… and I still don’t know what I am doing next week. Starting to feel under the gun to decide now. Realizing that being social is likely not something that I can control at this point, but rather just something that will come from getting on my bike and looking for an adventure.

I’ll be honest, the prospect of a multi-day ride scares me. My sense of safety is really challenged when thinking about riding without a partner or at least a known entity at the end of the day. Solo rides are inherently more dangerous for a multitude of reasons, but the main one being for the mere fact that you are alone. I won’t dwell on that any more than what needed to be said.

So, as of now, who knows where I’ll end up…. and who knows how I’ll get there. All I know is that over the next week I will meet more people face to face than i have over the past 3 years. I may have to leave the state to do that or I may not leave any further than day-long round trips in state. Who knows. The important part here, after all, is just to get OUT. And out, my friends, is exactly what I intend to get.

One in a possible series; The following presumes you already have an idea of what you want, and can verbalize it with some decent level of clarity. An example drawing is even better, as artists love visual aids   Rather, what I intend to impart upon you here is how to take that next step from deciding you want a tattoo, and have an idea for a design, into the space of actually seeking out someone to ink it for you…

First and foremost: talk to your friends who have tattoos you like. Ask where they got theirs, and who did them. More often than not they will have recommendations for you. And really, recommendations are worth their weight in gold. (My recommendation: Wendi Ramirez, who is now in Austin, Tx. as owner of Dovetail Tattoo… or Eli Falconette at Adorn Body Art, Beaverton, Or.)

Like anything you commit a large sum of money or any permanence to, you will want to do your research. www.bmezine.com is a great single resource for a lot of articles on (and photos of) tattoos, as well as key tips for sanitation and what to look for in a shop on their Tattoo FAQ wiki: http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Tattoo_FAQ
Doing your research now will pay off in the long run and help you understand what to look for in an artist and a shop.

Failing any local friends/artists, start on the internet and do some searches for prevalent and established shops within your comfortable travel distance. Check out the online portfolios of some of the local artists and make a list of a few whose art you like. In general, I’d recommend finding someone who has some portfolio pieces of the quality you want in the style you are also looking for.  (As an aside I don’t take my own advice here, typically I look for quality of work over the actual content. I chose one of my favourite artists based on a particular piece, a blackwork leafless tree, because the skill to do that work would translate well to the piece I wanted her to do for me. I didn’t want the same content, I wanted someone who could provide the same quality, and her portfolio proved to me she had the chops, even though nothing resembled the style I wanted.) If the artist does high quality American traditional work, well, bets are that they will provide you with the same high quality work if you want that same style; asking someone to go outside their normal artistic style may not prove to be as fruitful.

Before doing anything at this point, do not expect to get a tattoo the day you walk into the shop. Expect to schedule an appointment for a later date with the artist you choose. While most shops do handle walkins, you will likely get whichever artist is available, not necessarily the one you choose. And you want to choose! Be prepared to schedule as far as a month or two out, or as quickly as later that week, or next week.

Once you have found a few shops and artists you’d like to visit, do just that: go to the shops. Literally shop around. Take a look at as many shops as you can stand, and thumb through all the portfolios each shop has on their artists. If the artist is around and available to talk, speak with them. Tell them what you are looking for, where you want it, how big, and keep an open mind if they have ideas to change the piece a bit to make it work better. While you are talking with them, tune in to how they treat you, and what questions they are asking… and be sure to ask some good questions yourself to get a sense of their craft and the shop they work in. Following are some of my initial questions I find useful:

• How long have they been tattooing
• how long have they been at this particular shop
• do they autoclave their tools
• do they wear latex gloves
• what style do they prefer (celtic, american traditional, japanese traditional, new school/oldschool, realism, portrait, custom, etc.)
• do they primarily work from flash or do they do mainly custom pieces (flash is the pre-drawn stuff you find littering the walls at most shops)
• If you don’t have a final drawn piece, are they willing to work with you to draw something up

There are really no wrong answers to the above (aside from the obvious medical safety items like autoclaving and glove usage, etc.), but rather these types of questions are intended to give you a starting point for a better idea about the artist’s skills and establish a comfort level with the artist; to stimulate the discussion, if you will, so you can feel your way around the artist and make sure you are comfortable with them. The more shops you visit and artists you talk to, the more likely you will find the artist who is right for you.

