"i'm the fort knox of secrets"

The Presidential elections are coming up, so I guess I better put my two cents in. I am not in any position to tell anyone how to vote, people should vote their conscience, and that’s a personal choice. Nor do I know for sure if voting really even counts for anything (remember what happened in 2000?); the jury is still out on that one. What I do know is that things are wrong and stuff is broken, and something has got to change, radically and thoroughly. We need a revamping. A complete overhaul.

It was Noam Chomsky who said, “the United States effectively has a one-party system, the business party, with two factions, Republicans and Democrats.”

I have never considered myself a member of any specific political party. And like many people (perhaps even most people), I am tired of this corporate duoply. Personally, I believe that if votes are going to be cast, they should be cast for independent candidates. Unless you whole-heartedly believe in what either the Democrats or the Republicans stand for, don’t vote for them. Why perpetuate this sick and sorry tradition of voting for the lesser of two evils? I wouldn’t be able to feel good about myself if I voted for someone who I didn’t fully believe in under the premise that, well, at least he/she is better than the alternative. Vote your conscience. Take pride in your decision. Stand up for your beliefs, and don’t back down. Don’t settle.

This country will never have a viable third party (or a second party if you consider what Chomsky said), if people don’t first begin to cast their votes for independent candidates. Consider this, if all you watch, listen to or read is mainstream news, you would most likely never know that there are actually several other candidates running for President besides just ObaMcCain. The corporations have taken over, and the Republicrats (aka Kleptocrats) are fully entrenched in the corporate army. It’s time for something different, don’t you think?

A few demands:

-Kick the crooks out of Washington.

-Reverse gangster capitalism.

-Give the people the power that the Constitution guarantees them.

-Smash the corporate duopoly.

“A vote cast for a Republican or a Democrat is a wasted vote because it ensures that nothing will change.” –Bob Barr, Libertarian Presidential Candidate

"don't sink the boat that you built to keep afloat"

I read an awesome zine recently that I highly recommend. It's called Painting Over a Dead End City #1. There is lots of great stuff in it, like thoughts on the idea about how anarchism isn't so much about overthrowing government but outgrowing it and how girls can be pirates, too. But there was one thing that stood out to me the most - something that I can really relate to. Here is a quote:

"Social anxiety and community organizing are such a clumsy mix. I want to be a good ally to so many people and organizations working for equality, but my attempts at building community sometimes seem quite ridiculous when I'm fearful of things like calling even my good friends."

I want to be a part of the brave new world, fighting for justice and building community, but I too, am thwarted by my extreme introversion. It's a contradiction to say the very least. This has become all too evident now that I have been made president of the Soil Stewards Organic Farming Club. It has been incredibly taxing for me. I do just fine when all I have to do is volunteer a few hours of my time working on the farm or setting up and taking down our table for different events, but put me in charge and in the spotlight and all of my weaknesses come shining through quite vividly. The good thing is that the Soil Stewards are mostly made up of socially awkward folks (which is part of the reason why I fit in with them so well), still I find myself exhausted at the end of the day, not physically (or even mentally, really) but emotionally. Being the guy in charge is draining, and I'm just not cut out for it. So, I have to admit that I felt encouraged when I read Nicki's zine and was reminded that I'm not the only one. Therefore, I'll keep fighting the good fight, because it's worth it. Meanwhile, you should see if you can get a copy of her zine by sending a buck or something to:
Nicki S., PO Box 1122, Spokane WA 99210

Have you heard of a band called Fleet Foxes? They have an amazing album out that is definitely worth a listen. If you like My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses, I'm sure you'll like Fleet Foxes. Look them up. Their music will move you.

Also, I've been listening to The Mountain Goats a lot lately. I don't know why. I guess it's just that time of year.

"that's not music you hear, that's the devil
that's not the sun up in the sky, it's a human heart"
--The Mountain Goats

Do you like the gray, or should I go back to the green?

"young hearts should explode from all the lies they've been told"

The Juniper: Summer 2008
Originally uploaded by juniperbug

I finished the summer supplement of The Juniper #10, just like I promised I would. It's mostly pictures - kind of like a picture diary. It just shows what I've been up to this summer. You should get yourself a copy. Just send a stamp or a nice letter or some sort of trade to me:
Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843
USA

Also, I am back on the air again. A new semester is in full swing, which means a new schedule of radio shows at the student radio station (KUOI 89.3 FM). My show is called The Vegetable Patch, and it airs every Tuesday morning (until the end of this semester) from 6-8:30am pacific time. You can listen online at www.kuoi.org

I gave myself a paper cut today trying to open the envelope that held the brand new issue of Zine World. Consider that a plug for one of the best zine review zines around. (Plus they said that I am friendly and unpretentious. At least somebody thinks so.)

Okay, that's all.

"if i could get anything done, maybe i'd hold still"

I read a lot, but I don't read books much. I read zines. However, recently something came over me, and I decided to read a book. And I even read it in less than a month (the last book I read took me at least a year to finish). It was pretty short though, but who's keeping track?
The book I read is called Biodiesel Power by Lyle Estill. In it, Lyle talks passionately about his experience with the biodiesel movement and community. He began as a backyard brewer and evolved into the founder of a biodiesel co-op (called Piedmont Biofuels) and a prominent voice for the biofuels industry. Certainly biofuels are not without controversy, especially these days with all of the handouts and subsidies offered by our current administration to Big Agriculture and Big Oil for their participation in biofuels (and of course the moral dilema of using farmland to grow fuel instead of food), but Lyle understands sustainability, and his passion for biodiesel is rooted in that. That's what makes his views so intriguing and relevant. I highly recommend this book and will soon be reading Lyle's other book, Small is Possible, which I'm sure will be just as good, if not better.

A quote from the final chapter:
"Biodiesel is great fun. It's empowering. Nothing feels better than tooling down the highway with the knowledge that you are free. Free of Chevron. Free of Mobil. Free of George Bush. Free of the Saudis. Free of the whole sorry lot. I realize full well that hydrogen is the place to be, but I'm stuck on vegetable oil. It's here now. It works. It's renewable. It's sustainable. It smells good. It creates jobs in the United States. And there is no war required to get it."

Bonus quote:
"I find myself unwilling to abide sheer stupidity."

Also, check out Lyle's Energy Blog.

"girls have those eyes that will cut you to ribbons sometimes"

The last list of the month. It's another small one.

The 5 DVDs at the Top of My Netflix Queue
1. Trailer Park Boys, Seasons 1 & 2 Disc 3
2. Dan in Real Life
3. Undertow
4. Noam Chomsky: Distorted Morality
5. Batman: Gotham Knight

A radio show/podcast recommendation especially for you: Destination DIY
Check it out for sure. The latest episode is about urban farming.

Fall semester has begun. Is summer really coming to an end? I guess Donald Draper was right. That's a bummer.

"how can i convince you it's me i don't like"

This week's list is a short one, but I don't want to hear any complaining or I'll take away your driving privileges.

Top Five Clubs That I Must See A Show In Before I Die (in no particular order)
-40 Watt Club in Athens, GA
-924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, CA
-ABC No Rio in New York City, NY
-Emo's in Austin, TX
-Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR

CBGB in NYC would of course be on this list if it hadn't closed down a couple years ago. I'm sure there are lots of others that I could add, but my mind is blank right now.

"I've got one hand on the wheel
the other's out the window
with a smile on my face
my middle finger's up."
-Less Than Jake

"i'm trying to find creative ways to keep my head out of the noose"

This week's list:

Complete Albums That I Have Listened To Since Last Tuesday (8/5)
-Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - s/t
-Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
-Animal Collective - Feels
-Stephen Malkmus + The Jicks - Pig Lib
-Blonde Redhead - Fake Can Be Just As Real
-Free Kitten - Inherit
-The Sissies - Look Back and Laugh
-Rosa - I Mississippi You
-J Church - One Mississippi
-Radiohead - Hail to the Theif
-Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
-Brandtson - Send Us a Signal

"I can drink myself to sleep
and hopefully forget to breath
I hate what I've done to my life."
-J Church

"1960, I am so over you."

Didn't I say something about posting a weekly list here on this blog? I'm pretty sure I did.

Things That I Harvested From My Garden This Week (8/5 - 8/9)
-Spearmint
-Mache (aka corn salad or lamb's lettuce)
-Onion
-Rosemary
-Lettuce
-Carrots
-Arugula (aka Rocket)
-Summer Savory
-Lemon Balm
-Korean Mint

Does urban/suburban farming interest you? Even if it doesn't, you should still check out this video. It's all about growing your own food, which is possible even if you live in an urban setting (and even if you are a renter). I like the guy's opinions about cohabiting with the insects and seed-saving. Something else you should check out is a documentary called The End of Suburbia. Perhaps you can find it at your local library or video store.

