The Return of Victor's Ink

One of my favorite posts last year was my encounter with Victor, whose tattoos were numerous and wonderfully eclectic. The post was one of the first "tatalogs," as I call them, when a subject shares a multitude of their ink.

So, when I had just finished speaking with Austin about his sleeve, and saw a familiar face (and ink) hanging out in front of Fuse at the corner of 32nd and 7th, I ambled on over to say hi to Victor.

He had new tattoos, of course, and I soon had my camera out, adding to the tatalog.

I contacted him later to get the scoop on the work. Although he told me about it on the street, I didn't write any of it down, as I was too busy taking pictures. We've added five more pieces to the record here, and I'll let Victor narrate the rest:

The Divine Tattoo [just above his left wrist] was done by my cousin Ed Bonacore in the poconos. He is the only tattoo artist I really go to know. I trust him, he does good work. He works at this amazing shop in the Poconos called FUNHOUSE TATTOOING. The vibe there is cool from the colorful horror movie atmosphere, to all the artists and the friendly shop girl.

Anyway, I got the JOHN WATERS signature tattooed on [on my outer left forearm] last summer the day after I had met him with my best friend RUBY LAROCCA.


She got the same thing. She got him to sign his name to her arm as well! We make films and John Waters is one of our biggest influences so to have his mark on us for life is a reminder to keep making dangerous art.

I got the John Waters done at RED ROCKET TATTOO in NYC, I had to get it quick and fast so the autograph didn't fade. The artist's name slips my mind, but he was making a guest spot at that shop and he was originally from Texas. Red Rocket is one of the best shops in Manhattan.

So anyway, I got the autograph super big on my forearm, because in his movie Cecil B. Demented, all the characters get the favorite director tattooed on their arm. I though it would be pretty cool, to do that in real life, from the director that created that idea.

Back to Divine. Then I got the Divine tattoo because, how can't you love Divine. One of the greatest actors ever. I saw Pink Flamingos as a youngster, and I remember my parents talking about how this tranny was eating poop at the end of the film, and how they were all gagging watching the film! That got me really interested to say the least. And after Female Trouble, I know I would love anything these people collaborated on. I unfortunately cannot dig up Divine and get him to sign my arm, so [I] did a little portrait of him. He was a true artist, actor, performer, comedian, and I respect that.

Mink Stole, is also from the original DreamLand gang, and is in almost every John Waters film. She is amazing in Desperate Living, and when I met her, she was so sweet, so I figured with John Waters already inked into my arm, I would start the John Waters tribute arm. I met her at a horror convention in Baltimore, and one of the vendors was a tattoo artist, so I got the autograph, then got it tattooed and was able to show Mink by the next day. She was in shock.


The Taxi Driver tattoo [on my inner left wrist] was again done by my cousin Ed Bonacore...I have loved that movie forever, and think Travis Bickle [Robert De Niro's character] is the ultimate Anti-Hero. Its like an oil painting version of the shot at the end after he has killed all the pimps and scumbags in the brothel.

The quote on [the left side of] my ribs was also done by my cousin Eddie, but this is before he was in a shop.


It was done at this house after I had smoked a fat blunt and [was] high as a kite. It hurt a lot, my most painful tattoo. The side of the ribs hurts a lot because there no skin there, and every time the needle hits your skin, your ribs vibrate. It took 3 different sessions to do that tattoo. The quote is from a band called HUNCHBACK, that just split up. And it's from a song called "RED IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVES HAIR." When I saw the song live for the first time, I was convinced this would be my new favorite band. And I can honestly say, this is the best song ever performed live. It blew me away. And the lettering that was used is the font from THE WARRIORS. Another one of my favorite films!

So, there you have it, folks. Another block of Victor's tattoos! I can't wait to run into him again to see what's new!

Thanks once again to Victor for his generosity and sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Goodnight weekend

making homemade tabouli, originally uploaded by daniellehampton.

