any title

Summary

2004-12-10T09:08:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of this I-search I set out to find out more information on custom tattooing and tattoo artists. I had already known about custom tattoos some what at the start. Like I knew what a custom tattoo is and how the tattoo process works. What I did not know was mostly about the artists and how to become one. Like what some artists favorite work was and what there favorite pieces were. I found a bunch of information on individual artists via internet searches and magazines. I have also done a personal interview with the tattoo artist who I go to. He gave me some good information about himself that helped me write this paper. As for becoming a tattoo artist and opening my own shop I found out the difficulty's of doing this. Like doing a long apprenticeship and dealing with all the stuff every business deals with when they first open. I made the conclusion that I don't have the availability or the proper funds to do anything like that in this part of my life. Maybe in the future but not now.

The future

2004-12-10T01:08:00.000-05:00

Now that I know what is involved with getting a tattooing license and setting up a shop I realize that I don't have the time or the money to be able to do this in the near future. Maybe once I am more financially stable and can afford to do an apprenticeship for two years. As for setting up a shop, I would rather but a house first. Then invest in something like that. But I don't see any of this for myself in the near future except getting some more tattoos.

Semester Review

2004-12-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

I was not completely sure what to expect when I first came to this class. But it has seemed to work out for me. I feel that the writing taught in this class was much different then that of what I learned in high school. This writing was much more personal and I feel like I was able to just cut loose sometimes in my essays. Which I was never able to do in any of my previous writing. Though I will never be a writer in my life I feel that I did learn some good stuff in this class. The class also introduced me to blogger which I may decide to keep using in the future. I also (not to be a kiss ass) found Goldfines writing to be interesting and entertaining. I did have a chance to visit many of the other students bloggs but I never posted that I did and now it's to late. It was also difficult for me to do the weekly posts because I don't own a computer or have the internet in my apartment. So, I did the best I could and I think I did ok.

Bloggs I visited
http://lblair.blogspot.com/gspot.com/
http://ruthmc.blogspot.com/

The answer

2004-12-06T08:55:00.000-05:00

Throughout these past few weeks researching the topic of custom tattoos I have found the answers to most of the questions that I had along with additional information. I spent most of my time researching custom tattoo artists, trying to find out what their favorite kind of tattoos are and what there favorite pieces were. I found most of this information from Tattoo Magazine and Tattoo Flash. Every issue they have different highlighted artists that are interviewed with similar questions as mine along with others. A piticular artists who I found a lot of information on and I also find his artwork along with his self fascinating. He is a tattoo artist from California who has featured on the Comedy Central debate show Crossballs. He does a lot of high profile atrwork on clients like Dennis Rodman, Janet Jackson, and Debra Wilson from Mad TV. He has a very spiritual outlook on tattooing and body modification, unlike other tattoo artists who do it for there own fulfillment, Zulu tattoos because he believes that it helps the collectors spiritually.

Another tattoo artist whom I obtained information on was the tattoo artists who I see personally when I want a new tattoo. His name is Rick. He is one of the better artists in the state of Maine. He started as extra hands in a shop called Caveman in Lewiston. He basically just cleaned up the shop and did some paperwork here and there. Eventually he started his two year apprenticeship with the head artist at Caveman. When he finished his apprenticeship he worked at Caveman for a while then he started working at a shop called Perminant Addictions. This is where I had gone for my tattoos. Now he currently works at a shop in Lewston called Captian Morgans. During the interview he stated that his favorite pieces of art were large individual pieces that stand out by themselves. Many people now get smaller individual tattoos and incorporate them together in some way. But he just fancies larger bolder pieces.

Becoming a licensed tattoo artist is not a very long and difficult process. First you have to find a tattoo studio and artist that will take you in as an apprentice. You must do an apprenticeship for two years before you can become licensed. This means doing a lot of bitch work for probably the first year or so. Then after that you might be able to do some simple flash tattoos. It is also a good idea to be certified in CPR, First Aid, and Equipment Sterilization. During this two year apprenticeship you must do what ever is asked of you. Often times an apprenticeship will cost about $10,000 or more depending on the shop. So in most cases you are required to sign on with the shop for a certain number of years to be able to pay off the apprenticeship.

Depending on where you are, opening a tattoo shop could be a difficult thing or it could be very easy. Some things you might have to deal with are city zoning and concerned neighbors. Some areas of city's wont allow tattooing so a special permit is needed. And to get this you need to go to the town or city council and they will review your case and then have a hearing where and neighborhood citizens can come and state if they will think it is a good thing or a bad thing. Most of the time the only people to speak up at a hearing such as this are people who think that the only people to get tattoos are bikers and gang members. So they are worried about increased crime and other such nonsense. But basically all you need to set up a shop is a place to do it, the equipment, and maybe some employee's. The biggest thing to have is your tattooing license.

The Search

2004-12-06T08:18:00.000-05:00

Internet- Finding information about custom tattoo artists online I found to be slightly tricky. If I were do do a google search for "custom tattoos " I would get a bunch of web sites on businesses and people who sell custom tattoo artwork online. But when I tried a search for "custom tattoo artists" this gave me information and links to many, many different tattoo artists web pages across the country. Few of these pages actually did any good though. Many of the pages were for shops and had just a very brief background of the artists. Most of the pages however had an E-mail like where you could hopefully communicate with the artist. I tried E-mailing a few of the more reputable artists who's homepages I found but with no success of hearing back from any. As for becoming and artist I found a very helpful page that tells you how to go about getting an apreniship with a licensed tattoo artist. I also found a article about a man who purchased a commercial piece of property in Chicago and he wants to set up a tattoo shop. The article tells about the steps he need to take to be able to set up the shop in that area of Chicago.

Magazines- This was probably one of my more helpful sources of information about tattoo artists. For about 10$ I went to a local conveyance store and purchased three tattoo magazines, Tattoo, Tattoo Flash, and Savage. All of these magazines are from I believe the same publisher. I found the two Tattoo and Tattoo Flash to be the most helpful. In these they have interviews with the country's best tattoo artists. However they really have nothing about setting up a tattoo shop or becoming a tattoo artist.

Interview- I recently did a brief interview whit the tattoo artist whom I see when I want some new ink on my skin. I really did not get a chance to talk with him for too long because he was setting up for his next appointment and I did not want to impose on his business. But some of the information I got from him was helpful. He likes to talk really fast about one thing then the conversation kind of moves on to another direction so it was hard to get a direct answer out of him. He is one of the better artists in Maine. He was just up in Bangor at a tattoo convention at the auditorium a few weeks back.

Stressful, Frustrating, Helpful

2004-11-22T09:29:00.000-05:00

I really don't like my job very much. I never really have and I never really will as long as I keep doing the same thing. I like the people that I work with and the people that I have worked with. But the job in it's self has caused much stress and emotional frustration for myself and my girlfriend. Since I was about 16 I have worked in kitchens. Washing dishes, prepping, line cook. Just about anything that you can do in a kitchen, I have done it. And I have had enough. Working in a fast paced restaurant atmosphere, though frustrating and stressful most of the time, has changed who I am by making me learn a new trait, introducing me to some good people, and showing me how the real world worked.

