Good days, Short nights.

I think today was one of my favorite work days ever.

First, I got to hang out with Robyn from MA,

and tattoo these raspberries on the back of her neck.

I met her a few years ago at Off the Map,

and then she moved out here for a boy.

It's a small world, after all, kids.

And t's good to have some East Coasters around at all times,

otherwise you might get soft and midwesterny.

Next, Hannah finally came in to get her lady statue backpiece thing worked on.

It's been like 8 or more months since we did the first session.

Really.

And that's just not acceptable.

But I got to work on it for a solid 4 hours tonight,

and it's moving right along.

But no photos till it's done.

I'm pretty sure it's going to be one of my most favorite pieces.

Shop Adam is here at Louderhorn Inn tonight.

We're having a sleepover.

(I even brought out the old photo albums)

In less than 5 hours we are meeting up again for breakfast,

and then I'm dropping him off at the airport.

We'll miss him at the shop Friday and Saturday,

but next week he starts his full time routine at Identity Tattoo.

What?!?

I know!

So rad.

We needed more Adam at the shop,

and he had room for more of us, apparently.

Luckily I don't have to suffer too long in an Adamless shop tomorrow,

I'll be leaving early to attend a poetry reading Meryl is in.

And since it's Friday,

I'll already be dressed up.

Tired and ugly, perhaps,

but at least I'll have a tie on.

New Shirt & Sign

Both made with love by our one & only Sasha....

M L XL available

Made in 2 long days for our booth at the Westcoast Tattoo Show

Dead and Gone

Here's Jak's tattoo from yesterday.

A continuation of the black and (opaque) grey extinct animal sleeve,

we added Eugene the Thylacine.

It's most likely extinct,

though there's occasionally the unproven sighting.

And you know what?

It's a marsupial!

Even the boys had pouches,

to securely tuck away their privates.

No kidding.

(and if that sounds appetizing,

you're probably an a-hole)

You know what never dies here in Minnesota?

Winter.

There's snowflakes hitting the ground outside right now.

Spring just got moved from "Vulnerable" to "Critically Endangered".

Uggh.

Skin to Paper

I had a super busy, fun day at the shop today,
and took lots of photos of everything,
but I left immediately after to meet up with Meryl at MCBA,
and didn't upload the pictures off of the camera.
But we worked on our new mail art project till 11:20pm,
and I'm super stoked on how it's coming out.
Here's a shot of Meryl getting it done.
Long days, kids.
I'll post some tattoo photos tomorrow.
It's well after 2am,
I just finished some tea,
and I'm headed to bed.

Puppets.

It's not easy being friends with a tattoo artist.
You'd think they'd be able to get tattooed all the time,
whenever they wanted.
You know where they rank on the priority scale?
At the bottom.
I live 10 blocks from Adam W.
I see him all the time.
I use his house like it's mine,
and put up people he doesn't even know at his place when mine's over-booked.
And the poor bastard can't even get his started tattoos finished.
I knew this tattoo needed to be worked on,
and I assumed we'd get to it eventually.
But 6 months?
That's cruel.
And guess what?
It's STILL not done.
But it's at least further along than this.
Egads.























Puppets are so dope.
You know where there's going to be a full puppet parade this Sunday?
Right outside my house.
Heart of the Beast's Mayday Parade runs down Bloomington Ave,
then takes a right hand turn into Powderhorn Park.
If you're in town,
and you miss it,
you're probably an a-hole.
(just so you know)

Skunk Apes and Alligeese.

I got canceled on BIG TIME for the first half of my day, today.
Luckily Ryan was down to hang out,
and we got to finish his skunk ape tattoo.
It's in that dreaded half-healed/half-fresh stage,
but what are you going to do?
It's a photo for my blog.
Actually, it's three photos of his ankle for my blog,
(i should have gotten four)
and I just shoved them together in Photoshop so that you could see the multiple sides of it in one big panorama.
(i hear that sometimes these stitched together images are misleading)
The teddy bear is from a different tattoo of his,
but eventually they all go together, anyway.

When Ryan came to the shop he brought the Alligoose, too.
It's no longer standing on driftwood,
but instead a 1930's hubcap.
(more swamp creature, less 80's vacation home)
I'll be repainting it's legs,
and then it'll be time for it's big photoshoot.

But the most absurd part of my day wasn't skunk apes or alligeese.
It was waking up to snow.
In late April.
I didn't like it.
And I'm pretty sure these tulips didn't appreciate it either:

















Due to inclement weather,
Easter has been delayed until further notice.

Forever.

Tim (from SuchLuck and Parking Block Publishing)
visited MPLS this weekend,
and I gave him a little mail/mail-art inspired tattoo.
We tucked it around a few other tattoos on his wrist,
and I think that pretty much finished off that sleeve.
We've been internet friend for 6 years or so,
so it was cool to have brunch and hang out irl finally.






















