Inked Mom

Dylan and I are sitting here tonight to do another installment of bands performing at Warped Tour in Denver this year. Once again, we have randomly picked some bands from the list, are listening to their music and deciding if we will put them on our list to see or say pass.

The first band we picked we just got from the top of the list. The name of the band is 1997.  On a couple of songs I liked the start and then….they started singing.  They aren’t bad singers at all.  I guess I just don’t like the style of music, and like I’ve mentioned before in another post, I’m not a big fan of female singers.  Dylan’s reaction was, “Eh….”.

Moving on.  Next we have picked Charlotte Sometimes.  I guess I should have known by the name but it didn’t occur to me this was a female.  (Good Charlotte isn’t after all.  And I want to go on record I can’t stand Good Charlotte).

Our first reaction is that her music is catchy and we kind of like it.  But what we are kind of not liking is that she seems to be trying to sound like Amy Winehouse.  Dylan and I both said it at the same time.  Amy Winehouse bugs me.

Really quick I will name a couple of bands that we listened to one song on their site and couldn’t continue:

Pierce the Veil - maybe if I were in a different mood then wanting to slit my wrist.  I only listened to the beginning of one song though.

Norma Jean - if you like the growling type of music then you will love them.  (Josh, if you read this - you’ll love them.  Put them on your list).

Protest the Hero - I like some screamo type stuff but I only listened to one song and wasn’t feeling it.

Mayday Parade - Panic at the Disco wanna be’s.  I’m not a Panic at the Disco fan, so not into this.  Check them out if you like Panic.  Carbon copies really.

Last band we will review this round is Phathom.  They have a very different sound - some of the songs really vary.  But both Dylan and I really like them.  They will definitely be making our list.  We were getting a little worried tonight that we weren’t going to hear anyone that we really liked, but we saved the best for last.

If you haven’t checked out our first review of bands, go check it out.  And if you haven’t gotten your tickets yet - shame on you.  Get them here.

I was all set to blog about my new ink tonight - but it ended up not happening.

I was pretty excited about my appointment today to get my new tattoo. Shane had set it up for me - it was my Mother’s Day gift. The art had been drawn out about 2 months ago by the artist who did the entire touch up on my tree. I loved it. It was a skull sideways on the grass and was to be the beginning of a scene at the bottom of the tree. A bit Edgar Allen Poe as the future plans of the art would end up showing.

Shane even planned his afternoon to go along so that he could take pictures as the tattoo was being done. But when I got there I was told that the artist quit yesterday! He had told the owner he contacted all his appointments to let them know and wouldn’t hand over his appointment book.

Boy, I really felt for the owner. I think it was his worst nightmare that exactly what happened with me would happen. He felt so incredibly bad. We talked a bit about another artist who would be great, he thought even better, at what I was wanting to accomplish.

So I’m really frustrated! I’m basically starting all over again with a new artist, will have to get new drawings, go over those, etc…..At this point I’ll probably wait until fall now. The timing was perfect, but waiting a few more weeks won’t be - and that’s what it would end up being by the time we got the art work all set.

So I’ll be on to artist number three….hmmmm. This is the second artist I’ve had (not at the same shop) that has quit. I need to figure out how to find a more reliable artist.

I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. Upper 70’s, a bit of a breeze. I went for a great run this morning then Shane and Dylan took me to brunch at The Greenbriar Inn. We sat outside on the upper deck, had wonderful food and champagne then called it a day.

Came home and sat outside on the back patio, got a little sun, called my own mom to wish her a happy Mother’s Day and here I am now :).

Looking now at the pictures it has come to our attention that Dylan and I both wore exactly what we wore to our Thanksgiving dinner outing….oh well.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there - old and new. Nothing can quite compare to being a mom!

So I’ve given a lot of thought lately to what I think is the latest trend so to speak - not just tattooed women, but tattooed women who are mothers or soon to be mothers.

When you think about how many more women are getting tattooed these days at young ages - not too far in the future, some of these women will become moms. It’s interesting, because in my age bracket (40 with a teenager), there aren’t a whole lot of women - that I know of - in my son’s sphere of school parents, who are tattooed. It’s still looked down upon and not understood. Now the reason I say, “that I know of” is because maybe there are a lot more of them out there but are just in the closet so to speak.

I’ll admit, only a couple of parents who know me through my son at school know I have a tattoo. Only one knows the large extent I have tattoos. When I am up at the school I keep them covered. Not because Dylan is embarrassed by them and asks me to cover them. That’s not the case at all. (He gets a bit mad at me if I apologize about being in public and my tattoos.) I don’t want HIM judged by other people because of me. Some of his friends do know I have tattoos - they have seen them and been to concerts with us.

