Adventures of the Traveling Head

Many of you already know that I am a neophyte photographer. I carry my camera with me at all times in hopes of capturing a fascinating scene should I happen upon it at the right time.

Now for a new adventure: I have volunteered to be a part of the Travelinghead Project.

"The travelinghead project is an ongoing experiment in social behavior. It is a work of art, continually expanding through the photographs, ideas and hard work of creative individuals worldwide. The project is a narrative which is open to anyone with a camera!! It is the telling of a story which is written, chapter by chapter through the photos, artwork and 'confessionals' of the people involved.

It is an opportunity for individuals on a worldwide scale to share stories and pictures, create art and document how their life, and the lives of those around them are affected by the same object."

This is Bella while she was visiting Lithium Picnic. He did naughty things to her. LOL

I will be taking it to my favorite coffee shop for some stimulating conversation, perhaps a bike ride or a swim, various car rides and fun with my pets and some herb garden shots. I hope I get the head in the summer time. ...although could have some fun with snow.

I was placed on the "waiting list" to "get head" (LOL) today. I would LOVE to have your input on what kind of fun things I can do with the head for the project!

I'm excited...this should be too much fun.

Tattoos of the Day

Seek and you shall Find

I have been getting a lot of hits from people searching for celtic cross tattoos. Well...for you searchers, here are some really sweet ones I have found:

All's Well that Ends Well

Well, last night I was greeted with a dozen roses, profuse apologies and dinner at the restaurant of my choice. The air has been cleared and I am no longer in the crosshairs. Whew! Not enough time to elaborate, but didn't want anyone to worry.

Rumble, Grumble, Watch Me Stumble

I had a nice weekend - until last night.

To make a ridiculously long story short, I am being persecuted and punished for something I have no control over whatsoever. After much screaming, yelling, crying, tire squealing, fence crashing, engine roaring, dog grabbing & running, and then more crying, yelling, and resignation I managed to heavily sedate myself and go to bed. After a couple of seemingly restful hours, I began tossing and turning, struggling with the tormented thoughts in my head and wishing for more valium. After a fitful (at best) additional 4 hours, I arose, gazed in the mirror, called in sick and went back to bed.

A couple of hours later, a quick call prompted my wonderful pod person neighbor to bring me more valium, so I am dealing. Not well, but dealing.

Unfortunately, an obligation to a wonderful person I could not let down forced me to drag my sorry ass into the office at noon. So, here I am.

The situation is still not resolved. Unfortunately, the problem lies solely within the head of this person whom I love very much. If he can't get it worked out, I will be forced to purge him from my life. That would be very sad, indeed. I am fearful of what this evening could bring. If you don't hear from me after a couple of days at most, alert the authorities as I may be no longer among the living.

Tattoo of the Day

This exquisite tattoo is not only very nice, it screams summer to me.

I have no internet at home right now (damned ISP..*pout*), so have a wonderful weekend people!

Apnea's Been 'Tooned

Lithium Picnic is my favorite photographer. He is excruciatingly talented, and Apnea is one of his main models. She is my favorite as well. They do fantastic work together.

One of my fave pictures of Apnea has been tooned! It is so cool.

Below is the original and the toon.



Check out their work...
Lithium Picnic

Tattoo of the Day

Today's tattoo is dedicated to Archmage. He has one that is quite similar.

Archmage - Caught in the Undertow

My buddy Archmage is going through some serious shit right now. This guy has a heart of gold and doesn't deserve the hell he's being dragged through.

On my way to lunch, after having talked on IM with him for a while, a song came on the radio. I love the song and it gave me the chills - I could almost hear him singing it.

Nothing Else Matters

So close no matter how far
couldn't be much more from the heart
forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters

never opened myself this way
life is ours, we live it our way
all these words I don't just say
and nothing else matters

trust I seek and I find in you
every day for us something new
open mind for a different view
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know

so close no matter how far
couldn't be much more from the heart
forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know

never opened myself this way
life is ours, we live it our way
all these words I don't just say
and nothing else matters

A big hug goes out to you, my friend. Trust your heart and know that you are doing your best. Be strong and you will come through just fine.

Congratulations Dana!

...and family. Dana over at note-it posts (my blogger with boobies buddy) finally had her baby yesterday. He was almost 2 weeks late.

Thomas Nelson was born June 21 at 11:51 am. He was 21" long and 8 pounds 15 ounces.

All went well and I am so happy for her.

Tattoo of the Day

A hoot goes out to my new buddy, JP, and his arm band tattoo. I don't have a good picture of his to feature here (ahem), but here is a really cool one I found.



