Entries in "April, 2007"

New Tattoo

I spent a few bucks and finally got the cover up tattoo I have been avoiding for some time. Here is a little background on it..

The year is 1995. I am a young punk and want to get a tattoo across my stomach. I invite over an old friend who was pretty good at drawing. I had build a home made tattoo gun out of a pen, tape player motor, a cheap remote from a remote control car, button, guitar string and a double A battery. This is the same setup used in most prisons. Don't ask how I know about these. Well, literally 25% of the way in, my mother walked in on us. Needless to say she wasn't happy! That ended the tattoo right then and there. I was 15 and walking around with a 25% of a shitty tattoo on my stomach.

Zoom to 2003. I am not 23 and vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. My buddy, who originally invited us, suggested I finally get the original 25% covered up with a new tattoo. I had been putting it off for so long because it _really_ hurts on your stomach. I figured why not, the time is right, I might as well get it over with. We ended up meeting this guy who also happened to be from Southern California and owned a tattoo parlor in town. I go down, meet the artist, agree on a pattern & price and get to work. About two hours later, I was done, and not very happy. My cover up, was horrible and would require a cover up :(

On to Apr. 26th, 2007. I am visiting family in Albuquerque. There is an awesome tattoo artist here named Dave Martinez. He is well known in the tattoo community and has also done 2 tattoo's on me before. I wanted to get a cover up for my cover up and finally end the humiliation. It's been a few years since I had Dave give me a tattoo and apparently, his star is really rising. His rates more than doubled and he is completely booked up until OCTOBER! Ouch! I didn't give up. There is a second shop that I heard a lot of good things about, it is called Route 66, Fine Line Tattoos. I went by and consulted with Gilbert Vasquez. I had the idea to use a centaur in some sort of "mist" so everything that needed to be covered up, would be. I had my father in law draw me up a pattern. He is an awesome artist! He came up with a centaur in about 20 minutes. I had an appointment with Gilbert the next morning at 11am.

It's the next morning, 11 AM. I have been dreading this for some time. I do remember how much it hurt the first 2 times I attempted this on my stomach. About 20x more intense than on my arm, back, chest, etc. We had scheduled a 4 hour session to knock it out. I wasn't nervous, just anxious to get it over with. Gilbert knocked it out in 2 hours, 45 minutes. Result? F'n awesome! Very happy with the results! You can see the photo of it on my flickr account.

I will post more pictures in a few weeks once its completely healed. I should have taken "before" pictures so you can see what an amazing job he really did! Doh!

This was a long and rambling post, sorry about that. Just thought it was funny to tell how it all worked out. Beat up tattoo as a teen, worse cover up, and finally the huge tattoo needed to fix it all. Eesh!

Technorati Tags: albuquerque, fantasy, life, tattoo

Albucrazy, New Mexico

Yet again, I am making the trip to Albuquerque. This time I am taking the 2 gremlins I own to visit their grand parents. I will be back on the 30th. Since there are a few of us going, we are driving the entire 850 mile (give or take) trip. This is where my iPod and Sirius Satellite Radio come in handy! I've done this drive a hundred times and it's really not that great :) Going through the Flagstaff, AZ area is definitely the most scenic part of this trek. The rest is mostly flat lands, with lots of rocks. Oh, and if you haven't been to Needles, Ca in the dead of the summer... Well you're missing out!</sarcasm>

Technorati Tags: albuquerque, birthday, ipod, life, new mexico

Bush Family Ties To Nazi's

Found this video trolling the internet today. It makes some very serious claims about the current president, George W. Bush. I am definitely not a fan of our current administration, but this video is a bit dangerous. This investigative reporter claims that the Bush family fortune began with helping in the laundering of Nazi money. Even claims that his family tree had part in a plot to form a facist government here in the states, mirroring the tactics of Nazi Germany. You be the judge!

Watch the video

Technorati Tags: crime, george w bush, hitler, nazi

Sanjaya... Noooooooo!!

So Sanjaya was voted off American Idol last night. Shit! All my wasted votes! I could care less about the show. I might have seen 2 episodes in my life. Still, I found myself as part of the Sanjaya movement! Why? Well, it's funny. Why not? Since Kelly Clarkson, there really hasn't been any Idol winners that have "IT" and this season is no exception (heh, so I'm told.)

