Tonite was a good night. I woke up with moped on the brain, so when I got home tonite, I immediately pulled out the Sebrings and let the wrenching commence. I had been meaning to pull the forks from #2 and put them on #1. #1 has been in pieces for much too long. I was able to finagle the forks into place, secured my hardware, reattatch the exhaust, headlight, carburetor, and handlbars. It took a little bit of coaxing to get gas into the carb, but when the float bowl filled up...LOOK OUT! That little bugger fired right the eff up. I was soooooo happy to hear it run again. I have a few bugs to work out, mainly figuring out why the effing thing won't idle properly and why my headlight and tailight won't work when my breaklights will. Before it wouldn't idle, it would just die. Now it idles REALLLLLLY high. I'm thinking there is an airleak somewhere, or that big ol' 68 jet is a smidge too big. I took it up the alley for all of 2 minutes just to let the Red Rocket get out it's pent-up self. I was sooo giddy when I heard it run! Ahhhh simple things, simple things. Now all my mopeds are in working order. I have to re-tap the forks for #2, and get those bad boys back on. #2 has the most work cut out for it, but goh-damn, it's goona be worth it.
I suppose I owe my sudden moped fever to the fact that received a new carburetor for Xmas. Unfortunately, the carburetor was damaged in shipping and will have to go back. The good news is that they have a replacement, and I also have an exhaust which had been backordered since before Xmas. All I need is the right kit, and things will get crazy. Now I just have to pick the lucky moped who will receive the carburetor and kit. The Snark has been loyal through thick and thin, but the Red Rocket has seniority and stability. Technically the R.R is the closest moped to completion, so maybe...just maybe. All I need for the R.R is a new paint job, speedometer, speedometer drive, and speedometer cable. If I really feel like pampering #1, I may even get a new seat or reupholster the one I have. That bike is going to be NASTY.
Xmas was good, I spent most of the day in the kitchen helping to prepare dinner for everyone. I got to relax, and had a few friends over later in the evening. They finally got to see my parent's new house, and we got to christen the bar (not really, but that's probably been the most action that bar has seen in 10 years). We watched the Kentucky Fired Movie, which has to be one of my favorite comedies of all time. I was also able to watch some football before everyone got there, which made me happy.
Tonite was the night that my 'sister' had her baby...that's right, I'm officially an aunt. He was born 7 lbs, 2 oz., and I can't wait to corrupt errr, I mean, meet my new nephew. I believe his name is going to be Gabriel Ian Greason, which isn't too bad at all. I'm glad my sister made it through the delivery without any hitches. I'm sure she's happy to be back to her normal bodied self.
welp, that's all I wish to report tonite. Right now I need some sleep so I can dream about riding by green fields and flawless pavement on the Red Rocket. I have to mention this one time Dustin and I were riding throught the battlefield by the Liberty torch, when we happened to look over and notice the sun was setting. We pulled over, shut down the peds, and watched the sun go down behind the mountains. No, it wasn't romantic, it was incredible. That is just one reason of many why I love mopedding. The End.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Monday, December 25, 2006
"Wisdom of ages, rush over me..."
*YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN*
Yep. Just got finished wrapping gifts not too long ago. Figured I'd check my email, and cruise the net before I hit the hay.
Tonite our 'old' neighbors came over to the new house. My one neighbor had back surgery, and it was good that he got out of the house for a bit. Their daughter brought her boyfriend and their son over, and I must say, he's ahhhh-dorable. I then realized my sister's due date is coming up soon, and I think I'm as excited as she is. I realized I like small children, like 4 years and under. Older children tend to be more amused by the tv then by the world around them. Anyways, this little boy was nuts. He will be 9 months tomorrow, and he is non-stop. He hasn't learned to walk yet, but he will pull himself upright and hang on to whatever while he stands. If you try to help him stand, he'll push up off the floor to bounce. We nicknamed him 'Tigger' because that's all he did all night was bounce. He was nothing but smiles, and I like seeing that in children.
Our neighbors also brought over their stepdaughter's child, Mina, and she's cute, but definetly didn't have as much personality as Matthew. Maybe because she's so young yet. It was a good night. They didn't leave till about 12, and once they left, Mom and I started on the rest of the wrapping.
The other days was a blast, too. I woke up early and drove to Harrisburg where Brian took us out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I got blueberry pancakes, and now I'm in love. We exchanged gifts, had a good time, then went back to the studio. Ryan, Beth and I had off, so we split shortly after and did our own thing. Ryan had to get ready for his Xmas party, and I had to head back to the 'Burg to pack. I loaded up my car with all things Christmas, and headed back up to Ryan's. I stayed only for a few hours, had fun building a gingerbread house complete with 3-eyed gingerbread man and transexual gingerbread woman, and just goofed off for a bit. I split and headed down to B-more where Sarah had managed to arrange 'the Gang' at Friday's. I got there late, but was greeted with an uproar of cheer and ovation. You guys are the best! We talked about the past, present, and future, had some drinks, and otherwise just had a fantastic time. Thanks to Sarah for your effort in arranging the craziness!
Tomorrow/tonite I will be hosting a little shindig of my own. I bought a little bit of booze, there will be plenty of food and high spirits here. The silliness goes down at 7, be there or be [].
I'm not really looking forward to opening gifts tomorrow...yea, I know that sounds backwards. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to xmas, but I think I'm just exhausted from all the preparation. I want to savor the time instead of ripping through gifts and being done. It's going to be a weird Xmas because my one brother will be leaving early to go to his g/f's family's house. The rest of the family will be here, though, so I'm looking forward to seeing them.
I have a few days off before I head back up to H-burg. It's kinda nice to be able to go back to work right away after xmas. I know it will be busy, and it beats pacing the house or travelling with all my equipment to do a 3-day guest spot. I have 2 sleeve drawings to work on, so the time off will be nicce to sit down and create some Angel-original custom work.
I think that's all I have to type about for right now. I'm sure tomorrow will bring about another boring entry for y'allzen to view. If I haven't already done so, I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday! Don't do anything that I would!! tee hee!!
Gnite!
Yep. Just got finished wrapping gifts not too long ago. Figured I'd check my email, and cruise the net before I hit the hay.
Tonite our 'old' neighbors came over to the new house. My one neighbor had back surgery, and it was good that he got out of the house for a bit. Their daughter brought her boyfriend and their son over, and I must say, he's ahhhh-dorable. I then realized my sister's due date is coming up soon, and I think I'm as excited as she is. I realized I like small children, like 4 years and under. Older children tend to be more amused by the tv then by the world around them. Anyways, this little boy was nuts. He will be 9 months tomorrow, and he is non-stop. He hasn't learned to walk yet, but he will pull himself upright and hang on to whatever while he stands. If you try to help him stand, he'll push up off the floor to bounce. We nicknamed him 'Tigger' because that's all he did all night was bounce. He was nothing but smiles, and I like seeing that in children.
Our neighbors also brought over their stepdaughter's child, Mina, and she's cute, but definetly didn't have as much personality as Matthew. Maybe because she's so young yet. It was a good night. They didn't leave till about 12, and once they left, Mom and I started on the rest of the wrapping.
The other days was a blast, too. I woke up early and drove to Harrisburg where Brian took us out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I got blueberry pancakes, and now I'm in love. We exchanged gifts, had a good time, then went back to the studio. Ryan, Beth and I had off, so we split shortly after and did our own thing. Ryan had to get ready for his Xmas party, and I had to head back to the 'Burg to pack. I loaded up my car with all things Christmas, and headed back up to Ryan's. I stayed only for a few hours, had fun building a gingerbread house complete with 3-eyed gingerbread man and transexual gingerbread woman, and just goofed off for a bit. I split and headed down to B-more where Sarah had managed to arrange 'the Gang' at Friday's. I got there late, but was greeted with an uproar of cheer and ovation. You guys are the best! We talked about the past, present, and future, had some drinks, and otherwise just had a fantastic time. Thanks to Sarah for your effort in arranging the craziness!
Tomorrow/tonite I will be hosting a little shindig of my own. I bought a little bit of booze, there will be plenty of food and high spirits here. The silliness goes down at 7, be there or be [].
I'm not really looking forward to opening gifts tomorrow...yea, I know that sounds backwards. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to xmas, but I think I'm just exhausted from all the preparation. I want to savor the time instead of ripping through gifts and being done. It's going to be a weird Xmas because my one brother will be leaving early to go to his g/f's family's house. The rest of the family will be here, though, so I'm looking forward to seeing them.
I have a few days off before I head back up to H-burg. It's kinda nice to be able to go back to work right away after xmas. I know it will be busy, and it beats pacing the house or travelling with all my equipment to do a 3-day guest spot. I have 2 sleeve drawings to work on, so the time off will be nicce to sit down and create some Angel-original custom work.
I think that's all I have to type about for right now. I'm sure tomorrow will bring about another boring entry for y'allzen to view. If I haven't already done so, I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday! Don't do anything that I would!! tee hee!!
