INSIDER INFO

I received some insider info regarding the 5 day mail delivery:


Despite what you may have heard this probably is not going to happen, and here is why.

A) the mailers and businesses don't want it to happen

B) the only reason that USPS is losing money is because the US Congress mandated that we pay $5.6 Billion per year, to pre fund retiree health benefits. no other company, public or private, does anything even close to this..

C) It was just discovered that USPS has overpaid into the Civil Service Retirement System to the tune of $75 Billion. All that has to happen is for the Washington paper shufflers to move this money back to us and we will not only have the health benefits funded but also alleviate all of outstanding debt and still have some left over.

D) The Postmaster General has said himself that 5 day delivery is only a last resort unless the USPS is provided some relief in this prefunding matter.

so please spread the word about the "real" information.

Misc items

Fred Vanore Blue Moon Studios Snuggie Commercial - Funny home videos are a click away

My wife said no to this great invention! I think my cat would love making whoopee to Snuggie as much as her pink blanket!

Plus everyone is doing it...




I think this will be a guy movie classic in the making!


MACGRUBER: Movie Trailer - Watch more top selected videos about: Movie_Trailers, MacGruber, Powers_Boothe, Val_Kilmer, Ryan_Phillippe, Maya_Rudolph, Kristen_Wiig, Will_Forte, Jorma_Taccone

Oh, I mean this one...


ROBIN HOOD: Movie Trailer - Click here for more free videos

hmm, this one too.


THE LOSERS: Movie Trailer - Watch more top selected videos about: Movie_Trailers, The_Losers, Chris_Evans, Zoe_Saldana, Idris_Elba, Columbus_Short, Jeffrey_Dean_Morgan, Holt_McCallany, Sylvain_White

It is going to be a great summer!


IRON MAN 2: Movie Trailer - Watch more top selected videos about: Iron_Man_2_(film), Iron_Man_2, Don_Cheadle, Mickey_Rourke, Robert_Downey,_Jr., Gwyneth_Paltrow, Scarlett_Johansson, Sam_Rockwell, Jon_Favreau


DATE NIGHT: Movie Trailer - A funny movie is a click away


WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS: Movie Trailer - For more of the funniest videos, click here

Check this out!

Looks pretty good!

I think for my wife, this would be awesome!

Here is my backing to build that Vegas style upscale tattoo shop!

I received this email today!

Hello My Beloved,

My name is Mr.James Lynch ,I am a USA citizen leaving

in Nigeria,I got your email address on the US email

Directory and i decided to contact you to brief you of

my pains.While i was still leaving in South Carolina i

lost my family in a car accident and it was

unfortunity that i was the only one who survive the

incident but due to my profession as an engineer i

have travell down to Nigeria where i am working with

Chevron Oil Nigeria Plc .The main reason why i am

contacing you is because i am suffering from Leukemia

Disease and my doctor said to me that my chance of

survival is not Guarantee and i dont have any child

who will claim my inheritance after the incident that

is why i am looking for a USA citizen who will help

me to invest my money out there in the USA wisely and

who will not mis-used it while i am dead because of my

state of Health.Not too long ago i deposited the sum

of $10,000,000,00(Ten Million Dollars) with a security

company here in Nigeria so because of my state of

Health i am looking for a good and trusted America

citizen who will help me to invest this money wisely

while i am dead because my doctor have said to me that

i dont have a good chance of survival and secondly i

dont have any child who will inherit this funds.

If you believed that i can confide my trust on you

that you will not disapoint me and that you will

invest this money wisely,Kindly reply this mail so

that i can send you further informations about the

deposit with the security company so that i can write

to the security company to release this funds to you

and also let me have your personal contact

informations.

Regards
Mr.James Lynch


I am totally that guy!

Flux Design Update

Talked to Adam this morning and no delay so far. We should have everything moved in and ready to go on May 1st. We hope to start moving into the new stations before that. May 1st is the set deadline.

The main issue right now is the light, it has a 4 weeks order/ship time. These are round 4 feet lights to fit in the clouds.

I do expect some hiccups here and there but oh, this is so exciting. :)

The demo date is still 4-11. We will be tattooing on 4-10 and close up for vacation! May 1st we will have the Riverwalk for breast cancer awareness and Art Crawl, we will be around to participate one way or the other. (The team members will get their tee shirts at the shop location! I will contact the members once I have more information. )

Do expect progress photos here once the remodeling starts!

Another "Black Heart" product

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

guess what?







I am full of good news this morning...

Upscale tattoo shop

Yeah, there is a such thing as UPSCALE TATTOO SHOP.

