A non-artist in family full of (lowbrow) artists

I cannot draw to save my life. Seriously, the best I can muster is stick figures. So how is it that I come from a family FULL of artists? Two of my nephews are artists and Tattoo artists and my husband does amazing kar kulture style hot rod art as well as building some amazing miniature cars out of styrene. So how did I come to be surrounded by artists? GOOD QUESTION.

My nephew, Zac, started drawing when he was about 4, I believe. I remember walking into my sister’s house and seeing him sitting at the coffee table in the living room with pencil and paper and in front of him was a soda cup from Little Caesar’s Pizza Pizza. As I looked over his shoulder to see what he was drawing I was shocked and amazed to see that he had drawn the Little Caesar’s mascot exactly as it appeared
on the cup, except twice as large. Then and there I knew he was talented. And that is when I made the commitment to ALWAYS encourage his art. From buying him drawing and painting supplies to paying for him to take extracurricular art classes. Even taking him to Renaissance Faire at the age of 10 expanded his artistic nature.



My nephew Rob also started drawing at a young age. He started tattooing at an early age
and thus Zac began his apprenticeship with his big brother at an early age. Both are now amazing artists and amazing tattooists.




Now I realize that many people see tattooing  “Lowbrow” art. But really, so what? Art is art. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth is considered lowbrow, Chris “Coop” Cooper is considered lowbrow as are Brandon Bond, Dave Mann, Frank Frazetta, Frank Miller, Joseph Barbera (of Hanna-Barbera), Tim Burton and virtually every comic book artist that has ever laid pen or pencil to paper. Lowbrow art is art for the people and lowbrow artists don’t have to wait until they are dead for people to appreciate their art.

I am incredibly proud of my nephews. They can take pencil and paper or tattoo machine and ink and create beauty or whimsy out of thin air using only their imaginations. This ability is something that should be encouraged wherever it is found and in whatever style it is found. Whether it is in the traditional arts such as drawing/painting, sculpting, photography, design or in the performing arts. In these days of budgets cuts when schools are cutting art and music classes I feel that it is the responsibility of everyone to make an effort to encourage children to draw, play, sculpt, design, sing, dance and act whenever and wherever they can. They are the future and a future without art is a very dismal future and one that makes me sad to even think about.

So how did I end up surrounded by artists? I have no idea, but I consider myself LUCKY.

Peace on earth.....

Good will to Man?

No thank you. I hate humans, Yes you read that right. I hate humans. Because really....all the problems that exist on this planet started with Humans. Bigotry, religion, racism, sexism, war, pollution, it all started with humans.

Think about it....you've never heard of a lion bombing a building in the name of "Their" god. Nor have you heard of a dog judging someone because of the color of their skin. You've never heard of an animal killing for the sport of it. Nope they kill to survive, it's called the food chain. There is nothing good or bad about it. It simply is.

However, then humans evolved...and as the human race evolved so did racism, bigotry, religion and hate. Pollution and overcrowding started to take hold....then wonders of wonders humans invented a way to travel into space.....now we have SPACE junk! WTF!?!?

So yes...I say, and will defend it, that the blame for all of the problems that exist in the world today can be laid squarely at the feet of "Humanity".

The single biggest enemy that the environment has today is HUMANS.

So as far as Peace on Earth (it will never happen as long as the human race as we know it exists) and good will to Man I say BITE ME!

"Designer" anything???

Ok....so I'm looking at an Ulta cosmetics ad and I see that they have Ed Hardy fragarence and makeup on sale. Really? Don Ed Hardy is a legend in the world of tattooing, but really do women want to SMELL like him? Is he really qualified to create a fragarence? Or did someone else create the fragarence and Ed Hardy simply put his name on it? Perhaps I am a purist or maybe you would call me a snob, but it saddens me to see a legend become a sell out. Now I could get behind a line of, perhaps clothing with Ed Hardy's art on it....after all he is an artist. But a PERFUME? Really?



