one doorknob

July 14, 2005: Seattle, WA, USA Now a pen, especially a fish pen, is a hard object to let go. But even with the awesome writing powers it may possess, you’ve gotta face the facts: A fish pen can’t really help you open a cupboard. And I’ve got a cupboard that needs opening. Luckily, Annie Robbins called me about ten minutes after I got the pen. I showed up at Annie's place in Seattle in a minivan filled with my parents, Ian and Colleen, my brother Scott, my brother's girlfriend Rachel and even my Grandpa Nap, which funny enough is his nickname...short for Napoleon. Annie was stoked. She'd never traded with an entourage before. Or met a Napoleon, I think. Annie is a helpful Seattle-based ceramic sculptor who had the ideal object to trade: A doorknob. But not just any old doorknob, oh no, this l’il sculpted mofo looks like E.T. after he smoked a bat. A BIG bat. If I had to name it, which I do, I’d call it a Knob-T. As soon as I laid eyes upon the Knob-T, I just knew I had to get my hand on it. Question from passerby: “What are you holding? Me: “A Knob-T" Passerby again: “What’s a Knob-T?” Me again: “It’s pretty much my favorite Seattle souvenir. It’s like a tripped-out version of E.T. crossed with a doorknob...bred for its skills and magic.” If only. Three airplane rides and a change of shirts later I found myself back in Montreal able to do the one thing I’ve always dreamed about: tug on a drug-induced ceramic version of E.T. to get at the solvents. Bigger than a fish pen? Nope. Better than a fish pen? I'll just the solvents do the talkin'. Look at the solvents---Don't they love it? Quiet though, they don't know I'm going to trade the knob away. They'll get over it. They always do. So hands down Annie is the coolest professional potter from the Emerald City I’ve ever met. But get this, there's more: she's trying to get rid of her Mercedes. Her plan is to wait until I get something big enough to trade for the car. I like her plan. It is good. Click here to see who I traded Annie's doorknob with. **************** UPDATE - Dec 5, 2005: email from Annie >>>>>>>>>>>>>hi kyle, annie here. jon repp from komo 1000 just came to my house to interview me about our trade. i still have my wonderful fish pen. it was great. i told him how charismatic you are and my initial interest in answering your craigs list post for one red paper clip. i mentioned its important to think outside the box and the importance of challenging the concept we have of value. you may want to add my email to the contact info because i'm not sure by googling me one could find it. if someone is interested in trading for my pen i am open. i am interested in getting a group of traders together to trade for land for a community based on the barter system. cool beans on the snow mobile. i passed on the mercedes to my son yesterday for his birthday so it's no longer available, think you may have surpassed it already anyway. big hugs and kisses annie

You can contact Annie at: annierobbins at speakeasy.net PS also mention if anyone wants to pool our trading results for thelandbarter idea to contact me. i am interested in australia and newzealand for this. i am super interested in the idea of peoples owningland together and having different locals in the world that areassociated. we could call them the paperclip communities! i am thinkingperhaps the pen, being one of the first trade items may be a littlefamous !!! certainly famous pens make for great bartering !!!! ********* ADDED DEC 6th: hi kyle, i have just tracked down the artist of the incredible knob! his name is Liam Halverson and he is an up and coming seattle ceramic artist. He is 11 but was only 8 when he made the soon to be famous knob. btw , that knob sat on my windowsill above my kitchen sink for years, and we all know what a coveted position that is. i loved staring at that knob in the morning waiting for the water to boil for my coffee, the expression suited my morning disposition perfectly. i knew when i saw the knob i had to have it. being a ceramic artist i can certainly spot an excellent knob when i see one. Liam's parents are both ceramic artists also, i suppose artists don't fall far from the tree. with luck we will be hearing from Liam when he gets home from school today. life is so cosmic, annie