The Staite of Jewel

By coincidence, many of my favorite actresses hail from the Great White North...Evangeline Lilly, Rachel McAdams, Carrie-Ann Moss, and Mia Kirshner, to name a few. However, I absolutely adore Jewel Staite!

'Jewel who?', many may ask. Currently starring in 'Stargate: Atlantis', she's probably best known for her role as Kaylee Frye in Joss Whedon's brilliant, yet short-lived, sci-fi western series 'Firefly', then the follow-up motion picture 'Serenity'.

Jewel doesn't stray far from her somewhat-naive acting style, which suits her innocent features just fine. She may be typecast, but why fix it if it ain't broke, right?

So here's to you, Jewel...& Oh, Canada! Love thy neighbor!



Ciao4Now.

P.S. Speaking of the SciFi Channel, I might have to check out 'Tin Man' this upcoming Sunday @ 9PM, starring Alan Cumming & Zooey Deschanel. http://www.scifi.com/tinman/

Safeway Club Card - Savings or Sham?

Looking at my receipt from today's Safeway shopping excursion, I 'saved' 33% (or $18.38) on my total...though, 15 out of the 16 items bought were Club Card sale items. Clearly, I am a price-driven consumer at this particular store.

Now, there are some things that I will pay a premium for (e.g. I buy my eggs from the Co-Op because they are locally-produced & cage-free), but today's purchases got me to thinking if I've been caught in some sinister Safeway marketing plan. It's no secret that the grocery gurus of these large chains disseminate their customer's buying patterns, and schedule their 'sales' in accordance to the purged data acquired from Club Card members.

I don't have a real big problem with a company viewing my purchasing history...it's not like I'm buying anything that would cause personal 'embarrassment' (e.g. "Jeez, this guy goes through a tube of Preparation-H a week!"). But for four years, I sold wholesale grocery products to Safeway (among other stores), and have a pretty good idea on retail mark-ups. Sometimes, I wonder how much non-sale prices are jacked up to make 'specials' more appealing.

Though, I compare pricing at other competing markets & usually know a good buy when I see it. In the end, you just gotta be a savvy shopper to get the most out of your hard-earned buck.

Ciao4Now.

P.S. Rest peacefully, Lonny Heckman...C G Am Em F G C.

Peeling a Pomegranate

Without question, the pomegranate is my favorite fruit...I love the pop and crunch of those sweet-yet-tangy ruby-red arils. Kinda reminds me of scavenging for guavas and passion fruit on the Islands as a kid.

Now, everyone has their own way of peeling a pomegranate...most cut off the crown, then section it into wedges. However, you end up with a bunch of broken arils. After years of experimentation, this is my method:

Put down some newspaper (it can get a little messy & the juice stains) and use a good serrated knife.


Cut off as much of the peel as possible.


Start plucking out exposed arils...from there, whole sections seperated by the membrane can be pulled apart. Collect the fruit sacs in a container.


Ta-da! Ready to eat!


I like to stick 'em in the fridge for a while...makes an awesome snack.

Ciao4Now.

A Very Happy Birthday...

...to my main man, nephew Brent, who turned 6 today!

Much love to you!

More Praise for Spike!

Evidently, Jonze's influence stretches clear across the Atlantic...from somewhere in France, un hommage à la merveilleuse intervention du Torrance Community Dance Group. C'est tres bon!!



Ciao4Now.

Where the Wild Vids Are

For those jonzeing for a new Spike film, the wait is less than a year away. Coming next October, the brilliant 'Being John Malkovich' director's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book 'Where the Wild Things Are' will finally be released. The CGI-heavy live-action feature stars Forest Whitaker, Michelle Williams, James Gandalfini, & Paul Dano ('Little Miss Sunshine', 'L.I.E.'), mostly as character voices.

