- As November gets closer to its end, I am more and more excited (and at the same time, anxious) about my annual blogging tradition of picking, and blogging my top 31 CDs of the year. There are some amazing records on this year’s list, and with each week’s subsequent CD releases, it’s only make things more difficult for me at this point. A wide variety of music tastes will be represented, so make sure you tune in all month long in December for each new entry.
- I got the test results back for my fourth Microbiology test today: I got a 93. With an 87, a 97, and a 90 on the previous tests, as well as the professor dropping our lowest test, I am going into the final with a 93 test average. Let’s just say that this is very unexpected to say the least. Here’s hoping I can turn out an A in this class! I need it for my GPA!
- Speaking of school, I didn’t say anything, but I didn’t get into Kennesaw for Summer. While I am definitely bummed about it, I am looking at it as a potential blessing; perhaps I wasn’t supposed to go to KSU? Perhaps I wasn’t meant to go that semester? Whatever happens, I am moving forward with GSU, and I am going to re-apply to KSU for fall. I am going to be a nurse, goddammit! You will not stop me! (I do have to say though, that the program at KSU is TINY, and they said that there were over 400 applicants, so I shouldn’t feel so bad about it. There just aren’t a lot of program options in Metro Atlanta for nursing; no wonder there’s a shortage.)
- I got the shading done on my phoenix half-sleeve last night, and it is REALLY looking quite amazing now. I can’t wait for the color to be done, but that is at least a month or so out… right now, I am just tending to my tender flesh after last night’s needling. I have to say though, that it is no where NEAR as tender as it was last time for whatever reason; and I am not complaining in anyway about it!
Tag: russ-abbott
all about me, flickr, happenings, mixed media, shiny stuff
if a picture is worth a thousand words…
by duane • • 9 Comments
…then this is going to be a wordy post!
First off, I got my new ipod Touch:
Second off, I have started my phoenix half sleeve with an outline that took almost 4 hours:
Discuss!
all about me, happenings, show the love
tribute to tradition
by duane • • 11 Comments
Lori and I went to Ink and Dagger Tattoo Parlour today for the Tribute to Tradition event, where they were doing traditional tattoos for traditional prices. Originally, I had a different idea for what I wanted my swallow to look like, but after seeing this one, I had to have it; I loved it just as it was. Also, the position that Russ suggested was perfect; just on the outside of my knee (think not in front, or back, but on the side!). After getting the first one done on my left leg, I really felt as if I should seize this opportunity while I was there, and get a second one on my right leg in the same spot… so I did!!!
These are the only traditional style tattoos that I have, and I really love them. I have always loved the simple swallow design, and I am totally jazzed that Russ did them for me. I love that I got them where I did (great suggestion by Russ), and I really like that got two matching ones. It wasn’t what I was expecting to get, and it required me to compromise a bit, but in the end, I was happier than I thought I would be to begin with. It was a fun time, and believe it or not, this was not a very painful place to get tattooed. Interesting.
Either way, going back to Ink and Dagger gave me a chance to catch up with Russ, and also led me to set up a consultation for my phoenix half-sleeve; which I am sure I will start soon. Man, tattoos are awesome, and I love them immensely, but they cost a lot of money!
Oh well… everyone has a vice, I guess.
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red panda tattoo, phase one
by duane • • 10 Comments
It’s time to gawk and stare, bitches. Behold, the first phase of my bad-ass red panda tattoo, as done by the amazing Russ Abbott.
I admit, it is a bit bigger than I was expecting, but so what, I love it. I can’t wait until it is finished! I am just happy that Russ was able to do as much as he did last night! Surprisingly, it didn’t really hurt that bad either. The calf is definitely the place to get tattooed.
happenings, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, music suggestion, near and dear, show the love
it’s all about promotion, baby!
by duane • • 0 Comments
Two HUGE promotions today folks… are you ready?
First of all, I want to promote the intensely amazing news that Sara Bareilles‘ single, Love Song, is the free download of the week on iTunes!!! This is great news, because it will definitely give people an opportunity to discover her amazing talent for free!! I hope that this will garner the sort of attention that it has for many people whose singles were featured there in the past.
Click on this banner to take you to iTunes, where you can download the single Love Song for free!! (but hurry… it’s THIS WEEK ONLY!) I know you will love it (!!):
Additionally, there is a special pre-order deal going on right now; if you order her upcoming debut CD, Little Voice, over at the Sony music store, you can get a free hand-numbered lithograph of either the lyrics for the amazing song Gravity, or for the aforementioned single, Love Song! I went ahead and ordered mine, and I can’t wait for it to get here!! The CD comes out on July 3rd, so pay attention to this amazing artist, because she is going to be huge if there is any justice in this world!