Gnite!
Friday, December 22, 2006
NUMBAH 20!
Ahhh, cold rainy nights. It feels good when it manages to finagle its way down your shirt. Nothing like the fangs of a cold rain drop to send shivers up your back. I think I'm actually doing better with the coldness lately. I have been ok wearing only 4 layers of clothing. I know, I know, what is the world coming to, right?? The funny thing is that the thermostat in my car is stuck on 90, so it's like Aruba in there when I'm driving...and I do a LOT of driving.
Today was busy. There's this fire-fighter guy that has been dicking me around somewhat, and today he was scheduled to have a consultation. Well, no show. It's ok because I had some other appointments that filled the gap. I know this dude means well, he's just a little....squirrely. I'm not worried about it. If he wants it bad enough, we may just correspond via internet.
I tattooed Ryan today. He made me aware that he has not been tattooed for a year. He said he actually missed being tattooed, which is kinda funny because he hates getting tattooed. I want to get back on my oni sometime. I keep looking at it, and he is lonely. I mentioned to Ryan about working on a design for me, but he hates when I watch him, so I'm sure he'll have a meltdown when he actually tattoos me.
Tomorrow is the Atom Age staff Xmas Breakfast. Brian is taking us out and treating us. I have to wrap everyone's gifts and sneak them into my car without them getting too wet. Ryan and Morgan are having a party tomorrow as well, and I am heading down to MD to hang with 'the gang' at Friday's. I was invited to the BTM party as well, but unfortunately, I won't be able to make it this year. I went last year, and it was nothing but elbows throughout the room. Sneezing would have displaced about a dozen people.
My brother's are having parties as well, so if there is a bit of extra time, I might stop by. I will admit, that is highly unlikely, and it's not like I won't see them on Xmas. Kurt and Nat are going to have a New Year's Eve shindig, so I'll prolly devote my night there. I intend on doing some heavy drinking sometime. Going out to the bar every friday/every other friday has raised my tolerance to 4 drinks, as opposed to 2. It's fun to be a lightweight sometimes, but I usually get drunk too fast and everyone thinks I'm crazy when I'm stumbling around and laughing my ass off after 1 drink. No, I'm not a rampaging drunk, I'm actually very benevolent. I usually end up sitting around laughing at stupid things and decorating myself with random objects. Mario Kart, Tetris, and/or Bean Game are also involved in the right environment.
I'm trying to decide if I want to take my moped home or not over the break. I'm a little more afraid of mopedding in Bel Air because of all the wild drivers. There's a few backroads by my parent's new house that I would love to explore. I will be looking forward to summer because they don't live too far from Walter's Mill. I remember tubing down that creek when I was younger, and that is a fun-ass float-trip. I'm sure all of you in the gang remember the time we went tubing down Gunpowder falls...Oh man, that was painful. That water was frigid!!! It was a beautiful trip, none-the-less, and we had a good time grillin' afterward. Kinda makes me wanna go watch the infamous 'Hatteras' tapes MUAHAHAH!!
So ja, lot's of stuff going on, lot's of stuff planned for January. I have one trip planned for January, and two for February. I'll be doing my annual spot out in Pittsburgh, and hanging out in Philly for a few days. March is going to be nuts, and sometime in the spring I'll be shooting up to Canada. Eventually I'm going to take one of the numerous offers to California and do a spot or six out there. Once I can get comfortable with the travelling thing here in the states, I'll venture out to the other side of the planet. All in due time, baby steps first.
Yep, well, I need to wrap some gifts and get to sleep. Hopefully this blogger wasn't tooooooooo boring. Until next time!
Today was busy. There's this fire-fighter guy that has been dicking me around somewhat, and today he was scheduled to have a consultation. Well, no show. It's ok because I had some other appointments that filled the gap. I know this dude means well, he's just a little....squirrely. I'm not worried about it. If he wants it bad enough, we may just correspond via internet.
I tattooed Ryan today. He made me aware that he has not been tattooed for a year. He said he actually missed being tattooed, which is kinda funny because he hates getting tattooed. I want to get back on my oni sometime. I keep looking at it, and he is lonely. I mentioned to Ryan about working on a design for me, but he hates when I watch him, so I'm sure he'll have a meltdown when he actually tattoos me.
Tomorrow is the Atom Age staff Xmas Breakfast. Brian is taking us out and treating us. I have to wrap everyone's gifts and sneak them into my car without them getting too wet. Ryan and Morgan are having a party tomorrow as well, and I am heading down to MD to hang with 'the gang' at Friday's. I was invited to the BTM party as well, but unfortunately, I won't be able to make it this year. I went last year, and it was nothing but elbows throughout the room. Sneezing would have displaced about a dozen people.
My brother's are having parties as well, so if there is a bit of extra time, I might stop by. I will admit, that is highly unlikely, and it's not like I won't see them on Xmas. Kurt and Nat are going to have a New Year's Eve shindig, so I'll prolly devote my night there. I intend on doing some heavy drinking sometime. Going out to the bar every friday/every other friday has raised my tolerance to 4 drinks, as opposed to 2. It's fun to be a lightweight sometimes, but I usually get drunk too fast and everyone thinks I'm crazy when I'm stumbling around and laughing my ass off after 1 drink. No, I'm not a rampaging drunk, I'm actually very benevolent. I usually end up sitting around laughing at stupid things and decorating myself with random objects. Mario Kart, Tetris, and/or Bean Game are also involved in the right environment.
I'm trying to decide if I want to take my moped home or not over the break. I'm a little more afraid of mopedding in Bel Air because of all the wild drivers. There's a few backroads by my parent's new house that I would love to explore. I will be looking forward to summer because they don't live too far from Walter's Mill. I remember tubing down that creek when I was younger, and that is a fun-ass float-trip. I'm sure all of you in the gang remember the time we went tubing down Gunpowder falls...Oh man, that was painful. That water was frigid!!! It was a beautiful trip, none-the-less, and we had a good time grillin' afterward. Kinda makes me wanna go watch the infamous 'Hatteras' tapes MUAHAHAH!!
So ja, lot's of stuff going on, lot's of stuff planned for January. I have one trip planned for January, and two for February. I'll be doing my annual spot out in Pittsburgh, and hanging out in Philly for a few days. March is going to be nuts, and sometime in the spring I'll be shooting up to Canada. Eventually I'm going to take one of the numerous offers to California and do a spot or six out there. Once I can get comfortable with the travelling thing here in the states, I'll venture out to the other side of the planet. All in due time, baby steps first.
Yep, well, I need to wrap some gifts and get to sleep. Hopefully this blogger wasn't tooooooooo boring. Until next time!
Ba-Dahhh!!!
This is going to be a post about...I dunno! About 99% of my Xmas shopping is done, I just have to wrap the sonsabitches. I like wrapping gifts! I especially enjoy wrapping gifts in evil, maniacal ways. I recall this one year, I had acquired a pantyhose 'egg,' put money in it, and filled it with water. I then placed it in the freezer overnight, and it was rock solid the next morning. Mind you, those things aren't small like the little easter eggs, and would certainly cause a critical head injury if it were to be hurled at someone. I wrapped my frozen gift in aluminum foil, placed it in a box, and wrapped it neatly. I think my only mistake was that my receiver's birthday fell in a summer month, so my evil intentions were spoiled when my gift was tossed into the sun-warmed pool to melt.
One year, I received the gift of money, except it was buried deep inside a metal tin filled with baked beans. I think I enjoyed fishing the money out more than I enjoyed getting money. It's nice to know my friends would go to great lengths in order for me to 'work' for my gift, hee hee!!
So yea, seriously, there isn't much going on. I tattooed some chickens today, which made me sport a big stupid, crooked face all day today. This client was a repeat client who braved the traffic to get tattooed. Mucho propos. I had another repeat client come in for a consutlation, and we are starting a new sleeve on his other arm. His other sleeve is nearly complete, which would explain his eagerness to get started on the other side. He's a very fun person and the room tends to fill up with a thick cloud of silliness whenever we're in there for more than 2 minutes. It will be good times.
Hmm, Vat-else...Tattooing Ryan tomorrow, which will be fun. Hopefully he'll have a few good days off to chill and let his tatties heal for a spell. Landon is up next, whenever he decides on his day of doooooom.
Tonite was my Dad's company Christmas party, in which we have officially been turned into legends. My parents have this little shindig at the Williamsburg Inn in B-more, and this place is a really big-to-do kinda place. Leave it to the Sanders' kids to liven up the decrepit, listless graveyard of a restaurant. Last year ended up in a butter battle, dinner-roll rumble, fork-flinging contest. What started off as a recreational sibling squabble ended up with about 25 people engaging in an eventful food-war. Immaturity at its best. I don't know how it happened, well, I take that back...an open bar happened, and that's how you get 25 people who are ages 22-60(mostly people 30+) years old involved in such ridculous grade-school feats. EVERYONE had thrown at least one thing at another person during the party. It was truly a sight to behold.
