dog poop

The original plan was to bomb local cigarette retailers with images and words from the infect truth site, but their stuff didn't really meet our needs so we made our own flyer. Also, the copy machine at giant jammed so we weren't able to make very many copies. Still, we managed to put up a few flyers.

The flyer can be downloaded here.

posted by geoff on 1/01/2002 03:06:24 AM
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the following was something i wrote for a zine that was going to be put
out by my brother and i. we never finished the zine, so i thought i'd put it
up here.

xcraft dayx

the equation is simple. a dining room table full of dubiously obtained craft
supplies plus no pesky adults to complain about making a mess equals a ton of
fun and some great hand made gifts. we'll show that bitch martha stewart who
the true craft denzians are. we dumpstered, stole, and crafted back the holiday
season. though my involvement was reserved to a few candles and abortive
attempt at a cardboard model of the sweet life, christine, adam, and ryan made a
crazy number of crafts.

basic candle making

you will need:

• 2 pots for the double boiler - one must be able to easily sit inside the
  other.


• parafin wax - you can get this at a craft store or in the canning section of
  a
  grocery. who knew that this stuff was good for things besides waxing curbs. one
  package is good for about one large candle and a dozen or so votive
  candles.


• wicks - can be ummm, purchased from a craft store like ben franklins or
  jo-ann
  fabrics


• candle coloring - again, available at a craft store


• candle scent - ditto


• a candle mold, mold release, and mold sealer

or

• an old glass or jar


• a liquid measuring cup or other container with a spout - used to pour the
  hot wax into
  the mold a big bowl to clean off wax


• a pencil, chop stick, or similar item - to hold the wick straight while the
  candle
  sets

directions:

• chunk up the parafin into small pieces so that it will melt easier. do the
  same with the coloring and scent (a little goes a long way).


• pour water in the larger pot, then place the smaller pot in the larger pot.
  put the double boiler on the stove and crank up the burner. add the parafin to
  the inner pot and heat the wax. never put the wax directly into a pot. we're
  talking big time fire hazard. as the parafin melts, add the color and scent.
  to make the candles, the wax needs to be about 180-190 degrees farenheight.


• while the wax is being heated, prepare the mold. spray mold release into
  the
  mold so you can get the candle out when you're done. if you're using an old
  glass or jar skip this step since you'll just leave the candle in the mold.


• cut wick so it's a little more than the inch above the desired height of
  the candle. you'll cut them shorter later, but for now you need enough length
  to wrap it around the pencil while the candle sets


• place the wick in melting wax for a minute or so until it is saturated with
  wax. pull it out and let it cool.


• straighten the wick. if you're using a mold, push the wick through the
  hole at the bottom of the mold and apply enough mold sealer to make sure the
  damn thing doesn't leak (like mine did). wrap a small portion of the other end
  of the wick around the pencil and rest the pencil on the edge of the mold or
  glass.


• once the wax has reached the right temperature (or has been melted for
  a while, no need to be super-exact), pour it quickly from the double boiler into
  the pouring container. being careful not to displace the wick, use the pouring
  container to fill the mold or jar. save a little wax. re-heat this later and
  use it to fill in the indentation around the wick that is left as the candle
  sets.


• sit around and wait for the candle to dry. to clean off wax from the
  utensils, pour boiling water over them to get rid of the wax and then wash with
  soap and water. use a big bowl for the boiling water dunk and discard the waxy
  water somewhere other than the sink. wax isn't good for drains. alternately,
  put the utensils in the freezer and the wax peels off pretty easily.


• it takes quite a number of hours for the candle to completely harden,
  particularly if the candle is large. be patient and when it's done, trim the
  wick to about a quarter inch.


• burn your candle and be glad that you didn't have to purchase it from some
  overly perky teenaged girl or martha stewart inspired middle aged woman at the
  mall. (disclaimer: i'm sure that there are a number of very nice, intelligent
  people employed as candle sales associates. i'm sure that there are even a good
  number who are not teenaged girls or middle aged women. still, i am always a
  bit unnerved whenever i have to venture into a bath and body works or similar
  establishment

