Dark Dark Dark.
The show last night was at some alternative venue,
and started really late.
It was supposed to start late, and then started even later.

Meryl and I rode our bikes there,
so we had a very chilly nighttime (early morning?) ride home.
Shortly after 3am, I took this picture on the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge.
It's just for bikes/people to avoid crossing Hiawatha on the Midtown Greenway bike path.



I'm so glad it's not winter anymore, even if there are some low temperatures at night.
Getting back on my bike is such a good feeling.

Today it's raining, so the planned big pit-firing happenings have gotten postponed.
I guess it's for the best, since some of the antler pieces aren't fully dry.



So instead, after Seward Cafe this morning, I made a couple more birdhouses, and also deconstructed one.
When you're making a lot of something, the first ones that you thought were so awesome turn out to be kinda crappy.
And we can't have that.
I'm up to 8, now.



I have a busy rest of the weekend ahead of me,
but it's off to a great start.
Hope you all are doing well,
and not kissing any pigs.
Or birds.
Or going to Mexico.

It's a Saturday at Identity Tattoo, and I got officially blown off for my first appointment.
geez.
But I have so much to catch up on, and so much to do, that I almost don't care.

I got a little package today from Zach, who's got some machining skills.
We talked about die cuts, laser etching, metal, paper, and wood.
I love unnecessary and useless little extra touches.
We're thinking "Never Quiet, Never Soft" zip up hoodies,
with this metal little acorn (the smaller one) as the zipper pull.
You'll love it, and so will your mom's washing machine.




Yesterday, the sky was crazy.
It's threatening rain again today, which isn't good, since someone smashed out my back windshield the other day,
and it's still open to the elements.





Also, be very careful of the new avian-swine flu that's terrorizing Mexico.
I didn't think anything could shut down Mexico City.
I love the text messages and emails I get every time the Bird Flu is mentioned.
Thanks to everyone for helping me stay on top of it.
I don't want any dead pigs though.
I don't love them.
Gross.



Dark Dark Dark was so f'n good the other night at Varsity.
They are playing again tonight.
Their new stuff is even more hauntingly beautiful.

Ryan hates plumbing. And littering.

My day started and ended with Ryan (and I?) working on the pipes in my basement.
He was over at 8:30 am, then came over again after work, and left around 10 pm ish.

I now have a working faucet on the outside of my house.
Most of you probably took yours for granted.
Now, just in case the rain barrel isn't full, I'm able to water plants without making trips to the kitchen sink.


In between soldering mishaps, Ryan was one of the people I tattooed today.
We did this gull.
Poor gull.



As for the art-a-whirl project,
I've been putting together some bird houses.
Casey and I bought a 25 pound bag of clay,
and I'm going to be shaping some antlers this week.
Then, it's bonfire time on Sunday night,
where we'll pitfire the antlers.
I'll somehow attach the ceramic antlers to the houses, and have a small part of the show/display/whatever taken care of.



Thursday night Dark, Dark, Dark is coming back to town.
Varsity Theater, doors open at 7:30.
Missing that would be a mistake.

4-20

I'm pretty into unofficial holidays,
folk traditions,
and growing your own plants.

But I just can't wrap my head around drug culture.
I don't get it.

However, in spirit of today being 4/20,
here's the second sit on the pot plant tattoo.
We did almost three more hours on Saturday,
and I still have more to do.

I rarely tattoo in a painterly style, but it's been fun.



We're using some images from a book as reference, but you can see here the kind of plant it comes from.



It's almost 10 am, and I have a full day of making things planned before Naked Monday happens.
I'm told that I've put too much on my plate.
That my plans are too big for such a small amount of time.
We'll see.

I got my battery charger in the mail.
I found some crappy wood in my basement.
I MANtiqued for a while yesterday with Meryl in Stillwater after we did Seward Cafe.
I have stacks of books ready for nails and paint.
It's all coming together.

Too cute.

Sidney,
the girl with the too cute giraffe tattoo,
said she needed some super cute bees on her other forearm.

Her parents didn't think so,
since she might marry a governor some day,
and have to go to a formal ball.
Really.
That was the scenario they pitched her as to why she should get any more tattoos.



I got into character and made my cute face the entire time I was tattooing her.
Kyle snapped a picture.
Awww.

Book Roofs and Bike Spokes

Well, no Naked Monday this week.
I mean, there was one, but I didn't attend.

I was at the shop printing shirts with Casey for her big summer adventure.
Her and a couple friends are riding their bikes across the country.
And I don't mean those dumb ones with engines - she's pedaling.

