Journal perfessor multigeek's Journal: NY Post Quotes Me on . . . Dumpster Diving? 8
So I've finally gotten my name in a major New York paper in type larger then a flea*.
Not quite how I expected to do it and the quotes are a weeeensy bit misleading (probably the editors cutting to fit) but overall very nice. If nothing else, it should do odd things to some of the more-alternative-then-thou types to see preppie boy Rustin's name in what they will consider their rightful place. Heh.
Anyway, for those of you curious as to what I actually wrote, my extended screed on dumpster diving, complete with typos and exactly (except for stripped email addys) as I sent it is right here.
Have fun.
- - - - -BEGIN ENCLOSURE - - - - - -
> From: "Josh Bernstein" [Nope. Pulled this out.]
> Reply-To: [Pulled this addy as well.]
> Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 10:13:24 -0500
> To: [Most of you guys know this one already.]
> Subject: RE: a dumpster diver am I
>
>
> Rustin.
>
> Sounds rock 'n roll. So, here's the gist: I'm rocking a story for the NY Post on the topic. The jumping off point: there is to be a Dumpster Diving Meetup (Meetup, the Internet service that got the Dean campaign going) this Thursday. http://dumpsterdiving.meetup.com That's the timely hook. Then, I want to interview several dumpster divers. So. The Questions! If you could kick these back to me by the end of the day Wednesday, I'd be much appreciative.
>
>
> Name: Rustin Wright
> Age: 37
> Profession: professional organizer (moves, clutter reduction, etc.)
>
>
> How long have you been dumpster diving?
Started in '81 with my earth science teacher [The massively cool John Orna! Matcha-catcha-munka-dunk!] at Stuyvesant High School
>
>
> Why do you dumpster dive/what do you look for?
Architectural details (wooden doors, doorknobs, prewar brass hinges, etc.)
Office furniture (specifically Metro shelving components, which restaurants throw out on a regular basis when they go out of business).
Computer components (mostly Mac stuff).
Fabrics.
Books, especially art books and gallery catalogues.
>
>
> What are your greatest scores?
I'ld say a tie. One would be the amazing fiddleback maple veneer desk I mentioned earlier (which was a great story, complete with hiring a homeless person for twenty bucks to help disassemble the thing and move it into a cab)
The other would be from what I assume was a restaurant down by Delmonico's. Not only did I get four stainless steel large metro shelving shelves (which went *in those days* for over seventy bucks a shelf) but I also found a Tonka fire truck from the seventies which I cleaned up and gave to the kids of a friend as a still valued present.
Keep in mind that this means that they and their friends have grown up playing with a big metal fire truck from right by what we now think of as Ground Zero.
Two other candidates would be the tweed jacket that I wore for years (so long that I eventually took it took a tailor and had a new lining put in it) and the dozens of strips of marble that I pulled from a dumpster on Sutton Place and have used for coutertops and other surfaces ever since.
Then again, the stainless steel shelving unit I scored last year from the huge SONY theatre on Broadway and 67th is mighty stylin' indeed.
>
>
> Because you've seen both sides of the issue, why are people so wasteful?
Real estate is too expensive to allow people to store as much as they do, people here are in a rush, and we have nowhere near the effective infrastructure of other cities for reuse.
A lot of it is simply lack of information or politics.
I mean, c'mon, ARROW's reuse center just closed down, most people *still* don't know about Materials For The Arts or the Hudson Valley Materials Exchange, and the New York SWAB [Solid Waste Advisory Board] is marginalized as hell. Just ask the solid waste experts like Maggie Clarke or Nicole Tai or Ken Diamondstone. (I can get you their email addys if you need them. In fact, Maggie is at mclarke@[One of those college-type places])
>
>
>
> What tips do you have to properly dumpster dive? Where do you look, how to look, etc?
-Wear washable clothes like stuff from Lands' End or the Gap (both of which can be found at thrift shops). And remember that if you destroy a twenty dollar pair of pants getting a two hundred dollar side table, you're still ahead.
-ALWAYS check any surface CAREFULLY before stepping on it. Push down with your hand before placing your foot there. Look around for sharp edges or precariously suspended heavy things. I got a deep bloody slice in my arm once from mistaking an inch thick glass pane for plastic. Good thing I was a block from a Duane Reade and could just walk in bleeding and get alcohol, betadine, bandages, etc.
-ALWAYS leave if the owners of a dumpster tell you to. Being polite to them is essential. On the other hand, security guards usally don't want to know.