The Great Escape

Amazing Dog Escapes from Kennel - Watch more Funny Videos

Doggie Nanny

Dog Sings To Soothe Crying Baby - Watch more Funny Videos

Love the roo.

In reply to

My reply to Big Rub.

Random

As seen on Internet- fail edition.

As seen on Internet

Milli Vanilli Chinese style

The mini Psi Sig world tour

Frat brother Jamie came up from IL to celebrate his 39th, Mark was able to join us and all our wives too. We went to Pacific Bistro for a nice dinner.

After the meal we decided to dig into my wine cellar a little, it turned into a mini world tour... It was going to finish at Europe but we never made it out of Australia. I think if Paul is here, we would have gone a few more places.

We started at 2001 Armador Cab from Valle Del Maipo, Chile (South America), then 2001 Il Cuore Cab from Mendocino County, CA (North America), then 2003 Goats Do Roam from South Africa (Africa), 2002 Gamla Gailee Merlot from Golan Heights Winery, Israel. (Asia), then 2003 Wolf Blass yellow label Cab from Australia. (Australia). Could have gone to French or Spanish or Hungarian next... ( It is not really about how expensive the wine is but how it tastes! )

Their wives were nice enough to drive them home... :) Thanks everyone... lot of water this morning and no, I am not tattooing today.

Interesting...

Eric's Porter Haus revisited

Rich, Barry and I decided to go to Fish Fry after a long day of work, we decided to go to Eric's because it is closest.

We were seated right away this time and the baked, fried cod and the roasted chicken are all very good. DO get the family style with EVERYTHING, the fish is great but I think the roasted chicken is the hidden gem.

The thin potato pancake is good, and the cold slaw is also good. They can use one or two more server but we can overlook that with the food being so tasty.

We do think this is the place to go for Fish Fry on Friday nights in downtown Waukesha. The bar is set high, any challengers out there?

Is this for real?

Hmmm, fake or not, it is a very interesting idea, and so is this website.

I love this sign!


A bacon club like a wine club... "Delicious bacon arriving magically at your doorstep every month."

You had me at "De.."

A man's apology

Here is the video.

Here is the story.

Here is the interview.

Here is the apology.

Northridge plan plus one

I just read this in the local Chinese newspaper that Northridge is sold to a group from Beijing and they plan to have Chinese imports featured inside. I would strongly suggest avoiding baby formulas and pet food. ;) More Chinese population will mean more authentic Chinese food! I like it.

What I am more excited is that a Kohl store in south side will be turned into an Asian super store. It means we can go there shopping and also have some tasty Vietnamese food! I can not wait!

All good things will come, as long as you are patient! :) Who can imagine I have sushi for lunch today in downtown Waukesha 10 years ago? I do think Wisconsin is still Boba deficient.

:) One man debate!

A scheduling conflict has Mayor Nelson going solo on the Carroll University debate! How does that work?

Now I am confused... Who is left and who is right, who is ambiguously left and right? :)

Do support your candidate with passion and go out to vote on April 6th!!! The future of Waukesha is in your hands!

Let's lighten the mood...

Never fails.

Are we that divided?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Is this a debate?

I am lucky to have insurance through my wife, aka "the benefit", but I do know a lot of people can not get insurance with pre-existing conditions. They are not on welfare or lazy. I do think people need to take a breath and see the historical part of this. This health care reform bill has roots all the way to Nixon, a Republican. We have to be very careful on this left vs right thing, because a lot of people are in the middle.

I will now go sit on my fence and PEACE!

Waukesha Mayoral Election heating up!

Some reporters and bloggers threw in their two cents.

The two sources I read daily:

Spring City Chronicle

James Wigderson

Funny and informative. Join the great debate for a better Waukesha! :)

Also, this blog entry is really hitting home. (Once again, I am an independent!) This is for Mr. Kodiak Kid.

Bonus:

Backhanded compliment?

Today must be...

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE day!

The Monster Parents in Japan.

...and Rich showed me this just yesterday



DUH!

But then of course people just misunderstood WE gorgeous people.... ha ha ha (Gorgeous George, Georgie's show name, Papa Georgio, I can go on and on with the personal reference...)

So sad and so many things wrong with this (Mature)

There is real consequences when you do not practice firearm safety.

Can you see what is wrong with this picture?

How do you play Russian Roulette?

I really hope this poor guy pull through. It is so sad.

Do not handle firearms if you are drunk, high, or stupid, and it is NEVER a good idea to point it at your own head or someone else's as a joke. Likely you forget there is a round in the chamber even if the clip is out! This hurts real people and real family, and it happened in real life as I know it.