They've set up a blog documenting the planning process, you can check it out at
Join the Cycle
I'm sure she'll be putting up pictures and info on how to buy a shirt to support their ride.
Usually good causes have ugly shirts, and are only fun to buy 10 years later at the Salvation Army.
But these are pretty dope.
(I had zero to do with the design, so I'm not bragging)




In other news....
I'm making progress on my ideas for this year's Art-a-Whirl.
It's a giant open gallery and studio space weekend May 15-17th in most of NE Minneapolis.
So I spent a bunch of the weekend putting together the beginnings of an installation.
Book-topped birdhouses are being assembled.
Real ones this time.
I even bought some power tools.
I have one month.

Thank goodness, this not-casual Friday

My birthday was awesome,
thanks to all the people who called, texted, myspaced, and emailed.
I certainly felt loved.
And a bit overwhelmed.
(it was a lot of love)

I got some birthday song messages in english and spanish,
some awesome presents that came from housemates and packages in the mail,
a few people dropped off some cases of Dr Pepper,
and even Les the Mailman gave me a scratch-off lotto ticket.




Shoes came in today to watch his coworker get tattooed and to show off his full page City Pages "Bartender of the Week" award.
If you notice, his left arm has the owl tattoo we did a couple weeks ago.
Way to crush the competition, Shoes!
I hope it sends lots of heavy drinkers and big tippers your way.
(He works at the TGIF in Maple Grove)



Rebecca's doing the Art-a-Whirl next month, and asked me to share a space with her.
I'm thinking it's time to bust my butt and make it happen.
I'm putting together some ideas, and might post some pictures along the way.
Good thing Casey's around to help, she actually knows how to use real tools.

Twenty-eight years of old

We were decorating cupcakes with very pink frosting when midnight hit, and it was officially my birthday.
I got sang to, and even got to open up some presents.
I didn't expect to open up anything, but we needed one of the gift boxes for the cupcakes.

I'm bringing them into Identity Tattoo tomorrow.
They're vegan, and pink, and might smell like brand new Carhartts.
Meryl made them, I mostly just got in the way.



Casey frosted them perfectly.



I'll be at the shop almost a full day.
If you have something awesome you want done,
or just want to high five and eat cupcakes,
come visit.
Since it's my birthday, I reserve the right to turn down any less than super fun pieces.
(I will, too. just try me)
I might be painting, or screening up some shirts.
Anything but real work.

I'm stepping out early for a household birthday dinner,
so catch me by 7pm.


* Also, a shout-out to my homegirl Jeannette, from all the way back to the Wallingford days.
It's her birthday, too, but she's always a year behind.
(Ain't that the truth!)
Happy Birthday, Jeannette!

Just a little bit more....

Jeff P. Chef got more work done on his water sleeve today.
This darn whale wraps his forearm, so I Frankensteined 4 pictures together in photoshop just so you can get an idea.
However, since that looks pretty wonky, I added a close up as well.
He took a break from the sleeve to get the albatross on Friday the 13th (which he healed perfectly), but now we're back on track.
A few more sits like today, and we'll have the whole thing taken care of.

About to be a little wiser.

Naked Monday's drawing session was successful.
The model sat still, which is pretty much the only requirement for the night.
Also, all the pretenders stopped coming, so we don't have any requests for 1 minute gestures after we've done a 20 minute pose.



Camden took me out to lunch today, and he didn't even know it's my birthday this week.
(it's my birthday this week)
My folks and Meryl's grandparents in Florida sent me some birthday wishes via the mailman, and Jehovah sent one of his witnesses again.
It the same old dude who thought Meryl was my mom.
Casey opened the door for him today, and really confused him.
I think every time he comes, it just makes him want to work that much harder.

Anyway, Thursday's the big day.
28 years old.
I'm sure there will be a little something happening at Identity Tattoo,
probably involving silly hats and Dr Pepper.
I'm actually open the entire day as of right now.
If no awesome tattoos get booked, it might be just be an 8 hour dance party.
Sounds good to me.

A day off ?!?

The Heartless Bastards played at the Varsity Theater on Saturday night, kicking off my first weekend in a month.
I needed that show.
I had been looking forward to it for so long, and got the recharging I went there seeking.

Adam did Seward Cafe with us this morning, before I dropped him off at the airport.
This was the first trip out here in a long time during which he didn't get tattooed.
Remember this in January, and this in October?
He lives in NYC, but MPLS is his second home, for sure.
I spent the week trying to get back on my feet from the guest spot, and didn't have any extra in me.
But he'll be out here again soon enough, helping us with our computers and telling us about far away places.
Iceland? Japan? Russia?
He's been there, and has the story.

I did my taxes after returning from the airport.
Congrats to me, for sure.
Being an independent contractor has it's perks, but when tax time rolls around, I get crushed under the weight of poor planning and irresponsible budgeting.
Throw the new house into the equation, and it's a numerical nightmare.

But that's now the past now, so my future is looking way better.
Tomorrow there's no taxes to do, just Naked Monday.
Kyle Mack tells me that attendance is down, and it might not last too much longer.
So if you're in MPLS, and want to sharpen those drawing skills, meet us at Articulture on Franklin at a little before 7pm.