March 15, 2010

A Lot of Bull

I woke up a little late this morning. Showered, did dishes, started up a load of laundry and sat down to do work. Hmmm.. not bad. Already fairly productive and I've been up less than an hour. Nice nice. I'd ben neglecting Chris' tattoo for awhile now only working on it here and there. I know he's been anxious to get it so I sat down and grinded it out today. I've tried designing celtic knots before and they're not exactly the easiest thing especially if you want it to look authentic. I'd been doing a fair amount of research combined with what I had done previously for the Ireland jersey and developed a decent pool of reference material. In the end I tried to find existing designs that had shapes and forms that I might be able to borrow. In the end I borrowed heavily from one design in particular but modified it to look like a bull head instead of the shield shape it originally was. The only thing i couldn't figure out was the steam from the nostrils. After a full day of playing around with it I've got it to a point where I'm quite happy with the direction but I have a few more details to work out and then it's cleaning up the knots. I figure I have a couple more days of work to do. Looking forward to getting this done. It's looking good and better than I had originally thought it might. Yay me. Yay process.

Dan and I hit the Tomahawk Barbecue for dinner. I had heard about it and was looking forward to it. Nothing could prepare me for what befell my eyes. It looked like it came straight out of the movies. As you stepped inside you felt like you had just stepped back in time to the 70s. The decor, the setup, everything screamed like a vintage movie set. The only giveaway was the big screen flat panel TV over the far end of the counter. I couldn't get the grin off my face the entire time we were there. It was amazing. I think the strangest part was the bathroom. I have a strong appreciation for kinesthetic sensory perception. The second I walked in to the bathroom the smell hit me in the face and sent me back twenty years to summer camp at Goldeye. It wasn't a bad smell. It just took me back in a hurry. I could feel Goldeye on the other side of the walls. It was absolutely strange but delightful all in one. Who would have thought the smell of a bathroom would ever bring someone so much joy. The meal was also greaat. I had, I think it was called, a Skookum Tomahawk Burger. A burger with piles of lettuce, a tomato, onions, an egg and sausage. Yes, sausage. The thing was absolutely massive. Tasty though. As we settling up the bill, the owner showed me a photograph of the the Tomahawk Barbecue from 1925. The place had been there for 85 years. His parents lived in the back and the original restaurant had just a counter. Marine Drive was the main road that ran directly in front of it. How times have changed. Marine drive is a block away now and although the main structure is till there, the inside has expanded with the living quarters now gone and some renovation being done somewhere along the way. It still maintained a whole lot of charm and character though. What a great place.

Xuan arrived at close to 10pm. She had missed the 5pm ferry and had to wait until the 7pm ferry. She did manage to get here though. It's always a little touch and go with that one. Not good at planning, not good at directions and attention span of a goldfish. part of her charm though. She's leaving for Mexico on Friday and although I'm a little worried for her I hope she is happy while she's there.

Another big day tomorrow. Time for bed. Until next time.

Reason to smile today: Chris' tattoo is getting somewhere and better than expected.

Something I learned today: Great restaurants still exist in all their kitchy charm having survived 85 years of business.