current balance:
--

There’s no advertising anywhere on this site. I’d shut the thing down before cluttering it with banner ads. Although I paid for Stage Two by selling my childhood on Craigslist, most of the funding for this project has come from the generous individuals whose names appear to the left.

If you’ve had a look around and share my belief that this endeavor is well worth continuing, consider becoming a part of the adventure with a donation of your own. Food being by far the largest expense, you’ll effectively be refueling the tour—propelling it farther along in space and time.

If you’d like to support the thread in a non-financial way, I’ve got a bunch of ground support jobs I can delegate. Anything from research assignments and editing to setting up appointments and locating places to stay. Just email if you’re interested: brett [at sign] burnthefurniture.com.

Here’s a more academic explanation outlining the project’s approach to money.

If you’d like to donate toward a specific item, here’s the project's current wishlist:

• 500 GB hard drive: $100 (high priority)

• gorilla-grip tripod: $40 (medium priority)*
• fingerless biking gloves: $30 (medium priority)*
• apple in-ear headphones: $80 (meduim priority)*

• directional microphone: $150 (low priority)
• sleep sack: $65 (low priority)*
• head lamp: $30 (low priority)*
• steadycam merlin stabilization system: $800 (low priority)

* replacement

Binaural Audio Recording

Choose a 15-minute window anytime during the tour and Brett will record the ambient sound wherever he is, whatever he's doing. Using binaural microphones and a high-res recorder, playback on headphones means you’ll essentially hear what he heard. The nocturnal cries of desert fauna or a mundane exchange with a supermarket checker—you wont know what you’ve got till it arrives in the mail and you pop it in the player.

$50/Parrafin Wax Level

Oregon Trail Regional Museum Postcard *

This fine keepsake, complementary with paid admission to the museum, was acquired by Brett in Baker City, Oregon on the morning of October 20, 2008.

The charmingly dated photograph of the former natatorium's facade was taken by Jon Croghan

$100/Bunker Fuel Level

Mo/Fo LLP Baseball Cap

Whether on the fairway or in the hood, you’ll be kickin’ it like a mofo with this fantastic cap from Morrison & Foerster Limited Liability Partnership. Known for their intellectual property cases, they’re the law firm with the irreverent nickname.

Donated by ES.

$100/Bunker Fuel Level

"Take Ecstasy with Me"

Yes, we're aware those aren't pills. They're mushroom chocolates: the alternate option for this incredible gift. Brett will do his hair all fancy futuristic and the two of you will take drugs someplace dramatic. An opportunity that's not to be passed up! Listen to this tune and consider it.

$100/Bunker Fuel Level

Safari Club Taxedermy Map *

Required reading for anyone faced with the daunting task of identifying the hundreds of dead animals adorning the walls of this odd establishment.

$200/Motor Oil Level

Two Dakota Grain Postcards *

Stolen by Brett from Al's Oasis in Oacoma, SD, these cards attest to the greatness of the industrial agricultural model. Used for note taking purposes, they bear the marks of many bumpy miles on the road.

$200/Motor Oil Level

Directly Ahead

Brett will snap an image with his phone (at an exact time specified by you) each day for a week. The results will be sent to your mobile device.

$200/Motor Oil Level

Found Sculpture

Ruins are treasure troves of lost and abandoned objects. Brett will select for you one such found sculptural fragment at a derelict site of your choosing. You’ll receive it in the mail along with photographic documentation of the object’s context before removal.

$200/Motor Oil Level

Diablo Canyon Package *

Brett rescued this stunning print from a display in the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Visitor's Center. The label below indicates the image was taken in 2005. The photo also comes with a sample nuclear fuel pellet and a selection of informative brochures on the Diablo Canyon facility, high-level waste storage, and the Point Buchon Trail Brett followed to its terminus at the plant's security perimeter.

$400/Diesel Level

Jeremy Wilson's Oregon Department of Corrections Identification Badge *

Joe found the 5'7" 200 pound inmate's ID on the county fairgrounds in Ontario, Oregon on October 17, 2008.

$400/Diesel Level

Archival Inkjet Print *

Choose from one of four HD video stills sourced from stage two. You’ll receive the image printed in dramatic black and white with archival ink, professionally matted and framed. Or don’t choose and receive a composite print with smaller versions of all four. (Sample images available upon request.)

