Spock...

Someone has uploaded this radio rip of Spock; the first track released by the Vince Clarke/Martin Gore collaboration VCMG...teaching my kids these days that they must keep quiet, when they have nothing nice to say, so I'm not going to comment on it...



and a SoundCloud stream...

VCMG - Spock by Mute UK

Niki Returns with a New Tattoo by Dr. Lakra

I think I'm within the statute of limitations for Thanksgiving, so let me say I am also thankful for past contributors sending me photos of new work that they want to share with the Tattoosday community.

Take Niki, for example, who I met in the summer of 2010, and whose tattoo appeared here. Out of the blue she recently sent me this e-mail:

"about a year ago, you featured my beautiful cat memorial tattoo (by John Reardon, who was at Saved Tattoo at the time). i follow your blog regularly.  you always feature beautiful work with interesting stories attached. i just got a crazy new tattoo that i thought i'd send along, in case you think it's worthy of sharing.  it was done by the incredible dr. lakra in oaxaca, mexico."

That's pretty darn cool, if I do say so myself. Skulls are common tattoo themes, so it is exciting to see a spin on that idea, and what better way to honor getting inked by a famous Mexican artist than by getting a skull with a tattered lucha libre mask?
Thanks to Niki for staying in touch and sharing her new tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

You can see more art by Dr. Lakra here in his Google photostream.

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Currently.

me, right now.

My sweet friend Megan shared this fun post this morning, so I thought I'd play along while I wait for Henry to wake up from his nap!

Obsessing over: Movies. I think winter always gets me into movie-mode, and this year I've been really into re-watching old favorites via Netflix Instant Play during Henry's naptime while I get things done. Today was the black and white Miracle on 34th Street. So good.  And right now Netflix has so many great films to stream including two of my most favorites- Death Becomes Her and Edward Scissorhands. They also have some newer ones I really enjoyed, like Morning Glory.

Working on: I'm currently in the middle of a couple of new blog-related and writing projects, but what I am working on right now is making it through the day without indulging in sweets! I do great all day long, but around 4 or 5pm I find myself making the same not-so-good choices. And every day I tell myself that I'm not going to do it again, but for the past few days I've ignored my better judgment and had that cookie (or cookies), that caramel corn, or whatever other nutrient-free mindless snack is available. Ugh. I'm all for treats and enjoying delicious food...but when I'm grabbing these snacks I'm not even hungry. So today I'm just trying to get back on track from our holiday weekend, and holiday weekend leftovers!


Thinking about: going to Henry's 1-year appointment in a few hours. Honestly, it feels like yesterday when we brought him in for the first time. I was fresh from my c-section and all of those days seem like the biggest blur...except certain distinct moments with Henry. I remember that first appointment vividly, and I'll admit I'm a little teary thinking about bringing him in today for his big one-year-later check-up. I'm also thinking about how truly lucky and grateful I feel to have a healthy one-year old.


Anticipating: Christmas, of course! I can't wait for all of the fun events coming up. Outside of family stuff think I'm most looking forward to the party Natalie and I are having at my house- an old-fashioned girls' sleepover for our girlfriends. We're doing a potluck, ornament exchange, and heading downtown to enjoy the lights and winter sights. Very excited.

Listening to: the white noise via Henry's noise machine in his room. He's due to wake up from his nap any minute, so pretty soon the sounds will be interrupted by babbling and sweet little "ma ma ma ma mas." I'm also having a text conversation with Autumn so every minute or so the little notification goes off. If only all of my friend who are stay-at-home Moms lived in the same place!

Drinking: water. It's pretty much all I ever drink, with the occasional green tea or almond milk in my rare bowl of cereal.

Wishing: that I could slow down time, just a little. 2012 in just about a month? I feel like it's 1998 and I'm still 16. Where did the time go?

How about you? What are you up to today?

Tattoo Tuesday V.98


Name/blog name: Julia at http://weliveoutloud.wordpress.com/
Age: 31
Occupation: Full time mommy. Part time hair stylist/makeup artist
Age of first tattoo: 18
Favorite tattoo: Boombox on my left shin. It is from the album Subliminal Plastic Motives by my favorite band, self
Featured tattoo/location: Mary Poppins sleeve on my left arm
Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: Ahmed at Trader Bobs Tattoo in St. Louis, MO


1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story about why you chose it, or maybe a special meaning?

