Shine Harder

Time is Money

2008-10-06T04:25:37Z

That's the theme of my next tattoo. "Time is Money" is a lesson I have been learning acutely this year. My time is being compressed all around me. This may be the way I have to express it.

My tattoo's have been a topic of many conversations by my in laws as of late. I'm not complaining I'm just noticing. My in laws just don't understand my motivations for being heavily tattooed. Well to tell the truth, I don't fully understand my own motivation for being heavily tattooed. They swear I need to lie on some psychiatrists couch. In fact I agree with them.

I digress, since Time is Money, to manage your time is the same as managing money. This can also hold true to things that are worth more than money, such as time with family. The more time I spend running after money the less time I have with my family. Getting older makes me realize that the basics that can't be bought are more important than any amount of money, like time with family.

I'm still learning to balance full time work, freelance work, business ventures and family and something has to give. No matter how much money I can make with my face buried in a computer for hours on end, churning out software, websites and graphics, it just doesn't mean as much as being able to make dinner for my wife and show up to every pre natal visit.

Wait, hold up. Don't you need money?

Well Yea, but . . .

But What? Your tattoo artist wants every penny.

Damn.

Many of the people who I come in contact with who are movers and shakers, make great sacrifices for their greatness many times these sacrifices are shattered marriages, interpersonal relationships and bodies. In actuality I rarely envy all of their money, that pound of flesh is too expensive.

Its a tricky balancing act and this tattoo won't change a damn thing, but it'll remind me to think about if I'm using my time as effectively as possible whenever I look at it, and I guess that will mean a little something.

Excuse my ramble.

Flash by Dan Sinnes featured in Tattoo Life no. 54.

Women and Toilet Paper

2008-08-25T20:14:24Z

I don't fully understand the connection, but the fact of the matter is Women use an obscene amount of toilet paper.

This must be something handed down from generation to generation.

I know I'm not the only one who has noticed womens wanton use of toilet paper. I swear my wife goes through 3/4 a roll of toilet paper a day. 3/4 of a roll !!!! That is totally unbelievable. When I was living alone, I would use at the most 1 roll of toilet paper a week. Now I feel like I'm changing out the roll every day.

God forbid there is a toilet paper shortage, what will women do. I understand there is a lot more down there for women to wipe, and women have to wipe after #1 and #2 ( I only wipe after #2 and I shake after #1), but I think they must completely wrap their hand in toilet paper to use so much.

Don't mind me, I'm off to the bathroom.

Pure Poetry

2008-08-15T01:23:59Z

Gucci Mane puts his love for showing off his ink into pure poetry.

I take My Shirt off by Gucci Mane

i take my shirt off and all the hoes stop breathin x3
. . .
2 seats, 1 deep
. . .
no shirt, no top
. .
I'm a work of art man
I'll crush your ice game
. . .
tatted like a white man
party like a rock band
. .
my body wrote on like an ese,
but I don't be no mexican,
with so icy entertainment you can write it on me man
on the center of the stage
with no tank top
for the block
I'm showin
every tatttoo I got
I take my shirt off and all the hoes stop breathin x3
so icey entertainment god damn it I"m freezin

I'm not going to lie, I love this ignorant mess. listen to the song and share the love

Its About to be Terbo

2008-08-12T16:17:08Z

Yea, I spelled that right Terbo, the slang for Turbo but you have to string it out Te-e-e-rbo. Going Terbo is synonymous with "Doing Too Much", or "Doing the Most". Here is whats on my plate for the next 4 months.

2 Graduate Classes
1 Web Site Design (paid, yes)
Searching for a House
Working Full Time

Whew, I think that may be enough, for some but for me its not. So I would also like to

Write on a Daily Basis I've got to get the shit out so some good writing can hit the web.
Write one Tattoo Related Piece a week (now that is a tall order)
Print Up Some T-Shirts
Get Tatted ( I stays scabby )

God help me. Why am I lying, I love it. If I don't have anything to do I'm bored and I'm at my best when I have much to much to do.

Enough Wining

oh and by the way I have to fix the search feature on this site, features that don't work are so unbecoming.

I read too much

2008-08-05T01:29:54Z

Too much bullshit on blogs, or should I say I need to spend less time bullshitting on blogs. The problem aren't my morning daily reads.

I need those.