Here’s the thing. I think it’s time those of us who have tattoos stop hiding them in that situation. In most other areas of my life, my tattoos are not hidden. So I’m thinking I need to just take a stand. Just hang myself out there and see what happens. I don’t socialize with any of those people anyway! I personally suspect that there are a lot of women who would love to get a tattoo - they just don’t because of the social stigma.

There will soon be a whole generation of tattooed moms and I hope things can change for them. Women tend to be judged much more harshly for having tattoos then men. Certain placements of tattoos on women are given derogatory names - such as the “tramp stamp”. You don’t hear such things in regards to men’s tattoos.

It’s a shame that just because a woman becomes a mom, she is suddenly ashamed of her tattoos - like it’s something a mom just shouldn’t have. That’s ridiculous! Something that is a sign of self expression, shouldn’t be suppressed because you decided to have a child. What kind of message is that sending?

So I’m hoping all of us tattooed moms can unite. Show your tattoos. My son has his last band concert at school next Tuesday night. Maybe I’ll make it my debut. I am getting another tattoo Monday afternoon as my Mother’s Day present after all……

So Shane and I are sort of starting a new chapter in our lives - or should I say, we are back to a chapter we’ve been to before, but a year of interesting experiences behind us.

It was a little over a year ago that we launched our new business. We rented out exotic cars. How in the world do you start a business like that you might ask? Believe me, it’s not easy. It involved a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice. I’ll admit that at first I was not totally on board. This was not something I was even remotely interested in or would have chosen. But Shane has always worked hard to take care of Dylan and I. I’ve been able to be a stay at home mom all these years. And I still have it really good because I am able to work from home for the construction company I do the books for.

Shane on the other hand worked for the same company for 16 years. 16 years for a company that he really stagnated in. He did not enjoy what he did and he was miserable. It was his turn to try something. Would it have been great if he had tried something that didn’t involve so much overhead? Uh…yeah. But this is what he chose. So we went for it.

Now here we are a year later. We are officially closing the business as of June 30 when we have our last rental that we have committed to. What a year this has been! I became much more deeply involved then I ever thought I would - I pretty much took over the day to day tasks while Shane managed dealing with the customers on the day of the rental. After a year of all kinds of juggling and trying to make things work, we’ve decided to move on. We’ve had many ask if we are sorry that we tried. I will honestly have to say, “no”. I never wanted Shane to turn 50 and still be thinking, ” I should have, I wish I had, I never tried.” At least we tried. We learned ALOT along the way about starting a business and running a business. Things that might come in handy when we someday do a business that involves, oh, I don’t know….Halloween????

I’m writing about this today because I pretty much booked the last few rentals that I can - we are going out with a bang and are pretty booked. Two more months of no weekends for us and then we are done. We’ve met some great people along the way, were part of some wonderful surprises, and have heard some touching stories. It’s too bad the Denver area can’t really support this type of business.

So here we are. But things are pretty good! Shane started a new job a month ago that he really, really likes. Getting back into what he excels in - computer technology - has been good for him. Working for a new company has made him realize his worth in his field - something he had lost from a company he worked for for too long and was taken for granted. Career wise he’s in a better place than he has ever been. And he gets to keep a Lotus out of it to boot! What do I get???? I’ll post about it once I get it. Let’s just say the Porsche is a goner.

I have never, ever been a risk taker. And I married someone who is. On the other hand, we balance each out perfectly because I’m that little voice of reason sitting on Shane’s shoulder. This was a huge leap for me but in the end I’m glad we did it. I would hate to think that if not, Shane would have still been working for that same company, miserable, unappreciated, underpaid.

Come July 1 though, I will be the happiest camper ever. Like I have my life back!!! Let’s see, first order of business….oh we have a concert - go figure! Maybe some camping, hiking after that. Can’t wait - seems like the possibilities are endless!

The beautiful sounds of summer. I came back from my run this afternoon and decided to go soak up some sun on the patio in the backyard (yes, I have tattoos and yes, I put on sunscreen!).

The weather on the front range of Colorado (the Denver corridor) is extreme to say the least. Two days ago we had heavy snow. Yesterday, cold, gusty north winds. Today, beautiful blue skies, a slight breeze and highs in the 60’s.

Sometimes when I decide to sit on the patio, I’ll put my headphones on and tune everything out. Today, I decided to just….be. And listen to the sounds of summer.

It was lovely. The sound of a mourning dove on a distant house. The neighbors having a quiet conversation. We live next to a small airport that does skydiving. I kid you not, I can hear people hollering as they are jumping from the plane. Children laughing, birds chirping. The breeze in the small leaves just budding out.