I get asked this a lot. Understandably so. I used to watch Mary Poppins A LOT when I was a child. It quickly became my favorite movie. Then a few years after high school, I packed up and headed east to New York City where I became a nanny. I sent out to be a Mary Poppins. I try to live my life with the motto "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!"



2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where?

I have a bunch of random ones. Boombox on left shin, rose on right shin, stars around my right wrist, butterfly on center of back, nautical star on back of neck.



3) Do you plan on getting more?

Absolutely. I intend on doing my right arm eventually. I have many ideas as to what I'd like. I would like to do something for my daughter, Zalyn. It's just a matter of time. My brother in law is a tattoo artist and I have many plans for him to do plenty of my upcoming work.




4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos?

My family is amazing. At first, my parents weren't too hip to the idea of their little girl "decorating her body." But they have grown to love it. I've even been introduced to some of my mothers friends, siblings friends etc and they'll say, "OOH, you're the one with the Mary Poppins tattoo." I suppose that means they brag about me? As far as adversity is concerned, yes, I get some negative feedback. But only from strangers. My husband (who is heavily tattooed as well) and I were in the store one time and a gentleman walked passed us and shouted, "It's not Halloween, kids. Trick or treat, freaks!" We just brush it off our shoulder. Yes, we get stared at from time to time and yes people say things of the sorts, "What are you going to do when you get older?" or "Are you going to let your child get tattooed?" and the ever so popular, "Why would you do something like that?" There's some close minded people out there that just don't quite understand the nature of why people get tattoos. And that's ok. We just make the world a little more colorful!





5) What's the most interesting experience you've ever had in regards to your tattoos? This can be something someone said to you, a weird tattooing experience, whatever.

My favorite story involving my tattoo's was when I came to visit my grandparents after being gone for awhile. My sleeve was close to being done. The last time I saw my grandparents, I only had the top of my shoulder. So, needless to say, they were shocked. My grandfather looked at me and said, "My oh my, every time we see you, you are more and more decorated." Then my grandmother chimed in and said with a smile, "Yes, and we love you more and more." My grandmother passed away almost 3 years ago and I'm constantly reminded of her strength, beauty and wit. Just the way she looked at me with a twinkle in her eye and the way she said that, makes my heart melt each time I think about it. My grandfather was right, we really truly are "decorated."



 
6) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?

Think it through. Don't rush into it. Do research on who you're going to have do your tattoo. If you see someone with a tattoo you like, ask them who did it for them. Then check out said artists portfolio. Once you found the right person and decided on the perfect piece, be prepared. Bring a bottle of water or gatorade. I resort to sucking on lollipops while getting tattoo'd. And I focus on my breathing. Whether you are getting a large piece that will take some time, or something small, just remind yourself that the pain only lasts a little while and when it's all said and done, you'll have a pretty awesome reminder of your strength that you sat through a pretty painful experience. That's how I look at it and it's gotten me this far.

Dating demons...

Since this track by Alaska In Winter was uploaded to SoundCloud just yesterday I thought it was a new one. However I’ve just found out that it was included on an EP that was released as far back as in June (I received thousands of emails, but why didn’t any inform me about this release?). Also learned that Brandon Bethancourt has been battling all kinds of personal problems, probably explaining the EP title? Demons sounds pretty good mixing electronic sounds with Balkan vocals (or at least so I hear it)…
Demons by alaskainwinter

Check out this new track by the great (but horribly named) The Sexual Outlaws.
+ Adventures In Dating

Seems like Danes On No Ono have decided to split up. Whether or not this decision was ignited by the studio run by two band members was robbed last month, I obviously cannot tell, but still sad no matter the reason(s)…
+ Helplessly Young

Anyone heard any track(s) from the forthcoming Vince Clarke/Martin Gore (VCMG) release EP1/Spock? I’m expecting the worst and fearing (if possible) even worse. Hopefully I’m going to be proven wrong here!