How did I get started voting for Sanjaya? Two Words: Howard Stern. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a die hard Stern fan. I rarely miss a show and as silly as it sounds, it's fun to participate in the few things we are able to, like the Sanjaya Movement. Did I really get a kick out of voting? Well, yes. I had fun voting, then listening the next morning to everyone call in and say how many times they voted. While I've never called the show, it still put a smile on my face!

"Big Ups" to VoteForTheWorst.com. Combined with the legion of Stern fans, we kept Sanjaya around much longer than he deserved. We almost won, maybe next time we will!

Sanjaya is dead. Long live Sanjaya! (not exactly appropriate, but 'meh')

Technorati Tags: american idol, howard stern, sanjaya

Blackberry Pearl

Saturday, I picked up a new Blackberry Pearl which is replacing my old Blackberry 8700g. At first, the smaller phone and especially keyboard was annoying to me. The more I use it, the more I like the interface. Nothing can replace the full keyboard imho, but the rest of the phones navigation is superior. I especially like the roll ball navigation, as opposed to the scroll wheel on the 8700. Again, the biggest adjustment is the keyboard but I am getting the hang of it. The word prediction on this phone is much better than any other device I have used.

Another great feature is the camera! It may be the nicest camera phone I have ever seen. The camera is a 1.3 megapixel and the photos are very nice (considering, it's a phone!) I have a few of them on my Groovr profile.

I will post an update on my feelings on the pearl in a week or so, once I've had more time to play.

Technorati Tags: blackberry, cell phone, pearl

Happy Birthday Modesty!

Today is my oldest daughters birthday! Her name is Modesty, and she is 8 year old today. Yes, I started early! Couldn't help myself. The devil made me do it. My wife was so aggressive. Something like that. Anyways, I wanted to wish her a happy birthday. Waiting on her return from soccer practice so we can have cake & ice cream!

Technorati Tags: birthday, life

The Imus Situation

I am so tired of this story. It's been blown so far out of proportion it's not even funny. Don't fire him for his sexist comment. Fire him because his ratings on both CBS Radio and MSNBC broadcast are among the lowest of his time slot. Now we have to listen to 2 huge racists themselves, Al Sharpton & Jesse Jackson, spew their BS all over the air waves.

Another great write up from Donklephant. Here is a quote:

Imus has been a so-called shock jock for a long time and has uttered an uncountable number of insensitive remarks over the years. CBS and NBC knew who he was and what he was likely to say. Yet this mildly racist, undeniably sexist comment gets him axed? Why? The answer is simple: the media needed the next sensationalistic story. Once that story was running nonstop, advertisers got scared and pulled away. CBS is just following its advertisers who are following the media who are following the immature, irresponsible, narrow-minded ideology that far too often masquerades as journalism these days.

Full article is here.

Technorati Tags: imus, politics, racism, stupid

eChores - Flickr

Keeping the various services, that we all use, up to date can be a pain! I haven't updated my Flickr account in some time. It is so out of date in fact that I simply deleted all my photos and started over from scratch. I am slowly adding "rolls" from my iPhoto into "sets" on Flickr. I have to admit, Flickr is very cool these days. Their newer utilities and geo tagging are awesome features. I know they might not be that new, but it literally has been a year since I used my account. heh.

So I am making an effort to ditch my current gallery install and use my Flickr account for all my photo sharing. I purchased the FlickrExport plugin for iPhoto. Now keeping it up to date is extremely easy. Just add them to Flickr as I import them from my camera. I can worry about organizing them later, when I have the time, via the Flickr website.

Currently I have about 3 sets up on the site, with more to come. I will spend another hour on this today (hopefully) and move on to something that doesn't involve a keyboard. Anything, as long as it doesn't involve a keyboard!

Anyways, check out my Flickr photos here.

Technorati Tags: flickr, life, photos

Illegal Gambling / 3.31.07 -> 4.06.07

Cockfighting club owner arrested for illegal gambling
KTBS - Shreveport,LA,USA
James Butler, 38, is charged with illegal gambling, money laundering, racketeering and contributing to the deliquency of juveniles. ...