Well, I am about to say goodnight to another great weekend that I really don't want to end...but I guess in order to appreciate them so much work is necessary. This photo I added is of the tabouli I made for Hank and me today, it was truly delicious and already almost devoured. Approved by both Hank and Dustin, so you know it's good!

I already blogged earlier today, and I was just heading out to see "The Time Traveler's Wife" with my mother-in-law and Brooke. I had high expectations for the film, but I wish I wouldn't have, because there is no way the film could have ever lived up to the book. The film was definitely entertaining, but because it left out so much of the book, I felt the characters weren't developed enough and their relationship didn't have the same depth that made the novel so agonizingly upsetting. I still recommend that you see the movie, but take it for what it is; a watered down version of an amazing book. I do love Rachel McAdams though, in any role she plays, so that helped a lot. She is a true beauty. I do have to make note though, of the crazy environment inside the theater. I met Hank's mom and sister there, and they had already gotten seats by the time I arrived. When I walked into the theater I knew it probably wasn't going to be the best experience because it was filled to the brim with senior citizens. Now don't get me wrong, I love old people. I'm not one of those people who really get annoyed by them...I usually find them endearing and adorable. But going to a movie at noon on a Sunday basically means you can count on a theater of them. I sat down and pretty soon after that the previews began, and I started to hear a "whoosh, whoosh" sound every five seconds or so. It took me a moment to figure it out, but the guy in front of us was on an oxygen tank and the "whooshing" sound was the sound of oxygen getting sucked into his nose via the tube. The sound started to drive me crazy because it was like clockwork obviously, every breath he took there was a "whoosh, whoosh," and I was fixated on that...I couldn't focus on anything else. I decided I was going to move and sit on the other side of Hank's mom, so I did...only to still hear the oxygen tank. Soon that sound was accompanied by a very loud buzzing sound coming from the woman next to me. For about 20 minutes I thought it was her phone constantly vibrating but then I looked over and noticed she had a semi-large hand held fan! Yes, this lady was cooling her and her daughter off while they watched the movie...and it was the most annoying thing I've ever heard. I am definitely not a complainer, and I always try to make the best of situations...but this was way too much. Oxygen tank man on one side, hand held fan lady on the other, and all I wanted to do was watch this movie I'd been anticipating for months. I feel like maybe I didn't love the film because I was in theater hell, so I feel like I may try to see it again soon.

ANYWAY, after the movie I went food shopping at New Frontiers, picked up some things for the week and came home and started cooking food for my lunches this week. Afterward Hank had Matt and Dustin over for sports and hangouts, and I did some housecleaning. Now I'm relaxing, about to go to bed and not super stoked on work tomorrow. I keep thinking about the 3 day weekend coming up next weekend and that's helping me stay positive. And Emily and I are currently planning my NY trip in October (I'll know more later this week) and I am so stoked. While she is at work during the week I am going to try and take the train for a day train into NJ to visit some of my childhood friends which I am super pumped about too. I've kept in touch with so many of them, and it's going to be so fun to see them.

Alright, enough blogging for tonight. Goodnight everyone.

antioxidant breakfast! yum!

Good morning! I had planned on sleeping in late but my body didn't like that idea so I've been up for a long time, already worked out, and I'll be heading back out to the movie theater to see "The Time Traveler's Wife" in a minute. I posted about it before, but I love love loved the book so I am hoping the movie lives up to it.

Happy Sunday everyone!

oh, and that photo is one of my favorite breakfasts - Ezekial cinnamon raisin toast with Trader Joe's almond butter and Trader Joe's organic fruit spread (this is a mix of the rasberry and superfruit flavors), and blueberries! YUM.

A.J.'s Floral Ink

I ran into A.J. earlier this month, walking aling Seventh Avenue near 34th Street.

She has seven tattoos, and shared this lovely black and gray floral piece on her upper right arm:

She had been debating on whether to add color or not, but is pretty happy with the way this tattoo looks.

This tattoo was created by Junior at Adrenaline Rush Tattoo in Newark, New Jersey.