-Always be civilized and share if others see you diving and decide to join you. Just because somebody is homeless or snottily preppy doesn't merit disrespecting them.
-The best neighborhoods are the Upper East Side, Soho (thought that is eccentric) and Midtown (where the corporate moves sometimes result in AMAZING dumpsters).
-Don't be afraid to talk to the guys at the loading dock. Some of them will even hold a piece until you come back if you ask nicely. Of course a case of beer or ten dollar bills** (one initially, one at pickup) both help.
-Never ever leave a mess behind at a dumpster. Don't annoy the golden goose. If you pull stuff out and don't keep it, then put it neatly back or by the curb. Anything else risks a fine for the owner of the dumpster.
-Don't refinish with linseed oil. You're just asking for grief unless you have LOTS of free time and don't care if you destroy your find. Varathane and Minwax are your friends.
-Always soak anything you get (large wooden furniture notwithstanding) in rubbing alchohol as soon as you get it home. Three or four dollars of alochol and a roll of paper towels are a cheap price to pay for safety from icky germs. Also, if you do this in the tub and let stuff soak a bit, the alcohol will get off a remarkable amount of grime.
-Give big tips to cabbies who help you get stuff home. My friends and I usually try to average thirty percent, Also, make your peace when you first go to the curb that many cabbie will not stop for people standing next to big things. Include that ten to thirty minutes of hanging out in the cost of the item to you.
On the other hand, be awre of the option of black car services. Folks like New Family and Delancy pick up anywhere even remotely NEAR New York (I use Delancy when I'm at Ikea in Jersey) and if you firmly, specifically and repeatedly tell them you need a station wagon to carry furniture, they will send one. The "to carry stuff" part is important since otherwise they send a pretty new minivan with pristine upholstery and ain't nobody gonna be happy then.
>
>
>
> Dumpster diving food--yea, or no?
For me? No, no, no, and no. I know of too many other places to get great food cheap in this city and too many people need the food in dumpsters more then I do. Of course, for those living on nothin' bread put out at the end of the day from places like Hot and Crusty can be a lifechanging resource. Just ask the folks at Food Not Bombs.
Beyond that, the word I've gotten from those who *do* dumpster dive food is that you've gotta be somewhat careful, the exception being stuff like lettuce where you can frequently just peel off the icky parts and find munchable goodness within.
In short, learn to cook, learn to use spices like cumin and anchur, learn to make stew. Stew will cover many sins.
>
>
>
> What makes New York such a great place to dumpster dive?
Lots of people with great taste and not enough space, staff or time. They buy the good stuff, many are considerable enough not to destroy things before they put them out (yea Park Slope!), and it genuinely isn't worth it for some of them to find better ways to dispose of things.
>
>
>
> What, if any, stigma is attached to dumpster diving?
None among the clued. I have found it particularly notable that I have had lots of great conversations with wealthy women on the Upper East Side who stopped to chat when they saw me sorting stuff. About one in five who stop then start looking to see what they can find. In my experience it is the poor and otherwise insecure in their social position who get upset at dumpster diving. I guarantee that if you ask the people at a party of Tom Wolfe's or Brooke Astor's at least a quarter of them would have stories to tell of their own "reclaiming".
I have dumpster dived beside heiresses, designers, management consultants, and college professors. In fact, when I was the IT director at This Old House Magazine, half of the senior ad folks and designers kept lusting after my dumpster-dived bench. When I left there was quite the funny little power struggle over who would get it which was won by a senior marketing exec who had just moved here from, IIRC, Beverly Hills.
>
>
>
> What positive role can dumpster diving play?
Of course it helps the environment, it has taught me an enormous amount about design, material properties and carpentry (after all I've seen how stuff is built, how to change it, and how it fails), it saves money, cuts the cost to the businesses who then pay smaller cartage fees, and, not incidentally, has been a pretty decent pickup venue for funky art chicks.
Of course, the cool stories I've accumulated haven't hurt.
One funny thing is that it has given me some expensive habits. After all, when you've gotten used to using a LAMY fountain pen (found one in a desk behind Lincoln Plaza), Bics just won't do. When you get more and more antiques, that you've been able to customize to be just so, stuff at the Door Store looks mighty lame. So does Ethan Allen for that matter.
Particle board! Ew! Give me handcut dovetails or nothing, doggone it.
>
>
>
> Ever been harassed by the police?
Nope. Not once. (At least not if we're still only talking about dumpster diving.) A few times I've been politely asked to step down. Sometimes security guards get somewhat emphatic but the truth is that a polite, preppie-looking, well-spoken white guy truly can still go just about anywhere without excessive grief. be polite to them and considerate of their needs and they'll be polite to you. This, btw, it yet another reason to dress in preppie casual.
