HOW TO KNOW WHEN TO GET RID OF YOUR CAR

Your Vehicle is no longer an asset and becomes a liability when:

* You're unable to find a buyer to take it off your hands.
* It was totalled in an accident & has been written off.
* It has little or no trade-in value.
* It's a lemon that you don't want to pass off on to someone else.
* You don't want to go through the hassle of selling it.
* It costs more to fix than it's worth.
* It's been sitting so long that it doesn't work anymore.

HOW JUNKING A CAR HELPS THE ENVIRONMENT

People often think of an auto junkyard as just another dump – but present day junkyards are actually a form of recycling and easy on the environment. Most junk cars that end up in a junkyard are either sold at auctions or sold for scrap. In fact, junkyards provide steel and many other metals to the building and car industries, ensuring that the metals from a junked car continue to be used for other vital purposes and help save important natural resources, as well. In addition, the modern junkyard is regulated by federal and state laws that have strict guidelines on the draining and disposal of all fluids from junk cars, so the junkyard is no longer a threat to the ground water in the area.

ENJOY THE BENEFITS

Pat yourself on the back and know that by you junking your car you are in actual fact earning yourself some well earned cash and at the same time helping the environment.

No title? Not to worry.... The local Licensing department has the forms. You will need a form releasing you of liability. You simply fill out the form stating that you DO NOT own the Body and that it is abandoned.

Need a Fast Service? www.junkacar.com owns and operates it's own fully licensed tow trucks, so they are able to offer you a fast turnaround. With experienced and trained operators they are ready to guide you through the junk a car process.

Resource:
JUNK CAR WEBSITE

him: The homeless are using our backyard as storage.

me: That can't happen.

him: I know.  i called the police but no one answered.  I'll call tmrw.

me: Haha, way to go Somerville!

First Semi-Finals: Chennai Stars VS Dare Devils

Date: Saturday 16^th August, 2008

Chennai Stars won the toss and elected to bat. Dare Devils tried to pick up wickets in regular intervals, but before they could get the entire Chennai Star contingent to the dug-out, they had cruised smoothly into a comfortable total of 97 runs, helped by scores from Balaji (21), Kumar(15), Gopi (12) and Kamal (12). For Dare Devils, Sakthi, Senthil, Anbu and Oli took 2 wickets each. The chase by Dare Devils was curtailed to 68 runs with Thiyagu of Chennai Stars taking an impressive 4 wickets assisted by 2 wicket each from Sachin and Gopi. For Dare Devils, Raja (20), Yuveraj (11) and Anbu (13) added to the score.

In the second match, Dare Devils decided to bat first and set a target but fell short of a comfortable score by 20+ runs, scoring only 49 of the 15 overs. Only Oli made a double digit score of 14. Gopi made the rampage for Chennai stars by taking 4 wickets. Chennai stars then easily went past the target with Kumar giving the start with 18 runs and Thiyagu finishing it by adding 25 runs to the total.

Next week, Minnal will take CCC in the second semi-finals.

Click below for the stats

Batting and Bowling stats

Sunday my friends Blake and Jenny got married down in Mashpee, which took a while to reach. RJ and I worried as we drove through black spatting storm clouds, but the weather cleared up quickly by the time we hit the Cape. And nothing beats the seashore right after the rain for a wedding. Blake and Jenny looked as unselfconsciously giddy as any couple I've ever seen. It proved, to my satisfaction, that you can have a formal wedding without having a stiff wedding. Everyone walks in a line and stands to the side and dresses really nice, but the officiant leads the congregation in a rousing chorus of "So Say We All" to bless the union. You're wearing a bridesmaid's dress; that doesn't mean you can't giggle.

Photos of me dancing may surface. I deny all of them pre-emptively.

Our Address is 14 E. Main Street

                        Somerville, NJ 08876

Right across from the Court House and next to the Courthouse Deli!!