So in honor of the man, here are some of his fantastically-directed music videos:

Maybe my all-time favorite, Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" (also starring Spike as the leader of the dance group):


The controversial Yeah Yeah Yeah's vid, "Y-Control":


The trippy backward-motion photography of "Drop" by The Pharcyde:


The Chemical Brothers' "Elektrobank" stars Spike's ex-, the beautiful & equally cinematically-talented Sofia Coppola:


And last but not least, the hilarious "If I Only Had a Brain" by MC 900 Ft Jesus:


Want more? Check out these awesome Jonze-directed vids on YouTube:
"Sabotage" & "Sure Shot" - Beastie Boys
"It's Oh So Quiet" - Björk
"Cannonball" - The Breeders
"What's Up, Fat Lip?" - Fat Lip
"Weapon of Choice" (feat. Christopher Walken) - Fatboy Slim
"Wonderboy" - Tenacious D
"Buddy Holly" - Weezer

Ciao4Now.

The Amazing Andrew Zimmern!

Last night, I had all intentions to tuck in early & get some good sleep...and then I stumbled upon the Travel Channel's 'Bizarre Foods' marathon.

Hosted by chef Andrew Zimmern, the show spans the globe to seek out 'unusual fare'. From deep-fried bats to fresh mangrove worms, Zimmern leaves no culinary stone unturned.

Though after viewing 4 hours of the often gastronomically-challenging program, I can honestly say that I would, at least, try 80 percent of the featured food items. Born and raised in Ha'wai'i, a veritable melting pot of cultures, I've consumed some dishes (e.g. dinaguan, a Filipino pork blood stew) that would make a Midwestern farmer lose his Denny's Grand Slam breakfast. Let's just say that I'm not simply a 'meat & potatoes' guy. Prepared adequately, I wouldn't have too much of a problem eating most creatures from the ocean, reptiles & amphibians, or anything bird-related, but what kind of skeeves me out are mammal organs (e.g. criadillas, or bull's testicles) and large, gooey insects or worms . Though to coin an old adage, 'don't knock it until you try it'.

Anyway, love the show...you can watch a bunch of episodes on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=DerfMik&p=r



Ciao4Now.

Door Busters!

Who are these crazy people lining up in front of stores at the crack of dawn?

I can kind of understand the XBox360 or iPhone mania, but is 50% off something like a down comforter really worth braving the Black Friday madness? Clearly, the power of the dollar sends some into a competitive frenzy. Remember the stampede at a Chongqing supermarket that killed 3 & injured 30 a couple weeks ago? And for all things, discounted cooking oil!

The commercialization of the Holiday season is at an all-time high, and shoppers are buying in to the hype.

Yesterday, a friend & I made a pact to ditch the present exchange...gifts only for children & immediate family. Love the idea!

I'm planning a crowd-free Christmas...here I come, amazon.com!!

Ciao4Now.

Celebri-Wiis!

Part of the fun in owning a Nintendo Wii platform is designing your own characters. Here are some of my creations:

The Wii Stooges....


Madonna...La Wii-sla Bonita!


No celebri-Wii lineup is complete without La Lohan.


The Wii may not have a 'Y Control' button, but that's not stopping Karen O from representing!


My tennis go-to girl, Wiinus Williams!


Mr. Wii-lly Wonka himself, Johnny!


And of course, my all-time fave actress, Wiinona Ryder!


Deleted my 'Bald Britney' character after she started donning those awful Wii-ves.

Ciao4Now.

Singing in the Brain

As a frequent sufferer of the affliction, I am fascinated with earworms, or song-stuck-in-your-head syndrome. Most anything can trigger it - a commercial, elevator muzak, dreams, recollections, etc. - and there is no proven cure (though, some clinicians claim medication traditionally used for OCD & anxiety can alleviate the symptoms).

Earworms do not drive me to the point of mania, but sometimes they sure can irritate. In surveys, some of the most popular 'repetunes' include Chili's "Baby Back Ribs" jingle, "We Will Rock You", "YMCA", & "It's a Small World After All". After careful thought, here are my Top 5:

1. "Dancing Queen" - ABBA
2. Theme from 'Frasier' ("Tossed Salads & Scrambled Eggs")
3. "Back In Black" - AC/DC
4. Canon in D - Johann Pachelbel (especially, around the holidays)
5. "There She Goes" - The La's

For the most part, pretty conventional. Though every once in a while, a totally bizarre song will pop in & stick around for a while...like today's mental jukebox selection, the chorus to "The Ballad of a Dog Named Stains" by Red Peters.



