Instagram is so dangerous to this tattoo lover. I have been finding some really rad tattoo artists whose art is phenomenal. I love a good colored tattoo but there is something about black tattoos that captivates me 110%. I just love the look of the tattoos these artists do. I don't think they would look as great with the use of color as opposed to just black ink. The seven tattoos I have gotten this year are all in black ink. I honestly can't see myself getting any more colored tattoos in the future. Damn shame that all of these artists I love are not in the US. I am also getting some ideas what I would like for future tattoos. Not sure when my next trip to a tattoo shop will be though, probably not until next year. It is really hard to say. Here is my latest crop of tattooers that I absolutely adore that people should follow on Instagram (if they are on it).
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Saturday, August 26, 2017
My current favorite tattoo artists I follow on Instagram
I find it interesting whenever the question of who is your favorite tattoo artist and/or who would you get tattooed by (if possible) is posed on one of my favorite tattoo-related FB pages and most of the answers are artists that has been on Ink Master or on tv in general. I will admit I think Ryan Ashley Malarkey (the most recent winner of Ink Master) is talented AF as well as the Murray brothers from Black Veil Tattoo who were also on last season's Ink Master, but I find it terribly depressing when people only goes by artists who are celebrities who make a living as a tattoo artist. I have found some of the most amazing artists via Instagram whose talents are absolutely mindblowing but are not as famous as the contestants on Ink Master. I just had to get that off my chest.
Here are some of my favorite tattoo artists I am following on Instagram whose work I absolutely adore.
Here are some of my favorite tattoo artists I am following on Instagram whose work I absolutely adore.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
My personal journey with grief and loss
Late last month, my father passed away which is why I haven't really spent any time on my personal blog. I really needed to gather my thoughts over my loss and go through the stages of grief. I knew eventually I would blog about it. And then one of my favorite tattoo artists I had gotten some work done by her last year recently and unexpectedly passed away shortly after my father passed away. I really didn't know her personally but I do have a part of her on my body. Still her loss has affected me but in a different away from when my father died. Earlier this year, someone in my condo had jumped to his death from the twelfth floor. I saw his lifeless body in the courtyard when I got home from work. I have seen death too much this year. It goes without saying that I am so over 2017.
As I mentioned before, I wanted to blog about my experiences with death but I didn't know when was the right time to write about it until I saw an article on the New York Times called You're Sorry for Someone 's Loss. But How Do You Say It? . I think this article is really informative. I definitely recommend reading it.
I found out my father passed away on July 27, two days after my parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration. I was about to leave for work when I turned on my phone and got both a text and voice mail to contact my mom. The evening before, my mom went out to go do some grocery shopping. My dad was in his chair resting. When she got home, she could not wake him up. His health had been deteriorating for many years, and this year had been gotten worse. I am relieved he passed away at home and in his sleep. Earlier in July, I was out to dinner with my folks at a local Greek restaurant. I was observing my dad with his magnifying glass and struggling to read the menu. He was really frail. He no longer relied on his walker but on a wheelchair instead which says a lot about his health. I couldn't help but observe and wonder just how much time he would have before leaving this mortal coil. A few weeks later, my question was answered.
I won't lie, my father's death hit me like a freight train. I felt like I was kicked and punched in the stomach several dozen times. I was insane to go to work the morning I found out about my father's death but I went anyways and got through the day. Looking back, I should have stayed home that day however hindsight is 20/20.
Anyhoo...being a social media fanatic, I posted that my father had passed away which leads me back to that link I posted at the beginning of my blog entry. I am only speaking from my personal experience, I find comments like "I am so sorry for your loss" or "My condolences" to be very comforting. Sure they may not sound original but short and direct statements like these are far more appreciated. I personally do NOT like statements such as "You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers". That to me reads like the person plagerized a bloody sympathy card from Hallmark. As someone who is NOT remotely religious, I especially could live without the prayer part. Of course I got a few people post that on my FB page. What was worse when one of my now former FB friends copy and pasted the same damn message into a text. UGH! I had a negative reaction to that crap. I found that copy and paste job to be thoughtless, lazy, insincere, and insulting to my intelligence. All I can really say is tread carefully when trying to offer your sympathy to someone who lost a loved one. Do not compare the loss to a loss of a pet or make it about you. Do offer a memory. I have a FB friend who personally knew the tattoo artist who suddenly passed away. I told her I was sorry for her loss and said that my session with the artist was my favorite experience. If you knew the deceased, offer a memory of the person but do NOT make it about you.