December is coming and the Xmas tracks have started to arrive in the mail. Guess I’ll make a kind of Xmas compilation again this year including the best of previous years plus a few of this year’s new arrivals.

Chorus Grant (which I mentioned in a brief post on Friday) has posted a new track for streaming at SoundCloud.
Big Guns by Chorus Grant

It's Time.

I saw this beautiful video this morning, and knew I had to share it here too. xoxo

Monday links


a bit of pretty sunlight on an evening run with Henry this past week.

Hello and happy Monday! I'm excited about this post because I have SO many fun things to show you today. It's already been a great day and after a long organizing session last night I feel really good about getting a lot checked off of my list. It was a fun weekend and I finally got to see Breaking Dawn. I wouldn't say I'm a die-hard Twilight fan- I'm more of an Anne Rice vampire kinda gal- but at the base of Stephenie Meyer's just-okay writing lies such a great story that I can't help but love the series. The movie was good too, and I found myself totally riveted and only giggled out loud a few times. ;) Some other great things this weekend: a 6-mile hike Saturday morning, a visit from our friend Paco, and making homemade vegan "chicken" pot pie (I'll share that recipe later this week).

And now somehow, it's Monday! I took a little break over the long weekend so my typical Friday links post was moved to today. I hope you enjoy them! Let me know which one you loved best. xo!

----------

First of all, did you know that you can now turn your Instagrams into canvases?! Yet another fabulous IG add-on. And right now, Canvas Pop is offering a great deal too- a 12x12 for $29.95 and a 20x20 for $59.95. Awesome, right? Thanks to my friend Alana for sharing this with me via Mashable.

Angela reminded me that I really need to take a hot air balloon ride sometime this year- it's absolutely one of my "must-do" things in life.

After following this couple's journey to adopting their daughter, this video pretty much made my day.

Does a perfect childhood make you soft? I really, really enjoyed this article.

Confessions of a Hipster Mom- too funny! Have you done this before? Love this post on one of my fave blogs.

There aren't many male bloggers around these parts, but Steven Andrew sure holds his own. Go say hi!

Rachel's tips on creating a cheap meal plan are spot on. Super inspiring.

This post was a great reminder to "date my husband."

This stop-motion wedding video is way too cute!

Here's Lesley's second part to her "Surviving the Holidays" series. It's all about managing stress, something most of us can relate to I'm sure!

Interesting post about "eating yourself fertile."

How adorable is this print? It makes me want to bundle up for a winter walk with Hank.

This family's story broke my heart. I can't even imagine how this would feel...sending as much love as I can their way.

Oh, I love the vintage library baby shower ideas in this post.

WHOA. You can receive all three of my favorite magazines for $20?!

Have I mentioned how much I love Amber? This post totally made me smile.

I didn't make these sweet potato and marshmallow biscuits this year, but I've bookmarked them for next!

And finally, a few blogs I've been loving: one and two.

Have a good week!

The Tattoosday Book Review - Science Ink

If you’re still recovering from a day of camping out and fighting the crowds for Black Friday holiday gifts, might I suggest one more item for your list?



Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed was recently published by Sterling Press and it rates as one of the finer titles on tattoos that I have seen in while. Science Ink is written by Carl Zimmer, a science writer with great credentials and whose blog rates a spot on my blogroll shortlist.

I have been a fan of Carl Zimmer’s Science Tattoo Emporium since 2008, even warranting a mention in a stand-alone post here.

I was excited to hear last year that he was compiling a book on the subject of scientific tattoos, as, unlike a lot of the work in London Tattoos (my last review, which appeared here), the ink is drenched in meaning.



As a storyteller and a writer, I’ll admit to favoring tattoos that have stories and/or specific meaning behind them. Not that I don’t appreciate a fine work of  body art that is beautiful for beauty’s sake. I just find myself more intellectually stimulated by tattoos that pack a narrative punch. This is also why I dig literary tattoos.



All that being said, Zimmer should be commended for compiling a whole slew of scientific ink, and organizing it in such a thoughtful and pleasing way. Chapters are divided up by category (Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Earth Sciences, etc.) with photos of the contributors work, along with a paragraph or two devoted to explaining the accompanying pieces. These are not tattoos that resulted from walking in to a shop and picking flash off the wall. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Rather, we’re treated to tattoos that were clearly thought out and executed with the purpose of connecting to the individuals passion for their intellectual stimuli.