This year was a little more toned down, only a few butters made their destined flight across the room. My mom was a little more conservative this year, with mostly my brother, my dad's employee Don, my brother's girlfriend, my dad, myself and my oldest brother engaging in the silliness. Our waitress had made mention that her peers fore-warned her about possible food-fight festivites, and I guess she was kinda disappointed with the outcome this year. None-the-less, it was a great time with good people. You know a party is good when people have to forewarn the outsiders.
In other news, I finished my sketch, posted it up for critque, and I'm ready to send this bad boy to the press. I'd like to do a series of related sketches, and possibly explore the margin barrier. I have another painting in the works, in conjunction with all the custom drawings I have been working on. I've forgotten how good it feels to be an art junky. There have been times where I couldn't stop thinking about a project I was working on. I know that's the best thing I got out of MICA. I'm sooooo sensitive to the energies around me, especially being at MICA, and I could not wait to get started on a painting or collage. I did some of my best work in that environment, despite being so overwhelmed. The worst was when I'd come home dismayed by my elusive roommate. When I did see her, she was a total wreck. I'd try to talk to her, and she would be hysterical about this boy she was dating, or she would be completely avoidant/antisocial (in a bad way) because of that boy. I felt terrible for her in those times, but I was cranky about the whole situation as well. She had an emotional breakdown and disappeared. I hope that she is doing well now. She left MICA after that, and I don't think she went back.
I've forgotten a lot of minor details and annoyances about living in Baltimore, but I do miss my creepy-ass apartment (what it was rather than actually living there), the walk to and from school, the silly homeless guy, the REALLLY silly homeless guy, and being able to walk to Utrecht and Rite-Aid at 3am. I also miss having friends that lived right around the corner, and the Paper Moon Diner. Oh, and how could I forget that jelly donut smell that lingered on the corner of 30th and Barclay. Mmmm, jelly donut.
Welp, I guess that's enough ramblings for tonite. There was a quote I thought about while I was driving the other day, and it has momentarily slipped my mind. I guess it was destined for another day. That's all! G'nite!
One year, I received the gift of money, except it was buried deep inside a metal tin filled with baked beans. I think I enjoyed fishing the money out more than I enjoyed getting money. It's nice to know my friends would go to great lengths in order for me to 'work' for my gift, hee hee!!
So yea, seriously, there isn't much going on. I tattooed some chickens today, which made me sport a big stupid, crooked face all day today. This client was a repeat client who braved the traffic to get tattooed. Mucho propos. I had another repeat client come in for a consutlation, and we are starting a new sleeve on his other arm. His other sleeve is nearly complete, which would explain his eagerness to get started on the other side. He's a very fun person and the room tends to fill up with a thick cloud of silliness whenever we're in there for more than 2 minutes. It will be good times.
Hmm, Vat-else...Tattooing Ryan tomorrow, which will be fun. Hopefully he'll have a few good days off to chill and let his tatties heal for a spell. Landon is up next, whenever he decides on his day of doooooom.
Tonite was my Dad's company Christmas party, in which we have officially been turned into legends. My parents have this little shindig at the Williamsburg Inn in B-more, and this place is a really big-to-do kinda place. Leave it to the Sanders' kids to liven up the decrepit, listless graveyard of a restaurant. Last year ended up in a butter battle, dinner-roll rumble, fork-flinging contest. What started off as a recreational sibling squabble ended up with about 25 people engaging in an eventful food-war. Immaturity at its best. I don't know how it happened, well, I take that back...an open bar happened, and that's how you get 25 people who are ages 22-60(mostly people 30+) years old involved in such ridculous grade-school feats. EVERYONE had thrown at least one thing at another person during the party. It was truly a sight to behold.
This year was a little more toned down, only a few butters made their destined flight across the room. My mom was a little more conservative this year, with mostly my brother, my dad's employee Don, my brother's girlfriend, my dad, myself and my oldest brother engaging in the silliness. Our waitress had made mention that her peers fore-warned her about possible food-fight festivites, and I guess she was kinda disappointed with the outcome this year. None-the-less, it was a great time with good people. You know a party is good when people have to forewarn the outsiders.
In other news, I finished my sketch, posted it up for critque, and I'm ready to send this bad boy to the press. I'd like to do a series of related sketches, and possibly explore the margin barrier. I have another painting in the works, in conjunction with all the custom drawings I have been working on. I've forgotten how good it feels to be an art junky. There have been times where I couldn't stop thinking about a project I was working on. I know that's the best thing I got out of MICA. I'm sooooo sensitive to the energies around me, especially being at MICA, and I could not wait to get started on a painting or collage. I did some of my best work in that environment, despite being so overwhelmed. The worst was when I'd come home dismayed by my elusive roommate. When I did see her, she was a total wreck. I'd try to talk to her, and she would be hysterical about this boy she was dating, or she would be completely avoidant/antisocial (in a bad way) because of that boy. I felt terrible for her in those times, but I was cranky about the whole situation as well. She had an emotional breakdown and disappeared. I hope that she is doing well now. She left MICA after that, and I don't think she went back.
I've forgotten a lot of minor details and annoyances about living in Baltimore, but I do miss my creepy-ass apartment (what it was rather than actually living there), the walk to and from school, the silly homeless guy, the REALLLY silly homeless guy, and being able to walk to Utrecht and Rite-Aid at 3am. I also miss having friends that lived right around the corner, and the Paper Moon Diner. Oh, and how could I forget that jelly donut smell that lingered on the corner of 30th and Barclay. Mmmm, jelly donut.
Welp, I guess that's enough ramblings for tonite. There was a quote I thought about while I was driving the other day, and it has momentarily slipped my mind. I guess it was destined for another day. That's all! G'nite!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Jimmies and Sprinkles are two different things.
YEY COOKIES!!
Mom's 'cookie fest' was today, and I'm happy to have helped. It's nice having everybody spread out in the kitchen, and it's sooopa nice being able to work in a large kitchen with other people. Usually it's just Mom and I doing the baking thing on the holidays, and it's usually a pain in the ass. The two of us trying to roll out sugar cookie dough, cut the dough, decorate it, and watch what's going on in the oven gets a little nutty. In the past years, my brothers were around to at least help with decorating, but during the later years, it was up to us women-types to do it all.
This year my aunt, my brother and his wife, Amanda (my other brother's girlfriend),my Mom, and surprisingly my Dad were all scurrying about in the kitchen today. My Dad usually takes over baking the chocolate chip cookies, which is no problem for a single person. My aunt brought over butter horn dough she made, and my brother and I pitched in rolling them and shaping them. Those got done quick. The real fun are the sugar cookies.
The dough has to be kept cold, and mustn't be overworked. Oh yea, and the dough must be rolled as thin as possibly. I mixed the dough together and rolled it, while Amanda and myself cut it. Sharon (my brother's wife), my Mom, my aunt, and my brother helped decorate. All in all, it was a good day, considering we got done by 5ish. I think we may have started around 2 or 2:30, so we definetely made excellent time. I think I ate too much cookie dough, though.
My Xmas shopping is almost done, and I am ready for the holidays. I got a call from a friend from High School, and he wants to get tattooed by me. He and I were the voted 'most artistic' by our class, and we've kept in touch over the few years. It will be an honor to tattoo someone so talented as he is.
Let's see, what else...OH YEA! Here's a fun little summary of work the other day...
So Ryan, Brian, and myself were hanging out the other day in between appointments. Ryan was reorganizing his art portfolio when we heard him yell something about the blank spots in his book (Ryan keeps it out so potential clients can view some of his custom work and maybe spark some ideas of their own). So Ryan starts asking where 2 specific pieces of art went, and shows us the blank spots. Immediate we realize that his work got thiefed. Brian starts thinking back to the last person to go through the book, and he realizes that 2 couples came in and got tattooed. Out of that group, there was a squirrely character inquiring about the sale of the 2 pieces that went missing. Well, it doesn't take a genious to put two and two together. Brain starts sifting through the paperwork because fortunately (or rather unfortunately), the girlfriends of this group both got tattooed. We located the girlfriend of the suspect. Brian calls the girl, leaving a message to have her b/f call him back. Meanwhile, he files a police report. The suspect called back a day later, and Brian tells him the artwork he was inquiring about went missing. The guy mmediately replies with "I don't have it/I didn't take it." Brian replies with "OK, I have 24-hour surveillance in my shop, so you are telling me that if I submit this take to the third party agency that I'm not going to see your face/see you taking pictures out of the book?" The guy replies with "Uhhh, uhhhh, You'll have those pieces back tomorrow/I'm going to Fed-Ex them." Brain hangs up with him, calls the police back and tells them he has a positive reply from the guilty party, and hands all the information over to the police. The police must have called the guy back informing him of the consequences, because he called back all apologetic and stuttering. Ryan is just happy to be getting his work back, and Brian is happy to have busted someone. I know that I would be pretty mad about that situation. The guy's reply to stealing the pieces was "I love art." Brian's reply was " I love art, too, but I don't steal it." Oh man, goooooood times.
