EDOM 5: another one, already!?
28 November 2023
Hello mun1 of Earth! Yes, it is time for another issue of Each Day, One More even though it’s been a mere week since EDOM 4.
As you have likely noticed, the format of this issue has changed. The first issue was a printed newsletter and EDOM 2, 3 & 4 were sent as a bcc’d email. But moving forward we’re going to try out Substack. It’s a way to send out newsletters via email and also have them posted as a blog for historical record. Here’s the website. Please let me know your experience!
Thank you for the encouraging feedback and I hope the stories below will satisfy your yearning desire for logistical updates, process outlines and mild clarifications.
moop.earth is live!
As I have mentioned in previous EDOMs and Councils, the goal of the Magical Office of Peace is to bring eternal peace to planet Earth for all munkind. Simple enough. But I do think achieving planetary peace requires some structure. And fortunately, the MOOP is now official!
When did the Magical Office of Peace become official? Well, from a legal standpoint registering it as a business with the county (which happened a couple of months ago) seems like a reasonable mark. But earlier than that (though involving fewer signatures, stamps and fees) the MOOP had another sign of officialness: a sign. On 9 October 2021, I used a soldering iron to burn in lettering into a piece of scrap wood2. I wiped it with tung oil and glued magnets on the back. I stuck it on the door of the MOOP headquarters—which happens to be the same as the door to my apartment—and it has been there since.
But a new level of officiality is upon us! The MOOP now has a website: moop.earth. Now, I’m sure you’re probably so busy that you won’t have time to visit the site. So to save you the trouble I will use words to describe it it for your now. There is a white background with black text. In a large serif font are the words “Magical Office of Peace.” Below is another line of text, “Earth location.” This text line is half as tall as the first line and is stylized in all caps with large spacing between the letters. The two lines of text are separated by a one pixel black horizontal rule at fifty percent opacity. Above the text is a circular emblem3 with eight-fold radial symmetry. And that’s what’s on the page.
(You know, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, but by my count, it only took me about a hundred—just sayin’.)
The site will expand to be the place to find all MOOP related projects including Walking for Vice President and this very newsletter. Also it will be the home of the new project ‘‘‘peacewhere’’’, as described below.
‘‘‘peacewhere’’’ takes flight
Sometime in 2019—this is back when I was Walking for (regular) President—I felt that in order to pursue a political office there was one thing I would have to buy, find or build myself: a stunning sense of fashion.
Now, I needed to be economical because—as it is widely known and well-documented—lookin’ good ain’t cheap. My solution was to minimize colors so I could maximize styles. By my math, two was the smallest integer greater than one4 and which two colors were obvious: black & white. They’re available in virtually all items/cuts/styles/sizes of clothing. You can wear the colors to a wedding, to a funeral and everywhere in between. Also, no other color pair has greater contrast—without relying in fluorescence. So bee and dubs it was.
Initially, my daily wear was a black baseball cap, a plain white t-shirt, and black jeans. While it was indeed a simple outfit, sadly it was not turning heads. Then in mid 2020 I had a thought: tie-dye. Yes, a white shirt with patterned black dye would certainly be an interesting upgrade! Where did this idea to tie-dye come from? I don’t know, but I was to find out much later that I was not alone in choosing this as a pandemic hobby.
After I made the first ten t-shirts, I was wearing them nearly every day. What I loved about tie-dye was that I could have a consistent look, but still have day-to-day variations in the patterns. I was pleased to receive shirt compliments and the occasional offer to buy a shirt. For years, I didn’t want to sell them. They were labors of love and in the end my appetite to consume black & white tie-dye shirts was greater than my ability to produce them. So there were never any left to sell. But things have changed!
Lately I’ve been thinking about the long-term support of the Magical Office of Peace and decided to raise funds for the Magical Treasury of Peace (which is owned and operated by the MOOP). And so, since there exists a non-zero demand for B&W tie-dye items, I decided that making and selling these items is an obvious MOOP fundraiser.
As a proof of concept, I made the first six items in what I am calling the ‘‘‘peacewhere’’’ collection. Each item in the collection was tied, dyed and washed. Brand labels were sewn on and included the serial number of the shirt. Then shirts were photographed individually. Lastly, a record in the ‘‘‘peacewhere’’’ log book is created that includes the serial number, the date the shirt was made, and other identifying information.
The point of the number labels is so the provenance of each item can be tracked. When I sell an item, I will record who bought it and for how much in the spreadsheet. So that way, by just checking the label you can get a sense of the item’s history. Also, it offers a way to verify authenticity: compare the number with the official photo. It would be difficult to reproduce a pattern exactly.
The initial idea is to sell them locally. Oakland’s Lake Merritt5 seems like a great place where I could hawk the ‘‘‘where’’’. I would like to also offer them through an online store, which is in the works.
You might be wondering about the name ‘‘‘peacewhere’’’. It came to me the other Sunday (19 Nov). What could a clothing wear line oriented about peace be called? “Peace Wear,” of course. Wouldn’t you believe it, there’s already an online shop with that name. Then I found the fairly obvious path of wear > ware > where. I liked the sound of Peace Where. And with a bit more thinking I came to a tag line: “Let us make peace wherever we may be.” Now about the styling of the word: making it all lowercase just felt right. And the three single-quotes before and after the word is just a little decoration. I think of them as tiny little wings on a wide bird.
If you would like to buy an authentic ‘‘‘peacewhere’’’ tie-dye shirt and/or jacket you can be first in line if you attend Council 7 next week.
If you would like to earn an authentic ‘‘‘peacewhere’’’ without spending a single dollar, you can learn how if you attend Council 7 next week.
Council 7 next week
Previously called W4VP Councils, the Magical Office of Peace Councils are hour-long online gatherings where MOOP business is discussed. Usually, it’s a bit of a show and tell with space made for feedback, questions and discussions.
The Councils are the best way to get a look behind the scenes and previews of upcoming projects. When you share your thoughts and feelings it makes a great contribution to this project of peace. I know your schedule might now allow it, but if other times / days work for you, please let me know.
Council 7
Wednesday, 6 December 2023
15:00 PST / 18:00 EST
As always, meeting is hosted on the MOOP Discord server. Drop in and out as you need.
peace + love,
Stephen James
“Mun” is a term for a human being of any gender or age. It is synonymous with “person,” “human being,” or “earthling.”
For provenance sake, I found on the scrap wood in a red crate on the side of the road in Berkeley on my way from morning yoga and my walk to the southbound 6 bus. I’m sure you don’t care about these details, but future historians are going to be thrilled, I assume.
The emblem is known as the Magical Emblem of Peace.
My concern with wearing only one color was that it would offer the flexibility to dress in the variety of social situations I would like to present myself at fashionably.
Do not be deceived! “Lake” Merritt is, in fact, a tidal lagoon. It’s still very nice though.