Come On Now, In the Middle of the Road

Much catching up to do.  So I believe I will accomplish that in a swoop of photos.

First up, new tattoo of an adorable, little, vibrant owl who many think looks like the Tootsie Pop owl, but was actually  from the gorgeous artwork archives of Becky, a New Zealand based artist, whose work I just love! You can find oodles of her incredible pieces at owlfactory.

I adore her work and when I first saw this piece, knew that I wanted it on me.  Nate McManus, my good friend and longtime tattoo artist, inked it for me.

In hair news: I decided to call a truce between my longing for the ease of "shaved headedness" and my desire to grow hair again ... and so, half of it came off and half remains; as did the pink.

My daughter Brynn has a keen eye when it comes to photography and she shot these photos of me on a street near our house. For some reason, memories of  The Pretenders where conjured up when I first saw them. =)

Steve and I ventured off to Claremont on Sunday and grabbed lunch at Le Pain Quotidien, a divine little cafe with vegan options (including dessert).  Incredibly yummy and suffice to say that we will be going back SOON!

 

Our entrees:

One of our favorite aspects about Claremont Village is the unique art displayed throughout the complex.  How amazing is this multi-pieced sculpture, complete with evolution references and all, by Tom Otterness?

 

And this gorgeous tile mosaic mural is just a ZAP of sunshine and positivity.

And now I am off to catch up on work, before the kids get home from school.  Brynn's band is playing at talent show tryouts at her high school tonight and I'll be there with video camera in hand, and a proud mom expression on my face.

Over and Out,

j-boo

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I Love Text Tattoos

Rex Manning (aka tattoo) Days are always among my most favorite of times and are especially fun when we get to hang out with our longtime friend and longtime tattoo artist, Nate. He and Marie headed over to our neck of the woods with tattoo gear in tow and after endulging in some yummy vegan pizza, I was lucky enough to add some new ink to my skin.

1) Vegan Jinxi: we squeezed this one right above Miss Octopus that resides on my throat/chest





2) I dig this next text tattoo that we added to my shoulder, because not only is it the title and lyrics to my favorite of all of The Cure's songs, but I love the positive message behind it as well. There is no if, baby!



3) Knuckle tattoos are always fun and this one is, well, ME. (he he)
I had Nate tattoo my signature to this blog and other writings that I do: j boo



YAY for Rex Manning Days!!

The rest of the weekend was groovy as well. We scurried around the mall in Riverside for a bit, as the kids picked out a few new pieces to their wardrobes and enjoyed the time out and about (even it was at the lame-ass mall - ha ha).

Work has been keeping me hopping lately. Even with the economy the way it is, customers still manage to squeak in some shopping from my store here and there; and I definitely appreciate each and every order.

www.Mermaidink.com

It's full of collectibles, charms, pins, stickers, figurines, patches, keychains, shoelaces, buttons and all sorts of gift-type goodies (in case you know anyone looking for such sorts). ;)

Over and Out,
j-boo

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My FAVORITE Rex Manning Day

This past Monday was a Rex Manning Day. For years now, I have referred to "tattoo days" as Rex Manning Days (for those who have seen the classic movie, "Empire Records" that will make perfect sense... and for those who haven't, I highly recommend watching it and "saving the Empire" = damn the man!).

This was no ordinary Rex Manning Day though, this was a very special and meaningful RMD. I have hundreds of tattoos, in all sorts of places. Some of them are just fantastic pieces of artwork that I wanted to preserve on my skin, some are silly, and some are sentimental. To date, the three portraits of my kids truly mean the most to me in the "significance category" and this new masterpiece I added on Monday falls right into that genre as well.

For eight hours, I sat and watched Mike DeVries layer abundant amounts of gorgeous, vibrant ink into my calf, shinbone and lower knee; as Ash, an artist from England, here for a seminar with Mike, conversed and learned by our sides. It was a positive, fun, enjoyable day ... but the part that made it the MOST marvelous was what I walked away with; and that would be THIS:

While I am always genuinely astounded at the degree of talent that Mike's work produces, I don't think I am ever quite as impressed as when the reference subject is someone that I know and love. And if there is ANYONE in this world whom I know or love better and more deeply... it is THIS particular person. For nineteen years, I have shared nearly every day with him. For nineteen years, I have made goals, created dreams, raised three children, been through incredible highs and struggled through difficult tribulations, eaten, sleeped, talked, laughed, cried, perservered, loved and lived life with him. Many thought we were too young when we committed to marry each other back in 1991; but we didn't agree. We realized that we had something very rare and unique, and we didn't want to waste one day not sharing it and trusting each other with our journeys and progressions through life. There was no reason to wait and we never looked back ... not for one day.

So this Rex Manning Day had special significance to me. It was a long-awaited moment to add this piece of artwork to my collection. This session wasn't any normal ink episode ... these hours etched a timeless tattoo onto my skin, one that is beautiful and excellent; but more importantly, commemorates the one thing that has been my most everlasting constant throughout my life - my partner, best friend, companion, soulmate. He is "officially" now on my skin - but he has always "officially" been my heart. Read more!