I love PUMA shoes. I love ADIDAS shelltops. I like the nose of the shoe I like how they form to my feet. I float in their soles and I can bust a symphony all night wearing down beats

For the two companies mentioned above I thank you. I thank you for being meticulous in all areas of a shoe – design, comfort, material, stitch work and especially the main concern which is how happy a foot is meant to be and then exceed it.

These shoes I miss terribly and had a parting ceremony when they had reached their bitter end. R.I.P

If your interested in a great voice check out - http://petephilly.com

i have learned to accept things as they truly are not what I would like them to be.

i have learned to view scenarios as they may appear to others.

i have learned to listen to the words you say and find meaning in the speak.

i have learned to see love in all which there is life.

i have learned the courage in asking when the answer is not clear.

i have learned to endure hardships I would not wish upon another.

i have learned to assemble from pieces into something whole.

i am learning, adapting and adjusting as best I know how.

I am in the now.

We are to be.

Enjoi!

Plan B – Prayin’ (Breakage Remix) – Dubstep

Omar LinX – Jackie Boy (Produced By Zeds Dead)

Lykke Li – Get Some remix by Beck

ADELE ‘Rolling In The Deep’ (Studio Footage)

DatNewCudi.com: KiD CuDi – Soundtrack 2 My Life

Feist – I Feel it all (Diplo remix)

Kings Of Leon – Closer – Sekklow Remix (Dubstep)

Blueprint – “Radio-Inactive”

In no particular order I present these literary works that changed me

I love all forms of art but the written word, being held in a printed book, with no other distractions is a place I will always covet as both special and vital to my peace of mind. This is only a partial list but I hope if your reading this, maybe you will go and take one out from the library (not buy) because there is enough tree killing in the world and how many times do you re-read a book you have bought to justify the purchase? If you have any that you have read that fundamentally changed your outlook or altered your personality – post it in the comments. Enjoi!

1. Ishmael – Daniel Quinn
2. Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
3. Utilitarianism – John Stuart Mills
4. Hocus Pocus – Kurt Vonnegut
5. Catcher In the Rye – J.D. Salinger
6. The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
7. A Million Little Pieces – James Frey
8. A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle
9. On The Road – Jack Kerouac
10. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
11. Lord of The Flies – William Golding
12. The Chrysalids – John Wyndham
13. The Tao of Pooh – Benjamin Hoff
14. Harold and the Purple Crayon – Crockett Johnson
15. Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
16. Goodnight Moon – Margaret Wise Brown
17. Man’s search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
18. Rumble fish – S.E. Hinton
19. The Stand – Stephen King
20. Slaughter House Five – Kurt Vonnegut
21. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – Judith Viorst
22. Heavier than heaven – Charles Cross
23. Where The Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
24. The Republic – Plato
25. Animal Farm – George Orwell

were coming up on the tempo

lettin’ go, livin it slow 
and lettin’ it be known.

That your harms way

cant make pay-mints

for my faded tricks

in ones mindset

trips and spits like the yell-oh of tulips.

To my numbest nerve 
of my forgotten self

I resurrect 
like the Easter Bunny felt.

Beatrix Potter and the fuzzy minds of one

short some imagination? Self servin’ coma’s

care of the tv and the gun.

That solution is force fed 
like breast milk

yet unsaid 
to why do we taste 
what we’ve not been fed

and why do we ask the questions

born of empty promises

unfelt, unsaid by the living dead


.

Its insatiable 
like the wheel rocking rodent,

caged animal
 that is my brain

teeter-totter balance to be thrown off or to be made

into something in the way like Cobain saw in yesterday

Its not one fish two fish three fish more

I
 speak my mind

cause and effect

its all been said before

I have a couple…maybe one or two and I love all the ink that is on my body. I thought it might help people understand why someone would want to get permanent ink on their body if I explained my take on it.

The act of tattooing is as old as dirt, seriously. The documented history of tattooing can be read over at the wikipedea page which states that it has been around since 3300 BC. Has it come along way since then, I think that would be a fair assumption. The meaning of the word tattoo comes from the Tahitian word “tatu” which translates as “to mark something“.