My more punk-looking friends have had less mellow experiences but even they agree that a calm voice, not getting adversarial, and smooth, predictable motions will reliably sooth the feathers of pretty much anybody with a badge.
>
>
>
> Lastly, what do you think of the dumpster diving meetup?
No opinion. I might drop by. I'm kinda busy and this here writeup I've just done for you has just used up about a quarter of my free time for the week, so I probably won't have the time.
Speaking of, please do me a favor and foward me the finished story or at least the link. I'll be curious to see how it comes out.
Good luck with the story and, if you know him, tell Phil Recchia [also writes for the Post and I'll be debating him the Saturday after next.] that I'll see him soon,
Rustin
- - - - -END ENCLOSURE - - - - - -
And that's it. Maybe I should do the Official New York Dumpster Diving Pocket Guide. Can you imagine the liability issues that would raise? Yeesh! But, of course, now that I've written the doggone thing, there's no way I'm not gonna keep working on it. Gawd forbid I *ever* sidestep a chance to accumulate a new self-imposed project. Just off the top of my head I can see at least five sections that should be expanded and three or four things to add. Yes, I am even a geek about dumpster diving. Hopeless.
So, whatcha think?
*When I was in high school, everybody who got a good score on the PSATs got their name in the Times in about 1.2 point type.
**A case of ten dollar bills? Damn!
Rustin
Not quite how I expected to do it and the quotes are a weeeensy bit misleading (probably the editors cutting to fit) but overall very nice. If nothing else, it should do odd things to some of the more-alternative-then-thou types to see preppie boy Rustin's name in what they will consider their rightful place. Heh.
Anyway, for those of you curious as to what I actually wrote, my extended screed on dumpster diving, complete with typos and exactly (except for stripped email addys) as I sent it is right here.
Have fun.
- - - - -BEGIN ENCLOSURE - - - - - -
> From: "Josh Bernstein" [Nope. Pulled this out.]
> Reply-To: [Pulled this addy as well.]
> Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 10:13:24 -0500
> To: [Most of you guys know this one already.]
> Subject: RE: a dumpster diver am I
>
>
> Rustin.
>
> Sounds rock 'n roll. So, here's the gist: I'm rocking a story for the NY Post on the topic. The jumping off point: there is to be a Dumpster Diving Meetup (Meetup, the Internet service that got the Dean campaign going) this Thursday. http://dumpsterdiving.meetup.com That's the timely hook. Then, I want to interview several dumpster divers. So. The Questions! If you could kick these back to me by the end of the day Wednesday, I'd be much appreciative.
>
>
> Name: Rustin Wright
> Age: 37
> Profession: professional organizer (moves, clutter reduction, etc.)
>
>
> How long have you been dumpster diving?
Started in '81 with my earth science teacher [The massively cool John Orna! Matcha-catcha-munka-dunk!] at Stuyvesant High School
>
>
> Why do you dumpster dive/what do you look for?
Architectural details (wooden doors, doorknobs, prewar brass hinges, etc.)
Office furniture (specifically Metro shelving components, which restaurants throw out on a regular basis when they go out of business).
Computer components (mostly Mac stuff).
Fabrics.
Books, especially art books and gallery catalogues.
>
>
> What are your greatest scores?
I'ld say a tie. One would be the amazing fiddleback maple veneer desk I mentioned earlier (which was a great story, complete with hiring a homeless person for twenty bucks to help disassemble the thing and move it into a cab)
The other would be from what I assume was a restaurant down by Delmonico's. Not only did I get four stainless steel large metro shelving shelves (which went *in those days* for over seventy bucks a shelf) but I also found a Tonka fire truck from the seventies which I cleaned up and gave to the kids of a friend as a still valued present.
Keep in mind that this means that they and their friends have grown up playing with a big metal fire truck from right by what we now think of as Ground Zero.
Two other candidates would be the tweed jacket that I wore for years (so long that I eventually took it took a tailor and had a new lining put in it) and the dozens of strips of marble that I pulled from a dumpster on Sutton Place and have used for coutertops and other surfaces ever since.
Then again, the stainless steel shelving unit I scored last year from the huge SONY theatre on Broadway and 67th is mighty stylin' indeed.
>
>
> Because you've seen both sides of the issue, why are people so wasteful?
Real estate is too expensive to allow people to store as much as they do, people here are in a rush, and we have nowhere near the effective infrastructure of other cities for reuse.