Health Care Bill?

I received a swear word filled email regarding my lack of coverage on Health Care Reform Bill. Here is the video you requested, sir.




bonus coverage



Hey, we all love a funny sidekick!

The bill passing is historical. I think health care needs to be fixed before USA becomes GM. I am happy that you can finally get some decent insurance. I also think the ones with insurances should have some compassion for the have-not. Please go wash your mouth with soap now. :)

Busy day!

Had an appointment with some loyal clients and off to Milwaukee for a Flux Design meeting. Met Jeremy's puppy, and she is gonna be a big one! The meeting went long but we agreed on everything and with HF's help, we will have kick butt lighting as well. THANK YOU!

I do have to apologize to my appointment which I was late, but she was very kool about it. Anyone with Hello Kitty tattooed on is kool in my book.

We then started our fan giveaway using the online appointment system, but I think I confused a lot of people, we are just using the system but not really need you to make an appointment. BUT, we do have three winners. I thought the "game" would end in an hour but it went on for about 5. I did have to disqualify a lot of entries for not putting in the correct phrase in the message box.

There will be more giveaway games, and we will get better at running them. I think our goal is to interconnect with our customers in all the social medias, we will definitely put Twitter to good use very soon.

I too have to apologize for missing two events tonight, the mayoral debate at Civic Theater and the WEAA meeting. The reason? I have to go home to let the dogs out because wife is working late. ( Yes, I am blaming the wife. )

Oh, the billboard is up again on Hwy F! Don't miss it! ( One male customer said he just remember seeing the girl but not sure what the billboard said. Hmmmm, note to Clear Channel, the girl is too eye catching! )

Funny commercials (some off color)

This reminds me years ago when I was at the old Balck Dragon shop next to Pix and someone came in to order chinese food.

Some other ones I found....

it's BACON!

Saw this on MSN... I am interested.

Allo! Chocolat had chocolate covered bacon once and I hope they still do. I love the dark chocolate ones.

Do I have any bacon in the house? Gotta go.

A newer version

1501

Once again, I am a reformed Facebook addict so I will not activate my many accounts.

The fan page for Waukesha Tattoo Company hit 1501 fans today, it means sometime, someone soon will be a lucky winner of some free tattoo time from the tattoo artist of one's choice.

Stay close and be quick!

You better get on board and be a fan too! :) Free is free!

P.S. Rich the FB webmaster just posted that it will be tomorrow afternoon. (Tuesday), you know what to do.... Last time was 13th email gets it, I wonder what crazy way this time will be? Maybe twitter? I sure hope I am not giving someone too many hints! ;)

A family destroyed

There are legal actions out there so I can not go into the detail but a family is being destroyed in public.

We know them and we call them friends. We went and visited once and we were amazed how devoted they are to a cause with their limited resources.

Last week they were accused of something they are totally opposite of and a one-sided sensationalized TV news story put a rather large negative label on them and here comes the threatening phone calls. They are losing their whole pack, house and business.

I found out too late or we would have been there for the trial today. All I can do is pray for my friends that they will get a fair representation of their side of story.

The Pacific (HBO)

I am a big fan of BAND OF BROTHERS and now I am watching THE PACIFIC religiously.

Randy Sr. and I were discussing the historical accuracy of it, and we both commented that Higgins boat was one thing that should not have existed... Guess what, we are both wrong! See this Wiki entry!

He was impressed with the detail on the glove for the water cooled machine gun. I do think the producers learned the lesson after Saving Private Ryan that people will pick up every little detail.

Just to put it in perspective. If the Marines did not do what they did, and could not turn back the Japanese, I would be speaking Japanese right now because in 1942, Taiwan was still a Japanese colony.

Do honor the veterans, you have no idea what they went through and how they affected the world. That is the spirit of America I admired as a child from a foreign land, and they are the people upheld the ideal with blood and guts.

Another interesting Sunday

Today is the second interview time for the manager candidates. We like to thank them all for coming in. Amy and Rachel did a great job as interviewers.

While the gals are at work, Rich and I took a walk down Main Street. We went into Generations to say hi, show our respect to mayoral candidate Mr. Scrima. I did not know that his brother is my customer. I am happy to know that. I also had him confirmed his campaign promise of bringing back Scrima's Pizza. Yes, you read it here first! ( We do feel bad that we can not take a sign, we have to stay neutral...and Rich and I are not residents in the city, but we are very pro-Waukesha. )

While we are sitting in there, we talked to the owner about the place. We are very impressed with the design and I also looked at the wine list (I have two of the same in my collection). The main theme is "wave" as in river. We dig it because we too have a theme in "gear" as in industrial. It is kool to see people design with something Waukesha related in mind. We have some certificates from restaurant.com for Generations, we sure will put that to good use!