Yep, well that's all the excitement of the past couple days. Saturday, I have a ton of parties to go to, and I am looking forward to them. Xmas eve I'll be helping Mom do the wrapping, as well as any last minute Xmas day preparations. I'm looking forward to that as well. I know my Mom and Dad both miss having us kids around.
Anyway, here's a quote to think about for you open-minded thinking types. Make if it what you will; It's just ramblings.
Do not expect loyalty from the rat, nor compassion from the stone. Their oaths are meaningless in the heart of the faithful, and the wise can see they both share dishonor.
Until later...
Mom's 'cookie fest' was today, and I'm happy to have helped. It's nice having everybody spread out in the kitchen, and it's sooopa nice being able to work in a large kitchen with other people. Usually it's just Mom and I doing the baking thing on the holidays, and it's usually a pain in the ass. The two of us trying to roll out sugar cookie dough, cut the dough, decorate it, and watch what's going on in the oven gets a little nutty. In the past years, my brothers were around to at least help with decorating, but during the later years, it was up to us women-types to do it all.
This year my aunt, my brother and his wife, Amanda (my other brother's girlfriend),my Mom, and surprisingly my Dad were all scurrying about in the kitchen today. My Dad usually takes over baking the chocolate chip cookies, which is no problem for a single person. My aunt brought over butter horn dough she made, and my brother and I pitched in rolling them and shaping them. Those got done quick. The real fun are the sugar cookies.
The dough has to be kept cold, and mustn't be overworked. Oh yea, and the dough must be rolled as thin as possibly. I mixed the dough together and rolled it, while Amanda and myself cut it. Sharon (my brother's wife), my Mom, my aunt, and my brother helped decorate. All in all, it was a good day, considering we got done by 5ish. I think we may have started around 2 or 2:30, so we definetely made excellent time. I think I ate too much cookie dough, though.
My Xmas shopping is almost done, and I am ready for the holidays. I got a call from a friend from High School, and he wants to get tattooed by me. He and I were the voted 'most artistic' by our class, and we've kept in touch over the few years. It will be an honor to tattoo someone so talented as he is.
Let's see, what else...OH YEA! Here's a fun little summary of work the other day...
So Ryan, Brian, and myself were hanging out the other day in between appointments. Ryan was reorganizing his art portfolio when we heard him yell something about the blank spots in his book (Ryan keeps it out so potential clients can view some of his custom work and maybe spark some ideas of their own). So Ryan starts asking where 2 specific pieces of art went, and shows us the blank spots. Immediate we realize that his work got thiefed. Brian starts thinking back to the last person to go through the book, and he realizes that 2 couples came in and got tattooed. Out of that group, there was a squirrely character inquiring about the sale of the 2 pieces that went missing. Well, it doesn't take a genious to put two and two together. Brain starts sifting through the paperwork because fortunately (or rather unfortunately), the girlfriends of this group both got tattooed. We located the girlfriend of the suspect. Brian calls the girl, leaving a message to have her b/f call him back. Meanwhile, he files a police report. The suspect called back a day later, and Brian tells him the artwork he was inquiring about went missing. The guy mmediately replies with "I don't have it/I didn't take it." Brian replies with "OK, I have 24-hour surveillance in my shop, so you are telling me that if I submit this take to the third party agency that I'm not going to see your face/see you taking pictures out of the book?" The guy replies with "Uhhh, uhhhh, You'll have those pieces back tomorrow/I'm going to Fed-Ex them." Brain hangs up with him, calls the police back and tells them he has a positive reply from the guilty party, and hands all the information over to the police. The police must have called the guy back informing him of the consequences, because he called back all apologetic and stuttering. Ryan is just happy to be getting his work back, and Brian is happy to have busted someone. I know that I would be pretty mad about that situation. The guy's reply to stealing the pieces was "I love art." Brian's reply was " I love art, too, but I don't steal it." Oh man, goooooood times.
Yep, well that's all the excitement of the past couple days. Saturday, I have a ton of parties to go to, and I am looking forward to them. Xmas eve I'll be helping Mom do the wrapping, as well as any last minute Xmas day preparations. I'm looking forward to that as well. I know my Mom and Dad both miss having us kids around.
Anyway, here's a quote to think about for you open-minded thinking types. Make if it what you will; It's just ramblings.
Do not expect loyalty from the rat, nor compassion from the stone. Their oaths are meaningless in the heart of the faithful, and the wise can see they both share dishonor.
Until later...
Saturday, December 16, 2006
buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZzzZZzZZzz...
'...the rythymn of strength gathers tonight.'
It's a little late to be typing, so there's not going to be much to read here tonite.
Worked on some drawings today, goofed off, had a fun ass time with the guys. Brian's back was bothering him today, so he was a little grumpy. Ryan and I hung out in his room and drew. We got hungry and decided to get Neato Burrito. The silliness started after we ate. Beth came in just in time to see our chair race/obstacle course manuevering contest. Of course there weren't any clients around, so we had about 5 minutes of just cutting loose with pure, unadulterated silliness. Landon and Laura stopped in. I took a tracing of Laura's arm so I could work on a cover-up for her, although I'm totally dragging Landon into it and convincing him to do a collaboration, which will be tons of fun and something new for all of us to experience. Landon ended up working on Laura. Ryan left a little while later, followed by myself.
Tomorrow/today I have to get prints of artwork made. I also have to call Fuz. Eventually, I will have to get pictures of tattoo work to printed out and get them shipped off to Pittsburgh.
I hope it starts to get cold again. I like snow. I really miss seeing snow. Winter is my favorite season, despite me having no ability to contain my own body heat. People laugh at me when I wear 5 layers of clothing, but at least I stay plenty warm. I'll go back to taking horse chestnut again once it gets below 35 degrees during the day.
Ummm, yea. I think that's all for tonite. I have my wubbie, my 5 layers of clothing, and a lot of sheep to count. I'm going to go get dream-drunk. Goodnight, y'allzens.
It's a little late to be typing, so there's not going to be much to read here tonite.
Worked on some drawings today, goofed off, had a fun ass time with the guys. Brian's back was bothering him today, so he was a little grumpy. Ryan and I hung out in his room and drew. We got hungry and decided to get Neato Burrito. The silliness started after we ate. Beth came in just in time to see our chair race/obstacle course manuevering contest. Of course there weren't any clients around, so we had about 5 minutes of just cutting loose with pure, unadulterated silliness. Landon and Laura stopped in. I took a tracing of Laura's arm so I could work on a cover-up for her, although I'm totally dragging Landon into it and convincing him to do a collaboration, which will be tons of fun and something new for all of us to experience. Landon ended up working on Laura. Ryan left a little while later, followed by myself.
Tomorrow/today I have to get prints of artwork made. I also have to call Fuz. Eventually, I will have to get pictures of tattoo work to printed out and get them shipped off to Pittsburgh.
I hope it starts to get cold again. I like snow. I really miss seeing snow. Winter is my favorite season, despite me having no ability to contain my own body heat. People laugh at me when I wear 5 layers of clothing, but at least I stay plenty warm. I'll go back to taking horse chestnut again once it gets below 35 degrees during the day.
Ummm, yea. I think that's all for tonite. I have my wubbie, my 5 layers of clothing, and a lot of sheep to count. I'm going to go get dream-drunk. Goodnight, y'allzens.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
"Drink from his Empty Eyes..."
It's quarter 'til eleven, and I am beat. The funny thing is that I'm thinking of starting a painting of...something. I just feel like painting.
I worked on a sleeve today of a long-time client. We are so close to finishing it, it's not even funny. I think he might have all of an hour left on it. I had to cut the session shy of completion because I had another appointment. Oh well, I'll be able to get better pictures when various bits of his arm are not covered in angry redness. It's going to be slammin'!
My 6:00 appointment was kind of interesting. I think I can attribute my want to paint to her. She had goldfish and a capricorn head tattooed in an oriental ink painting style. It was defintely not your everyday tattoo, that's for sure. I enjoyed the challenge, I think it came out well, and she was beside herself. I got pictures, but she'll be back in a few weeks for some healed ones.
I got new crank arms for my moped, and now it doesn't look so ghetto. The again, having bright shiny chrome sparkling against a rusted blue frame isn't making it look like gold, either. Meh, what the hell. The Snark may not be pretty, but it's loyal, dependable, and more fun than it looks! Yes, I did use the word 'loyal' to describe a machine. Once you ride, you will understand.
I'm sitting here reflecting on the last 2 weeks, and I feel like everything is right back where it needs to be. I am a firm believer that history repeats itself, and will continue to repeat until the lesson is both learned and appreciated. I can honestly say what I have experienced in the past year is all new to me. I can honestly say this must be a new lesson, that I have progressed. I can honestly say that for all the grey weather, I am grateful for the rain.