Thanks to A.J. for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

if I was a ZOMBIE

if I was a ZOMBIE, originally uploaded by daniellehampton.

Hank said, "so this is what you do with your free time?" Haha. I guess. I was bored today and editing some band photos so I made this little gem. It's me, supposedly looking like a zombie. And I promise I won't post another one of these stupid photos from this point on. ;)

Today was a fun day though. Hank's mom and sister picked us up bright and early and we did estate sales all morning. I'm so weird and I can't stand touching strange, dirty things (I have even grown to really, really dislike thrift stores) so it's hard for me when the some of the houses just put weird junk out. Hank found a cute table though, Hank's mom got this cool 1950s chair, and Brooke got this Marilyn Monroe thing she loved. Oh, and Hank also got some Ping golf clubs for $1. One of the drivers alone is worth $200 plus so all in all it was a success and fun to just hang out anyway. We did Hugo's for lunch, then I came home and watched "Hard Candy," a totally weird and disturbing movie starring Ellen Page, who I thought did an excellent job with her role. After relaxing all day I went to the gym for cardio and legs. When I got home we went and saw District 9 and I actually liked it, despite hearing many bad reviews. Call me crazy, but I could totally see something like that happening, especially with America's mentality about keeping anything alien or foreign out. Very interesting social/political commentary lurking between the lines. There was also a love story buried in there too which surfaced from time to time. If you like alien movies like me, then you'll like this film.

So tomorrow I will be sleeping in late and loving every second of it. At noon I'm going to see "The Time Traveler's Wife," which I am so, so excited about! Hank is spending the day golfing and then I'll be making dinner and doing some baking. Sunday is probably my most favorite day of the week and I think tomorrow will be exceptionally great! Next weekend is a three day weekend too, so knowing that makes this weekend that much sweeter and the work week less ominous.

I hope all of you have had a restful and fun weekend so far!

Oscar's Quartet of Tattoos

Born in Costa Rica, a one-time resident of Canada, and now a denizen of the Bronx, Oscar has traveled all over the world.

He expressed his passion for mountain biking to me as we talked in the Amtrak section of Penn Station.

This made sense to me as I had noticed his bike-themed tattoo on his left calf:


The wheel is specific to a mountain bike he owns, and it is connected around the back of his leg by a bicycle chain:


The detail is quite good, almost three-dimensional, and the tribal flourishes up and down the leg add volume to the piece.

This was his first tattoo, inked on his birthday, after many years of thinking about tattoos. He waited until he was ready, so that he could get something with deep meaning for him.

Since then, he has added three other tattoos, all created by Richard at Jent's Tattooing in Yonkers.

He graciously shared those as well. First is a tribal raven:


Oscar spoke of the raven's relationship with God. In the folklore, Raven helps the gods to raise the moon and the stars. He also is known as the prankster, who is always trying to catch the Sun.

In addition, there is a tattoo of Shiva, who Oscar acknowledges as a deity who "destroys ignorance and builds knowledge":


Finally, Oscar wears a Third Eye on his right bicep, which carries its traditional meaning:


Many thanks to Oscar for sharing his amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Tonight

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!, originally uploaded by daniellehampton.

I haven't blogged in a couple of days, so before I head out for the evening I thought I'd do a little update. I'll warn you in advance though, nothing special happened this week so this entry will more than likely be boring! But still, this week has been a good one, although very exhausting. Wednesday night we had a little dinner party at La Bruzza's for Hank's step dad's birthday, It was really, really delicious and I enjoyed every bite of my lemon caper pasta. Yesterday I had a million and one things to grade and get done by today, so I stayed home and got everything done. When Hank got home from practice we worked out and I went to sleep way too late. And today...today was an excellent day at work, my kiddos were all so sweet and the day flew by. Now I'm just relaxing, contemplating going to eat some Thaifoon for dinner or just making a veggie burger and calling it good. Hour of the Wolf has a show tonight, so I'll be down the street at the skate shop for awhile too.