How else am I going to be informed. I need to read about my Internet Celebrities ( that's billy sunday slang )

www.needled.com I must have my Tattoo Culture News since I stay scabby.
www.drudgereport.com I wouldn't be a card carrying Democrat who roots for Republicans (secretly) if I didn't read this site daily
www.dallaspenn.com This dude is a fool and a brother. There aren't many competent brothers on the net right now doing their thing (that I read)
www.consumerist.com I'm always looking for a new way to stick it to the man.
www.manolomen.com This is a new find for me. I like his commentaries, since I'm on a quest to retire all of my denim by the end of 2009
www.seejackshop.com He always has a new clothing deal for the Internet savvy.

Checking those sites only takes about 10 minutes. Then we get onto my social networking fix. Yes there is a social network aspect of this internet affliction.

It Goes like this:

www.inkednation.com just to look at the new featured members. Who are either faggy looking Emo girl or guys, faggy looking Rocker girls or guys or White trash girls or guys. I know I know, "THen why do you go", hey I can't stop the trainwreck but I sure can watch it.

www.inkedinc.net, is where I go for some real tattoo discussion and analysis although I must filter through the jade and venom in my heart whenever I read the post "What should I get . . . . ", "I need an idea for a . . .", or a better one "What will my inlaws think of . . . " and blah and blah and blah. If you can weed though that, there are a lot of movers and shakers in the culture that are on this social networking site.

www.facebook.com, this is where all the homies are. I've found more high school friends than a little bit on this site. I don't really want to talk to them all its just nice to know that they are all alright.

What is the problem you ask, well the problem is that this handfull of sights happen to take up half of my morning. How many times can I check consumerist.com before there is nothing else to read. The more I cut these sites out the more time I can find for . . . . . hmmm, work maybe, or even better I can think of some original content of my own.

Tattoo's and Man Boobs

2008-07-22T21:14:08Z

Rick Ross is featured on last month's XXL magazine and from the look of things he has a good amount of coverage.

Matter of fact he let us know with lyrics like:

"Chickens pullin on my shirt I'm just worried about the chains
Tattoos *cover 80 percent of the don frames*"

I know what your thinking, pure poetry, but we are not here to admire his lyrics, I'm bringing attention to his ink.

If you look closely he tells you what is on his mind through his ink. There seems to be a meeting of dead presidents on his skin. I guess he has his money on his mind. I can't make out what across his stomach (not for lack of space), but I can say that his work is definitely unique. I haven't seen anybody with a full collection of presidential ink.

I like the way Rick Ross shows his age with his tribal on his left arm. I prefer to call that his "early 90's". You know thats when that shit was popular. Don't feel bad I have some also.

Tattoo Anorexic

2008-07-14T21:37:10Z

An anorexic looks at themselves and sees only the fat and the ugly.

No I don't feel that way, but when I look at myself in the mirror I do see all the open spaces. Others who look at me see only covered space. I guess tattoos are definitely an acquired taste because most of my family accost me with statements like "Please don't get any more", or "You know your limiting yourself", while my father just says "Thats my crazy son"

It kind of makes me think when will it be enough. I've always been looking for a particular aesthetic, then I would stop getting tattooed. Then while getting tattooed by Steve Serazio at Spotlight (shameless promotion see Gorilla vs Shark), I realized something it was a moment of clarity, something that people have been telling me for years but I never believed.

I'm a weirdo.

The convo went like this.

"Dude How far you going"

"You know just the basics, Chest, Arms, Back Piece down to a mid thigh pair of shorts. That will take me till my forties to get all that done. Than I'll chill for a while"

"No legs, why not"

"Well I'm going to wait until I'm in my late 50's for all that because full coverage is on some weirdo shit homey"

Then I thought about what I was saying and realized, I'm already on some weirdo shit. It must be some kind of affliction maybe Tattoo Anorexia is the new term.

See the homey (ebonics for friend) domcro for his take on Tattoo Anorexia

Gorillas vs. Sharks

2008-07-12T03:41:59Z

There is a little known battle that has raged for generations. Gorillas and Sharks have been fighting each other on the far reaches of the African continent.

You didn't know, they hate each other.

Why?

Sharks find Gorilla babies particularly tasty and wait for an unsuspecting gorilla babies to wander onto the beach and then . . .

you know one eaten Gorilla baby.

Eventually the sharks began to swim up into the jungle to hunt for Gorilla Babies. That action started a war that has raged for thousands of years generations.

Not many people know about the Gorilla King who first defended his kingdom from the vile sharks.

Sippin on the Sysurp Sip Sip Sysurp

2008-07-08T21:56:33Z

High Fructose Corn Syrup I mean. We all sip on it.

We sip on HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), every time any of us drink Soda, everytime any of us eat most Breads, every time any of us eat [insert food here]. HFCS is the all pervasive sweeter that is slowly turning America into Lard Fat Asses.