A lot of it is simply lack of information or politics.
I mean, c'mon, ARROW's reuse center just closed down, most people *still* don't know about Materials For The Arts or the Hudson Valley Materials Exchange, and the New York SWAB [Solid Waste Advisory Board] is marginalized as hell. Just ask the solid waste experts like Maggie Clarke or Nicole Tai or Ken Diamondstone. (I can get you their email addys if you need them. In fact, Maggie is at mclarke@[One of those college-type places])
>
>
>
> What tips do you have to properly dumpster dive? Where do you look, how to look, etc?
-Wear washable clothes like stuff from Lands' End or the Gap (both of which can be found at thrift shops). And remember that if you destroy a twenty dollar pair of pants getting a two hundred dollar side table, you're still ahead.
-ALWAYS check any surface CAREFULLY before stepping on it. Push down with your hand before placing your foot there. Look around for sharp edges or precariously suspended heavy things. I got a deep bloody slice in my arm once from mistaking an inch thick glass pane for plastic. Good thing I was a block from a Duane Reade and could just walk in bleeding and get alcohol, betadine, bandages, etc.
-ALWAYS leave if the owners of a dumpster tell you to. Being polite to them is essential. On the other hand, security guards usally don't want to know.
-Always be civilized and share if others see you diving and decide to join you. Just because somebody is homeless or snottily preppy doesn't merit disrespecting them.
-The best neighborhoods are the Upper East Side, Soho (thought that is eccentric) and Midtown (where the corporate moves sometimes result in AMAZING dumpsters).
-Don't be afraid to talk to the guys at the loading dock. Some of them will even hold a piece until you come back if you ask nicely. Of course a case of beer or ten dollar bills** (one initially, one at pickup) both help.
-Never ever leave a mess behind at a dumpster. Don't annoy the golden goose. If you pull stuff out and don't keep it, then put it neatly back or by the curb. Anything else risks a fine for the owner of the dumpster.
-Don't refinish with linseed oil. You're just asking for grief unless you have LOTS of free time and don't care if you destroy your find. Varathane and Minwax are your friends.
-Always soak anything you get (large wooden furniture notwithstanding) in rubbing alchohol as soon as you get it home. Three or four dollars of alochol and a roll of paper towels are a cheap price to pay for safety from icky germs. Also, if you do this in the tub and let stuff soak a bit, the alcohol will get off a remarkable amount of grime.
-Give big tips to cabbies who help you get stuff home. My friends and I usually try to average thirty percent, Also, make your peace when you first go to the curb that many cabbie will not stop for people standing next to big things. Include that ten to thirty minutes of hanging out in the cost of the item to you.
On the other hand, be awre of the option of black car services. Folks like New Family and Delancy pick up anywhere even remotely NEAR New York (I use Delancy when I'm at Ikea in Jersey) and if you firmly, specifically and repeatedly tell them you need a station wagon to carry furniture, they will send one. The "to carry stuff" part is important since otherwise they send a pretty new minivan with pristine upholstery and ain't nobody gonna be happy then.
>
>
>
> Dumpster diving food--yea, or no?
For me? No, no, no, and no. I know of too many other places to get great food cheap in this city and too many people need the food in dumpsters more then I do. Of course, for those living on nothin' bread put out at the end of the day from places like Hot and Crusty can be a lifechanging resource. Just ask the folks at Food Not Bombs.
Beyond that, the word I've gotten from those who *do* dumpster dive food is that you've gotta be somewhat careful, the exception being stuff like lettuce where you can frequently just peel off the icky parts and find munchable goodness within.
In short, learn to cook, learn to use spices like cumin and anchur, learn to make stew. Stew will cover many sins.
>
>
>
> What makes New York such a great place to dumpster dive?
Lots of people with great taste and not enough space, staff or time. They buy the good stuff, many are considerable enough not to destroy things before they put them out (yea Park Slope!), and it genuinely isn't worth it for some of them to find better ways to dispose of things.
>
>
>
> What, if any, stigma is attached to dumpster diving?
None among the clued. I have found it particularly notable that I have had lots of great conversations with wealthy women on the Upper East Side who stopped to chat when they saw me sorting stuff. About one in five who stop then start looking to see what they can find. In my experience it is the poor and otherwise insecure in their social position who get upset at dumpster diving. I guarantee that if you ask the people at a party of Tom Wolfe's or Brooke Astor's at least a quarter of them would have stories to tell of their own "reclaiming".