Now, while you CAN and should ask about pricing, I’d highly recommend not making that your first or main question, as when it comes to tattooing the primary focus should be in finding the right artist first, not necessarily the lowest price. After all, this will be something you carry with you the rest of your life, do you really want the task of inking it to go to the lowest bidder?
When it comes to pricing, from my experience, most artists worth anything charge around $85 to $150 / hour for their work on custom pieces. Of course some may be more, or some less costly; it is up to you to decide where the balance is in terms of quality/comfort/and cost for you. Some may quote you a set price per piece depending on the size and amount of work involved. So be prepared to deal in hourly rate or price per piece. Some pieces may take more than one sitting, so be prepared for that as well, and know how your artist will charge for multiple sittings etc. Being clear up front will help avoid misunderstandings later.

I’ll leave you with this: Taking the time to research before you commit to getting inked will help ensure your happiness after you get your first tattoo… and your second… and your third…  and so on.

A friend of mine tweeted earlier today about a conversation she had regarding the concept of love, and how it is being a bit twisted by the Twilight novels… specifically she’d noted that a friend intimated that “it’s really unselfish love, he’s controlling because he’s concerned for her”. This not only disturbed her, but me as well. She summed up her frustration as: “So, a guy treats girlfriend like a child, or a possession, & young girls are reading this and thinking it’s romance?!?!”

Now, tell me; how as a human being is this ever an appropriate lesson or example to be teaching to -any- person regardless of age, race, orientation, or gender? *

While I realize that my personal views may not always be 100% correct, or right for everyone, but shouldn’t we be teaching and exemplifying good and healthy relationships? When the divorce rate in the US is so high, and domestic abuse is a common theme in our judicial system (for the minority of cases which are actually reported…) HOW, I ask you, can we condone books and movies which romanticize dangerous relationships? If the lessons provided in these media shine above all else, how can we ever change the culture to nurture healthy successful relationships? How can we teach and ensure the lessons are heard: that we all deserve to be treated as humans, each one of us worthy of love, and not as possessions to be controlled and manipulated for others’ selfish desires? Does this all really just boil down to more responsible marketing? Or is there more to it?

Aside from any sort of government control (which I will state for the record I am very opposed to), are we destined to simply play Sisyphus and continue pushing this boulder up the hill, only for it to roll back down upon us time and time again? Or is it indeed possible to make headway with culture change and see some success in building solid healthy relationships?

How can we change culture when healthy living is drama free and uninteresting to society’s school of mass-media? I am hopeful that there may be some good discussion in the comments to this post soon, as I am honestly stumped as to how we can effect any change against such popular items which simply reinforce the wrong message… Of course I am also open to discussion which disagrees with me, as I crave that other point of view to help convince me or further solidify my own position.

More importantly, how to we quell that which we find truly wrong, but still allow for revolutionary ideas and change to still mete its way through the culture and effect more change to better us all? Can we really drive what we believe is right and proper and see it take hold without resorting to tactics of controlling opponents’ right to disseminate their opinions?

Alas, the most important question of all…. can I HAVE any more question marks in this post??? (apparently the answer is yes!)

*It should be noted here that I am all for any kind of relationship that is healthy, regardless of what that actually entails. So long as it involves adults who act in a consensual and informed manner, I can bear no judgment.  A relationship based on control and misinformation is not healthy, as at least one party involved is likely unaware of any other choices available.

It is true what they say; tattoos are addictive. Ever since my first ink back in February 1996, I’ve been constantly planning the next pieces I’ll get, always looking at least 3 designs in the future. Each design has shifted and changed as I have, up to the point where it is the perfect piece at the perfect time to have it set in ink. All my tattoos have been years in the making from concept to execution. And last night’s session at Adorn Body Art was no different.