Foruth quarter finals: Dare Devils VS Knight Riders

Date: Saturday 9th August, 2008

  Sixty one runs in the second match by Rajesh of Dare Devils ensured that the first semis will be played between Dare Devils and Chennai Stars.  Rajesh scored the first half-century by any single player in this league.

 Winning the toss, Dare Devils elected to bat in the first match, scoring 85 in 20 overs. Gopi and Janaki of Knight Riders took 3 and 2 wickets and Kumar, Raj and Sakthi made 22, 16 and 17 runs for Dare Devils with Balaji scoring an unbeaten 11. Knight Riders fell short of 19 runs when Dare Devils curtailed their scoring by picking up wickets regularly.

 The second match was a high scoring one, with most players picking up the wind on the off-side to hit a number of sixes. Dare Devils cruise to 110 with Rajesh scoring a 61 and Sachin with a 26 in his kit.  Knight Riders were only able to make 82 of 17 overs giving out all the wickets in the chase to the big score. Thiyagu made a 17 and Vivek made 16. Senthil for Knight Riders took 3 wickers and Balaji reciprocated for Dare Devils.

 Next match is the first semi-final between Chennai Stars and Dare Devils.

I wrote a story about my old boss, Glen Stone, back in October of 2005. He was a quirky guy, very likable, but rather odd at times. He had a small area in his office that was mostly blocked by a wall. There was a wide enough opening to walk through to see where he liked to keep his private things, like stacks of Playboy magazines, tools, wire, soldering guns and other guy stuff. He liked to tinker around back there. Why I mention him while leading up to Steve is that Mr. Stone, as everyone called him, died about 20 years ago and Steve was hired to tear out that cubby hole and open the office up. I don't know who found him, whether it was from the Yellow Pages, an ad somewhere, or a referral, but he was worth whatever he charged to do the work because what he did was first-rate. He wasn't just a nail banger, he was an artisan and, clearly, he took an awful lot of pride in his work.

In that little room, an insulated, rectangular air conditioner/heater duct was suspended from the ceiling. There was about a half inch gap between the top of the duct and the ceiling. The duct was to be removed and sealed off. If you have a chance to read the story about Mr. Stone, you'll get a much broader picture of what he was really like and what was found tucked in that crevice. Except for one more thing, and that was what Steve found.

Steve was a dedicated man. When he came to work, he pretty much stayed to finish the job, unlike a lot of carpenters today, who up and leave and sometimes never return after taking your money. One afternoon, we were hanging around the room just outside of Mr. Stone's office when he came out with some very startling news. He hit the mother lode. What I failed to see, along with that other envelope, was one containing $3,000.00 in cash. What was remarkable was that Steve could have easily tucked that money into one of his painter pants pockets and no one would have ever known a thing. Instead, he chose to be honest. That took an incredible amount of integrity and an amazingly strong ethic and I've never forgotten Steve Somerville for what he did. Not only did he turn over his find, but later on, Mr. Stone's wife offered a reward and he refused to accept anything. All part of the job, he said. After finishing the work, he only came around a few more times and I never saw him again, but I often thought about that act and what an impact it had on my life. I passed that experience on to others, too, never failing to mention his name.

Stephen H. Somerville was a remarkable and very personable fellow. I am glad I had the opportunity to have met him. I am saddened that such a fine man was taken so young, but today, I honor Steve and would like to express my heartfelt condolences to his family. If there is a reward in Heaven, he's the guy who deserves it, but God already knew that.

Lots of people change majors in college.

But rarely is the change of the magnitude lived by Somerville artist Scott Cahaly. When he started out as a biology major, Scott was in a dark place. Caught in the grip of depression, he managed to find some relief from an unexpected source: an art course taken to satisfy curriculum requirements.

What started as a form of therapy evolved into an entirely new direction for Scott. He described the experience as “opening a valve” that taps straight into his creativity. And now “it’s my job to let it well up from inside,” he said.