Hmmmm, my paints call to me. Time for some artist delight! G'nite, y'all.
I worked on a sleeve today of a long-time client. We are so close to finishing it, it's not even funny. I think he might have all of an hour left on it. I had to cut the session shy of completion because I had another appointment. Oh well, I'll be able to get better pictures when various bits of his arm are not covered in angry redness. It's going to be slammin'!
My 6:00 appointment was kind of interesting. I think I can attribute my want to paint to her. She had goldfish and a capricorn head tattooed in an oriental ink painting style. It was defintely not your everyday tattoo, that's for sure. I enjoyed the challenge, I think it came out well, and she was beside herself. I got pictures, but she'll be back in a few weeks for some healed ones.
I got new crank arms for my moped, and now it doesn't look so ghetto. The again, having bright shiny chrome sparkling against a rusted blue frame isn't making it look like gold, either. Meh, what the hell. The Snark may not be pretty, but it's loyal, dependable, and more fun than it looks! Yes, I did use the word 'loyal' to describe a machine. Once you ride, you will understand.
I'm sitting here reflecting on the last 2 weeks, and I feel like everything is right back where it needs to be. I am a firm believer that history repeats itself, and will continue to repeat until the lesson is both learned and appreciated. I can honestly say what I have experienced in the past year is all new to me. I can honestly say this must be a new lesson, that I have progressed. I can honestly say that for all the grey weather, I am grateful for the rain.
Hmmmm, my paints call to me. Time for some artist delight! G'nite, y'all.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
BRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that will seperate me from my moped...except maybe some gravel.
Yesterday was AWESOME. I woke up a little late (man it feels good to sleep in), bounced over to Hanover, did some shopping, got back in time to take a quick shower, then Dustin and I headed off on our peds. Yesterday was the perfect day to go riding. We did get started a little late, so it got chilly, quick. We ended up taking the backroads into Micheaux State Park, and then into Caledonia. We stopped in Caledonia and had ate a packed lunch (subs from Hennacles...mmmmm). It was wierd because both of us were actually failr warm, but our fingers took most of the beating. We were shivering without really being that cold. The landscape was beautiful going to and coming back from the mountains. There was one point somewhere after Arendtsville that I looked back at where we came from, and it was nothing but a wall of mountains with a little gap carved in it. Beyond the gap, was the valley from where we came. Absolutely stunning. My fingers were a little too cold to grab my camera out of my pocket, that's why I haven't a picture.
We rolled on, heading with the intent of Pine Grove Furnace. We got the split, and decided to head to Caledonia instead. Dustin has this sweet little GPS unit that includes bike (and moped) friendly routes. I had forgotten how long rt. 233 was when you are only going 25-30 mph.
The way back was incredible. We decided to cross over rt. 30 and head down old route 30 into town. The best part about that route was it was all downhill!! I swear there was a half mile stretch where I dind't even hit the throttle. It was cool to look over the side of the hill/mountain and see rt. 30 below, the other mountain behind that, and all the lights that decorated it. Those are the reasons I love mopedding so much...
So work today, and I am looking forward to it! I have a couple of drawings to work on today, which means I'm going to be busy helping customers/tattooing LOL. I have Landon's rough drawing to show him, hopefully he likes it, and then we'll ink it sometime. I have a few changes to make to Ryan's drawing (hehe just me being particuliar), and we can get started on it. I will also be doing his hands before we all go on holiday break.
So yep, that's about it. Life's good, and I'm looking forward to the holidays. Next sunday is cookie-making day with my mom, and the 21st and 23rd are reserved for some parrrrrr-tays! I still have a good bit of shopping to do, but luckily it's just for my brothers. They are pretty easy to buy for.
Well, time for the day to start! That's all folks!
Yesterday was AWESOME. I woke up a little late (man it feels good to sleep in), bounced over to Hanover, did some shopping, got back in time to take a quick shower, then Dustin and I headed off on our peds. Yesterday was the perfect day to go riding. We did get started a little late, so it got chilly, quick. We ended up taking the backroads into Micheaux State Park, and then into Caledonia. We stopped in Caledonia and had ate a packed lunch (subs from Hennacles...mmmmm). It was wierd because both of us were actually failr warm, but our fingers took most of the beating. We were shivering without really being that cold. The landscape was beautiful going to and coming back from the mountains. There was one point somewhere after Arendtsville that I looked back at where we came from, and it was nothing but a wall of mountains with a little gap carved in it. Beyond the gap, was the valley from where we came. Absolutely stunning. My fingers were a little too cold to grab my camera out of my pocket, that's why I haven't a picture.
We rolled on, heading with the intent of Pine Grove Furnace. We got the split, and decided to head to Caledonia instead. Dustin has this sweet little GPS unit that includes bike (and moped) friendly routes. I had forgotten how long rt. 233 was when you are only going 25-30 mph.
The way back was incredible. We decided to cross over rt. 30 and head down old route 30 into town. The best part about that route was it was all downhill!! I swear there was a half mile stretch where I dind't even hit the throttle. It was cool to look over the side of the hill/mountain and see rt. 30 below, the other mountain behind that, and all the lights that decorated it. Those are the reasons I love mopedding so much...
So work today, and I am looking forward to it! I have a couple of drawings to work on today, which means I'm going to be busy helping customers/tattooing LOL. I have Landon's rough drawing to show him, hopefully he likes it, and then we'll ink it sometime. I have a few changes to make to Ryan's drawing (hehe just me being particuliar), and we can get started on it. I will also be doing his hands before we all go on holiday break.
So yep, that's about it. Life's good, and I'm looking forward to the holidays. Next sunday is cookie-making day with my mom, and the 21st and 23rd are reserved for some parrrrrr-tays! I still have a good bit of shopping to do, but luckily it's just for my brothers. They are pretty easy to buy for.
Well, time for the day to start! That's all folks!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
BED!
Ahhhh good to be back in my own bed. I've been having too much fun these past couple of nights hanging out with people, going to the bar, and just engaging in general silliness.
Friday night I went to the bar with Ryan, Morgan, and Erika(sp?). On our way to the bar, Erika kept saying that she felt nauseous (we were on foot and there wasn't anything we could do). We get to the Brickhaus and Erika decides to call someone to pick her up. I waited outside with her so she wouldn't be sick and alone. She was on the phone when all of a sudden she runs over to the curb an pukes hardcore. I ran inside and got her a glass of water, informed the bouncers what was going on outside, and ran back to Erika. She hadn't even started drinking, but I'm sure all those who passed by thought she had been loaded. She said she felt better after she vomited. Shortly after her ride showed up and she went home to go chiilllllll.
I met Ryan and Morgan upstairs at the Brickhaus, and we had a few drinks and laughs. Both of them were not too fond of the drinks they served there, so we beat feet to McWrath's. It was busy and loud in there (of course-it was a friday night). To tell you the truth, though, I like the crowd at McWrath's a little more. There is an ecclectic mix of people there, and everyone is friendly! Anyway, we had plenty 'o drinks, and a few of Ryan and Morgan's friends hung out with us at our table. We were there for a good while, I can't even remember when we left. We headed back to the house, all nice and toasty, and watched Robot Chicken for a little bit. I worked/finished Ryan's tattoo, then went to bed.
Unfortunately, I had to work on saturday, so Morgan made us oatmeal and turkey bacon. I can't say that I've had turkey bacon prior to that, but it was pretty damn good! I'm not the biggest fan of anything bacon, either.
Off to work I went, it was busy. I did an AC DC logo, a flaming skull, and a small butterfly thing at the very end of the night. I was very happy witht he flaming skull! He sat like a rock and had the best skin for tattooing!
I did a dog portrait on friday, which I am very happy with, and I also worked on the skull/wings guy. I updated some pix to the studio website (www.atomagetattoo.com), and new work can be found there.
Hmm, last night was a little quieter. I got out of work and wasn't ready to go home, so I called Kurt and Nat to see if they had any plans for the evening. They did not, and they invited me over to their house. We ordered some pizza, goofed off for a bit, then Nat forced me to watch Fargo, which is her favorite movie. It was not at all what I had expected, but it was very good and creepy. I could hardly stay awake at that point, and I crashed on their couch. Kurt was up at noon, and proceeded to make all of us a ridiculously delicious breakfast. We had eggs and home fries, waffles, and baked bacon. Kurt makes a lot of food, and I do my part to make sure none of it goes to waste :P~ As a gesture for making me food, I cleaned the dishes. We chatted for a bit, and I left shortly after to get started on that shopping thing.
I think the washer is done, so that would be my queue to jump into the shower. I took tomorrow off, which will be nice to get more shopping done, and if it's nice out tomorrow, a moped ride is in order.
Be good, y'all!
