5.5.10

It's time to process
what I've put into my body
fear only makes it worse.
--sushisticks

Friday Night

The temperatures dropping and I hurry home.

Kevin gave me a bag of goodies, but turned out to be withholding.

Sarah needed my help, I didn't offer. She was fine.

Free McMenamins beers, the manager of Ringlers and the head of their new
Crystal Hotel.

Comfortable couch with Derek, he can drum and guitar with pride, but works an
office job.

A wife with a bad back gets an offer of my seat, husband engratiated.
grace... gracious ... engraciated

Johnny, with backing out, feeling bad about it.

Noah and I talk of peak markets and separate tragedy.

Typhoon proclaims themselves.

Tyler horns, Skeletron, And, and, and, Forest Park. These guys have all got to be sleeping with each other.

The Monarchs have a great sound engineer who loves good jokes.

It's a full moon, no wonder I'm animate.

Ditched by Johnny. Buddy's not responding. It doesn't bother me.

I had to go out and make friends. Whether they want it or not.

--sushisticks

So tight, like a ladybug

Typhoon, has like 100 members, and they have packet'ed themselves into
this tiny space like clowns in a VW Bug.

--sushisticks

Dr. Martins Store

I'm currently waiting for Typhoon to start playing at the brand new Dr.
Martins store. Sarah is carrying a garbage can, and I want to ask her if
she needs help. They just opened a new store across from there
old Burnside location, near Powell's.

I read in the Mercury that this great band would be
playing a free show here.

Pretty excited for this. I wonder when Johnny will show.

I think that any business can make successful choices in this economy,
but the vision has to be local and mobile. Companies with the right
resources and energy can do well.

--sushisticks

I love pain

My last session complete, Sept 17, 2010

I decided earlier this year that it was important that I build on the Katherine tattoo on my right arm. I went to Jeff P, from Art Work Rebels Tattoo on NW 23rd.

I gave him the few elements I wanted to be apart of the piece; a rose bush, living with roots, leaves and thorns. Afterwords, when I went to see the drawing, he suggested adding something behind my shoulder. Maybe a butterfly, which is terrible. I could not have a butterfly tattooed on my body in any serous way, but there's nothing like a bad suggestion to make you speak up for a better one. So I suggested an asp, coiled and hiding. Jeff was excited to oblige.

I went for my first session, two hours and $300 cash, he printed the final drawing as outlines and I let him lay it out on my arm with transfer paper. He adjusted it once to get the layout right for the shape of my arm. I sat there as he soaped up and shaved the spot, asked if I was ready and cut in.    

Something I learned about the pain right away, was that the expectation was far worse than the sensation deserved. If you're expecting it, you can acclimate to the pain; accept it and understand that it won't get worse than you can handle. Then it starts to just feel good, a frequency of sensation very similar to pleasure. You trick yourself into enjoying it as you would any bitter sweet, guilty pleasure.

The Outlines, April 9th 2010

The outlines went into my skin quickly, Jeff worked fast with a steady handle for their application. My friend Dustin came in and sat with us as he worked. This way I didn't distract Jeff too much with my nervous need to talk endlessly.

I really enjoyed the process, the entire time. Watching it lay out and feeling my skin react to the needles. You can kind of make out from this photo, the way my skin would swell and rise where the ink lay underneath. Finishing, I stood in front of the mirror and admired the placement, seeing the concept playing out, I was immediately pleased with the way that Jeff had placed my tattoo, it fit.

Tender and warm to the touch, the skin felt foreign on my arm. It reacted with excitement to my other hand running lotion across it. A slight burn that felt similar to one from the sun. The thorns of it dug in, flowers spread pedals out of flesh, the snake hid ghostly and fierce.

I waited a few months before I went back to Art Work Rebels to finish the piece, Katherine and I had a trip to New York planned for the beginning of July. We had to save for that. Also, the summer is not the time to be banned from swimming in public areas. I waited until August and September to sit for the remaining 5 hours and $900 it took to finish, shading and color. I'll go in soon for another hour or so for touch up and to tighten up small details. Also, I love the pain. 

To me, tattoos are important to our new culture. In the superficial, image laden, ethereal lifestyle we all now live. With all the resources we have at our disposal, the money, technology and influence we can use to create an image of ourselves. One that isn't always truthful. It's a benefit to us to examine our lives, find the things that make us who we are, and forever make them part of our aesthetic. Then own that decision, get power from it. Sit down, absorb the pain, remember the moment forever.

The Rally at Washington DC

I decided to go visit my friends Tony and Kerry in Philadelphia. Another
motivation was John Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity taking place in
Washington, DC on Saturday. We had all decided to go.

We drove into the city, smoked and caught the metro; I really enjoy
riding public transit in new places. The subway took us into the city
and the mall. We walked towards the crowds and noise and found the
rally.

The crowds were immense! The place was over run with great
people-watching. The signs and costumes of clever people having a good
time.

We didn't really get to watch the speeches, the rally itself; it was too
big to get to the middle of and too distracting to focus on what could
hear. So we just flocked with the herds, went to the capital building,
supreme court, walked around the city trying to find a bar.

We ended up finding one in a hotel lobby, far from the rally, but still
packed beyond capacity. It took us a while, but we ordered beers from
the wet bar, then sat on the floor of the lobby to drink them.

It was fantastic, the energy was inspiring. That city was so unreal to
me before this, kind of a ficticious place. The history and power of it
took me off guard as I walked it's streets, seeing it for the first
time.

I'd like to come back soon.
--sushisticks