Then there is the ENTIRE line of Von Dutch clothing and accressories. Yes Kenny Howard aka Von Dutch, was the best pinstriper that ever lived, yes he is a legend in the hot rod world, yes I have mad respect for what the man did, "brought pin-striping as a high art from motorcycles to automobile bodies". But who out there that is sporting any of the Von Dutch line really know anything about who the man was? It was his daughters that sold off the rights to his name and imagery simply for the cash after his death, which goes against EVERYTHING that he believed in. No, he really wasn't a likeable person, but he was an unbelieveably talented artist and I personally feel that selling off the rights to his name and imagery is not a good way to honor his artistry. Von Dutch helped change the world of car customizing right up there with Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. If you want to know more about who Von Ducth really was check out Kenny Howard | The Pinstriper Known as Von Dutch you WILL be surprised by it.

Now I am not against desinger fragarences or clothing or accessories. My favorite purse is a Mark Ecko Red purse that is decorated with Tattoo inspired art. I carry it ALL THE TIME! I have seen several other Mark Ecko purses that I would like to have but cannot currently afford. The difference here is that Mark Ecko is a designer. He did not start out as a car customizer or tattoo artist. His family did NOT sell off the rights to his name after his death. If fact he is still alive!

So, is there a point to this rant? Maybe, maybe not. But personally I would not wear something with a "designer name" just because it is trendy. I own no Ed Hardy anything and I would never own any Von Dutch clothing or accessories. (For Goddess sakes they make PINK Von Dutch trucker hats!! PINK!!! UGH!)
When you go to buy that Von Dutch hat or hoodie or shirt, stop and think, Von Dutch was an eccentric, not a particularly nice person and above all else an artist. Did you know ANY of that before you read this?

Before you buy that Ed Hardy perfume (or make up...yes there is a line of Ed Hardy make up too) stop and think...what do you know about the man? Did you know he was a pupil of Sailor Jerry? Hell did you know that Sailor Jerry is more than just a rum?

I am all for education. I beleve in educating myself about things and people before I choose to patronize or advertise for them....But that is just one woman's opinion.

Coincidence??? I think not Part II

Tune in this Friday Night (November 6, 2009) @ 10 pm on Animal planet to see what happens!!

Pit Bulls and Parolees

BTW That is Uggi kissing that guy's face in the trailer

End of the world in 2012?

Ok....so people keep saying that the Mayan calendar predicts that the world will end in 2012. Soooooo, if the Mayans were so accurate with predictions you would think that they would have seen their own extinction coming, right?

I think the lesson to be learned here is, to not depend on an extinct people if you want accurate predictions. Just sayin'.

Autumn is in the Air! WOO HOO!

Yesterday as I left the office to head home it hit me; the smell in the air, the quality of the light…Autumn is here! With Autumn comes Samhain (Halloween) and our neighbor’s big Halloween party. So seeing as the party is actually on the 31st this year I’ve decided that I want to take a traditional Pagan/Witch Samhain dish to the party.

Now what to take? So I Googled “Samhain Recipes” as my search results came up I noticed something..umm interesting, shall we say. The names that some of these people take for themselves! They go from the pretentious, Silver RavenWolf (a fairly well known, albeit “fluffy bunny”)author, to the downright silly, Lady Walking Turtle (as opposed to Flying Turtle??), Starfire(Teen Titans anyone?) , Amethyst (that’s not a name it’s a stone), StormWing (??), Moon Mistress (Frank Frazetta much? Mistress, Maid, whatever…it still feels Frazettaesqe), Star Breeze (umm….sorry no atmosphere in space so no breeze, Star).
Why do these Neo-Pagans feel the need to take on such pretentious, ridiculous names? Ok, I suppose if you are a business person that owns a non pagan business that you might not want your business associates/customers to know your religious beliefs…but, Griffyn Elvyncraft? REALLY?!? SERIOULSY? Dude, step away from the D & D manual!

Even more puzzling to me is the fact that they take the “choosing of a Wiccan/Pagan” name so seriously. I’ve been a Witch (not Wiccan a Witch) all of my life (or at least for as long as I can remember) and while I will admit I am known by many names … Mistaya (Bear), Nyx, Lucifair, Strabo, and Violence (online on the “gothic side” of the web), Rhiannon M. Boyle (at Ren and Pirate Faire), Vi Suvius (in the Roller Derby World) and finally, Yvette, which is my real name. I have never felt the need to give myself a Witch name. Dear Goddess I cannot imagine adding yet another name to the list of ones I already have!

