Yeah, I kinda slept through October with illness, boredom and lack of motivation.

Oh well.. It happens!

November is here, and it’s time to wake up! GOOD MORNING WORLD! How is everybody doing?

-a guy named loren

Sometimes it feels like this world is spinning faster
Than it did in the old days

I’m at ISU in Bloomington-Normal, visiting Chelsea for the weekend. Last night we went to my home away from home (WAL-MART) to pick up some necessities: bowtie pasta, milk, a wrench, deodorant, and Breaking Dawn - the latest book from the Twilight series. Just for the record, that last one wasn’t for me. Chelsea is addicted to Twilight. More on that later.

Anyway, I didn’t feel like going back to campus quite yet. We were listening to some good tunes and it was a nice evening, so I just kept on driving. Where were we going? Not really sure. Somehow we ended up at a mall, where I’ve never been and didn’t even know existed. I don’t go to the mall very often. I bought a new hoodie and two v-necks, all for under $30! Chelsea got a chai-tea latte (I think that’s what it’s called) from Gloria Jean’s coffee shop (I think that’s what it’s called). Regardless, it was absolutely delicious. Even though it cost nearly as much as one of my v-necks.

On a side note, if you’ve never driven around aimlessly, you should do it. Sorry Mother Earth + O-Zone, but it’s relaxing and enjoyable. Sometimes we all just need to take a break and have fun. =)

When we got back we played Wii for a couple hours, then decided to watch The Pursuit of Happyness. I’ve seen it at least 3 times, but it’s such a good movie! After Pursuit, Chelsea somehow convinced me to watch Twilight for the first time. Not my cup of tea - I’ll leave it at that. Chelsea told me how much better the book was than the movie at this part. And that part. And this part. And EVERY part, I think. Basically, the book is way better than the movie. And Chelsea would know, after reading Twilight a couple times and seeing the movie at least 20 times. Not even exaggerating - what a dork! She’s lucky I love her so much!

Today is relaxing. I slept in (wooO!). When I woke up, it was rainy and gloomy outside. When I started writing this blog post, it was still rainy and gloomy, but now I see a blue sky. Maybe the sun will come out soon. I guess that means this post is OVER! Bye!

-a guy named loren

Beetnik Aesthetics wouldn’t be around today without the love and support from all of you, so it’s time I show some love in return. Some of the biggest players in promoting new indie clothing companies are t-shirt blogs. We all know and love them, but sometimes they need to get blogged about, too! To return the favor, I’ll be posting about all of the blogs and websites who’ve supported me over the past year, and I’ll be keeping a running list of valuable links in the sidebar (which isn’t up yet, I know!).

Troundup.com wrote about Beetnik from the very beginning - even before we launched, actually! Colin, who runs Troundup.com, does a great job of updating the blog regularly. He has some pretty neat posts, so if you’re the type that’s always looking for new t-shirts, subscribe to Troundup and stay up-to-date on everything awesome. Thanks for the support, Colin!

I love all of my followers on twitter, but I decided to make a new twitter account. The old twitter was too cluttered / too messy / too spammy / etc. The new twitter will be more “homegrown”, taking less of a mass-marketing approach. Hopefully this will allow me to connect better with my followers.

You are cordially invited to follow the new Beetnik Aesthetics twitter, @BeetnikClothing. Thanks!

Do you believe aliens are out there, somewhere? I know I sure do! Here are some features of this brand new Beetnik Aesthetics shirt:

• available in both unisex and women’s fitted t-shirts
• printed on American Apparel (2001 and 2102) - the best fitting shirts around, period.
• huge, bright soft print on the front
• screenprinted tags in the neckline - new, unique style!
• back shoulder print - green Beetnik Aesthetics logo

These are sure to go fast, and once they’re gone, they may never be reprinted! =)

Grab one today for just $17!

-a guy named loren

RENEGADE WAS AWESOME!

Since it was my very first festival/show experience EVER, I really had no idea what to expect, but the weekend went really well overall. Between school and driving (all over IL and IN), everything was very last-minute, but I managed to pull it all off with Chelsea’s help. We stayed up all night on Friday folding and tagging the new shirts, woke up at 7:30 AM, and headed off to Chicago around 8:15 AM. I must say our setup was quite awesome, with our black tent and black displays standing out among the sea of white canopies. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a ton of great photos because my camera battery died and I couldn’t seem to find the charger anywhere - bummer!

