Bongos, Hands and Concerts...OH MY!

December the 10^th… damn. 17 days until vacation!!

I had a fairly busy weekend.

Dinner with friends at Don Pablo’s on Friday night and still didn’t have any alcohol, even though a margarita didn’t sound like a bad idea.

Saturday I shopped, after sleeping in.

It was half price day at the Goodwill, and I certainly can’t pass that up!!

The weather was warm here in the Ohtucky yet cool enough for a hat and boots, but no coat was required.

The new hat and new boots.

After the Goodwill, I headed to Old Navy.

I may not have said this before, but I hate parking lots.  There are a couple of reasons. 

One, I can seldom ever find my car.  I know that’s not the parking lot’s fault, per say, but the design makes it difficult.  Thankfully some lots have the areas numbered.  I promptly take photos of these numbers (thanks for the suggestion KR!).  I think they should all have cuter monikers, “Shopaholic 1”, “Cheapskate 4”, “RudeAss 7”, “CloseShopper 9”, “Haggard Shopkeeper 3”, “Raincheck 11”…I could go on and on.

Two, the way some dumbasses insist on parking.  Below is a case in point.

This jerk was parked within 10 spaces of the store.  So… he (I’m assuming) is an asshole AND lazy (I was assuming that the driver is a dude, not that he’s an asshole and lazy, that’s evident).  If you have a vehicle that you’re terrified of getting dinged, wouldn’t it be prudent to park farther out in the parking lot?  There were plenty of unoccupied spots in the far reaches of the lot.  But people who park like this always have an undeserved sense of entitlement…  I truly wanted to key the shit out of this truck, based on principle alone.

As I stood in the parking lot taking a photo of this idiot’s truck, a couple walked by, smiled and nodded at me.  They knew what I was going to do; social media can be a beautiful thing.  I put the pic on my Facebook page with the caption “This is how assholes park”.  This disappointing thing about this particular ass is that he’s a Free Mason, as is evidenced by the square and compass sticker on the back window.  Mason’s are supposed to be GOOD members of society; this jerk-face needs to be booted if you asked me… which no one did.

Three, the holes.  There are always divots in parking lots that are protected by some force field that makes them impossible to see until you’ve fallen in one. 

So, as I was walking out of the Old Navy, I tripped in one.  Thankfully I didn’t do a face plant, but it has to be an amusing site if you were walking near me.  As soon as it happened, I looked up to make sure that the non-parking asshole wasn’t there and watching me, he wasn’t.  Even though he was unaware of what I said about him, I didn’t want him to get ANY amusement from my plight.

Interestingly, when I looked back, I still didn’t see that fucking hole, the force field quickly recovered.

Once, a few years ago, I was leaving my office. Our parking lot, at the time, had several holes, divots, low spots, ravines and a couple of hollers.  So, I was booking it out of the office one warm summer afternoon, late for an event.  I was dressed pretty cute with Capri pants and a darling pair of wedge heels.

For me this was a dangerous combination… fast walking + cute wedge heels + parking lot ravines = parking lot face plant.

I was no more than 15 steps out of the door when…

BLAM

Face first on the black top.  Not even enough time to throw out a hand to try and catch myself.

So what does one do when such a thing happens in a public place?

Jump straight up and try and act like nothing happened.

I hobbled to my car as nonchalantly as possible.  When I got in I examine the damage.  My left knee looked like it had spent some time in a meat grinder, blood was dripping down on my cute, mother fucking wedge heels, the skin was scraped off both elbows and there was a hole in the Capri pants.  My knee hurt so bad that I just sat there and cried.  There was a lady who was walking near me when I fell, I didn’t see her, because I had tunnel vision, with my only goal being to get safely in my car.

She walked up to my window, knocked on it and asked if I was ok.  I recognized from a nearby office.

“I’m fine” I lied through a forced smile.

So that evening I limped around at the entire event. GO ME.

My third stop of the shopping trip was Pier One, where I found a hand to add to the hand collection!!

Angus looks like he doesn't trust the hand.

Then I hit Guitar Center, where I FINALLY got a set of bongos! Now I have a tambourine, maracas, a cow bell and now BONGOS, oh yea!!

