hippie – hippiegrrl explains it all

28 December 201315 January 2015

Being Bohemian

While walking through our favourite neighbourhood in Toronto, the writer and I strike up a conversation about bohemianism. I contend that he could “never be truly bohemian. Never just get up one morning, pack two bags, and leave.” By which he responds – “I could if there was a list and a plan” (presumably written before bed the night before this fictional exodus.) Precisely. True bohemianism is hard work for those of us tied to things. It is difficult just due to the virtual connections we have established throughout the last decade. Purchasing cell phones and beginning email relationships with family members has complicated the ideal of the road. To travel with two suitcases, sans electronic equipment, is absurd. To be untethered from technology seems impossible, even though it was the norm ten or fifteen years ago. It would certainly be liberating to unplug, but also scary as it denotes a trip into the unknown. Joblessness, low funds, and repossession may be the only facilitators of this life that used to be something to aspire to. With age comes containment and debt ties us to an address.

So how would one do it? Disconnect from the grid and the money system and be a drifter. Can drifters be married to one another? Or to non-drifters? Can drifters have computers or would the typewriter come back into fashion? What about phone communication? The world has been accelerated in such a way that it seems nearly impossible to not be “online”. But, being offline, if only for a short time, may be a soothing change. Being unreachable, except by home phone or letter would be refreshing. However – being a “true” bohemian is about doing what one wants to do regardless of societal norms. It isn’t about running from debt or unplugging, but just being.

If this is the case – to just be is the goal – how is this achieved? What of those that are perceived as bohemian, but have an address? Those that are professors, but still have the mindset of a free spirit? How is bohemianism rationalized within society and, more closely, in the realm of education. Without bohemianism we would have no art or music teachers. Without the free spirit streak we would lose poetry and prose and have to learn how to be content without the arts in our lives. After a few generations, this would be normalized, but in the interim it would be a sad state of affairs. Living through the removal of the arts in the public school system, I can see this trend beginning. Creating little beings that are only trained to work for others and never even know about the life of the mind. Training children to simply strive for money and not worry about the “frivolous” things such as art, dance, music and such. Bleak future.

But this is not how it has to be. We can keep the bohemian ethic alive in our public life. Being bohemian isn’t about how you dress or act. Being bohemian is a state of mind. Do you care about the future of art, literature, and culture? Do you want to live in a world that is full and rich, where people are able to be free from the chains that bind them and move forward with love and trust? How can we keep this feeling alive? How, in the midst of gentrification in the name of neighbourhood improvement, can we continue to save our culture from sameness?

In Buffalo, we have a bohemian atmosphere that continues to surface and thrive, despite the push toward yuppie values. The bohemian ethic thrives in neighbourhoods that tend to be lower income and once those neighbourhoods gentrify, the bohemians move elsewhere. We need to find a a way to retain the bohemian element within a gentrified land. Buffalo is changing rapidly, and if we don’t find a way to retain the bohemian mindset, it could go the way of disco. A fad of hippie idealism that dissipates with the wrecking ball. Hoping that this will not happen is not enough. We need to push forward and continue to keep the bohemian community alive through art, music, culture, and coffee. This is the only way to hang on to the diversity and spirit that comes with the bohemian ethic. Otherwise, Buffalo will be a sanitized yuppie heaven without style and tradition. Keep Buffalo weird!

Peace,
Chantale

If you enjoyed this article, please pass it along! Sharing is super bohemian.

6 November 201315 January 2015

You Can’t Get Off, So Pitch In!

A few months back, the CEO of the Nestle corporation announced that it is his belief that “access to water is not a human right”. On the surface this is sad and awful, but if you think about it, obvious for him to believe. After all, how can you run a company that makes a bulk of its profits from bottled water sales and NOT believe this? How else would you make money? If you believe that clean water is a basic human right, how can you make money off of this commodity? This, in no way, excuses the idea, but it gives it reference. In order to live in a world that allows him to make money off of a basic core of life, he has to rationalize his views on the topic.