Arm bands are sexy.

Happy Summer Solstice!

I had a lovely summer solstice picture here, but apparently someone didn't like me linking to their server. Pfffftttt! I'm not going to advertise for them, so YANK!

Honorary Mention

I am a big fan of advertising. Well, let me rephrase that...creative advertising. This little ad I found on a sidebar caught my eye. Someone with a fairly twisted mind like mine just can't help but click on it.



Although the ad cracked me up something serious, but I was a bit dismayed if not frustrated that the little bunny was not to be found where the link leads to.

G-Mail for our Troops

Check this out. Some fine folks have started a campaign to get gmail invites out to our troops so they can get accounts to communicate with their friends and family back home. With the large amount of space offered, gmail is perfect for sending pictures and videos back and forth. You can offer your g-mail invites to troops on the message boards attached to the link ("this") above. I will be offering up several of mine. :)

Beauty & The Beast

Ahhh...summer in Iowa

Tattoo of the Day

too funny not to share...

and now...Something Completely Different

Leave the Fucking Sign Alone!
The town of "Fucking" had a vote on whether or not to change their name.

Holy Shiite!
No wonder the people in Iraq can be quite cranky when they have these monsters crawling around! Camel Spider

Flesh or Food?
Now here's something kind of fun...the Flesh or Food Quiz!

I leave you with...

Shake, Rattle & Roll...Get Ready, Midwest

"WILDWOOD, Mo. - To folks around Wildwood, it is nothing but freaky: an entire 23-acre lake vanished in a matter of days, as if someone pulled the plug on a bathtub.
Lake Chesterfield went down a sinkhole this week, leaving homeowners in this affluent St. Louis suburb wondering if their property values disappeared along with their lakeside views.
Some residents said they noticed that the lake, after being swelled by torrential rains weeks earlier, began falling last weekend. The Englishes said they noticed the drop-off Monday.
By Wednesday, the manmade lake - normally seven to 10 feet deep in spots - had been reduced to a mucky, stinky mess.

David Taylor, a geologist who inspected the lakebed Wednesday, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the sinkhole was formed when water eroded the limestone deep underground and created pockets in the rock. The sinkhole was 'like a ticking time bomb.'
The lake and surrounding housing development date to the late 1980s. The development now includes more than 670 condominiums and houses, about one-tenth of them bordering the lake."

Now, we must keep in mind, friends and neighbors, that this has taken place very near the New Madrid Fault

An eyewitness account from a man who lives by the lake: "...large bass and carp were flipping so much that they buried themselves in the mud, and finally I could see the tear that sucked in 25 to 30 million gallons of water, and 20 acres, in about 3 days. It looks like a large, circular fault line. "

None of the news accounts I have read have mentioned it yet, but my intuition says that this is directly related to the New Madrid Fault. Scientists have been predicting for decades now that a devastating earthquake will take place centering on this fault in the Mississippi valley.

"Three earthquakes occurred in 1811 and 1812 near New Madrid, MO. They are among the Great earthquakes of known history, affecting the topography more than any other earthquake on the North American continent. Judging from their effects, they were of a magnitude of 8.0 or higher on the Richter Scale. They were felt over the entire United States outside of the Pacific coast. Large areas sank into the earth, new lakes were formed, the course of the Mississippi River was changed, and forests were destroyed over an area of 150,000 acres. Many houses at New Madrid were thrown down. "Houses, gardens, and fields were swallowed up" one source notes. But fatalities and damage were low, because the area was sparsely settled then."

For comparative purposes, the great San Francisco earthquake of 1989 was a 7.1.

Growing up in Iowa near the Mississippi, I remember feeling a small earthquake that occurred around New Madrid, Mo. I was putting on shoes and the shaking caused me to lose my balance, nearly falling out of my chair. My mom felt it, too. I looked up and her hanging plant was swinging. It was only, if I recall correctly, around a 3.0. The next time may not be nearly as mild and may very well be coming quite soon.

Tattoo of the Day

oh, sweet, lovely, mezmerizing celtic knots...

The Feds

Let's just get this out of the way...I think I am paranoid.

I have been noticing these cars around the city...big, black Chevys with no frills - seemingly made to deliberately look inconspicuous. They have antennas on the trunk lids and some pretty sophisticated GPS system type crap on the dash, however. I've seen several...been seeing them more and more. I started paying attention a few days ago, trying to tell if it is the same car I keep seeing. Could be the same car, I suppose, but the driver keeps changing.