$400/Diesel Level

"So your going to this school now..." *

This endearing offer of friendship was found folded and damp on the side of the road just south of Oric, CA on November 1, 2008. One can only hope it marked the beginning of a lasting partnership.

$800/Kerosene Level

Domenico's Monologue from Nostalghia

Brett will do his best to re-create this memorable cinematic moment in a town square or equivalent public space. Documentation of the performance will be mailed to you in DVD format.

Yes, he'll do it in English. No, he wont light himself on fire.

$800/Kerosene Level

Four Watercolor Postacards Mailed From Kadoka, South Dakota*

Brett Mailed this set of four cards ahead to his mother's home in California. They're covered with intriguing (but barely legible) notes and insights from the first part of the tour.

$800/Kerosene Level

Set of Five Brett Tracy Picture ID Cards *

Package includes:

International Student ID, UCD Undergraduate ID, Claremont Colleges Library Card, University of Chicago ID, and California Driver's Licence (Valid until 01/28/10).

$1,600/Gasoline Level

Dixie Square Mall “Stalker” Expedition

Venture into the disordered depths of a shadowy realm with Brett as your “Stalker” (guide). Follow choreographed movements designed to foreground the supernatural forces and peculiar atmospheres of this otherworldly place. You'll be catapulted back to your childhood as your desensualized body awakens to a myriad of unfamiliar sights, smells and textures.

$1600/Gasoline Level

Two Identical University of Chicago Diplomas *

Much like the item offered in stage one, only this time there's two! Package includes the official letter from the university stating that one must be returned or destroyed.

$3,200/Chevron with Techron Level

Going Away Letter From Brett's Ex-Girlfriend, Katie *

Stashed away in his paineers before departure, this sheet of paper didn't leave Brett's side for over five months. Having provided comfort to a lonely rider on many a cold night, it can now be yours.

$6,400/Propane Level

A Place to Weather the Storm

Receive privileged information detailing Brett’s current picks for the world’s best spots to ride out the Deindustrial Age. Focusing on particulars like climate, soil fertility and social stability, this comprehensive and ever-expanding report will provide a valuable head start whether you’re looking to homestead or just avoid chaos. As the thread explores new territory, you’ll receive updates, additions and amendments.

$12,800/Butane Level

Support: an academic statement

A more affluent US would make available (to a modestly sized group of voluntary economic underachievers) a full social safety net that provided for basic physical needs. With practice, artists and other like-minded folk would be able to pursue their creative endeavors without having to devote large amounts of time to earning tokens. The trade-off for forsaking prepared meals and new clothing and largely abandoning the pursuit of material possessions would be exemption from the humiliating farce that is wage labor. But the world’s richest country doesn’t currently provide this to its citizens and isn’t expected to start anytime soon.

The alternative to receiving assistance from one’s society via its governing bodies is to engage with its citizens directly: asking them to direct a portion of what sustains them toward sustaining you. But what is the fate of this practice forging ahead into a period of contraction where real income continues to decline? Endeavors that rely on the generosity of others suffer terribly during recessions. How much financial assistance can I expect from most individuals during a protracted economic depression?

The answer of course is not much. For this reason, emphasis has been directed away from increasing income and toward reducing expenditures. Performing this shift in fiscal policy benefits the project by adding complexity to its conceptual framework and is personally advantageous in a number of ways. Practicing frugality necessitates a honing of one’s intuition, adaptability and flexibility. In contrast, what personal growth can you expect when the meeting of your needs requires minimum attention and effort? As I further develop my autonomy skill set I’ll share it here with the hope of empowering readers to take steps in a parallel direction.

I’d prefer to procure only enough funds to support the activities related to the project: cycling from place to place, eating out of markets and Mexican restaurants, photographing pertinent sites and sleeping outside. Ideally, money would steadily trickle in to provide for food, periodic inexpensive shelter, and occasional upgrades to computer and camera equipment. Without the need to “keep up” a permanent household, and because of the modest costs associated with bicycle touring, this minimum amount is strikingly low. Individuals and small grants become ideal providers of funding. I’m working toward a combination of revenue sources just fruitful enough to easily bear the cost of ongoing research and travel.

It might look something like this:

$10,000 dollars a year for basic necessities (approximately $27 a day)
+$2,000 annually for repairs and equipment upgrades

$12,000 could be provided by 200 sponsors each donating $60 a year.