When I first got the job I was a dishwasher. There was no real thinking needed for this job at all. All I had to do was send the dishes through the dishwasher and do some general cleaning. Now this was a good job for me when I first got it. But after a while it became boring and it was not getting the bills paid anymore. I talked with the kitchen manager and he gave me a promotion to line cook. I made sandwiches and cooked the fried foods. At first I thought that this would be as mindless as dishwashing but it payed more and it was a change of scenery. I had thought I had known quite a bit about being a sandwich cook just from watching from the dish pit. But once I got up there I realized that I had really known nothing. There was always a ton of prep work to be done in the mornings for the upcoming day and then in the summertime, sandwich was the worst position to work during the day. Being directly next to L.L. Beans in Freeport means there was a lot of business. Aside from line cook, I also did some prep cooking for the restaurant. This job required knowing a bunch of recipe's for different soups, chili, salsa, and things like that. This previous experience helped me get my current job as a grill cook for Smokey Bones Barbecue and Grill. I was hired as a fry cook but they decided that they would rather have me as a grill cook. Knowing how to cook I have found to be very handy in the past year or so. Not only can you cook for yourself and friends but raises and promotions seem to come more often when you know what you are doing behind a line.

Getting my first job was not an easy thing for me at first. Before I started working I felt kind of nervous about it. But there were some great people who I worked with that made the whole working thing easier for me to adjust to. At first I only worked nights so I got to know some of the night crew right away. I have herd that many people think that line cooks are mean and sort of crazy in one way or another. But I did not find this true when I first started my job as a dishwasher. Everyone was able to help me when I needed it. Like if I did not know where something went, I would just ask and they would tell me. Once I was there for a little while I started to get to know more of the people and became kind of friends with some. Making jokes and poking fun at each other was a daily routine in the kitchen at Jameson's Tavern. The summer after I graduated high school I worked almost all day shifts. This had given me more of a chance to know the day crew. I knew all of them already and had worked with most of them before. But I did not really know much about them other than there positions at the tavern. Most of the people that I worked with at Jamesons were good hardworking people who I held respect for. But just like everywhere there were a few people who should not have been working there more than a week at most. These people thought they were the greatest things ever to walk this earth. They would steal food and kitchen supply's along with some tips for the bussers and hosts every now and again. They would always come in drunk or stoned or both and not be able to do there job correctly. But the people who did this sort of thing never really lasted too long. At my current job I have meet a new group of people whom I enjoy working with. There are still a few incompetent people who should not be working there but it is a big corporate chain and they have already been weeded out some and the restaurant has only been open two weeks.

Getting this first job not only introduced me to cooking and new people, it showed me how the real world works. Me being only 16 when I started working was one of the youngest people working at Jamesons. Most of the cooks were from the Freeport area and the servers were from a much wider area surrounding Freeport. The only positions that high school students held were dishwashers and bussers. There were a few other people that worked there around my age. But most of the employees were adults and had family's. I questioned how some of these people could raise a family on a income slightly better than mine. Then I realized that they could not. I could barely make car and insurance payments at the time. These people will never know anything other than Jameson's Tavern. By some this was choice because they felt content with there work and by others it was by force because they dropped out of high school and had kids when they were 17 or 18 years old.

Working in a kitchen has sort of made me who and what I am today. By doing so I was able to learn what now gets my bills paid and meet some new people along the way. But I suppose the largest effect that a kitchen has had on me was it showed me what I need to do to me successful and what will happen if I just kind of give up.

Re: Roxanne Quimby

2004-11-17T10:24:00.000-05:00

Well, lets see here "Anonymous". How is what Roxanne Quimby is doing immoral and wrong. The population of the state of Maine is about 1.3 million people. Baxter state park which consists of most of central Maine is only about 200,000 acres, maybe a little more. A 3.2 million acre national park will be about 15 times the size of Baxter state park. Now that's a lot of land. And a lot of families live on this land and have for many generations. And Ms. Quimby will buy this land, and raise the leases to what she thinks is fair, forgetting that the rest of the world does not have millions and millions of dollars as she does. By doing this it forces families out of there homes. Yes it is her right as the land owner to do this but it is not moral to kick people out of there homes. Also a large part of Maine's economy comes from hunting and fishing and boating and any other outdoor recreational activity's. So if you think that what Ms. Quimby is doing to the state of Maine okay. Then you "Anonymous" are just as bad as she.

Fun Or Just A Big Waste Of Time?

2004-11-08T09:50:00.000-05:00

"Grab the net" I yelled as my line was screaming out from my reel. Poll bent over, seeming as if about to break. But it was not the poll I was worried about, it was the line. Though it was 20lb. Test I noticed a small burr in it before casting. Hauling on the reel bringing my dinner in closer to my hungry hands. It must be a big one I thought to my self on account of the fight that it was putting up. Then, yes it happened, the line snapped. My heart dropped as the poll kicked back at me and the line went flacid. I would have actually landed the fish if I had prepared correctly before I casted.

Before setting up my hook or lure I inspect the line very closely. Look for burrs or frays in the line. Not doing this has caused heartbreak for many fisherman, myself being one of them. Not only have I lost the catch of a lifetime this way, I have also lost many hooks and lures when thy get snagged on a sunken log or some weeds under the water. When I find a flawed piece of line or if I see several spots then I find the one farthest away from the end or the line and cut behind the burr. While inspecting your line I check if the reel is functioning properly. See if it will cast and reel in smoothly as is should when it was brand new. When my line is all ready to go I will move on to setting up the hook or lure.

The second step in setting up a fail safe fishing rod is setting up the hook or lure. Swivels are a fisherman best friend. They make it easy to change hooks and lures as the fisherman or the conditions see fit. Choosing the correct swivel is not very hard. If I am saltwater fishing I will choose a slightly larger swivel so it wont pull apart if I hook a big Stripper or Bluefish. And for freshwater fishing I use a medium to smaller one. A large one will prevent the fish from biting and a small one will just bend and pull apart if I caught anything. After making my swivel selection I now face the difficult decision of what to put on the swivel. This can be a tricky decision for me. I personally prefer live bait over a lure in most circumstances. Fish just like it better. So most of the time I will use a hook. A smaller hook for smaller fish and a larger hook for larger fish. Pretty simple. But selecting a lure is a little more difficult. First of all I need to decide what kind of fish I want to catch. Lets say Large Mouth Bass for this piticular occation. Now I need to see what the water looks like. If it's dark and murky I will want a green or maybe a pink colored lure. If it's nice and clear I will want a darker colored lure like a dark blue or a purple. Now I need to look at the weather conditions. If it's cloudy I will need a lighter colored lure. If it's sunny I can go a bit darker. Now I'm not a fan of the plain old rubber worms that you see in every tackle box across America. They don't work. Period. But some of the fancier rubber lures work okay in the right conditions. If I were to use a lure for bass I would use a small popper or a jitter bug. In clear water on a sunny day I would probably use a spinner. But as I said before, live bait is the best.