They are usually driven by very straight-edge looking guys in black suits and sunglasses. I kid you not. At first, I thought they were undercover cops, but I'm starting to wonder. I don't think they're cops...they're feds. WTF? Why are there so many federal agents driving around in Des Moines, Iowa?



Just another one of those things that make you go "hmmmmmm...?". (yes, I do remember the song)

By the way, much to my dismay, my shoes are still sucking and farting. Go here if you don't have any clue what I am talking about. It sucks (no pun intended) but I don't give a shit.

Swedish Ham Balls

I made these last night. It's my Grandma's 100+ year old family recipe. She was famous for them in her little town. I had forgotten how good they are. If anyone wants the recipe, leave a comment w/e-mail and I'll gladly share.

Well, I've had a shitty, pissy, pukey morning (not LITERALLY, mind you but wow, that's a lot of body fluids), but things are looking up. Went home and had a couple of left over ham balls (makes me giggle to say the name), then drove to Starbucks to get me a big fat iced mocha. Jammed in the car to two of my favorite tunes (cranked full blast, of course) - Duality (Slipknot) and Slither (Velvet Revolver). Man, they sound good loud. Beautiful day, sun is shining, 77 degrees. Hmmmm...lovely therapy.

I'm feeling much better now.

Tattoo of the Day

In honor of Flag Day...

The List Game

Directions:
1. Copy this whole list into your journal.
2. Bold the things that are true.
3. Link back to the person you copied from.

{from the Tease)

01.I am perfectly content to sit by myself for hours listening to the same songs over and over again.
02. I'm a loud person.
03. I would love to do country line dancing.
04. I don't really care about...anything.
05. I can completely lose myself in a song.
06. Driving aimlessly while blasting music is therapeutic.
05. I love fall.
06. I hate turtleneck sweaters.
07. My friends mean the world to me.
08. I also hate when people TypE LyKe D1s.
09. I only get 3-4 hours of sleep a night sometimes.
10. I believe that even if they work, long distance relationships still suck.
11. Computers suck <-- but i need them
12. I don't like people
13. I like shopping for shoes.
14. I don't like studying.
15. After high school I'm going to Law school.
16. Sometimes I feel like passing out in the middle of the floor for no reason.
17. I want to go to Europe.
18. I have a lot to learn.
19. I'm vegetarian.
20. I sometimes like to watch the rain and think.
21. I like pop music.
22. Johnny Depp is beautiful. [sexxxy]
23. Groups of the same kind of people make me sick.
24. I can type rather fast.
25. I wish I could sleep better.
26. I wish love was like a movie.
27. I'm not a huge fan of the holidays.
28. I like the movie Star Wars
29. I want to win the lottery one day.
30. I like the Starting Line.
31. I trust people way too easily.
32. I don't have a job.
33. I dont like a lot of people.
34. I like to go stargazing.
35. I know a lot of people, but only have a few close friends.
36. I'm easy to get along with i think
37. I can be a very aggressive person.
38. I like having "beauty nights" with my friends.
39. I need to find something I'm talented in and stick to it.
40. I'm very insecure, even though I don't show it.
41. I really enjoy thoughtful gifts, even if they cost nothing.
42. I never want to live in Australia.
43. I'm too aggressive.
44. I love flavored lipgloss
45. Sometimes words can actually hurt me more than sticks and stones.
46. The movie Honey makes me sick.
47. I like holding hands more than anything.
48. I have no life.
49. Sometimes, I like spending time alone.
50. I'm not a big fan of relationships.
51. It needs to be quiet and dark for me to fall asleep.
52. I miss being kissed.
53. I love to find money in my coat pockets.
54. In the winter i never want to leave my house.
55. I wish I was good with directions.
56. I'm pretty good with forgetting about things.
57. I like to read childrens stories.
58. I dye/cut my hair way too much.
59. Emotional neediness scares the crap out of me.
60. Hearing people say they miss me, when I thought they didn't care, makes me smile.
61. I like the beach.
62. One of my favorite movies is Life as a House.
63. I'm very loud.
64. I feel like something's missing, even though I'm pretty content with my life right now.
65. My hair has a mind of it's own, and that mind is a paranoid schizophrenic.
66. I think meat is gross!
67. For the most part I don't care what anyone thinks of me.
68. I don't like having a boyfriend/girlfriend.
69. the song iris by the goo goo dolls is one of my favorite songs.
70. I've never (really truly) been in love.
71. I get really excited about girls/boys who play acoustic guitar.
72. I have never seen E.T.
73. I am drawn to intellect and humor.
74. I want my hair to be long but I can never grow it out.
75. I hate when people do things just to look important.
76. I love the game twister.
77. I'm not old-fashioned.
78. I watch a lot of TV
79. I'm not picky about anything.
80. I like acting like a kid.
81. I don't understand why everyone feels the need to be obsessed with star shaped things.
82. Music plays a big part in my life.
83. I hate the word "emo"
84. I want silky smooth skin.
85. I love Oprah.
86. Sometimes I think to myself: Wow. People are really stupid.
87. Stupid people annoy me.
88. I may sound sarcastic but I really am serious.
89. I can forgive and forget.
90. I like being mean to people I don't know.
91. I can't stand ignorance.
92. Really tall people scare me.
93. I hate snow.
94. I love to laugh.
95. I don't listen to people that much.
96. I HATE hello kitty gear.
98. I think people throw the word love around too much.
99. I am outgoing
100. I hate when people always have to sound smart like when they correct the teacher.