Also, a post on livejournal brought to my attention a little website called Zine Classifieds. I haven't posted anything on it yet, but it may be of interest to you.

"I know people say life goes on, and it does. But no one tells you that's not a good thing." -Betty Draper on Mad Men

"i wanna be jackie onassis. i wanna wear a pair of dark sunglasses."

People were posting these lists on facebook, and so I figured I had to do one, too. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. But then it gave me this idea: since I like making lists and today is the first day of a new month, I am going to post a new list on here for each week of this month. They won't all be so long (in fact, they will be considerably shorter), and they will all have different themes. Just something to waste your time with, because that's all the internet seems to be for these days anyway.

101 Things You Probably Could Have Guessed About Me

1. I like to make lists.
2. I am fascinated by bugs.
3. I have been doing zines for eleven years and have made more than 50 of them.
4. I very rarely get bored.
5. I wish that I could be a nomad, but I’m not cut out for it.
6. I don’t like to drive.
7. I’ve been playing guitar for more than 13 years and I still suck.
8. I’ve been skateboarding for almost 13 years and I still suck.
9. I have several dozen pen pals (I don’t really want to take the time to figure out the exact number).
10. I’m a vegetarian…except when I eat the fish that I catch myself.
11. I like to keep secrets.
12. I like wearing glasses. I prefer them to contacts.
13. On that note…I’m attracted to girls who wear glasses.
14. I probably don’t trust you.
15. I was in a punk band back in the day. I will be in a punk band again someday.
16. My career goal is to be a rooftop gardener.
17. I am a fierce independent and a defiant individualist.
18. I think that celebrity crushes are lame, but I still have a few.
19. I probably don’t believe you.
20. I am rarely lonely alone.
21. I am not in love.
22. I am obsessed with the numbers seven and eleven.
23. I am rarely without a pen and paper in my pocket, and when I am, I feel unprepared.
24. I taught myself how to screenprint.
25. I wish that I could hibernate in the winter.
26. I have a mumbling problem and my voice is too quite.
27. I could probably sing better if my voice were louder.
28. I don’t like lima beans.
29. My brothers are my best friends.
30. I used to hate Idaho; now I think it’s an okay place (but Rigby can still burn in hell).
31. My favorite kind of music is punk rock, and my favorite band is Sonic Youth.
32. I have a goal to ride my bike across an entire state…I’d prefer it to be one of the larger states so that I don’t look like a total wimp (even though I am).
33. I have often thought that marriage is weird…but at least it means fewer taxes.
34. I refuse to have a pet (dog, cat, whatever) until I know for sure that I can give it the time that it requires and deserves.
35. I had three dogs when I was a kid, and they all had to be given away for various reasons.
36. I named my first dog, Buck, after the dog in the book, The Call of the Wild.
37. I am addicted to sugar.
38. I once went a whole year without drinking any soda, and then when I drank it again it made me sick.
39. I wish that I could remember what it feels like to have a lasting crush on someone.
40. I love being a bachelor.
41. For a long time, I was intimidated by comic books; now, I can’t get enough of them.
42. My new favorite comic book hero is the Blue Beetle.
43. I am not a group conversationalist.
44. I feel the most alive when I am either on my bike or my skateboard.
45. It takes me forever to write papers for school because I agonize so much about word placement and sentence structure. It is taking me forever to write this list for that same reason.
46. I became obsessed with baseball on my ninth birthday.
47. I used to shoplift incessantly, and sometimes I wish that I still did.
48. My brothers and friends got caught shoplifting, but I didn’t.
49. I like to stay up late and wake up early…sleep is for wimps.
50. I wish that humans didn’t have to sleep.
51. I think that I would make a pretty good spy.
52. I am trying to make my first batch of compost. It’s going pretty well.
53. My mom thinks that I’d be happier if I were married. (See number 40.)
54. I hate spitting, but for some reason, I spit a lot when I am riding my bike.
55. Commas, are an, over-used, punctuation.
56. I have probably judged you unfairly.
57. I enjoy washing dishes.
58. I love cooking, but I don’t like cooking for other people.
59. I consider myself a luddite, but in many ways I am also technophile.
60. When I lived at home with my family, I spent a large amount of my time alone in my room even when everyone else was busy doing things together (and by “doing things together” I mean watching TV).
61. I am the king of awkwardness.
62. I am very self-aware.
63. My favorite kinds of movies are indie dramas and comedies
64. I rarely read fiction, but I would like to start writing fiction again someday.
65. I am working on a concept album (but I say that mostly to make myself sound cool).
66. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
67. I find little things funny that most other people don’t, so when I am laughing at something, it’s difficult to explain why.
68. I am much more eloquent in my head than I am in conversation.
69. I am much more eloquent on paper but still not as eloquent as I am in my head.
70. I started writing my memoirs, but gave up.
71. I want to hitchhike someday.
72. I can tell you which copy machine in town makes the best copies.
73. I wish that I wasn’t so selfish.
74. I know that I said I like making lists, but I am getting tired of making this one.
75. I used to pretend to like things just so that people would like me.
76. I still think a lot about the girl that I had a crush on in junior high.
77. I love watching/listening to/reading the news.
78. I consider myself a closet socialist…decentralized socialism, that is.
79. I don’t own a pair of jeans because I don’t like wearing them.
80. I rarely wear shorts and I rarely go sockless (which apparently makes my brother uncomfortable).
81. I only like swimming occasionally and not for very long.
82. I almost drowned in a river when I was a little kid. My dad and grandpa saved my life. I think that’s why I hate being under water.
83. My favorite book when I was a kid was, My Side of the Mountain, and so I tried to find reasons to run away and live by myself in the woods.
84. I’m terrible at giving compliments.
85. I’m not as good a listener as some people think I am, but I’m working on it.
86. I used to think that I’d be dead at thirty; now, I’m sure that I will live into my nineties.
87. I love simplicity and minimalism.
88. I am torn between wanting to live in a big city and wanting to live in a small town.
89. There is music in my head constantly.
90. I wanted to major in communications but I was too scared/intimidated, so I chose horticulture.
91. I often feel cosmically misplaced, like I was meant for another time and place but was accidentally put in this time and place (unfortunately).
92. I’m very keen on expanding my vocabulary.
93. You make me nervous.
94. I think that confidence is a very attractive trait.
95. I have two bum knees.
96. I wish that I lived by the ocean.
97. One of the best things about living with my parents was that I could play my guitar as loud as I wanted to and no one cared.
98. I think that Northern California should be its own state.
99. I hate commercials and I hate how they are usually louder than the TV programs.
100. I want to be in a New York City noise band.
101. I’m over it.

"burn out switch is hit...instant meltdown...freak fry the ghost town"

Punkman Comic
Originally uploaded by juniperbug

I have awesome friends who do awesome things:

My friend, Maaike, here in Moscow (Idaho) just put out a full color comic called Punkman. It's a fictional story with a conscience, and the main character is based on me. (I should say loosely, but I would also like to believe that I really am as cool as Punkman [even though I know I'm not]...so, I'm torn.) You can order a copy for yourself from either me (Dan M., Po Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843 USA) or Maaike D. (PO Box 8891, Moscow ID 83843 USA). The cost is two dollars or equal trade.

Another friend, Chelsea, in Portland OR just informed me that she recently started a blog called, Flavor Vegan, on which she is sharing her vast knowledge about cooking vegan food. And trust me, her knowledge really is vast. She develops her own recipes and cooks like a pro. Her blog includes tips, recipes, etc. and is definitely worth checking out.

As a side note:
The new Free Kitten album, Inherit, is incredibly awesome and totally worth the eleven year wait. Listen to it soon, please. Your mind will be blown.

"Yeah, I'll always be your friend...
at least just till the end."
-thurston moore ("Fri/end")

"with every broken heart, we should become more adventurous"

Today is the fourth of July. The only thing that really means to me is that summer break is half over. School will be starting up again in about a month and half. Make the most of it, eh?

I finished reading another travel zine. It also happened to be about a trip to Europe. (I'm noticing a theme here.) Sarah Contrary went on a three month bike tour or Europe, alone. She wrote about it in Glossolalia #8. I bought this zine almost two years ago at Reading Frenzy in Portland, Oregon. It has taken me this long to finally read it. I have read past issues of Glossolalia, and they were great. This issue was no exception.