The change was so profound that metamorphosis remains a common theme in his work. One of his favorite quotes is, “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly,” by Richard Bach.

By the time he left the University of Vermont, he had already had his first one-man show. Some of those pieces decorate the halls outside the studio where he has been for the past several years. The colors in his paintings are bold and vibrant, with a style that emulates stained glass windows or a form of mosaic. As both a sculptor and a painter, Scott said he conceptualizes all of his projects as three dimensional. As a result, the subjects in his paintings -- however abstract -- have crisp and well defined edges.

Scott draws inspiration from historical greats, such as Pablo Picasso and Michelangelo, as well as whatever is going on in his own life, he said. That includes everything from travels to relationships to adventures on his brand new bike.

And he is not one to meticulously map out every inch of the canvas before he begins.

“Each piece has its own spirit and destination,” Scott said. “It always just takes me. I never know what I’m getting into.”

Preparing himself for work typically means first allowing for a period of quiet meditation. That helps Scott avoid “over thinking” the work, so he can “go with how it feels” instead, he said.

“It’s a process of getting out of the way,” Scott said. “It’s so easy to get away from a creative path.”

HIS FIRST TIME

Scott was only 9 years old, and had been watching his older brother make paper airplanes. He learned a particularly successful design, and proceeded to make over a dozen of them.

“It was the first time I could feel my hands going to work,” he said. Scott took the finished planes to school to share with his friends -- a move that provided nearly instant and positive feedback on his work.

HIS WORST TIME

During his high school years, Scott had a sketch pad he used to illustrate comic book characters. The fun of the experience led him to consider taking a class to explore art further.

One of his friends, however, squashed that idea. After Scott showed his drawings to the friend, the friend replied, “Those aren’t good. You won’t be happy in art class.”

To see video clips of Scott talking about his work, visit the extras page on my main site.

Second quarter finals: CCC VS Gilli

Date: Sunday 3^rd August, 2008

CCC (Cheran Cricket Club) sealed their place in the Semi-finals with a 2-0 win against Gilli on Sunday. Even with all speculations of an un-evenly balanced team, it was a tough fight by Gilli for CCC to work hard for break-through moments to win the matches. Zenith for CCC gave those breakthroughs with an excellent hat-trick in the first match and the match winning six in the third ball to ease past the required four runs to win in four balls. He bagged a nine wicket haul in both matches.  Never the less, Vivek of CCC made the solid foundation for their win with the patient 30 runs.

 Captain of Gilli, Gopi was the lone warrior with the ball for their team, with a screaming pace to take four wickets in the first match and excellent economy rate in the second match including the maiden off the 14^th over. He jinxed his previous single scoring fare with a sensible 23 in the first match.

Highlights of the match include, excellent catches by Shakthi (Captain, CCC, 6 catches), a good keeping hands by Yuveraj (CCC, 4 catches), a fine knock of sixers on the off-side by Anbu (Ghilli, 29 runs, 2 sixes), a breezy bowling by Sachin (CCC, 4 wkts, 11 runs).

The supporting cast for CCC in batting include Bharath (29), Yuveraj (17), Thiyagu(25) and in bowling Shakthi (5wk), Austin (2wk), Janaki (1wk), Thiyagu (2wk), Siva (1wk).

The supporting cast for Ghilli in batting are Mani (18), Raja (19), Snow (15) and in bowling Govind (3wk), Avinash (2wk), Anbu (2wk), Oli (2wk), Balaji (1wk), Rajesh (1wk), Snow (1wk)

First match:

CCC batted first

CCC 85 runs beat Gilli 57 runs

Seccond match

Gilli batted first

CCC 79 runs beat Gilli 76 runs

Tu Y Yo tops many other food lists as one of the most authentic places in town. And we agree - it was pretty darn authentic. Tex-Mex is burritos, enchiladas, sour cream, guac, and cheese. But Not Tu Y Yo; their menu was filled with slow-cooked pork, cactus, frog legs, and grasshoppers.