I've been a little obsessed with my Lard Fat Ass potential. Its there I see all that potential around my midsection.

As I read about ways to curb my weight, of the main culprits of fat lard assiness is the devil High Fructose Corn Syrup. I'm going to to try my best to avoid it at all costs.

Avoiding HFCS is going to be easier said then done and more expensive because things that are naturally sweetened cost more.

I think I have a secret disdain for grossly obese people, that is one reason that I work out and watch what I eat as I get older, so I won't pack weight on. In reality it takes a long time to get really big therefore it will take a long time to take it off.

Until then I guess I'll be Sippin on Sysurp

Attack of the Lard Fat Asses

2008-07-03T16:44:56Z

I am gaining weight.

This is huge (excuse the pun)

Yesterday weighed in at 221 lbs.

"Captain, this situation is unacceptable, what shall we do"

"Correct Ensign, start evasive maneuvers and initiate Fat Ass Protocol Alpha"

Fat Ass Protocol Alpha (Top Secret)

Carefully monitor all eating
Exercise Daily
Pray to the Gods of Skinniness

Over and Out.

Rising Down

2008-06-16T19:23:48Z

This weekend my wife brought home The Roots new LP Rising Down. I can unequivocally say that this an excellent CD. I was glad to see that they felt compelled to do away with the poetry that has been a staple of many of their previous releases.

This CD also sheds light many of the rumors that have hounded the roots (at least those that keep up with the roots) such as their intra group frictions, in the opening and closing interludes on the CD.

The Music on Rising Down is very solid. Dice Raw is featured on about 1/3 of the tracks, which is nice to hear. Although Black Thought is perfectly able to hold down a whole album as the front man, its nice to have some other personalities on the track.

It is said that this is one of their darker CD's to date, and that is just what I needed.

Snapped

2008-06-14T22:29:06Z

You know what they say crazy pu@@y is the best pu@@y.

Have you been watching the show Snapped. Its about women who commit crimes against their significant others. Its become a local obsession of my wife and I.

There must be a reason these guys are getting with these crazy women. Which gets me to the first sentence of this post. A world of advice that I might just have a grain of truth embedded in it.

I guess we should ask Kristina Caban who just got 5 years for searing a 4-inch high letter "R" into her ex-lover after he failed to call her after a one-night stand in 2004. Reality is so much better than fiction.

Fasting

2008-06-10T14:22:12Z

Sometimes I overeat, and sometimes I'm just over eating. This week i am generally over eating.

Everything I eat seems to taste so blah. It all started last Thursday when I had lunch the Curry House (link), and it was great. Then there was big trouble that afternoon. Every time I burped I seemed to taste that damn Japanese curry and it wasn't pleasant. I was on the verge of being nauseousall afternoon.

That is around when i knew I was tired of eating. Eating out just isn't doing it for me anymore. I need to get into cooking, not only for my taste-buds but also for my health. Last time I got a checkup my cholesterol was slightly high (205 when it should be < 200 ), that is the first time that has ever happened.

So here is the plan, yesterday and today I'm doing only fruit water and tea. Wednesday and Thursday, I'm going to only drink the Lemonade Concoction ( Maple Syrup, Water, Lemon, Juice and Cayenne Pepper), then Friday I'm going to wean myself back to food with some broth ready to pig out Saturday just in time to Barbecue some chicken.

Yes.

We're Just Friends

2008-06-05T03:47:21Z

I have come to a monumental conclusion since I have gotten married. What is it you ask. Well here it is.

Female friends are Useless. Utterly completely and totally useless to me. I’m not saying that I dislike females but the realities of relationships and adulthood are unfortunate, and they have led me to conclude that female friends aren’t really of much use at all.
As a guy I’ve been on the other side of the female friend cycle. We’re friends, they get a boyfriend then its totally radio silence. I don’t always agree but now I understand.
Of course there is no hard and fast rule but if there isn’t a business relationship with her or if your relationship isn’t "them" (meaning she’s married or involved ) then there is no reason as a married man to talk or hang out with an unmarried female.

No I’m not a religious zealot, but most female friendships I’ve had have resulted in sex or at least some heavy breathing and petting. So what is to make me think just because I’m married anything is going to change.

Yea yea yea self control and all that shit.

But,
I mean,

But I would rather not even put myself in a position of the possibility of an inappropriate action happening.

I also think of it this way, I would more than likely trip if she had some guy she was just hanging out with, therefore I guess the same should hold true for me.

Getting it Out

2008-05-29T16:15:13Z

I'm just trying to get all my shitty designs out first to make room for the good ones.