Luc’s self portrait

DSC00514, originally uploaded by johnpinker.

Luc took this picture of himself today – I seem to always just find these things when I am looking for something else.

Why i love the internet

This story was relayed to me by a third party, so I am sure that it is about as factual as the commodities market. But anywho, he was at this party at a hotel and everybody was on acid. There was this one fat guy who had been passed out on the bed all night and at some point, late in the evening, he stood up on the bed, pulled down his pants and started peeing on everybody.
Of course, he got the shit beat out of him, but by that point it was too late. The damage had been done.
This story, while true or not, often reminds me of the internet.

New amps

I have built a couple of guitar amplifiers and realized that I should probably post some pics/clips of said artifacts. I will try to provide more info as time permits.

One of them is a tweed champ and the other is a tweed bassman. I have also built some studio equipment (compressors, eqs etc.) Maybe I can post some pics of those as well.

Kirin tattoo

IMG_0319, originally uploaded by johnpinker.

Here’s a shot of the Kirin on the back of my leg. The dragon is on the front. This is a crappy photo and does not do the piece justice. This was also created by Chad Soner.

Dragon Tattoo

IMG_0269, originally uploaded by johnpinker.

This is kind of an old one, but I thought I’d throw it out there for posterity. Here is my massive dragon. This has had more work since then and has had all the little bits filled in and clouds added. The work was performed by Chad Soner in Birmingham.

Just in case there was doubt

I have visual proof that Luc is my spawn.

String Quartet

I will temporarily have some audio files from a string quartet I have been working on accessible from this site.  They should be available on the right hand widget.  The pieces are as follows:

Movement I – Wildflowers in Spring
Movement ii – Strolling through Summer
Movement iii – Autumn Dusk
Movement IV – No Port in Winter

Obviously, these are loosely inspired by the seasons and are fairly short in length.  Feel free to leave comments.

Rambling about coffee

I thought I’d ramble about coffee for a bit.  I finally broke down and bought an espresso machine and grinder this year (a Saeco Aroma and a Baratza Virtuoso).  I wanted a step up from my usual drip and french press at home coffee brewing and I have to say that although both are on the lower end of the coffee scale, they do a decent job at producing an espresso.  I definitely recommend checking either of these out and getting a hold of some good fresh roasted coffee beans.  I am thinking about starting to roast my own thanks to Sweet Marias.  Although, I will say that I tend to have a perpetual coffee buzz going on, it is indeed nice to rid myself of the bucks and I think this equipment produces products that is at least as good as chain places.

Existential clothing crisis

Sometimes I find it hard to reconcile my need for suspenders, string ties and seersucker suits with modern haute couture and fabric availability. Now – if I could just find a good place to get my hats blocked.

Yet more tattoo work

I am getting another session on my sleeve and chest plate this weekend.
It’s a japanese scene depicting Minamoto no Yoshitune training with Tengu.