Change in Waste: Confessions of a Compost Virgin

This past week it finally happened. I attempted to make compost for the first time. I was really nervous and the thoughts rushed through my head: Will I know how? Will it hurt? Will it feel better with time? Is the first time dirty and smelly? What will the compost think of me?

Needless to say I was anxious about the copious amount of waste I was producing. But the moment I unsheathed the lid of my first compost bin, the ecstasy of this natural act put my mind at ease. My first night was so great that I’ve been doing it everyday since with no intention of stopping. I only wish I started earlier.

THE WAITING GAME

A person can have several reasons, immoral or not, for compost abstinence or simply none at all. Some people wait to compost until after they are married, generally for religious reasons. However, a great amount of people start experimenting with composting in college and there are the adventurous ones who start in high school.

I’m not sure why I waited until after college to start composting. I mean… I’m not a prude or anything. Maybe I was playing “hard to get.” My nomadic lifestyle throughout college never leant itself well to composting. Even now, I only plan to live at my current apartment for six more months before leaving on an epic Pan-American road trip with my girlfriend Kelly. However, the amount of organic waste that one human being can create in six months is epic too!

POSITIONS AND TECHNIQUES

There are several ways to compost. A lot of people like to do it outside, some right on the ground. Others like to do it in the privacy of a bin and the Don Juan composter may use several bins.

Cold climate does present a challenge as I face another Michigan winter. I can’t just take a banana outside my apartment and start composting. A compost pile is gorged with billions of microbes that need to be warmed up and insulated to successfully compost, i.e. foreplay. My favorite place to compost is under my kitchen sink. I don’t have to worry about insulation outside and I can do it with a simple 5-gallon bucket that I’ve drilled several holes in for aeration. There are some vendors that sell expensive high-tech bins with the promise of bigger, stronger, more fertile compost that will last much longer. Really though, composting is pretty easy and a simple bin will do the trick just fine.

STIMULATION

You can stimulate a compost pile with all kinds of organic matter found in yard and kitchen waste such as grass clippings and leaves, fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, tea bags and more. It’s best to start your compost with a significant layer of soil and add layers of soil over the compost waste along with dry layers such as grass clippings. This is the best way to satisfy the act of decay. You should not compost meat scraps, fatty food wastes, milk products, and bones. They’re not a turn-on for composting.

Eating a strong diet of raw fruits and vegetables and less industrial processed foods means greater energy and performance for both you and your compost!

If you want to get really kinky, you can add worms to your compost to speed up the decaying excitement. Regardless of what some may say, the size of the worm doesn’t affect the pleasure of composting.

ORGASM

Composting creates a culmination of several good feelings and benefits. For one, you greatly reduce the waste being sent to landfills, 30% of which is contributed by yard and kitchen waste that could be composted. The end product of composting is a highly fertile soil, sometimes referred to as “black gold”, that can be used for potted plants or gardens and can also be recycled in layers to make more compost. Once your garden goes black, it never goes back!

For me, I don’t really have the space or intention for much home gardening. I get enough pleasure from reducing my waste. Now that I’m composting, I rarely have to take out the trash since the majority of food I eat is raw and composted. So when I do finish making some of my black gold, I’ll donate it to a community garden or take it to a park.

CUDDLING

You can find out more info on how to make mind-blowing compost with your soil begging you for more at http://www.howtocompost.org/ or a simple Google search. Composting is a good, simple, natural way to reduce your waste. For those that are hesitant, drop your peels and start composting.

P.S. It’s been a week and my compost doesn’t smell. I’m pretty sure if you layer it right, mix it up and aerate every couple days, you won’t have a problem.

Change in Film: Purpose, Value, and Waste

[WARNING: The following may only interest filmmakers or critical thinkers.  Basically, I consumed a ridiculous number of awful films that made me seriously consider the production of my own films and others.  This is a long rant that is partly analytical, theoretical, critical, philosophical, and self-reflecting.]

This past week marked the end of my pre-screening process for the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Over the last two months, I have watched 320 films, narrative and documentary, that were submitted for consideration in the 48th AAFF which will take place March 23-28, 2010 at The Historic Michigan Theater. Of those 320 films, I recommended approximately 40 to the next round of screening with only five or six films that I really liked- thank you to those few filmmakers.

This long exhaustive process has changed some of my ideas about filmmaking and the types of films I want to make.

First off, I don’t think the majority of filmmakers ever intend to make a bad film. But let’s face it: bad films happen. It’s really hard to make a good film and it takes almost a miracle to make a great film.

Regardless if it awesome or god awful, a majority of films take a lot of time, money, and energy.

So before funds are raised and the camera starts rolling, filmmakers should ask themselves, “Why am I making this film?” It seems self-explanatory but I’m not so sure after watching hundreds of films made within the last year.

