CURIOUS CONTRARIAN

“The more things change, the more they remain the same,” was a favorite quote that I learned in high school. I so much wanted to be in a clique but I never fit in:
Not groovy enough to be a flowerchild,
Not perky enough to be preppy,
Not harsh enough to be punk,
Not fashionable enough to be new wave,
Not messy enough to be grunge,
Not relaxed enough to be new age,
Not moody enough to be goth, and
Not clever enough to be geeky.

During college I did slightly strive to be trendy. My best friend would drag me to thrift stores and update hand-me-downs from my mom. We would dress up to dance at First Avenue and actually looked okay. He cared about it more than me, though. I neither had the time nor money to be hip and cool. I decided to concentrate on my studies. As a result, I have a Master degree and look rather drab. I presume that he is still fashionable but we lost touch years ago.

My only foray into trend setting was a trip to Los Angeles, California in the mid-1990s. I opted to wear plain-glass 1950s black rimmed spectacles whenever we went out in public. At that time, contacts were finally affordable to the masses so no one would wear eyeglasses. People in LA would literally stare at me and one guy gasped in horror, “Why are you wearing glasses?” and I sharply replied, “Why not?” He laughed and bought me a drink.

I was purposefully contrary and still act that way on occasion. I prefer to be a square peg, though it would be nice to be accepted as such. People should at least tolerate others for whatever fashion they choose. As long as the clothes are clean and not too revealing, it doesn’t matter. I have to admit that some trends are just plain ugly so I am quite happy not to participate. I just don’t care. I have other concerns and absolutely no money to pour into short-term items.

Sadly, trends are rarely organic these days. Corporate interests aiming for a profit artificially create most cultural inclinations these days. Originality suffers as a result. It is sad when a person has to suspect all communications for deriving from a conglomerate. However, you don’t have worry about that with this blog!!

Where’s my pet rock?
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