This week has gotten me very, very excited for Fall, because it's been in the 60s at night so I feel like my favorite season is getting closer! I always feel so ALIVE during this time. Autumn is my most favorite time of the year- the clothes, the beautiful scenery, Halloween and Thanksgiving...I love it all. I feel very fortunate that I live in such a wonderful seasonal place and I get to experience all of the leaves changing, holiday fun, etc. Gosh I can't even express how excited I am! I am also hopefully going to be in NYC this fall and strolling around Central Park with all the orange and brown and gold just makes me beyond excited.

And speaking of Autumn, of my best friend Autumn, she'll be in Phoenix in a couple of weeks...house hunting! I couldn't be more excited that the Loops are moving back to Arizona. Hank and I have made it out there quite a bit, and they've come out to Prescott too, but Long Beach to AZ is too far. North Scottsdale is a lot better. So I took off that Friday so we can have a great pool day at the JW Marriott and then I'll be searching for houses with them all weekend. I'm so excited!

So, that's it for now. I'll probably take the D60 with me to the show tonight and snap some photos. It will be an early night, because I'm going estate-saling with my mother and sister-in-law early in the morning. Then it's date night, and we will hopefully be seeing District 9. Stoked. Happy Friday everyone!

VAMPIRE ME!

VAMPIRE me! hahah, originally uploaded by daniellehampton.

Hey, look what I made. I think I've been watching too much True Blood.

Gregory's Defenders of the Faith Tattoo

Gregory walked by me on Seventh Avenue in front of Madison Square Garden and I saw a familiar icon from my youth:


As a huge fan of Judas Priest in the 1980's, I recognized the basis for this tattoo immediately: the cover art for the 1984 album Defenders of the Faith.


Gregory has four tattoos and is a fan of Japanese-style art. This album and its predecessor, Screaming for Vengeance, boasted cover art that had a distinct Japanese influence.

He worked with the artist, C-Jay at Rising Dragon in Manhattan, to modify the design slightly, removing the tank treads and other militaristic elements from the original design.


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

Merci Celebrates Female Empowerment with a Classic Image

I spotted Merci in Penn Station with this familiar icon on her calf:


The tattoo is based on this famous poster from World War II:


This image is identified with the character of Rosie the Riveter, and was introduced by Westinghouse to rally the home fires in support of the troops abroad. The image has transformed, through time, to take on a greater meaning, that of female empowerment.

This tattoo, one of three that Merci has, was created by Chris Dilworth at Tough Luck Tattoo in Lewes, Delaware.

Thanks to Merci for sharing her amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tattoos I Know: Avital's Ink

It seems odd and yet is not beyond comprehension that, at the last two bat mitzvahs I have attended, I came home with tattoo pictures.

The first time (documented here) was a pleasant surprise. On Saturday, August 8, however, I had no expectations, as it was my daughter's bat mitzvah.

However, much to my amazement, I noticed that one of my sister's closest friends, Avital, has two small tattoos. I was more surprised, considering that Avital is a cantor, and that whereas tattooed Jews are not as rare as they used to be, an inked cantor is still an unusual sight.

Granted, her two tattoos don't jump out at you. The om on her right ankle:


and the slender "b+" on her right wrist


are discreet enough to be overlooked by a discriminating eye, and yet these two small tattoos are large with meaning.

Avital gave me a synopsis the day I took the photos, summing up that the "b+" was a personal message to herself to always "be positive," and that it is her blood type, but she has since offered up a lengthier, more thorough explanation, which I'll share here:

" [The b+], though it is very small (1/2") represents many important parts of my life: past, present and future. When my college friend, Erica died in December from Leukemia, I was devastated. Throughout her illness, she managed to have good spirits and enjoy time with her friends and family. Her battle against cancer put life in perspective for me. I have struggled with depression most of my adult life, and when she died, I made the conscious decision to turn my life around, completely. The morning after her death, my father was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Double whammy. My sister and I had both been contemplating a tattoo for several years, but Jewish guilt always managed to turn me away. After several hours in the ER with our father, we ventured down to Kingdom [Tattoos] and got our matching b+ tattoos. It's incredible how much strength I find from this little symbol on my wrist.