Tattoo purists may look at this book and cringe at the quality of some of the tattoos depicted. But the quality is not the point, and there is a lot of fine work, nonetheless. With a few exceptions, we are not seeing work contributed by tattoo aficionados. Instead, we get a glimpse of tattoos from people that you don’t normally associate with ink: scientists, doctors, university professors, and anthropologists. For that reason, Science Ink succeeds in drawing in the reader to the individual narrative behind the tattoo. What makes someone who is uninked take the leap and go under the needle?

Ultimately, it is the answer to that question that propels the mini-narratives forward and make Science Ink such a compelling read. Above and beyond the appreciation of tattoos, the book speaks to a larger audience, those who are steeped in the sciences and those who don’t consider themselves part of a “tattoo culture”. Ultimately, not everyone who is science-minded gets a tattoo related to their field, but a mathematician may understand someone’s desire to get an interesting equation inked on their forearm more than they would, say, getting a flaming skull or a scattering of cherry blossoms.

The biggest fault I find with Science Ink is not an original one. Marisa over at Needles and Sins voiced the disappointment in her review, as well, that the artists who created the body art are rarely named by the contributors. I always ask Tattoosday contributors to disclose their artists’ names to give credit where credit is due. Occasionally I  meet people who do not recall the names of their artists, but that tends to be a smaller percentage. Zimmer includes a thumbnail “visual index” of contributors. It would be nice, if there is ever a Science Ink II, to include an index of artists, as well. As a saving grace, Zimmer does credit the artists on his website here, but I only discovered that by accident.** I’d imagine, however, that to the bulk of the reading audience, the tattooist’s identity  is not as important and may seem extraneous, but for many it is nice to see credit where credit is due.

All in all, however, Zimmer hits the ball out of the park with a wonderful tattoo-themed product that I fully endorse and recommend.

With the holidays just around the corner, this would make a great gift for the science obsessed person in your life!

**After this posted, Carl Zimmer e-mailed me:
"Thanks! I agree that the artists should get credit. My designer and I put together a list, but a change in schedule prevented the publisher from putting it into the book. We'll be sure to get it into the next printing".
This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.



If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I can contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Favorite Calendars for 2012

If you're anything like me, you probably love how the new year offers promises of so many new opportunities, new plans...and new ways to be organized. There are few things that make me happier than a fresh, crisp-paged planner, and even better, a brand-new calendar to hang on the wall. The best kind of calendars are part functional, part beautiful, but I'd say that each of the calendars below are all beautiful! Which one is your favorite?





Light Parade 2011

Everything is so much more fun with Henry around, and that goes double for the holidays.  Even though we still have a month until Christmas, we've been having a great time adopting new traditions, and making old ones our own. Every year our town has a light parade, and it's a lot of fun to get bundled up, get some hot chocolate, and watch all the floats go by. One of the things I love most about living in a small town is all of the tradition and fun the holidays bring, and our town really seems to come even more alive this time of the year. We had a great time at the parade, and I think Henry did too (minus the fire engines' sirens- he HATED those). It was a fun night though- cold but not too cold, crowded downtown but not too bad- and a good time was had by all!

Happy almost-December, everyone!

Light Parade 2011
Picnik collage11
Light Parade 2011
Light Parade 2011

Light Parade 2011
Picnik collage111
Light Parade 2011
Light Parade 2011
Light Parade 2011
Light Parade 2011
Light Parade 2011
Light Parade 2011
Picnik collage1111

Chorus Grant...

Check out brand new Danish artist/band/project Chorus Grant...described as "from computer-grunge pop, to 50's do-do run run and Dylan’esqe folk", though I'm not quite sure what that is supposed to mean exactly...but it sure is interesting...more songs can be streamed at Reverbnation...


ComScore

today on Hello Giggles...


 Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm over on Hello Giggles today talking about "instant BFFs." Are you mine?

Kitchen on fire...

