The Big O

Posted by jdg | Thursday, January 20, 2011

As a few commentators on the last post and a lot of e-mailers have noted, that is me on page 157 of the February issue of Oprah Magazine. What's some guy who just makes things out of junk doing between a New York lawyer who's devoted her career to helping homeless mothers and. . . Miranda July? A few of the projects and activities we do around here caught the attention of some editors at O and before I knew it I was whittling a 500-word story down to a tight 200 and getting whisked off to a Brooklyn warehouse for a photo shoot with William Abranowicz. I haven't seen the physical magazine yet, but they've put the article on Oprah's website here. I was relieved when I saw the picture today, because my mother-in-law saw it a few days ago and told my wife they'd photoshopped a wizard hat on my head. I must admit that's been gnawing at me a bit.

If you're visiting here for the first time after seeing the article, here are a few links to some of the projects referenced: (1) the dog wagon (and part two); (2) the pizza box pyramids; (3) the improvised ice rink (with part two); (4) the Robocop costume; and (5) the wooden Pegasus. You might also like the Popscycle, the Mies van der Rohe dollhouse, any of my other DIY projects or my wife's amazing crafting. Otherwise, this blog just documents our efforts to make our lives here in the beautiful city of Detroit interesting and fun. Thanks for stopping by and checking it out.

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As a reminder that we're participating in the American Cancer Society's More Birthdays campaign, I've written about contributing artist Andrew Bannecker's wonderful illustrations over here.

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One more thing: if there are any interested readers in the Atlanta area, I have a few photos in a show opening at the Kiang Gallery tomorrow night, called After the Suburbs (curated by the wonderful Karen Tauches). The show runs through March 19 and there's a special lecture at Georgia Tech on February 2 by Julia Christensen (author of Big Box Reuse) that I wish I could attend (not just to pitch an idea for a follow-up: Pizza Hut Reuse). Be sure to let me know if you go.