A coupla qoutes:
"[In France,] people always asked me if I was anything but American. They asked me if I was Italian or Spanish or British or even German. I don't know if they really thought that or if maybe it is just such a horrific insult to mistake someone for an American that no one will ever venture to ask unless you offer. When I said I was American, I always made sure to look sheepish. As long as I made it clear that I was enormously embarrassed by my country of origin, no one ever gave me a hard time, but every person I talked to for more than five minutes wanted to know why we drive such big cars."

"Sometimes it's hard to realize that no matter how hard you push yourself, there are some things you'll never be."

-You should read an issue of Glossolalia. It will inspire you to want to go on a bicycle trip. I get more excited about the idea with each issue that I read. GO BY BIKE!
-I also want to be in a New York City noise band. I even have a band name picked out and everything.
-Note to self: you are the king of awkwardness.
-This internet stuff is weird. Seriously.

"You say I choose sadness,
that it never once has chosen me,
maybe you're right."
-rilo kiley

"i'll love you forever if i ever love at all"

During the summer, I try to get caught up on my zine reading. I don't think it's humanly possible to ever get caught up though, but I do what I can.
Recently I finished reading two zines that were somewhat similar in content. They were, for the most part, travel zines, and they both included trips to Europe. They have both been around for quite a while I guess. I'm glad that I finally got around to reading them, because they were both totally worth reading. They were:
-America? #14 by Travis F.
-Dream Whip #14 by Bill B.

Here are a few quotes from Dream Whip:
"In Austin, it was impossible to go on a simple errand without falling in love. Every time I mailed a letter, or went to buy a loaf of bread, I'd wind up with a broken heart." (pg. 32-33)
"The Berlin train pulls confidently out of Rotterdam's central station and speeds forward with a kind of assurance I can only dream of having. Me and my hesitant forward motion. Always shuffling and second-guessing." (pg. 165)
"For the first time in a couple months, my passport matches the country I'm coming into. 'Citizenship?' the border cop asks. 'American,' I say. 'Unfortunately,' I want to add, but I don't. I don't mention that I feel more like a dual citizen: American by birth, but Unamerican by inclination." (pg. 244-245)
"While I eat my ice cream, I think about happiness. How it's always temporary and unpredictable, and how most of the time, you don't even recognize it till later, when you're far away from it. Sadness sticks around. It's like your most reliable friend. You can be yourself around sadness. It'll drive across the country with you and it won't complain if the food is bad or if the motel has roaches. But happiness is a different story. It's always ditching you. Leaving you stuck with the bill. There's no one you'd rather spend your time with, and happiness knows it." (pg. 251-252)

Oh, and just like I promised, I added more links.

"it's not pretty, i know...but still, this is who i'll always be"

Stranger things have happened, but on June 10, 2008, it snowed in Moscow, Idaho. What the...? I can only wait for so long for summer to come, and then I may be forced to take drastic actions. I haven't decided what those drastic actions will be yet, but trust me, they will be drastic.

After sending zines to Wyoming and Oklahoma, I am down to my last three states, and then my Elephant Mess U.S. Takeover will be complete. The last three states are: North Dakota, South Carolina and Mississippi. 2009 could be the year that Elephant Mess rules the Western world...or not.

My friend, Maaike, is selling her sock monkeys; plus she has an awesome zine called The Sixth Minky. I have added a link to her blog in my links section, so check it out. I plan on adding more links to my links section in the near future (maybe), so be in touch.

"Bothell is beautiful in the fall
Days of my youth were not so long ago
I learned things here that some men never see
The lucky ones know exactly what I mean."
-Rocky Votolato

Oh yeah...I turned thirty.

"the devil didn't make me do it...you did"

The Juniper #10
Originally uploaded by juniperbug

Um...I guess it's been done for a couple of weeks now, but I have just been slow to tell you. Either way, The Juniper #10 is out now and ready to be disseminated. It's a short read, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I wrote about food preservation, critical mass, food not bombs, etc. Plus I included a recipe for seitan which you should really try. You know the deal: stamp by mail or free in person. I also enjoy trades, but this issue is pretty small, so if you do send a trade, I can pretty much guarentee you that I'll be getting a better deal than you will.
Send your stamp (or trade or even just a friendly letter) to:
Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843
USA
Contact me if you are interested in helping me with distribution: juniperjournal@hotmail.com

"let it go...the damage in your heart"

I was going to blog about something, but then I forgot.

I was also going to blog about this:
I was on vacation visiting my family. I read a zine that I really liked. It's called Hip Hop Don't Stop. If you have never read an issue of said zine, you are missing out. Tyler's zine is awesome, and it just keeps getting better with each issue (he's up to issue #7). Tyler has graduated college and is adjusting to "the real world." His thoughts and observations about and inspired by such things are intriguing. Tyler is a guy I can relate to, and when I read his words I feel like I'm having a conversation with my brother or a good friend. Oh...but don't steal Tyler's yooper scooper, or else he'll be PISSED.

If I ever remember what I was going to blog about, I'll let you know.

"one more loss in a losing life
doesn't hurt so bad, anymore"
-weezer

"american flags are haunting the fortunate sons"

Spring is in full swing. New zines are in the works. The garden is nearly planted. The farm is sure to be a success. No one is twitterpated...because love is a myth.

Two new zines have been added to the Carrot Row Mail Order catalog:
Dimanche #5 - Sabrina offers a plethora of recipes and food tips, recommends restaurants, survives a tooth extraction, sings praises to cookies and cupcakes, and gives updates about her young son. $2.
Dumpsterland #11 - Not a new zine, but a definite classic. Dave writes about dumpster diving, the evils of the trash compactor, composting both your crap and your food and yard waste, a DIY pressure cooker, and more. All from a hobo-punk perspective. $1.

dan murphy
po box 3154
moscow id 83843
usa

Have you seen the movie, Rocket Science? It's incredible. Hal Hefner is one of my new heroes. We are all so messed up. Hallelujah.

"to find someone you love, you've gotta be someone you love"

Another semester down! Only two more to go, and I am out of this Idaho-hole.
Do you know what this means? It means that summer is here...prematurely. I get to start working 40 hours a week, but more importantly I get to start gardening/farming and I don't have to worry about classes and schoolwork for three plus months. I can read whatever I want, which means that I hope to get caught up on my zine reading and zine writing. I will keep you posted on such things. It shouldn't take me too long to finish the tenth issue of The Juniper, and then after that, the twentieth issue of Elephant Mess. Just in time for me to turn thirty. 10. 20. 30. The planets must be aligned. Get in touch soon. I miss you. This warm weather has me feeling less empty. More hopeful, in other words. More posts are fast approaching. Stay tuned.

"i spend all my energy staying upright."
-nada surf

"i heard from someone you're still pretty"

Hello earthlings: Happy Earth Day!
Did you save the planet, yet? Or is it too late? Calamity is sure to ensue, but hopefully we can soften the blow somehow.

Here is something for you to check out. If I had the National Geographic Channel, I would watch this. Instead, I am going to have to watch it on DVD. I hope that you will watch it, too.

Also, I have finally added some links. Check those out, too. I will add more later when I'm a little less busy.

"Where in hell can you go?
Far from the things that you know,
Far from the sprawl of concrete that keeps crawling its way
About a thousand miles a day."
-Natalie Merchant

Human Footprint.

"my heart's an autoclave"

Remember a while back when I was posting here every time I read a zine? That was weird.

Over a year ago, I received a zine in the mail called Phases of the Moon #2: I'm ready to grow young again. It's written by Ms. Skeleton Key. It has sat around in my apartment all this time, and now I finally got around to reading it. It was about time.

Ms. Skeleton Key's zine is awesome. Even though her story is much different from mine, I found so many things in her words that I could relate to. Much of what she wrote was just what I needed to hear right now. How serendipitous. Here is a random quote:

"This is a year of yesses (sic), and I speak in absolutes."

Is winter over, yet?

"I am this great, unstable mass of blood and foam
and no one in her right mind would make my home her home."
-The Mountain Goats

"i know it's hard when we sell plasma to pay for dinner"

Some things:

-Baseball is back.
-Winter is still here.
-My hands are chronically dry.
-I am not the enabler, but I am the procrastinator.
-I am subscribed to the votenader.org emails. Look at the one I got today; It's right on.

"You have to wonder about self-proclaimed 'progressives.'

Take Matthew Rothschild, for example.

He's a self-proclaimed progressive.

He's the editor of the so-called Progressive Magazine.