And Avital added:

"And the B in the b+ tattoo is a flat. in music. since I'm a musician. I can't believe I forgot that part! flats are most commonly associated with minor, "sad" keys. so, there is a bit of sadness in the tattoo. too."

As for the om, she elaborates:

"One of the major changes I made in my life after E died was a regular Yoga practice. An unfortunate encounter with a sharp blade left a 1" scar on my inner right ankle. After about 3 months of drawing an OM over the scar with a sharpie (so tedious!) I decided to make it permanent. The OM, like my b+, centers me, calms me, and reminds me of the simpler, more important things in life."

Much thanks to Avital for sharing her tattoos and the powerful stories behind them here with us on Tattoosday.

Can't wait...

my heart!, originally uploaded by daniellehampton.

to see my friend Emily soon, hopefully in the next two months. This picture makes me so happy so I wanted to post it. <333

Cheers,

Here's to all the wonderful people in my life -

some of you I've known for a long time, and we may not talk often,
some of you I've only met in the past couple of years,
some of you are in my daily life,

but all of you hold a special place in my heart. Cliche or not, it's true. Life happens, people drift apart and come back together. I firmly believe that everyone in my life is there for a reason, and everyone who has gone out of my life has gone that way for a reason too. I don't ever have hard feelings over stuff like that, maybe that's weird. Two of my dearest girlfriends and I spent years apart from each other, due to various reasons, a small fallout with one of them, but we've "rekindled" our friendship flames with each other over the past year or two. I've spent time across the country, visiting one of them, and the other I see on a pretty regular basis in both Prescott and Phoenix; she makes the most amazing effort to come visit Hank and me. People come and people go. If I would have just closed the door on those seemingly "lost" friendships, I wouldn't have the opportunity to have my life enriched so deeply by these amazing women. In both situations both myself and my friend could be held accountable for the drifting. But even if I love a friend so much, if I'm the only one making the effort I don't take it personally, because I've been there too. People are busy, people's priorities change, people go through things, and I'm not so self-centered as to think anyone in my life revolves around ME (besides my husband of course, haha!). I do understand though, that as adults, friendships take work. But with that said, I feel like friendships shouldn't be terribly hard- I feel like if people want to keep in touch, they will. It shouldn't be a chore, or a struggle. And when it becomes that, on either side, I feel like that's just the way it goes. If someone drifts from me, or me from them, I feel like that's life and I don't get upset about it, I simply accept it, and have faith that if someone is supposed to be in my life it will be that way, and if not, it won't. I have many friends in my life who I don't get to talk to regularly but it feels as if nothing ever changes- no resentment, no negativity. As adults, it's not realistic to expect others to have time to sit down and chat for hours, or sometimes even minutes. Luckily one of my best friends, Autumn, and I make time throughout the week for good solid hour-long chats. But that's us, and the only one of my friends I do this with, outside of my Mom. She's a stay at home Mama herself, so our schedules are able to work well together and throughout our long friendship we've always made the time. Another one of my oldest friends, Melissa, is a server at a super busy bar in Phoenix, and her schedule is opposite of mine, so we usually have to schedule phone calls in advance on her one day off if we want to talk at all. Amber and I talk every single day, all day, via blackberry messenger, and although we don't usually talk on the phone all of the time, we always know what the other is up to. It's not perfect, but we make it work. And I know when I do talk to any of the people I am closest to, it's as if no time has passed, and I know we'd be there for each other through anything. And to me, that is being an adult. We have husbands or boyfriends, children and pets, careers and college, meals to make, working out to do, reading, sleeping, me-time, date nights, LIFE. The older I get, and the more I look back at my life, I know that in my past I have been both inconsiderate and flaky. And very much so, to the point of losing friends. In fact, a majority of my late teens and into college was spent being a great friend to my friends immediately around me, but having issues keeping in touch with other friends who weren't in my day to day life. It's just what I was like. I accept it now, it doesn't bother me, and the friends who I've been close with through that entire time are still here, over a decade later. Luckily, now, it's gotten a bit easier to make the effort- it's fun to mail letters, email, call, etc, and stay in touch with the people I care about. I'm definitely not great at it, and if I get even a little bit sad, I will retract into myself for awhile. And I love that the few girls I am close with understand this about me and can accept that. As far as others go, I never expect anything. I'll call or write a few times, and if I don't hear back, no big deal. The small group of friends I've cultivated get unconditional love from me, no matter what. It's comforting to know we do the best we can, and there's no games and shittiness and resentment. I'm not really sure where this post came from, but for some reason I've really been feeling very appreciative of life lately and reflecting on all of the people in it, now and then, near and far. I started thinking about all of these different friends and just started typing, not knowing where this was going...and this is what came out. I have to say, one advantage to blogging is being able to just empty out my entire head onto this computer screen and having the satisfaction of having it here to look back on. I love it. At the same time though, it is kind of unnerving to know every word I say is being perceived in different ways by different people. Oh, how I wish I could see myself from a different perspective. Wouldn't that be a gift?