The second promotion I want to blog about today, is the grand opening of the new tattoo shop, Ink and Dagger Tattoo, owned by my amazing tattoo artist, Russ Abbott. Russ did the amazing half-sleeve that I have, as well as some other work, and I can definitely say that he will be the one that I go to, in order to get any future work for me! He’s amazing! He’s actually doing a piece for me tomorrow, which you will just have to wait and see when it is complete. I will be dropping by the shop to check it out tonight, and I am so excited for him, that he has his own shop now! If you are in need of an amazing tattoo, look no further than Ink and Dagger Tattoo in Decatur, GA, because both artists at the shop (Russ and Malia) are top of the line, and will give you a work of art that you can cherish for the rest of your life.
Whew! Now that is a lot to be excited about!! Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday, and make sure you check out these people I am promoting… you will love them! I certainly do!
all about me, flickr, happenings, show the love
my bright, shiny, tattoo idea
by duane • • 10 Comments
James had a stroke of genius last night when I asked him if he had any ideas for my tattoo; a panda bear with bamboo. Now, it sounds simple, but I built on that idea, coming up with something that I am truly excited about.
See the little fella pictured here? That is one of the most unique animals in the world; the red panda. This little cutie is what I want. But that’s not all; I want a red panda, atop bamboo stalks, perhaps in a “crouching tiger, hidden dragon” style. Maybe a panda-ninja. Either way, I want it to be more realistic than cartoon, and I think that this is something that Russ can totally rock out. I have seen some of the sick designs that he has done with off the wall ideas like this, and I hope that he will be enthusiastic about what I have chosen.
Now, since it was an epiphany type decision, I am going to sit on it for a bit, but I am honestly excited every time I think about it. When I started thinking about things I wanted tattooed, I was thinking about something like I got when I got my half-sleeve; things that meant something to me, or represented some part of me or my life.
This little guy is perfect, because the panda (both giant and red) represent conservation and the preservation of endangered species internationally. That was one of the ideas I was looking at trying to represent, so I am totally excited. I love animals, and this one is just too cute. I really hope that Russ will be into this, and I am excited to see what he could come up with.
More details to come when they are available. I hope that everyone is having a great week; despite how insanely hot it is. At least it rained a little bit this afternoon… Which is interesting, because I never thought I would care about such a thing. I guess getting older does that to you. Oh well…
all about me, happenings, hmm interesting, near and dear, the catch-all-egory
well, it’s monday…
by duane • • 10 Comments
And there isn’t much going on. So, here are some different thoughts that I have been thinking about this morning:
I was talking with my grandma on the phone this morning, and she is a hoot! She can make laugh at any time. I always love hearing her stories, and her dealings with people. It is weird to me how people will treat someone though; people are consistently rude to her, and I just don’t get it (especially since she is so much fun and so nice). Even her own son won’t stop smoking for 5 minutes to have her around, and since she can’t stand the smoke, they don’t see each other very often (even though they live within spitting distance of one another). People are just how they are, I guess, and sometimes, you just have to say fuck ’em, and do your own thing. She and I talk about that a lot, and it is something that I really treasure that we share; we love each other, and try not to focus on those that just want something from us, or expect us to be something that we are not. She loves me for who I am, and I really appreciate that, and cherish it. I am very thankful that I have such a great relationship with her, because other than her and my cousin, I don’t really consider much of my family, actually “family”. Sometimes, you have to build your own family from what you have; and even though I only feel close to two, that’s two that I can definitely count on.
I was thinking about (i.e., I definitely want to) getting another tattoo. I want something on my left calf, above the ankle band tattoo that I currently have there. I thought about a Japanese dragon, but the more I think about it, the more I want something kind of unique. I called Russ, and he has some open spots this week, and his new shop opens next week, but I think this week would be too soon; especially since I don’t have a firm idea of what I want. Since I am wracking my brain in trying to decide what I want, I have a question for all of you: If you could get a tattoo of anything in the world, what would it be and why? Don’t worry, I won’t steal your idea… that is, unless it is a good one! LOL No seriously, I want to hear your ideas. And none of this “you have too many tattoos” silliness, because you can never have too many.
Other than that, I had a pretty great weekend, hanging out with friends, and just enjoying life. I feel like I am starting to worry less about things that are out of my control, and really find myself focusing on being happy with what I have. I am applying to Perimeter for some classes in the fall, and that has given me this sense of purpose that I didn’t think would come from such a small step. I finally feel like, for the first time in 4 years, that I am moving forward. And that makes me happier than you could know. Let’s just hope we can keep this momentum going!