leaving

time flies when you're having fun. the last 3 months were an amazing time,
but
were perhaps the shortest 3 months that i have ever lived. i got to have a
girlfriend and best friend in the same time zone and i got to listen to tons of
music, eat vegan food, see shows, and skate. i had spent the week between
finals and going home alternating between hanging out with erin and hanging out
with the sweet life kids. the original plan was to hang out in columbus and
then return to pa along with erin to spend some quality time together in central
pa before saying our goodbyes. well, the best layed plans, to exploit another
cliche, sometimes go awry. erin's gargantuan tonsils demanded immediate
attention and i was faced with the ominous notion of an unexpected goodbye
looming in the near future. i spent my last day in columbus just kicking around
columbus with erin. i like this girl so much and i always find myself wanting to
make the time i spend with her epic, like something out of a movie. the rainy
sunday was slow and quiet, but still i found a clock
counting down in my head. the camera didn't zoom in, and the theme didn't
sound in the background. there was just a quiet, reluctant exceptance that
sometimes things aren't easy. i said goodbye to erin as her parents pulled up.
i went home where my housemates were providing a vegan feast: mushroom soup,
salad with feux creamy italian, mashed potatos, stuffed peppers, brown rice, and
a cake. sweet life indeed! we ate until stuffed and sat around by candlelight
after the power went out. christine and katelyn volunteered to drive me to the
airport to pick up tim. we had a sign and everything. christine ran to him and
embraced him as if they were long seperated lovers. tim was too lagged to
respond. the next day i finished loading the car and met with my computer
science buddy erin dean for a brief goodbye before starting the dreary six hour
drive back to pa.

hiking

columbus is flat. central pa is not. one of the things i miss most about
my hometown is the fact that the appalacian trail runs through the middle of
the village. its a popular spot for through hikers to have provisions mailed to
them, and some of the villagers even open their homes to some of the hikers for
a meal or a shower. i went on a brief walk through some woods and fields with
my mother. it was good to have some time alone with her and talk with her in a
way that just doesn't seem to be able to be reproduced in long distance phone
calls. i told her about my trip to scotland. she told me about her
job. the air was cold and clear and the view looked like a scene out of one of
the pasteural landscapes that i had seen in the gallery the day before. home
town scenary and mothers. the things that we take for granted.

old friends

it's always hard for me to get back in touch with kids from central pa. i'm
horrible at staying in touch amidst the turbulance of school and i feel like of
a bit of a jerk waltzing back into carlisle. its obviously no big deal, but i
just can't help but feel like a bit of a prodigal son. i would have
procrastinated the inevitable phone call by hanging out with tim, but he was in
minneapolis. so, i called patrick and we got together a couple of times and just
had some random fun: computers, home brewed car mp3 players and other nerdy
stuff; culture hacking; sushi; and watching skate videos. always a blast. i got
together with peter, went thrifting, watched some movies, and talked about books
and music. between peter and patrick, i always leave pa with a long list of
things to check out.

two days after christmas i finally got around to calling alicia. lucky
thing i did because she was going back to philly the next day. alicia is one of
the few people from good old boiling springs high school that i see with any
regularity anymore. we played in a band together and got into
trouble in high school before i went off to study computer science and she went
to study painting. we went to a new diner in carlisle where she gave me tips on
traveling in europe and we got kicked out to make room for customers who would
order more than coffee. what were we to do? the menu wasn't exactly vegan.
at least the big tip that alicia left might make them think twice in the future.
we went back to my house and listened to a cd of our old band. i copied some
music for her and we talked about school, music, our respective travels, and old
times.

media

i don't always have a whole lot of time at school so on break i try to cram
months of media consumption into a few days.

• one flew over the cukoos nest


• lawrence of arabia - brilliant, homosexual, and egomaniacal young soldier
  t.s.
  lawrence leads an army of arabs against the turks. epic desert camera shots and
  a great cast make for an interesting account of power, ambition, and fate.


• the manchurian candidate - i knew that frank sinatra was quite the crooner,
  but
  an actor? who would have thought it? i'm glad i stayed at home to watch this
  one with the folks. this chilling thriller about a comunist plot to use the far
  right to control the american government serves as a pointed metaphor for the
  gross political manipulation so prevalent in our culture. sinatra does a fine
  job, but better still is angela lansbury in a role that is the absolute
  antithesis of her murder she wrote persona.


• farenheit 451 - three words. read the book. the only thing that this film
  is
  good for is mystery science theatre fodder.


• evasion - this book isn't revolutionary. the idea of social change
  scavanged
  from a dumpster or pilfered from a strip mall is ridiculous. but what this book
  offers isn't so much a blueprent for revolution but its definitely a breath of
  fresh air. ideological inconsistancies be damned, those of us who feel
  suffocated by consumer culture can't help but root for the books anonymous
  protagonist. furthermore, this travel narrative falls firmly in the tradition
  previously established by writers numerous writers. however, it really shows how
  much america has changed since kerouac published the accounts of his travels.
  local color and americana have been replaced by homogenous strip-mall capitalism
  and the only way to gain any meaningful experience on the road is to engage in a
  no holds barred war against the encroachment of consumer culture.


• 9 stories - i was formerly familiar with only one of Salinger's works, The
  Catcher in the Rye. well, this collection of short stories is every bit as
  good as his famous novel. it features nine vignetttes of the seemingly mundane
  aspects of human life. however, Salinger manages to craft characters that can
  be both reprehensible and noble. he often uses children as characters which is
  a refreshing departure from the often hackneyed exchanges of adult characters.
  the nine short stories are quick reads and all of the are imensely enjoyable.
  

posted by geoff on 1/01/2002 03:01:44 AM
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