After the interview process, we went to La Estacion for dinner. It is one of Rich's favorite place. Barry came after his band practice to join us as well. I remembered the place as Saz's and did close the place a lot when I was in Carroll College. I even know the secret exit door.

Mayor Nelson was holding his fundraiser in the next room so we went over to say hi as well, I thanked him personally for attending the benefit we sponsored last Friday. He has something in common with Rich with both being diabetic. We are feeling good that whoever wins the mayoral election will be supportive of our desire to better Waukesha. We do encourage everyone to go out and vote, support your candidate with passion, and may the best man win!

For further information, we do have literature from both campaign in our shop! It is an open debate and do join in for a better future of Waukesha.

From a fellow greyhound lover

...And God Created the Greyhound

On the first day, God created the Greyhound. On the second day, God created man to serve the Greyhound. On the third day, God created the animals of the Earth to serve as potential food for the Greyhound. On the fourth day, God created honest toil so that man could labor for the good of the Greyhound. On the fifth day, God created the tennis ball so that the Greyhound could or could not retrieve it. On the sixth day, God created veterinary science to keep the Greyhound healthy and the man broke. (AMEN!!!) On the seventh day, God tried to rest, but he had to walk the Greyhound…… (Unknown author)

On the eighth day, God believeth that He was done, but Lo! The Garden of Eden was full of Greyhound poop and craters. Adam & Eve, having been banished from the garden, no longer dwelleth therein to serve the Greyhound, so it came to pass that He had to clean the mess up Himself. And God was displeased.

On the ninth day, God sayeth unto the Heavens, "Who hath dominion here, me or the Greyhound?

On the tenth day, God came upon the Greyhound cockroached on His throne and abideth there unmoving, despite all His beseeching. And so it came to pass that God had his answer. He then sayeth unto Moses, "Fine! You’re in charge now. Here’s my ten commandments. You deal with the Greyhound! I’m retiring to Miami Beach!

And Moses convinced the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of bondage in Egypt and journey to the Promised Land. God sayeth unto Moses, "The Promised Land shall be yours, but you must take the Greyhound with you.

And so it came to pass that the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, waiting for the Greyhound to go potty, mark every bush and sniff every blade of grass in its domain.

And the Greyhound was fruitful and multiplied.

The people were taken by the comliness and manner of the Greyhound, but they were sorely distressed. "Lord" they cried out, "The Greyhound is an attractive and sweet creature, but there are so many, what shall we do?"

And God sayeth unto the people, "Ye are a cursed people and shall be known as adopters! Thy yards shall be barren of grass. Thy dwellings shall overflow with dog beds, squeaky toys and Greyhound kitsch. Thy carpets shall be forever stained. Thy vet bills shalt be large and thy lives forever ordered around by the Greyhound. And thy minds shall be muddled, as thou shalt treat thy Greyhounds as thy do your human offspring."

And Adopters begat Chippers. And Chippers begat Fosters. And Fosters begat Adoption Groups. And Adoption Groups begat Discussion Lists. And Discussion Lists begat Gatherings. And Gatherings begat Vendors. And Vendors begat a wardrobe for the Greyhound. And the Greyhound was spoiled.

God looked down on this and was pleased.

(by David Weeks)

Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember.
And when the Day comes, God will call the Greyhound to give
Testament, and God will pass judgment on man.
(Persian Proverb)

Thanks to Shelley L.

Just a tease...

This is what is to come after the renovation in April...

Guitar for Life benefit

I was working late but I did manage to make it to the gathering at Club Velvet. The venue is a lot bigger than I thought, and according to Rich, I just missed Mayor Nelson on campaign trail. He had some kind words for us and we like to thank him and applaud him for supporting a good cause.

As a shop we donated $900 worth of free tattoos. I think we made a lot of people there very happy. We watched Footos play, and Barry might fill in as a drummer for them once a while down the road. Rich and I do feel our age, however. We are just sitting at the end of the bar pounding diet coke like JD. (Non smoking in the ballroom, it was great! )

We did see the INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN ARTIST DE there. If you don't know who he is, you really don't know Waukesha.

We are glad that we helped raising a lot of money and made some of our old customers very very happy. It is a success and it is really good for the soul. Thank you, Waukesha!

Another step closer to remodelling

The main designing concept is just about all worked out, it is just matter of some detail and logistics.

