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Idle minds are the devils ballbag!

I'm so fucking bored, I am tired and bored, so damn bored, I can't stand to be near myself with this boredom. A young girl in a rugby jersey shouts at a tv in a restaurant, the incessant natter of two men talking about absolutely nothing but talking loud enough so we all hear their unimportant importance. A blog berating men for using safety razors over multi-blade, stupid pictures over overpriced possessions, holy shit... boredom in hyperbole, sometimes life is just monotonous and boring as hell... Or is it? Perhaps I need to get off my ass and start doing something getting creative draw, write, craft, something, so with that I am, but I am telling you I am watching, you boring little fuckers that come slipping into my life like elves on luges, I'm putting you on notice. One of my favorite sayings is, "Idle hands are the devils workshop" and in all things I find this to be true for me, I need stimulation and gratification, I need to work, create move thing...

Loyalty

I was once told, "If you want loyalty, get a dog" I have a dog, and there are but a few who measure up, and that is the shame of it all. As a species we don't measure by even a dogs standards, it seems we have become so self absorbed and self promotionally greedy that it matter not who, or what we trample to get our own way or get slightly ahead of the next. It's no wonder we find ourselves in perpetual conflict, as people, races, religions and regions. I watch my tv and I see ads where children tell adults to stop worrying about them and worry more about their children having a future, and it's obscene on so many levels I feel my head exploding, and if I need to explain why that's obscene on so many levels then we are truly lost. I guess I'm melancholy because of yesterdays news that Robin Williams took his own life. I suffer depression as do many people, and if a man like Robin Williams, with all the wealth at his disposal can't get help, then what ...

Self-Serving

I am always amazed at some things I see and hear. It’s all so stupid and pathetic, Charles Bukowski “We’re all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn’t. We are terrorised and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing.” And that is such a simple yet valuable insight, we draw lines in the sand at such strange and crazy places and I just don’t understand, well I didn’t want to understand because like everyone else, I am guilty of it too. I was made aware of a friend being admonished by others for enjoying a burlesque performance, yet those very same people drink, and drug up and fuck each other over at the drop of a hat, so I guess that line is drawn there… how weird??? So it’s ok to do some stuff and not others…? You see now I need an explanation of just how this table of, what one should like and appreciate and what one shouldn’t like and appreciate, really works. Is it a points system? Do you get plus or minus points,...

Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead in New York

Obviously my thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Philip Seymour Hoffman (PSH) A tragic loss and I hope there is some solace in the love and goodwill shown by so many at his loss. There are thousands of drug addicts who die every year and never make the news, so as crass as it may seem, I do think I want to express my opinion, yes, yes, opinions are like blah, blah, blah, on this matter PSH, dying with a needle in his arm is crazy, but it does provide me with a soapbox. Is it not time that the world begins to take a sensible hard look at "illegal drugs" it just seems that we need to rethink the way drug use is criminalised, and perhaps instead of waging "The War On Drugs" perhaps there are other ways of dealing with the issue. Perhaps decriminalisation is something that should be considered, and I know there are far greater minds out there who could come up with some really great methods to aid, educate, dispense even control the use of drugs. The biggest ...

Pirouettes

I'm not playing it safe any more. I'm gonna take it right to the edge. And do pirouettes. - What are you talking about? Pirouettes, you dumb fuck. And if I fall, well, so be it. You know. Who gives a shit? "Oliver Platt in Funny Bones" and so I have, pirouettes baby, I woke from a dream, and I was shaved clean, my face that is, and there were tattoos creeping up onto my face from my neck. This is the first dream I remember in I don't know when, I never remember anything while awake let alone while asleep, a little gift left from too many hard knocks against my head. So after 25 years in this industry I got completely immersed, I have had visible tattoos for quite some time now, but my face, well I always thought I would never go that far, and you know, I just felt it was time, and the dream, though it had no real direction, had an impact. The problem was I just couldn't remember what the shapes were that crept up on my face... and while doing some...

Time

Hello again, and once again it's been a while so I will apologies right away... TIME.... well it's fleeting alright, and before you know it the day is done and the next, then the week, and month and pretty soon years, it waits for no one. Written about, sung about, "time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth" whatever David meant who knows... and as for "Tiiiiiiiiimme is on my side" well Mick it certainly ain't, but formaldehyde and surgery might be, but time, I'm not so sure, and it brings me to my issue. I love my periodontist, she is awesome, friendly, explained everything that has to happen, how it's going to happen and so on. She has even helped me out on the costing of my implant, oh I hadn't told you yet. I tooth got broken many years ago in an accident, it was repaired but after 18 years.... it was done, and I need an implant. As I usually do I have digressed my point was, I have an appointment for 16H30, I'm there 15 minut...