He has written an editorial in the current issue (April 2008) of the magazine titled 'Don't Worry About Ralph.'

In it, Rothschild claims that 'to the extent that there is anything like a progressive movement going on right now, it is foursquare behind Obama.'

Rothschild must be plugged in.

The question is - to what?

Nader/Gonzalez have put together a campaign to push for public health insurance (single-payer), to cut the bloated, wasteful military budget, to reverse U.S. policy in the Middle East, to take nuclear power off the table and to put solar energy on the table, to repeal the anti-union Taft-Hartley law, and to impeach Bush/Cheney.

Obama stands with Clinton and McCain against Nader/Gonzalez on all of these.

Rothschild says he barely knows 'anyone who has voted for Nader in the past who will vote for him this time.'

That's because Rothschild is living in his little viral liberal bubble - where the anti-Nader virus has taken hold and won't let go.

Visit our website and you will meet voters from all across America - from outside the little viral liberal bubble in which Rothschild is ensconced - who stand foursquare behind Nader/Gonzalez.

They are voting with their donations of hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Nader/Gonazlez democracy agenda.

They are voting with their feet - collecting signatures all across the country to get Nader/Gonzalez on the ballot.

And they are voting with their writing to respond to viral liberals like Rothschild.

It doesn't matter that you call yourself a progressive, Matt, or that you call your magazine The Progressive.

You are not progressive.

And your magazine is not progressive.

You are supporting the corporate Democrats.

Therefore, you are a corporate Democrat.

Stop deceiving the public.

Onward

The Nader Team"

Ralph Nader tells it like it is even if it means that some people (and potentially lots of people) aren't going to like him for it. Even if you don't agree with him, you have to admit that he's got balls. Politicians that are running for office typically just tell people what they want to hear. Ralph Nader goes against the grain, and he doesn't back down. I admire him for that.

That's it for now...
More later.

"i wonder if i could tie the ocean to your knees"

Last week was my spring break. Yeah, I know, what kind of sense does that make? It's not even officially spring, yet. Plus, it mostly just rained, snowed and hailed the whole time. Oh well, who cares? All I really did was work. But I did manage to read a few zines:

-Will You Marry Me...!? vol. 2, issue 1
-Blah Blah Blah vol. 3, issue 4
-Cuddle Puddles & Hot Pants #1
-Encycro-pedia 2006
-Sassyfrass Circus #1/Hobo's Lullaby Radio Opry!
-Blah Blah Blah vol. 3, issue 5
-Paste-eater #2
-Echo Echo! #5

Here is a quote from Echo Echo! #5: "I wish I could still smile without caring what it cost. I wish I could peel myself visible again."

Some other things:
-If you haven't watched The Story of Stuff yet, you really should. It's only 20 minutes long.
-I made quinoa sprouts.
-I planted some seeds indoors.
-I dug up the rest of the carrots in my garden.
-I watched a three hour long documentary about Noam Chomsky. He's the man. (I also watched a movie about The Queers. Up the punx.)
-I'm going to be an uncle for the 12th time.
-I sliced my thumb wide open in plant propagation lab, so I couldn't play my guitar at all during spring break. Lame.
-I wish I had the dreamy voice of Rocky Votolato and the mad chops of Thurston Moore.
-Apparently, I'm an introvert. But was that ever really a mystery?

"I'm living in lack of the blood sent from your heartbeat that arrived in your neck every time I salivated over you." -Alkaline Trio

"note to self: no one cares"

Greetings Earthlings.

If you have 20 spare minutes, you should spend it watching The Story of Stuff. If you don't have 20 spare minutes, you should still watch The Story of Stuff.

I've been thinking a lot about waste lately. Garbage waste, wasted money, wasted resources, wasted time, wasted lives. Even though I have long considered myself fairly eco-friendly and eco-conscious, I still recognize that I waste much more than my fair share and I am still part of an ugly consumerism machine that keeps barreling forward at breakneck speed, intent on bringing civilization to an early grave. Yet, we are all manning this machine. We all play a small part in it. So, by default we are all committing cultural suicide. The process is just slow. But now that so many of our natural resources have either reached or passed the peak of their availability, a mass collapse is practically inevitable.

I am a doomsayer, I know. Let's hope that I'm wrong. Let's hope that the scientists and all of their models are wrong. But mostly, let's pledge to make a dramatic shift in our lifestyles. Let's be done with waste. And let's live. Authentically, naturally and sustainably.


Please watch The Story of Stuff.

"Are the punks still singing the same songs?"

You may already know this, but I run a little zine distro called Carrot Row. It's been a while since I last posted a complete list of the zines that I carry. I made a little catalog last summer, but even that is outdated by now. I have several new zines - the very latest of which are Resist #46, Greasespot #3.5 & #4, The Art and Science of Billboard Improvement, and Seattle DIY. Also, I have lowered the price on the CROQ zines. There are (hopefully) more additions on the way. If you have a zine that you'd like me to carry, send it my way. I'm mostly looking for zines that deal with topics such as gardening, bike riding, homesteading, DIY living, crafting, cooking, camping, dumpster diving, foraging, food issues, and living the slow life.

Carrot Row Mail Order

The Art & Science of Billboard Improvement – “A guide to the alteration of outdoor advertising.” Selecting, planning and carrying out billboard alterations without getting caught. $1.

Agriculture Biotechnology zine – “Greens, genes, and in betweens.” Lara’s zine about biotechnology/genetic engineering. Everything you ever wanted to know about GMO’s, and why you should be concerned about them. Essential reading for anyone who eats food. Free, but maybe send a stamp or two.

Axis of Evil Banquet – “An intersection of recipes and politics.” Write-ups and recipes aiming to humanize the countries that the Bush Administration considers “The Axis of Evil.” Venezuela is also included. Worth $2.

CROQ #4 – Zine for the craft revolution. This issue: camp cooking, zine making, dandelion eating, parenting, unschooling, dyeing, Victorian era crafting, intellectual property protecting, etc, etc. For the reduced price of $3.

CROQ #5 – Bulb forcing, compost tea brewing, convenience food vegan-izing, DIY moving, zine library creating, craft burnout avoiding, homeschooling, exercising, time capsule-ing, 70’s crafting, self-publishing, retail shop opening, etc, etc. Also for the reduced price of $3.

EnvironMENTAL Imp Pack! #1 – Maaike’s zine about the why’s and how’s of reducing, re-using and recycling. Ten ways to go green, plus lots of other tips and resources offered. Includes a sticker and pin for a mere $2.

EnvironMENTAL Imp Pack! #2 – Maaike’s zine about food politics. Buying local and/or organic food. Buying fair trade products. Tips for shopping at farmer’s markets. Plus info on “unshopping” and sustainability. Lots of facts and resources. Educate yourself for $1.

Farmer’s Daughter #2 – A farm zine written by a farm girl. This issue focuses mainly on cows: facts, breeds (including color illustrations), milking, milk products, manure. There is also an article on urban sprawl, plus some recipes and book and zine reviews. All for just $1.

Greasespot #3.5 – Stream of consciousness mini-zine. Writing about zine making, tabling at events, and playing punk rock hangman. Also, some artwork with explanations. On green paper for 50 cents or a stamp.

Greasespot #4 – Punk rock stories from Texan punk rockers. Stories about being a pizza delivery punk, a trip to California, lost glasses, and a bomb threat at a high school. Lots more stories, too. Plus how to play a game called Botch and an awesome comic featuring the lyrics to an MTX song. $3.

Resist #46 – One of my favorite zines is back! Matte writes about riding his bike, working in his garden, seed saving, parenting, coffee, building a bike trailer, and much more. Fat zine for $3.

Seattle DIY – Your complete guide to all things punk rock in Seattle. Cheap living, transportation, local laws, book and record stores, restaurants, venues, parks, thrift stores and more. Listings are conveniently divided by neighborhood. It doesn’t matter if you don’t live in Seattle or whether or not you’ll ever visit Seattle, reading this will inspire you to create something similar in your area. $2.

Spat Back #3 - Emma’s little DIY punk zine. Make a bag out of old pants. Make your own stencils. Plus some personal writings about being a female in punk, rediscovering punk, and self-education. Only 50 cents.

Take it – It’s My Body (A Final Compilation) – “A zine about fighting fat hatred in life, in the world.” Chelsea’s zine about fat acceptance, fatphobia, size-ism, and body image. A compilation of new and old writing. It’s a fat revolution for $3.

Juniperbug Productions

(These are the zines that I make.)

Brown Rot – Political zine for armchair activists. Back after a long hiatus. New issue in the works (maybe). $1 for latest issue.