I have dumpster dived beside heiresses, designers, management consultants, and college professors. In fact, when I was the IT director at This Old House Magazine, half of the senior ad folks and designers kept lusting after my dumpster-dived bench. When I left there was quite the funny little power struggle over who would get it which was won by a senior marketing exec who had just moved here from, IIRC, Beverly Hills.
>
>
>
> What positive role can dumpster diving play?
Of course it helps the environment, it has taught me an enormous amount about design, material properties and carpentry (after all I've seen how stuff is built, how to change it, and how it fails), it saves money, cuts the cost to the businesses who then pay smaller cartage fees, and, not incidentally, has been a pretty decent pickup venue for funky art chicks.
Of course, the cool stories I've accumulated haven't hurt.
One funny thing is that it has given me some expensive habits. After all, when you've gotten used to using a LAMY fountain pen (found one in a desk behind Lincoln Plaza), Bics just won't do. When you get more and more antiques, that you've been able to customize to be just so, stuff at the Door Store looks mighty lame. So does Ethan Allen for that matter.
Particle board! Ew! Give me handcut dovetails or nothing, doggone it.
>
>
>
> Ever been harassed by the police?
Nope. Not once. (At least not if we're still only talking about dumpster diving.) A few times I've been politely asked to step down. Sometimes security guards get somewhat emphatic but the truth is that a polite, preppie-looking, well-spoken white guy truly can still go just about anywhere without excessive grief. be polite to them and considerate of their needs and they'll be polite to you. This, btw, it yet another reason to dress in preppie casual.
My more punk-looking friends have had less mellow experiences but even they agree that a calm voice, not getting adversarial, and smooth, predictable motions will reliably sooth the feathers of pretty much anybody with a badge.
>
>
>
> Lastly, what do you think of the dumpster diving meetup?
No opinion. I might drop by. I'm kinda busy and this here writeup I've just done for you has just used up about a quarter of my free time for the week, so I probably won't have the time.
Speaking of, please do me a favor and foward me the finished story or at least the link. I'll be curious to see how it comes out.
Good luck with the story and, if you know him, tell Phil Recchia [also writes for the Post and I'll be debating him the Saturday after next.] that I'll see him soon,
Rustin
- - - - -END ENCLOSURE - - - - - -
And that's it. Maybe I should do the Official New York Dumpster Diving Pocket Guide. Can you imagine the liability issues that would raise? Yeesh! But, of course, now that I've written the doggone thing, there's no way I'm not gonna keep working on it. Gawd forbid I *ever* sidestep a chance to accumulate a new self-imposed project. Just off the top of my head I can see at least five sections that should be expanded and three or four things to add. Yes, I am even a geek about dumpster diving. Hopeless.
So, whatcha think?
*When I was in high school, everybody who got a good score on the PSATs got their name in the Times in about 1.2 point type.
**A case of ten dollar bills? Damn!
Rustin
Wow (Score:2)
The Aged One Speaks From His Decrepitude (Score:2)
Oh, Lord. Go ahead, make me feel like Sid [userfriendly.org] why doncha.
Of course, the even scarier truth is that my *real* first New York scavenging was from abandoned cars back in the late seventies, which was even further back in the ages of the ancients and my first scavenging of any kind was done in the mid-seventies in California and New Hampshire.
Gettin' older by the day.
*sigh*
Rustin
A case of the bills (Score:2)
I first read it as ten one-dollar bills. But I'll take a case of tens any day. ;-)
'Dumpster' Diving? (Score:1)
Comedy Central has a show called 'Straight Plan for the Gay Man'. The decorator routinely goes dumpster diving to find tchotchkes and art pieces.
Last week, before welding cl
Re:'Dumpster' Diving? (Score:1)
He just got back today.
'Dumpster' Diving in NYC (Score:2)
Yeah, no kidding. The reason I did some of my first reclamation in California was that my farm-bred father had about as much pomposity as a cowpat and if I brought home a little this or that to help, say, build yet another scenario (in those days I was big on rivers crossed by bridges that inevitably blew up), he had no problem with it at all.
What's funny is that, as I pointed out in my letter to the writer, it's the class-insecure stri
Hey, you didn't tell me... (Score:1)
Re:Hey, you didn't tell me... (Score:2)
Folks, for the record, the *reason* I knew about the reporter looking for dumpster diving info was that my good friend Kim saw his query on Craig's List.
Yes, Kim, I guess I did. Thanks, btw. Sorry that I forgot to tell you. Oddly enough, now that you mention it, I don't think I've mentioned my odd little notice in the press to a number of my friends. Color me oblivious.
Oh, and welcome to
Rustin