Cute for cuteness' sake

I'm working on a new portfolio, since I left mine at Off the Map by accident.
I'm making new stickers and business cards.
I'm wanting a new website asap, but I have a lot of issues surrounding that.

So much to do now that I'm back in Minnesota.
I'll be working hard in between appointments this week.
Planning doesn't leave much time for doing.

I had a very rough start to my day.
My tattoo equipment was locked in my car,
and the only known key was in Meryl's pocket at the University.
After some borrowed cars and special trips,
I had things almost figured out in time for this too-cute giraffe tattoo.



It was two and a half hours of forearm fun.
I let her in on all of my secrets, and she even sat through a critique of the tattoos I did out east last week.
That's a buttload of honesty to witness the first time getting tattooed by me.
Most tattoo artists try and play like they are perfect,
and that absolute trust and loyalty needs to be shown.
I'm more of the feeling that we're all in this together,
and it's exactly what we make it.
So cuteness happened, and we were both pleased.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Jill Alexander Essbaum's Poetic Feet (and Jessica Piazza's Too!)

UPDATED! See below....


I've decided to launch this special National Poetry Month Tattoosday feature with the wonderful tattooed feet of Jill Alexander Essbaum, author of several collections of poetry, the most recent being Harlot.

Although this month I will be featuring tattoos on poets, not every tattoo is poetic, in the literal sense. Jill's inked feet are.

Jill met me in the Starbucks at 7 Penn Plaza on a cold day in February, prior to a reading at the KGB Bar later that evening.

She was one of the first poets who signed on to this project, and she allowed me the honor of taking a clearer picture of her tattoos, even though they appeared here, on the Best American Poetry blog, back in May 2008.

Although the concept may be alien to many, students and purveyors of the art of poetry know that a line of poetry can be broken down into metered verse that is identifiable based on the stress and intonation of the syllables.

People may have heard that most of Shakespeare's work is composed, for example, in iambic pentameter. What that means is that each line is comprised of five parts, or "feet," and each foot is made up of an iamb, or two syllables, the first of which is unstressed, followed by the stressed sound.

The name "Marie" is an iamb, for example, as the stress falls on the second syllable. "Mary," on the other hand, has the stress on the first syllable, and is identified as a "trochee".

There are other types of poetic fragments, such as dactylls and anapests, but the iambic and trochaic feet are the most common.

So what does this have to do with Jill's feet? When poets study and scan a line of verse, they mark it up, identifying the stress marks with the accents (or longums), and the unstressed syllables with a symbol known as a brevis.


Jill's feet are literally with the symbols denoting them as trochee (left) and iamb (right). Pure brilliance, in my opinion.

Jill and her friend Jessica came up with this idea last year and gave it significant thought.

As most poets (with notable exceptions, of course) are also teachers, they thought it would be a great visual aid when educating students on scansion.

Jill spent a weekend sketching and drawing the marks, not as easy a task as one would imagine. How to make the marks look like poetic symbols, and not stray ink marks, or even worse, scars, was a part of the process.

She and Jessica mulled the placement on the body: should they go on their wrists? Jill, a professed punster, then had the revelation: iambs and trochees are poetic feet, the tattoos should go on their own feet.

Trochee went on the right side, because it is a progressive, forward-moving beat. Iamb went on the left, as it is a heartbeat.

She and Jessica both got inked in June 2008, shortly before the West Chester Poetry Conference. What better setting to show off fresh poetry tattoos?

Each tattoo took only 15 minutes, and Jessica placed her ink on the sides of her feet, as opposed to the tops like Jill.

I want to thank Jill Alexander Essbaum for helping launch this special feature here on Tattoosday. I invite you to head over here to BillyBlog and check out one of Jill's poems, along with links to more of her work.

WAIT! There's more.....

Here's a photo of the feet of Jill's friend Jessica Piazza:


As noted before, it's the same tattoo, just oriented differently on the feet. Jessica added:

I figured, since it was my idea in the first place, I should be up on this if I can. Too bad we couldn't find a way to get tattoos that symbolize rhyme. I'm more of the meter dork than Jill, which is why I wanted these in the first place. (In all fairness, doing it on our feet was her stroke of genius!)

And, as Jill noted in the comment section, the tattooist is Chris Torres.

Head on back over to BillyBlog here to see one of Jessica's poems.

The Tattooed Poet's Project: An Introduction

April is National Poetry Month!