Once we were settled in with our booth, people started rolling in to Renegade around 11AM and we got tons of compliments, smiles, and laughs from the Beetnik shirts. I set up a guess how many pieces of candy in the jar game which was a huge hit, attracting hundreds of people to the Beetnik tent and bringing back the nostalgic memories of elementary school. Mid-day on Saturday, all of the sleepless nights along with a bit of dehydration finally hit me, sending me right to the floor. Yeah, that’s right.. I curled up behind the booth (which was on a street in Chicago…) and napped for about an hour or so - no joke! I felt a little better for the rest of the day, but certainly not 100%. =/

On Sunday, Chelsea and I did I bit of revamping and changed up the booth layout and displays for the day. The slight changes seemed to make a great deal of difference, bringing in many more visitors and sales compared to Saturday. We had some nice flow going on with the neighbors, creating almost a shopping mall experience where people could easily walk between our two tents. Throughout the day I walked around and saw how other t-shirt vendors had set up their booths, taking notes and coming up with ideas for new displays for future shows. I also met some awesome people over the weekend, including Jud and Marieta from Shirt Fight, the Fuzzy Ink crew, Saul from Bare Tree Apparel, Adam and Beau from IATT, Two Rabbits, and a slew of other neat people!

A huge THANK YOU goes out to everybody who stopped by the Beetnik booth over the weekend and supported us! We wouldn’t have made it without you, so thanks a bunch! =) I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, and I hope everybody else did as well. We can’t wait to partake in more festivals and shows!

-a guy named loren

It’s official: Renegade begins in three hours. Last night was just one of several spent working endlessly getting ready for the show. Chelsea and I folded hundreds of shirts and attached hangtags to most of them, then ran to Wal-Mart around 12:30 am (24-hour Wal-Mart is my SAVIOR!) for some last minute supplies and booth modifications. That girl has been such a tremendous help, no questions asked. I owe her HUGE!

I’m excited for an AWESOME weekend in the city. According to weather.com, we’re looking at mid-70s throughout Saturday and Sunday, mostly sunny, and a very low chance of rain. Could you ask for better conditions? I think not!

And what better way to spend a beautiful weekend than exploring unique handmade items at the indie craftshow, Renegade? If you’re in the Chicagoland area, be sure to stop by the Beetnik booth. We’ll be releasing THREE BRAND NEW SHIRTS, and I must say, these are probably the best ones yet! They look great, printed on American Apparel (guys and girls), and are super comfy! We’ll also be doing some other neat stuff, so come by and say Hi!

[Renegade details] - SEE YOU THERE!

-a guy named loren

It’s 4:04 in the morning. For nearly the entire week I’ve been preparing for Renegade. I’ve been skipping classes. I’ve been sleeping for 4 hours a night. I’ve been eating sporadically. I’ve basically ignored friends/family/Chelsea (sorry!) and most of my e-mails (sorry also!). I’ve been spending way too much money. I’ve been inhaling spray paint (about 7 cans) - not because I want to, but because I’ve been making awesome signs/displays for my Renegade booth. I’ll post some photos of my Renegade setup when I get a chance - it’s spectacular, if I may say so myself, and very indie/DIY.

Why do I always seem to wait till the last minute? I think I work well under pressure. Scratch that. I think I work BEST under pressure. It’s not that I put everything off until the last minute because I’m lazy. Quite the contrary. I tend to plan and re-plan and re-plan again until the very last minute, and then I execute… perfectly. Not to toot my own horn, but a little planning goes a long, long way.

… and here’s my hectic schedule for the next few days

Friday
9:00AM - class.
9:50AM - buy textbooks.
10:00AM - leave champaign, IL.
11:00AM - arrive in bloomington/normal, IL. pick up chelsea. leave bloomington/normal, IL.
2:00PM - arrive in chesteron, IN. pick up new beetnik shirts. leave chesterton, IN.
4:00PM - arrive in libertyville, IL. buy more supplies for renegade.
5:00PM - set up renegade booth at my house. decide if i need even more supplies.
9:00PM - attach hangtags to hundreds of shirts.
eventually - sleep.

Saturday
9:00AM - leave libertyville, IL.
10:00AM - arrive in chicago IL. unload renegade supplies at vendor space 255.
10:30AM - set up renegade booth.
11:00AM - renegade begins. hope that it’s the best day ever!
7:00PM - break down renegade booth.
7:30PM - leave chicago, IL.
8:30PM - arrive in libertyville, IL.
9:00PM - homework.
eventually - sleep.

Sunday
repeat of saturday + leave libertyville,IL + arrive in champaign, IL.

… please don’t stalk me.
unless you plan on buying a shirt or two =)

-a guy named loren

I’m a huge fan of Imogen Heap and her distinct electronica/indie/alternative/pop style. Not only are her tunes soothing and relaxing, they are also super catchy. If you’ve never heard of Imogen Heap - shame on you! Just kidding. But seriously, check her out.

Heap brings us another hit track, First Train Home from her latest album, Ellipse. First Train Home features soft vocals, a catchy chorus, and simple electronic beats. This is definitely a tune to add to the “Chill” playlist on your iPod - perfect for those stress-relieving evening jogs.

ENJOY!

- A Guy Named Loren