Ciao4Now.

'Semi-Homemade with Boyhowdy' - Episode #2

Among the great inventions of kitchen convenience, bottled pasta sauce ranks right up there with sliced bread.

It's Simple Spaghetti Monday...so let's get crackin'!

Ingredients:
Half-bottle of pasta sauce (any brand will do...I prefer Prego, but Ragu was on sale)
1/2-lb. ground meat (today, Italian sausage)
6 mushrooms, wedge-cut
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Black pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper for some heat (optional)

In a saucepan, brown ground meat, drain off excess fat, then add onions, garlic, and black pepper. Continue sauté until onions slightly soften.

Add pasta sauce, mushrooms, and if desired, red pepper. Cover, then simmer on very low heat (I usually let it go for about an hour so the onions almost 'liquify').

Serve over your favorite pasta w/ shredded parmesan cheese (I also love capers) and enjoy! Will yield 2 or 3 servings...perfect for those who cook for one or two, & don't want a whole pot of sauce left over.

Easy-peasy! Look out, Sandra Lee...I've got my sights set on your job!

Ciao4Now.

Coming to Terms

This morning's Seattle Times seemed especially morbid....thousands dead in Bangladesh from a devastating cyclone, 63 more in a Ukraine mine explosion, a local soldier killed in Iraq, a double-homocide involving a young couple in Graham, WA, etc.. And all I wanted was the NYT Sunday crossword puzzle.

I started thinking about why I am, lately, more affected by tragic news, and recalled an incident that happened about a month ago. Walking out of the neighborhood Mini-Mart, I noticed a sickly homeless man sitting at a bus stop across the street. 'That dude looks like he's gonna die', I briefly thought, then continued on my way. The next day, returning home on a route passing by the same bus stop, I witnessed a team of medics transferring the man's body into an ambulance. I couldn't help but wonder if there was anything that I could've done the day before to save the guy's life.

A little over three years ago, a dear friend slipped away in front of my eyes at the end of her battle against terminal cancer. In some ways, her passing hardened me for the worse than better...I viewed humankind's raison d'être as irrational & insignificant. But as time goes on, I am rebuilding a stronger sense of compassion, perhaps by convincing myself that my departed friend would want me to be the same person she once knew. It's a long process, but maybe my somber reaction toward today's news items & the regret I experienced regarding the man at the bus stop indicate a positive personal progression.

I now often think about starlight, and how, even though its source is long gone, the beautiful illumination remains forever.

In Praise of the Glorious Double-Double!

Seriously, is there a better burger on the planet?

So enamored am I with this flawless fast-food masterpiece that I would consider 'not having an In-N-Out franchise' as the biggest disappointment about living in Seattle. When visiting my sister's family in Mountain View, the drive-thru off of El Camino Real is the first stop I make after landing in San Jose. In fact, one of my nephew's first words was "dah-bo dah-bo"...the lil' french-fry moocher cracked his uncle up!

I very rarely patronize fast-food restaurants...I could count on one hand how many times I've dined at said establishments this year. But when in Cali, forget about it...if visiting for a week, I'll hit up the In-N-Out at least 4 or 5 times, then stop to pick up a few more burgers to bring back home!
The only thing that kind of bugs me about the franchise is the biblical references printed on the cups and wrappers. But that's all forgotten after the first bite. Instead of John 3:16, perhaps In-N-Out should use the more appropriate proverb from Ecclesiastes 8:15, "A man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry."

All this talk's making me ravenous...better start something for dinner!

Ciao4Now.

Bummer

My beloved UW Huskies women's volleyball team just succumbed to the USC Trojans, 3-2.

Still love them, though. POINT, HUSKIES!













Ciao4Now.

(another entry lacking substance...I better get it together!)