In addition to the "regular" Tattoosday features, every day in April will feature a different poet's tattoo(s).

Poets across America have contributed photos of their tattoos for us to enjoy, with each post linking back to BillyBlog, where one of their poems will be posted on the corresponding day.

Not all the poems are tattoo-related, but many are. Please come back every day in April to see the wide range of poetic tattoos!

Back in the MPLS

A title playing off of a Beatles song?
I must be tired.

Yesterday was jam packed with traveling.
Thanks to Kristen for getting up even earlier, and taking me to the Springfield bus station at 4 am.

I fell asleep on buses, on planes, even on hot mom's shoulders.
You can take my window seat for your little brat kid,
but I'm going to be leaning on something.
I hope you don't mind,
but honestly, my embarrassment sensor has always been a little dull.
I woke up with half of my body in someone else's seat, my mouth ajar,
and I didn't feel a bit ashamed.

It's nice to be back in Minnesota.
Except for the hail and sleet that I woke up to.
Our groundhog had four shadows this year, so they are predicting a spring sometime in June.
I can't wait.

I'll miss the Maynard House, that's for sure.
We're going to set up an exchange program with them,
sending selected applicants to the other awesome city for residencies.
All I need on my side is a quality house name.

Now I'm off to Identity Tattoo, where it's a packed house.
Mr Kevin McNutt has been doing a guest spot back here while I've been gone, and he's working some of this week as well.
I have a few hours before my first appointment to unpack my stuff and get back into the swing of things.

Tasty

Nice whoppers by Johanna Bluebird again.

Nice Pair

Hart & Huntington's Robert Jarrett did this leggy pair.

The Final Day

I think I tattooed for 9.5 hours today.
Michelle and I threw down some color in those flowers, and she took it like a champ.
Then Kristen sat through this peony on her shoulder for a couple hours.



When it was Mary's turn, I found myself tattooing next to some very nice tattoos done in a no-outline painterly manner, of which I almost never do.
But when in Rome......
She didn't look until we were completely finished.
I only took a couple of peeks myself.
(kidding)
I didn't get a decent photo, since it was dark outside (and inside), but she promises a photo by email soon.
I think I earned a few points.
Her and her boyfriend are super good people, and I wish them the best with everything.
Off the Map and all of the guest artists are so fortunate to have her.


It's now midnight.
In four hours I'm headed to the bus station.
Then to the airport.
And finally home.
I will probably sleep the rest of the day away,
but will be back at Identity Tattoo bright and not so early Tuesday.

A Rainy Sunday Morning.

It's raining,
and I'm kinda sick.
Maybe allergies?
I'm running at about 75%.
But today is the last day of me tattooing here at Off the Map,
so I only have 3 tattoos left to tough it out through.
I think it's three flowers, too.
Michelle is getting hers finished from November,
then Kristen,
and then Mary the Miraculous Multi-tasker is getting some yet to be drawn up flower and moth creation.

And that one HAS to be hot,
because there's a lot riding on it.
Like the title of "Favorite Guest Artist."
Right now me and Timmy B are running neck to neck.
He's charming, and cute, it's true.
But he's about 3 or 4 shirts behind in the gift giving category.
And none of his super hot tattoos can be found on Mary's skin.
And now every shirt he gives her, and every tattoo he does on her will only be an empty gesture that's an obvious attempt to catch up.
Ha.
So, Mr Timmy B, the stakes are being upped today,
at about 5:30pm.
I will fight through the sniffles, and hold in the sneezes.

The last couple days have been pretty busy.
Friday night was the get together at Sierra Grill.
Northampton on one side, Wallingford on the other.
It was an awesome dinner, and I'm pumped so many people drove so many miles.
We had a few more than expected, and then a few more showed up, really testing the patience of the Grill.

Afterward, a bunch of us hit up the WWII.
I don't know how to explain it.
A dork bar with dancing and Karaoke.
But not hipster dorks, real ones.
We fit in perfectly, especially when I was on the dance floor.
In my tie.

There's been tattooing happening as well.
Yesterday Sarah and Big Dean rocked the day away.
She's headed down to St Thomas to live, and needed a memory of Connecticut.
Oak trees are the state tree, and who doesn't love an acorn?

Big Dean and I have figured out a healing method for him that works successfully.
Being the main man bike mechanic at Pedal Power in Middletown means he gets a lot of chemicals and serious grossness all up on those arm tattoos.
But the Star Wars sleeve we finished yesterday is looking good.
We did some Tie Fighters, and general background for about 5 hours.