Good bye 2012

It's the 30th, I have worked my ass off this December, and I'm really super grateful to all my awesome clients, no friends, because if you spend as much time with them as I do they do they become friends. This year however has caught up with me, I feel like I have kinda been through the ringer and though I live in the moment, I am looking forward to the new year. I do have to say that I'm a little annoyed at the insensitive twats out there, that feel like they have some kind of ownership of my time because they want a booking when they want it. I would never turn anyone away who wanted a piece from me, I am still old fashioned enough to be honoured by the patronage I receive, and don't play the "tattoo rock star discovery channel" wannabe, I was at this before them and will be at it long after they are no longer the flavor of the month. So for the one or two I have disappointed, I'm truly sorry, and hope that you can forgive me, I will however say "C...

Reception intervention

Ok so you haven't seen a blog for some time, and that's cause I haven't had anything to vent about, that just changed. I have this odd growth on my arm, thought it was a wart or something, so i tried freezing the thing off with nitrogen.... Nothing. So now I'm worried about this, and while chatting to a friend he says, dude get that seen to, I had something similar and it was malignant, so don't piss about. Damn I better get my shit together. Today I call Milnerton Mediclinic, and they give me the number for the practise in the clinic, 2 dermatologists, so I call them, and after waiting 8.32 minutes for the phone to be answered, I ask the receptionist if anyone can see me as I'm really concerned about this thing. She says "sorry, we can only see you next year." So my response is, but what if this shits malignant? She in a rude tone is " well I'm sorry, but we can't help you" so I say to her well ok, but can you perhaps refer me to s...

New

At the urging of a friend I am going to get my shit together and blog more often. I don't write about stuff if there really isn't much to talk about, it's always the empty vessels that make the most noise, just take a look around you. Things have been a little weird of late, and I find myself out of sorts, so much so that even the wind tonight has me anxious, and it's keeping both Little Laika awake. Actually just me, as she has fallen asleep on my foot. A couple of rude awakenings have taken place in my life recently, one being finding out I'm diabetic, rather a great shock, but not unexpected, as I have lived my life to excess and I guess there has to be some cost. The other has been the realisation that in 5 years of living in this city, I have made very few friends, as beautiful as this city is, it also breeds a type of arrogance and self serving that I haven't seen in many places before. People who professed to be your friends but in truth really were o...

Change

I been thinking about change this morning, and the old cliche comes to mind, "the only constant in life is change" and I think it probably is true, but I wonder if it is also true about the very essence of you, can you change after all you have seen, experienced and lived through, this sets patterns in your life, and I wonder if therapy could even change those ingrained patterns. Of course I will admit that all those things cause your growth, and that in essence is change, but after years of that growth there is a whole bunch of things that cause you to act, react, and feel, and that forms patterns of behaviour and I wonder if this can ever be truly changed or worst case scenario modified? All that, got me thinking about just what I let into my life, and how those things are going to change how I act, and worst of all, will I repeat the errors I made before in the handling of these things because I haven't actually changed at all. The truth for me I'm afraid is dark,...

Convention Time

Wednesday evening, and I seem to be feeling a better, the post convention blues have passed, I am going to mention Hymne’s passing, Tuesday was the 2 nd anniversary of her passing and as expected, coping isn’t easy, but I focus on the love she gave me and our time together. The convention was as usual, busy, as I am booked up well in advance with clients who come down from up country, and I do try accommodating them, as they do not get the opportunity often. I do however feel that the convention this year was not very well attended, by artists as well as tattoo enthusiasts. The recession I guess is felt by all this year, and with that in mind, I’m always surprised by the lack of marketing done by the organizers. A simple sign outside of the building I don’t believe is too much to expect. Having said that though, I really enjoyed this years. My convention weekend began with the arrival of my great friends Rob and his gorgeous wife Michelle, on Wednesday morning, we hustled back...

My weekend in a nutshell

I just spent the saturday finishing up the large dragon back piece and it's always bittersweet, after one spends so much time and effort  in a tattoo like that, it always is Sunday was spent with Jarad a Kaylin, I did the demon girl piece on his fore arm, the "Dark Lady" as I refer to it and it was fun to do. They have asked me to the God farther to the baby boy "Mason" who is due in a week, it's an honor and all a little scary, guess if I'm not going to have my own, I may as well be a God Father to now my second boy. Whats more daunting is having to go to church, I haven't done that since I don't know when, perhaps that's not such a bad thing after all. This is my gorgeous friend from Poland, Doris Cash, check her out.