'Semi-Homemade with Boyhowdy' - Episode #1

Step aside, Sandra Lee...Boyhowdy's in the kitchy! Never being really crazy about cole slaw before, I seemed to equate the cabbage concoction with that sour little side cup from KFC. That is, until I discovered, then tweaked, this recipe.

Now before starting, I must admit that I'm more of an 'eyeballer' than 'exact-measurer'...but as long as the dish appeals, I don't sweat the details.

Here's what you need:
About 1/3-head of cabbage, finely-chopped (or in gourmand's parlance, a coarse chiffonade)
For the dressing,
A couple healthy dollops of mayonnaise
Two capfuls of apple cider vinegar (I suppose regular distilled vinegar can be substituted, but the cider variety is a little more 'mellow')
Equivalent of two packets of sugar
About 3 Tbsp. finely-chopped sweet onion
Black pepper to taste (already added to the onion below)

Simply mix together all dressing ingredients.

Then, add to cabbage.

Viola! Best to let the slaw sit in the fridge for a couple hours. Will keep for about three days...I actually think it tastes better after 24 hours. Also, finely-chopped carrot can be added for some color.

There you have it...the first installment of 'Semi-Homemade with Boyhowdy'! Sorry, no 'tablescapes'.

Ciao4Now.

Happy Birthday, Zev!

Future guitar hero Zev Marc (donned in his Babyhowdy tee above), the adorable son of my good friends Jodi & Shelley, turned the big O-N-E today! Rock on, my little man!

You can check out samples of Zev's mom's awesome music here: http://shelleydoty.com/

Love ya, Zev!

Dr. Jan Adams - the New Butcher of Brentwood!

I am utterly shocked by the terribly sad & horrific events of Dr. Donda West's death as they unfold in the media.

Here is what we know about this so-called cosmetic surgeon Dr. Jan Adams, who performed the operations on Kanye's mother, as reported by tmz.com:

-The Medical Board of California filed legal papers last April asking to revoke or suspend Dr. Jan Adams' medical license because he was convicted of multiple DUIs, one in 2006, another in 2003. He also possesses a 1994 DUI conviction.

-Dr. Adams was arrested in September 2002 after his vehicle lost control and hit a parked car. At the time, he told officers on the scene that he lost control of his car when another vehicle failed to stop for a traffic signal. Adams was unable to provide a description of that car.

-Patient Terrie Cage filed a malpractice lawsuit claiming on June 27, 2007, Dr. Adams and another doctor "negligently and carelessly examined, diagnosed, cared for, treated and performed surgery upon plaintiff, failing to follow the standard care ..." As a result, Cage alleges she was "rendered sick, sore, lame and disabled." Cage went in for breast augmentation, a tummy tuck and lipo.

-Bonita Hovey claims, in yet another malpractice lawsuit, that in December 2005, Dr. Adams and other doctors performed a tummy tuck on her and botched the job. According to the suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, Adams and the others "negligently failed to possess and exercise, in both diagnosis and treatment, that reasonable degree of knowledge and skill that is ordinarily possessed and exercised by other physicians and surgeons ...." The suit also claims the defendants "failed to give the plaintiff proper preoperative and postoperative follow up care ... ", resulting in a "postoperative infection" that caused her to undergo two surgeries to remove sutures and revise her scar. If that's not enough, Adams made a "false assertion that he was a board-certified plastic surgeon", and she relied on that representation in choosing him.

Are you starting to see a pattern here? How about another one....

-In a suit filed in Orange County Superior Court, Jana Beighle claims she went in for "a left breast capsulectomy." She says Adams was her doctor, and she was never told he "had an undisclosed history of medical malpractice claims and judgments." The suit claims after the surgery in August, 2005, Beighle suffered from fluid collection and had to have her implants removed.

Still unconvinced?

