My arm gets a new pulse.

To begin this post, I want to refer to one of my favorite online references, Dictionary.com.

The word TRUST is defined there as: Reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

So, who earns trust? Well, Wife for one. She has my complete and total trust. That’s not something a person simply gives out freely or on a whim. Family has my trust. Certain friends have my trust.

And now Glenn has my trust.

Anyone reading this is probably thinking, “Who is this Glenn you speak of?”

As it turns out he is a tattoo artist (Thank goodness I broke this news to Mom a little while ago, I don’t know if she could have handled it delivered in this venue. Sis, well, sorry, but this is what you get).

For quite some time now I have had the growing desire to get a tattoo. Wife, as many people know and some people don’t, has many. Very tasteful. Very neat. And they are a part of her. They all have meaning to her, even her little tattoo of Yoda has a certain meaning that she holds dear.

OK, enough about her, lets move on to me. After all, I am the author here and this blog is all about me.

So, back to a growing desire. I have put a lot of thought into this, about five years worth (at least I can say I went into this with plenty of forethought). There were certain things I wanted to accomplish here. I wanted it to be tasteful. I will not have anything below the sleeve of a short sleeve shirt. I want it to have symbolism that’s important to me.

So, who are the two people in my life that mean the most to me? Well, obviously that would be Wife and Ben. Wife and I have been looking at the Chinese Fu Lions for quite some time. They come in pairs. They are typically found outside Chinese temples and palaces. They are male and female. The male sits on the left side, the female on the right. The male holds an orb under his paw representing something treasured and important. The female holds under her paw a cub, representing children and value of life.

This general definition fits into my criteria perfectly. So, tasteful and meaningful design has been chosen. Next on the list, to find the appropriate artist to accomplish this task.

I did quite a lot of internet searching for a proper place and person. Wife, who was extremely excited about this project (and very jealous) said we could pretty much go anywhere that would make me comfortable. So I broadened my search outside the area, and came across Triangle Tattoo and Museum: Art With a Pulse.

Triangle Tattoo is located in beautiful Fort Bragg, CA. The scenery there is fairly similar to that of our hometown of Eureka. Port town, right on the ocean, and the weather is similar. However, if one is interested, SCUBA diving is infinitely better in the Fort Bragg area than here in Humboldt. The difference in water clarity is absolutely amazing.

So I got on the web site and did a little investigating. Triangle Tattoo has been in Fort Bragg for over 25 years (aka: well established). The head honcho, Mr. G, has written numerous articles for Skin and Ink Magazine (aka: he is well respected). Madame Chinchilla has written articles and books, and also is an artist (aka: also well respected). Over all, I could find nothing wrong with Triangle Tattoo. Time to look into artists.

After looking at their portfolios on line, I came down to two: Professor H. Glenn, and Erin Honest.

I called to make my appointment, told the friendly gal on the other end of the line I wanted to make an appointment, and then told her I was undecided about who I wanted to do the work. She asked me what I was looking for and maybe she could help with that decision. In the end, she recommended Glenn.

She was right on. I emailed a couple of pictures to Glenn. One I found on the internet of a Fu Lion statue and another I had hand drawn (mind you, this was a very rough sketch). Then I had to wait. I arranged this appointment over a month in advance, so there was quite a bit of waiting.

The day of the appointment Wife and I arrived about an hour early, wanting to get a look at the artwork in case there were any last minute changes to make. I couldn’t have asked for it to look any more like what I wanted. No revisions needed.

For the first sitting, I was in the fighting chair for about five and a half hours. Second sitting, about a month and half later, was four and a half hours. The finished product, as I see it, is something I’ll be happy to be living with for the rest of my life. Both Wife and I are very extremely pleased with the end result.

So to Glenn, I say this, “You are the man!” To Erin, who was doing an amazing piece while Glenn was finishing my arm, I say this, “I need to have you do something for me in the future.” And to Madame Chinchilla, Wife and I both say this, “We hope your tooth issues are resolved and you’re feeling better.”

Thanks to Triangle Tattoo, and especially Glenn, for putting your Pulse on me.

Blogging Old School. Yeah, pen and ink.

***If you have trouble reading this as it is, simply click on the picture, and open it up as a much larger and easier to read picture***

***PS - This post turned out to look exactly as I wanted it to.  I'm so proud of myself***

A little photo documentation.

OK, so I had planned to do this the other day, but in the end, my own laziness got the better of me and I failed miserably to follow through. 

