The evolution of Cornerstone fashion since I've been attending: (now with links aplenty!)

1998 - Grunge comes towards the end. Say goodbye to flannel shirts, but hang on to those baggy pants for a while yet. Ringer t's are the latest in hipster chic. We can revive a style from the past but still look cool, because it's all about deconstructing the past not reliving it, or so we tell ourselves while thinking we're cool after hearing our first seminar on postmodernism.

1999 - Grunge is ending. Big sideburns and a nice goatee are hanging with us though. Old Navy Performance Fleece keeps us warm as we sleep after midnight encore shows and cargo pants give us plenty of pockets to hold our CD purchases.

2000 (C2K) - It's cool to be a skater. Grab your DC Shoes and Alien Workshop tees. The whole hardcore scene is still a bit underground, but the punk and ska things are really taking off in grunge's wake. Then again, not much fashion to be seen, as rain creates mud people.

2001 - Let's go to the punk rawk show. Spike your hair, and make sure it's dyed, and not subtly. Red, blue, green, and purple are good choices. On the plus side when you go home on college break, mom won't complain about your grades, just your hair. Or just dye it at Cornerstone and wash it when you get home.

2002 - Punk and ska peak, so bring your skinny ties and throw on a pair of Chucks while skanking to the sounds of Five Iron Frenzy. Cornerstone starts with Day 0 (Tooth & Nail Day) where we hear all those punk bands. Also, for some reason (cough, cough Ashton) mesh-back trucker hats enter the scene. John Deere combine owners celebrate when old hats sell for more than a bushel of Bushnell corn.

2003 - Ironic t-shirts are all the rage. If you wear your State Basketball 2003 shirt, you're such a loser. But that vintage baby blue YMCA Summer League '83 shirt is so hip! Thrift store pants, especially old man pants Grandpa Jack would've worn are the coolest!

2004 - The year of the western cut shirts with the snaps, aka the shirts grandpa buys because his arthritis is too bad to button a shirt anymore. That, and ironic t-shirts hang on. Also, a resurgence in black t-shirts. And polo shirts with vertical stripes. Kind of a mishmash of styles going on this year. You can tell we're in a transition. Sixpence is done, nu metal is fading. Switchfoot is taking off, and they're more preppy.

2005 - Vote for Pedro.

2006 - Like rain on your wedding day, ironic t-shirts are washed up. They're out there, but so 2003. It's all about girl pants and black t-shirts. And if you're a guy, it's no problem to match the dude next to you.? Headbands and those '70s style athletic shorts are back too. The Steve Prefontaine look is back and it's too much rock for one hand!

The Seven Things Project: The Project Begins sounds like a great idea.

Get rid of seven things a week between 7/7/06 and 7/7/07. That doesn't mean just trash stuff, but give away, recycle, etc seven things a week.

If I could get motivated, I would love to do it!

 

Ok, so if you haven't heard...

MUTE MATH absofreakinglutely ROCKS MY FACE OFF!

that is all. 

 

The kids from my youth group are still hanging in there on the last day of Cornerstone! 

The official Cornerstone Festival blog is online, and I'm contributing,so check it ou!

 

Cornerstone: Tooth & Nail Day
Even the youth group kids have realized there are a lot of crappy hardcore bands here. I haven't listened to much music yet. Did catch the first band of the day, Pilot for Kite. They're a Nebraska band, formerly known as After the Order. They're so excited, because this is their first Cornerstone and one of their first shows as a new band. They've been writing new songs and everything, and were thrilled and maybe a little intimidated to be at Cornerstone. But they're band one on day one, so things didn't go as planned from a technical standpoint, and the guys were disappointed. They did well, considering the circumstances. Technical stuff is a challenge at festival. 

Cornerstone: Day 0

After a long day in the van (10 hours with 15 people) we arrived around 9:00 at Cornerstone. By 10 we had our tents up, and it's a good thing we got them up good, because it rained, and rained hard. Around 4 am the heavens opened and thunder and lightning came down.

We're a little soggy, but not too wet. We'll survive. My youth kids from Nebraska are excited because they get to see a local band playing on Tooth & Nail day! Oh boy! I'm not as excited as they are, but it's cool I guess.

More to come later! And to see the official Cornerstone blog, bookmark this address: http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/blog

Thank goodness for Gmail!

I was able to find an email exchange from a year ago where my sister sent me her Cornerstone Festival packing list.

This year's festival is only a few days away. Here are some things I'll try to bring, courtesy last year's list:

Tent & tarps & stakes & poles -- and means to get stakes into ground?
Sleeping bag & pillow (optional) & aero bed (optional but good!)
Breakfast foods (since expensive on site and easy enough to do at tent) -- granola/cereal bars, juice packets that can stay good despite the heat (i.e. not OJ that needs refrigeration).
Limited food prep stuff - for sandwiches / etc - knife, napkins, bread, peanut butter ought to do
Cooler / ice / water bottles / etc.?
Shower: shoes, container to take there, 2 towels, clothespins (optional)
Clothing: shoes for mud, shoes for dry, socks, hat
Medical: sunscreen, tylenol-type product, aloe (?)
Other: small mirror, flashlight, camera, batteries, ziploc bags to keep stuff dry in bookbag on rainy days, etc.
Bible & notebook
Here's the one we've found to be quite handy over the years -- instead of bringing my clothes and stuff in a suitcase, I bring it in a rubbermaid container. If it rains, your stuff will stay nice and dry. Of course, if it's hot and humid, you're stuff with get hot and humid in there, so that's an issue. But when it rains, it's wonderful!

The Fourth of July is coming. And so is the Fifth.

While Christians, including myself at times, bemoan the devaluing of our sacred holidays, especially Christmas and Easter, the same holds true of secular holidays. Most people probably can't tell you the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. People think both are there to honor vets, but that's not completely true. One is for the living, the other for the dead, which would seem to be a big distinction.

Even the national holiday celebrating freedom has been co-opted. When was the last time you heard someone talk about Independence Day in reference to anything but a Will Smith Movie?

The holiday has a name, so why don't we use it?

You Are Marge Simpson

You're a devoted family member who loves unconditionally. Sometimes, though, you dream about living a wild secret life! You will be remembered for: your good cooking and evading the police Your life philosophy: "You should listen to your heart, and not the voices in your head."

The Simpsons Personality Test