This is sweet, nice, cool etc....Hannah Schneider performs a stripped down live version of recent single In The Line Of Fire in a (don't think it's hers) kitchen...



In The Line Of Fire by Hannah Schneider

What really matters.

A lot of the time I am blown away with the number of you who make Sometimes Sweet a daily stop, and it's amazing to me that you take the time out of your day to come here and share in my world. I often think though that with all of the readers and friends I have met over the past few years, there has to be something more I can do with this gift of an audience.

Outside of this bubble we live in, there is so much more going on in the world. It's easy to get caught up in your daily life and forget this- I know I am guilty of often having a one-track "me me me" mindset, and not looking or thinking outside of where I very comfortably sit. But one of my biggest goals for this next year (and now) is to make a difference, and that's where this blog comes in.

Today I'm going to be telling you all about my sweet friend Kristin and the work she is doing over in India. And in the months to come, I'll be sharing different charities, organizations, or individuals that I am personally familiar with that are doing amazing things. Sometimes it's hard for me to just send donations off- I wonder if the money is really going where they say it is, or I'm concerned about the way it's handled. I'm not sure if everyone is like that (maybe I'm just crazy), but if I can't physically help out myself, it's comforting to me to know the person who is, and to see the good they are doing with the donations.

My friend Kristin is a nurse and is currently living in India. She blogs daily about the work she does, and shares some of the most heart-wrenching, inspiring photos and stories. Here's a little bit from her:


"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others... That is a quote by M.K. Gandhi that I stumbled upon before my first trip to India back in February 2011. Fast forward to November and I can easily tell you that I have never understood what he meant more than I do right now. I am an American nurse living life in the biggest city in North East India, Guwahati. I walked away from my simple Californian life and moved to the state of Assam in May after participating in a one week mission with a NGO that repairs cleft lips and palates free of cost. I work full time (and then some) with them now as a nurse manager at a brand new cleft care center in Guwahati.



India is what we in 'developed' countries would call 'underdeveloped.' It teems with half built infrastructure,  animals, temples, greenery, trash, and people. Oh, the people. Or more specifically, the children. I feel like it took me some time to really open my eyes to what surrounded me and in true Indian fashion, what I saw was this twisted, heartbreaking beauty. There are children all over the streets of Guwahati, beautiful children. They are dirtied, half-clothed and hungry. For a longer time than I like to admit, I walked past these children and though my heart ached deep inside my chest, I did nothing. After weeks of planning, talking with friends, going back and forth and feeling discouraged, I made a decision. It was a basic one: I was going to feed the kids. I went down to the slums that first week scared, shaking and alone. I had made 20 meals and in under five minutes they were filling the bellies of 20 hungry children. It was clear, I had to keep this going. Now I am almost two months into this project that I call Asha Guwahati, and it is growing by the day. The goal of what I do is simple, I want to show the children of this slum and street community true love. I feed them without expectation of anything in return. I am still just one person orchestrating these feedings out of my kitchen. I currently make 50 meals at a time, one to two times per week. It takes me around three hours to make the food, and less than ten minutes to pass it out. Every feeding I have different friends come and help, everyone that helps gives of their time freely. Once a month we hold a street kids day where we bathe, trim hair, and cloth 20-30 kids. I am not changing the world as a whole but very certainly, very slowly, the whole world of each child we care for is changing.



Going to the slums is still scary and overwhelming. When the children see us coming with the baskets of food they run to us with this heartbreaking mix of panic and joy. They know I am there, they know that they will not go to bed hungry that night but they are scared that I will not have enough for them. I have many plans for this project but my goal will always remain simple. I know I can feed these kids, I know I can make the food and pass it out and I will do it as much as possible. I have totally lost myself in the service of the children of Assam, India. It means more to me than I could ever express that my friends like Danielle, all the way over in Arizona support me. If it means that much to me, I can not even begin to imagine how much it might mean to these children who have stolen my heart completely."
 
 

---------

If you visit Kristin's blog I guarantee that you will be moved, maybe to tears like I am, every time I read about her days in India. I urge you to read back in her posts- it's heartbreaking, but also so amazing that she is able to do what she is doing. So that's where we come in. I went back and forth about whether or not I felt comfortable asking you all to donate, but when it comes down to it, I can't think of a better way to assist Kristin in her efforts.