Speaking of mail-art,
after 10 years of sending art through the mail,
Meryl and I finally committed to a name for what we do,
and even set up a little blog.
We'll only post after we assume that everyone has received it,
as to not spoil the surprise of getting mail in the first place.
Four-Letter Press.
(or, Four-Letter Qress if you're rushing)

Meryl's Mom and Jim are also in town this week,
and they brought with them raspberry bushes from the farm.
We planted a whole row of them in the backyard,
and look forward to them producing some fruit in the next year or so.

It's kind of Spring here now,
but it snowed on Friday,
and there's plans for more snow tonight and tomorrow.
Not my plans, of course,
but it's happening all the same.
So we're having a little fire in the backyard tonight,
(a la albie rock)
and hopefully that will deter the snow gods from spiting us again.
I mean, it's late April.
Enough already.

Lumberjack

I'm still tattooing,
even though I've only posted one other finished piece in the last month.
The shop has been super busy lately,
and I'm behind in every possible thing one can be behind in.
So here is this.
More soon.
xxoo.
s

30 and a day.

The Cucch stayed at the Louderhorn Inn all week.
Monday to Monday.
Vegan Pizza Day (at Mayday Cafe) to VPD.
Scones and coffee started our morning every day in between.























Having Albie Rock as a mutual long time friend,
and both being from CT,
we got some stuff in common.
For sure.
But matching toothless green japanese dragons?
"We GOT they".















The day after my big birthday celebrations a bunch of us went out on bikes and enjoyed spring.

Adam doesn't even notice if you lend him a bike that doesn't have brakes.
(he wouldn't have used them, anyway)
He just sails along sipping his Pamplemousse.






















This side of Powderhorn Lake is so pretty and nice and full of Spring.
If you go to the west side of the lake,
there's all the dead stuff from Winter washed up on the banks.
So if you like dead birds,
your birthday weekend is that much more complete.

















Back to work tomorrow,
and the party is over.
It sure was a weekend, though.
Thanks to everyone who made it so special.

Dirty Thirty.

I turned the big Thirty yesterday,
and to celebrate a very adult-sounding milestone,
my friends and I brought the thunder.
The most immature,
embarrassing,
and self-destructive thunder there is.

First I got busy doing a "Goonies" chestpiece for the Cucch,
who came back to town for this week of bikeriding vacation time.
While that was happening,
Meryl and Rebecca and Adam M crowned me the Birthday Princess (again),
and decorated the shop,
and even my car.
They had made vegan cake the day before,
and it was a super nice birthday workday.












































After work,
12 of us headed to T's Place for a birthday dinner for some,
and a terrible idea eating challenge for the rest of us.
The competition was to see who could eat an entire 2-person veggie combo plate by themselves,
(never before attempted)
and under 30 minutes.
You weren't required to eat the extra basket of injera,
but you had to wear the pink birthday bib.





















































Adam M did that first in under 11 minutes,
but he soon realized that the Cucch and I were upping the stakes silently (and disgustingly) as we went.
So he took the initial win,
but then threw in the towel while we attacked everything in sight.
The Cucch finished everything,
including the entire extra injera basket,
all within 16 minutes of starting.
I followed a stomach-busting minute later.






















We then found out that I was to be given a free birthday mango juice,
so the Cucch and Adam also ordered some,
and we raced those down, too.
And since it was only 10:15pm at that point,
and we hadn't had vegan ice cream since the day before,
(and were not yet vomiting)
everyone drove to St Paul for Izzy's.























Thanks to everyone who rocked out so hard.
I have the best friends around.

Winning.

The Poke-Off War has expanded past it's original Facebook borders.
Off the Map Tattoo has received some pokings from real life people in the real life mail this week,
and they'll continue pouring in.
C'mon.
Stamped and delivered.























And better than that even:
having friends who aren't afraid to get all guerilla style for you.
Just give Amy and Jaime a little hint of what you'd like,
and they know how far to take it.
A little tiny paper "poke" sticker wasn't enough style for Jaime,
so she turned to sheet metal instead.
(obviously)
And then smuggled that shit in behind enemy lines.
Here's a little photo of it,
taken by the always amazing
(even when she's losing)
Mary Bowen.
























You know what happens this weekend, kids?
I turn 30.
Years old.
yup.
You know what I want for my birthday?
Victory.
That's it, and you can help deliver it.
Click this Mary link,
go to her page,
and poke her, please.
You might have to friend her first,
you might not.
But that's the easiest birthday gift ever.

Poke-Off 2011

So, it's a long, silly story,
but it comes down to this:
I'm involved in a Facebook Poke War with Off the Map Tattoo's Mary Bowen,
and I need your help.

If you go to her page and poke her,
and then use one of the buttons at the bottom of this post to reblog,
retweet, share it on facebook, etc,
you'll be in the running to win this antlered birdhouse.
You might not even need to add her as a friend to poke her,
but you probably should,
she's pretty awesome.
The person will be chosen randomly at the end of the war,
(from the pokes she has on her page)
even if we're on the losing side.
If we win, I'll add some more prizes.

I'll ship in anywhere for free, even overseas.
Thanks, kids.