I have noticed that many that have felt the need for a Wiccan/Pagan name are what I call “short timers”. Those that have been part of the Craft for less than say 20 years OR that have come to Paganism from another religion (usually one of the Christian based factions). I suppose that they feel a need to break away from what they once were…or they just fall in and get advice from what I and others call the “Fluffy bunny” factions of Paganism. “Fluffy Bunnies” are followers of Wicca that will tell you that they are “White Witches” or that they are “Wiccan” NOT Witches. The ones that still believe you MUST HAVE special tools and special places to do any type of ritual or spell work Of course if they say that they are “Wiccan NOT Witches” then they probably don’t do any spell work to begin with.

I want to now address these things. First of all “fluffy bunnies” - “White” Witches; do not exist. A truly “White” Witch would be forbidden from doing anything to protect themselves from attack, whether psychic or physical. Magick is not black OR white it is both. What determines how it is used is the person using it. If they are doing it to help or hurt. It is all about focus and intent. But I digress, this is not meant to be a lesson (I suck as a teacher, regardless of what the Grandfathers think).

Now for the Wiccans that aren’t Witches. If you have chosen an alternative religion but are not fully utilizing the teachings of said alternative religion…..then why bother? Seems to me it’s a lot of work for nothing.

As for needing special tools and a special place for ritual or spell work. Well what can I say, I’ve been doing this all my life (about 49 years now) so I can pretty much use anything and be anywhere and still cast an effective spell (even when I’m not trying). Oh don’t get me wrong…I do have my “altar” but I will still use whatever knife I have handy for cutting herbs (most times I’ll just break them off by hand) and my mini-cauldron incense burner is pretty much an all purpose tool at this point. Perhaps this knowledge will only come with time for the Fluffy Bunnies and the “Non Witch” Wiccans.

So Happy Autumn everyone – get out there and enjoy this beautiful weather. And Happy Samhain/Halloween!

Now, I will sign this in the tradition of the short timers and fluffy bunnies of the world.

Merry Meet and Merry Part,
Lady Mistaya Nyx Lucifair Strabo Violence Rhiannon Vi M. Bear-Boyle-Suvius
(LOL) Thanks for reading my latest rant! ;D

Life in the Customer Service Lane

There are times when my disdain for the human race in general is almost palpable and then there are times when my hope for the hu…….naw, let’s be honest. I pretty much hate people in general. I feel that I chalk that up to over 25 years spent as a customer service rep.

Humans, especially in the U.S. tend to be lazy and always looking for the easy way out. For instance, at one place that I worked in customer service (waaay back in the 90s) we manufactured and sold outdoor drainage supplies. Large retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s would buy from us and then re-sell to the public. So of course, someone in the marketing department had the idea that if products were going to be sold to the public then our toll free (1-800) customer service number should be prominently displayed on the package. Now those of us in the customer service department (and I’m guessing any of you that have ever worked in customer service) knew what a bad idea that was. We tried to explain it to marketing to no avail. So of course we were inundated with calls from people that had bought a product at Home Depot or Lowe’s, saw the toll free number and immediately picked up the phone and called us. I mean, why bother reading the step-by-step instructions that were also included when you can call someone and have them hold your hand and speak in small words, right?

One Friday, in fact , it was the Friday before the Northridge earthquake in 1994, (I remember it because it was blazingly hot and still with no wind) I had taken six calls in a row from people that couldn’t be bothered to read instructions. By call number 7 I’d had enough. Therefore, call number 7 went something like this:

