life...dont even ask ;)

ANYWAYS...warped tour consisted of meeting some crazy cool people, pink+green flasks, signing girls boobs + guys stomachs, running around + into old friends, some good music, etc etc. We got asked to be in a magic-show after the magician convinced himself we were porn-stars (?) and said he would light me on fire and it "would feel really good"...got creeped out, ran away, only to have him track us down a few hours later and ask uf for our numbers which resulting in sprinting away. The interview for warped tour promotional stuff by myspace staff ended up being all about watching the wrestler in the pink thong who claimed to be straight.

Why yes, my brain is in fact always in ADD mode.

I took pictures with other people too that day on their cameras...if that includes you, send me them =]

After the exhaustion that is Warped Tour, we jet-set to White Bear back to Travis's house, threw some Cheez-Its in our hungry mouths, washed off the layer of dirt + grime off our faces and said screw it to being tired. Plan of attack: guzzle down some more "special water" and move on over to the Gay 90's Club in minneapolis. Trav got his "girl" on, dressing up in head-to-toe drag, and made me feel like troll cuz he looked so stunning. We had to run in the rain (most of us in heels) from our car to the club where we stayed until closing dancing our asses off + watching the drag queen/king show.

Getting up at 7 am for class Monday morning = worse than shoving a needle in my eye.

BUT...my wonderful mother surpised me with the beautiful gold skirt/dress that "wasn't for sale" (according to the clerk) at a vintage store I had been eyeing far too hard. So that makes it all better. Im more-or-less completly re-vamping my closet lately w/ vintage finds...thank you Mary-Kate. I swear that I sport a different time era every other day...

Being conventional is sooo 1990...

Sooooo....I will no longer be going to all the west coast warped tour dates as planned  =[

I was supposed to be at the Evey Clothing booth along with Zui Suicide at all the dates throughout August BUT due to some complications Evey isnt going to be having a booth anymore and I dont have the time or money to fly back and forth between those places just for fun.

I might be going to the Minnesota date though...not 100% yet, depends on who is going and what-not...if you are going let me know and I hope to see you there!

xoxo-betsy

But at least in a small town, the rate of change tends to hesitate. Its like everyone in those places hangs on a little longer to their past. I love how I can go back to all the lame events I went to every summer of my life since I can remember and they are still exactly the same...its like they are stuck in time and have no desire to modernize with the rest of the world.

Here is your example, Mr President... Few weeks back, I was dragged to the Cambridge-Isanti parade once again this year by my sweet friend BlairZ and I swear the floats still have the same gum stuck to the bottom of the tires and the same streamers hanging from their signs. You know you have a close-knit town when you know every other person by name and birthday in the parade lineup and can remember the multiple times you walked down main-street yourself in some ridiculous outfit. Candy fights. Sweaty trumpet players. Single ballot politician soccer dads.

Isanti-county rodeo…usually the death of my summer since my overly peppy, hometown pride filled friends always convince me to go since it seems to be the event of the summer for them. Not a fan of cowboys, animal "rounding up", or country music BUT when mixed with your little friend Mr. Jack Daniels everything seems a bit "tolerable." Tolerable to the point that I danced + literally swinging around with strangers all night to yee-haw, woot-te-do music and was even sporting some random creeper's cowboy hat at one point. I make looking foolish look fun. Dirty spurs. Yelping. Hicks coming out of the woodwork for a chance in the spotlight.

Life lesson: nobody suspects any bad behavior from a girl who is sipping out of a little blue bear tippy cup...little do they know whats really in that cup hehe.

Summer here = cabins, lakes, and camping out. Screw the glitz and the glamour of the city…there's no time for that from june-september. My regained sanity was a result of summer picnics, boat-rides, laying out on the lake, etc. etc.

Oh and I met my new lover "Da Broom" at some bar in Wisconsin, he won my heart after he bought me a few (too many) shots and told me he made $60,000 a year playing Santa Claus at the mall…now that's my kind of man!

The rest of these picures are from the night in which me + a bunch of friends went to an outdoor concert and were forced to take shelter under a bridge with like a million people when a tornado came right above us. Strong winds + violent rain + people running + screaming = Betsy sitting down and huddling under a pink+blue heart umbrella in the middle of the crowd hoping she doesnt die. Lets just say we celebrating long + hard after we made it home hours later...so long+ hard that I ended up wearing the football helmet of the guys apartment we stayed at for a portion of the evening...guess I shoulda been a football star...

everybody dies famous in a small town.

everybody dies famous in a small town.

everybody dies famous in a small town.

