Such a Lucky Girl

So not many people, I assume, have an entire EP written about how they immolated the heart, soul and life of their first love.

I do.

Every song contains pesonal references, and things I would say or said, horrible things I did...and it ROCKS. Despite the cruel memories brought up by the lyrics, I cannot help but sing along to every song, because Sin In Space were such an epic good band.

And now you can download the EP for free here:

http://www.sininspace.com/stuff/

I was so happy, since I thought these songs were gone forever (which ads such an air of tragedy to the band too; so much promise, so much crash and burn...and because of ME! .......... that was sarcasm)
I just listened to it twice over, and though some of the songs don't live up to the live version's bombast and emotional rollercoaster ride, there are also some great new additions.

Look, you can buy the first album for two dollers on Amazon!

Read the cutomer reviews!

Home-hunting

I now have roughly 2 tattoo days a week, since I come into the shop EVERY day of the week; 5 for apprenticeship and 2 for doing tattoos on people. We really need a bigger shop so that we can all work at the same time.

We are hunting for a (in our wildest dreams) a small suburban house in downtown Davis, commercially zoned with street parking, room for a lobby/gallery in the front room, a tattoo room for Jess and I, and a piercing room for Chris. A bathroom, possibly a small office or kitchen. I personally want a little porch with jasmine or roses on it. Hah! Piercing room,...hmmm(It's funny how piercing is much more private than tattooing. Usually tattoo patrons are getting tattooed in some stage of nakedness in the middle of the room, and peircing takes place behind a closed door. Is it the instant of intense pain? Is it the subconscious feeling of a sort of penetration? Is it the body parts that get pierced?)
We are having some trouble. Even though we are as far from speed-dealing bikers as we could possibly get, the word "tattoo" freezes people...especially landlords who don't want problems. I'm not sure if they realize how much mney tattooing makes. Or maybe they do, but excpect those making the money to do shady things with it. I always joke to Jess that we should just walk around and let them see us in person; two girls with short hair, one tall and one short, with tattoos of angels, tibetan symbols, flowers, and hearts,... me in a skirt and mary-jane shoes and her in a little newsboy cap. People don't realize that most of the people that are getting tattooed are suburban-family types, moms wth kids, Christians that want crosses and praying hands, or people getting portraits of their loved ones. Jess tattooed TWO cops just in the last week. It's just the nature of our shop and our persona and our art I guess. "Normal" people feel a bit more comfortable here. And they should. I love the underground roots of tattoo in America, but tattooing should be available for everyone- as it has been in history. Safe, clean, good art, etc. It's such a egalitarian art form (I probably have more to say about this in a future post).

I'm the only one in the shop who swears and drinks*!

OK, this is funny, but if Jess and I had our way, our tattoo shop-of-dreams would look like this:


This is the Mucha-designed jewelry shop of G. Fouquet. We like the baroque, obviously. I wonder if gold stain-glass peacock furniture is hard to sterilize? Haha.


*Except right now. Trying sobriety, and deciding it RULES.

On the cusp of three.

I speak to you in the darkness of the living room, listening to the Red Army Choir or something epic, maybe it's fromt the Spanish Civil War....

Mind-blowing visual artist with an asthetic that very much appeals to me:

Floria Sigismondi




Why can't I be a multi-media artist, direct music videos, create costumes and clothes, travel the world, tattoo and be a young creative mother all at the same time? Maybe this can happen someday. I am in awe of women like the artist above that pull it all off. Their life is a symphony.

A Murder of Crows on Drexel St.

A Murder of Crows on Drexel ST., originally uploaded by kai smart.

Every evening, I ride my bike in the early twilight down Drexel St., where the tall trees are plagued with miseltoe infestation and children's toys litter the sidewalk. A couple days ago a murder of crows (ravens?) had taken up residence in these trees and were making a very loud racket, flying around under the half moon, dropping feathers and shit. I rode by initially, but then had to stop and take a picture- Crows! The moon! the purpling sky!

There are birds here that you don't see in the other places I've lived, lots of owsl and large crows ad even a kind of miniature burrow owl that comes out when the sun goes down on a thin strip of preserved land between the golf course and the farmers' fields. There are also flocks of wild turkeys that wander the neighborhood.

Unrelatedly, 8 ducklings were found, ahem, caught , in the alley behind the tattoo shop. They were orphans, and very small and cute. Boy could they run fast though. Some people from the shop helped and passersby too. Animal control picked them up. It was amusing giving the most stereotypical cop in the world (flat-top hair, mirrored aviator shades, moustache, etc.) a box of ducklings.

the nathaniel b palmer

the nathaniel b palmer, originally uploaded by katieantarctica.

This is the boat that Mykle is on. This picure was taken by Katie, and shows the Natty B parked (?) at Mcmurdo Station.

Just for your information.

Summery Illo Links

The colors of a toned-down Gauguin, the stillness of a sultry summer day. I love illustration! Recently discovered:

Pierre Mornet



also I have enjoyed the work of Sterling Hundley for a while. His work reminds me of things I want to accomplish: intricate picture planes, colors, words, and emotional lines that somehow all go together without making the picture plane look busy.

Exiles from the Music Room

Did you know our house had a music room and an art room? Well, it does, in fact, the music room is the largest room in the house. Mykle and I do not often go in it though, and even now are sitting outside both on computers for what has seemed like ever. Pete. Luc, Jordan, and Jesse are jamming. It's awesome.

Music is a communal art. Art is solitude. Except for tattooing

I was musing to Mykle today about the benefits of being a lady tattooer.
Macho and very straight men feel more comfortable about you touching them, for example. There seems to be a happiness that people get from being the center of attention, and a female tattoo artist can give this kind of attention. Male artists cannot. It seems the boundaries, the "tough" facade of tattooing really hamper them. It's just not natural. However, I shave people daily, wipe them with Dettol, look critically and press my hands to all parts of their body, and I don't think anyone is even the slightest uncomfortable. I have developed my spiel: little jokes, self-effacing comments, caring words..... that make people laugh and puts them at ease with me. However, I know I am also helped in this by my gender.

I think that many women in our culture find this solace and ritual and pampering (dare I use that word) in a salon or day-spa. We offer a more hard-core alternative (haha). The outcome of all of my care and Jessica's expertise is a catalyst of pain, of endurance, that is tempered by our caring, and our art, and how we work with each person to draw exactly their vision (I can't imagine working in a non-custom shop. I have tattooed many copies of people's OWN artwork on their bodies, but if I had to do flash off a wall...woah...my apprenticeship is so weird. Most people DON'T start doing custom work). The payoff is amazing. I see people go through this experience every day. It's a ritualistic experience, and an experience that men can enjoy as well as women. I would not say that men are more accustomed to it. Females and Males are equal in their ability to bear the pain of the tattoo.

With female clients we have a benefit as well. The all-girl thing opens women up. We chat about kids, families,....women feel more comfotable exposing their bodies and very often tell us horror stories of other tattoo experiences. Many tattoo parlors have a no-children policy. We are very pro-children (except for babies crawling/vomiting on the floor. That happened recently. Not a big deal, but I was more worried about what the baby came in contact with. Good thing we use so much bleach!), especially because of Bella, Chris and Jess's beautiful 8 year old.

I think I notice these things from being female in a traditionally male profession. I could list things that are negative about being a female tattooer, but there are NOT that many. Even when I was apprenticeing in a very bro-ed out all male (except for Jess) shop, we were treated with respect personally. I couldn't say the same for the female clients.