So, do you have friends who live far away? How often do you talk to them? Have you ever "lost" a friend and then rekindled that friendship?

Happy Tuesday :).

Ben Commemorates the Cat and the Tree

Ben recalls wandering off one day when he was four years old. He was up in Wells, Maine with his family and no one knew where he'd gone.

Fortunately for Ben, someone did know: the family cat. A la Lassie, the feline led his parents straight to Ben, who was sitting under a tree, munching on blueberries.

To this day, Ben regards this as a crucial moment in his life when he was saved by the cat.

He collaborated with Brendan Rowe at Pins and Needles Tattoo in Portland, Maine to come up with a commemorative tattoo to honor this animal:


Brendan is now working out of Unbreakable Tattoo is Studio City, California.

The tree nearby on his left forearm, was inked, in part, to complement the cat:


It is, however, also a nod to Gustav Klimt's "Tree of Life".
Not an imitation, but a variation.

Thanks to Ben for sharing these tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

my night, Sunday edition

my night, Sunday edition, originally uploaded by daniellehampton.

...and now it is Monday. Yesterday was a perfect Sunday spent with my family. Every time I leave Mesa and my parents' home I get oddly depressed. Hank and I go there so often and we always have the best time just spending quality time with my parents and sister. It was hard to leave and even harder to go to bed last night, because it was such a perfect weekend...I didn't want it to end! But, today was a good day, although Hank and I stayed up way, way too late last night being silly and I got less than 5 hours of sleep, yuck. Fortunately my kids were having a creative writing day so they were occupied with their notebooks and I could get more grading done and have a great "tired" kind of day. When my sweetheart got home from work we headed out to dinner and had the biggest sushi meal in the world, and I now feel like I want to die from an overload of food. It was so delicious though- I had a new roll with mango and avocado, and Siracha in it- very tasty. After dinner we came home and I've been doing a whole lot of nothing, and Hank's practicing with HOTW and Hot Skin (he's now playing bass for them). I am already counting down for next weekend. Nothing too special is going on but I'm looking forward to lazy mornings in bed, afternoon strolls, and reorganizing a few things around the house.

Blah blah blah I feel like I always blog about the same stuff (haha actually I DO) so thanks to those who find it interesting and read! It's very curious to me to watch my followers grow from the 12 people I know in real life to the 93 I have now. It makes me feel happy to know someone out there is reading my silly ramblings. My hits range from 150 unique visitors to 400 on other days. One insane day I had almost 750 but that was just because some of my Flickr photos were reposted in a well-read blog. That is insane to me. I would love to know more about my readers who don't follow or comment. Who are you? Where do you live? How did you find my blog?

I hope all of you have a fantastic week! xo

Liza's Inuit Owl

Liza had been researching a design she wanted for her next tattoo and had found the one she wanted.

