Is this really a tattoo shop?

The girls had one goal the day we went to Hollywood; go see if Kat Von Dee is in her shop - High Voltage AKA LA Ink.  Yep all three girls are in love with tattoos (two of them have them).  I admire a good tattoo and have a plan for one if I ever decide to take the plunge into this world....it is another world, but for now I just quietly observe the art that has been methodically placed on the canvas of flesh. SO when they wanted to go to "LA INK" I thought it would be an adventure (I've never stepped foot into a Tattoo Shop or watched LA Ink), I was wondering how it would look and smell...you know...will it be authentic? 

Well, when you first walk in, it's throws you off a little. Why?  There is this huge red beaded chandelier hanging over the....I don't what do you call it...a reception desk....do tattoo shops have reception desks?

Anywhoo...look at this thing....isn't gaudy enough to be great!  I loved it!

I also loved that everywhere you pointed the camera it was an "picture perfect" opportunity. coincidence? Nope we are in Hollywood and this shop is basically a "set" for her reality show.

Seee, right down to the floor...maybe that was there before the shop became famous...it's hard to know...was this shop already like this.....

or did the WOW factor happen after Hollywood got a hold of her shop?  The artists area's were set up a lot like a beauty parlor with massage tables for the chairs, but you have to be on the list to pass the velvet rope...I think it probably smelled better than most shops too.

The girls were not wondering any of these things...they were star struck...

They were standing in LA INK asking how long it would take to have an appointment (2 years BTW) and how much ($200.00 minimum), Okay girls can we go now?

I am assuming this is Kat's chair (COOL) and that is her purse (girls sigh), she must be in the back.

Okay, okay, one more picture because I think that sofa is a coffin...cool again. I mean I wouldn't put it in my house or anything, just like I wouldn't use Audrey's Bathtub for a sofa- but it's cool.

On the way CuzzyA snapped this one - I didn't even notice it was there...silly me.  If you are into tattoos, I think this is a definite stop, they were all very nice and the shop was beautiful and of course the Art was beautiful....If I  ever decide to get that hummingbird, I'm coming here...

A few days later CuzzyA and I made it to The Hollywood Sign...

There were beautiful homes all the way up this very hilly part of Hollywood...I want to live in this one...you cant see the blue but it is GOGEEEOUS!  It's a castle - what better place for a princess and her prince?!

22 years in Cali and I have never made the trip up here.

I'll be back again this summer with Baby Girl and Pumpkin.

You would never know this is the view from The Sign but it is...haze and all it was breathtaking....sooooo many people, so much going on and it was soo very quiet at the top of that hill.

Hope you had fun on our little adventure to Hollywood, I have to go fold some laundry before it eats me alive...it's a joke remember we were just in Hollywood, anything can happen.  Tata for now!

The Path to a Simpler Way of Life - And more of CuzzyA's Visit

This journey that I am on in a complicated one...it has become somewhat popular to "Simplify", and with all things popular there is always propaganda. Take for instance, the Magazine Real Simple, which to me is basically a Living Magazine printed on what feels like Recycled Paper..is that the simple part or is is that sometimes Martha's Mag has photos of HER homes and Real Simple has REAL peoples homes...doing the same types of things.  I am on a Mag tangent because I have decided in my quest to Simplify my life that I will purge my 20 years of collection...Martha's included.  Of course, this takes time and discipline...I plan to have zero Mags left and just a collection of clippings...that I will label "Please throw away when the aliens come and get me  because they are not that important".  Simplify....does that mean organize your things or purge your things and make them someone else's junk or quit your job,  start a dream career,  focus on my health and worry about money, cook things from scratch, clip coupons, plant a garden and raise chickens, see...propaganda. Maybe the difference is that doing those things will get my old body back, find me more involved with our money, connect with the family more and connect with mother nature, maybe the difference is in the payoff, I'm certainly hoping. Clearly I am confused about my path today...I am dusting, vacuuming, purging the nest because day by day its becoming...something...not an empty nest per say just a little vacant at times.  CuzzyA left this morning for Ohio (her company will be missed), BabyGirl is at work along with PC and Bubba is fast asleep from working the third shift, so I was left alone with my thoughts and this is what you get...well maybe I'll include some pics also...

Hollywood, CA  June 26, 2010

First stop on this little trip, my Fav Fast Food joint! Gotta fuel up!

Pumpkin is a fan too, but mostly of the wet naps.

Yep, even the Veggie loves Chick-fil-A...

because they have THE BEST WAFFLE FRIES!

Already being silly - ready to make the loooong walk down both sides of Hollywood Blvd.

Pay no attention to the giant Patron bottle behind me...