The final step that needs to be done is to double check everything. I do this to make sure everything is going to work the way that it is suppose to. I make sure that my bait is securely on the hook so the little good for nothing bastard sun fish don't swim off with my valuable bait. Then I check my knots. I have had some trouble tying knots before. A poorly tied knot has the same results as a flawed line, lost lures and a pissed off fisherman. Give a good tug on the hook, just not on the sharp part. Watch out for that part, it can make for a bad outing if handled improperly.

It seems like a long process on paper but when I am actually at a lake doing these things it takes no time at all. And it's definitely worth it. Inspecting the line, setting up the lure and double checking everything will result in success for me most of the time. As long as the fish are biting. But it's funny, for me the fish only bite once every other year. But when they do it's always a big one worth the wait.

Life As I Know It

2004-11-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

Life has a funny way of slapping you in the face. You never really know how life works until you actually get out into the real world. Life in high school was very simple and easy going. It seemed hard at the time but now that I don't live at home anymore I realize how easy I had it. I do still have support from my mother and some from my father. But nothing like when I was living at my mothers house. Life with your parents and life on your own differ in several ways, financially is probably the biggest. Finding a job, and general responsibility.

Financial independence is probably the hardest thing to accomplish while moving out of your parents house. Most high school students don't realize how easy that they have it. When your parents pay for the roof over they're heads and most of the food that they eat. I was one of these kids when I was in high school. I thought that life was tough and I had it very hard. But the truth was that I had it easy like everyone else. My mother would often give me money to go out and do something with my friends. And help me out with my bills when I was a little short on money. And she still does to an extent. So I would not say that I am financially independent yet. Once I moved out of my mothers house I soon found out how fast one bill comes after another, And another one after that. The only bills I had in high school were car and insurance payments. Now I still have those bills plus rent, electricity, phone and a loan payment for a piece of crap A.T.V. that I got a raw deal on. The only way I can pay all these on my own is to have a good paying, full time job.

Getting a job in highschool is is important to many students and parents alike. A part time job in high school kind of introduces students to the real world. But most of the time these jobs are acquired very easily by most students. Often times the student knows someone who works where they get the job. Whether it is a parent or it is just a friend. I was hired at my first job when I was sixteen as a dishwasher at a restaurant in downtown Freeport Maine called Jameson's Tavern. One of my good friends worked there along with my girlfriend. My friends mother was the Taproom manager and she helped me fill out the application and got my the job with out even an interview. My second job I got when I was seventeen during the slow season at the restaurant where my hours were cut back. My mother is a nurse at a Alzheimers facility in Falmouth Maine and she talked me into applying in the kitchen there. I did and she talked to the head of the dietary department and I got the job quite easily. So getting work was not hard at all for me in high school. Now I live on my own and live in a different part of the state where I don't know anyone or have any family. I had done all I could to get a job in the area. I have filled out almost fifteen job applications in about 2 months. I finally got a job at a new restaurant that is opening up called Smokey Bones as a line cook. The place has not even opened yet so I don't know what working there is going to be like. I don't think that I will be there too long because I kind of wore myself out at cooking at Jamesons. And it's just not my calling ether, but it's a job and will get the bills paid. Finding this job without the help of friends or family was a difficult process for me. But the process of finding a job was part of the responsibilities that I had gained upon moving away from home.

Parents do many things that we as the children take advantage of quite often. And we as children don't really realize that we do this until we live on our own. Housekeeping is maybe the largest thing. When I moved out. I moved from a large two story colonial house in the woods in Harpswell Maine. It was usually only my mother there on account of my brother and I working through the week and my mother worked doubles on weekends. The house was always immaculate. I don't really know how with four dogs and two cats but it was. The floors were always free of any sort of animal hair. Everything was always put neatly away in it's proper place. And even her car was clean most of the time. Though the car was a little harder on account of the house being three quarters of a mile in the woods down a dirt road. I moved out I moved into a small one bedroom apartment that kind of looks like something out of a Picasso painting. The building is in rough shape as far as physical appearance goes but it seems structurally sound and the heat and water has worked good so far. But it is always messy and I don't even really own anything yet. It's mostly a combination of junk mail, laundry, and the tangled mess of wires running from my T.V. stand to the power strip 3 feet away to the small 1 gallon aquarium where my Betta fish "Professor Chaos" resides. Now that I have to clean, I realize how much time it must have taken my mother to clean that house and keep everything in it clean.

Stepping into adulthood has been a difficult process for myself as I'm sure it is for most people when they move out on their own. Though I believe that I am doing better then some people who have been living on there own for years, I still don't feel completely independent yet. But once my job gets going and the restaurant opens I believe that I am on the right track to achieving complete independence of my parents and other family. Although I will still expect a few good feasts provided by my family between the months of November and December. No matter how independent I become.

Reasons Why the Yankees Suck

2004-10-21T19:46:00.000-04:00

First off the Yankees can kiss my ass. It's about time they lost. Now I'm not exactly what you would call a die hard Red Sox fan. But the Yankees just plain out make me angry. There management always exceeds the maximum salary allowance every year so they can have the best players. And the fans seem to be extremely cocky. When ever the Yankees beat the Red Sox in any season there reasoning is because the Red Sox suck. That's not a very good reason as we now see. They obviously don't suck if they can come back from a 3 game to zero defecate and force a game 7 and win it. I also believe that the Red Sox pitching is far superior to that of the Yankees. They're only good pitcher is Orlando Hernandez. All they have is a offence team with a decent infield. Anyways to recap the Yankees can suck my ass and the Red Sox will take it all this year.

Roxanne Quimby

2004-10-21T16:15:00.000-04:00

Have any of you herd of Roxanne Quimby. Just the sound or sight of her name makes my blood boil. She is the founder and former owner of Burt's Bees natural body care products. She lives in North Carolina and owns a house on Mount Desert Island somewhere. And apparently she has decided that she wants to purchase all the land in northern Maine and make a 3.2 million acre national park. She has already purchased 40,000 acres. All of the land that she now owns, she is basically kicking the people who lived there off. She has banned all hunting and fishing on her land along with the use of motorized vehicles. This includes the use of cars, trucks, snowmobiles and atv's. A man named Mark Cuttler and his father owned a camp on what is now her land. He banned all of these things on the land of the camp and Marks father is 90 years old and there is no way that he could walk the 5 miles of road to the camp. Not to mention she raised the lease price by 200% making it almost impossible to pay the lease period. She needs to be stopped some how. I would like to write a E-mail to Mike Michaud and Brian Hammel and see what they think of her. I plan to research her further and see if there is anything that I can do.