-A patient of Dr. Jan Adams claims he got her drunk after surgery, had intercourse with her and got her pregnant. In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Teana Lucas claims she was a bartender and Dr. Adams was a customer. She says he agreed to perform liposuction on her upper arms and abdomen. The plaintiff, an aspiring model and actress, alleged as the procedure was about to begin, Dr. Adams "whispered in plaintiff's ear that he 'loved' her, that he was 'going to marry her'." According to the suit, after the procedure, he started making house calls to her home. On November 24, 2004, the suit alleges Dr. Adams told her she should get dressed and that he was taking her out for dinner. After three glasses of wine, the heavily-medicated plaintiff claims she was "heavily intoxicated." That's when, according to the suit, Dr. Adams took her to his house and had sexual intercourse with her. Lucas claims she became pregnant and Dr. Adams wanted her to keep the baby, but she didn't. Eventually, she says, Dr. Adams referred her to an OB/GYN who could "take care of the problem." Lucas also claims he botched her two surgeries. She sued for sexual battery and malpractice. Adams denied all the allegations, but settled the case.

And get a load of this....

-Dr. Jan Adams' ex-girlfriend filed for a restraining order in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming alcohol brings out his "Jekyll and Hyde" personality. The document states that the "defendant has an unfortunate drinking problem and unless restrained immediately, will assert the worst side of his 'Jekyll and Hyde' personality when he is intoxicated." She goes on..."Defendant is very attached to my children and he has been abusive when intoxicated in their presence, so he must stay away from them, also." She claims that on occasion he burst into her home, threatened, and chased her in his car. Dr. Adams filed papers denying the allegations. The judge granted the restraining order.

And the hits keep coming....

-In a lawsuit filed less than two weeks ago, another woman claims she's the victim of medical malpractice at the hands of Dr. Jan Adams. Rhonda McClain claims Dr. Adams and Euclid Outpatient Surgery Center were responsible for "mental, physical and nervous pain and suffering." McClain also states that she's now left with one implant, and claims she nearly bled to death.

Finally (for now)....

-Another patient of Dr. Jan Adams sued him for malpractice, alleging he left a foreign object in her body. In a lawsuit filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Lori Ufondu claims that in 1996, she underwent breast augmentation by Dr. Adams. In 2003, she underwent revision surgery by another doctor, who discovered that a surgical sponge was left, she claims by Dr. Adams. Ufondu claims the sponge and its belated removal caused a distortion in her appearance, creating a deformed right nipple, a puncture wound, loss of sensation and "horrific scar tissue." Following Dr. Adams' surgery, Ufondu claims she was feeling "sharp, needle-like pain in the area of this scar tissue." She says she complained to Dr. Adams, who allegedly responded "by laughing in a derisory fashion, claiming that the pain would subside." Ufondu obtained a judgment in excess of $100,000. However, her lawyer says the doctor has not paid, and he's trying to enforce the judgment. Her attorney adds that there are several outstanding judgments against Dr. Adams, who has ignored his obligation to pay.

How, I ask, is this motherf*cker still in practice, much less walking the streets as a free man? There's serious hell to pay here, and if our often-skewed judicial system can muster any common sense & logic, this waste-of-a-human being needs to eliminated from civilization.

Heaven, peacefully rest Dr. Donda West's soul.

And stay strong, Kanye!

Tattoo Regret: An Update

Rapped with my tattoo-artist bud from Maui last night...he enjoyed the post. Requesting pics of his latest work, he sent me these:

Mahalo, Glen...great artwork!

'It's a Beautiful Day in my Neighborhood....'

Errand-running was the theme of the day. First stop: The Puget Consumer's Co-Op...an 'earthier' version of Whole Foods, featuring locally-grown produce. Like, give peas a chance, man!
Then, reserved a vehicle through Flexcar (which is conveniently stationed in front of the PCC)...brand-new Scion XB. A little boxy, but fun to drive.

Zipped up to the _ite Aid...according to Kris, the photo department manager, yesterday's strong winds 'blew the R right off'. Bought _hampoo, _atteries, _oothpaste, & _ummy bears.

Returned the car after a stop at Safeway, and walked back home...along the way, I snapped a shot of my neighbor's 'flamingo zoo'. Suffice it to say, she's a bit eccentric, but really nice. I love people who dare to fly in the face of convention.

Just another day in the life of Boyhowdy.

Ciao4Now.

The Wonderful Wedgwood Mini-Mart!