Elephant Mess – Perzine for family geeks. The cryptic words of a self-saboteur. Ten plus years running. $1 for latest issue (back issues available).

The Juniper – Biannual zine about living the slow life. Farming/gardening, bike riding, food politics, sustainable living. Stamp for latest issue (back issues available).

I also have a few patches and other things that I make. I will post pictures and a listing later. When ordering multiple items, please add a couple stamps or a dollar or two to help with shipping. Go DIY!

Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843
messyelephant@hotmail.com

"Are you restless like me?" - against me!

"the winter is taking my life"

Datsun in the Snow
Originally uploaded by juniperbug

We had a big snowstorm last week. The snow almost buried my little truck (as you can see). The storm was so bad that the University was even canceled for two days.
Plus, I am sick with a cold now, and that is also winter's fault.

"I played a song so sweet/it brought winter to its knees/and froze us over." -- bloom igby bloom

"you won't catch me behind the wheel of a chrysler ever again"

Today was the first day of spring semester. So, that means that winter break is over. That's too bad because I was really enjoying the break from school, and I didn't really get as much done as I had hoped. I did get a lot of zines read though. Here is a list for you:

-Keep Loving, Keep Fighting #7 / I Hate This Part of Texas #7 (split zine)
-Trabant #3
-Kissoff #12
-[list] #11
-A Million Birthdays #7
-Take It - It's My Body! (A Final Compilation)
-Seattly DIY
-EnvironMENTAL Imp Pack #2
-Blah Blah Blah vol. 2 #21 & #22
-Blah Blah Blah vol. 3 #1
-Infecticitis #6
-Marked for Life #4
-Even Artichokes Have Hearts #1
-Peas and Carrots 01

All of these zines were good and come highly recommended.
And that's all I have to say about that.

"la la la la love is dead"

Love is dead, but life is good because lately I've been eating carrots that I harvested from my garden this month. That's pretty awesome if you ask me. And there are still more carrots to harvest, so chances are, I will be eating fresh carrots in February, too. We've been getting massive amounts of snow around here, but the ground isn't totally frozen, yet. Garden hoe!

"oh, i live this life...and i love it"
-the queers

"so this is the new year, and i don't feel any different"

Hey all you punks and skins: Carrot Row Mail Order has new additions.

First, Take It - It's My Body (A Final Compilation). This zine is by Chelsea in PDX, OR and is all about fat acceptance, size-ism, and body image. $3 ppd.
Second, EnvironMENTAL Imp Pack #2. This is Maaike's zine (Moscow, ID) about organics, local food, and other food issues. $1 ppd.

There are more additions on the way, so be in touch. If you don't have a catalog, send a stamp.

Dan Murphy
PO Box 3153
Moscow ID 83843
USA
messyelephant@hotmail.com or juniperjournal@hotmail.com

May 2008 be the year of the punk rocker. Rock on.

"so this is the new year
and i have no resolutions"
-dcfc

"now my heart is as cold as ice"

A few days ago, I finished reading another zine. It's called Ghost Pine #9 (subtitled, Bees), and it was writtten by Jeff from Canada.
Here is a quote: "After all these years of listening to the rhetoric claiming some subversive nature of zines; North American samizdat and the rebellion of it all, I felt completely denuded. Here were the zines folding and there were the guns walking. Something had changed."

"strange how the arms sting when you're left holding nothing"

It took me a whole year, but I finally finished reading a book. I know, it's pretty pathetic that it takes me that long to read a book. And it was only 341 pages. Anyway, the book I read was The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America's Underground Food Movements by Sandor Ellix Katz. I highly recommend reading this book if you care at all about food politics and food issues. Even if you don't care about those things, it's a very interesting and entertaining read. You will learn all sorts of new things about food and food systems, and there are several recipes worth trying. These are the last words of the book (I think they sum things up pretty well):

"I'm afraid that in the end I have no easy-to-follow recipe to offer my readers for how we can go about taking back community control of our food and water and, more broadly, our power and dignity. There are no easy formulaic answers. But as we search for answers, and allies, we can get our hands dirty working the soil and growing some of our own food. We can get to know farmers and support local markets. We can get to know plants, learn to save seeds, and learn how to heal our bodies and our souls. These activities ground us in the earth, and out of them grow health, abundance, community, and dreams of a better future."


This book was published by Chelsea Green Publishing and can be purchased directly from them. Or maybe find it at the library or borrow it from a friend or something.

"if my body goes then to hell with my soul"

another juniper
Originally uploaded by juniperbug

Another issue of The Juniper hot off the presses. This time I have filled the pages with plenty of ranting and raving. You will be sick of it after a few paragraphs or less, but that's okay. I go on and on about living an authentic life and not being a ponce and a pandering aristocrat. I also push my politics on you and postulate a better a world. (I don't have all or any of the answers but I like to pretend that I do.) Then I tell you about my 2007 garden plot and offer some lists of seeds for seed exchange. It's short, and it won't hurt too badly.

send a stamp or trade to:
Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843
USA
juniperjournal@hotmail.com

ask for a carrot row mail order catalog, too.

"passed out in a datsun that's parked out in the hot sun"

maaike's zine
Originally uploaded by juniperbug

My friend, Maaike, has a new zine out, and it's pretty sweet. It's called The Sixth Minky; it's a personal zine with a mix of humor and seriousness. Plus it has an awesome color layout. You can get a copy of it for yourself by sending a dollar or trade to:
Maaike Davidson
PO Box 8891
Moscow ID 83843
USA

oh yeah, the quote: "The back of your seat can be used as a flotation device...that's nice. But what they don't tell you is that you'll be dead by the time you hit the water."

I have been reading other zines too, but I have not been updating my blog. I am somewhat tired of the computer. It sucks away far too much of my time. So does the TV. Winter is here, and I am stuck inside much more than usual. I'm hoping that I can be productive this winter rather than sitting in front of a TV or computer screen in a coma the whole time. I have lots of stuff that I could be doing. I'll keep you posted. Or not.

"things i have loved i'm allowed to keep"

School and other things had me swamped for a couple weeks. It was hard to get much extra reading in. Never fear though, between last night and today I was able to get a couple of small zines read:

Little Lady 02 by nichole anne
I don't have any quotes for you, but I would like to mention that there are two recipes found in this zine that I plan on trying out: vegan banana bread and pancake blueberry sauce.

Underwater Cigarettes #3 by elizabeth
"I don't think she loved me but she wanted to, and you can't help but love an overlap of madness to some extent..."
and
"Eating meat just seems like an invasion of my natural allotment of flesh."

By the way, I recently discovered that there is a blog that posts reviews of zines and some of the "reviews" that I have been writing lately here can be found there. (I say "reviews" because I don't really consider these things reviews, because mostly I am just posting about the zines I have read, but whatever.) I don't mind that my posts are being borrowed; actually I think it's pretty cool. I just figured that I would point out to whomever it is that is reposting my posts on their blog that you have been discovered and you're welcome.

"you have broken me all the way down...you will be the last, you'll see"

In issue #15 of Elephant Mess, I introduced to my unsuspecting readers my "Elephant Mess World Tour & World Takeover" plan. If you are not familiar with it, I guess you will have to read it for yourself sometime because I don't feel like going into too much detail about it right now (contact me, if necessary). At that time (more than 2 years ago), I had only 10 states left in my quest to send an issue of Elephant Mess to all 50 states in the union. Now, I am down to only 5 states. I would like to use this space to list the 5 states that have not yet had the pleasure of receiving an issue of the disappointment of a zine and waste of precious paper, Elephant Mess, so that if anyone out there knows someone in one of these 5 states that would be willing to receive a copy of my boring read, I could then send a copy to them, thus fulfulling the first part of my mission to take over the world (with my zine). The five states are:

-Wyoming
-North Dakota
-Oklahoma
-Mississippi
-South Dakota

If you have friends, family or (preferably) know zinesters that live in any of these five states, please let me know what their address(es) is (are) so that I can get a copy of Elephant Mess off to them pronto. You are all stars in my book for helping me out with this. Now, stop reading this tripe and go do something useful with your life (that does not have anything to do with my zine).

okay.

"awful people, they surround you"

I should be doing schoolwork, but instead I read another zine: Entropic Tendencies #3 (So Many Beautiful Parts) by Laura J.

"Because even the largest untruths are believable when you're 17 and dancing in Dallas rain."

Now, I better get my stuff done...maybe.