GAMBLING: US ban on Internet payment is ruled illegal
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - St. Louis,MO,USA
The US ban on offshore Internet gambling payments is illegal, the World Trade Organization said Friday, upholding a previous decision that allowed for ...

Crackdown is incomplete
Fort Wayne Jounal Gazette - Fort Wayne,IN,USA
Long, a Fort Wayne Republican, wants to spend about $2 million for 25 excise police officers assigned to investigate illegal gambling. ...

Gambling sting nabs city stores
Berkshire Eagle - Pittsfield,MA,USA
At K&J Variety, owner Iqubal Sandhu denied that his business was involved in illegal gambling. He said there was "some confusion," and that his son was ...

Pa. taprooms fear crackdown on poker machines as casinos open
Centre Daily Times - Centre County,PA,USA
In the Lehigh Valley, agents cited 15 private clubs for illegal gambling in the first eight months of 2006. At least two dozen more were raided at the end ...

BETTING BAN RULED ILLEGAL
Free Market News Network - Pompano Beach,FL,USA
In order to comply with the WTO, the US government must retract its ban on Internet gambling, or it must ban all gambling including off-track betting. ...

Police arrest 4 at raid on poker club
Indianapolis Star - Indianapolis,IN,USA
In a continuing crackdown on illegal gambling, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department vice detectives raided a year-old poker club on the Far Westside ...

Gambling games not so innocent
MyFox Tampa Bay - Tampa Bay,FL,USA
But the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office calls it something else: Illegal gambling. "The slot machines are games of chance, not skill, which makes them ...

Authorities Shut Down Two Illegal Gambling Businesses
KTRE - Lufkin,TX,USA
by Ramonica R. Jones. The raids are a result of a joint investigation between the Trinity County Attorney's Office and Precinct 4 constable's office. ...

FBI Investigate Second Life for Illegal Gambling
Next Generation - Brisbane,CA,USA
... get involved in any illegal activities, it is still currently unclear whether or not Linden Lab are responsible for gambling in illegal virtual casinos. ...

Ex-fire captain, victim advocate charged in gambling operation
Charlotte Observer - Charlotte,NC,USA
A former fire captain and a victim advocate have been charged with running an illegal gambling operation in a convenience store, law enforcement officials ...

Online gambling bust nets 17
Forest Hills Ledger - Forest Hills,NY,USA
Police broke up a wide-scale illegal gambling operation which allegedly booked more than $30 million annually in wagers from a Long Island City strip club ...

Thirty-three charged in poker bust
Mineral Wells Index - Mineral Wells,TX,USA
INDIANAPOLIS — The latest in a string of raids on illegal gambling houses struck close to home for some area residents. Officers from the Indianapolis ...

Ozark's Little 'Las Vegas'
WTVY - Dothan,AL,USA
Ledbetter has been charged with 12 counts of possession of an illegal gambling device. He is now out on bond. This is the second gambling ring arrest in the ...

Technorati Tags: crime, gambling, news, sports

Sea World, Oh Joy!

First off, I haven't been updating much as I have been busy. I gave up my "career" as a consultant and accepted a new position. I now work at CheetahMail, an Experian Company. I am currently a Sys Admin based out of the El Segundo, CA office. I will try to update more often and discuss a wider range of topics. I'm sure everyone is getting bored of my gambling links, but damn it, it interests me!

On to our underwater adventures. Well, sort of. On April Fools Day - 2007, I was enjoying (read: stuck at) Sea World (San Diego, CA.) The place is a bit boring, but they do have a few cool exhibits. My favorite being the polar bears. But hey, the kids loved it and that's really what it's all about. *cough* Excuse me.

One real fun thing was, I took my 7 year old daughter on her first roller coaster ride. The only coaster Sea World has is called Journey to Atlantis. It's not the scariest thing, but it was more than enough for her first coaster ride. She was surprisingly a lot more calm than I had expected. As the ride started climbing she did look a little worried. At the first fall, they snapped a photo (which I did buy, at $14!!) and her face says it all. Hilarious!

Technorati Tags: cheetahmail, life, sea world, work