After some contemplative thought, I have devised a few main categories that describe the purpose of the filmmaker to participate in film production along with the purpose of the viewer or audience to participate in film consumption. [For this discussion, the filmmaker is the primary person responsible for the creation of the film. The categories can be extended to additional filmmakers and crew members necessary for film production but it is not the primary interest of the discussion.]

These categories are interchangeable in many cases and most filmmakers, films, and viewers have multiple purposes although there may be a primary purpose.  For example, the purpose of a film like Farenheit 9/11 may have been political, but it also made a ridiculous amount of money.  Who knows whether or not that was Michael Moore's purpose too or just an accidental end?


PURPOSES OF FILMMAKERS AND FILM PRODUCTION

1. Money. The purpose is to make money. The content of the film does not matter. The film can be Citizen Kane or really dirty pornography- as long as it makes money.

2. Entertainment. The purpose is to entertain an audience. The filmmaker may also experience pleasure and amusement in doing so and may experience similar pleasure in the making of the film itself. So there is entertaining the audience, and entertaining oneself. Entertainment can be commercial, artistic or both.

3. Art. The purpose is to explore film as an art form and push its boundaries.

4. Social. The purpose is to explore social issues. It may be the intention to raise audience awareness on the issues at hand. The content of the film can vary from private and personal to global matters. Social factors may also participate in film production and not just the film itself.

5. Political. The purpose is to explore, expose, or propagate political issues. It may be the intention to influence the political views of the audience.

6. Education and Experience. The purpose is to educate an audience. Also, the filmmaker will mostly likely gain knowledge and experience from the production of the film itself.


PURPOSES OF THE VIEWER, AUDIENCE AND FILM CONSUMPTION

1. Entertainment. The purpose is to entertain oneself. The kind of pleasure varies greatly from the type of film, the type of viewer, and the type of consumption. Pleasure may not even be dependent on the film itself, only the type of consumption. For example, teenagers may go to a movie theater to get away from their parents and make-out with their significant others. What is on the screen is insignificant.

2. Art. The purpose is to view film as an art form, see its boundaries being pushed, and enlighten one’s experience and understanding of film and art.

3. Social. The purpose is to gain insight, knowledge and/or understanding of the social issues the film addresses.

4. Political. The purpose is to gain insight, knowledge, and/or understanding of the political issues the film addresses.

5. Educational. The purpose is to gain general knowledge and insight of a particular interest.


VALUE

Each purpose for film production merits a particular value. Value describes the worth, importance, or usefulness of producing a film. Although value is somewhat subjective, most would agree that certain purposes have higher value than others. For example: a documentary may merit social value for raising awareness of a global concern. A simple comedy may merit value in its ability to entertain. Although the latter has an important function in society, one would not argue the greater value of the former.


FILMMAKER EXECUTION AND AUDIENCE RECEPTION

The purpose of filmmakers and film production should be distinguished from the purpose of the film itself. The purpose of the film itself is related to both the filmmaker and audience. If the filmmaker’s efforts are well executed, their purpose may continue with the film itself. For example, if a filmmaker’s primary purpose is to make an entertaining film, and the production of the film is well executed, then the film may be entertaining. There is then the possibility that the film, with its purpose to entertain, may entertain a viewer whose purpose for consuming the film is to be entertained. However, if the production of the film is not well executed, the film may not be entertaining and may not entertain the viewer. If the primary purpose for producing a film is not met by the film itself, it may have little to no value for existence or for an audience.


NARRATIVE AND DOCUMENTARY

Based on quantity and not quality, it seems the primary purpose of most narrative film production is to entertain while the primary purpose of most documentary film is social, political, or educational.

A poorly executed narrative film that does not entertain yields little to no value for its primary purpose of production. However, a poorly executed documentary film that does not adequately engage its topic still seems to yield some value. Perhaps its because the original purpose could be considered of higher value and the act of partaking in a documentary film production raises awareness, however small, to its topic or cause.


VALUE VS. COST

A film’s value should be weighed against its cost. It takes a lot of time, energy, and resources to make a film. If the end product has little to no value, then the film and its production is waste and the filmmaker could be considered wasteful for that matter. Filmmakers with a primary purpose to make money understand this concept quite well: if the cost to produce a film is greater than its revenue, it has lost or wasted money and was not worth the effort.


CONCLUSION

I enjoy nearly all types of films for a variety of reasons. I see value in each purpose of film production and consumption. I do not necessarily think particular genres of films have more value than others. I think creativity determines that. Unfortunately, a majority of narrative films are unoriginal and a waste of time and resources. The only time a cliché melodrama makes me cry is during the end credits, knowing that a lot of money, people and energy were used to create a lot of waste.

I’ve begun to think that I, myself, may have a greater purpose by pursuing documentary filmmaking whereas I once thought I would become a director of narrative features. The lifestyle of a documentary filmmaker seems more engaging, active, and appealing right now.  Especially if there are some travel perks...