After the initial shock of not seeing table-side prepared guacamole, I hunkered down to find something on the menu that didn't sound TOO strange for me (i.e. pass on the grasshoppers, please). I settled on the Salmon Criolla, a fresh pan fried Atlantic salmon in a creamy guajillo sauce accompanied with chipotle-potato and shrimp cakes. My husband ordered the Cochinita Pibil, shredded pork loin marinated in a sauce made of paprika, orange, garlic onions and spices. Do I even need to elaborate on the tastiness of these dishes? They were marvelous. Tex-Mex, be gone! (just kidding...

• What We Ordered: Salmon Criolla, Cochinita Pibil
• Alluring: The real deal Mexican fare. Friendly, no-frills service. Easy parking!
• Not So Much: Prices are on the higher end of moderate. Expect to pay between $16-$20 for an entree here.
• Also Noteworthy: In the fall and winter, they feature a Chile Relleno stuffed with ground beef, almonds, raisins, peaches and cheese, covered in a sweet creamy sauce with pomegranate and cilantro on top. Doesn't that sound heavenly? We can't wait to go back for this one.
• Return? We'll be there come fall for that Chile Relleno!

Walking into the shop last night was encouraging to say the least. The place was mobbed, but not chaotic. There were eight mechanics in the shop, and at least that many other employees on the floor and behind the register, each helping a customer, plus my bike was ready as promised. There's the proof that the rise in gas prices can be turned into a positive. Rising gas prices are causing more people to reconsider driving to work, and are adopting cycling. More bike riders means busier bike shops which in turn creates a higher demand for mechanics and salespersons in the community which creates jobs as well as a higher demand for manufacturers of bikes and related products.

Granted, the transition will not be without its growing pains while each side of the equation settles and a balance is found, much the same with the shifting MBTA supply/demand equilibrium. There are more and more people riding the T rather than driving each day, which puts more stress on an already stressed public transit system. Yes, increased ridership will give more money to the cash-strapped MBTA, but the money will not be an immediate fix. It's going to get crowded, there are going to be delays, and things will get worse before they get better. Bike shops are more flexible and can handle increased volume more quickly because their cashflow is far more liquid. As a businessowner, one can see a rise in customers, service slips, and sales and can hire more employees fairly quickly to handle the rise. The T has far more red tape to work through, and it's not a question of manpower alone, but of comissioning new trains and even such largescale projects as bolstering the supports on the Longfellow bridge to allow the Red Line to return to full steam between MGH and Kendall. The change probably won't be quick or easy, but there are clear signs all over that we, as a society, are beginning to make changes in the way we live our lives. Changes that are necessary to make if we are going to avoid collapsing in on ourselves.

Aaron grew up in the Adirondacks, near Saranac Lake. He went to UVM but didn´t like it. There were too many lesbians, it was too cold, and he was treated like a flatlander. When he was 21 he was in Ontario and got shitfaced in an airport. His friends played a practical joke and convinced him to get onto a plane to Santiago, Chile: the longest nonstop flight they could find. He passed out on the plane and woke up over South America. Instead of taking the next flight back home he stayed in Santiago for two years.

During his last days in Chile, Aaron had comprehensive facial reconstruction surgery. He sustained the necessary injuries during a drunken volcano-biking accident. He and his friends were at the top of a dormant volcano, and after getting hammered, decided to race their bikes to the bottom. Aaron´s, unfortunately, was poorly constructed and the handle came off in the heat of battle. He was flung into the air and dragged across craggy, igneous rock for at least ten meters. He lost consciousness and after waking up with a different face in Santiago, decided it was time to move on.

He has been living in and out of Latin America for the past twenty years. He once weathered a four day stint floating across the Gulf of Honduras by eating canned tuna fish and using an inflatable travel pillow as a combination headrest and toilet seat. He moved to Costa Rica on a whim three months ago and lives next door to me.