Besides Hollywood Blvd, Vine St is the only other one with the Stars.

And here on Vine St. is James Dean - the Girls LOVE him!

One of my Favs... "Play it again Sam"

Great Halloween Resource! They wouldn't let me take pics but you can check out their website

.

Did I mention is a an animal LOVER!

She thinks Will Smith is pretty cool too!

My Rugrat - isn't she beautiful!

Weirdest shoe store...cute but weird.

They have been awarding stars for 50 years...huh, didn't know that.

Drag Queens! It wouldn't be Hollywood without them!

Cutest "little" rock-a-billy shop - those are all clerks!

And this is one of the CUTEST dresses I have seen in a long time!

Still going strong!

She LOVES Godzilla - GRRRR!

We made it!

Guess?  Yep, Marilyn & Jane.

I am a closet Trekkie!

A fav....

One of the more "tame" street performers.

I really love when you look down an alley and see the unexpected.

Of all the stars out there - he has not been nominated for a Star on the Walk of Fame...weird.  BTW It's Clint Eastwood at the Wax Museum.  

That is not the end of day, but I need to go do some P90X, as the day has slipped away, I got a lot done but the pics took forever to load today. I am sill at a loss for the way to a simple life... guess I have t take it one step at a time on this path...I prefer to know what the destination is but perhaps that is my lesson; the path or "journey" is more important...sounds so cliche`, but I think it might be true. I hope you enjoyed the Hollywood tour, tomorrow LA INK & The Sign!  Off to work out! Tata for now!

Back to Reality...

CuzzyA leaves tomorrow morning (at Six AM...that means we have to leave the house no later than 4AM...ugh!), so today we will be relaxing, washing seashells, doing some laundry, making sure all photos (about 1000 in total) have been transferred to both puters', maybe baking some cheesecake (gotta clean out the fridge first), but mostly making the most of our time together today (I type this as she is fast asleep because I have exhausted her).  As mentioned above there are so many pics to post and share, (she loves to take pics just like me), so I have enough material for a few days at least.  But the reality of it all is that my Sta-cation is over and I need to get prepared for the fall, one drawer, one shelf, one room, plot of land and one coupon at a time.Yep! I am adding Vegetable gardening (and maybe some Chickens) to my plan as well as couponing!  Brave, I know, but I need to make up for some of my lost income...right?  Before I go wake up the Cuzzy to have her start her laundry, and me start the dreaded cleaning out of the fridge, I 'll leave you with some eye candy from CuzzyA's Visit...

Las Vegas - June 2010

We had her fly into Vegas so that we could show her all the sites there are to see in the city that never sleeps. 

Baby Girl went with us - that is her foot - she plans to go to the real New York sometime soon, so she was happy with our choice of hotel.

Like most hotels in Vegas it is hard to tell that you are in a building...they pack so much stuff in these things!

First stop - food!  She was on a 8 hour flight!  So when you are in New York - yo want Pizza...wait I thought we were in Vegas?

Baby Girls Says - "Best Pizza ever!"

If it wasn't for the crazy Carpet - you'd think I was strolling down the streets of NYC with my PC...hmmm.

Then off to Excalibur (no outside photos - sorry). They have these jewelry stands all over the place.

One of the ladies working the booth said "well I've can honestly say I have never seen anyone do that before." She was talking about me taking the close up of the shiny things...really, not anyone?

We went down to the Arcade to kill time before dinner. Catching the girls taking there pics in a photo booth...who is that handsome prince spying on them?

Air hockey is a favorite around our family. Good clean fun...I think that's  a Muwwwahhaaha laugh from me, because I was able to sink one puck on his side...he beat me...bad.

Did someone order tickets to a gun show?  Sexy!

Baby Girl says - Bring it on!

CuzzyA beat me too...sad.

Did someone say SkeeBall - BabyGirls's Fav!

Daddy-Daughter moment - cheesy!

Messing with the camera...

Then to dinner - It's a Dinner show...Knights, horses, Merlin, lasers, and Grub!

Ready to eat and cheer!

Believe it or not this comes down from the ceiling and is THE ROUND TABLE..where all of the knights would be eating and meeting.

The table all set for grub!

GRUB!

A little stroll down The Strip and look who we run into!

MMMMM....M&M's - they have FOUR floors of stuff to buy! 

Then to the Bellagio to see what's new in the garden...Sunflowers!

This picture looks vaguely familiar to me...it is amazing how much Vegas can make you think you are somewhere else in the world.

Hope you enjoyed tagging along - this was just the first Half day that we were there, so there is more.

Well I'm off to spear the great grey & white whales (the fridges)!  Tata for now!