Ahh, the local convenience store...what would I do without it?

At the beginning of the year, I relocated to a neighborhood w/ multiple public-transportation options, and made a decision to donate my personal vehicle to charity & enroll in a car-sharing program (Flexcar). Everything's worked out fine...however, the closest major-chain grocery store is about a half-mile away. Not exactly a quick stroll, especially in the cold November rain.

But merely a stone's throw from my residence sits the Wedgwood Mini-Mart...where everybody knows your face (but not necessarily your name).

You know, I could never bring myself to buy staples like toilet paper or canned tuna at a convenience store...there's something a little too desperate about that. However, the Mini-Mart is this beer-runner's heaven...in fact, my brand of choice, Miller Lite, is actually cheaper there than the Safeway sale price. Score!

So cheers to neighborhood mini-marts, the adopted foreign cousins of old-time Mom & Pop stores!

Ciao4Now.

(I know, kind of a benign post today...I was thinking of writing about Dr. Donda West's passing, but the subject seemed a bit too heavy for a holiday.)

Sandra Lee - Pride of the Food Network!

In the crazy world of cable television, there are train wrecks...and then there are train wrecks!

Every once in a while, my gay college bud visits & we throw back a few brews, bust open a bag of chips, & settle in to watch 'Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee'. If you've never seen this almost-cultish culinary catastrophe of a show before, immediately highlight it in your TV Guide. Aired on the same network that features really great cooks like Paula Deen, Giada de Laurentiis, & Ina Garten, it truly defies programming logic (my friend theorizes that Sandra's sleeping with a high-level FN exec). Chef Anthony Bourdain once described Lee as "Betty Crocker after a weekend of huffing crack."

My favorite segment of 'Semi-Homemade' is the closing - which always includes a very stiff, yet somehow unappealing, cocktail recipe, followed by the cheesiest 'tablescapes' you'll ever see.

Look, I'm no James Beard Foundation Award winner, but my god.... Granted, on occasion, Sandra will (disappointingly) come up with an appetizing entrée, but it's usually a dish that's difficult to f*ck up, like steamed clams.

But hey, she's got her own cooking show...so here's to you, Sandra Lee!

Ciao4Now.

Hayden - Hero...or Agitator?

A couple weeks ago, I saw this clip & was so impressed w/ Hayden Panettiere...I thought 'now here's a celeb utilizing her exposure for a good cause...rather than stumbling drunk out of Hyde, she's trying to save dolphins'.

But there are always two or more sides to an argument: Evidently, these dolphins are not endangered, impair the local Japanese fishing industry with their voracious appetite, & are efficiently slaughtered w/ minimal waste.

Are Hayden & friends' actions here tantamount to, say, Hindu visitors from India stalling cow-slaughtering operations at a Midwestern meat-packing plant? Is this a cultural, rather than ecological, subject of debate? The Japanese cannot fathom the idea of killing deer, yet here in the U.S., thousands of these mammals are slain during hunting season.

In this case, it's very difficult to ascertain who is ultimately just without walking in the other's shoes. The answer would be a slam dunk if these dolphins were anywhere near endangered.

In the end, it is the responsibility of the culture...as more Japanese citizens denounce the slaughtering of dolphins, restrictions or alternative measures may be established.

Ambiguous about Ambidexterity

Once while brushing my teeth, I wondered why I used my left hand when I write & eat with the right. Then I really started thinking about all the other things I do southpaw - from swinging a bat or racket to shaving (oddly, I throw a football w/ the left, but a baseball w/ the right).

According to Wik, "writing is not as precise an indicator of handedness as it might seem. A better determination of left-handedness results when the differentiation between an individual's major motor activities versus fine or small muscle motor activities is employed. Thus the applications of one's left-hand for eating, writing and similar fine motor activities would be differentiated from major motor activities such as throwing a ball or swinging a bat, etc."

I guess I can live w/ that explanation, though clearly, I am not an example of one who possesses manual ambidexterity, defined as 'the ability to utilize both hands equally well'. In my case, I can only use a certain hand depending on the task (e.g. I'd probably carve my face if I attempted to shave w/ my right).