You know the old adage "the road to hell is paved by good intentions"? I am now a firm believer in that statement. I had one friend who just kept hounding me over and over via text on what she could do for me? I kept saying "thanks but no thanks" as politely as I could but that went in one ear and out the other. Ignoring the grieving party's feelings is not helpful. The intentions is well meaning however being pushy and ignoring the person's feelings will just drive him or her away from you. Just tell the person that you are there for the person if they need a shoulder to cry on or to talk to. There are a few people I talk to but for the most part I feel better when I talk to my mother as well as spending time with her. Listen to what the bereaved has to say and to give the person space.
The memorial service was beautiful. My uncle (my dad's brother) and my dad's best friend spoke. The reception was interesting to say the very least. An introvert's worst nightmare for sure. There were many people from various time periods of my father's life. I survived the entire event. I didn't have a meltdown or felt the need to go hide somewhere in the church. I will say this it was a soul sucking event though. I was completely physically and emotionally exhausted after the service and for the next few days.
For awhile, I did find it difficult to go through my daily routines whether at home or at work especially after taking a week off from work to grieve. As time has gone by since my father's passing and his memorial service, the pain has started to lessened. I still miss him as much as I did when I first heard the news he had passed away in his sleep. I just try to find ways to keep busy and amused so my grief does not overwhelm me.
I have to admit prior to my father's passing, my summer has been an absolute shit show to say the very least all because of some incidents that occurred in May and July which has left me emotionally scarred for life. The death of my father was icing on the cake. I find myself I have no patience for fake ass friends who leave me (even if on social media) or fake sympathy (i.e the idiot who copy and pasted that crap comment about me and my family being in her thoughts and prayers). Clearly death changes how people perceive the bereaved. I will say this I have learned who are my real friends. Death definitely changes a person. It certainly has for me but I also have been changed by the events that occurred this summer, and has left me embittered for a very long time.
Monday, July 17, 2017
My favorite and least favorite films of 2017
It has been a while since I last posted on my personal blog. My music blog keeps me pretty occupied. That said I have seen quite a few movies this summer season. I thought I would post my faves and least faves of movies I have seen this season. I am going to rank them from my very favorite to my least favorite.
Wonder Woman has definitely been my favorite film I have seen this year and during the summer blockbuster season. I love Gal Gadot as Diana Prince but it was Robin Wright as her aunt Antiope who stole the movie with her fight scenes. I thought the writing was far better than I thought. The movie was immensely a lot of fun to watch. I had a hard time picking which would come in at number two between Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and War of the Planet of the Apes but ultimately I ended up picking Guardians. I just loved the storyline for Yondu so much which really made the sequel for me, that and the soundtrack.
That said, War of the Planet of the Apes was as good as the trailers made the film out to be. Woody Harrelson was great as the Colonel who was hellbent on putting an end to the existence of the apes. I also loved Amiah Miller as Nova, the mute girl that Maurice took under his wing. I love how Maurice was able to bring back the humanity in Ceasar who almost became like Koba in the film. The film score was great too.
I enjoyed Alien: Covenant and I thought it was better than Prometheus but I didn't think it was as memorable as Alien and Aliens. I think the trailers gave too much away and made it fairly easy to predict what would happen to the characters in the film. Still I really enjoyed Michael Fassbander as Walter and David who were totally night and day from each other. Not a fan of Danny McBride's comedic work but his performance in this film was a highlight for me. Visually, I felt the film was very compelling. I loved the creatures that manifested from David's labratory.
My least favorite films this year so far has to be the latest installments in the Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises. They were 30-45 minutes too long and bogged down by horrible writing. Geoffrey Rush and Javier Bardem were the only good things about Dead Men Tell No Tales. There was nothing good about The Last Night, not one damn thing.
I will probably go see the new Spiderman film soon. Maybe. Spiderman isn't a comic book character I can get excited about to be honest.
