I just finished updating and revamping the Mind Junket website. Cleaned up the HTML a bit and fixed the font problems. The big change is the new photo pages!
So, a couple of days ago, I once again found myself in Houston. While I was there, I went to see my old friends- Nero, Marina, Coral and Reef at the Downtown Aquarium Houston. They happen to be White Bengal tigers. I was working at the aquarium when the tigers where first brought in and introduced to their new home. The pictures here are of Reef. The one above is current, at about 380 pounds. The one below is from back in the day about four years ago when he was first exploring his new home. He is a cutie! This is the tiger that the pawprint came from that I made coffee mugs, stickers, ties, magnets and posters of on Zazzle from his first birthday.
So I had a good friend tell me today that they admired how I could just go with the flow all the time and just see where I end up. It made me think about it life a little more in depth (at least for a bit!). I have found that life is a wonderful journey, you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. Yes, it can get bumpy and at times, jolting. But it all happens for a reason. Sometimes it is obvious immediately why it happened and occasionally you happen upon the reason later in life. But usually, you have no clue in the grand scheme of things. But that is the wonder of it all. Every inescapable moment in this world is unique and new. You never know where you will end up in five minutes, a month or even a lifetime. You can try to plan things out, set goals, and set schedules. But the one mainstream constant is that things change. The ripples of life and perception gradually spread and intermingle with the rest of the world around you. And it is a wonderful ride! Enjoy it!
The blacklight sleeve tattoo is healing nicely, right on schedule. Should take a couple of weeks for the redness to fade as the skin heals. Now I must contemplate what my next ink patch will be! Or should I say where? Thanks to everyone for your wonderful comments and praise btw!
Once occurring at densities of up to 120 individuals per square meter off the coast of California and Baja, Mexico, the black abalone has declined by as much as 99 percent due to commercial fishing (now outlawed), a devastating disease called withering syndrome (exacerbated by global warming), and ocean acidification, which hinders its ability to build a shell.
The black abalone joins the white abalone, elkhorn coral, and staghorn coral as the only marine invertebrates among the 1,300 species protected by the Endangered Species Act. All are endangered by global warming, and all won protection due to scientific petitions by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Read more in the San Jose Mercury-News.
Blog post is from the Center for Biological Diversity newsletter.
P.S. Those of you that have been freaked out by my new cell phone ringtone (common loon), it is from the Center for Biological Diversity free ringtone page...
After 656,991 votes for 7,847 ideas, we present the top 10 ideas for change (in no particular order):
Just finished creating new products through Zazzle, this line features a one year old White Tiger paw print! There are many different products available with the paw print. Featured here are the Postage Stamps, Coffee Mug, Poster, and one of three Ties. Of course, there are many more, so check it out, leave comments and rate them if you want! If you really like them, feel free to buy some - they make great gifts (even for yourself)! And, as always, if you have a product idea, I would love to design it for you!
Just finished a 5 hour tattoo session (with myself...). You can check out a video of the wrap-around view of the sleeve on Facebook videos! I used a tattoo kit from Superior Tattoo and some blacklight responsive tattoo ink. I use the white ink as it is basically invisible in regular light. There is no one better to practice your tattooing on then yourself! Yes, it hurts. Yes, it is permanent. But I love it!
These are photos of me tattoing the sleeve. One is with a camera flash, and the other is without. The one without shows the light I am actually tattoing myself in. I learned tattoing from the internet and practice. Blacklight tattoing has been quite a challenge, but I am getting much better!
the trees and watching the stars. I realized just how interconnected everything is. And I mean everything. If you choose any unit of measurement for small things. Like a molecule, particle, atom, or whatever unit you wish. Draw an imaginary line to every other piece of the infinite universe. This is funny to me at the moment because I have been scanning old 35 mm family slides into digital format and I found this one of my sister Wendy and her science fair project in Guam. Point to point designs it is called. But anyways, everything is 
interconnected and infinitely affecting everything else. It makes quite a pattern. Kind of like a fractal! But not quite... If you are not familiar with Fractals, visit this website on Fractals. Kind of gives you an idea (hopefully) of the interconnectedness and beauty you can find in the world when you actually look for it. An infinite pattern spread not only through vast outer space but in the space in between your toes...
That is a poster of a photograph I took in the mountainous woods of Goshen, Virginia. Cute little red capped mushroom pushing through the ground cover.
One of the many t-shirts available, rooted in middle school art classes and my imagination.
Indian Pipe poster. Enough said!!!
This one is a specialty item. It is a tie. With the design of a deadly seashell tiling it's surface.
A pair of mushrooms watching the day laze by.