On Christmas Eve, she walked in to Halo Tattoo in Syracuse, New York and met Chris Chisholm who, as you'd imagine, didn't have a full schedule on December 24, and he inked this wonderful tattoo on her upper right arm:


This is, of course, an owl, whose design origins come from the Inuit culture.

Owls are symbolic as guardians and are therefore highly popular tattoo designs. Owls have appeared previously on Tattoosday here. But if you really like owls, check out our friends over at
http://owltattoos.blogspot.com.

Work from Halo has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Liza for sharing her amazing owl tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Wow...

I just finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife and without giving anything away to future readers, I have to say that it was one of the best books I have read in a long, long time...and definitely tops my list of all-time favorites. I feel so sick and heavy-hearted though, and I often get this feeling after I read books like this, or books like The Notebook, or watch movies like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It's weird- these types of stories make me feel so grateful I have Hank, I somehow found my soulmate, and I am able to walk every step of life with him. But at the same time it makes my stomach turn and makes me feel indescribably sad because stories like this remind me that nothing lasts forever. My love can be taken from me at any time and this is terrifying, and a thought I try to never ever think about. The book was written beautifully- I have never read anything from this author before and her sense of character is brilliant, I loved the way she would weave such a scene with words and I really felt as if I was right there. A few instances stood out in my mind- describing Henry's father's hands as napping cats- when you read this part you will know what I mean- the description of this musician's hands is so perfect and the words were pure poetry. The description of Clare's mother towards the end of the book, the dialogue. The telling of the end of the book, the letter, the entire way it was set up. Wonderful. My copy definitely has teardrop marks throughout it, and I will never forget how this book made me feel. All I want is for my own Henry to be home NOW so I can hug him and kiss him and try to forget just how MORTAL we are, tell him how scared that makes me feel, and he can hold me and tell me it's okay. Certain books and movies affect me on such a deep level and this novel was no different, each of her 536 pages are masterfully crafted. I laughed many times at the author's lively little snapshots of life, the comings and goings of the characters and I smiled and smiled at many pages. At the same time I cried because she made the story come truly alive. I was Clare. My Henry was Henry. I felt the emotions. I don't know if it's just because I am a crazy English teacher and let words profoundly affect me when they're assembled just so, but this book was one of the most touching books I've ever encountered. And I know it may not be for everyone, but I wholeheartedly suggest you read it. <3

Tuck's Bridget

I met Tuck near Borders on Penn Plaza and she talked to me about this unusual tattoo on her right shoulder:


The piece was tattooed by Didi, a Brazilian tattoo artist working out of Angelic Hell Tattoo World in London.

Tuck didn't know the source of the artwork, but did work with the artist to modify the design to fit her body.

The changes were subtle, having the tattooed girl she refers to as Bridget standing, as opposed to crouching. They also altered the movement within the piece.


This is one of five tattoos that Tuck has, not counting additional stars and characters that are also part of her body's canvas.

Thanks to Tuck for sharing "Bridget" with us here on Tattoosday!

Two Feathers, Their Story Still Untold

Several weeks ago, near the corner of 86th Street and 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, I passed a couple sitting at a bus stop.

The woman had some words inked on her left arm and, as I paused to consider talking to her, I noticed a colorful tattoo peeking out from under the man's left shirt sleeve.

I told them about Tattoosday and the woman indicated that she had tattoos as well, but she would have to take her clothes off in order for someone to see them. I was intrigued as she implied that she had a relatively large piece that covered a significant part of her body.

However, the man was accommodating and pulled up his sleeve to reveal this bright, colorful tattoo:


And that, my friends, is where this story sadly ends. I had been watching the B63 bus slowly approaching from several blocks away and, no sooner had I snapped the photos, the bus crossed 86th Street and pulled up to the stop.

I handed him a flier and asked him to please e-mail me so I could finish interviewing him. But he never did. Oh well. If only I had been carrying a Metrocard, I could have boarded the B63 with them and talked with them briefly on the bus.