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

2004-10-20T08:56:00.000-04:00

I have seen some really great tattoos in my life. And I have also seen some really awful ones. Then there are the ones between great and wretched. The great tattoos can always be seen in tattoo magazines and on the internet. These are done by artists with true talent. The awful tattoos are a kind of rare sight. Most of the time you only see these if you know some crazy bastard that one drunken night went to town on himself or a passed out buddy with a single needle and some Indian ink. Then there are the decent tattoos. These are often times done by a new or just a mediocre artist or just a friend with a homemade tattoo gun or even a real one that they just obtained from somewhere along their travels.
Great tattoos are only seen in certain places. Most good tattoo artists have excellent tattoos if you have ever been in the presence of a tattoo artist you have probably noticed. All tattoo artists have to go through a tow year apprenticeship under a licensed artist. So most of the time these relationships stay open and they only go to each other for tattoos. A really Great tattoo will have very sharp distinct lines and bright vivid color if any. The image should obviously be very clear what it is and with the right image it should look real. Whether it be a little rose or a huge brightly colored dragon on someone's back. I have three tattoos that I think fall under this category. They are nice and bright and have good sharp lines and points.
Most of the tattoos that you will see fall under the good category. These are often created by a decent artist or an apprentice of an artist that is relatively new to the tattooing business. Sometimes people get tattoos from a friend who can draw good and has a tattoo kit that they bought off the internet for 200$. Anyway these tattoos have just okay outlines and basic colors with no color blending at all. Most of the time these are tribal tattoos that are all black and kind of bulky with no fine lines of any kind. Or some sort of basic flash art with weak details in it. And the actual tattoo might be kind of weak its self. What I mean by this is I mean that the tattoo might have faded spots where the tattoo collector did not take care of it after they got it, or they never had it touched up.
And last there are the god awful, painful to look at tattoos. These make me sick. When these tattoos are created there is often times a lot of alcohol or drugs involved for both the collector and the creator. These are often made with a home made tattoo gun or even with a single needle and some Indian ink. These tattoos are most of the time faded out and you might even be able to see each spot where the needle went in to the skin. The lines are often times all wavy and crooked. And most of the times they are just an outline and not shaded in. I worked with a kid who had a pair of these tattoos. One of them was a huge cross that covered his entire chest. And I have no idea what the second one was . It looked like a ball and chain maybe. When he was working one day I noticed the one on his arm. I asked him about it and he showed me that one and the one on his chest. I can only imagine the look on my face. He said that his friend did them and that's why they were so bad. Not only did his friend have absolutely no drawing talent. But he did them with a single needle and some Indian ink.
Now that I have acquired a few tattoos I have also acquired a great respect for that great tattoo artists in the world. These people have true talent and deserve respect. Unlike my co-worker and his friend who are just morons. The only way most people will put a permanent mark on their body is if they know it is going to be good. So if you want a good tattoo go to a professional artist. Don't let your friends do it.

What The F!%$

2004-10-19T14:13:00.000-04:00

Life sucks. I mean not just sucks but beyond sucks. To the point where I just want to quit but I can't because You just can't quit at life. Now I know that I have it much better than a lot of people. And by this I mean I have my health and I have friends and family who care for me but financially my life is a frustrating shithole. I moved up here expecting to find a job quite easily but to my misfortune this was not the case. I have filled out almost 15 job applications in the 2 months that I have been up here. I have only had one call back. I did get a job at Darlings Ford but I was fired after one and a half shifts because they're insurance company would not cover me because of some backwards information that Darlings had. Fucking assholes. I have to pay rent at the beginning of the month and I still don't have a job yet. I had an interview at Best Buy but nothing official yet. I feel good about my chances there though. But I needed a job two months ago. So far my mother has been giving me quite a bit of help with my bills, but it kills me to mooch off of her. I know that she does not have all that much money, especially to pay my bills. It just seems like no one is hiring this time of year. Yeah every one will be looking for seasonal help in the middle of November but I can't wait until the middle of November. On a related subject there was this kid form my class in high school. You may have herd of him his name was Mark Rogers. He was drafted by the Milwaukie Brewers and received a $2,000,000 sign on bonus. Yes two million dollars. He was one of those kind of kids that thought that he was superior to everyone else. He was an ass to everyone who did not excel in any kind of sport or anyone who did not have much money. His parents bought him a newer Mercedes Benz while in school. He crashed it so his parents bought him a new one. Now I just herd roomers that he just bought a Cadillac Escalade and had it shipped out to west coast customs to have them do a bunch of shit to it. Why is it that the assholes in this world get good things but the good people get shit. I was always a believer in karma, do good things and good things will come to you, but I'm now questioning my beliefs. It seems for every good thing I do three bad things happen to me. Whatever. I just have to live my life the way it is. Hopefully things will work out for me soon.

Classification essay intros

2004-10-15T09:01:00.000-04:00

sometimes I think that people forget that when they get a tattoo it is going to be there for life. Once the needle hits the skin there is no going back. There are really three different types of tattoos. The tattoos that are done by a professional and look good, the ones that just look mediocre that are often done by friends of people who have a tattoo gun from somewhere and minor drawing talent. Or a crappy artist who thinks they know what they are doing but 75% of the time they are too drunk or stoned to see straight. And the absolutely wretched, painful to look at tattoos done by a friend if not the person themselves on a lonely drunken night at home.

I have seen some really great tattoos in my life. And I have also seen some really awful ones. Then there are the ones between great and wretched. The great tattoos can always be seen in tattoo magazines and on the internet. These are done by artists with true talent. The awful tattoos are a kind of rare sight. Most of the time you only see these if you know some crazy bastard that one drunken night went to town on himself or a passed out buddy with a single needle and some Indian ink. Then there are the decent tattoos. These are often times done by a crappy artist or just a friend with a homemade tattoo gun or even a real one that they just obtained from somewhere along their travels.

I search 3

2004-10-12T21:11:00.000-04:00

What I Know About Custom Tattoos And Tattooing
- I don’t really have any history with tattoos. No one in my family ever had any tattoos. And I never really saw any real tattoos until I was probably in middle school. When I turned 18 I got a small dragon tattoo on my left shoulder blade. Since that one I have gotten two more.
-Custom tattoos range from a small butterfly that someone doodled on a bar napkin after being stood up by a date, to a full body suit that includes everything under the sun.
-Custom tattoos are not what you see all over the walls when you walk in a tattoo parlor. Custom tattoos are drawn by ether an artist or by the tattoo collector themselves. What you see on the walls is called flash art. These are mass produced and are bought in sets from different companies.
-Many good artists will do custom tattoos for a collector. Being a good tattoo artist comes with experience. First a artist does a two year aprentiship for a licenced artist. Then they can get their licence. Sometimes an apprentice can be much better than a licenced artist. Natural talent is a big part of being a good tattoo artist along with experience.
-Custom tattoos are not anymore expensive than flash art. It depends on the complexity of the piece. If there is a lot of outline work then the piece will be more expensive.
-Most custom tattoos have some sort of meaning behind them. It depends on the experiences of the collector.