Buzzzzzzzzz

Been busy as a bee today and yesterday and just haven't had time to blog... POUT

I can AT LEAST do a tattoo of the day, though...

Tattoo of the Day

Kind of goes along with...

There is No Banana!

Tattoo of the Day

Yes, I am an Aries. Has anyone guessed that yet? It is fairly obvious if you know me and know anything about astrology. This is a cool tatt that belongs to, I assume, a fellow fire child. It is a little too satanic-looking for my taste, but very well done as far as tattoos go.

Splashing Around in this Shallow Water

Lots of "interesting" tidbits that have caught my eye over the weekend...

OJ the Idiot
OJ Simpson, our fairest example of living proof that lots of money can get you out of anything, granted a couple of interviews to mark the tenth anniversary of murdering the murder of his ex-wife Ms. Brown. Details...

Falling Body Parts
A swanky boat party near Long Island this weekend was interrupted by a severed human hand falling from the sky onto the deck of the boat. Gee...guess that would be kind of a buzz-kill. I'd link to the news story, but there really is nothing more to tell. Police say they have "no idea" where it came from. It's a mystery. Perhaps they should check to see if Abu Musab al-Zarqawi or any of his buddies happened to be flying around the area at the time.

J-Lo Got Married...Again
The main question that comes to my mind is..."who really gives a shit!?!"
Maybe now the media will shut up about her. Although it might be fun to start a contest betting on how long it will last...

Fear & Loathing
I watched Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas several times this weekend. Amazing how Johnny Depp transformed himself into Hunter S. Thompson. He is incredible. It is a very, very entertaining film. Don't stop here, this is bat country!
What does this say about me? Hmmm...

Death of a President
This is what was on my TV screen after Fear & Loathing ended Saturday Evening. My heart began to race and I got very excited until they moved on to announce that it was President REAGAN that had passed away. Dang. Anyway...RIP, Dutch.

For My Male Readers..
I leave you with Understanding the Female Orgasm. Read it, know it, live it. LOL

Tattoo of the Day

These babies belong to Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. I just think they're pretty groovy and Chester is my favorite little screamer. My only suggestion to improve on these would have been to put some sort of bracelet like "cuff" on them.

I really want to go see the Projekt Revolution tour!

Carb'd Out

I am so sick of hearing all about this carb/Atkins craze crap. Low carb sodas, carb friendly fast food, carb carb carb...ACK! I am so tired of it! Seems everyone is jumping on the low carb bandwagon. Now, I like a good steak, meat is good, eggs are cool...fine. I don't, however, see how a diet that pays no attention to fat intake can be good for you. Your body needs things that can only be found in fruits, breads and such and it seems to me that you would be robbing your system of vital nutrition. Anyway, whatever happened to eating wisely and in a balanced manner and exercising?

Dr. Atkins died and the autopsy revealed that he was overweight, had blocked arteries and various other health problems. Great example, folks.

The next time I see or hear another ad about yet another company that has jumped on the Atkins bandwagon, I am going to scream.

GIVE ME BREAD!!!

Botanical Murder

Mowing the yard stinks. It is a pain in the ass and I can never get the damn mower to start.

So Pod, my neighbor I told about the other day, comes over trying to sell me something so he can get some beer & cigarette cash. I don't want his junk, so he ended up being hired to mow the lawn to the tune of $10. Fair deal. Being Margarita night, we go to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. Upon return, Pod is just finishing the yard.

I notice that a couple of annuals are broken at the edge of one bed...no big deal, they're just annuals & easily replaced. It can happen.