"he's a dirty trashcan full of poop"

Yesterday, I finished reading New To Everything #6 by Leanne. One of my favorite parts was this:

"Do you like pop punk?"
"Yeah, why?"
"That's it! See, pop punk perpetuates feelings of rejection and heartbreak. If you just stop listening to it, your life is gonna improve!"
I laughed so hard and put my Screeching Weasel records away...
(It didn't last long.)

"i want so badly to believe that there is truth, that love is real"

Today, I read two zines: Erik & Laura-Marie Magazine #40 and #42 by Laura-Marie Taylor.

From #40:
"The school was bordered by a mortuary, cemetary, and hospital, which wasn't lost on me. Every few days, out to play on the playground, I smelled bodies being cremated, which unnerved me, to say the least, and I didn't discuss it with anyone at the time.
"But a few years ago, I called up the Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary and asked them about it. Yes, the nice gentleman told me, they did burn bodies there every few days, around 1984. Yes, there was a distinctive smell."

From #42:
Kimchee
We both
dislike that
hot cabbage

You will get your CD and zine soon, Laura-Marie. I promise.

"a baby sleeps in all our bones, so afraid to be alone"

From Echo! Echo! #4 by Keet
"It seems hilarious now, but there are still times when I drift off into a trance and remember every terror I felt. It has been a month after if happened, but I still feel sick to my stomach whenever I remember it. On the other hand, it never fails to remind me that hey, I'm still alive, after all that. However small an accident it may seem. We all need to be reminded sometimes."

If you are interested in reading any of the zines that I have been reading, just let me know and I will tell you how you can get a hold of them.

"i'm battle scarred, i'm working oh so hard to get back to who i used to be"

Friends and foes, I finished reading another zine. It's a zine out of Australia. It's by the same guy who does Das Papierkrieg and Westside Angst - Mr. Ianto Ware.

The Little Nerd Band That Could part 2
"I'm told Interpol played a show once where the guitarist stopped the song and told the audience to stop clapping along because they were putting him out of time."

"all that i have left are pieces of the ocean that i kept"

I like posting on here, but I don't like posting about my everyday life. No one wants to hear about that, and frankly I don't feel like sharing.
I like reading zines, but I rarely get around to it. I have stacks of zines waiting to be read. I always think I'll get around to reading them sometime, but I don't. And I just keep on getting more. I keep on ordering more. And I keep not reading them. Well, I'm working on it. So, I devised a plan to post more on this blog and to get more zines read. This is my plan: read a zine (this could take days, weeks or even months), then when I am finished reading the zine, I will post the name of the zine I read along with one of my favorite quotes from it. Okay? Fortunately, I just finished reading a zine today, so here goes:

Endless Escalators #1 by Monica A.

"I discovered the purpose of life while at a Lutheran All-School Spelling Bee. It was during the awards ceremony. I was sitting on the cold gym floor with about 30 other kids in my age group. Only third through first place got trophies, so after the fourth place LOOOSER received his LAME RIBBON, everyone tensed up but tried to act calm, because no matter how you look at it, losing your shit over a middle school spelling bee is not okay. Third and second were announced, and I was glad to be almost able to go home, but then I heard my name. Once I had the trophy in my hands, I knew life isn't about things like trying hard and being fair and helping people. Really, it's about winning stuff and making everyone else feel bad."

"your heart won't heal right if you keep tearing out the sutures"

I want secrets and anonymity.
So...
I embrace my anti-social tendencies.
I stretch myself thin trying to be accommodative.
I take pride in single-hood.
My individualistic independent-ism overwhelms me.
I become selfish, self-centered, and disconnected.
Cellphone is dead.
Introversion abounds.

"how cold can a heart become before it crumbles or decides to stay numb?"

Elephant Mess: 10 Year Anniversary
Originally uploaded by juniperbug

Elephant Mess number nineteen is finished, and it's a zinger. It's the ten year anniversary. Yes, that's right. Elephant Mess has existed for ten years now. That's ten years of boring you to death with my skull droppings. You would do well to get yourself a copy and continue being unentertained. I wrote lots about being an adult zine writer with little or nothing to show for my life. I also wrote about reckless abandonment and skeletons in my closet. There's more, but I don't want to ruin the surprise. Here's what you should do. Find a dollar or three first class stamps. Put it or them in an envelope (or you could send me a trade of some sort - that's bartering). Mail that envelope to:
Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843
USA

queries?
messyelephant@hotmail.com

"Because I can't stand feeling nothing
I can't stand feeling old.
I can't stand standing for nothing
When standing up is all I know."
-Rumbleseat

"call in sorrow your friend, ask her where has she been"

Field of Dreams
Originally uploaded by juniperbug

Last week the Soil Stewards had our very first Farm Field Day. It was a smashing success. More people showed up than I had expected, and everyone seemed to enjoy being at the farm. It felt good to think that all of our hard work is paying off, and that people are interested in what we are doing. More and more people are seeing the need to be connected to their food and to be involved in their community and local economy. The Soil Stewards hope to make this an annual event. There is so much more work to do at the farm. This is really just the beginning, but it's the start of something great. I'm excited to be part of this growing movement.

and now, just because it's in my head:
"be disappointed and glum
beat yourself like a drum
yell out, 'who stole my silent night?!'"
-The Microphones

"loyal to no one, no one at all"

Long, long ago when I first started this blog I decided to play a little guessing game. I said that I would give a prize to the first person who correctly told me me where the title of my blog comes from. No one even made a guess until around 2 and a half years later when Maaike (upon reading over some old entries) came upon that post and answered correctly. The title comes from the song "Cinder and Smoke" by Iron & Wine. I told her I would give her a prize even though I had never originally decided what the prize would be, and quite frankly I had forgotten all about the whole thing anyway. Well, several months have passed and I still haven't given her a prize for winning. Again, I had forgotten until she reminded me recently. Where is my memory going? Where is Maaike's prize? I still don't know what it's going to be. Anyway, don't worry Maaike, you will get a prize soon...I promise. That is, if I don't forget again.

"you had me worried that this would last"

Sufferin' succotash! The first hard frost is looming. Goodbye frost sensitive plants. Goodbye days of summer. Autumn is here to snuff you out.
Last night a light frost hit the farm and afflicted frost damage on the outermost leaves of some of our basil and squash plants. Today we scrambled to cover things up. But we could not cover up everything. We are poor and don't have all the materials needed to protect all the plants that we'd like to protect. We do what we can, and we just have to hope that a hard frost is still in the far distant future. We haven't yet had our fill of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, eggplants and squash. Yet, all of our hard work will eventually succumb to old man winter. I can accept the natural way of things, but I can't deny that it leaves me just a little bit heartbroken. There is always next year, but next year seems so far away. A Fine Frenzy was right: almost lovers always bring heartache.

I will leave you with this:
"A kitten on fire
A baby in a blender
Both sound as sweet
As a night of surrender"
-My Morning Jacket

"i'm sure i could stand on the great salt lake"

Re-Usable Tea Bags
Originally uploaded by juniperbug

I have additions to the carrot row catalog. One of those additions is this re-usable tea bag you see in the picture here. It is made of cotton muslin, and it has a draw string. It was sewn by my friend, Maaike. It's small enough for one cup of tea, and large enough for a small pot of tea. You can order them from me at the address listed elsewhere on this blog: $2 for one, $5 for three. Another addition is a zine about recycling by Maaike called "EnvironMENTAL Imp Pack!" It comes with a pin and a sticker and costs $2 postage paid.

In other news: The fall semester is in full swing for better or for worse. It's sad to think that summer is coming to an end. Another long winter is in store; which is okay, but now that I have been gardening like mad for two straight summers, winters have become somewhat depressing. All I can think about is the arrival of springtime and the beginning of another growing season.
Also, I am working on another issue of Elephant Mess. It will be out sometime in September. It will be the ten year anniversary issue, which is awesome (to me at least). You would do well not to miss it. I'll keep you posted.

I wish I had more to say, but all my words have been commandeered by all the writing I've been doing lately. It will all pay off someday I'm sure.

Every day I have a new crush. Every night I dream it all away.

"i did my dirt but got a good heart, shouldn't that count for something?"