Tomorrow I head back to Minnesota,
where it will be so good to see Meryl
and be back in my very comfy station in Identity Tattoo,
but now I'm off to win hearts and titles in my final day of Off the Map.

Jorge's Attabeira Tattoo Pays Tribute to His Puerto Rican Heritage

Last May, I spent a few minutes on the N train talking to a woman named Patricia who had a cool tattoo on the back of her neck (see the post here). She disembarked before I was able to get all the facts on the piece, but I still posted the blurry photo.

No, I didn't run into her again. But I did meet Jorge, who had a similar piece on his inner left forearm based on the fertility goddess Atabey, or Attabeira, the goddess of fertility in the Taíno culture of Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean:



The piece runs the length of his inner arm, and took 2 sittings and 6 hours to complete.

He had this tattooed by Byron Velasquez, then at Rising Dragon Tattoos in 2001. Byron now tattoos out of Abstract Black NYC. Jorge chose this image as an icon to represent his Puerto Rican heritage. This is one of his three tattoos.

Check out other work from Rising Dragon previously appearing on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Jorge for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Whale tales.

Yesterday was a big day, since Mr. Rich got his knee to foot sleeve finished.
It's been going on for 5 years.
That takes us way back,
all the way to the Lincoln St shop in Cromwell.
egads.
So we did some filling in, and connecting pieces to make it look like everything was a part of the bigger plan.
And we also added a few gull guys, since I've been doing wings every day, and didn't want to break the streak.
(he also asked for them)

Rich sat so well, he fell asleep.
He seemed slightly embarrassed about it, but I think that's awesome.
Tough guys always claim they fell asleep during their last tattoo,
but falling asleep and passing out aren't exactly the same.

I talk some smack about dudes.
Dudes are usually a-holes.
Unless, however, they are my dudes.
And my dudes are coming out in numbers tonight.
We've made a reservation for 15 tonight at the Sierra Grill in Northampton, MA, but if you want to show up, we'll tell the front person to grab a few more chairs.
It'll be the craziest mix up of people ever.
Northampton meets Wallingford.
Even my sister is showing up,
getting off of a plane from Detroit,
and driving north instead of toward New Haven.

A couple days left, then it's back to MPLS,
with a camera full of pictures,
and the want to plan the next East Coast trip.

A few birthday wishes,
going out to Mr Lucky Lambright,
and my Northampton Handyman Jamie.
38, and 29, respectively.
I'm all dressed up to celebrate,
getting older and not casual friday.

Xrin Arms Explains His Tattoos

I ran into Anthony after work while passing through the Amtrak section of Penn Station.

He was in town to perform in Brooklyn and was waiting for his ride. He performs under the name "Xrin Arms," which he pronounced as "Your-in-arms". He's a techno punk musician currently on tour. Here's the flier for the gig he was playing that night:


He had an unusual series of tattoos which he allowed me to photograph, after he explained them to me.

The tattoos cover a significant part of his upper right arm, as well as one side of his forearm.

First and foremost, as a writer, he had his pen inked on his arm.


He always uses a Pilot Precise V5, he said,

and he produced one to show me, holding it up to the piece to show me that it was tattooed to scale.

The next element of his inked arm is a legion of sperm directed at his elbow. Some of the sperm are traveling from the pen, representing the knowledge that flows from the written word.

At the center of the elbow is a moth in a circle. He said that it represents a "moth in a beehive". When I questioned that image, he acknowledged that that was how he feels a lot of the time.


If you picture a moth in a beehive, you envision many things: solitude and violence. Of beauty and alienation. The sperm heading toward this image reinforce that the creative experience is a birthing process fraught with danger.

Lastly, on the back of the bicep, is an owl with its wings outstretched.


The owl represents to him that he is noctural, and stays up all night.

He has 2 other tattoos but we stuck with these because they played off one another.

They were tattooed by Chris Bragg when he was working out of Hammer's Tattoo & Body Piercing in Canton, Ohio.

Please check out Xrin Arms myspace page here. There's also a cool interview with Anthony over on the blog Digital Liver here.

Thanks again to for sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday.

As an added extra, here's a video of Xrin Arms song "Feather Mask":

My, how the time does fly!