For the past two year, I’d been contemplating a few concepts for more tattoos loosely based around how my life has changed since we left California and moved to Oregon. Part of that concept was realized in my Craftsman/Mission style number 13 house plague in black and gray on my upper inner forearm. For me, this was a great realization of the work Jean and I have done on our new home, as well as a celebration of 13 years of marriage (anniversary date is July 13th). But something about it left me wanting… it felt somehow incomplete, as if it needed more balance. So, I opted to add in another design I had been thinking about for the past two years: an Arts & Crafts stained glass design called the “Pasadena Rose”.

Both Jean and I fell in love with the design immediately after installing the two wall sconces which incorporate it in our living room. For me, the design connects the dots of our move from Southern California, to the “Rose City” of Portland. It also displays my love for the Arts&Crafts / Mission / Craftsman design movements which are popular in both  SoCal and Portland.

Like all my tattoos, this one has a deeper connection and meaning for me than I can adequately convey in plain words. The best way I can describe it is this: tattoos for me are stamps on the steamer trunk of my body; they tell the tale of my life in iconic form.

In this latest case, it is the stained glass “Pasadena Rose” on my forearm:

Click the picture for the larger view

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Lastly, here is my Picasa gallery showing some of the tattoo work I’ve had done: http://picasaweb.google.com/acdntlpoet/Tattoos?feat=directlink

More work can be seen on the WaywardCelt gallery here: http://waywardcelt.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=16

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Yes, I know it has been a while since my last post. Real life happened. I am now, however, finally getting to a point where I am not so emotionally exhausted that I can’t string together more than 140 characters at a time.

Speaking of which, I made an odd discovery about myself yesterday: apparently I obtain a small sense of validation from being re-tweeted. And it actually makes perfect sense to me. After all, a re-tweet is essentially someone else saying: “see what this person posted, yes I agree with it and think it is valuable enough to pass on”. And that makes me feel like my ideas, or even just my words, carry some minor value in the social media spaces in which I have begun playing. It is nice to get that sense that I am doing something right.

Positive feedback is a wonderful motivator.

Last weekend was awesome, but I just can’t be arsed to put up a proper blog post. I could do a whole restaurant review, bar review, weekend recap, but I just have no motivation at all…

Suffice to say that I reconnected with a good friend from ages past. Last time I saw her was around 1992/1993. I actually knew here from Jr.High back in 1987/88 and had the benefit of calling her my girlfriend at the time. Too cute

Friday, we met up for dinner in downtown Portland where Jean and I were able to meet her husband of 11 years, and really connect with them both over food and wine and life in general. VERY good times. I can guarantee we will be doing it again as soon as we get out to Boise, or when they come back to PDX!

For those unaware, “LongWay Down” is second in a series of motorcycle adventure films starring Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman on their ride from John O’Groates, Scotland to Capetown, South Africa. (The initial series was called “LongWay Round” which documented their ride from London, England to New York, USA). Last night, Fathom Events put on a one night only showing of the Director’s cut version of LongWay Down, presumably as a bit of promotion before the entire series airs on Fox Reality beginning tomorrow.

Let me start by saying I ADORED the first series, to the point where I refused to wait a year for the DVD to be released in America, so I bought the UK version from Amazon.co.uk and ordered a DVD player that would do the PAL -> NTSC format conversion so I could actually watch it. Needless to say, when the second series was released back in November 2007, I already had mine on pre-order from the LWD home office in London. It was in my DVD player 30 minutes after it arrived, and I got through the series in 2 days.

So, you can see I was excited for the theatrical release of the Director’s Cut. I’m not sure what I was expecting though….

After having seen the series, the director’s cut version was, simply said, an hour and a half long preview. The pace of the film felt very hurried and chaotic, similar to the trip I am sure, but not true to the series. It seemed to me that the director wanted to pack the whole trip into a single film rather than focus on a few key experiences and give them the time they deserved on screen. Yes, I am SURE it was difficult, nay impossible to cut huge sections like that, but it would have made for a better film, and a more interesting DVD series release if you hadn’t seen it prior to the director’s cut.

