Miracles, Magnets

Tonight, after driving all around Brooklyn and sweating in art spaces and Apple stores, I went to my ex-roomies house to relax and watch America's Next Top Model.
D joins us, and tells the room that he has something really exciting to share after the show is over. Since we're watching it recorded, every time we fast forward through the commercials, D explains how our minds will be blown (in vague, yet graphic detail).
Finally, the show ends in all it's ridiculous, overblown glory and D pulls out his laptop and plays us this video:



Now to each their own, but a) When did Insane Clown Posse get so soft? b) Is this what the millenium did to the angry 90s? and c) If so, aren't you totally okay with it?

-Kastoory

PS: *SPOILER ALERT* And why do they hate scientists? Seems like scientists could explain a lot of these miracles to them.

How you know you're getting older...

Lately, my friends and I have been compiling a list of how to tell you are getting older. Feeling ancient in our mid-to-late twenties we've observed the passing of the calendar mostly with comments about how we can't party like we used to, and (my personal favorite) hangover arthiritis. But I've been noticing a another side to aging, and it has nothing to do with liver spots.

I've really only noticed this in the context of television shows. Freaks and Geeks was something I always wanted to watch all the way through, so I did. **SPOILER ALERT** In the final episode the main character goes to follow the Grateful Dead around the country instead of a prestigious summer at a top university with other leaders and CEO's and such, and I was so disappointed in her I felt like my mother (before therapy). Even two years ago I would have thought it was awesome, but this time I thought it was lame.



Last night, on America's Next Top Model, one of the contestants admitted to wasting $25,000 tuition for school to be on the show. This time I was with a group of people and we were all horrified. Admittedly this time there was a hefty price tag included, and we naturally assumed that she didn't throw away her own money, but her parents hard-earned dough (although she was a pageant girl and if it was from pageant-winnings, we would feel much better about it). Still, people need to take huge risks to succeed, and they need to fail horribly to do so, learn from missed opportunities, why does it feel like we understand that better when we're younger?



While stuck in jury duty hell yesterday, I found this great article of successful people and their earlier pitfalls. My favorite part was when Warren Buffett got rejected from Harvard Business School and was terrified of how his parents would react, but was met with "unconditional love" from his father. Reminded me to try and start feeling excited for people who do something completely insane but completely liberating. It's all part of growing up.

-Kastoory

The kaleidoscope that is my mind

As I write this, everyone and their mother are getting ready for the big debate tonight. Like everyone else, amidst a failing economy and a notoriously divided country, I have begun to feel helpless... and slightly scared. Working in retail barely pays for our studio in Bushwick and freelance photography is, well, free for everyone else but me. So, what does one do when faced with all the dramz of daily bullshit? Drink! Well, and get busy, but a lot of drinking doesn't hurt.

Frustration is a bitch, anyone will tell you that, but unless you use it to your advantage you're a fool. For me, my saviors came in the form of Royal and Kastoory (aka the driving forces behind Pomp & Circumstance). They kicked my ass into gear and gave me the opportunity to stretch my oh-so-creaky artistic legs. And take my word for it. I took off running.

The current issue of Pomp features former ANTM contestant, and my homegirl, Lauren Utter. We met working at the same boutique in LES. Both artists with a deep dislike for our boss and a strong love for cheese fries, it wasn't long before we were spending our days talking shit behind the counter. Long story short, 2 yrs later I'm still at that "stable" shitty job and she just happened to make it on to ANTM. Granted she went as a sort of joke but her success on the show is nothing to laugh at and if you meet her, it's sort of a "duh, of course you should model" kinda thing. How we stumbled into her modeling after all that is sort of a blur, but like any good collaboration, it's neither here nor there, it just is.

By now I'm sure you have picked up the current issue and peeped our spread and I'm sure you are just dying for more tasty glimpses into the world of Pomp. So here, for being amazing enough to read all my silly words, a treat for you. Some shots from the shoot we've been hiding from all of you (and you thought that was it? Buggin!) and a little behind the scenes fun as well.

I can promise you a few things when you check back (b/c you will, we are your digital crack):

1: I promise I won't usually write this much silliness

2: I promise to keep tossin you behind the scenes candy. And...

3: I promise to keep you posted on anything worth seeing. I am now officially your go-to bitch, k?

Your favorite photo girl,

Amanda S.