Tina made me promise that I wouldn't post this picture.
Of course, then I felt obligated to post it twice.
So, I compromised, and only posted it once.
I'm sure all parties will find this outcome most agreeable.



Tina and Jay come out wherever I am.
They bring bags of vegan treats and cases of Dr Pepper, or take me out to dinner.
They've come to Northampton before, and Boston, and I stayed with them over the holidays.
This time, however, Jay thought he'd switch things up a bit, and actually get tattooed.
I think I met at least some of the criteria he asked for with this piece.




The top half was mostly stenciled, while the legs and everything below them were Sharpied on.
Jay sat like a champ, and it took about 5 1/2 hours.

Dean also came up for the day.
He and Jay are a dangerous combination for tattoos.
I was laughing so hard a few times, I had to stop.
Other times, I probably ought to have stopped but didn't.
I fought through the tears, and got it done.
I'm sure the time went by way faster for me than Jay,
but that's what he gets.
Time flies when you're having fun.

Day 2, and already busting out skull carrots?

Both my customers today not only used to get tattooed by me in CT, but they both have visited me out in MN at Identity Tattoo for more work since.
Today they've added MA to their list of states where I've tattooed them, and they don't know each other.
Crazy.

Rob sneakily by-passed my normal booking process and scheduled a spot with me by giving the shop a call and a deposit over the phone.
That meant I was overbooked by a lot, but I moved some things around to make it work.
I also tattooed 10 hours today.
He came to the shop with a music note that his friend drew for him in 2005, and somehow we did nothing even close to that.
Instead, I Sharpied this brutal bunny and carrot piece, and it just seemed a better fit.
Really?
I thought so.






(Maybe it was the carrot soup Eva bought me for lunch.)
Kyle Mack, the purple was for you.

Today is Jay Mcmanus' birthday, so tomorrow I tattoo some "time flies" themed stuff on him.
He might be bringing a few people.
And Albie Rock might drive down from his mountain and meet up with us as well.

So much good stuff is going on.
It's a lot to pack into a week.
So far I'm keeping up.

Two Tattooed Tourists on a Tuesday

Sometimes the hand of Fate guides the Tattoosday blogger as he journeys through the streets of New York. At lunch, a change in traffic signals prompted me to veer East, sending me into a bank vestibule that I rarely, if ever, frequent.

I could have ventured into a dozen branches or drug stores to do my business but this is where I ended up on a day that started frigid, but was still in the blustery high 30's at noon.

I finished my ATM transaction and exited, not even glancing at the two people to my left, jacketed and weighed down with large backpacks.

I hit the sidewalk, peering into a side window bordering the vestibule. I did a quick about-face and headed back into the bank. Despite the coats, hats, and long pants, I could tell the two men I had been next to had significant ink.

And, once back inside, I was delighted to find them both willing to talk tattoos.

Both men were visiting tourists from England. The first one I spoke to was Jethro "Jeff" Wood, a tattoo artist who works out of The SkynYard in Southend-on-Sea (in Essex County, 40 miles East of central London). I spoke to Jeff first, while his friend Sam worked the ATM machine.

Jeff estimates that his body is 30% covered in ink. He offered up this neck piece:


I apologize for the angle, but one can see that it's a pretty nice grim reaper tattoo. You also get a view of the small skull and crossbones behind Jeff's left ear.

He had been hanging out with another tattooer and "got drunk and tatted my neck". The artist was Dan Sims at Life Family Tattoo in Sevenoaks, Kent, in England.

Not to be outdone, Jeff's friend Sam had an amazing pirate-themed neck piece, with a "Do or Die" banner, courtesy of Jeff:


The two visitors seemed to enjoy showing their tattoos and were soon rolling up pant legs to show me what Jeff's apprentice, Charlie, had tattooed on the back of Sam's left leg:


That is the mask of The Ultimate Warrior.




Sam also showed me some work on his right leg, also credited to Charlie, featuring a mythical creature, "The Rare Horned Dolfin," stuffed and mounted by a taxidermist:


Granted, it's a funny tattoo, but I believe there was an element I was missing (perhaps a key facet of an inside joke). Sam and Jeff laughed heartily while showing me the piece, along with another gag tattoo on Sam's right calf, a D.L.T. sandwich:


In a DLT sandwich, the bacon is replaced by, you guessed it, tiny smiling dolphins!


I also get a kick out of the "I love frogs" scribbled above the D.L.T. Note the S is reversed. Sam indicated that Charlie had done some of these, but he had also inked a few himself, on an experimental basis.