However, I asked a few friends if they brushed their teeth w/ the same hand as they write with, and sure enough, after contemplating the utter randomness of such a query, all answered in the affirmative.

To go into the many theories concerning right- vs left-handed dexterity would be too much to digest right now...maybe I'm just manually-tweaked.

There is one other activity that I can only manage righty, but it's probably prudent to leave it at that. ;)

Ciao4Now.

Boyhowdy's fave songs from the 80's:
1. "You're the Best Thing" - Style Council

2. "Poison Arrow" (extended version) - ABC

3. "New York, New York" - Nina Hagen

4. "Dear Prudence" - Siouxsie & the Banshees

5. "Oblivious" - Aztec Camera

Tattoo Regret

Though never inked, I'm certainly not opposed to forever etching into my skin something of grand significance. Came close once as I contemplated the Japanese symbol 'iki' (粋), loosely defined as 'an aesthetic ideal'.

A few months ago, I asked a friend if he, as a tattoo artist, would ever turn down a potential customer's request - in effect, to spare them from future regret. This was his rather candid response:

"I'm at a point in my career where I think there is some moral responsibilty to what I tattoo...but at the same time, the customer has to take responsibilty for his or her decisions also. It's almost as if I'm a hypocrite...I would have zero problems tattooing a tribal on a guy's face, but once, a girl I know asked me to tattoo a 3rd eye on her forehead with blacklight ink, and I absolutely said 'no f*ckin' way'.

"I can't think of a tat that I've ever regretted doing based strictly on morals...if I'm not into it, I just won't do it. I've done a few that I've regretted because it was my artwork, and I felt that the person wasn't 'deserving' of it. And I've regretted plenty based on poor technical work...bit off more than I could chew, or just things went wrong during the tat. Most of that was during my apprenticeship. There have been a couple of tats that I refused to finish because I just didn't like the guy...perhaps, they didn't keep their end of the deal, or they moved way too much. So I ended the tat as they were. There was one guy who demanded that he get a specific tribal tat2 that was on another person...I told him it was bad luck, but he pushed the issue. In the end, he couldn't finish the tat and I left him with half a tat2, and told him it hurt so bad because it wasnt his tat2 to begin with and he was stealing from another person. I regretted caving in to his demands...but I did warn him, and nothing bad happened to me.

"Ultimately, it isn't my job to decide what people want...it's my job to do a good job, if I decide I want to do it. And frankly, most of the time, I don't give a sh*t why people want things. If they regret it later...well, that's not my problem. Talk to a shrink, have it covered up, laser'd off, or learn to live with it. Your dumb ass wanted it, and that's that. People are too used to blaming others for thier own stupidity...kinda like blaming the mirror because you look like sh*t."

There you have it...one point-of-view from the other end of the needle.

Pizza Longoria!

Showing her support for the WGA, Eva delivers hot Domino's pies to the pavement-marching strikers.

An admirable gesture...but c'mon, Mrs. Longoria-Parker, you could've hit up JoePeep's or Casa Bianca (arguably, the best pizza in LA).

Thank goodness Domino's is no longer affiliated w/ founder Tom Monaghan, supporter of pro-life organization Operation Rescue...could've been a real PR nightmare.

Kickin' It Off!

Let's face it...the last thing our cyberworld needs is another inane blog.

I pondered for weeks about this first post - should I begin with an introduction, or get right into a diatribe about something like the oversaturated promotion of Seinfeld's 'Bee Movie'? How about a list of my favorite types of nigiri-sushi or songs from the 80's?

Starting a blog is a dilemma in itself...you don't want to initially come across as high-minded, nor low-prole. Possessing both traits, I hope that my sum total lands somewhere in the middle.

That's probably good enough for a start...really looking forward to tonight's UW-Stanford women's volleyball match. POINT, HUSKIES!

Ciao4Now.

Boyhowdy's fave o-sushi:
1. Uni (for real!)
2. Ikura
3. Unagi
4. Hamachi
5. Tobiko (w/ Uzura)