Monthly Archives: July 2007

Podcast? What?

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Wow. It’s been months and months since I’ve done a podcast. Last one was October last year! Holy cow! For those few who still wonder about it and think back fondly to when I did them once a week, all I can is…I still plan on doing them. I love them so. Life has been ultra crazy for the last nine months, but I will indeed start them up again. I can’t say exactly when, but hopefully I can crank one out before a whole year passes.

I got a nice letter today:

Hi I’m Blizzard. My friend Xtoph and I love your show. Please keep doing them. We play your podcast as much as we play individual CD’s and Records. I’d love it if you played some UK Decay, (Old) Killing Joke, Southern Death Cult, Novocaine Mausoleum. Thanks. And please don’t stop the podcast. Your all that and a bag of chips.

Makes me smile.

I almost forgot! It’s Caturday!!

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My family is convinced that I’m going to end up the Old Cat Lady. I guess there’s worse ways to die. If I were alone and not about to move in with my delightful boyfriend, I’d probably agree.

If you go to Google Images and type in “Cutest Kitten Ever” this is what comes up first:

LSD Kitten Sees Inside Your Mind.

Looks a little stoned to me. Cute, but stoned. Actually, that’s the creepiest kitten ever. What’s wrong with it? Don’t stare into it’s eyes.

The Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Recycled

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In the continued effort to pack, go through things, and recycle, I finally started going through years of Dark Culture incoming press kit mailers – two bins worth. Well, I made it through one anyway. I was left with a bevy of old CD’s; some I wanted, some I didn’t need anymore. I was also left with a heap of empty business envelopes. I didn’t want to throw them out and contribute to the already out of control landfills, so I wondered…would anyone actually want these for something? Maybe. Either way, it was worth a shot.

Used Shipping Envelopes
Reply to: sale-373543908@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-07-14, 12:20AM PDT

Ok, this is gonna sound weird, but bear with me. I have a large stack of used shipping envelopes – the yellow kind. Some have bubble wrap, some don’t. I have all shapes and sizes. I run an online music magazine and these are the envelopes the CD’s for review came in. I’m cleaning house and finally got around to taking the CD’s and press kits out of the envelopes.

Yes, they’re used. I don’t know what to do with them and I hate to just throw them away filling up even more landfills. Can you use them for something? I don’t know, you could always re-use them – cover up the labels and tape the sides? I figure this is a long shot, but as they say: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. It’s worth a shot anyway.

If you want them, they’re yours. Email to pick up.

When I told my boyfriend, he laughed and asked if I really thought people would want used envelopes with writing and stamps on them. I didn’t know, but it didn’t seem to be a bad idea. People are increasingly becoming aware of the needs of the planet and that just about everything can be recycled. Why buy new when you can buy used?

Within the hour, I had two responses. Two. By today, I had 6 responses and two people telling me I was doing a good thing. I left them out on the porch for the first person and he picked them up. I feel pretty proud of myself. I’ll give myself a little pat on the back for this one. I could have just thrown them in the dumpster, but they are now on their way to secondary use. A minor triumph in the goal for a cleaner, happier Earth. Score one for me. I just goes to show that one man’s trash is indeed another man’s treasure. Or in this case, one woman’s trash.

I’m also amused by the fact that I’ve placed an old microwave and used Cosmetology books on Craigslist and haven’t had any bites. Free, used envelopes are this week’s hotness.

By the way, I’m left with dozens of old CD’s that have either been reviewed, are too old, or I just don’t want to bother with. I’ll be holding the third official Dark Culture Mystery Box Auction on eBay fairly soon. If you’re a fan of metal, industrial, and medieval music, this is the auction for you! Proceeds will be siphoned back into the site.

Cat Burglar

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Here’s a black cat story for Friday the 13th:

I found this link on Craigslist today that indicated a man was looking for his lost cat. Don’t ask me why I was looking through those. Bored, I guess. Oh wait, I should be packing. Nevermind.

Someone went into this man’s business and stole his cat. It was actually caught on tape. Call me naive, but why would someone steal a cat? Revenge? Dinner? Fur? Did this person just really like the cat?

http://www.findshenifer.com/pet-theft-los-angeles/index.html

Back to packing.

Green Scene

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I’ve been an environmentalist all my life. I remember hearing about Global Warming in elementary school and knew I had to do something about it. I was the first person on my block to recycle and remember how hard it was to get things recycled in my area. These days, it’s easier than ever. I try to live my life with a concern for the environment and my impact on the globe. I am, by no means, Ed Begley Jr., but I try. I do my best to lessen the impact, recycle all that I can, and try not to waste. I’m not a hippie, but I’m pretty close. I’ve always preached to my friends and family, but never really took on the role of activist. I figured, if you’re doing what you can, it’s better than nothing. Finding a balance between being cool and not a total hippie, I look for eco-friendly products, shop at the farmer’s market, only buy used leather (if I absolutely have to), don’t eat meat, hardly eat animal by-products, recycle everything I can, make my own cleaning products, and am always looking for ways to improve.

At the suggestion of my sister (who is more hippie than me), I started reading a blog called No Impact Man. This guy raises the bar by living completely impact free. It’s a year long experiment that, in our technological world, seems almost impossible. He’s giving it a go and actually seems healthier and happier. I’m not sure I could go completely impact free so I resolve myself to the fact that I do more than most.

I want to start sharing my insights and the ideas I find or utilize. I think about this all the time and figure…other people might want to know about it too. Maybe?

I’m packing my apartment to move today and faced with the problem of getting rid of things. What do I do with them? Donate, sell, dump? Well, not dump. Anything worthwhile will be put on Craigslist for free or cheap – I’ll post links as they arise. Anything less worthy will be donated to the Salvation Army. Other items need more creative homes. One such item is my old cell phone. I hate to add to the overwhelming piles of techo-garbage, so I’ve opted to donate it to a charity that collects old cell phones, refurbishes them in an eco-friendly manner, sells them, and then gives the money to worthy causes. Sounds nice huh?

You might be amazed to learn that just about every cell phone outlet collects old cell phones for donation. I also found a website titled “Wireless Recycling” by a company called ReCellular Inc.. It helps you find donation spots for drop off and allows you to choose a good cause to help out. I found one locally that collects old cell phones, sells them off, and spends the money on calling cards for soldiers overseas so they can call home. That’s nice. I like that idea. I hate the war, but I absolutely support the soldiers. Even the smallest donation helps. No, I really like this idea. I think I’m doing to start a used cell phone drive. Have you got one you’d like to donate? If you’re local, you can drop it off yourself or mail it to me and I’ll drop it off for you.

Dark Culture Magazine
c/o Cell Phone Drive
P.O. Box 70112
Pasadena, CA 91107
or

Cell Phones for Soldiers
LIB10926
1308 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena CA 91106 US
Phone: (626) 793-2360

http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/

The great thing about charity is that it has the awesome by-product of feeling good about yourself. I feel good. I want to talk to the people at work about starting a drive there, as well. I’ll keep you updated on my progress as it progresses.