01. Wonder Woman
02. Guardians of the Galaxy 2
03. War for the Planet of the Apes
04. Alien: Covenant
05. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
06. Transformers: The Last Knight
Wonder Woman has definitely been my favorite film I have seen this year and during the summer blockbuster season. I love Gal Gadot as Diana Prince but it was Robin Wright as her aunt Antiope who stole the movie with her fight scenes. I thought the writing was far better than I thought. The movie was immensely a lot of fun to watch. I had a hard time picking which would come in at number two between Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and War of the Planet of the Apes but ultimately I ended up picking Guardians. I just loved the storyline for Yondu so much which really made the sequel for me, that and the soundtrack.
That said, War of the Planet of the Apes was as good as the trailers made the film out to be. Woody Harrelson was great as the Colonel who was hellbent on putting an end to the existence of the apes. I also loved Amiah Miller as Nova, the mute girl that Maurice took under his wing. I love how Maurice was able to bring back the humanity in Ceasar who almost became like Koba in the film. The film score was great too.
I enjoyed Alien: Covenant and I thought it was better than Prometheus but I didn't think it was as memorable as Alien and Aliens. I think the trailers gave too much away and made it fairly easy to predict what would happen to the characters in the film. Still I really enjoyed Michael Fassbander as Walter and David who were totally night and day from each other. Not a fan of Danny McBride's comedic work but his performance in this film was a highlight for me. Visually, I felt the film was very compelling. I loved the creatures that manifested from David's labratory.
My least favorite films this year so far has to be the latest installments in the Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises. They were 30-45 minutes too long and bogged down by horrible writing. Geoffrey Rush and Javier Bardem were the only good things about Dead Men Tell No Tales. There was nothing good about The Last Night, not one damn thing.
I will probably go see the new Spiderman film soon. Maybe. Spiderman isn't a comic book character I can get excited about to be honest.
01. Wonder Woman
02. Guardians of the Galaxy 2
03. War for the Planet of the Apes
04. Alien: Covenant
05. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
06. Transformers: The Last Knight
Friday, June 30, 2017
In defense of downtown Minneapolis
Today on my morning break, I was perusing City Pages's website. I came across this ridiculous think piece called 17 years of watching downtown Minneapolis go from vibrant to shaky to frightful. The title alone makes me cringe. Of course anything that City Pages publishes makes me cringe. That is a given. The writing is crap and worst part is that at one point (not sure if they still do it) but they would give fair reviews to the restaurants who bought ad space from them. How lame.
I decided that this ridiculous and over exaggerated think piece needed a response from someone who actually lives in downtown Minneapolis. I have been living in downtown Minneapolis since 2011. I moved to downtown Minneapolis from Loring Park. I moved because it was time for me to get out of renting and become a homeowner. I haven't looked back since then.
In the course of the six years I have been living in downtown Minneapolis, I have seen a lot of changes in my neighborhood. Some good, some not so good. I have seen Whole Foods go up in the place of the old Jaguar dealership along Hennepin Avenue and a lot of apartment/condo complexes go up. Also have seen new restaurants pop up and flourish (and some not so much) in downtown especially north loop. Then there is the US Bank stadium which replaced the stagnant and outdated Metrodome (just wished that taxpayers' money wasn't used and the owners used special glass to avoid killing birds).
I am not going to pretend that bad things doesn't happen in the city. Yes shootings occur in the area and they always happen like during the times between 2-3 am when bars, restaurants, and nightclubs closes. Fights certainly have occurred both during the day and night. I even saw a fight break up in front of the library a couple of summers ago. I remember reading online a fight that broke out at the Nicollet Mall light rail station in broad day light. And I know I have friends who have victims of some form of crime. Then not long ago a young woman was shot while waiting in line at Pizza Luce on 4th St around bar closing time. What city doesn't have issues like downtown Minneapolis? Hell! I even have spent a bit of time in downtown Chicago at night and never experienced any issues (but then again Chicago is a notoriously segregated city and I always stay in the downtown area when I am in town).