It is a permanent decision. It must be something that is important enough to mark on your body. It may be a date or a person a shape or a feeling but it will be remembered like a birth of a child or a traumatic experience. Everyone that has ever had a tattoo can recollect the act as well as the meaning behind why they did it. It does not  matter if you think it is a valid reason. It does not matter if you like the design or the placement. What should matter or that you take notice is that the person you are looking at that has “inked” themselves has made a decision. A decision beyond any doubt, that the marking is to capture a time or place or feeling with their own body.

I get the biggest rush when I hear the machine. The beginning of a tattoo, a moment in history that I will never forget – each time extremely personal and life changing. One of the hardest things for myself to grapple with is the fact that I must trust another human to represent my art (I designed all of mine) and apply it on my body. The tattooist is an artist not like any other. He/She needs to understand the human condition. The science and biology of the human body. Its internal muscle breakdowns. They are also working with a canvas which is constantly in a state of emotional and physical flux. The tattoo artist is also a social worker, guidance counselor, confidant, life coach, interpreter and realist, if you are lucky enough to have a great tattooist. All but one of my tattoos have been beautifully done by Wes Virtanen in Toronto. He has been working on my canvas for over 8 years and I have not met another soul who I trust interpreting my art like I do Wes.

So back to some questions -

Does it hurt?

Absolutely. Not all of it, not the whole time. Some areas of the body are more sensitive then others. People have different pain tolerance. One thing is for sure. The feeling you get when the tattoo needles go into you during the outline or the fill is like nothing you have ever felt. The feeling subsides quickly and then it is just a humming of sorts that your skin has been repeatedly punctured. Its all for the love of it and make sure it is because its on for life. For me – I had moments where I asked to scream through it – it was the only way. Others from start to finish were hardly noticed. The days following are a little uncomfortable because the healing of the skin is tightening all around it. Each tattoo artist will direct you in the proper care of a tattoo and so you should listen well to avoid infection or damage to your beatiful piece of living art.

Why would you do that to your body?

There is no definitive answer to why someone decides to permanently mark themselves or inflict discomfort and pain willingly and pay for it. I know from my experience which is all that I have, it was the concept of permanency. It is also the love and mad respect for the art of tattooing. Each one of my tattoos were designed to represent moments of great importance or concepts that are vital to my person. I wear these like badges of honour. Tattoos are also a tool for the ancient art of story telling. To the naked eye it is an image or words on someone’s skin. That image or text had meaning enough to go through the process. It is a story of the process itself. Lastly, it introduces people not necessarily curious about the act or the culture. It appeals to all races, cultures, ages, class and financial category. The people that have viewable ink are a walking gallery for the artform as much as they are an exhibit for the individual tattoo artist.

How did you decide on the tattoo?

My process has always been to think, contemplate, rework, reposition an image until I am absolute in my conviction. There can be no wavering in conviction. What does this mean to me? Is this a fad or a feeling that will subside or do I LOVE what I am going to place on my body. As I have stated before, I design all of mine from scratch and then hand it over to Wes Virtanen. Wes then interprets and transforms the art that I provided him into a living collaboration. Some of my designs took years to finalize before I could hand them over and others were clear and fast in revealing themselves to me.

Tattoo’s are a choice and with that choice follows reactions.

Reactions to tattoos  are favourable and others are less than that, to say the least. Be prepared for people to treat you differently and accept the fact that if the window of opportunity presents itself, you should take it to educate the person on your love of tattooing and what it means to you. I have educated people on my choice and it helped them see tattooing in a different light. Understand that tattoos are associated with certain activities – although this is changing – it still exists. Know this going in and realize that FAIR is just a four letter word. I have never been ashamed or ever wanted to hide my tattoos but is it a choice that may have limited some business opportunities…possibly. I am also from a frame of mind that if that is a limiting factor then I do not choose to do business with that company or person. Action – Reaction. Live it love it

The art of tattooing will always be and I thank all artists that have picked up the tattoo gun and made history with another person. If you would like to get in touch with a great tattoo artist in Toronto I highly recommend Wes Virtanen at www.tattoosbywes.com. If he is booked then I imagine he can steer you in the right direction of another trusted artist. If you have an opinion on tattoos I would love to hear it. Bring on the noise.