At least we have the photo of the cool tattoo to appreciate and hopefully, some day, our paths will cross again.

The moral of the story: shoot first and ask questions later. Also, always carry a metrocard!

my night

my night, originally uploaded by daniellehampton.

backwards, thanks photobooth ;)

Ah, relaxing day!

Happy Saturday to everyone. I am spending the night at my parents' but NOT going out with my sister (which always leads to a late, late night and way too much fun!). So I'm up in my old bedroom, about to either continue reading "The Time Traveler's Wife," or beginning to watch Coraline for the first time. It's 8:25pm on a Saturday and I'm already in my pajamas, awesome! Today was a good day- I slept in nice and late and had a wonderful workout when I woke up. Then I went shopping for awhile and came home to my Mom's delicious home cooking. She is such a good vegan cook and always concocts something awesome for us when we stay with them. After dinner we all went on a little family ice cream run (well my Dad and Hank did!). So fun. This weekend is a weekend for family, so its nice to just stay in and disconnect. Tomorrow morning we'll do an early workout and then we'll all go to breakfast and do the usual Sunday shopping- Trader Joe's, Sprouts, and Whole Foods.

I hope all of you have a fantastic night!

YUM! Quinoa stuffed peppers.



Thanks Mom!




And here's me and the little girl!

Product Rave

Alright, so I have to make a short post about one of my all-time favorite beauty products...Rene Futerer dry shampoo. Both my sister Lauren and Amber Joy have recommended this to me, and after putting it off for awhile, I finally bought it a few weeks ago. Because I don't like to wash my hair more than 2-3 times a week and I work out daily AND have bangs, I needed to find something that would allow me to rewear my unwashed hair without it looking dirty. My overall hair doesn't really get greasy, but my bangs definitely get piecey and a little greasy after a couple of days. So, enter this fabulous product. Not only does it fix my hair and bring it back to a "clean" state, it makes my bangs look even better. The best part about this product is that is does not flake at all, and doesn't make my dark hair look light.




click to view product at Sephora.com

To apply it, be sure to shake it (solids settle to the bottom and need to be moved around) and simply hold it about 12 inches from your hair and spray it wherever you'd like. Let it sit and dry for about 2 minutes, pat dry with a towel, and comb through. Quick and easy.

I definitely recommend this product to anyone and everyone. I love that I can finally, happily wash my hair just two or three times a week and it still looks amazing. By not washing my hair my color lasts a lot longer and my hair is a lot healthier. Furthermore, my bangs looks awesome everyday without having to do the whole "wash in the sink" deal which can get annoying. The only "con" I have noticed is the weird smell when you first spray it, but I think that comes from the mix of essential oils used in the product (peppermint, caraway, and basil). Hank has also assured me that the smell goes away after it dries in my hair.

For some it may be a little pricey at $24, but I feel it's totally worth it. I've used it about 4x a week for 3 weeks and the can shows no signs of running out of product anytime soon.

If you decide to buy it, let me know what you think!

Nick's Rocking Leg Tattoos (Van Halen and Aerosmith)

At the end of July, while searching for Green Day tattoos, I met, perhaps, the ultimate Van Halen fan.

Nick was hanging out at the side of Madison Square Garden, talking with a friend, and I spotted several rock-themed tattoos on his legs.

Nick has seven tattoos and let me photograph three of them. His outer right calf has this Eddie Van Halen piece:


This was done by a visiting artist at one of the Tattoo Lou's locations on Long Island. Work from Tattoo Lou's has appeared on Tattoosday previously here.

The better of the two Van Halen pieces (in my opinion), on his inner right calf, is this one, inked by Thom at Tattoo Frenzy, in Lindenhurst, New York.


The detail on the guitar is incredible:


Nick says, with certainty, that he has seen Van Halen in concert 394 times (as of July 2009).

He also shared this other tattoo, from his left leg:


This piece is based on the cover art from Aerosmith's Just Push Play album:


Thanks to Nick for sharing his rocking tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!