I have spent many nights out and about downtown Minneapolis. I have experienced any problems from the homeless or have been mugged. I always make sure I am aware of my surroundings when I am out, and that I put my phone away to focus on getting my ass home. I also don't stay out until the wee hours of the morning. Once a concert or Lynx game is over, I go straight home. I'll take the bus if the weather is shitty. It really irritates me when I see people screech about how dangerous and violent the city is when there are cities that are far worse off than Minneapolis like Baltimore, New Orleans, and Chicago. My biggest concern? Not getting run over by some asshole who runs a red light which is quite common. The homeless who panhandles doesn't bother me, I ignore them. IMHO the panhandling in Chicago is far worse than in downtown Minneapolis. Just my $0.02.
Downtown Minneapolis is far from perfect. I am so over the renovation of Nicollet Mall. It is neverending. I am not a fan of any of the Pedal Pub, Traveling Tap, or party buses where people from the suburbs go rent a giant bicycle or a bus to go out on the town and get shit faced. I am far less crazy about a bunch of white people from the suburbs who comes to town to get bloody drunk than I am of people from low income neighborhoods who are trying to escape the ugly reminders of their reality by hanging out either by the library or light rail stations. I refuse to live my life in fear. Some people should try that and not look down on those who are trying to survive. In the end, people just need to use some common sense when navigating the city. Still afraid? Go move out into the suburbs. Let me live my life here in peace but don't paint my neighborhood as something awful. This is not the south or west side of Chicago or worse Baltimore, Maryland.
I decided that this ridiculous and over exaggerated think piece needed a response from someone who actually lives in downtown Minneapolis. I have been living in downtown Minneapolis since 2011. I moved to downtown Minneapolis from Loring Park. I moved because it was time for me to get out of renting and become a homeowner. I haven't looked back since then.
In the course of the six years I have been living in downtown Minneapolis, I have seen a lot of changes in my neighborhood. Some good, some not so good. I have seen Whole Foods go up in the place of the old Jaguar dealership along Hennepin Avenue and a lot of apartment/condo complexes go up. Also have seen new restaurants pop up and flourish (and some not so much) in downtown especially north loop. Then there is the US Bank stadium which replaced the stagnant and outdated Metrodome (just wished that taxpayers' money wasn't used and the owners used special glass to avoid killing birds).
I am not going to pretend that bad things doesn't happen in the city. Yes shootings occur in the area and they always happen like during the times between 2-3 am when bars, restaurants, and nightclubs closes. Fights certainly have occurred both during the day and night. I even saw a fight break up in front of the library a couple of summers ago. I remember reading online a fight that broke out at the Nicollet Mall light rail station in broad day light. And I know I have friends who have victims of some form of crime. Then not long ago a young woman was shot while waiting in line at Pizza Luce on 4th St around bar closing time. What city doesn't have issues like downtown Minneapolis? Hell! I even have spent a bit of time in downtown Chicago at night and never experienced any issues (but then again Chicago is a notoriously segregated city and I always stay in the downtown area when I am in town).
I have spent many nights out and about downtown Minneapolis. I have experienced any problems from the homeless or have been mugged. I always make sure I am aware of my surroundings when I am out, and that I put my phone away to focus on getting my ass home. I also don't stay out until the wee hours of the morning. Once a concert or Lynx game is over, I go straight home. I'll take the bus if the weather is shitty. It really irritates me when I see people screech about how dangerous and violent the city is when there are cities that are far worse off than Minneapolis like Baltimore, New Orleans, and Chicago. My biggest concern? Not getting run over by some asshole who runs a red light which is quite common. The homeless who panhandles doesn't bother me, I ignore them. IMHO the panhandling in Chicago is far worse than in downtown Minneapolis. Just my $0.02.
Downtown Minneapolis is far from perfect. I am so over the renovation of Nicollet Mall. It is neverending. I am not a fan of any of the Pedal Pub, Traveling Tap, or party buses where people from the suburbs go rent a giant bicycle or a bus to go out on the town and get shit faced. I am far less crazy about a bunch of white people from the suburbs who comes to town to get bloody drunk than I am of people from low income neighborhoods who are trying to escape the ugly reminders of their reality by hanging out either by the library or light rail stations. I refuse to live my life in fear. Some people should try that and not look down on those who are trying to survive. In the end, people just need to use some common sense when navigating the city. Still afraid? Go move out into the suburbs. Let me live my life here in peace but don't paint my neighborhood as something awful. This is not the south or west side of Chicago or worse Baltimore, Maryland.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Chicago: My likes and dislikes
Yesterday I booked a hotel room for the end of March. I am going to the windy city to see my favorite symphonic metal band Nightwish at the Aragon Ballroom. I decided I would rather make the trek to Chicago to see them than haul my ass in a cab or in a Lyft to that shit hole The Myth. Also seeing the band was a good incentive to plan my next trip to Chicago. In lieu of my upcoming trip, I thought I would share my thoughts on some of the places I have visited and stayed at while in Chicago.