Both men also have knuckle tattoos, and pictures of their knuckle are posted here at KnuckleTattoos.com.

Thanks again to Sam and Jeff for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

"Who will thresh the wheat?"

Tyrant and T were there when I landed in Boston,
rocking a Mr Hebrank sign.
Nice.
I'm pretty sure that's a first for me.
We hit up the vegan restaurant Grasshopper in Allston, MA on our way to Northampton,
which is a must if you're in the area.
It's all vegan, and next to a vegan pizza place as well.

I was dropped off at the Maynard House, where awesome folks and good food were waiting for me.
Heather, who doesn't even live here, made a soup for me that was in the fridge and literally had my name on it.
Vegan lasagna and zucchini bread from Amy and Jaime.


I have way more than my share of awesome people around me.
Generous and loyal kids who go way out of their way to make sure you got what you need, and then some.
I've weeded out by now the people who Albie Rock refers to as "weak sauce".
I know the Little Red Hens of the world, making that tasty bread.
Pockets filled with scraps of paper,
to-do lists and books to read.
I'm glad to be able to share stories and hugs with friends of friends who are immediately new friends.
Everyone that I'm close with seems to be working on a big project right now.
Finding good company, working hard, and keeping each other focused.
I think somehow all of the many plans we have are tied together.
I surround myself with those who contribute.

Things were pretty easy at Off the Map today.
Amber got crows above each of her elbows, but I didn't get a picture.
She's an animal fixer and an amazing photographer.
It was nice to hang out again.

Amy wanted a couple of cute little pine cones, so that's what we did.
We did the pine needles in a greywash only (to keep them subtle),
so I'll try and snap another photo of it later on in the week.
Don't mind the yellow Sharpie around it.
I'm sure that will wash off.



I have drawings to do for tomorrow.
Planned tattoos and unplanned.
It's 1 am, but only midnight my time.
I took it easy today, and will make up for it tomorrow.

East Coast Bound.

I leave tomorrow for Massachusetts, bright and early.
I'm packing right now, and knowing that I'm probably forgetting everything.
I'm feeling pretty stressed out & not at all prepared, but it's ok.
Once I hit the East Coast, I'll be well taken care of.

Tyrant is meeting me at the Boston airport, which beats the Peter Pan bus I took last time by something like 4 billion per cent.
The Maynard House just so happens to have the spare room open again for me. And this time, there's even a real bed (though last time, the inflatable bedroom palace was pretty dope)
Heather and Lori are back in town.
The Wallingford kids are filling a few cars and headed up for some fun.
It's McManus's birthday, and he's getting a half sleeve.
Albie Rock is scheduled to drive down so we continue the Big Plans.
Friday night is party night at Evolution in Northampton.
If you're in the area, we want you there. 9pm.


Today I started early and stayed late.
Packing up all your supplies to bring on the plane makes you never want to do a guest spot.
Or makes you want to use a very limited palate.
I should do a week where I only do black and grey pieces.
Ha.

I finished this butterfly rib piece today.
She has 11 butterflies now.
Really.
These five took maybe 7 hours split into two sessions.
She's tough as nails, and gets some serious props from me.



Alright, back to packing.
See all you Atlantic-ers soon.

Moving pictures with words.

I'm desperately trying to play catch up, while still getting ready for my guest spot at Off the Map coming up next week. I work the next two days, then leave Sunday.
AND I'm sick.

I did four tattoos today, but managed to squeeze in a few super limited shirt colors.
I had 6 burgundy and 6 brown shirts, which I printed with a light tan.
I think it's 2 smalls, 2 mediums, and 2 larges or each.

I'm excited for big fun in Northampton this time.
Last time was all work and little play,
and even though I'm doing 7 days of work straight,
I got some extras scheduled.

If you're going to be around, you should come visit.
I'll be at the shop from 12-9 everyday.
It's an hour from most of Connecticut, so pack a lunch and come say hello.

Also, my homeboy Jake from FXtattoos in Ohio made me this sweet moving gif banner that tells it like it is.
Thanks Jake!

Only God Can Judge Him

A nice surprise last night when, out of the blue, a previous Tattoosday subject, John, sent me his latest tattoo.

I met John initially at the 3rd Avenue Festival in Bay Ridge, back in the earlier days of the blog, where he displayed a leg piece in progress here.

