Ken's Creation

A week or so ago, when I was too busy at work to compose any blog entries, I called Ken to see what he was up to at home.

“I’m making an egg candle,” he told me, rather excitedly. The idea he thinks he came up with (but that I think he stole) is to, through a small hole, fill an egg with wax and wick and then sell, allowing the customer himself to crack the egg open and expose the candle. The reason I feel his idea is not original is because we have both seen a lamp at The Museum of Modern Art that is white ceramic, egg shaped, and comes with a hammer, allowing the owner to crack the ceramic egg himself. The reason Ken feels his idea is original is still unclear to me.

Regardless of any ethical quandry of stealing ideas that are already on display in prominent museums, Ken was very excited to finally be making his egg candle.

“I bought ostrich eggs and black and gold spray paint. I am going to spray the outside black and the inside gold. I also have a surprise for you!”

A few hours later, I called to tell Ken I was on my way home.

“How is the egg?” I asked.

“There is wax all over the kitchen, and I burnt off part of my eyebrows. Apparently, a small explosion occurs when you fill a container with spray paint and later light the wick inside it.”

“Is that the surprise?”

The following week, Ken created his second egg-candle trial with greater success. Rather than use spray paint with flammable fumes, he coated the egg’s interior with a mix of glitter and glue. His eyebrows remained unharmed.