Aaron is muy fuerte - too much for some people, but for the record is one of the most genuinely friendly people I have ever met. He brings back unsolicted beers and joints, goes to the supermarket for anyone who needs groceries, and offers to escort gringos through the slums to hidden tribal islands off the Pacific coast. He also does more cocaine in a week than I and my entire friend network, including the city girls, have done in our entire lives. Whether this has any effect on his gregariousness has yet to be determined: the powers that be have yet to spot him definitively out of the influence. A typical day for him involves waking up at one, sniffing a few lines loud enough for anyone within fifteen feet to be able to hear, biking into town and going to a bar. Last Thursday was Colombian Independence Day. He went to a party, which he described as a ¨re-creation of that scene in Scarface where Al Pacino shovels blow into his bosom,¨ and was delighted to find that the Colombians believed in giving out doggie bags as party favors.

He was going to go back to the states after working in Quepos, but decided ¨there are better ways to spend seven hundred dollars.¨ If you are lucky you may catch him biking around town, snorting and cavorting. He´s the one talking with the whores and wearing a Sox hat.

Second quarter finals: Minnal VS SCC

Date: Saturday, 26th July 2008

A breezy first win and a well planned tight finish in second match pushed "Minnal" automatically into the semi finals. The "out-of-balance" in the bowling department of "SCC" mattered a lot as they were not able to stop "Minnal" from reaching the hard-hit target of 69 in the second match.

Club secretary Balaji's very important code-of-conduct rule was diligently followed by both teams, as they channeled their enthusiasm and excitement into cheering their bowlers and batsmen. So, finally umpires had a good day to stick on with their decisions and not being over-ruled by players.

First match was a quickie. After hitting a good target of 63 runs, "Minnal" might have thought there would be a good chase. But "SCC" let them down, by giving wickets at regular intervals. Trying to hit hard for a six was not a good choice for most of the "SCC" batsmen as "Minnal" was absolutely in control of the ball with the ace bowlers, Gopi and Shakthi.

After winning the toss for the second match, "SCC" decided to bat, which obviously would have been the better choice as "Minnal" was already tired on the field (...which I am not sure, since the first match was over in a zip!!) and batting first would give time to pace the game for "SCC". As usual losing quick wickets in the start, captain of "SCC" had to back his decision of batting first and so gave a good knock inching up the total to 50's, before he was finally sent out. Just then Rajesh of "SCC" showed some fire-crackers to boost the score to 69 in the final overs.

Initial bowling attack from Sachin and Zenith pulled up the running streak of "Minnal" as they were squandering with 30+ runs during the 9^th over. But then the well know problem of "SCC" showed up, "lack of regular bowlers". With Oli, Zenith, Sachin and Senthil completing their stipulated 2 over mark and with only 2 more can bowl 3 overs, it was up-to part timers to do some magic. But the magic went the other way, 2 overs of Rajesh and 1 over of Govind was used wisely by "Minnal" taking them up to 14 runs short of victory with 2 overs remaining. With pressure up on the sleeves, "SCC" performed a great drama on 14^th over giving "Minnal" a more than fair chance of winning the match. A loop shot of Yuveraj was bumped out of hands by Govind, and adding to that "SCC" showed up some clumsy fielding by throwing up the ball on all side of the field, with even the never-running Yuveraj making a 4 run walk between the wickets. Last over by Senthil, did not help much, with Thiyagu hitting a 4 of the first ball and a 2 of the second to take "Minnal" to the semi finals.

For "Minnal" Austin scored in the first match and Thiyagu, Shakthi made the quick hits in the second match for the wins. In bowling department, as usual Gopi and Shakthi made the wonders with Thiyagu and Janaki doing a good support cast.

For "SCC" the second match was scored up by Oli, Sachin and Rajesh and in the bowling department all regular bowlers did a decent work with Sachin doing some clever bowling which put some temporary slow-down in the middle overs.