Friday night I went to the bar with Ryan, Morgan, and Erika(sp?). On our way to the bar, Erika kept saying that she felt nauseous (we were on foot and there wasn't anything we could do). We get to the Brickhaus and Erika decides to call someone to pick her up. I waited outside with her so she wouldn't be sick and alone. She was on the phone when all of a sudden she runs over to the curb an pukes hardcore. I ran inside and got her a glass of water, informed the bouncers what was going on outside, and ran back to Erika. She hadn't even started drinking, but I'm sure all those who passed by thought she had been loaded. She said she felt better after she vomited. Shortly after her ride showed up and she went home to go chiilllllll.
I met Ryan and Morgan upstairs at the Brickhaus, and we had a few drinks and laughs. Both of them were not too fond of the drinks they served there, so we beat feet to McWrath's. It was busy and loud in there (of course-it was a friday night). To tell you the truth, though, I like the crowd at McWrath's a little more. There is an ecclectic mix of people there, and everyone is friendly! Anyway, we had plenty 'o drinks, and a few of Ryan and Morgan's friends hung out with us at our table. We were there for a good while, I can't even remember when we left. We headed back to the house, all nice and toasty, and watched Robot Chicken for a little bit. I worked/finished Ryan's tattoo, then went to bed.
Unfortunately, I had to work on saturday, so Morgan made us oatmeal and turkey bacon. I can't say that I've had turkey bacon prior to that, but it was pretty damn good! I'm not the biggest fan of anything bacon, either.
Off to work I went, it was busy. I did an AC DC logo, a flaming skull, and a small butterfly thing at the very end of the night. I was very happy witht he flaming skull! He sat like a rock and had the best skin for tattooing!
I did a dog portrait on friday, which I am very happy with, and I also worked on the skull/wings guy. I updated some pix to the studio website (www.atomagetattoo.com), and new work can be found there.
Hmm, last night was a little quieter. I got out of work and wasn't ready to go home, so I called Kurt and Nat to see if they had any plans for the evening. They did not, and they invited me over to their house. We ordered some pizza, goofed off for a bit, then Nat forced me to watch Fargo, which is her favorite movie. It was not at all what I had expected, but it was very good and creepy. I could hardly stay awake at that point, and I crashed on their couch. Kurt was up at noon, and proceeded to make all of us a ridiculously delicious breakfast. We had eggs and home fries, waffles, and baked bacon. Kurt makes a lot of food, and I do my part to make sure none of it goes to waste :P~ As a gesture for making me food, I cleaned the dishes. We chatted for a bit, and I left shortly after to get started on that shopping thing.
I think the washer is done, so that would be my queue to jump into the shower. I took tomorrow off, which will be nice to get more shopping done, and if it's nice out tomorrow, a moped ride is in order.
Be good, y'all!
Thursday, December 7, 2006
"Laugh until it's right..."
I'm back in PA, and back to work at Atom Age. I didn't give myself the extra day off, simply because I had expected to fly in and out on monday instead of tuesday. I took off tuesday, but since my flights were on tuesday, I didn't have much of a repreive between my working vacation. It's probably best that way, I don't really like to go idle for more than a day. I usually start pacing the house figuring out what I want to do or what I should do. Not very healthy for us chicken-heads.
I had a busy day, surprisingly. I had an appointment today at 1:30, or so I thought. I looked in the book and my guy was at 6:30, but he was erased. Brian said he had rescheduled. I was kinda bummed because I had been looking forward to doing the piece, and because I figured his rescheduling would mean I'd be sitting around pondering (I don't have too many drawings to do, only Ryan's tattoo and a koi fish/capricorn hybrid). Luckily, a girl came in wanting some lettering, and she brought her 2 guy friends with her. Well, it ended up being a snowball effect with 'doze guys. As she was getting tattooed, her friends suddenly came down with the bug. After tattooing this girl (who is a real champ), I tattooed her one friend who was well familiar with tattoos. After he went, her second friend decided to let me take his tattoo virginity. After he got tattooed, the girl got another itch, and ended up getting tattooed AGAIN!! It was AWESOME!!! The best part is that she had set up an appointment prior to today with Ryan, and she's due in next week...talk about a fiend!! They were super swell kids who sat extremely well and had a good time gettin' 'pinned-up.'
Let's see...Let me backtrack a little, I don't think I wrote anything about my last day in Mass. It was fun to finally get to paruze Boston, despite it being not more than 35 degrees during the day. Mike and Angela picked me up at 9:30 (yikes) and we rolled into Boston. We checked out China Town, then beat feet over to Utrecht. After Utrecht, we stopped at this swank little bookstore/cafe and had some grubbage. They were a bit pricey, but I suppose being in a bookstore, it's kind of a convenience thing. Food was delish, and they had superb smoothies. Def a nice twist to the everyday Barnes and Noble.
So lunch, then we shot down to Newbury Street, which can be compared to South street in Philly. There were plenty of crazy little shops which we buzzed through at a good pace. I had to get souvenirs for mah peeps, so Canman and Angela were quite tolerant to that silliness. It was around 4:00 and we decided it might be wise to head to the airport, especially since it was rush hour time. We made it to the airport lickety split, I bid them a big thanks, and I chilled until my flight arrived. This time my flight was on-time, I was on an un-crowded plane, got a window seat in the very back, and saw the most amazing landscape I had seen in a while. There was a full moon over the ocean, and I cannot begin to explain how breathtaking it was. It's funny when you look into a mud puddle and the moon is like a pinhead in the reflection. When you're on top of the world, it looks like the size of a bus, only then you realize that a bus is not even visible at the altitude you are flying. The moon would hit the water and just illumniate everything, then hit a rough spot in the water and it would just diffuse the glow like frosted glass. It was also fantastic to see what New York City looks like 5-7 miles in the air, at night, on a clear sky...truly inspirational.
Tonite Dustin and I went out riding. Yup, it was cold as a bitch, but we managed well. I had about 6 layers on, 2 pairs of pants, legwarmers, a balaclava, and a scarf. Yep, still cold, but not as bad as I thought I'd be. Damn thin-bloodedness and such. It was still a good time, with the moon being bright and getting to moped for the first time in weeks. I missed my Snark!! Hopefully, D and I can sneak out over the weekend (weather permitting) and go do some cruising. We shall see what works out.
I believe that is everything I wish to report for the time being. Not too much going on, just living up la vida loca. Angela gave me a good quote one day when we were talking. It goes a little something like this: 'When you change the way you see, the things you see begin to change.' It's not exact word for word, but it's a similiar mantra I've kept inside me since I was young. It's all energies and frequencies of a greater broadcast. I've finally been able to tap back into it after being out in the dark for the past year and a half. It's nice when you don't have a black hole swallowing your signals.
That's it ladies and 'gents. I'm going to pilot off to dreamland. HAve fun reading this, it's long and chock full of mediocrity! G'nite!
I had a busy day, surprisingly. I had an appointment today at 1:30, or so I thought. I looked in the book and my guy was at 6:30, but he was erased. Brian said he had rescheduled. I was kinda bummed because I had been looking forward to doing the piece, and because I figured his rescheduling would mean I'd be sitting around pondering (I don't have too many drawings to do, only Ryan's tattoo and a koi fish/capricorn hybrid). Luckily, a girl came in wanting some lettering, and she brought her 2 guy friends with her. Well, it ended up being a snowball effect with 'doze guys. As she was getting tattooed, her friends suddenly came down with the bug. After tattooing this girl (who is a real champ), I tattooed her one friend who was well familiar with tattoos. After he went, her second friend decided to let me take his tattoo virginity. After he got tattooed, the girl got another itch, and ended up getting tattooed AGAIN!! It was AWESOME!!! The best part is that she had set up an appointment prior to today with Ryan, and she's due in next week...talk about a fiend!! They were super swell kids who sat extremely well and had a good time gettin' 'pinned-up.'
Let's see...Let me backtrack a little, I don't think I wrote anything about my last day in Mass. It was fun to finally get to paruze Boston, despite it being not more than 35 degrees during the day. Mike and Angela picked me up at 9:30 (yikes) and we rolled into Boston. We checked out China Town, then beat feet over to Utrecht. After Utrecht, we stopped at this swank little bookstore/cafe and had some grubbage. They were a bit pricey, but I suppose being in a bookstore, it's kind of a convenience thing. Food was delish, and they had superb smoothies. Def a nice twist to the everyday Barnes and Noble.
So lunch, then we shot down to Newbury Street, which can be compared to South street in Philly. There were plenty of crazy little shops which we buzzed through at a good pace. I had to get souvenirs for mah peeps, so Canman and Angela were quite tolerant to that silliness. It was around 4:00 and we decided it might be wise to head to the airport, especially since it was rush hour time. We made it to the airport lickety split, I bid them a big thanks, and I chilled until my flight arrived. This time my flight was on-time, I was on an un-crowded plane, got a window seat in the very back, and saw the most amazing landscape I had seen in a while. There was a full moon over the ocean, and I cannot begin to explain how breathtaking it was. It's funny when you look into a mud puddle and the moon is like a pinhead in the reflection. When you're on top of the world, it looks like the size of a bus, only then you realize that a bus is not even visible at the altitude you are flying. The moon would hit the water and just illumniate everything, then hit a rough spot in the water and it would just diffuse the glow like frosted glass. It was also fantastic to see what New York City looks like 5-7 miles in the air, at night, on a clear sky...truly inspirational.