Bike Girl

I just completed this tattoo yesterday on my great friend Tracey, I love tattooing her, she gets really interesting and challenging work and it looks awesome on her. So to Tracey and all those awesome clients of mine, thank you! Here are one or two more pieces I thought I would share

What to do?

Quite some time ago I met someone I thought was interesting we met for a lunch, and then coffee a few more times, and you know when you meet someone, and you just need to delve a little deeper to know that this just isn’t going to work out… I left it at that, we talked every now and then, but something kept warning me, I was uneasy about this person, a few things had taken place that just didn’t sit right with me and so I lay a trap. I told her something that I knew she could use against me, and waited… sure enough she did not disappoint, before long all hell broke loose, as I had expected. Obviously this made her go to ground, and it’s been a long time since I’ve heard from her, but the other day she contacted me again, wanting to be tattooed. Now the reason I’m writing this shit becomes apparent… I run a business, and things aren’t easy in this financial climate. The question is do I take her on as a client, or just keep the snake at bay? I think I know what the right answe...

Love and Happiness

At this time of year when everyone is reminded that being a human being is being kind and loving, forgiving and tolerant, I feel that it's all bullshit, this is not a state for the holidays, this should be a constant state and something we should strive towards in our everyday lives. I blogged about being a "mensch" and perhaps it's good to remind ourselves what it means to be one. what follows is that blog A while ago I mentioned being a “mensch” and I was not really clear on what it means. A good friend and client brought this in for me, it’s part of an article written by Charlotte Cohen, and it sums it up well. What is a honourable mensch It is a voice, and the understanding behind it. It is the eyes, and the intelligence behind them. It is the recognition that support is needed, and asked for, giving it And the kindness that lies behind all of that. It’s keeping quiet when one ought and speaking when one should and knowing the difference. It’s giving pr...

Zen

First off, Merry Christmas and all that bullshit! Ok so that’s over, I have been trying to sell my hotrod, to begin a new project, a café racer, well with a little luck, and a few great connections, it looks like I may not have to sell the hotrod after all. It did get me thinking and looking at motorcycles again, and believe me I have had many in my life, but the shear art of these machines, yes of course we are all aware of “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance” and some even aware that the Guggenheim Museum did a huge exhibition on the art of motorcycles, but there are a lot of builders out there expressing themselves through motorcycles. Now this needs to be said, and said early on. I am not talking about the garbage one sees in American chopper and the like, these are like watching a soap like “Days of our lives” but in a bike shop, and if that bunch are creative then I’m fuckin Van Gogh. These programs follow a set pattern and this is visible in all that s...

“Little Miss Chievious Thruxton”

My wonderful friend Tracey came by to do the second session on the “Little Miss Chievious Thruxton” yesterday and it’s beginning to look amazing did 80% of the Thruxton, and in the next session we should complete it, I love what’s it’s looking like and here is a sneak peak. Now as I promised an update on the DATING site… what a pile of shit, really besides being a complete scam and needing to pay, which made me feel a little dirty, it just doesn’t work for me. Really, to be making a call on whom you would like to date, by purely looking at some photo, just seems shallow and wrong, and as some may judge me as shallow, I’ll stick with wrong. For me a woman I would like to see is more, it’s about style, grace, carriage, character, humor, taste and the things that just are not perfect, the quirky things, not some random photo, with a cheesy grin. Then there is the opportunity for complete disaster, what if she’s a stalker, a bunny boiler, a smother mother, an instant wife...

New Tricks

Today been a day of chores and mixed feelings, good, bad and sad, I picked up my Kona’s remains this morning, made me look at Laika and know she misses her as much as I do, and the hole she left in our lives. It’s the end of an era in my life, it closes the door, and is the final tie to my marriage, which is what has left me with, mixed feelings. I don’t miss that segment, of my life, but to make out like it was all bad would be a blatant lie, but it wasn’t a walk in the park either. We spent so much time together, people used to comment, that we were the “perfect couple” spending all our time together and never arguing. Well after 10 years of someone being with you 24/7 you are not such a perfect couple, and when you get home after spending every minute of the whole day together you just don’t have anything to talk about anymore, nothing is new, and everything that’s happened to either of you, you both already know about, so there isn’t anything left. I do think in this day ...

57 BelAir

Just put together this piece for Mandy :MissHapp” Bronner, her all time favorite car a 57 Chevy Bel Air. I have kept the color palette the same as the rest of her arm so we keep a similar look to the sleeve.