By the way, I did buy a gift in there; I wasn’t shopping STRICTLY for myself.

Saturday night was the Seven Mary Three concert at the Madison Theater (http://www.madisontheateronline.com/index.php).  I USUALLY love the Madison, I’ve seen some really good shows there, and generally love the vibe.

This was far from the truth on Saturday night.

I have several complaints, which could totally have been rectified by the theater.

#1 Huge crowd. 

Now big crowds, in general, I don’t have a problem with. I’ve been to other shows there in the past that had crowds that were ridiculously small, which I blamed on poor marketing.

However, the Madison has a sweet balcony, which was not opened Saturday night.  I don’t know if they have to sell a certain number of seats before they open the balcony or not, but it was so packed that it would have made the show a lot more enjoyable had they opened it.

#2 Lack of crowd control.

I swear, the way this crowd was acting, one would have thought that they were giving away free PBR.

However, they were not.

I’m not a concert virgin, I’ve seen some rowdy crowds before, and I’m ok with that. Everyone buys a ticket and is entitled to their good time.

But for fuck’s sake, throwing drinks over the crowd and at one point someone threw a drink on stage.  Which prompted a band member to throw a drink out into the audience.

Fuck that noise.

Usually there are security guys everywhere, this night I only spotted 2.

#3 Sound sucked.

Their sound was AWFUL.  Whoever was running sound had no fucking idea what they were doing.  If you were on the floor you couldn’t hear anything but bass.

People all around me were grumbling about it.

At one point some guy behind me was screaming “Your sound guy sucks” not just once but over and over, getting progressively louder.  He was basically screaming right in my ear.  He wasn't lying.

I finally turned around to say “DUDE, SHUT UP” only to find I was yelling at a man that was about 6’3” and a good 300#.  I said my peace and turned back around, cringing a little bit.

He did listen to the 5’3” girl with red hair, and he shut up. I must be intimidating… yea that’s right.  And he OBVIOUSLY wasn’t yelling in my ear, since there was at least a 12” height difference, but it sure sounded like it.

At that point, we moved from the floor, but the crowd was just as miserable up there.  Finally, I said “FUCK IT”  I decided I’d catch them at a motorcycle rally someplace, where crowd are more civilized and maybe the venue will have their shit together.

I usually recommend the Madison, highly.  It’s always been a great place to see a show.  Kenny Wayne Shepherd blew the doors off that place a couple of years ago, The Heartless Bastards were phenomenal, and that was an enormous, super cool crowd. Interestingly, the balcony wasn’t open that night either, and I would have thought the crowd would have warranted it.

Anyway, I’ll have to see another GOOD show there before I’ll recommend it any more.  I won’t say that I’ll never go again; I mean if Taddy Porter comes back, my ass will definitely be there!

That was only the second time I've left a show before the headliner.  The last time wasn't my choice, I was escorted out by 2 very nice State Policemen.  A story for another time.

The rest of the weekend was uneventful, more Christmas shopping, napping, cleaning, the usual weekend stuff…

I did observe again this weekend that tattoos seem to make me more approachable.  This weekend I had several people (men) ask where I got my “art”, specifically asking about the dragonfly and complimenting me on it.  But they were all respectful enough that they did not touch me.

One guy seemed to be flirting, the other was an employee in a store I was shopping in, he also showed me his tattoos and whipped out his cell to show me his wife’s newest tattoo.  We talked shops a little bit, I, however, didn’t pull up my sleeves to show my other tattoos.

I don’t deserve the compliments, really.  All that I did was choose the artist and the images.  My artists deserve all the props!! 

Kevin Byers, Truth and Triumph Tattoo (http://www.tattooedtv.com/kevinbyers.html)

Dustin Zion, Asylum Tattoo (www.facebook.com/dustin.zion)

Robyn Roth, Mother’s Tattoo (http://motherstattoo.com/gallery/index.html)

GO forth my friends and have a great Monday!  So far mine isn’t too horrible, I just hope to survive it!!

It's Knot Love...

Maybe you can tell, my brain just won’t shut off today… I’m a little manic.