Me: “Customer service, this is Yvette, how may I help you?”
Old Guy: “Hi Patty (yep he called me Patty, how you get Patty from Yvette I will never know) I bought this catch basin from Home Depot and I need a bit of help to install it.”
Me: (teeth grinding at being called Patty) May I get your name sir?
OG: Bob Smith
Me : Well Mr. Smith, I’m sure I can help you.
OG: Great, ok so how does this thing install exactly?
Me: Mr. Smith , may I ask you one quick question that could save us both some time?
OG: Well, of course.
Me: Mr. Smith, (in my most polite tone, with my manager listening) have you read the instructions that came with your catch basin?
OG: (sounding very apologetic) ummm, well…I mean, uh, no I didn’t ,Patty.
Me: That’s ok Mr. Smith, this happens a lot. Let’s say I make you a deal. You go and read the instructions and then, if you are still having issues call back and ask for me, I’m at extension 48 and I will be more than happy to help you. Does that sound good?
OG: Sure Patty…I don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself.
ME; No problem, remember if you you’re still having problems after reading the instructions I’m at extension 48.
OG; Ok, extension 48. Got it. Thank you.
Me: Have a nice afternoon Mr. Smith


 But keep in mind that it wasn’t just the consumers….we got ridiculous questions from ”professionals” as well. Example, a phone call from the Manager of the Plumbing department at Home Depot (i won’t mention which store, that would be TOO mean)

Me: Customer service, this is Yvette how may I help you?
HD Mgr.: Hi Beth (really ? Beth? WTF?!?!), I’m the plumbing department manager at the (City, State) Home Depot and I have a customer that is looking for 60 feet of your trench drain. Do you have it in stock and available?
Me: We sure do. How does he want it?
HD mgr.: I’m sorry?
Me: Well, he can either get six -10 foot pieces or ten – 6 foot pieces.
HD Mgr: Oh… and that would be 60 feet? (Ok, we all know that I don’t do math…but come on! Even I can do that math)
Me: ummmm , yeah.
HD MGR. Ok let me ask my customer and I’ll call you right back. Should I just ask for Beth?
Me: Sure, that’ll be fine.

Then there was the Contractor in Mississippi that asked my manager, “so your 12 x 12 drain grate… is that square?”

Don’t get me wrong, there was the occasional customer that would make my day. Like Mr. Smith, he called back and talked to my manager and praised me for the way that I handled his call

My point of all this is, when you have to deal with customer service, try to be nice. They have to deal with idiots, jerks and extremely rude people all day long and they have to be polite. It’s a very stressful job, it doesn’t pay nearly enough and it really does make you hate humans in general. If you can make just one customer service rep smile after a long difficult day, believe me they will love you and will go above and beyond to help you with your issue. Seriously! I recently got an extra 15% off a purchase because I was nice to the customer service rep! Not to mention, it also will give you some good karma.

DWS (Driving While....)

There are times, more often than not, that I would simply love to smack the stupid human in front of me on the freeway, doing 50mph in the fast lane, square in face with a closed fist. What part of “fast lane” do these twits not understand???

Then there is the moron that can’t decide which lane he wants to be in so he swerves between all 3 or 4 lanes at approximately 30mph and then gets pissy when you honk at him. If you can’t drive the damned vehicle…then park it!
It is this kind of sheer stupidity that causes accidents. Especially during the rush hour.

I propose that the saying “there was an accident” should hereby be replaced by the term “someone did something stupid”. I sincerely believe that someone needs to create a bill to give to the lawmakers of this state that requires all applicants to take an IQ test BEFORE they can be rewarded with a driver’s license. Score below a certain number on said IQ test and boom, REJECTED! Sorry kids, you’re too stupid to drive. But here’s an annual bus pass, ENJOY!

That certainly would change traffic reporting as we know it. I can just hear it now…..

”…and now to Captain Tom in the traffic chopper. What’s it look like out there Captain?”

“Well Julie, someone did something stupid South Bound on the 101 at the 101/405 interchange and traffic is backed up clear past the White Oak Avenue exit. Most of it has been cleared and they are now letting some cars thru, but you’re still going to hit that back up. I suggest if at all possible avoid this section of the freeway for at least the next 2 hours. ..and it looks like the police have detained the idiot that seems to have caused the slow down. Yes…it does look like they are administering an on-site IQ test. Looks like another case of DWS (driving while stupid). Now back to Julie in the studio. ”

A Witch in the modern world.....

Something that happend to me a couple of weeks ago made me think.

In ancient times every village had their "Witch" or wise woman. Those that sought her help would go, under cover of darkness, to her cottage deep in the woods. Now we get text messages!