"pointless", all about me, flickr, the catch-all-egory
a friday free-for-all!
by duane • • 0 Comments
I am all over the place today! So, in the spirit of that “all over the place” mentality I am currently afflicted by, I thought I would share! Why not, right?! I knew you would agree.
First of all, my car starting making a noise this week. Not a good noise either, it was a “metal on metal” scraping noise coming from the wheels. Shit. Of course, I am a proactive person when it comes to car care (I always get the oil done on time, and I rotate tires and that kind of stuff), so I called Acura and made an appointment for this afternoon. Turns out, it is something to do with brake pads and the rotors, and so I have to have the back ones fixed… the front ones are covered by the warranty for whatever reason. It’s going to be $165, but at least I have two things going FOR me here; the vibration and that awful metal on metal noise when braking will go away, AND, I luckily got my tax return money this week. So, I guess things could be worse. I just can’t wait to see how it drives when it is fixed, especially since they let me borrow a BRAND NEW RDX to drive while I am waiting for my car. That car is NICE, but really, the only thing about it I would want, is the MP3 CD capability, and the audio in jack for my ipod… my car doesn’t have either of those features. Other than that, I am very happy with Bianca, and can’t wait to get her back.
Second, to preface this next thing, let me start by saying that my tattoo guy had me on a stand by list, in case of a cancellation, in order to fix my ankle tattoo. Apparently, this was the quickest way to get in, because he has a massive waiting list (which is totally understandable, because he is amazing)… but I didn’t expect that they would call and be all, “um, can you come in tonight?”. Well, needless to say, I said yes, because I don’t want to have to wait that much longer; especially considering the main reason I went to Russ in the first place, was to get my ankle redone… and I ended up with a half sleeve!!! I probably want to do more with the sleeve in the future, but for now, we are doing ankle work ONLY. I can’t wait to see what he can do with it. The man is a genius with a needle and ink. The appointment tonight shouldn’t be half as painful as my last one (which was all inner arm work, ouch!). I just hope James isn’t too shaken by the sudden change of plans… he doesn’t deal well with that, but in this case, I didn’t have much of a choice. Oh well, I guess we’ll see!
Finally, my good friend Deb has talked me into getting a kick ass lens for my camera, because it is pretty much one of the best deal lenses for the Canon EOS cameras… it is a 50mm with f1.8, and it should allow me to enhance the bokeh in my shots (bokeh is the effect in the shot above, where the main object of the photo is sharp, but the background is blurred and softened… but this lens can make it much smoother and more soft). This is the effect in photography that I have learned, and one that I love the most, and I can’t wait to see what this lens can do, because the one that comes with the camera is pretty limited when you want to do more specific and advanced things like this; plus, it is a cheap lens (as I mentioned). I am completely loving this camera, and I am SOOOO glad that I got it. It was totally worth the wait, and I know that I am gushing about it, but I really can’t help it. Mama likes her electronics, kids!!! Also, keep in mind I waited over a year and a half to get this camera, so a little excitement is in order. Be sure to keep an eye on my flickr page, because I can assure you, things are only going to get more interesting. Well, at least I am going to posting a lot more… I have fallen back in love with flickr!
I hope that everyone has a great Friday (what’s left of it), and I hope everyone has a great weekend as well! Expect some commentary on the Oscars on Monday… GO JENNIFER HUDSON!!! WOOO WOOO!
all about me
ouch! (tattoo talk)
by duane • • 0 Comments
Last night, instead of making it to the monthly APWBWGTTD, I was laying on a table being repeatedly stabbed with needles. No, it wasn’t a massive dosing of heroin, I was getting tattooed, for what I hope to be, the last time (for a while). Russ beautifully colored in the turtle on my inner arm (OW!!!!!!!!), and let me be the first to say that getting tattooed on your inner arm FUCKING HURTS. Seriously, it is almost too much. He also added another little fish in a spot that seemed like it needed something, and to be honest, it totally changed the whole tattoo for me. It looks so much more cohesive and beautiful. My arm is insanely swollen and painful, but I will try to get some pictures up soon. I love tattoos, but I sure hate getting them.
During the session last night, Russ and I were talking about him starting a blog, which I think is pretty cool. People are seeing the potential for blogs to help them talk about things they want to discuss, as well as providing them with ways to continually provide fresh content for their websites. For him, he will be able to talk about tattoo things, and as someone who only got into tattooing seriously a year ago, it will definitely be something I would be interested in reading. There are so many things you don’t know about until you try them; and sometimes, you learn a lot more than you expected.
I can’t really think of much else right now because of the throbbing in my right arm, but I do know that I hope upon hope that it doesn’t freeze around here. I can’t handle the grocery store madness and the freaks on the road. Just let me get some beers, so I can go home and prop this arm up and rest!! Stay warm!