Nervous energy I suppose.

So, I’m beginning my 3^rd posting today, a record!

Since this blog started out as a tattoo blog, even though it has morphed into something different, I still have to pay homage to the ink.

Yesterday, I got tattoo number 15. 

I got it for a couple of reasons.  First of all, because I wanted it, that’s really the only reason I need.  But secondly, I got it in an attempt to ease some of my pain, tattoos have the power to do that, you know.  And the third reason I got it, is because of what it represents.

I chose a variation on a Celtic love knot.  I love Celtic knots and I wanted something that represents love.  I am searching for love and wanted some significance for my search upon my skin.  Similar to the reason I got the swallow, to signify my search for home (which I still have yet to find).

So, I found the knot that I liked, gave the image to the awesome Dustin Zion @ Asylum Tattoo, he drew it up and shot some ink into my skin!

I love it!!

The stencil.

Dustin at work.

A close up of the inking.

Finished!

LOVE my love knot!

I had it done in red, because love and red travel hand in hand…

Butterflies in the Workplace

Bonjour mon ami!!!

Giving a shout out to Fred in France today!!

Another hump day is upon us, and it’s going by rather quickly, YAY!!

As I told you yesterday I was going back to have Dustin (www.facebook.com/dustin.zion) touch up my Georgia butterfly and have another butterfly tattooed on my right collar bone.

I did it! They both look fantastic!  The collar bone is a semi-tender location, most of it was tolerable, but there were a couple of sweet spots….. you all know what I mean!

But, Dustin started on the new butterfly, outlined it, and then moved to the Georgia butterfly.  So the new butterfly calmed down a little bit before he came back to add the color.  I should do 2 tattoos every time!

I had the new butterfly done in blue and purple, didn’t want any pink as I have a lot of pink on that shoulder/arm already.  It’s a good contrast and it balances out the swallow on my left collar bone.  I love it!  Interestingly, Dustin told me that women sit so much better for tattoos than men do.  Not shocking, we were created for baby making, so it really makes sense, its biology.  But, as much as I hate to admit it, research shows that men actually have a higher pain tolerance http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/painthreshold.html.

 The stencil.

 Dustin at work.

The finished tattoo.



Now, this particular butterfly really has no significant meaning, I just wanted it, just wanted something pretty on that collar bone for symmetry’s sake.

Not all tattoos have to have some deep, personal meaning.  Although some will tell you that they should.  It’s your skin and your prerogative to put anything on it that you wish, and I won’t judge you, unless you put something stupid on your face… then you’re just asking for it.

I mean, come on dude, does this really have the chica’s lining up? I bet your grandma loves it, and your job prospects??? Zip, zilch, nada!! But the no job thing could be the objective.

Tattoos are becoming more accepted in the work place, we see them all the time in our bartenders, servers, etc…. But in some lines of work they’re still not accepted.  Most corporate, tattooed people I know keep theirs covered at work.  I did, however, meet a bartender at Claddah’s Irish Pub in Newport that, when seeing my tattoos, offered up his sleeve (very nicely done) that he had to keep covered with a sleeve.  So not ALL bars let their employees show their ink.  I am disappointed in my Irish peeps!!

Now for me, my wrist tattoos show 99% of the time and my foot tattoo, 85% of the time (I detest socks! That little seam across the toes drives me insane!), and sometimes my arm tattoos peek out, depending on how short my sleeves are.  No one in my office has ever said anything about them.  There is one other girl here with more than one tattoo; she and I actually got tattooed at the same time last year.  But I am the quintessential “weird girl” in the office, and I’m totally good with that.  No written dress code exists in my office, so it would be a little difficult for them to actually ask me to start covering my ink.  Unless they drafted a policy and had all of the employees sign off on it.  But we really don’t have too much interaction with the public.  I see docs from time to time and no one seems to even notice.

Tattoos in the work place is a virtual mine field for employers.  I ran across this article http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management-employee/4113152-1.html#axzz21eIsCNdr which thoughtfully addresses the subject.  This statement stood out to me “And remember, making assumptions about the qualifications of people who have tattoos is not only unfounded, it may result in discrimination claims against your company.”  I’ve known people with tattoos, that you’d never think had them, and it’s becoming more and more prevalent in all lines of work.