This got me to thinking about developed and non-developed land masses. It has become politically incorrect to say “third world”, and for good reason as we in the “first world” should not be putting ourselves above those in less developed areas of the globe. We should be looking at everyone, everywhere, as human beings in a collective planet. The things we do here, in the over-developed world, effect everyone. When we pollute our air, we pollute all the air. When we pollute our water, we pollute all the water. Our actions cause a ripple effect and we cannot easily reign it in. Our actions have become ever increasingly nonchalant and negligent.

I like to say over-developed, rather than simply developed, because that is what we have become. Industrialization has made us over-developed to the point that we have done harm to our planet. We can no longer continue living the way we have been or we will doom the planet for eternity. There is a certain level of development that is good for an area and anything beyond that starts to degrade the environment. We blew past that exit years ago and have continued to speed down the highway at an alarming speed. Never looking back.

Then there are those that say it doesn’t matter if we continue on the way we have all these years. Some even say that global warming is not real. Those people are idiots. Sorry to be so blunt, but it is true. Global warming is a big deal and until we collectively make efforts to reduce our carbon footprints, we will continue to kill the earth. Those that say it is too late are not idiots, as they could be correct, but they also push in the direction of futility. If it is too late, I guess it doesn’t matter. To them, it does not matter. To the rest of us, it kinda does.

And then there are the religious, end of times, folks. They think this is all pre-determined and that global warming is something that we have to endure to get to the apocalypse. They are excited by the possibility of the end of the world and do not see anything wrong with the manner in which we have been treating the earth. Here is the problem with that line of thinking. Yes, it serves the purpose of the apocalyptic, but what will happen at these so-called gates of heaven? When St. Peter asks if they were good stewards of the earth, what will they answer? “Well, I did not think that was important because we needed the end of the earth in order to get to the gates.” St. Peter will answer with something like this, “um, no, the big one said that you should take care of the earth for it was given to your care, so, you’re out” or something to that effect. There may be pre-determination, but there is also free will, and if you are making free will choices to be bad to the environment, it is likely that the big one will not be happy.

So, where do you stand in all of this? Are you like the dude that sits in the cubicle across from me, that throws his pop cans in the garbage all day long? Each time a can drops, my heart dies a bit, which I have voiced to him, to no avail. Or, do you recycle every single item that can be recycled? Are you the person that breaks down the keurig cups to recycle, reuse, and compost the materials within? Or, are you more middle of the road with your recycling? Do you return your bottles and cans for deposit, but not always recycle those that have no monetary value attached? Whatever type of recycler you are, now is the time to up your game. Unless you have made an effort to reuse, reduce, or recycle every single bit of material in your life, you can do more. After all, every day should be earth day because without it, we are screwed! Here are a few suggestions to get you started on your path to helping our planet heal.

50 ways to help the planet.
Protect the Wildlife.
Make a Recycled Craft.
Need to recycle something? Find a local site to recycle.
Start an office recycling program (this one is for me!)
Green your morning (and afternoon and evening) coffee
Educate yourself on how much it means to recycle
Keep up on things with EcoGeek and Treehugger

7 December 20123 July 2017

2002.10.22 – road trip

The one year itch has come upon me full force this past week. If you aren’t sure what the one year itch is, I’ll fill you in. After working at a specific job for one year or more I become unsatisfied with the job for one reason or another. Usually, I just get plain bored and I want to move on to something new.

This, most likely, stems from the fact that I went to college and earned a bachelors degree, which I have yet to use in the workplace. I will probably never use my degree, being that it was in music performance and I decided that it wasn’t my bag to play all the mezzo-soprano “pant rolls”.

for your own reference (if you care) a “pant roll” is basically a girl playing a little boy part. back in the day, before women were allowed to sing opera, young boys (castrattos, ouch!!) played all the female parts. now-a-days, mezzo-sopranos (middle range) have to sing these parts because there are no longer (thankfully) castrattos.

While attending college, I always had the dream of dropping out, buying a 1970’s vw bus and following “the dead”. Making beaded necklaces and other trinkets and selling them in the concert parking lots. Sleeping, eating, and hanging out in the bus, with no expectations or requirements on my life. This dream was shattered the day that Jerry passed, and I wasn’t really that into “phish”. Needless to say, I finished college and then began my long string of meaningless jobs.