"...I was told I'd amount to nothing / most of my childhood life by folks / it was stunting my growth" - Jay-Z

I haven't amounted to much, but I did manage to finish my distro catalog. Yes, I do have a distro despite how little you hear about it. I am calling it Carrot Row Mail Order. I sell zines dealing with things like gardening, crafting, vegetarian cooking, war profiteering, fermenting, farming, etc. I have also included in the catalog some things that my friend Maaike sells: t-shirts, magnets, stickers and buttons. You can get a copy of this fine catalog (and I should add wee) by sending a 1st class U.S. stamp to the usual address:

Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843

any questions?
messyelephant@hotmail.com

"for the blood that's trapped in veins and the oxygen it claims"

-I will clean and organize my apartment.
-I will answer all my mail.
-I will finish planting my garden.
-I will listen to more punk rock.
-I will go skateboarding more often.
-I will become a master gardener.
-I will read more comic books and zines.
-I will also read more books.
-I will learn how to fall in love again.
-I will make more screenprints and blockprints.
-I will find time to play my guitar and write more punk songs.
-I will learn how to sew.
-I will work on my zines and distro.
-I will go on more long bike rides.
-I will go on more camping and fishing trips.
-I will live more simply.
-I will keep on fighting.

"I'm trying to find creative ways to keep my head out of the noose."
--J Church

"i don't feel and it feels great"

Baby Zine Library (Make It Grow)
Originally uploaded by juniperbug

I wasn't lying when I told you that my mom is not only super-awesome, but is also starting a zine library inside of the Mountain Home (Idaho) Public Library where she works. This picture shows the beginnings of it. She has a handful of other zines in her possession that need to be added, but she also needs donations...and lots of them. I hope that you understand the need for something like a zine library in a small, seemingly inconsequential Idahoan town like Mountain Home, and upon coming to such a realization are willing to donate your zine to such an endeavor. If I had come across such a thing as a youngster, I can only imagine the impact it would have had on me at such a young and impressionable age. Instead, I didn't make my first zine until I was an adult (legally, anyways).
If you have a zine to donate (please, please, please), send it to me and I will be sure that she gets it:
Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843

email me if you have any questions: messyelephant@hotmail.com

P.S. My mom loves reading zines, and I love my mom. So, don't deprive her of something she loves or I might have to hurt you.

"and all the lies and fears will stick to me like glue"

I think that I need more of this in my life:

BE THOU MY VISION (by Pedro the Lion)

"be thou my vision
oh lord of my heart
naught be all else to me
save that thou art
thou my best thought
by day or by night
waking or sleeping
thy presence my light
riches i need not
nor man's empty praise
thou my inheritance
now and always
thou and thou only
first in my heart
high king of heaven
my treasure thou art"

sorry, dude.

"i'm giving you a jar full of something awful"

juni 8
Originally uploaded by juniperbug.

As tradition would have it, I am slow at informing you about my new zine. Either way, The Juniper #8 is finished and ready to be mailed off to you (regardless of exorbitant postal charges). This issue is mostly about seeds: starting seeds indoors, purchasing seeds, seed activism, sprouting seeds. Also: car ownership and food poisoning. Send me a first class stamp, and I will send you a copy.
Dan Murphy, PO Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843

e(vil)mail: juniperjournal@hotmail.com

Some people are ingenious.

Why I Like These Plastic Cups as Planting Pots.
Originally uploaded by joeysplanting.

Oh, the possibilities. Different colored cups for different plants. Multiple options for mini-greenhouses. Inexpensive. Are polymers better than peat (environmetally speaking)? Salvage these materials to enhance your eco-savviness.
(click on the photo to find out where it's from.)

"our lives are just long saggings of the spine"

Yesterday, I went the whole day without turning on the TV in honor of TV Turnoff Week. It felt great. I noticed that I had much more time to do other things, like study for my chemistry test, listen to music, listen to NPR and college radio...plus I felt more motivated, and my convictions feel like they got a work-out. This is something that I should do more often. I definitely feel inspired to watch less TV. I really don't actually watch that much, but I tend to have it turned on a lot just to provide some white noise. Yesterday, I was reminded that there are better sources of white noise. More uplifting ones.
I listened to Doug Martsch's solo CD, and he taught me that maybe my "heart [is] too large for my sleeve," and that's probably why I keep it locked away and won't let anybody near it. And that's no way to live.

"there isn't a way of deciding
which half of life's less inviting
awake or a dream
'cause both of them lead you to suffer
you wake from one into the other
twice a day"
--Doug Martsch

"i don't know Billy Ocean, and i don't know the ocean floor"

I can't let this week go by without saying something about tv turnoff week (which surprisingly enough happens to be this week). It's an annual event supported by Adbusters Media Foundation during which people are encouraged to unplug themselves from their tv set for an entire week, or at the very least, greatly reduce their tv viewing for a week and practice responsible viewing habits. Surely there are things to be gained from such an event. Last year, this was not a problem for me because I did not have TV. This year it will prove more difficult because I have become addicted to watching the news and watching baseball games (especially Mariners baseball). Either way, I'm sure I could do without those things for a week, but I am not making any promises. I will make a pledge to reduce the amount of time I spend channel surfing and veg-ing though. I know that there is rarely anything on that's worth watching anyway. Resist the mental programming, smash your tv set on the punk rock.

(...)

"I have been told that my skin is exceptionally smooth, but what good is that when to get to my heart you have to crawl through long tunnels of sharp rock?" -The Microphones

"i'll apologize for the mess of my life for the rest of my life forever"

Happy Easter, my fellow geeks.

Last week was good because:
-I went to a punk rawk show with Misti. (Manville, no less.)
-I went skateboarding with Maaike. (Skate or die, dudes.)
-I went fishing with John. (I caught five, released three.)
Having friends is pretty cool, I guess.

Is there a male equivalent for the word, spinster? (I mean besides bachelor.) Either way, MALE SPINSTERS UNITE!

Three straight days of Mariners games being canceled due to snow in Cleveland = not cool.

"They said, 'Do you remember when you saw her last?'
I said, 'Her skin is cinnamon, her skin is cinnamon.'"
-The Long Winters

"i was never yours, and you were never mine, thank God it's spring time"

Yes, It's spring time. The weather is erratic right now, but soon it will be nice and warm for days on end. Today is opening day for the 2007 baseball season. Tomorrow is the Seattle Mariners' opening day. I'm starting some seeds indoors for my garden. There are scheduled greenhouse plantings coming up for the farm. I have started working on issue eight of the Juniper. I am skateboarding more and more. I guess this is an update of sorts, but what I'd really like to say right now is: Hey all you geriatric punk rockers! Get up and shake your fist! Smash your head on some punk rocks!

"that seven year itch became a lifelong twitch"

the skeleton of a silo
Originally uploaded by juniperbug.

"...and now I'm agoraphobic to the bone."

I wanted you to see this picture so that you would know what I meant when I said that the skyscrapers of Moscow, Idaho are coming down.

Also, I rediscovered the Challenger song, "Input the Output", today and it reminded me that, "Love? It's just an added expense..." It's also a great song to yell and break stuff to, so the image of a destroyed silo is fitting.

Now, if only I could focus on my Chemistry homework.

"spring time is war time, all eyes to the crime box"

Yesterday was the first day of spring, so here is a poem for you by Dylan Thomas:

Here In This Spring
Here in this spring, stars float along the void;
Here in this ornamental winter
Down pelts the naked weather;
This summer buries a spring bird.

Symbols are selected from the years'
Slow rounding of four seasons' coasts,
In autumn teach three seasons' fires
And four birds' notes.

I should tell summer from the trees, the worms
Tell, if at all, the winter's storms
Or the funeral of the sun;
I should learn spring by the cuckooing,
And the slug should teach me destruction.

A worm tells summer better than the clock,
The slug's a living calendar of days;
What shall it tell me if a timeless insect
Says the world wears away?

----

Also, this week marks the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. I can think of several things that are much greater causes for celebration than that. Either way, here's to another four years of imperialism and cultural hegemony and bowing down to the corrupted interests of oil tycoons and psychotic lobbyists. Sorry world.

"i feel like i wouldn't like me if i met me"

Just a few random things for you to read if you'd like:
-neko case is a heartbreaker.
-Am I always supposed to remember that time so long ago when I felt invincible up on that haystack? I guess so.
-The skyscrapers of Moscow, Idaho are coming down. This must be the beginning of the end.
-I like listening to mixes that other people make. They stay unfamiliar longer.
-Riding my bike through a hailstorm makes me feel powerful.
-I sing everything off-key, but at least I'm brave enough to try. I'm not afraid to dance either...as long as there aren't very many people watching.
-If someone taught a class on how to make friends, I would take it. If someone taught a class on how to be a better kisser, I wouldn't need it.
-Can people tell when I'm being sarcastic and when I'm not?

In other news: I think I'm going to start a new blog to document my farming and gardening this summer. Maybe that will help me write about it more often. I'll keep you posted.