We have a contract and we have the dates.

I will have to ask permission to post the Flux Design concept here BUT they are in display at the shop right now. Come in and take a peek!

Not for sale

When my real estate agent was showing me the former Save and Save building today, she said the building is not really for sale, because there is a plan for a huge restaurant in the planning already.

I still managed to have a tour and see the floor plan. There is a lot of work to be done yet but it is fairly gutted out from what I remember before.

On the first floor is a 102 seat dining room and a bar, and a banquet room on second floor with an elevator. In the back of the second floor is a 2 bed room apartment.

I wish the developer all the luck and get this dream realized! :) Thanks for the free tour.

All in the (greyhound) family

From the ear tattoos, we figured out Rachel's sister Deb's new greyhound pup is pretty closely related to Bits.

Here is the bloodline of Bits. Here is Rush. It happens a lot in greyhound world and that is why greyhound people are a pretty tight group. Note that Rush's parents are kissing cousins. That happens a lot too as breeders looking for that Michael Jordan of greyhound racing.

We are just happy that another greyhound finds a forever home and it is even better we are all related for real.

(Yes, we have tattooed dogs! You must be jealous how kool that is.)

A great day so far!

Woke up early and went to Dousman to pick up my mail. Stopped by Coffee Vault for the famous pumpkin chocolate bread. No, it was not green. I bought one for me and one for Rachel but mysteriously I lost one somewhere along the way.

I was late for my acupuncture appointment but I had a good parking spot and all went well. Sorry Robin for another workout! I hope your thumb is okay.

A big Daily Double from Rochester Deli is my way of celebrating St. Patty's day, the place was packed! Oh, that sandwich sure hit the spot! The pecan bar was not too bad either.

Our famous neighbor with the most interesting house in Waukesha County came by to give me some advice regarding pending remodeling of the outside. I was (so)happy (I could cry) to hear that we should be able to do what we really want to do with the big tree by our entrance. We also discussed about repeating a tree motif in the neighborhood but in distinct style, I think that is some exciting stuff! When someone started doing something kool and someone follows, it is a trend! I think the West End will definitely be the up and coming trendy end.... with PARKING!

The sun is shining, all is well in the world. :)

Update and future plan

Somehow the schedule worked out that Barry, Rich and I were able to take a last minute meeting with Flux Design. We ironed out the concept and the time line for demo/build is now April 12th to April 24th. That should give us a week to get ready for the May 1st River Walk and Art Crawl. (Get painting, Katie and Andy!)

Barry went to the Friday Night Live organizational meeting regarding hosting a stage on the West End. He was not very encouraged. He recommended we wait a year as West End develops more and more. The reason is that there is nothing in between the stages by five point and us. We talked about the idea of having music indoor during Art Crawl instead. Any thoughts out there?

Did anyone see our new logo in Freeman? We should have that on Tee shirts, window cling, and all kinds of goodies! Stay tuned! Don't forget to make plan for Guitar for Life benefit this Friday! We will be giving out some free tattoo time! See you there!

MAJOR FOOD RECALL

Here is the link.

Way to go, FDA, be proactive before people get sick!

Thank you for noticing!

I just found this blog entry mentioning us! Thank you!

We are still working on it with Flux Design to make this place a destination/West End gateway for downtown Waukesha! :) Even though we think the space we have right now is pretty good already, we want it to be so awesome that people will walk in just to see it, regardless it is a tattoo shop or an art gallery!

BTW, we turned in our team for the River Walk today, we have 31 team members raised a tons of $ for breast cancer awareness already! THANK YOU! We will donate 20% of what we make on May 1, 2010 as well as a shop! Our team name is not up in the website yet, but it is Downtown Waukesha/ Waukesha Tattoo Company. We will have our newly designed logo (by Rich) on all of the tee shirts!

Pick up a Freeman newspaper tomorrow, our new ad will be in there! ;) There is another charity event we are supporting!

Tomorrow, Barry will represent us to sit in on Friday Night Live organizational meeting, he is the music czar of our business! It will be a fun rocking summer in the West End! (with respect to our neighbors of course.)

Rich and Barry will also represent the shop at the next Beer City Tattoo convention in Milwaukee. ( I am too shy...) I will hold down the fort at the home base.

By the way, Rochester Deli is up for the second week for the Local Merchant of the week on the shop website, because A. St Patty's day is this week. B. My favorite sandwich there is DAILY DOUBLE... enough said! :)

Spring is here!

I know it did me no good since I was inside working all day, but as I was tattooing, there is this strange sensation I have not felt for a while.... " wow, I am hot and I am sweating..."