Saturday was the day of "Minnal" and even with a sunny sky, they prevailed.

Score Card:-

First match: Minnal (63) - SCC (26)

Second match: SCC (69) - Minnal (70)

Click here for full article at www.bostonphoenix.com.

1. Fava beans are a great local source of vegetarian protein! I'm sure the girl at the farmer's market thought I was a nutcase because I asked if they were edamame beans, and then when they weren't I wanted them anyway. But hey, hasn't she ever heard of people wanting to try new things? And I'm glad I did. They were absolutely delicious.

2. When in need of local milk, look to your local cupcake store. Who woulda thunk it? But yep, Kickass Cupcakes, right there on Highland Avenue in Somerville, has a wide variety of fresh, local dairy products. Milk( in old-fashioned, reusable glass bottles!), butter, cheese, eggs, even ice cream! I was so excited I almost wet myself. They also have a refillable olive oil program, where you buy an oil bottle and then bring it back to be refilled. O.K., so olive oil is not local, but at least it is not only reducing, it is reusing. I'm in love.

3. Bread from the farmer's market, while delicious, grows stale if you look at it cross-eyed.

4. Humanely-raised local pork chops are so delicious they are almost better than ice cream.

5. Ben and Jerry's counts as local...right? Because the pork chops will run out.

6. Farmers of the future may work in skyscrapers. As someone who was raised on "well you crack the skies, scrapers fill the air, will you keep on building higher 'till there's no more room up there?" I have some trouble accepting hydroponic towers as an acceptable substitute for the small family farm. But if that is what it takes to move the food supply closer to the cities...I'm listening.

7. I have lost four pounds. Just from eating (mostly) local food. I smell a new diet fad coming on...

I mean both up in the sky and down on earth @ Carol Pager -Exchange field in Green Street, Somerville, NJ.

 Minnal (Lightning) & Clouds (Somerville Cricket Clouds) meet up for the second heated quarter finals of Somerville Premier League.

 With Chennai Stars bagging the first quarter finals and with all hulla-bullas after the match, there is huge rush among players to throw out their bats and zoom in the balls to get a huge victory. Both captains of Minnal and SCC being a bit level-headed the heat is all saved up for the ground attack. Probably thats why their icons (cloud & lightning) are making a war in the skies today.

 Surprisingly (pun intended), the secretary of the club has put up the code of conduct for both teams which has been circulated earlier this week.

 There are quite some changes between the pack of players from the first quarter final, with Minnal having some added weight with the ball and SCC on the batting. There will certainly be tough competition within the team as to who bags more runs or packs more wickets.

 Here are the teams for this Saturday,

 MINNAL

Anbu (c), Balaji, Austin, Arasu, Kamal, Lachu, Rajkumar, Ragu, Janaki, Sakthi, Gopi,Thiagu, KP,             Yuvaraj

 SCC

Oli (c), Snow, Martin, Rajesh, Senthil, Sriram, Govind, Sachin, Ramdoss, Vivek, Kumar, Marichamy,    Prakash, Jayan, Zenith, Shiva

Let's pray that the "Thunderstorms" prevail only on the ground

And the sky up is clear and Sunny!!

First quarter finals: Super Stars VS Chennai Stars

Date: Saturday, 19th July 2008

After a week long email war between two captains Jayan (Chennai Stars) and Balaji (Super Stars), the first quarter finals of the Somerville Premier League (SPL) ended with Chennai Stars taking a 2-0 win against Super Stars to enter the semi finals. Even though Chennai Stars managed to get the edge in both matches during batting and bowling, Super Stars kept both games tough and nail biting till the end. The tension in the atmosphere was very high and visible with the well-known high adrenalin players running into the ground from the dug out for any dismissal which had a slightest doubt. Many times umpires Kamal and Gopi were threatened, bartered or persuaded and in one case scorer Siva was visibly infuriated when a brawl took up on field on the number of overs bowled.