Classification Essays

2004-10-08T09:29:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed reading some of these essays. They are well put together and very detailed. I piticulary enjoyed the one about the war on bugs. I found it comical and the writer kind of seems like a text book house wife home maker type.

Past Research

2004-10-08T08:41:00.000-04:00

I guess I have done just about everything that a normal high school student has done along the lines of research. Many stupid, completely factual papers lasting sometimes 7 to 8 pages. Crap, all of it. Completely useless to me in the real world unless I was on some sort of research and development team for Proctor and Gambel. But I'm not so it was all useless. I suppose really the only thing that I learned from my high school research was how to use the Mount Ararat high school online card catalogue. But I'm not going all the way back to Mount Ararat just do look something up. And god forbid if I were to accidentally slip an "I" or a "my" or even a "we" in a research paper. Oh well that does not matter now. It's in the past now. And I suppose that I really did learn some stuff. Just about my topics of research and not about writing the damn paper. Now that I think about it are research assignments in high school just busy work for the students so the teacher can do something else while students are in the library or computer lab? That's how it seems anyways.

I search 2

2004-10-06T08:58:00.000-04:00

I find tattoos very interesting. Not only is it the artistic side of tattoos that I enjoy, but most tattoos have some sort of a story behind them. Whether it was in memory of a deceased friend or loved one or it was an important and memorable event in someone's life. I would like to research and find out how to become a tattoo artist and maybe how to open my own tattoo shop someday. I also would like to research some of the best artists in the country and some of the work that they have done. I don't really know anyone with a completely customized tattoo that really has a meaning behind it. This is because I live in Maine and most people don't even like tattoos to begin with. Now I'm sure that there are some people who have some custom tattoos that mean something to them in this state but no one that I know. So I will have to probably get most of my information from web sites and tattoo magazines. Most magazines feature a new group of artists every month so I will easily be able to get some names and do further research on the artists. Hopefully I can contact some of the artists via E-mail wrather than just using someone else's interview for information.

I search 1

2004-10-04T09:15:00.000-04:00

I was frightened. I had really no idea what to expect. Will it hurt? Probably but I didn't care. I can do this I thought to myself. I'm 18 years old and scared of a little needle. What was wrong with me. I really have no history with Tattoos. No one in my family ever had any tattoos. The only tattoos I ever saw were on TV. I think that I had not even seen a real tattoo until I was maybe in 7th or 8th grade. Or at least I had never paid attention to them. When I was 17 I started thinking that I wanted to get a tattoo when I turned 18. But I really had no idea what I wanted. I went to the internet for help. I did a bit of research on the process of tattooing and the different tattoo shops in the area. I looked at different tattoo designs as well to help me find what I want. Finally I went to what I had herd to be the best tattoo shop in the Brunswick area. I felt odd when I entered the shop. I had the feeling that everyone was looking at me. But in reality I was just another person looking at flash pictures on the wall. I did two laps around the shop and left. I had seen a few things that I liked but not sure if I wanted one permanently on my body somewhere. A week went by and I did some more searching on the internet, which was now becoming very limited. Apparently there are not many free tattoo designs on the internet. Most of the flash pictures you can see are small thumbnail pictures and you need a credit card to purchase the full size image. I went back to the tattoo shop and did another lap around the shop. I saw a little black tribal dragon that looked like something that I could live with, and I really liked the picture on paper. I wanted my first tattoo on my shoulder blade where I could cover it easily if I wanted to. I left that day and came back the next day with my girlfriend. I wanted her to see what I wanted, and I suppose that I wanted her approval in a way. She liked the picture as much as I did. A few days later I turned 18 and went to the tattoo shop and got my first tattoo. Since then I have purchased two more tattoos. One one my forearm and the other on my left shoulder. All three of my tattoos are custom in one way or another. I had the artist add or change the original pictures a little bit to make them unique. And that's the whole point of a custom tattoo. To make them unique, a one of a kind sort of thing. something that only the collector and the artist are a part of.

Auto con

2004-09-27T09:21:00.000-04:00

The ultimate goal in my life other than getting married and having kids is owning a car dealership one day. When this happens I will feel more content with my life. No more jobs that just lead to nowhere. And it's what I enjoy in life. Cars are a part of me. And as long as there are cars I will be there to fix them.

Auto 2

2004-09-27T08:52:00.000-04:00

There are no words that can describe it. It's beyond love, it's beyond passion, it's beyond need. I must have it to live from week to week. I started when I was in about 7th grade, and seance then I have been hooked. There is nothing that I would rather do with my life. It makes me feel complete. It gives me purpose in life. And I will do it until the day I die.

Beer Beer Beer

2004-09-24T10:20:00.000-04:00

Why is it that about 75% of males going to college find it necessary to stay up late every night hopping from dorm room to dorm room with a beer in there hand at all times. Most of the time being loud and belligerent. Waking people up who have a class at 8 the next morning. Or even preventing people from sleeping in the first place. I don't mind when people drink because that's their choice, not mine. And I respect that. But why is it necessary to party every night and waste all that money on alcohol. I'm glad that I don't stay in a dorm. I have my own little apartment. The people upstairs kind of tromp around a little harder than necessary sometimes but other than that it's a quiet building. For me though it's just a house for now, certainly not a home.

Don't Blink

2004-09-24T09:36:00.000-04:00

As I walk across the big green bridge I see the old man sitting on the little wooden bench with his fishing pole leaning on the rocks in front of him. The line is taught in the water so he can see the tip of the pole shake if he gets a fish on his hook. Then I come upon the Town Landing Market. You can get a pretty good pizza there, not the best but pretty good. I walk on further to the country store and I go in and buy a soda. And further on still I walk. Turning on to Ridge Rd. Walking up the hill to the elementary school. Where I would spend hours playing basketball or football with some friends. Bowdoinham is a very quiet town. A good place for kids to grow up. Not to far away there is Topsham and Brunswick. And in the other direction you have Augusta. There is a small population so everyone knows everyone else. As I said there is the two stores, and the have a new firestation that was built maybe 5 years ago. There is the river, where the old townies fish. Bowdoinham is not really much to look at though. If you blink you'll miss it just like any of the other small Maine towns. It really is a nice place though. I enjoyed spending 5 years of my life there.