Here's how you can help:

make a donation to Kristin's project- Asha Guwahati. To feed a child one meal costs about 25 cents (and Kristin is working on getting this cost even lower). So even if you gave a dollar, you would be providing FOUR meals. Awesome, right? 

If you can donate anything, a quarter, 
a dollar, ten dollars, you can do so 
via paypal to ashaguwahati@gmail.com.

*Kristin also wanted me to let you know that she is one person developing this feeding project out of her kitchen, and every single rupee goes to the meals and the "street girls" day. She also wanted you to know that she isn't an NGO and therefore cannot offer receipts or letters verifying donations for tax refunds, etc. 

Outside of donating, you can follow Kristin's blog and support her via correspondance, comments, or even just saying hello and letting her know you're there, supporting her. You can also share her blog with others, share this post via Facebook or twitter, or you could even blog about it in our own space, and encourage your own friends and family to help out.

The neatest part about being a part of Kristin's growing project is that you will get to see your donation (whether it be monetary or even sharing her story, reading her blog etc.), come to life as you follow along on her journey. It's truly an amazing thing.

Thank you guys so very much for taking the time to read this. xoxo

Thankful.

thankful

In the spirit of gratitude I thought I would share some things I'm feeling grateful for.  I try and think about what I'm thankful for everyday, and I have to admit that writing these little lists out always puts me in the best mood. It's a good exercise, and I love having these posts to look back on on a particularly down day to cheer me right up. So, without further ado, here's my list-

1. My family. I feel lucky to be married to my best friend, and even better? He's the greatest father. Everyday I wake up and feel so grateful for Hank, and now that we have sweet Henry in the picture, life just feels...right.  I love spending my days with Henry- his laughs and smiles have brought more happiness to me than anything in the world, and I feel like it's so much easier to find positivity in every aspect of life with that little guy calling me mama. Even the worst of days have that bit of goodness in them, and for that I am so thankful. Beyond us three, I'm so thankful for all of my family. We have a solid one, and I try to never, ever forget that.

2. Madeline. Before Henry was born she was the baby of the house, and even though things have completely changed, she is still the sweetest thing in the entire world. We went through a weird transitional phase when Henry first arrived but now we are all back to normal, and she truly is Henry's best friend. It's awesome to watch them play and explore together. Madeline's pretty much in heaven to have a full-time, roll-around-on-the-floor playmate.

3. The basics. A roof over our head, food in our bellies, clean water to drink.

4. My friends. Over this past year my idea of what a friend is and how to be a friend changed a bit, and in that shift I've found myself with a lot less close friends than ever. But this is a good thing. I now have the time and energy to focus on the people in my life that matter, rather than spreading myself thin with too many people. Quality over quantity, and the few that I keep close are some of the best people in the entire world. This past year I've also met and gotten quite close with a few new mama friends, and I adore them, even though they are at least a couple of hours away (and one all the way up the West Coast!). Their daily support and friendship is amazing.

5. My education. Even though I stay home with Henry now, I am so thankful to have been able to attend both college and graduate school.  I think back so fondly on my college times, and not just at all the fun my friends and I had socially- I feel like I really learned a lot in all of the classes I took in regards to English. I have such a love for writing, and although that's been a part of me for as long as I can remember, so many of my professors at NAU and so many of the classes I took really helped ignite a deeper passion for it.  It think of them every day and feel very grateful to have had that experience, and I'm excited to move forward with all of it.

6. The knowledge and ability to change anything I want. Right now I'm just taking each day for what it is, a chance to be a better wife and mother. I know that if yesterday I was in a snappy mood, today I can change my attitude and be kinder. I know that if I made poor food choices, if I was more lazy than productive, so on and so forth, then right now I can fix that through my actions. In the past I think I would let a bump in the road shake me, thus starting a cycle of more negativity. Now though I'd like to think that proactively moving forward has helped me get closer to becoming that person I want to be, and I'm thankful for this.