Barry and I are actually discussing what kind of grill we should have for the shop...

You know as soon as I post this blog, there will be a snow storm warning....

China

This article caught my eyes today. I remember when the Tienanmen square protest was happening, my landlord lady was telling me how wonderful it is and I told her there will be bloodshed.

The reason? China had always a rigid central system, emperor, nationalist or communist alike. The rigid central system will not allow change, and it will press down when it feel threatened.

Nationalist movement is taught through history, but it is really a ploy to put up an external enemy so no one looks inward. Outsiders might see China as a huge market, but what China is interested is to take what outsiders' strength and turned into its own.

Of course when there is tough language, there is likely some internal power struggle as well. We shall see what this is leading to. You will have a large group of pro-China youth following the directives blindly out of national pride, but you will also slowly see and hear some other voice representing a quiet revolution.

Do not be surprised there will be a crack down on capitalism, but capitalism is NOT democracy. The rigid system will always protect the powerful, if capitalistic trend becomes a de-stabilizing factor, it will be dealt with.

Even if the money system in China is an empty shell, no one will know until it collapse. Perhaps that is what the tough talks is hiding.

Once again, we have enough problems of our own but in this global economy, this is a reason to worry more than 2012. :) (and you can not build a bunker for this.)

Mark your calendar! Calling all Zombies!

http://waukeshazombiewalk.webs.com/

OCTOBER 10TH, 2010 SUNDAY!!!

It is for HAWS and food pantry. Family friendly and it will be tons of fun!!!

Two MUST-SEE movies

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010)

You have to see this movie in 3 D. It will be another cult classic. I predict there will be many tattoos inspired by this movie. That is all I need to say.


Up in the Air (2009)

I was surprised to find this in a fairly popular Red Box machine. It is a gem of a movie. Not giving anything away, it is fitting at this moment in time in America. I actually would buy it as DVD when I find a previously viewed one.

Morning reading

This global economy thing is starting to be a bit scary.

Another unintended media exposure. ( My quote is a little out of context.)

Mentioned by another famous blogger. More info. Do not feel too bad, Wisconsin.

Happy belated 70th birthday, Chuck Norris! Do you know he is remaking the movie "300"? It is called "1".

12 servings? There is no cocktail party here... Maybe 2-3 I think. :)

Join an important debate.

I am still with Coco.

On a side note, other than bring in the donuts, I will be out of the shop this Saturday. My pals Kimberly and Lisa are visiting from Seattle and NYC. It will be nice to have some time off, I think I am still married with fur kids. (Wait, there is a note on the floor...)

The plan commission meeting

Rich and I attended the meeting, Barry was working late. We were late ourselves but we arrived in time for the agenda regarding limiting tattoo shops. Scott from American Tattoo was there also, and he spoke in depth about the licensing issues of Wisconsin.

It is a buyer beware situation due to our great state government. The tattoo regulation was put in with good intention but half of it was not enacted. The end result was that anyone with $50 can get a tattooist license, but only tattoo shop get inspected. Instead of stopping "scratchers" whom do tattoo out of their basements and kitchen with no health regulation, it made them "tattooist" overnight. The license does not require any experience or apprenticeship, but in the part never enacted, they were written to have certain amount of hours under a mentor.

I pretty much read my blog entry as our position. Rich went up and stressed the bar needs to be raised when it comes to conditional permit.

The whole thing is then tabled for more research until end of May, after the election I suppose.

Tattooing industry is very much reputation driven and a shop's reputation can go down in a hurry if the owners are not running the show actively and monitoring the quality of works going out. That hurts everyone, and give tattooing a bad name. If a shop shows disregard to customers and treat them like dirt, that also reflects all of the industry.

Like Bill said, we are walking on the cliff edge all the time, some will not know until they fall off it. There are a lot at stake, and we do need to do our best to find our steady path when everything is in flux.

Funny

Limit on tattoo parlors in Waukesha

We really should be all for it, it limits our competition and over time, it is just more market share for us.

However, when things benefit the establishment too much and you can just get status quo with no desire or motivation to improve. In the end, the consumers lose.

We do feel the City Planning commission is doing its job on granting conditional permits and reviewing the existing ones with fairness. We have to ask for them not to put a limit but go by case to case with a high standard for approval.

P.S. Famous local writer/blogger gives us some love!

Here is the planning commission agenda for tonight. See No. 7.

random

Disturbed sighting

Mike from Disturbed dropped off some drum heads for the GUITAR FOR LIFE benefit we are sponsoring. It is for March 19th, starting at 7:30 pm at the Velvet room!