Tonite Dustin and I went out riding. Yup, it was cold as a bitch, but we managed well. I had about 6 layers on, 2 pairs of pants, legwarmers, a balaclava, and a scarf. Yep, still cold, but not as bad as I thought I'd be. Damn thin-bloodedness and such. It was still a good time, with the moon being bright and getting to moped for the first time in weeks. I missed my Snark!! Hopefully, D and I can sneak out over the weekend (weather permitting) and go do some cruising. We shall see what works out.
I believe that is everything I wish to report for the time being. Not too much going on, just living up la vida loca. Angela gave me a good quote one day when we were talking. It goes a little something like this: 'When you change the way you see, the things you see begin to change.' It's not exact word for word, but it's a similiar mantra I've kept inside me since I was young. It's all energies and frequencies of a greater broadcast. I've finally been able to tap back into it after being out in the dark for the past year and a half. It's nice when you don't have a black hole swallowing your signals.
That's it ladies and 'gents. I'm going to pilot off to dreamland. HAve fun reading this, it's long and chock full of mediocrity! G'nite!
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
"Layin' on the Tootskie!"
Soo today was a long day. Not long as in bad, long as in productive, one might say.
Today I was up at about 9:45, hung out in my room for a little while, then I got picked up at 10:30. Canman, Angela, and myself headed out to Western Massachusetts to go to the seminar, and to pick up their friend, Jamie Cross, who is the owner (I believe) of Nitemare Tattoo in Ludlow. The seminar was held at Off the Map Tattoo, which, as the name implies, is in the middle of nowhere. Although they are located in the middle of nowhere, Off the Map contains a consistent array of guest artists from all over the country. I met Gabe, who was an attending artist and director of tattoonow.com, and I can honestly say, he's a cool emmeffer. I met the other artist, Tattoo Andy, who does some pretty amazing work. He showed me a piece he did on his g/f's (i think?) foot of an old master painting. It was 'wicked-pissa,' as they say up hee-aah. I also got to meet Josh Carlton, who was presenting a seminar on big mag groupings and portraiture. It was fun, I got a copy of his book, and he pretty much talked about various other 'secret tattoo stuff.' ;oP
We hung out there for a couple of hours, then we headed a little further west to Northampton. There are so many little towns in the state, and the one's I have visited were very animated and interesting. Anyway, Canman, Angela, and Jamie met up with this photographer guy, Jeremy Saffer. Let me include that Jeremy is a fucking outrageous, amazing photographer. He is in his early twenties, and he has terrifc work preceeded by great recognitions. He has photographed many bands such as GWAR, Rob Zombie, Lacuna Coil...the list goes on. I cannot reiterate how amazing his work is. PLEASE check him out at www.jeremysaffer.com
The whole point in meeting up with him is that he is compiling a book of 'Skin and Ink.' Basically he is taking some artistic and somewhat nude pictures of tattoos and their collectors. They are tastefully done, exposing the human body and its permanent art, without blatantly exposing genitalia and such. It's well planned, and he even showed C, A, and J proofs once the photoshoot was over. I hung out and took pictures of the crazy building we were in, and browsed through Jeremy's portfolio while the photoshoot was going on.
After the photoshoot, the four of us shot out to get some grub. We went to this place called Eastside Bar, and the food was incredible. It's not your ordinary burger and fry joint. I got the butternut squash ravioli with pecans, which is kind of an odd thing for me, but it was excellent. That's just an example of what they had to offer.
We finished dinner, and headed back to Jamie's house. We BS'ed for a bit, checked out a bunch of amazing tattoo artist's work, and basically spent a few hours talking shop and what-have-you. After we left, Canman and I talked art for the remainder of the trip home, which was super cool. It's nice to have that interaction where we can be artists, and not have to worry about being defensive about each other's opinions.
Tomorrow, I check out of my hotel, and the three of us are heading to Boston to check things out, then get me shipped off to home. It has been an exciting week, well-worth the trip. I intend on doing it again soon, reallllll soon...
Welp, until another day, this is where I sign off. Hope this thing wasn't to boring for all you'z out in I-net land! Later!
Today I was up at about 9:45, hung out in my room for a little while, then I got picked up at 10:30. Canman, Angela, and myself headed out to Western Massachusetts to go to the seminar, and to pick up their friend, Jamie Cross, who is the owner (I believe) of Nitemare Tattoo in Ludlow. The seminar was held at Off the Map Tattoo, which, as the name implies, is in the middle of nowhere. Although they are located in the middle of nowhere, Off the Map contains a consistent array of guest artists from all over the country. I met Gabe, who was an attending artist and director of tattoonow.com, and I can honestly say, he's a cool emmeffer. I met the other artist, Tattoo Andy, who does some pretty amazing work. He showed me a piece he did on his g/f's (i think?) foot of an old master painting. It was 'wicked-pissa,' as they say up hee-aah. I also got to meet Josh Carlton, who was presenting a seminar on big mag groupings and portraiture. It was fun, I got a copy of his book, and he pretty much talked about various other 'secret tattoo stuff.' ;oP
We hung out there for a couple of hours, then we headed a little further west to Northampton. There are so many little towns in the state, and the one's I have visited were very animated and interesting. Anyway, Canman, Angela, and Jamie met up with this photographer guy, Jeremy Saffer. Let me include that Jeremy is a fucking outrageous, amazing photographer. He is in his early twenties, and he has terrifc work preceeded by great recognitions. He has photographed many bands such as GWAR, Rob Zombie, Lacuna Coil...the list goes on. I cannot reiterate how amazing his work is. PLEASE check him out at www.jeremysaffer.com
The whole point in meeting up with him is that he is compiling a book of 'Skin and Ink.' Basically he is taking some artistic and somewhat nude pictures of tattoos and their collectors. They are tastefully done, exposing the human body and its permanent art, without blatantly exposing genitalia and such. It's well planned, and he even showed C, A, and J proofs once the photoshoot was over. I hung out and took pictures of the crazy building we were in, and browsed through Jeremy's portfolio while the photoshoot was going on.
After the photoshoot, the four of us shot out to get some grub. We went to this place called Eastside Bar, and the food was incredible. It's not your ordinary burger and fry joint. I got the butternut squash ravioli with pecans, which is kind of an odd thing for me, but it was excellent. That's just an example of what they had to offer.
We finished dinner, and headed back to Jamie's house. We BS'ed for a bit, checked out a bunch of amazing tattoo artist's work, and basically spent a few hours talking shop and what-have-you. After we left, Canman and I talked art for the remainder of the trip home, which was super cool. It's nice to have that interaction where we can be artists, and not have to worry about being defensive about each other's opinions.
Tomorrow, I check out of my hotel, and the three of us are heading to Boston to check things out, then get me shipped off to home. It has been an exciting week, well-worth the trip. I intend on doing it again soon, reallllll soon...
Welp, until another day, this is where I sign off. Hope this thing wasn't to boring for all you'z out in I-net land! Later!
Sunday, December 3, 2006
"Don't infect me with your poison..."
Hee Hee I woke up this morning with that song in my head. I'm not sure why, I haven't listened to it in a little chunk of time.
Last night was good times. Angela and Mike closed a little early and we decided to go check out the night life. They decided to head to the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge to scope out some bands that were playing. Usually studios don't close early just for the sake of going to catch entertainment, but all of us at the studio finished with our appointments and things got quiet enough for us to take advantage of the night, especially in the winter months. Summertime is usually the opposite with artists working late, so things even out.
So off we headed, I believe Cambridge was about 35-45 minutes away from Medford, which wasn't too bad. I tell ya though, MA drivers are insane. I didn't realize what a clusterfuck the situation was until we got into the city! SHEESH!
Anyhooo, it took us some time to get parking, but we found some 'Mint' parking across from the venue. The first band was called Fluttr Effect, and consisted of 3 girls. One was the vocalist, one was on the vibraphone, and the other was rawking the cello. It was a very strange sound of music, very somber and mesmerizing, and reminded me of The Grey Field Recordings at times. The next band was more of an Indie pop/rock/punkish sound, it reminded me too much of something I would have listened to in high school. None-the-less, those boys put on a great show. The last band we saw was a progression of the second band, with more of a profound sound. The younger crowd cleared out when this band came on board, and it was a little more mellow and rockish. Still not bad. We had a few drinks and got some sweet potato fries. Those things were baaaaaadddd-aaaasssssss. We called it an early night shortly after the third band started playing. We were all pretty beat at that point.