7. Health. Everyday I feel thankful for this, because I've seen so many people in my life deal with very hard things. From my Mom's breast cancer to my Dad's heart problems, we recently had a few years that were very difficult. And although everything is good now, going through a lot of what we did together made me really appreciate good health and to never take it for granted.

8. Technology. I love that we are all so connected and I'm able to be in touch with my faraway family and friends whenever I want. I was just emailing with my friend in India- it was 11:30pm and bedtime for her- and I had to sit back for a moment and marvel at how awesome that really is.

9. Having the luxury of being able to even type out a thankful list. Really. There's so much that goes into this little act- a happily napping baby, a computer, electricity, etc. etc. 

10. And finally, some little things, both serious and silly: the men and women who serve our country, Netflix, yoga pants, Trader Joe's coming to town, Sons of Anarchy, Oprah, cheese (Gouda and Muenster specifically), Pink Lady apples, my Kindle and getting to read any book instantly, feeling like we are getting even a little bit closer to marriage equality, Martha Stewart Living, this blog, and all of you!

And speaking of you, what are you thankful for? If you post a list on your blog, be sure to link me below so I can go check it out too. 

p.s. I have something special I'll be sharing on the blog tomorrow that has been on my mind for awhile. Until then, have a great night and a happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate!

Thanksgiving Re-Post: Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for many things, especially my lovely wife and two amazing daughters. You, the readers out there in the world, are also people for whom I am thankful. Mahalo, as they say in my childhood home, for visiting often.

I am also thankful for the month of November, which always seems to be a slowdown month for me and Tattoosday. My posting pace slows significantly, despite still carrying a backlog of posts from the summer. Consider them my tattoo acorns that I'm saving for those cold days ahead when a tattoo sighting in New York generally means someone has removed their gloves or scarf!

Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for a flurry of book reviews, just in time for the holiday shopping season and, in the mean time, enjoy this post from last Thanksgiving, slightly edited, which appeared here.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of the holiday, I am sharing this, my newest tattoo, located above my knee on my right thigh:




This was done at Hand of Glory in Brooklyn yesterday as part of the shop's $75 Thanksgiving Tattoo Special ...


For those of you just tuning in, check the pre-post here, which includes all the Thanksgiving flash designed for the occasion. I asked readers to vote on which tattoo to get, and this one sneaked out a narrow victory over the traditional Native American profile.


I like this design because it combines a lot of traditional tattoo elements and delivers an image with a sociopolitical subtext. We have the traditional American flag and handshake designs, but the added element of crossed fingers serves as a reminder that, despite apparent good intentions, there was subsequently a historical betrayal of that initial good will.


But that's just one perspective, of course, and the Thanksgiving holiday focuses on the positive in our society. The mere existence of the tattoo reminds me to be thankful, which I alluded to in my original post.


I was fortunate enough to have BJ as my artist again. He had inked my Friday the 13th tattoo last August, and I appreciate that he works quickly and concisely.


BJ at Work
It was nice, also, that this design was one of his contributions to the flash sheet, as he was kind enough to embellish slightly on the original design, and it always seems better when an artist is tattooing his or her own design. As for the idea behind it, he was trying to represent graphically a broken treaty. I'm extremely pleased with the end result.
...

I want to thank all of the readers who voted for designs, and for everyone who reads and supports the site.


And thanks again to ... BJ at Hand of Glory, and to my family, at home in Brooklyn and across the U.S., for their support


This entry is ©2010, 2011 Tattoosday.



If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I can contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Darn, dang, dammit...

I know I’ve written this so many times that it’s beyond tedious. But nonetheless I’m happily going to repeat myself and utter to the world “I receive far too many emails”! Reading, listening, deleting and every once in while replying and posting eats up far too much of what precious little time I can dedicate to this blog. Consequently it has happens more and more often that I take a quick look at the mailbox, shake my head and sigh “not tonight baby…” So the mails from those days probably never will get a closer look meaning that there’s an outside chance of something interesting eluding me. Obviously I cannot tell how often it happens, as I normally just delete the unread mails after some time, but when I, as I just did today, finally find some time to check out older mails and discover a message from one of my recent favourite bands, I feel rather pissed off…and all my rage is turned toward the many, many promoters, bands etc. jamming my inbox with their useless garbage and thus drowning the very few interesting mails that happen to come my way! The email causing this outburst was mailed on September 28 informing that Psychic Powers had put out a free to download virtual 7” single on EverythingIsChemical. And though the track isn’t among their better ones (too long, too electronic and not quite catchy enough) and never would have fitted in on the band’s smashing debut album, I still feel devastated to have missed out on this release by nearly two months…watch out for an updated spam filter…
+ It’s All Around You

This and that...