This article surprised me http://rense.com/general11/plac.htm, I had no idea that Starbucks had such a strict policy regarding tattoos.  Damn, I almost expect my barista to be tattooed.  But, honestly, I never noticed one way or another.

We, as a society, just need to get used to it.  Body art is a form of self expression, so much of the art is beautiful, let's just admire it and appreciate it my friends.......

Bars, Butterflies and Skulls....

Good morning my friends!!

I apologize for not posting yesterday; I was feeling rather shiteous.....  Ahhhh the joys of an autoimmune disease.  This is apparently my own fault….. But I won’t bore you with that story.

I had an eventful weekend, a date on Friday, I hit Mainstrasse on Saturday with a good friend and had a work event at the Florence Freedom (http://www.florencefreedom.com/) on Sunday.

On Saturday night, Gene and I found my new favorite bar!!! The Up Over bar! 

Not sure how I’ve missed going into this place on my many trips to Mainstrasse (http://www.mainstrasse.org/entertainment/).  It’s a hole-in-the-wall kinda a place, a shotgun style building with just a handful of tables and bar stools and their bathroom was CLEAN!  There was a duo playing, The Fat Shannons, they had a trumpet!! I knew they were my kinda musicians!! 

The Fat Shannons

A patron that was gracious enough to pose for a photo.

The crowd was diverse, there were people that looked kinda like me (tattooed) some biker-looking dudes, a goth-ish couple, some preppy looking folks, some average looking patrons and even some frat-boy looking dudes came in toward the end of the night.  The music that played in between the Fat Shannons’ sets was rock, not the brain numbing, thumping stuff that had to have been written by a kindergartener, playing at Cosmo’s.  And there was smoke! I don’t routinely smoke, but I like a bar that allows it… it feels like a fucking bar should feel, I don’t go to a bar for my health! I did end up bumming a smoke from Tim, one of the folks we met, along with his lovely wife Barb.

I had spent the evening, when I wasn’t drinking may Maker’s and Coke or chattering away, looking at tattoos.  I didn’t really see any I felt like asking about until I saw the bottom of this one sticking out of a t-shirt sleeve.

First let me say that I need to perfect my tattoo photo taking technique…. The photo may not show it, but this tattoo is sick…..

It was on the arm of Joe Vogerl; he was very gracious by allowing me to photograph it and told me that he was inked by Dusty Palmer at Acme Tattoo (http://acmebodyart.co/). You can find their contact information on that page, but sadly there are no portfolios, this is what I continue to bitch about…… I’m sure they have some photos on their Facebook page, but it’s better to have actual portfolios on their webpage…. However, I still admire the work that Dusty did on Joe’s arm, would love to see more of his work.  Maybe I’ll check it out on Facebook; I’d just rather not have to do that. Oh well…….

We were in a bar, and it was loud, I didn’t get any of the story behind the tattoo from Joe.  I did give him a card; maybe he’ll drop me a note and let me know why he chose the tattoo.  We shall see…..

Today after work, I am heading to Asylum Tattoo (http://www.asylumtattoo.com/) once again to have a tattoo touched up, because of my weird healing issues and to have a butterfly added to my right collar bone.  Sunday is my birthday, so it’s an early birthday present to myself! I will be under the needle of Dustin once again (http://www.facebook.com/dustin.zion).

I got this tattoo not too long ago, about 6 weeks or so.  The butterfly is the Tiger Swallowtail, the state butterfly of Georgia, and the flowers are peach blossoms. 

The Tiger Swallowtail in it's natural habitat.

I got them to commemorate 2 beautiful weeks that I spent in Georgia.  Things didn’t work out the way that I had hoped they would, and I suppose that’s my own fault (which is a theme in my life, see beginning of this post).  But I have no regrets, and I never want to forget it.  I’d like to remember every single moment, but I know that my brain won’t do that.  Eventually there will only be a few memories left, just like with other things in a life, and that will make me sad……… but life must go on!! I am about making some new memories now!!

So, come on life!! Bring me some beautiful memories!