Who knows what I'll ultimately do or become.  I’ve labeled this last section “Conclusion” but I have yet to get to the bottom of anything...

If you bothered to read all of this, thank you!  I would appreciate any feedback.  If you think this blog post sucks, let me know.  I apologize and will try better next time.  At least the production of blogs post uses little resources and only wastes my time and yours.  If I had produced a film about this instead, I would have wasted several people's time, money, and resources and that would have been devastating.

2010: A Year of Change

The start of a new year and the start of my first blog.  Why?  Well, I feel there are BIG CHANGES coming my way for 2010 affecting my life, thoughts, attitudes, family, friends, community, and the world.

This blog will be of the variety type in both subject and content.  For subjects, I'll be serving up thoughts on film, environmental conservation, freedom, and fun- my primary interests.  For content, I'll stir in a mix of photographs and videos to delight your entertainment palate with twice the retention rate of reading text.

The first post is long as I lay my groundwork for the new year.

I'm starting a list of thoughts and things in my life that are either changing or not changing as I start 2010.

1.  Hair.  I haven't cut my hair in a year and half since shaving my head with Chris shortly after graduating from University of Michigan.  I told myself I wouldn't cut it again until something significant happens in my life...

2.  Money.  I graduated with nearly $13,000 in student loans (impressive for UofM).  Since then I've worked hard spending the majority of my money on loan payments.  I told myself I wouldn't move anywhere until I paid off my loans.  That way I could take a job I enjoyed regardless of pay.  Currently, I owe $1,483.16 and am so close to financial freedom!!  [Much THANKS to friends and family, especially Chris, Tony, Kelly, Nicole, and Brad, who have helped me out with residency and keeping my bills low during long stretches of unemployment and distraught.]

3.  Smell.  I'm entering my third year of not wearing deodorant.  Yep, I ran out in late 2007 and never bought another stick.  I found my odor is quite pleasant.  The girls at the club love me because I'm one less guy trying to dance up on them while wreaking of Axe or Old Spice.  It's also one less thing I have to do to start my day.  Do you really need it?  Especially antiperspirants. They try to prevent you from doing something that's natural: sweat.  Also, there's research that aluminum in antiperspirant is absorbed into the body through the skin's pores and can be harmful.  Since I don't wear it, I don't care enough to look into the research... but if you do, you should look into the research to find out what's in this product that we are conditioned to use at the start of puberty and the side effects it may have.  (P.S.  A friend lost a dare at a party this weekend and had to lick my two-years-in-the-ripe armpit.)

4.  Work.  In September '09 I took a job with a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant to create and facilitate an after school film making program at three high school sites including Wayne Memorial where I graduated.  Over the last few months, I've turned an old media studio turned storage room back into a creative space.  What a powerful experience that has been with a sense of accomplishment and pride I share with the students.  This has empowered me to make change as I start 2010.  When I'm at home doing lesson plans, I know that I'm working for the benefit of the students and on a larger scale, the future of our youth.  It feels great and gives me a sense of purpose which I felt was lacking during a spell of apathy throughout college.  [You can see the work under the "Bright Futures" playlist on my youtube page at http://www.youtube.com/martystano]

6.  Health.  I made it through the entire year of 2009 without health insurance nor any prescription medications, and I think no over-the-counter meds for that matter.  Luckily, I have a pretty good immune system and no serious health conditions.  My health care plan is a preventive system of good nutrition, fair exercise, plenty of sleep, very little stress, and plenty of green tea.  However, I did get really sick once when I returned from traveling.  I think it was a combination of exhaustion and food poisoning.  I had a fever and was buying Orange Juice at the grocer when I sharted for the first time in my life (What's a shart?  You know, it's when you fart but a little shit comes out).  I rushed home to quickly explode out of both anal and oral artifices.  After 2.5 days of laying in bed, I was totally fine without any medication.  And with that, we'll go to...   

7.  Love.  Yes, there is much love in my life thanks to my girlfriend Kelly.  I'm only 23 and have found the right girl for me.  I'm so happy that I won't be wasting the rest of my life looking for that exceptional person.  Kelly is that person.  I love her, I love my job, I love my family, my friends and altogether that makes me incredibly happy and content.  I experience much love in my life and such little stress.  Being in such a privileged position, I am ready to move forward in 2010 to make positive change.  (This certainly merits cutting my hair but I'll probably hold out for financial freedom.)

8.  Travel.  Kelly and I have started our research to go on a trip of epic proportions:  The Pan-American Road Trip from Michigan to Alaska and all the way to Argentina.  Wha-what?  Yes.  Alaska to Argentina by road.  How?  We don't totally know.  But people have done it and people are doing it now.  We'll have a blog just for our research and preparation for the trip as well as updates when our journey commences: tentatively July 4th 2010.

It looks like 2010 is gonna be a great year!