The Azure Blue debut album Rule of Thirds is out today...stream the whole thing on SoundCloud...incredibly catchy stuff...
+ The Catcher In The Rye

Socio Peruvian pop musician Francois Peglau shares new track Lonesome Café. Good one!
+ Lonesome Café

Been a while, but seems like my filehost boxstr.net is (sort of) working again (crossing fingers)!

Danish favorites tung_nem has posted a new track called Evident...not one of their best tracks I'm afraid!
Evident by tung_nem

New band on my radar is UK duo The Approval...normally something I'd shy away from as it perhaps looks a little too "boy bandish" and the lads definitely have "poster boy" potential...but the duo's (free to download) EP Time Will Tell contains some really charming pop tunes, so I'll be a fan for now before they are discovered by the teenage hordes...
+ Hide & Seek

Datsyuk hasn't had the best start to the new (NHL) season, but luckily his namesake (obviously called) Datsyuk continues to record nice dreamy electronic pop tunes.
+ Turquoise (Ft. Derek Coburn)

Tattoo Tuesday V.97


 Name and blog name: Kierstan Burke and I just have a tumblr.

Occupation: I work part time as a bartender and part time as a cake decorator.

Age of first tattoo: I was 16. My dad drove me to Idaho to get it. I really wish he would have just made me wait. All the tattoos I got before the age of 20 are all covered up at this point.

Favorite tattoo: I have 3 favorites! My wolf head on my thigh, my portrait of Clara Bow, and my best friend "avada kedavra" matching finger tattoo.

Featured tattoo/location: My wolf's head with a dagger! It's on my inner right thigh

Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: It was done by James Fanara at Boar's Head Tattoo in Spokane, WA.



Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story about why you chose it, or maybe a special meaning? 

I really was just in the right place at the right time. I had gone into the shop to drop off a scarf that I had borrowed from the wife of one of the artists. James had drawn up the wolf's head that day, and wanted to tattoo it badly. So I got it!


Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where? 

I have two tattoos in progress, my back piece, and my left sleeve. I have a panther on my back, and a my peacock on my left arm. I have my right arm basically finished minus some stars and dots on my upper arm. On my arm I have cupcakes, roses I ha, a grandfather clock, two owls, some sailor jerry flash as filler, a phillies p, and a cupcake themed sugar skull. Several on my left leg. they are a gypsy girl, golden snitch, Hedwig holding the sorting hat, Clara Bow portrait, avocado, roses, a tea cup, a tator tot, and a boar's head. On my right leg I have a pin up girl, my wolfs head, an elephant on my kneecap and a bearded lady. My knuckles say bake cake, a couple chest tattoos, a heart on my face, a toaster on my foot, and lastly an owl on my hip.



 
 

Do you plan on getting more?

I'm actually getting my hands done next week!


How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos? 

My dad loves them, however I am from a strict religious background, so most of my family do not approve. I live in a conservative town, so the biggest issue I have had since moving here is finding a job. I have people ask me all the time if I have gone to jail. But even with the downsides there are always the good. I do have a significant other. He is actually a tattoo artist, although he hasn't tattooed me! He has his entire torso/ribs/back done and two sleeves.
What's the most interesting experience you've ever had in regards to your tattoos? 

I had a woman last summer left the skirt of my dress above my waist to see my leg tattoos without asking. I was just standing in front of store on my phone.

Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet? 

Choose an artist wisely. There are so many scratcher shops around these days. Just be careful, and know that you get what you pay for. If you want to go to this shop because you can get a sleeve for $80 it will look like you got it for $80. But besides that, I love all my tattoos, and I would encourage anyone to get one!