DO the raffles, and bring some cash for "second chance"... (hint) :)

The design for my 2012 bunker!

I think THIS DESIGN is it! Now I just need to find the right place to put it!

Water rights and water fight

When we visited Colorado last year, some state officials there threaten to fine every property owner with a retaining pond until it is drained. The reason: they do not have the water rights to KEEP the water. Is this where we are heading?

To keep the noise out of the truth, I know A. There is no immediate danger in shortage of water in Waukesha, but a long term solution is needed for the quality of it. B. It is going to cost tons of money no matter which way it goes. C. The application for Lake Michigan water is not a slam dunk, all the governors of Great Lakes states have to sign off on it. D. There is a EPA deadline to meet. E. The water and tax bill will go up.

My concerns: A. It does seem the politicians in Milwaukee are going to put their hands all over the money. B. Estimated cost can be inflated or deflated to support one's argument, so there is possibilities of manipulation. C. Would continue reliance to ground water have environmental impact? Sink hole? D. Who has rights to Fox River water? Would using the water affect the wetlands and flooding issue? E. Is it true that installing a water softener with special filter will take care the radium issue?

I do think both mayoral candidates need to fully explain their positions and strategy to the citizens of Waukesha. My concerns cover both candidates.


Once again, I am not smart enough to figure this out. "Dammit, man! I am a tattoo artist, not a water scientist/politician/city planner/environmental specialist/lobbyist!"

For more info: Mayor Nelson Mr. Scrima

One building at a time

One of caring citizens of Waukesha, kind enough to drop off a booklet called One building at a time which showcases all the properties for sale or in need of some redevelopment in downtown Waukesha.

I already saw at least nine of them, but I was surprised to find a few more I did not know were available.

:) I think I will give my real estate agent a call. I am really curious now. (Yes, call me Curious George.)

Karl Rove spins his own book campaign

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A room with a(n inter)view

It must be intimidating for anyone to come to the receptionist/manager interview sessions yesterday. It was three of us firing questions from across the small card table.

We are impressed with all of the candidates and each has something unique to bring to the table. I do think we have a very good idea how the second interview should be. We are very concerned with the chemistry so we will be very very picky.

The sun was out yesterday and do I dare to say the S word? The West End is truly a beautiful gem in Waukesha. People were walking their dogs, and we have the front row seat view of everything (Was that Otto with a small dog?). I did received some more information regarding the condos at Mill Reserve. The plan on the table is to build 2 more building north of the existing ones, two more in front of the existing ones and 2-3 more in front of the 2 in the north and I was told there is no sign of river rats. :) If that is in the future of the West End, we definitely need a deli or a pizza place across from us at the old O'Brian's. From the listening session, I believe Mr. Scrima made a "minor" campaign promise to bring back Scrima's Pizza even though it was owned by a distant relative. I think Mayor Nelson should counter that by luring Ian's Pizza or ask certain deli in town with awesome corn beef.

Okay, it is just me dreaming on a Monday morning... but turn the Mayoral race into a pizza war would be kinda interesting...

P.S. Hey, take a BID survey here!

Big Love season finale

No, we were not watching Oscar... WHAT A TRAIN WRECK! The season ends with Bill winning the state senate seat, introducing all three of his wives in public.

This better be a JR /Dallas dream sequence because there is just no way they can get out of the hole they dig for themselves now.

There is just no way. "That is really messed up!" Wife keeps shouting at me.

I guess we will just wait patiently for the next season. :)

Sunday breakfast at Dave's

With all the activities, and being busy at the West End, going to breakfast at Dave's had become a luxury for me.

Sitting at the diner counter, watching Jose filled orders after orders, sipping the familiar coffee, it is the simple pleasure of life. This is really the part of Waukesha I love, people working hard, being friendly to each other, it really IS the culture of Waukesha. Culture is not always some painting on the wall, folks, it is something shared and treasured.

A father brought in his two kids, and it might be just another breakfast but it is a good memory of Waukesha, and someday, someone will miss it. Every business has its up and downs, and facing different levels of competition, BUT there is something decoration and fancy promotion can not buy, it is the connection with the community and the sense of familiarity and comfort. Perhaps someday people will miss me like how people miss Bill, my mentor, and that will be an honor I need to earn.

Thank you!

It was our first art crawl and with no real art show, I think we did relatively well.

I met several readers and I am quite honored. It is really just me on the bed with a laptop and a cat for chest weight. I had some very good conversations and I am very happy to be able to show everyone what the galleria will be.