Central Loop Hotel - I will be staying at this hotel again in Chicago this spring for a second time. I really enjoyed my stay at this hotel in downtown Chicago. It is just four blocks away from The Art Institute of Chicago. The hotel is also not far from the red line which I will need to take to go to the Aragon Ballroom for the concert.
Red Roof Inn - Magnificent Mile - My first stay here was pretty decent except for the slow ass elevators and drunk ass people that greeted me when I checked into the hotel. My last stay there in 2016 was not so great. The front desk folks were rude as hell. They couldn't acknowledge me for a second while dealing with a computer issue.
Old Chicago Inn - I was here last fall for the Belly and Lush shows at The Vic Theatre. I had a wonderful time at this charming little bed and breakfast. David, the caretaker was super nice and helpful, and the free breakfast he provided was delicious. Yeah, the building is old so I could hear people come and go but no big deal. I loved the location since I could walk to the concert venue. Great little restaurants nearby. Lakeview is a beautiful neighborhood.
Best Western River North - I stayed here in 2015. It was in under renovation so I was not impressed. Okay location. I hated how the rooms were numbered (hopefully that has changed since my stay). Judging by the photos on the website, the hotel looks much better.
The Art Institute of Chicago - Sorry MIA but you just can't beat The Art Institute of Chicago's wonderful collection of art, especially with its Asian and Mediterranean art in its permanent collection. I just love wandering the halls of the this wonderful museum and getting lost in it for a few hours.
The Field Museum - My second favorite museum in Chicago. There is so much to see there you really need to plan as much time needed to see every inch of the natural history museum. For my next trip in March, I plan to spend more than four hours there. Four isn't enough. Circumstances at the time prevented me from spending more time there but I saw as much as I could in four hours. This time I am going to take my time and not rush through the entire museum. I love seeing all the exhibits involving every indigenous culture all over the world. It is so beautiful.
Shedd Aquarium - The aquarium at the MOA pales in comparison to the Shedd Aquarium. Where else can you see a nautilus, a cousin to the octopus, squid, and cuttlefish? Not at the Mall of America for sure. I saw a nautilus this past spring. It was so cool. I also loved seeing a tank full of lampreys which essentially are real life vampires in fish form. I find them both creepy yet fascinating. My favorite is going up (or down) to see the coral reefs and its inhabitants. Only dislike is the overly excited school children.
Lincoln Park Zoo - I spent my day here before the Lush concert. I had a blast seeing all the animals. I might visit it instead of the Shedd before going home if I take the train home in March.
Elephant and Castle - I had lunch at this British style pub before I went home. Their fish and chips was delicious. It was fresh and hot from the fryer. The service was excellent too. Definitely want to go back there again.
Billy Goat Tavern - Ate at the Wabash location twice this year. Cheap and delicious food. I love Wildberry Cafe but they get packed on the weekends so Billy Goat Tavern makes a great alternative spot for breakfast. I was stuffed from the ham and cheese omelette I had for breakfast before I went to The Field Museum.
Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe - I love this place for breakfast but because of how busy it is on the weekends, I will only hit it for breakfast on the day I leave to go home. Great food and coffee but some (not all) of their servers need to do a better job at being around for their customers. Just saying.
Epic Burger - I only been to Epic once and it was in 2015. I had a turkey burger, fries, and a strawberry shake. It took forever or so it seems like to get my shake. It was good from what I can remember.
Monday, May 22, 2017
My current favorite tattoo artists
It has been awhile since I last posted here, not to mention post some of my favorite tattoo artists that I follow on Instagram. So here are some of my favorite artists that I am following on IG.
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