Play saw a good keeping by Kumar, who also added up quite a handful of runs in the first match for Chennai Stars with Austin matching him up for Super Stars in the batting area. Gopi of Chennai Stars performed a disciplined bowling with excellent seam and low cutters which knocked off the stumps in one too many occasions of accomplished batsmen. By the by, his wicket in the first over of the great Sachin gave Chennai Stars the much needed boost to rampage through both innings. Unfortunately, the expected hard hitters Rajesh and Sachin did not shine through much for Super Stars, so as the case of Yuvaraj for Chennai Stars whose patient batting strokes were disturbed by his team's eagerness for him to hit a big six which was nicely taken in the deep. Both teams showed extraordinary movement in the fielding areas with sixes and fours hardly hit and catches being taken frequently without a miss or mess. Follow-ups and backing the ball during throws limited runs taken in overthrows, doubles and a handful of quick bail-offs.

For Super Stars, Sachin and Janaki did most of the damage to Chennai Stars with the ball and the ace bowler Shakthi containing the runs. Amazingly Lakshmipathy who batted down the order guarded his stumps like a fort making quick singles and doubles giving Super Stars a competitive total. Apart from Austin, no single big scorer for Super Stars and all bowlers evenly shared the wickets with the whole team showing a good performance on the field.

For Chennai Stars, Gopi and Zenith gave the initial momentum with the ball; continued by the pace of Senthil and decent line by Oli. Siva took few well judged catches in the deep. Thiyagu took a good caught and bowled in second match and hitting a marvelous six to cruise Chennai Stars to semis. Both Oli and Thiyagu endured close decisions, Oli speculated for a bat-nick to the keeper and Thiyagu fortunately having his bails remain in place when the ball hit through the stumps.

Match highlights and Score card to follow...

(....scored card under review by club secretary for some clarifications....)

Name: Kest Schwartzman

Shop Name: Vagabond Jewelry

Blog/Website: www.VagabondJewelry.net

Location: Somerville, MA

A little bit about Kest:
I went to Massachusetts College of Art. I spent a lot of time in the foundry and by the forge. I didn't wear any jewelry. I had a van, but walked everywhere I needed to get, because parking was such a hassle. Now I work out of my basement and ride a bike nearly everywhere I go (I borrow a car to go to fairs, the tent and table are a bit much for my bicycle). I wear Carrhartts, Blundstones, dirty T-shirts, and a cuff on my left wrist. Times have, I supposed, changed.

What do you sell that would appeal to the guys?
The earthiness of copper appeals to men- the cuffs tend to sell mostly to an urban male population, while the pendants seem to go well with everyone. And, of course, the word panels are entirely unisex, and so easy to wear, I've been selling them to a lot of guys who say things like " well, I'm not really one for jewelry, but..." which is always a wonderful thing to hear!

Where do you sell your stuff?
I sell mostly on my website, VagabondJewelry.net. Etsy has been wonderful, too, and really helped me get started- it took me a long time to actually set my website up so that it worked. This summer I'm doing a lot of fairs (craft fairs, folk festivals, and the like) and that's a lot of fun, too. I even got accepted to sell thing at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival at the end of July- I used to go there as a kid, and I'm really excited.

How long have you been in business?
I started selling cuffs made entirely from other people's scraps in undergrad. It helped make ends meet, but I didn't formally set up business till February of ‘07. I registered with my town as a business one year later, in February of 2008. May of this year, I quit my day job, and now I'm doing this full time.

How did you get started?
Well, back at Mass Art, I was making very large scale installations. I am still proud of what I was doing then, but they were massive things, I was putting in 80 hour weeks and would finish one piece per semester. The first summer I volunteered to watch the studio one day a week, so I had access to all the tools. I worked full time in the summers to pay for school, so there was no way I would be doing anything like I had been doing, so I started to experiment with what I could make copper do that my teachers told me I couldn't. At the time it was all cuffs, and I was having the time of my life. I kept that up for years, making money on the side, before deciding that really, this could support me.

