I don't want to be an ANT

Because of this bit from Waking Life my brother, pseudo-sister and I have all adopted an ANTi, nonant sort of mentality about life. Today my brother and I got ant tattoos on our wrists as a reminder to keep up our ANTi status. :)

Plus, like I said, my mom said at her 50th birthday that she wanted a tattoo on her 60th so it was a family affair! Mom got a flower that looks a little like a wooden piece or henna and Laura got a tomato flower in honor of her love of gardening.

In the end I never really found the right ants so Thomas, the tattoo artist who did my other two pieces, came up with the cutest little happy line of ants.

Getting ready for the tattoo party!

My Mom with her new tattoo and Thomas.

Mom's little brown flower.

John's Ant.

Laura's tomato flower.

My line of happy ants.

Ant Time

So almost 10 years ago my dear mother finally joined the modern world and pierced her ears for the first time on her 50th birthday. Afterward she said that when she turned 60 she wanted to get her first tattoo. Boy was that a big mistake, I haven't let her live that one down.

So, in a couple of weeks she will be 60. And my brother, mom and I are all going to get tattoos together. It will be my third and mom and John's first.

I know that I want a short line of ants. I was planning to get them down the outside of my left wrist, however now that I'm officially Cast and have to keep up the Disney Look I think I've been convinced that I either need to keep it smaller or put them somewhere a little less visible. SO, now I'm thinking I want them crawling up the outside of my right ankle.

The biggest decision left is which ants to use....here is what I'm looking at. I think I like the first, less organized one better...

Fringe

It was Fringe week!

I didn't see all of the shows I wanted to but I did manage to hit a few good ones.

Medicine by TJ Dawe - I've been a fan of TJ Dawe for years now, this wasn't my favorite of his shows but it was still skillfully delivered.

The Nashville Hurricane by Chase Padgett - Having never seen any of his shows before I went in without knowing what to expect. I was beyond impressed. Chase impressively executes a one man show where he plays the part of at least 6 different characters, shifting between them using only his speech patterns and mannerisms. His talent with a guitar was like nothing I'd ever seen.

Skill Focused Burlesque does Fringe - I went to see this with my girl friends, the night we went they were using a Gotham theme so the characters included The Penguin, the Riddler, Poison Ivy and others from the Batman world. It was awesome as stated in my last post. :)

The show I most wish I had been able to see was Still Alive, they are a group of folks ages 75 and up who sing covers of modern songs. I heard they had an 86 year old woman sing Beyonce's 'If you like it then you should have put a ring on it' complete with the dance! Luckily they are from a church downtown so hopefully I'll be able to find another performance of theirs to go to.

Pancakes, Sun and Nudity

Today was a good day.

I got a lot of stuff done at my new apartment, introduced my buddy to Deleon Springs (which of course means I got pancakes!), napped and read in the sun, had an amazing dinner at Tako Cheena and then saw a smokin' hot burlesque show at Fringe with my girls. Definitely a good start to the holiday weekend.

Booth Shopping - Wishing for Art

This weekend we went to the Mount Dora Art Festival.

I'd never been to Mount Dora's before and I don't know why but I expected it to be small compared to the Winter Park Art Festival but man were we surprised. It was huge! It was well planned, well laid out and super busy. The quality of art was really impressive.

I always take the business cards of the artists that I really like and add them to a growing list so that one day when I can afford to buy art I know who to go to. Here is who I added to the list this year:

John Moran Photography he had all sorts of amazing shots, mostly of Florida Flora and Fauna. I tend to be more impressed by photographers who can capture an amazing shot vs one who can add all sorts of filters and techniques after the shot - John had a little of of technique but most of his stuff is exactly what I like.

Jackson Junge has a sort of etherial style. Some of his pieces are abstract with lots of subtle shapes and colors while others are fun and whimsical representations of themed alcohol.

Lilian's Oils on Canvas - I wasn't in love with the colors she uses but her technique was great, you can't tell in her online gallery but she gives the flowers a great 3D effect with the oils. This was my favorite.

The craziest artist of the day was the couple at Out of Paradise - when you walk up it looks like their frames contain gorgeous paintings with smooth gradients, bright colors and intricate details, but upon closer examination they aren't paintings but embroidery. It's absolutely mind blowing the effect the manage to get, here's a picture from their website but it really doesn't do their work justice at all.

I did buy one thing, an anklet. It's woven of this really sturdy fiber and has delicate silver studs woven in. It has a clasp so I can remove it as well. It's a really unique piece. I wish the artist had a website I could share but all they have is a phone number. Jenna Hirt of Tying Tribes - 352-219-8039.

Shared Art Day

Four years ago, just before moving North, I got together with three of my closest friends for a day of art in the park. We each had a canvas and we each painted about one quarter of our canvas before passing it to another who then painted one quarter and so on, until we each wound up with a canvas that was touched by all.

Last weekend, almost exactly four weeks after the first art day, we had another. One participant changed and the overall skill set of the group increased greatly but the agenda remained the same, and yet again the result was amazing. See?

This is mine from last year. I did the bit with the sun, Hannah did the glitter, Amy the street and Megan the stars.

And this is the new addition from this year. I'm the bottom right, Hannah is the flowers, Megan did the plane scene and the vine is from Laura.

It was a fun day.