So now, when I should be sleeping, I am wide awake and fighting a budding head cold which is making me miserable.  But enough with the unpleasantries, on with the show.

On Tuesday I was awake and it was indeed beautiful out, so I actually did grab my little camera and headed out to see some of the things I rarely take advantage of, or at least on a regular basis take for granted.  What follows is a little photo essay with some small commentaries by yours truly.  

Good looking sunrise? Check!  Camera? Check!  Off I go.  First stop was the pier at the end of Del Norte Street.  For those of you unfamiliar with this, its back behind Costco.  And for reference, I believe its the only place in Eureka where you don't have to have a fishing license.

While there I found a younger fellow tossing a crab trap over the side. In his 5 gallon polly bucket he had even had crab!

Awesome.  For those who have never had it, fresh crab is like to fillet mignon of the sea!  So tasty, and so readily available here its really a shame to never take advantage of it.  If you don't know someone with a boat who goes crabbing, there is always fresh crab for sail at the marina.

The North Coast is crawling with berry vines.  My own back yard is crawling with it, and its a management nightmare!  however, this vine here was catching a the sun just right and looked kind of neat.  So here it is.  Apparently its possible to to love and hate these crazy vines.

After hanging out here for a little while I then made my way to Woodly Island.  One of the marinas here in town.  There, one the west side of the island is the tribute to fisherman lost at sea.

Called "The Fisherman," he is a tribute to those "whom the sea sustained... and those it claimed."

So there you have it, a little photo-documentation of sights to see here on the North Coast. 

Now, over the weekend, Wife and I went to Fort Bragg to get away from life here for a day or two, and to finish a small project.  I'll be posting the trip here in the next day or two. 

Stay tuned.

Awake and ready to go, apparently.

Its currently 9:01 in the AM.  I am awake, a rather large accomplishment considering I work night shift, and its absolutely gorgeous outside.

This was the sunrise over my backyard this morning.  So now I am left with the quandry:  What shall I do today? 

I have the urge to get the camera and just drive around for a while and provide some photo documentation of my area and the goings on here, and in all likelyhood, thats what I am going to do (and besides, that will give me a good excuse to go to Smugs Pizza for lunch, never a bad idea!).

So, apparently this is just a teaser.  There should be more to follow later this afternoon.

The secret is out, I make a pretty good chili!!

OK, at the request of my adoring fans, I am posting the recipe to one of my favorite dishes: 

My Super Secret Chili.

Some of you may be thinking, "Well, if he posts it, will it not be public? Hence, no longer super secret?"

To answer this question, I refer you to one of the more simple words in the English language: Yes.

And now, presenting my Super Secret Chili Recipe!!

First, the ingredients:

1.25 lbs extra lean ground beef
1 med onion (or in my case, usually 2/3 of a large onion), diced
1 package of fresh mushrooms, sliced and diced to desired size
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
chili powder
cumin
Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, freshly pressed
salt and pepper
EVVO (thats Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

One of the best parts about this? A one pot wonder!  In a larger stock pot, pour a little oil into the bottom.  Begin to heat on med-high heat.  Add ground beef.  Add in Worcestershire to taste (I like more than less, but thats just me).  Add in chili powder and cumin to taste (don't worry if you are afraid to go overboard before being able to taste it, we can add more chili powder later).  Brown the meat, then remove it using a slotted spoon.  There should be some residual sauce and a little beef grease left in the pan.

Add the shrooms and onions and garlic.  Begin stirring immediately, coating the veggies in the juice left over from the beef.  Next, as the onions are softening up, add in a little more chili powder, and a little more cumin.  I wish I could give specific measurements here, but I eyeball all of this, so I can't.  Once the onions cook down a little, add the tomatoes and kidney beans.  Lets these new ingredients meld flavors with the former occupants of your pot for about 5 minutes.  Once this is done, add the ground beef back in.  Let it come to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

I have found the longer you let it simmer, the better the overall flavor.  However!! If you let it go to long it cooks down to much and you lose some of the vital tomato juice that gives it its somewhat soupy consistency, and that is bad.  The longest I would go is about 30 minutes here.

Taste it after about 15 minutes.  This is when you can add more seasonings to suite your tastes.  The salt is added sparingly here, but I love to add freshly ground pepper.

Once its done, scoop into a bowl, top with a little cheese and a dollop of sour cream and its a pretty healthy and over all very tasty meal.

And now my secret is out.