He later had the piece finished and we featured it, in all its glory, here. In addition, he sent me photos of his other three tattoos here.

But here is something new from John, who I haven't seen in a while. He explained this new tattoo via e-mail:

[It] says "Solo Dio Puo Giudicarmi" ... which means [in Italian] "Only God Can Judge Me"... I got the tattoo for religious reasons and for another one ... nowadays people give a shit too much about what other people think and try to conform to be like everyone else just to blend in. [The tattoo] is a reminder to me and to all that read it, regardless of belief: just be who you are. Because, in the end, it does not matter what anyone else think of you, but you.

Thanks again to John for sending this my way! We always appreciate return visits from previous Tattoosday subjects!

Four Years Young.

Identity Tattoo has been making people way hotter for four years today.

I'm sure glad it's there, tucked between a diner that doesn't know how to make baked potatoes, and an old lady salon that sends horrible hair burning smells seeping into our space.

Todd Lambright, owner and tattooer, sure makes it a super awesome place to work.
I couldn't imagine working anywhere else, and when visitors come by, like Albie Rock did last week, they get pretty jealous of the way it's run.

It was a pretty crazy day today, and I think we only casually brought up the anniversary a couple times while talking about other things.
But it's a good thing to take a minute and give it a tough guy head nod or some other show of appreciation.

Nice job, Mr Todd.

God Bless Ya, Ma'am!

I certainly salute the awesomeness of this Valerie Vargas pinup.

Tattoorism: Joltin' Joe Swings for the Fences

A couple weeks back, I posted a really cool Marilyn Monroe tattoo with a New York Yankees spin.

To give Joe DiMaggio his proper due, we have this leg piece above, sent to us by Craig, who explains:

"[Had] this tattoo done last February. I am a big Yankee fan .... [I] like watching all the old timers on TV anytime I can. Wanted something different.....something that stood for what baseball was, back in the day. Had it done by a local shop, Hard Core Ink in Catasauqua, PA. Jon was the artist. The guy does not know how good he really is! I have the next one lined up .... going to have [Mickey] Mantle kneeling in the on deck circle at The Stadium put on my right leg."

Craig's piece is a great replica of this famous photo:


As baseball season approaches, we here at Tattoosday thank Craig for sending us his awesome tattoo of "The Yankee Clipper," and look forward to seeing what Jon at Hard Core Ink can do with Mickey Mantle.

Thanks Craig!

Megan's Numeric Neck tattoo

On a day when my wife was tattooed with a lucky "13," it seemed fortuitous when our waitress at dinner unveiled her numeric tattoo:


Born on April 7, Megan had these hash marks inked onto the back left side of her neck.

Because of the numbers 4 and 7 being significant in her life (aside from their analagousness to the seventh of April), she chose a rather unorthodox forty-seven lines, inked up like a scorecard.

This was tattooed at New York Adorned.

Thanks to Megan for baring her neck in the line of duty and sharing with us here on Tattoosday!

The Magic of Colour!

Returning to colour tattoos, the uninspiringly named James Tattoo with a particularly inspired motorsport piece

Finishing Full

Today was the last day of Albie Rock's week-long art/work vacation.
It's been seven days of non-stop eating,
with tattooing, drawing, and screenprinting mixed in only so we didn't rupture our stomachs and send pureed ethnic food seeping through our insides.
Today we ended the feasting at Babani's, the first ever Kurdish restaurant in the United States.
Really, really good.

It's in St Paul, so we made a half day of it over there.

We stopped in the St Paul Cathedral, took pictures and got all weak-kneed at the hot style and fancy art stuff.
Swan lamps?



Then to 7th street,
where we did a little MAN-tiquing.
Into dusty basements and backrooms full of so many things that would look so great in my house.

Then we went to Identity Tattoo, and finished up the week by doing all of the girls shirts in one shot.
Light greyish blue girly shirts, with plum-y purple ink on the front.
There's also the almost same grey/blue shirt color colored eleven on the backside of the shirt.
A bouquet of awesome.
$15 each.




This blog right now brings the post total to two hundred.
Two hundred posts on my blog's almost two year anniversary.
Albie Rock started his almost one year ago to this day while out here in MPLS last time.
And Identity Tattoo turns the big four this Wednesday.
That's a lot of anniversary happenings.

Speaking of numbers,
I will be out east in no time at all.
5 days?
Get ready, Northampton.
Stock up on your sleep now, my Maynard friends.
See you soon.