Phill's Car

2004-09-24T09:15:00.000-04:00

I currently own a 97' Subaru Legacy GT sedan. I love the car but now it's getting a little old. I've had it for over a year now and I'm ready for something else. I enjoy the car a lot. It's reasonably fast and it rides good and handles like a dream. It's god incredible 5th gear acceleration on the high way. But the car is just a bit to small. I would like to purchase a newer truck. Chevy or a GMC. It makes my a little upset when I see people who put body kits and huge spoilers on they're cars like Hondas and Cvaliers. First of all the body kits really serve no purpose unless your going over 100 mph. The spoilers do serve a purpose but most of the time they just look stupid. If you want a fast car with a body kit and a big spoiler then go out and buy a Subaru WRX STI or a Mitsubisi Lancer EVO. That way the car actually looks good. Also in Maine there just is not the supply of performance parts for cars like there is in Florida or anywhere in the south really. If you put a body kit on your car and drive it through the winter there is really no way you will make it through the whole winter without breaking the front bumper cover. And last, most of the people who I see have cars like this are 25, 27 years old and still live with there parents and don't pay them any rent so they can spend they're money on stuff like that. In my opinion my own place to live is much more important than a body kit for my car. I really don't mean to offend anyone who reads this and does have a Honda or other type of car with a body kit and a spoiler. Just make it look good.

The Job Hunt

2004-09-24T08:48:00.000-04:00

As I said in previous blogs I have currently been unemployed since I moved to Bangor. I quit my job in Freeport where I was making a good amount of money for someone of my age. As of yesterday I got a job at a car dealership here in Bangor. I applied for a recon/detailing position first. I thought I had the job until I received a phonecall yesterday morning saying that they gave the job to someone else. I thought I was going to die. I went to my girlfriends dorm and told her what had happened. I had been given the run around by them about the job for what must have been three weeks. I was not about to let them do that to me. That's three weeks I could have been out looking for another job. So I went over there and talked to the service manager. And he gave me a different job. It's about $2.25 less an hour than what I was making in Freeport. But it's more than I'm making right now.

Auto

2004-09-22T09:35:00.000-04:00

The heat is almost unbearable. Sweat is dripping down my face. I can't see. The fog in front of my eyes is to thick. I can't see what I'm doing. There's a stinging on my arms. It hurts. It Burns. My shirt is now ruined. My shoulders are sore. I can't hold them up anymore. But I have to keep going If I stop now I'll have to start over. My hands are cut and bleeding. There always cut and filthy. I love it. I want more. I have a burning passion for automobiles. Cars, trucks, it doesn't matter. I love them all. I love to get my hands dirty and greasy from being elbow deep under the hood of any car. I am a problem solver. I love to find out why the old Ford sitting in the garage dies when the driver slows down to take a corner. I love to wash every square inch of my car then put two coats of wax on it to make it shine like new. I change my oil every three thousand miles if not earlier. And I'll change your oil for the right price. I love cars for three basic reasons, mental improvement, being able to see a finished product, and personal history.
I have always been one who loves a challenge. And working on a vehicle with a complex electrical problem can be one of the most mentally frustrating things anyone can come across. Trying to find what electrical signal is coming from where, and knowing what wires go where and where they come from. Most of the time there is a lot of reading involved. A lot of reading. And sometimes it's only a 10 minute fix. But finding out what to do and where to go is the hard part. And there is no better sound to me than a car starting that previously would not
I love to make things better. I am always improving things. The way things function or look. Nothing is ever good enough for me. I worked on a rusty old 1987 Camero z28 last year. The floor was rusted through in several spots, the engine would not run, and the ignition was broken so a push button ignition was rigged on to the steering column, which only worked half of the time. I spent almost three weeks on that car and by the time I was done I had fixed the floor and replaced the steering column and made the engine run like clockwork. One day I would love to purchase an old 1970 Chevy Chevelle that has been sitting in someone's back yard for 15 years and restore it completely. I know that it is a lot of money and would probably take me ten years to do it but it would completely be worth it to me. I would really love to do something like that with my father more than anyone.
When I was very young I would always watch my father when he was doing work around the house. Especially when he was working on his truck or my mothers car. I could never do anything to help him an account of my height and physical strength at my young age. I was fascinated with cars and trucks. It did not matter if they were matchbox cars or real ones. I had a piticular liking for Ferrari's. I never really had the closest relationship with my father. But when I was helping him work on his truck it made me feel closer with him. Now I still don't have a close relationship with him but he now comes to help me work on my car. I have also noticed him coming to me with automotive related questions.
people say that if you do something for long enough than you will get sick of it and never want to do it again. And I believe that is true for most people and the things that they do. Even me and some of the things that I have done. But that statement does not hold true for me and cars. My passion with automobiles has grown over the years. Starting with matchbox cars and a watchful eye. Growing to a near professional level in most recent years. And it will continue to grow indefinitely. I know that I will never tire of working on vehicles for those three reasons plus many more.

Different Experience

2004-09-20T10:14:00.000-04:00

As I turned the corner in to the class room I see computers along the walls. I wondered if I was in the right place. I had never had a English class in a computer lab before. So I walk in and have a seat and then the teacher said "college comp 101 I'm John Goldfine" I pulled out my schedule quickly to make sure I was in the right place. I was. I now enjoy having an English class mostly on the internet. It's not all on the internet but a majority of it is.
My math class on the other hand is like any typical old high school math class. With the text book and the white board riddled with numbers and letters. I like math alright but it's just kind of boring in my mind. Most of the things I learned in my math classes in high school I will never ever use in my life. My grandfather was a math teacher for a while. And over last thanks giving I had a interesting conversation with him about teacher/student relationships. Most of the things you learn in high school you really will never use. This is because not every student is going to do the same thing with they're lives. Some will go in to the military, some will build houses, and others might weigh out bags of pot for the rest of they're non-prison lives. So teachers are required to teach all the students everything about they're piticular subject.
In college the classes are more individualized. There are only so many things that the students can do at the school so that way the teachers can narrow down the material in the subject accordingly. So far college has been a pleasant experience. I know that college is going to help me in the long run.

My Own Summer

2004-09-20T09:32:00.000-04:00

It's getting cold outside. Leaves are changing colors and frost is coming to kill gardens. My summer has been over for a long time though. I really never had a summer vacation. I worked full time all summer. From the week that I graduated till I moved to Bangor. I hated my job. I was a line cook at Jameson's Tavern. And the pay was decent and I liked most of the people there. But the job was way to demanding for me. I just didn't like working in the restaurant business anymore. I had worked there for about a year and a half as a dishwasher before I was promoted to line cook. I worked mostly day shifts (9a.m.- 3p.m.) and summer time at Jameson's Tavern is one of the busiest places in Freeport. Between the time we opened (11a.m.) to 3 we would put out about 350 to 400 orders if not more. All the servers get pushy and want they're food now. When in reality there are 16 other slips ahead of them. It's hell. And I'll never go back. It was not even the stress of the work that made me so pissed off that I will never go back. It was the head chef. He was the lowest, dumbest, dirtiest piece of shit I have ever met. He was horrible. He could not do his job for the life of him. I could do his job better than he could. He scheuled everyone for 6 shifts a week and if you requested a day off he would have a heart attack. He would steel everything from kitchen supply's for his inn that he owned to 200 dollars worth of food on his days off for his friends. Then at night when it was slamming he would just disappear. Only to return when the rush was over. He would then disappear again at the end of the night when it was time to clean up. Most times he would go sit at the bar and watch TV. He made everyone angry. I'm sure that if I ever go back to visit in 10 years he will still be there pissing everyone off. The only reason that he is still around is because he is an incredible golfer. And the owner likes to win golf tournaments. I don't miss Jameson's Tavern and I never will.