Tonite we are staying late again to work on art. This is my last working day, so I can kinda cut loose tonite and do some painting. I'm looking forward to it!
I woke up today and my room is about 85 degrees. It's AWESOME. It got really cold yesterday considering the rest of the week had been right around the 63 degree mark. I guess everyone else has their heaters rollin' contributing to the heat wave. Us cheeken-headed leezards like it hoooooootttt.
Yup. I've been getting a lot of email from previous clients and friends this week, which is great! I love hearing from people, and I am honored that they keep in touch. Once I get back to MD/PA, I've got some other friends to get a hold of that I haven't heard from for a while.
Well, that's about all there is that is worth reporting for now. There's some other stuff, but I'm going to hold off for a bit until I am a little more coherent :oP
Until next time!
Last night was good times. Angela and Mike closed a little early and we decided to go check out the night life. They decided to head to the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge to scope out some bands that were playing. Usually studios don't close early just for the sake of going to catch entertainment, but all of us at the studio finished with our appointments and things got quiet enough for us to take advantage of the night, especially in the winter months. Summertime is usually the opposite with artists working late, so things even out.
So off we headed, I believe Cambridge was about 35-45 minutes away from Medford, which wasn't too bad. I tell ya though, MA drivers are insane. I didn't realize what a clusterfuck the situation was until we got into the city! SHEESH!
Anyhooo, it took us some time to get parking, but we found some 'Mint' parking across from the venue. The first band was called Fluttr Effect, and consisted of 3 girls. One was the vocalist, one was on the vibraphone, and the other was rawking the cello. It was a very strange sound of music, very somber and mesmerizing, and reminded me of The Grey Field Recordings at times. The next band was more of an Indie pop/rock/punkish sound, it reminded me too much of something I would have listened to in high school. None-the-less, those boys put on a great show. The last band we saw was a progression of the second band, with more of a profound sound. The younger crowd cleared out when this band came on board, and it was a little more mellow and rockish. Still not bad. We had a few drinks and got some sweet potato fries. Those things were baaaaaadddd-aaaasssssss. We called it an early night shortly after the third band started playing. We were all pretty beat at that point.
Tonite we are staying late again to work on art. This is my last working day, so I can kinda cut loose tonite and do some painting. I'm looking forward to it!
I woke up today and my room is about 85 degrees. It's AWESOME. It got really cold yesterday considering the rest of the week had been right around the 63 degree mark. I guess everyone else has their heaters rollin' contributing to the heat wave. Us cheeken-headed leezards like it hoooooootttt.
Yup. I've been getting a lot of email from previous clients and friends this week, which is great! I love hearing from people, and I am honored that they keep in touch. Once I get back to MD/PA, I've got some other friends to get a hold of that I haven't heard from for a while.
Well, that's about all there is that is worth reporting for now. There's some other stuff, but I'm going to hold off for a bit until I am a little more coherent :oP
Until next time!
Friday, December 1, 2006
That was wierd...
I learned a new term up here...MASSHOLES LOL!!
No I haven't run into any yet, I just thought it was a funny term! I giggle maniacally when I hear the BAH-STEN accent. It ceases to amuse me...
Today was a busy busy busy day. I did a fairy on a lower back/hip area, and I was drained when I was done. I was only able to chill 15 minutes before I had my other appointment. By the end of that one, I was smoked. I couldn't stand up straight, started to get the ol' tunnel vision, and was barely able to focus on a task as simple as reading. I didn't have much to eat prior to my day except for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That's ok, thogh, I just came back from dinner which more than made up for my lack of sustainance.
Other than the past hour, my day was pretty textbook. Canman, Angela, and myself went to a little italian shindig down the road from the studio. Pretty tasty stuff, and we had some really fun conversations. I had some bangin' cheese and chicken tortellini...definetly a good time!
Upon my arrival back to the hotel, things were pretty ordinary. I bid Canman a good night, hopped out of the car, and walked into the hotel. I walked around the corner to the elevator, and waited patiently. As the door opened, a young man peered out from behind the doors, and at that moment, realized his predicament. He was butt-nekkid, and believed to be stoned, drunk, or both. He apparently thought he was on the floor where the vending machines were located, paying no attention to the red indicator inside the elevator which visually respresents which floor the elevator is servicing. It's moments in life like that which make me appreciate the spontaneity of spirit...and have an appreciation for male genitalia! LOL!
I'm just chilling now, gonna work on a drawing here in a bit. This week has been non-stop, and I still have 2 more working days to go. I forgot what is happening on Sunday. I think we are all going to check out Boston's night life (the studio is open on sunday, and closed on mondays and tuesdays). Monday, we are going to shuffle up to Off the Map Tattoo studio to take a tattoo seminar by one of the industry's prominent artists. I can wait for that. Either prior to or after that, we are going to check out the rest of Western Massachusetts. I believe Canman and Angela have some fun stuff planned for that day, so I'm looking forward to whatever may come of it all. This trip definetly has the wheels turning...
Tommorow, Canman is taking me to the Enchanted Fox, which is kinda like a New Age store. I'm assuming it's like The Turning Wheel in Fullerton. I like going into that place. It's such a good vibe when you walk in (an I like the people who say 'Blessed Be' when walking out).They hold all kinds of events like spell casting, stone/gem energy education, drum circles, etc. Canman said the Enchanted Fox is similiar, and he has participated in Yoga classes there. It'll be nice to check it out.
Last night we hung out at the studio after hours and 'arted'. There were some other activities that happened, but I will not go into them Hee Hee! Canman worked on a painting, I worked on some drawings (I was hoping to paint meat on my apron, but I had a few drawings that had priority). Angela and Canman's friend, Eric, goofed off and had their own fun going on. I think we were all there until 1 or 1:30. I was beat after that.
Tomorrow I have a traditional rose/stem thing going on. I'm looking forward to it, especially since it's the only thing going on tomorrow. It will be like having a breather after the silliness that was today.
Anywho, I'm going to get a jump on my day. I'll report back later! G'nite!
No I haven't run into any yet, I just thought it was a funny term! I giggle maniacally when I hear the BAH-STEN accent. It ceases to amuse me...
Today was a busy busy busy day. I did a fairy on a lower back/hip area, and I was drained when I was done. I was only able to chill 15 minutes before I had my other appointment. By the end of that one, I was smoked. I couldn't stand up straight, started to get the ol' tunnel vision, and was barely able to focus on a task as simple as reading. I didn't have much to eat prior to my day except for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That's ok, thogh, I just came back from dinner which more than made up for my lack of sustainance.
Other than the past hour, my day was pretty textbook. Canman, Angela, and myself went to a little italian shindig down the road from the studio. Pretty tasty stuff, and we had some really fun conversations. I had some bangin' cheese and chicken tortellini...definetly a good time!
Upon my arrival back to the hotel, things were pretty ordinary. I bid Canman a good night, hopped out of the car, and walked into the hotel. I walked around the corner to the elevator, and waited patiently. As the door opened, a young man peered out from behind the doors, and at that moment, realized his predicament. He was butt-nekkid, and believed to be stoned, drunk, or both. He apparently thought he was on the floor where the vending machines were located, paying no attention to the red indicator inside the elevator which visually respresents which floor the elevator is servicing. It's moments in life like that which make me appreciate the spontaneity of spirit...and have an appreciation for male genitalia! LOL!
I'm just chilling now, gonna work on a drawing here in a bit. This week has been non-stop, and I still have 2 more working days to go. I forgot what is happening on Sunday. I think we are all going to check out Boston's night life (the studio is open on sunday, and closed on mondays and tuesdays). Monday, we are going to shuffle up to Off the Map Tattoo studio to take a tattoo seminar by one of the industry's prominent artists. I can wait for that. Either prior to or after that, we are going to check out the rest of Western Massachusetts. I believe Canman and Angela have some fun stuff planned for that day, so I'm looking forward to whatever may come of it all. This trip definetly has the wheels turning...
Tommorow, Canman is taking me to the Enchanted Fox, which is kinda like a New Age store. I'm assuming it's like The Turning Wheel in Fullerton. I like going into that place. It's such a good vibe when you walk in (an I like the people who say 'Blessed Be' when walking out).They hold all kinds of events like spell casting, stone/gem energy education, drum circles, etc. Canman said the Enchanted Fox is similiar, and he has participated in Yoga classes there. It'll be nice to check it out.
Last night we hung out at the studio after hours and 'arted'. There were some other activities that happened, but I will not go into them Hee Hee! Canman worked on a painting, I worked on some drawings (I was hoping to paint meat on my apron, but I had a few drawings that had priority). Angela and Canman's friend, Eric, goofed off and had their own fun going on. I think we were all there until 1 or 1:30. I was beat after that.
Tomorrow I have a traditional rose/stem thing going on. I'm looking forward to it, especially since it's the only thing going on tomorrow. It will be like having a breather after the silliness that was today.
Anywho, I'm going to get a jump on my day. I'll report back later! G'nite!
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