Coincidence?? I think not.

When I lost Faelcor, my Pit Bull/Akita/Chow mix to cancer at the age of 10, I was devastated. He was everything to me. He was my little boy, my protector, my familiar, my best friend. I sank into a deep depression, gained weight, became bitchy and unmotivated. I slept almost constantly when I wasn’t at work. I still saw Fael everywhere (still do from time to time)

I was miserable, unable to concentrate, unwilling to communicate or be a part of almost anything. Then one day I was on the internet, and for some odd reason I typed “California pit bull rescues” in the Google box and hit enter. Was it Faelcor telling me that it was time for me to help another dog? Was it just me wanting to move on? To this day I still don’t know.

After paging thru numerous pages of links I came to a name that just stuck with me “Villalobos Rescue Center.” Almost instinctively I clicked on the link and was taken to their site. I clicked on “About Us” and read their story. Then I clicked on the link to watch the video of the Katrina dogs and was brought to tears. Finally I clicked on “adopt a dog” which brought up pictures of dozens of beautiful pit bulls just waiting for a forever home. All different colors; fawn, brindle, black, pied, blue, white, all gorgeous and I wondered how did such beautiful creatures end up needing to be rescued? But none of them “struck me” Until I saw this picture of a little guy named Uggie, he had a lop ear and from what I could see crooked teeth….I fell in love immediately! I called my husband to look at the picture and he was a “goner” as well. I filled out the online adoption form as fast as I could and sent it off. I emailed “Tia” and finally after a few days we finally connected. We made an appointment to go out and meet Uggie…..and then Tia asked if we would like to be part of a new reality show that they were doing. My husband wasn’t quite sure….but I was all for it. So off we go to meet Uggie and Tia.

It’s not a horribly long drive to VRC from our house but it’s not close either. The most disconcerting part was turning onto the road that the rescue is located on and driving and driving and driving, you get out past where the asphalt ends and then keep going. At this point, it’s almost too narrow to turn around and you just pray that it doesn’t get dark before you find the place. Then you see the sign out front.
So we pull in and are met by one of the Show’s associate producers, we’re in the High desert now and it’s WINDY. They take us and get our microphone packs on, then we stand around and wait. At this point I just want to meet Uggie. But we have to wait….finally they have us get back in the car and go down the road a bit so they can film our arrival….ok so that’s typical for any show. Then they have us get out of the car and walk towards where we will meet Tia. That’s when things got….well for lack of a better word…odd. I see a red haired woman walking towards us she walks up and introduces herself, “Hi, I’m Tia”. We talk for a while as they are setting up the next shot and I almost fell over…not only is she a redhead (so am I), she’s the same age as me and yes, she’s Pagan.

I just look at my husband as I pull my own Pentagram necklace out from under my shirt. What are the odds that we would find THIS dog at THIS rescue operated by THIS woman at a time when I was so surely looking for SOMETNING to pull me out of my depression? So we get to wait a little more, she tells us that she has chosen a couple other dogs for us to “meet” as well as Uggie, that it works better for the show. The first little girl that they bring out is adorable…but not at all interested in us. The second boy….WOW! What a tempest! He barely sat down long enough for us to pet him. Then comes Uggie.

He is a short stocky little guy. Blue with a white “tuxedo shirt” chest and he’s soooo happy. As he gets closer we notice that yes, his teeth are crooked and he does have a lop ear…but he also has a short deformed tail that doesn’t so much wag as it does wiggle at the speed of light!

Then we are told that Uggie was a stray is South Los Angeles and when Animal control picked him up he had a pellet lodged in his hind leg where someone had shot him…..that makes me…..ok let’s be real…that PISSES ME OFF! He looks like he has scars on his face and could have possibly been used as a bait dog at some point. Regardless of all this….he is HAPPY and loving! We take him on a walk…and find that when he doesn’t want to walk anymore that he will lay down and (as I put it) become an anchor. *L* But with a little coaxing we get him going again…..before we even get back to the greeting area I’ve made the decision that Uggie needs us (or me) as much as we need him. …. (to be continued)