 Last night i got such a bad migraine that i curled up into a ball on my bed where i cried and groaned until i threw up the milkshake i had eaten for dinner again + again ALL night long until i was left dry-heaving....yum-yum....it was horrible to say the least.

But as soon as i felt that first twinge of pain in my head, i knew what was coming because this is ALWAYS the outcome of my headaches...I have to let them go on until they wear themselves out. I havent taken modern medicine (not even advil or tylenol) since middle school so i cant get rid of my headaches with the pop of a few pills like most people do. People think im just being stubborn (and maybe i am) but more-so its because I dont believe in the overall motives of the pharmaceutical companies...they dont produce the majority of medicine to help you, but to help themselves. Big businesses want big money. They are marketing medicine as though it were the newest trend. Personally, I dont think your body is something that should be treated so carelessly. It seems that new forms of "miracle medicine" are being discovered everyday, after which news releases come forth to tell of their side-effects, addiction rate, etc, etc. Sad, but its true...they are handing out perscriptions for deception, greed, and selfishness. AND I have chosen to dissociate myself from this as much as I can.

But enough ranting already...the weather is FINALLY beautiful outside and I am no longer left wearing the only 2 sweatshirts I could fit in my suitcase (i figured i only needed summer clothes for summer, but apparently not). My newest love is clothes is anything black...i used to wear only bright colors but now everything i buy is black, black, black. Pretty soon my closet is going to resemble a big black hole.

And now for some exciting/interesting news: after a lot of talk, one of the amazing photographers I have worked with in the past just gave limited copyright use to a German band (whose lyrics are actually in English) to have one of the photographs we took be used on their CD cover...they sent me a preview of what it is going to look like and it was pretty damn rad =] So i guess my face is gonna be floating around in Germany on a CD cover haha

Time to go make mischief...

I have been sitting at this coffee shop for far too long...i better go before they arrest me for being creepy

PS: life is not worth living without ebay…it nurtures my soul.

the boys just picked us up on a boat and away we went....thats how we do it in minnesota (none of this 5 star hotel business lol)

you know you have amazing friends when you can all sleep + snuggle together in a tent that stinks of vomit + hot-dogs,  and still have a smile on your face =]

BUT i now have a million mosquito bites and i cant get the campfire smell to go away.

past week has been filled with laying around with my favorite people, arts+crafts days, reading books in the summer sun, caribou coffee trips, drinking + reminiscing with old friends, thrift shopping, and... of course...the science museum!

sarah, amber, and i spent the day as 5 year olds at the science museum and it was a blast! haha. if i ever have kids, im gonna bring them there like everday and they are going to be science geniuses.

i love summer.

cannot wait for it to get warmer so we can go to the lake

yes, its true: i change my life plan more often than i change my socks...but i dont like to live a static life, so it all works out for me

well...because i am currently earning one of the most unique degrees offered --> astronomy (w/ a photography minor), i get asked like everyday what the hell i want to do with it.

answer: i honestly have noooo clue. and no, i do not want to take pictures of the stars, idiots. haha. in fact, i dont plan on using my photo degree in my career at all...im getting it simply because i enjoy art as a hobby and it lets employers know that i have creative talents beyond my book smarts. my real aspirations lay in math+physics though and i want to use those in my eventual career. seriously, i have the most interesting major ever...its just so mind-boggling + unexplored...gaaah. SOOO...since im dedicating like 10 years of my life to this in school, i figured i gotta find out what i wanna do in the long run at some point and i always have different ideas. well the plan this week is.....(drum roll, please)...

imma work top secret to study microbiotic molecules + possible life forms (aka ALIENS) at area 51 biatches!

but no, for real, i was reading an article on "our galaxy's collision with andromeda" in my astronomers magazine and it got me really interested in the scientific unknown of the universe...gaaah i sound like a crazy probably (and no im not talking about green-headed men, im talking about prebiotic molecules + gases on distint planets...although that could lead to green-headed men hahaha)

Anywho...I started looking for internships for astrophysics students and it led me to find out that that is exactly the kind of people top-secret places like area 51 hire...but its all super conifdential and you have to basically live in isolation + under constant watch.

but really...what else am i gonna do with a degree that teaches you about planetary atmospheres, nebulas, and random celestial objects besides work at nasa?