"we can live another life, we can die another death, we can get born again"

i shouldn't be admitting this, but something's missing lately...
there is longing.
there is too much emptiness.

i want more of this stuff:

"hello, my name is on my shirt pocket
i'd rather not speak right now
i'm remembering something

most typically my dreams are dreadfully boring,
therefore i go to these places just to see the girls
with hair like hers
with clothes like she wore
with smells like hers
with handwriting like hers

you wrote me little letters
and you brought me lunch that time at my work
and that poem you left on my windshield wrapped in plastic
to protect it from the rain"
-grandaddy

also...

"when i held you close
i felt my mind explode
and at that point my whole life froze
we can't go back from here
the feeling's far from fear
it's over, take my hand, we'll disappear"
-dinosaur jr.

don't worry about me ... this too will pass.

"this elephant of years"

Elephant Mess #18
Originally uploaded by juniperbug.

I spent a little more than 3 months writing down my thoughts in journal form. I didn't write every day or even every week, and occasionally I didn't write much more than a sentence or two, but what I wrote was honest and reflected what I was feeling at the moment, although I may be over it by now. I collected all of these words together and called it Elephant Mess #18. I subtitled it: "the observations of a family geek" and later decided that it may have been more apropos if I had subtitled it something like: "the mental melodrama of an aging zinester" or "the hyperdrama of a superwonk." I suppose I could also call it "the clamor and pith of a misanthrope."
Either way, what's done is done, and it used to be just mine, but now it can be yours as well. All you have to do is send me a couple of stamps or a trade. If you send me $1, I will send you a pin as well...or I'll probably just end up throwing in pins with all of them until I run out. As always, send your best to:

Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843

messyelephant at hotmail dot com

"i clench my teeth, ignore my heart"

Several weeks ago I received a CD from a good friend of mine from Canada and was asked to review it. Since I don't typically do reviews in any of my zines, I decided that I would post a review here on my blog, which is something that I occasionally do. Francois is a longtime pen pal of mine and this is his latest music release:

G&F - Two Solitudes Standing
G is for Gary Flanagan, a solo artist and editor of Night Waves zine. F is for Francois Marceau of Leper Collective, Flesh for Frank and various other music projects as well as the former editor of Mastock zine. The disc is six tracks of electronic noise and distorted sound clips. Lots of interesting sounds permeate this disc, and they range from soothing to eerie to freakish or moving. The liner notes describe the music best, "various mangled, deeply processed insect sounds, noises, ambient, minimal samples." Also, "found sound, audio samples, voice, loops, noise, effects, guitar, [and] processed sound." It's very unique stuff, and is surely the product of countless hours of work. It's definitely worth a listen. If you'd like to order a copy, you can send $7 to:
Francois Marceau
7375 Louis-Hebert
Montreal, Quebec
H2E 2X5
Canada

Smash your head on the electronic rock.

"i'm of age but have no children"

Hey, if'n you liked that last site about green roofs, you should definitely check out this one.

"oh, i feel as scattered as grandmother's pearls"

I have been working on a new issue of Elephant Mess. It's almost finished ... or, it's closer to being finished than not. Hopefully you will have a copy of it in your hands before the month is over...or at least shortly thereafter, because surely it will take me several weeks to send them all out. I am telling you this because I thought it would be nice of me to keep you updated, and because I figured it was about time I posted something meaningful on here (although the meaningfulness of this post is debatable).
Since I'm not feeling overly wordy right at this moment, allow me to direct you to something that has me very excited lately: this.
Oh, and have you seen that recent documentary Jesus Camp? Crazy stuff.

"a cardigan and a frown"

If you don't start listening to Casiotone for the Painfully Alone right now, I will be very upset.

Also...you are required to dance around the room like a crazy person while listening.

&

PICT7146.JPG
Originally uploaded by wildcatfin.

The fact that I can blog other people's photos has not ceased to amaze me. (Especially since other people take much better photos than I do.)

The Juniper #7

The Juniper #7
Originally uploaded by juniperbug.

See! I am not a liar. I did make a new Juniper. Does this entice you to write and send me a stamp or trade? It better.

"we weren't made for this world ... though I wouldn't want to meet someone who was"

I'm pretty sure that a few weeks ago I said something about all the posting that I was soon going to be doing on this here blog, but then I didn't get around to doing it, and now I have forgotten what I was even going to post. The holidays came and went in a blur ... thank heavens for that. But that also means that school will be starting up soon and WTF I haven't hardly had a chance to get anything done. Oh, but I did finish a new zine: The Juniper #7. It's all about the gardening I did in 2006, plus it includes a rant against corporate organics and a companion planting guide. It's the bees knees. You should send me a stamp or a trade or something, and I will mail a copy right to you. In case you forgot (and you probably did because I haven't heard from you in a while), here is my address: Dan Murphy, PO Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843.

okay all you fops and squares, that's all I have to say right now ... but I pinky promise that I will post again soon. write to me why dontcha?

"closer to God is the one who's in love"

"I don't know if I'm wrong 'cause she's only just gone/ well, here's to another relationship bombed by my excellent breed of gametes disease/ I'm sure when I'm older I'll know what that means" -damien rice

I have some future postings in mind, but I am in my final two weeks of this semester and am drowning in schoolwork. Soon it will be Christmas break, and then I will provide you with some updates and, hopefully, a new zine.

"i watch sad movies and look for sad, sick people like me"

curious and brave.
Originally uploaded by This Year's Love.

This is weird. I didn't know that you could blog other people's photos. I hope they don't mind.

So, I am doing a special edition of my radio show tomorrow. It's the first part in a series of shows of all Canadian Bands. If you have a favorite Canadian band/musician that you think I should play either during tomorrow's show or a future show, let me know. I've got a pretty good sized list so far, but I'd like it to be bigger.

Blogging other peoples' photos is fun. What kind of bird is this?

"i'm thinking about growing a beard"

I just wanted to say:
Too Much Ha Ha, Pretty Soon Boo Hoo.

Oh yeah, and listen to Bunnycuss.

"a busted heart is a welcome friend"

elemess seventeen
Originally uploaded by juniperbug.

okay, here is a picture of my new zine just so you know that i wasn't lying. i am working on a new issue of The Juniper. it's going slow, but i promise it will be out before 2007. (cross your fingers.)

Yo La Tengo's new songs are very Yo La Tengo-ey, however "Beanbag Chair" has a slighty different sound: it's bouncy with horns...where is the droning and endless feedback? I guess I'll have to listen to the whole album to find out what the deal is.

"keep a book of the maggots our bodies will snare"

It's been a while, but I haven't forgotten about you.
I have been staying busy as usual. One of the things that has kept me occupied (besides the usual work and school) is zine-making. It's true...I have recently finished a new issue of The Elephant Mess. It's the seventeenth installment, and it will change your life. Or...at least it will give you something lame to read while your sitting in the waiting room waiting for the dentist to fill all of your cavities (which is another thing I did recently).
This issue of elemess is all about my inability to just come out and say it, my strong belief in "no love," my inclinations towards self-talk and how it's all your fault, my search for a soul in guts I have spilled, my desire to ride horses being just as strong as my inability to communicate with the opposite sex (especially in the event of a crush), and of course my increasing happiness and how I'm a little reluctant to embrace the whole idea. Or maybe it's not about any of that stuff, and it's up to you to find anything even remotely meaningful about what I have written. Are you ready for that kind of challenge?
I like trades of any kind, love letters, words of encouragement, or you can just send me a stamp or two.
Dan Murphy
PO Box 3154
Moscow ID 83843

email me with any questions/comments you might have: messyelephant@hotmail.com

here's to better days...

"freeze your blood and then stab it into me"

I know, I know. In my last post I was saying that was the end of the weekly posts, but there is some news that I keep forgetting to mention. First of all, I finished a new zine a couple of weeks ago. It's called Tiger Ants Gone Telescoping, and it's a sort of artsy/collage/poetic type of zine that I did with my brother, Jeremiah. We both did pages for it, and then I put it all together and copied it off and now there is a small stack of them sitting on my shelf waiting to be given out. So, if you'd like a copy you should send me something like a zine trade, a mix tape, your grandma's favorite recipes, bouncy balls, or the usual dollar or stamps. Send whatever to: Dan Murphy, PO Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843.
Also, I have nearly doubled my distro stock. I have added zines like: Fatty Boom Boom a vegan cookzine, CROQ 5, and Wild Fermentation. I will write descriptions soon, but if you have questions about prices and/or ordering, just shoot me an email: juniperjournal@hotmail.com

It's September already. What the.....?