First I worked at a telephone company as a sales person. Not the best job for a hippie, but it paid the bills. After that I decided that coffee would be a better atmosphere, so I applied to be a manager for a coffeehouse. I had worked at this establishment previously, so getting the job was a cinch. There were a couple of problems with the business, such as being in a mall, and the owners being cheap, but I really enjoyed making the coffee drinks and being in charge of a store.

The enjoyment ended when the owners decided that money was more important than quality employees, and so, yet again I moved on. This brings me to my current position, in the systems department at a small community bank. I know, what you are thinking. Why would I want to work in a bank? See, it is the community part that brought me here and so far it has been a pleasant experience.

The itch is beginning though, and it is the road trip bug that is impossible to get rid of. I never did get to take a road trip to follow “the dead” or anyone else for that matter, so that is why I think I begin to feel “stuck” in my jobs. I’ve been to Europe, but I’ve never seen my own country and that is really a shame.

I attempt to travel through books and television, but no matter how good the book may be, when you close that copy of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” you are still sitting on your couch in freezing cold Buffalo. You aren’t really riding on the back of that motorcycle seeing the country in the best way possible. You are stuck. You have to go to work and make money and pay bills and accomplish something with your life.

Now, that last part threw you off, didn’t it? Accomplish something with your life. That is a pretty tall order and usually quite hard to do if you are trying to pay bills. Sure, there are jobs that you are making money AND helping people like teachers and doctors and such, but how many of us can really do these types of jobs. It takes a strong will to be a teacher OR a doctor.

So far I have suceeded in the paying bills department, but not so much in the accomplishment for life. I’m still searching and I think that a road trip is just what I need.

Now here is the question….should I quit and move on or ask for vacation time? You can give your opinions on the message board if you like!

be sure to check out my boatload of links below!!!

peace!
hippiegrrl

7 December 20123 July 2017

2002.10.1 – hippiegrrl goes goth

Yes, it is that time of year again. Time for that “sweet transvestite” and his minions to light up the night. Time to gather the rice, toast, newspaper and lighter and head to the local showing of the greatest cult movie of all time. Take that “jump to the left…” Whether you are a magenta, riff raff, columbia, brad, janet, rocky, or even frankenfurter, you will fit in at the “science fiction, double feature”. (find out which one you REALLY are by clicking the link below!)

By now you must know what I’m talking about. If not, you are missing out. “Missing out on what?” you ask. On the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” ofcourse! Rocky is the ultimate in cult movie mayhem and Halloween is the best time of year to become a “regular Franky fan”. This is the season when all the freaks come out to show off their latest costumes or scream out their new audience participation lines. At “Rocky” you can dress anyway you want without feeling odd or different. Chances are, the person next to you is even scarier than you are.

“Don’t Dream It, Be It”

Let’s talk Rocky history. This movie started out as a serious (or as close to serious as a movie about cross-dressing aliens can get) musical starring a few of the 70’s up and coming stars. Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon and Tim Curry to name a few. The real genious behind the film was “Riff Raff” portrayer, Richard O’Brien. Not only was he the voice of the infamous “lips” at the opening of the film, but he also conceived and composed this most fantastic musical. “Time Warp” has become a cult favourite all on it’s own and a sequel (“Shock Treatment”) was even squeezed out of the Rocky phenom.

Let’s not kid ourselves though…without the “unconventional conventionists” that show up every friday at midnight in thousands of theatres, Rocky would be nothing. It was the fans that made this show great, and it still is. Face it, the movie on it’s own has little value, but with the live actors on the stage acting out the scenes with the movie and the fans in the audience screaming anything and everything, this cult classic is most certainly a treasure.

So…whether you are a “wild and untamed thing” or a “no-neck” you are welcome at Rocky! Don’t delay…pack that bag with all the essentials, brush up on your quips and get your butt to ” the late night, double feature, picture show”.

“Rose Tint My World, Keep Me Safe From My Trouble And Pain….”

peace!
hippiegrrl

as a footnote: I am sad to announce that the owner of the theatre (Amherst) where Rocky runs, in Buffalo, has decided to pack it in and no longer show the film. The cast showed up one night and was told that they would no longer be performing and the film was already sent back to the studio. Here comes my yuppie reference…Too scary for them I guess. You didn’t think I would get through a whole entry without that did you?