How do you get the word out about your shop?
I pay for advertising. I'm really not very good at self marketing, and a lot of people I know don't even know I do this. This may not be the most efficient form of getting the word out, but for me, the stress of feeling like I'm always supposed to be handing out cards and selling myself just isn't worth it. So far, I've had very good luck with Project Wonderful, and I buy slots on webcomics, because I read them.

What's your creative process?
The cuffs are still my favorite thing to make. I'll usually cut a whole bunch of blanks in various widths and lengths, and I'll go ahead and file those. That's generally a day's labor. Then the next day is the fun. I have a vise, an anvil, a torch, and a whole bunch of different hammers. At this point, I have a repertoire of folds and forms that I know (all the things that turned out not to be nearly as impossible as the professors would have you think!). I basically play with those. What happens if I combine this fold with this form? How about if I only do half this fold? Oh, that's neat, if I do that half fold with this full fold, then... And every few weeks I'll come up with a new one- I figured out a fan fold just the other day that I'm working with now. And I play with the copper. This sounds a bit blasé, but the process of playing is, in fact, quite structured. Nothing can be hit twice with treating the metal in between, there's a whole lot of torch work, some things require gloves, while others do not, etc, but I would be lying if I didn't say it was fun. I'll spend all day working those blanks. The next day is a day of trimming ends, filing (again- the first filing was for my hands, the second is for yours!), sanding, and finally waxing and photographing. 

What do you want people to know about your work?
Every one of my pieces is unique. Every one has a name, because, in some way, every one is a friend of mine. I can't repeat a piece any more than you can find two people who agree on every aspect of the upcoming presidential election- some will have one thing in common, others another. And, like people, they change with time, and they change according to their environment. One might darken, another redden, and another will gain a shine I may never have intended. These pieces are all intended to be both tough enough and comfortable enough that they can be with you all the time; they'll join you on a hike along the Appalachian trail, and they're equally happy tagging along to your mother-in-laws dinner party.

Anything else you'd like us to know?
Having made friends with copper, I am now comfortable enough with it to evoke in it the natural landscape from which it emerged. From bold pieces, shouting of earthquakes, to secretive types whispering of quiet fields rustling with grass, the range of jewelry calls up all the world. Every piece I create is entirely different from every other piece I have ever created. Each has their own personality, as organic and hard to define as each of your friends.

Despite being headquartered in Somerville, MA, Farm Aid will make its New England debut when the annual comes to the Comcast Center (formerly the Tweeter Center and Great Woods before that) in Mansfield, MA on September 20, 2008.

In 1985, music maverick Willie Nelson gathered together a number of his musician friends and farming activists for a benefit concert to publicize the plight of the family farm.

The event raised over $7 million and Nelson contacted (now-executive director Carolyn) Mugar, a local philanthropist and social activist who lived in Cambridge, to help distribute the money. Originally planned as a onetime event, the concert was so successful that it spawned the Somerville-based organization. Farm Aid currently has 12 employees and the concert has occurred annually for the past 22 years.   

Concert Corps members volunteered at last year's event at Randall's Island in New York City.

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Today I have received news from Ross Somerville - guitarist of Advent Magic - that the Bowlplex gig due to start on the 20th July, has been cancelled due to financing problems.

For more details on the cancellation - click here.

So please disregard any mention to the Bowlplex gig in the Advent Magic episode of Show Us What You Got.

The good news is however -  as of this moment - Advent Magic's appearance at the Relay For Life on the 23rd of August is still going ahead.

Matthew Jackson

Presenter and Producer of Show Us What You Got

my walk from Cambridge into Somerville

Sabur Restaurant
www.saburrestaurant.com
212 Holland St
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 776-7890