Mind you, I have quite an elaborate layout of plantings...herbs and flowers mostly. MOST of them are in flower beds/gardens with borders, but some are not. I weed on a regular basis, so it is pretty clear (or at least I thought so) what is grass and what is herb/flower.

Walking across the patio, I glance over at the garbage can an notice a large amount of foliage peeking out. Hmmm...what's this? I peek in and my heart begins to race...it looks like branches from my butterfly bush and coneflower stems! I zip around the corner to be greeted by a huge naked patch next to my house. There USED to be a large butterfly bush, lots of gladiolas and three huge bunches of purple coneflowers there. Now, there is bare dirt. He ripped them all up. They were just about to start blooming, all of them. This was one of the spots where the plantings do not have a border around them, so I guess he thought they were weeds.

I am just sick. I kept a firmly clenched grip on my anger and did not rip him a new asshole, but I did tell him about the problem. It quickly became perfectly clear to him (with the help of the tears welling up in my eyes) that I was heartbroken.

I know, they're just stupid flowers...but they are my escape. When I am feeling bad, I submerge myself in them and breathe in their healing aromas. It always works. I have spent the last couple of months planting, weeding, watering, and caring for them just to have them murdered.

Pod said that he would replace the plants. I guess that's noble, but they sure won't be blooming this year. He feels like an idiot. The glads and coneflowers are some of my favorites that I cut and bring into work to brighten my office. The butterfly bush was given to me as a birthday gift. I like to photograph the flowers when in full bloom.

The bush might survive since he didn't rip out it's roots. The coneflowers - not sure, looked like roots were gone, too. The glads are bulbs, so they'll probably come back next year.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with this big naked spot in a yard otherwish filled with herbs and flowers. Guess that's what I get for not mowing the yard myself. Arg!

Tattoo du Jour

I like this sad little gargoyle. I am impressed by the way the artist did the little monster's skin. Very detailed.

Tattoo of the Day

Can you say OUCH!? I would like to see the front view to see how the ends were finished. This one is really unique. Wonder how long it took...

What Kind of Freak are You?

Get out the hats and let's have a big ol'pity
party. You're repressed. You've got the gift,
but it looks like you're waiting for
something--like a swift kick in the arse. Don't
deny your inner freak. You want to be weird,
people already think you're weird, so stop
fighting it.

Smythe Reisner Abnormality Index (aka Freak Quiz!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Tell me something I didn't already freakin' know!

Memorial Day

Every Memorial Day, our family gets together for a barbeque. We enjoy the day together, camaraderie and good food.

I always spend at least part of the day thinking about my Uncle Davey. My favorite uncle, who lives a few hours away, is a WWII vet. Davey was in one of the groups that landed on Omaha Beach...you know, the battle from the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. Yep...he was there. Only 7 of the men from his group survivied. He was forced to lay low in the edge of the water as it grew more and more red from the blood of his fallen fellow soldiers before a break in the firing gave him the chance to run. It was literally, for him, a blood bath. After that, they went on into France and continued their missions.

Davey did not talk much about the war for years and years after returning. It wasn't until he was about 70 that he was finally able to open up and tell his fascinating stories. He was married when he went off to war...had two little children (a son and a daughter) that he left behind.

Thank you, Uncle Davey, for your sacrifice, bravery and service to our country.

After returning from the war the experience had shaken him and changed him so much that his marriage fell apart, and his wife took the kids and left him. Although he paid child support for both of them through college, their mother lied to them and told them that he did not want anything to do with them. His letters to them were discarded and they never saw them. It broke Davey's heart.

Davey mentioned to me, one time, how much he would like to see his son. He only mentioned it once.

I got into geneaology a few years ago, and had posted some inquiries regarding my ancestors on several message boards. One day, I got an e-mail from a Chuck Burns (my grandmother's maiden name and Davey's surname) asking about the Burns family. I told him a little bit about the Burns clan, and asked him how he was related. It turns out that this man was Davey's son! It had been 40 years since he had seen his father - the last time being when he was a young boy. I corresponded with him for a while, and told him what a wonderful, loving man his father is. He initially did not want to make contact with Davey, but I assured him that Davey would love nothing more than to hear from him. With my urging and reassurance, Chuck contacted Davey by writing him a letter. They spoke on the phone a few times and that spring, on Father's Day, Chuck and his wife drove to Iowa from Oklahoma to pay Davey a surprise visit. Davey said it was one of the most wonderful days of his whole life.

Davey now has his son back in his life. I am so happy that I was able to help get them back together. It is the best gift I could have ever given to him.