The sound of the blackbirds cackling to each other. The blackbirds cackling at me. The blackbirds annoyed that I’m in my own backyard and cackling louder. The blackbirds bomb diving me. Me cursing under my breath. The blackbirds getting more annoyed. Me getting more annoyed. The sound of me throwing a rock at a blackbird yelling, “Get the f@#k out of my yard!”.

The sound of me slamming the sliding glass door and going inside. The sound of me going back outside. The sound of me putting headphones on and listening to Sum 41.

The sounds of summer…….

Mother’s Day is next weekend. If you have a mother that you need to honor and haven’t given it a thought, you’d better get on the ball. If you are a mother - you need to make the most of your Mother’s Day and institute in your house not Mother’s Day, but Mother’s Day WEEKEND.

It’s the least they can do. For years I was able to use the, “I gave birth to you and they had to cut me open to get you out because you were so big!” guilt trip to get my son to be my little slave all year round. That doesn’t work so much any longer. He’s gotten older, smarter (well, he is a teenager after all so he THINKS he’s smarter….). So he now has the comeback, “I didn’t ask to be born!”. He does have a point.

So in recent years I’ve had to pull a Mother’s Day Weekend. This is how it works. You start on the Friday before. “Hey guys? What’s for dinner? It is Mother’s Day Weekend after all. Can you just make me a cosmo while I sit and watch you cook?”. Oh wait, hang on a minute…..I do that all year round since I hate to cook and they are better at it then me.

Well, it is useful when there are things that really need to be done around the house and yard. Although the problem this year about mowing the yard may have been solved because we got an electric, cordless mower last weekend.

Our old mower, that possibly could have created the hole in the ozone due to the smoke that would come out of it when we mowed, finally died. Shane and Dylan were quite excited to go to Home Depot to get another (I’m really not sure how hard Shane tried to fix it as I ended up giving it away and got an email from the person I gave it to that said, “thanks for the mower, it works great!”).

Anyway, I was not about to let them lose in the store on their own so I went along. Our environmentally inclined son suggested the electric, cordless. I’ll admit it is kind of cool and now everyone wants to mow.

Back to Mother’s Day. You really need to make good use of that Saturday before - see what you can get them to do while you walk around with a drink in your hand and bark orders. For example, I’m eying our dirty windows. If they refuse, give a sad, disappointed face and say, “Oh you are right, Mother’s Day is only one day of the year. What was I thinking asking for just a little more. I forgot - it’s KID’S DAY that is every day!”.

Didn’t you HATE it when you were a kid and on Mother’s Day when you would smart off and say to your mom, “Well, when is it ever Kid’s Day!?” she would always say, “What are you talking about! EVERY day is Kid’s Day! Now get to work!”. It’s great once the tables are turned.

If you are like me, you are lucky enough to be taken out to brunch on Mother’s Day. (Shane, if you are reading this, hint hint - places are filling up quickly). I will say I do really enjoy that. Rather have that then gifts. Although this year I am getting a gift - I’m getting another tattoo the Monday after.

So ladies - make the most of your Mother’s Day! Tell your family that you saw online that Mother’s Day is now Mother’s Day Weekend. And let’s face it. Everything you read on the internet is the truth! Now go out and plan your weekend.

So what I have done here is randomly pick a couple of bands - and I went and listened to their music on their myspace page.

I have tried to avoid going and reading any other reviews as to not taint my initial opinion. Especially on the official Warped Tour website. Let’s face it - they picked the bands, so they won’t think someone sucked. And frankly, just because I didn’t like someone won’t mean you will. This is just my first opinion. And my son’s, who is sitting next to me hearing the music while he’s blogging on his website.

The first band I picked out of the blue is Entice.

First impression is that I might fall asleep. My son couldn’t stand the lead singer’s accent. He thinks it sounds like Macy Gray. I am sitting here listening right now - I’m down to the third song on the play list, thinking they may grow on me. Not yet. So far they will not make my list…..okay, we are done here. Not sure I heard anything that would really get a crowd going. The couple of songs from the older cd were better to me than the new ones.

Moving on.

The next band I have picked out of the air is Lost Point. Our initial reaction is that they aren’t too bad! But we are barely into the first song. What I did just discover is that they local guys - from Parker, Colorado!

This was random - really. The final decision is they aren’t bad and we’ll keep them in mind. Especially since they are locals.

Next I picked a band called Tat - seemed like an obvious choice. I did not know the lead singer was female - which I usually do not like. But I kind of like them.

I just asked my son what he thought and this is sort of funny. He he said what I just said, almost verbatim. I will have to say, that so far, they are my favorite of the night. Catchy and fun - you have to think about what will be fun to experience at Warped Tour. The crowds are energetic. You don’t want to need a nap.

That’s a wrap for now. We’ll review a few more here soon. Go check them all out. Form your own opinion.

If you don’t have your tickets yet, get them here!