Cause and Effect

2004-09-18T13:29:00.000-04:00

I liked reading the sample cause essays very much. The writers were able to create very captivating story's using the five paragraph format. They hauled me in with good introductions and kept me interested in the story throughout the middle three paragraphs. Then in the conclutions the writers were able to end the story in a interesting manner. I feel that I will probably be able to Wright a good five paragraph essay after reading the sample essays. At first I was not sure about the five paragraph format but after reading the samples I guess I'm ready to write one and see how it goes.

6 years

2004-09-17T08:52:00.000-04:00

"Tell me" I asked her over and over. I wrote her a 5 page note saying "Tell me" repeatedly. I had to know who this person was. I had to know who it was who liked me in that way. I finally broke her silence. And to my surprise it was her. I moved to Bowdoinham during the summer between 6th and 7th grade. At first I was quiet and mostly just read on the bus, I might have a conversation with someone if the right situation arouse. The people on the bus wanted to know more about the new stranger one they're bus. But I was shy and did not really open up at first. Then I started to warm up to them and became good friends with many of them. One of the girls especially.
She was a skinny little red head with bright twinkily braces in her teeth. She was beautiful. I started to talk to her more, on the phone and such. Then she told me one day that she knew someone who liked me. I had to know. After days of persuading I got her to crack. "I'll tell you but then I'm gonna hang up right after" she said. I didn't care, I just had to know. "It's me" CLICK. There I sat, dumbfounded on the blank phone. I could have sworn I was hit by a Mack Truck. A few minutes later she calls back and claims she was joking. But I got her to come clean. It was her.
We started dating later that night and it was the beginning of a good thing. We would go for walks and to the movies and bowling and all the things that a couple 7th grader can do. We went to school but never had any classes with her. I would go out of my way to see her between classes. But I wanted to, I wanted to see her as much as I could. Yeah we were only in 7th grade but that didn't matter to us. It has been almost 6 years with her and it only feels like a week.

My Life In A Photo

2004-09-12T23:28:00.000-04:00

When I see this photo I reflect on my life. I see where I came from to where I am now and where I am going. When I was growing up I never had the greatest life. Yeah my parents loved me and my brother but they did not love each other. And there was not much "brotherly love" between my brother and I. I always played by myself. I lived in East Orland until I was about 5 years old. Everything was fine in my 5 year old mind. Then we moved to Freeport near my grandfather and really just about the entire fathers side of my family. It was then that things really started to go down hill. My fathers family really loved booze and late night bonfires, as did my father. My mother did until she had my brother when she was 21. She learned to grow up in a hurry. No more late night parties or getting high. I was born two years after my brother. We would stay with my mother when we were growing up in Freeport. My father would go work for a while, I never really knew how many hours he worked a week. I have a guess not that many. He spent most of his time at my uncles or grandfathers with his good friend King Bud. He would stumble in at one in the morning and make something to eat. Slamming around in the kitchen waking everyone. Eventually going to bed. My mother would try to block him out by blocking the door with random objects. He would always find a way in. Eventually my mother, brother and I moved to a little cottage on the water in South Freeport. I spent most of my time exploring the woods and the river where it turned from fresh water to salt. I lived near many kids whom I went to school with, but I was never really there friend. They had all known each other from a very early age. And all there parents had tons of money. So I was the poor kid in the neighborhood who everyone picked on. We moved to a little town called Bowdoinham just north of Brunswick when I was entering 7th grade. This was a good move for my family. My mother bought her first house. And I made real friends. It was kind of a new beginning for me. I maintained a close relationship with my new friends through high school. My girlfriend being one of them. I met her in 7th grade. My senior year of high school is when the photo was taken. It is a picture of my girlfriend and I at prom. We were voted king and queen of the MTA senior prom and that meant a lot to us. Seeing this photo brings all these memories back and makes me realize that I'm going to be something in my life. I'm going to be a good husband, father, and one day shop owner and boss. This photo means a lot to me. My life has changed and the picture proves it.

One And Only

2004-09-09T20:56:00.000-04:00

I have many addictions. And I have absolutly no desire to rid myself of them. You see they are not bad or harmful addictions like drinking or smoking like first impression would bring to ones mind. I am first and foremost addicted to cars, trucks, anything with a motor really. I love to change my own oil and I love reaching up through the bottom of a greasy engine to get at the starter motor with a bad solenoid. Which you might be able to catch a glimse of if you have a flashlight, mirror and good eyesight. I love golf second to cars. Golf as I stated in a previous blog is a form of relaxation to me. Playing 18 holes on a nice cloud free day. Slight breeze from behind you. No golf cart though. Walking is part of the game, plus it allows for time to think. My third addiction is a relatively new one. Tattoos. I got my first one on my 18th birthday. It is a small black tribal dragon with red, orange, and yellow flames coming up from behind it. The second one is the tribal armband I have on my right forearm. It's blue with a thin black outline and black tips. My most recent one is a medium sized tribal dragon on my left shoulder. It is black with a thick red outline and green and yellow flames rising from behind in the same style as the one on my back (the first one). I enjoy almost all music except teenie bopper pop n'sync shit, and most counrty. Though Garth Brooks is okay in small doses. I love rock like Deftones, Sevendust, Chevelle, Papa Roach. And I listen to a good amount of rap as well. Not mainstream crap but underground stuff like Atmosphere, Murs, Eligh, ect.
I have a black lab named Colby who miss very much. He had to stay in Harpswell where my landlord does not allow pets. My parents got divorced when I was only 9 years old and I had to see my mother get remarried to a complete moron when I was 14. I was also there when she later divorced the moron. My father lives in Freeport where he lives a secluded live with my new step mother. I am currently on kind of bad terms with him. I drive a nice car, a 97' Subaru legacy GT sedan. I like to listen to my music loud. Sometimes overly loud. So I installed a 1800 watt stereo system in my Subaru. My little apartment is cluttered and still empty. I have very little furniture though I am very materialistic. I hate looking through the flyers in the paper because I always see stuff that I want but I currently have no money. I love action movies like Predator and sci-fi movies like Alien and Event Horizon. And of course I can't forget the golf favorite Happy Gilmore. I like to play video games still. I own a X-Box with 6 games. But lately it has been getting old so I purchased a old super Nintendo and have been getting into that. I like sleep, probably a little more than the average person. But I also like to work a lot. All these things add up to the flesh pile known as me. Accept me or don't I am what I am.

Phill's Kitchen

2004-09-08T09:58:00.000-04:00

This is a list of the items in my kitchen cabinets, starting at the left side of the top shelf to the right side of the bottom shelf.