I have heard the word on the street is that we talked big but nothing going yet, we are working on it, folks. Flux is actually ordering the steel right now and we are hoping to keep the demo date of April 1st. We have high hope and we are putting our resources toward it. This is just a beginning and we have more ideas to truly make the West End a destination.

We hope we are the catalyst for a renewal of the West End, even though it had already started with several artful properties. We need to change the foot traffic pattern and the perception. We did notice that even though we had ART CRAWL signs out, people walked right by just because it is a tattoo shop. We want to change that.

I like to personally thank you for your support, we are trying very hard not to disappoint and we want to share this beautiful vision with Waukesha.

P.S. Our mascot represented us well today, people were taking photos of it. However, several people were too close to it for my comfort, I wonder if I can fit an alarm in it... LoJack perhaps? (DoNoGooders, I have my eyes on you!)

P.S. 2 Thank you for Mayor Nelson and Candidate Scrima to both drop by and offered some kind words. We support what is best for Waukesha and we like to see more public awareness on this important election for the future of our city. The bonus we like to offer is that whoever becomes the next Mayor, he will get to cut the ribbon for our grand opening!

Art Crawl @ Galleria Edge

As you can tell, we have yet to remodel. The demo/build date is set at April 1st. However, it is the first Art Crawl of downtown Waukesha for 2010, so this is what we have to offer:

It is still Donuts Saturday, therefore donuts and cookies until they are all gone.

Coffee and Jungle Juice minus the one most important ingredient.

Art from private art collection featuring the Westons (Edward, Brett and Cole), Ruth Bernhard, Marciel Pultorak, Phil Krejcarek and Bill Lemke.

The newest Artist in Residence of Pfister, Katie Musolff, will also make a guest appearance, you do not want to miss a chance to meet her!

Monica from Water's Carpet also is showing off her custom carpet art.

We will also have some renderings form Flux Design to show you what the future galleria will look like!

Come see what the fuss is all about.

HOWEVER, DUE TO THE MANY NUDES IN THE COLLECTION, PLEASE EXERCISE SOME DISCRETION. No Kids please and do be respectful to customers, there will be active tattooing until 7pm.

Hot topic

All the sudden, tattooing in Waukesha is a hot topic. I received a phone call from Sarah Mallard, the talented reporter from Freeman regarding a comment an alderman made. I think he said he want to eliminate some tattoo shops?! Or put a limit on the number of shops.

Our position had always been that as long as we are allowed to do what we do best, we just need to worry about how to raise the bar, not lower it. We are really in competition with ourselves, and if you treat your customers right, what is to worry about?

We have an approved conditional permit, and we know we will be an asset for downtown Waukesha. We are working hard everyday to bring positive energy to the beautiful West End. We are also working everyday to better the image of tattooing. We hope our past customers will find us and refer new ones if they are happy with our service.

By the way, Rich informed me that we are invited to Las Vegas to work at Mario Barth's tattoo show. He went on to show me the tattoo shop Mr. Barth is about to open in Mirage. No offense to Flux Design, I felt very very inadequate all the sudden. I wish I have a photo to show you but let's just say mural on the ceiling and a giant chandelier... ( Can I wear my Elvis jumpsuit? )

Another typical day in the land of Rambus.

From IV board by LTL RFP Sabatino:

HUGE NEWS

hot off the press

6,470,405 (FINAL) Right to Appeal (1-37 all confimed)

405 is involved in ITC case ESSEX/ STAFF (11,12,13,15 and 18)

6,591,353 (FINAL) Right to Appeal (1-26 subject to reexam)

claims confirmed: 2-4,6,8-10,12,13, 15-18,20-22 and 24-26

claims rejected: 1,5,7,11,14,19,and 23

353 is involved in ITC case ESSEX/ STAFF (11,12,13)

NVIDIA....How you like them apples?

Another find or two

This is very funny but true.


Southern Taiwan just suffered a 6.4 earthquake from a fault line with little activity, people were reporting seeing earthquake clouds.
P.S. We need to watch out for this one. Here are the odds.

A glimpse of world peace

When I was heavily involved in Facebook, I was talking to people from all over the world.

I was then thinking, with exchange of ideas freely, and how people are finding out each others' similarities and learn from the diversity, it is like a net utopia, and it is almost like world peace.

Then someone attacked me on Triumph (FB game), and I was filled with rage and unleashed all my arsenal on the attacker.

Some interesting finds

Some perspective from the outside.

That is a lot of bull!

And some good reading.

Do not think this will make it to HBO.

To Google or not to Google.

Adding one more to the cable lineup?

:) We Americans should pay attention because we owe them tons of money...