Even in the flustered pace of the film, I did still find it enjoyable. Ewan and Charlie’s narration helped to that end quite a bit. And of course, the film flamed the fire that burns in me to get out and ride for days on end. I figure if I didn’t leave the theater feeling the need to just go ride…. Then the film failed. Luckily, I DO feel that burning desire and thus, the film was a success in my eyes.

Of course, having sat through a 90minute preview, both Jean and I also have the desire to plop our butts on the couch for the weekend and marathon through the series on DVD… on our 52″ flat screen TV… and with a sound system that puts the theater’s to shame (perhaps it wasn’t the systems fault, but the theater’s sound was about the worse I have heard since the late 1970s, just tinny and awful).

With that, my recommendation is as follows: buy the DVD sets. You really don’t have a choice at this point, since the director’s cut was a one night only showing, so I can’t tell you to go see it THEN watch the DVD series. What I can say, however, is to skip the Fox Reality broadcast. Really, if you are at all interested in the series, do yourself the favour and just buy the DVDs. While you’re at it, get the LongWay Round too and start there if you haven’t already seen it. While not required, watching them in order will be more enjoyable in the long run…

We didn’t get much accomplished on the house this weekend, but what we DID do made a large impact.

After narrowly escaping house work on Saturday, Jean and I made our way out to the Kennedy School in NE Portland to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Her husband had rented a room in the school (now a McMenamin’s of course) and set it up with a buffet as well as Mahjong and poker tables afterward… sadly, we were both beat and had to call it a night around 9pm. We did have a great time, however, and look forward to seeing both Doug and Sunny at a Bite of Oregon in a few week’s time…

Sunday I finished installing the filler panels and cornices for the tin ceiling, so all the tin is finally up. I also stained some molding to finish off the beams where they meet the wall, but realized too late that I screwed up my angled cuts and will need to buy more molding to redo them all. Sigh, I even second checked it all before cutting everything. I must have been tired when I was working on that part…

Jean then took over and started painting the previously stark-white beams. Two coats down this weekend and she’ll pick up next weekend with the faux finishing part to add a wood grain texture and glaze to add some much needed depth and complete the look. Even only partly done, though, the beams are really starting to tie in the room. I hadn’t realized HOW much the white beams made the room look unfinished. The two coats of brown are already a HUGE improvement. I can’t wait to see how the faux finishing works

The link below will take you to the Renovations album on my Picasa page:

renovations

So, after much hemming and hawing, I decided that a nailgun was in order (even before elmunadi suggested it). My thumb has thanked me repeatedly since. I had initially wanted to do the ceiling the ‘right way’ but the frustration and fatigue, not to mention flat thumb, seemed to want to hold me back. So, Jean and I went to Lowes around noon to pickup more paint (this time for the foyer and kitchen) along with a miter box and a cordless nailer.

Seriously, this is the BEST power tool I have ever bought. Yes, it was $359. Yes, it was worth every penny. In the time it took me to install half the field in one section with a hammer and nail, I had installed the field tiles in the remaining 3 sections of the ceiling. All that’s left now Is the filler and cornices, which I should be able to get done after work over the next week.

Here are some more in progress pictures:

For those playing along at home, I picked up the Paslode 16ga. Angle Finish Nailer from Lowe’s:

Yes, I probably could have gotten it cheaper online, but really, I needed and wanted it -NOW- so I could feel at least a little productive before the long weekend was over.

This is a seriously awesome tool. I first saw it in use on a DIY show a few months back, and have since seen it on numerous other HGTV and DIY Network shows. I figure if they use it, it can’t be all bad… and so far it hasn’t let me down. It has already paid for itself in the lack of frustration and fatigue…. and no thumbs were harmed in the installation of the rest of the fields! What more do you need?

We worked on the tin ceiling more today. Got the main field up in one section:

Then decided to add the filler and cornices in the same section before we move on to the rest:

Next up is to complete the first section and tighten up all the seems, then move on to do the same thing for the other 3 sections.

Honestly, I’m not entirely sure my thumb will survive this ceiling installation. I have hit it no less than 150 times just installing what you see in the pictures.