-One box of Ritz crackers containing two sleeves of actual crackers

-One box of Sure-Fine apple cinnamon oatmeal missing about 4 packets

-One unopened jar of Hannaford brand peanut butter

-One unopened can of starkised tunafish

-One container of no name brand salt, about 3/4 full

-One box of Frosted Flakes about 1/3 full

-Nine packages of Raman noodles, 5 chicken flavored and 4 beef flavored

-One small tin of Sure-Fine brand black pepper

-Four large glass cups

-Four small glass cups

-Four small plastic cups

-Four large plastic dinner plates

-Four plastic pasta bowls

-One unopened bag of Hannaford brand sugar

-One small sized George Forman Grill

Based on this information I would say that this person is not really around too much to eat. They could be living by themselves or they might have up to three other people there. They probably don't like to entertain guests much on account of the number of dishes. This person probably has ether a low income job or is a student somewhere because of the quality of the dishes. Or they might just be extremely frugal? I would also say they they enjoy Ritz crackers a lot with the occational George Forman burger. And Though it does not seem like they have much use for them they may or may not have salt and pepper shakers.

Almost Par

2004-09-08T09:26:00.000-04:00

Many people don't feel the same way that I do about golf. I am an avid golf player. I go and play at least 9 holes every chance I get. For me golf is a form of relaxation. Even when I hit a bad shot, yeah I might get a little frustuated with my round, unless I can recover with a good shot. But even that frustration is better than being stressed out with everyday life. Not only do I love to play golf I love to wach it on TV as well. Many people, my girlfriend being one find golf to be one of the most boring things on the planet. Just because it's not fast paced or hard hitting like football or ice hockey. But it's the skills that the pro players have that I admire. Just think about how hard golf really is, you might find a little more admiration for these athletes. They hit a tiny ball hundreds of yards only using 3 to 5 strokes, depending on the distance of that piticular hole, into a tiny cup in the ground. To do this every shot has to be perfect or at least close to it. And if I can maintain this perfection for 18 holes than things are almost par again in my life.

Technological Dilemma

2004-09-06T17:50:00.000-04:00

Computers are a funny thing. Especially when your entire English class is online and you don't have any money to buy a computer or rich parents to buy you one. So here I sit typing my 2nd of four weekly entry's on this website. The only thing is I am currently a few days behind, because of my technological dilemma. Yeah I have the computers at the school to use but probably not on Sundays or holidays. Luckily my girlfriends parents were kind enough to purchase her a new dell laptop for graduation. But the laptop being hers I must travel across town to her dorm room to access it. I moved into a small apartment recently and somewhere throughout the move I spent every cent I had. As this has probably happened to at least a few of you out there reading this. So I hope to purchase a computer of sorts as soon as I can conjure up some money. And that should be a fairly difficult process. Unless I magically win Powerball or something. Than I could purchase anything I have ever, and will ever want. But I'll save that topic for another blog.

Re- Prison Pete

2004-09-05T15:29:00.000-04:00

I recently read a bolg written by someone named "Prison Pete". I also read some of the comments written by admirers of his. And this made me wonder why people are fascinated with people in prison. He is being held in a federal prison in I believe west Virginia somewhere. Some of the comments were calling him a genius and other things. One girl even went as far as asking him if he had a girlfriend. Well my question is to the people who have regard of this manner for him. Why? If he is in a federal prison and has been for more than 8 years then chances are he did something pretty bad. And there is still the question of does "prison Pete" even exist. Blogger posts and profiles can be completely anonymous if you choose. So "Pete" very well could be some guy or woman anywhere in the world. I often hear story's on Dateline NBC or 60 minutes and other such shows of related situations. Currently in the Maine State prison there is a man who is being held for the murder of a young girl in the early to mid 1980's. The man is being held for a life sentence. Yet a woman living in Freeport ME sold her house, donated $30,000 to a organization trying to get him another trial, and she bought him a 2000 or a 2001 GMC pick up truck. Why would you spend your life and your money on a useless cause such as this. Well it's her life, so whatever makes her feel good I guess.

Worried

2004-09-03T10:10:00.000-04:00

This is all very new to me. I just moved up here to Bangor not even a week ago. I only go to school part time because I need a full time job to pay my bills. But the only problem with that is I have not found a job yet. A few hopefuls but nothing confirmed yet and this makes me worried. Out of the 8 job applications I have filled out, only 2 have actually called back. As for the other places I called them to see if my application had been processed but in most cases I was just transferred to someone's voicemail, which I have recently found to add up to a whole lot of nothing. I know I'll find a job soon but when I'm not at school I have nothing to do on account that I don't have any money, and I don't really know anyone yet. I moved to Bangor from a town called Harpswell, a small fishing community just north of Freeport. It was nice down there. Quiet, always a cool seabreeze to dull the muggy summertime heat of Maine. I'm just a little homesick I guess. I know I'll like it up here eventually.

If Satan Were a Teacher

2004-09-03T09:28:00.000-04:00

Slowly walking down the cold dark hallway to the restroom just to be out of her class. Her stupid stories of her stupid life. Nobody cares that there were 4 "Pattie's" in her 10th grade English class. No I never read any of her books she assigned. Her ridiculous demands of 6th graders. I couldn't stand her anymore. Every second I thought of her or her class I became more angry than I was before. Here I now stand over the toilet in the quiet of the bathroom, making myself vomit just to get away from her. So I can go home to the safety of my bedroom where she can never get me. Her huge silver hoop earrings and her Berkinstocks with her dress that looks like she made it out of her old living room curtains that smelled of cheap candles. Walking back to the classroom, ready to leave early, but too afraid to tell her that I'm sick. I just sit at my desk with my head down not saying anything. But trying to work up the courage to speak. Demanding I put my head up, my friend tells her I'm sick. "Well if your sick then you need to go to the nurses office, not sit here with your head down" she says. On my way to the nurses office I start to grin, knowing that I had won this round. But also knowing that I'll have to face her again tomorrow. But I'll worry about that later, I'm too busy enjoying the moment of victory.

Hands

2004-09-01T10:14:00.000-04:00

My hands are my life. I use them to build things, I use them to repair things. My hands are my greatest tools of all. They are strong and calloused from working and being used for the beginning of my life I was a small child I used them to help my father carry firewood into the house from the cold outdoors. Usually I could only carry one or two pieces at a time. Being a small child that is all that I could carry. But as I grew older the demand from my hands became greater. When I was 16 years old I got my first job as a dishwasher at an upscale restaurant in Freeport. At first the heat from the freshly cleaned dishes was almost unbearable. But the pain from the blistering hot dishes subsided after a few months. I was eventually promoted to "Line Cook" where my hands endured a different kind of punishment. They were often cut from razor sharp knives and burned by splattered of hot fryer oil. Once again they were pushed past their limits.
Now my hands are not as abused as they were. They are used to wright English papers and to solve math problems with the occational job application somewhere between the math and English. My hands want to be used. They can rarely be still. They are always doing something, even if its just tapping the drumline to a song that I know. Though my anxious hands sre still only starting their journey through life, they have still become my greatest tools.