Tour of Cool Valley Haunts, Episode 3

I've been trying to visit some of the awesome "old Valley haunts" that surround me, before they're all gone, like the dearly departed Valley Ranch BBQ. I recently had the opportunity to go to 94th Aero Squadron, where I had not been since my 21st birthday! Do not ask me why I haven't been there; just haven't gotten round twit in 20-odd years I guess.

So, I was delighted to drive up and find it just as I remembered it. The restaurant has been beautifully maintained; the old biplane still sits out front, and the grounds are as lovely as ever. I was thrilled to find it looking so beautiful! I entered the establishment and found much the same thing. It does not look dated or run-down in any way. It is still completely charming, featuring the same wonderful view of the runway at Van Nuys airport and the same fabulous collection of aviation memorabilia.

As an added bonus, the food was delicious, and the service was excellent. My lovely companion Donna ordered a vodka gimlet, which was expertly prepared. Our food was nummy. So, BRAVO, 94th Aero Squadron! I'll be back, and it won't be any 20 years from now either!

Tattoo number... 3 1/2???

Well, I can't really call this tattoo #4, because it's not. It's a revision of tatt #2, seen here when it was new:


For whatever reason, I became dissatisfied with this little beauty. Her colors faded, and she got... dull and boring. Like me! BWHAHAHAHHAH! Kidding! Anyhoo, I started thinking about what I might do to perk her up.

I'd long been wanting to add a Celtic tattoo to my collection of body art, but had never hit on anything I really liked. Then one day one of my Twitter peeps posted his new body art, which as I recall was some sort of initials. The font was so beautiful, and it was so nicely done, I began to think about textual tattoos. It wasn't long before I moved from that, to the idea of putting a Gaelic word on my Irish self!



Little did I know, coming up with the right word would be among the hardest things (the font being the second hardest). First I had to think of what I might want to say, then find out how to say it in Gaelic! And, y'know, some Gaelic words are pretty nutty! They're either long, or don't translate directly, or sound bizarre to the American ear.

So, after much back and forth with my kind Irish peep Martin, I finally settled on the word you see here. It means, "change". I thought it went nicely with the butterfly image.

Then, the day before I was due to go to my tattoo shop Yoni, I started thinking, hmmmm... This re-design needs a little something beyond just the addition of the word. So I dropped in a rough sketch of a vine around the butterfly, and decided to see what my girl Julie could do with this concept. I knew she'd rock it, cuz that's how she does.



I grabbed mah best girl Donita, and off we went.


Here is the pre-tatt, after Julie had transferred the design onto my arm and around the existing butterfly. (At this point, you can wash it off and start over if you decide you're not gonna like it.) I already knew I'd love it!


Here I am, in the chair, while Julie works her magic!


And here it is right after completion, still smeary with ink!


Here it is, after one day of healing. It doesn't hurt at all anymore! And I adore it!

15 Years Ago Today...

... I started working at CSUN's Oviatt Library.

Soooo many years...

Soooo many changes.

Thanks for givin' me the heads-up about the job, Marg! Thanks for hiring me, Donita!

Tattoo #3 -- UPDATED!

Here I am, rapping with Julie about my impending tatt.

Julie was good enough for Sarah Michelle Gellar-Prinze, so she's good enuf for me.



Me with my partners in crime -- both of whom have tattoos -- outside Yoni. This is me & Geneva. She has a hummingbird tatt on her ankle, which she got for her 50th b-day!

This gal here is Donna. She's got a super-cool kanji tatt on the back of her neck. (Gentlemen: She's super-hot... and SINGLE!!!)

Donna & Geneva examine tattoo books.

Here, Geneva & Donna enjoy post-tatt festivities.

Okay, Gang, here it is: Tattoo #3.
Incidentally, my tattoo artist's name is Julie, and this is her awesome shop. I would never go anywhere else!

The Yard Sale

I'm not gonna lie to you people: I am not crazy about yard sales. Oh, I like going to them pretty well -- lotsa fun stuff to see and bargains to be had -- but I don't like throwing them myself. Still, we've done it probably 5 or 6 times now, with varying degrees of success. Our latest attempt occurred this morning, from about 8 until noon. E.M. likes to set up a snack stand, which is often one of the more popular attractions (people get hungry and thirsty when yard saling). The few highlights of the day included someone carting off our skanky old BBQ grill (but not until we'd reduced the price from $3 to $0!), and my beautiful girlfriend Donna arriving in the late morning with Starbucks for us.

Please enjoy these documentary photos.