crude futures

Abandoned Book (PDF)

Les Plak, P.I.

"Like the detective, GUM Plak-Check seeks plaque and then highlights the nasty oral offender," explained Rick Gross, senior marketing manager for Sunstar Butler. "I think the new name and character personifies our new GUM Plak-Check brand. And besides, it's fun." —Dimensions of Dental Hygiene

Gregory Blackstock's The Great American Law-&-Order Procedure Signs—Color (2007)

Gregory Blackstock has a new solo show at Garde Rail Gallery in Seattle. Here's one of my favorite pieces from the show (click to enlarge):


Image courtesy of the artist and Garde Rail Gallery.

Gregory Blackstock's The Great American Law-&-Order Procedure Signs—B&W (2007)

Gregory Blackstock has a new solo show at Garde Rail Gallery in Seattle. Here's one of my favorite pieces from the show (click to enlarge):


Image courtesy of the artist and Garde Rail Gallery.

Kevin Shima's "Flowers Sex and Gold" (mp3)

In college I was given a mixtape featuring this Gene Wilder-sampling rock song:

"Flowers Sex and Gold" (mp3)

The singer/author, Kevin Shima, graduated from Indiana University in 1997, the year I 'triculated. A couple years after he solo-recorded this song, Shima co-founded and became lead singer and guitarist in a popular local band called Homunculus.


Kevin Shima on tour with Homunculus, 2003
Until tonight, I hadn't heard (or even thought about) "Flowers Sex and Gold" in six or seven years. Then, about an hour ago, the song came forcefully to mind. (Why? I'm just sitting here....)

These are my favorite lyrics:

...her brows connected like a caterpillar
crawling down her face.

Compare to:


Nina Katchadourian w/facial caterpillars, 2002
PS: "Upon moving to Athens [Ohio] in the fall of 2004, Shima decided to begin the next phase of his career in the form of Fokushima. Meaning "happy island" in Japanese, Fokushima is the Americanized spelling of Shima's unabbreviated last name before it was shortened when his ancestors moved to the United States from Japan." —Fokushima.com

Blowout

A couple years ago, The Believer published a series of four postcards by me. The postcards, which are sometimes used by Believer and McSweeney's staff for official business, were made available for purchase yesterday. If you like postcards, you might like this deal:

old political pictures I like to look at

I cut this woman out of a July 1992 Joel Stettenheim photo. He shot the photo at a pro-choice rally in Boston:



This 1988 watercolor by Franklin McMahon is titled Michael Dukakis Speaks to Senior Citizens on Valentine's Day:



Walter Mondale shakes hands with Rebecca Robot in this July 1984 Owen Franken photo:



"Reaganbusters" T-shirt at an October 27, 1984 "March to Evict Reagan" in Santa Barbara, CA. Photo by Jacques M. Chenet:



Walter Mondale and sweatshirt in Hartford, Connecticut on March 23, 1984. The sweatshirt slogan is an allusion to Wendy's "Where's the Beef?" ad campaign. Photo by Wally McNamee:



Surrounded by her family, Geraldine Ferraro concedes the 1984 presidential election. Photo by Robert Maass:



Al Gore concedes the Democratic presidential nomination to Mike Dukakis on April 19, 1988. Photo by Paul Kern:

Signature Emotion

Lunchtime phone photo

Corrugated BEEF JERKY carton scrap on Valencia Street in San Francisco: