Jessica from Pulse Blogs About It...

What is This World Coming To?

2011-12-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of my husband taking a picture to send to @ChaunceyCC via the twitter, that I took to prove some point about it being ridiculous, which caused me to learn that I am in fact ridiculous.

HAVE A LUSTY HOLIDAY...

2011-12-22T17:50:00.001-05:00

This year's holiday card was a hit.

Happy Holidays blog readers!

There Was a Week in November...

2011-12-20T11:11:00.012-05:00

I've been a blog slacker for awhile, and I was going through the photos that are starting to fill up my phone, and I decided it's time to throw a few out there. I'll start with my arena rock week in November.

On Tuesday, I saw Katy Perry... I went with my girlfriend Tracey and it was awesome!
Friday of the same week, Sean and I went to "Watch the Throne" on a pretty bad ass hook up... Seeing Kanye and Jay Z was amazing. It's definitely near the top of my list of the greatest arena performances I've ever seen. So much pyro! So many video screens! So many lasers!

As if this wasn't enough, the very next night, we headed to see Sebastian Bach and, yes, GUNS-N-ROSES! Say what you will about it not REALLY being Guns-n-Roses, or what you want about Axl Rose, I cannot hear it or be affected by it! I love that crazy, eccentric maniac. And he's not kidding when he says "When the time is right... the stage will ignite". He didn't come out until well after midnight, and there was so much pyro, the stage did indeed ignite. Haha. A wonderful friend of ours works for GNR and I had the BEST view of Sebastian Bach's set... For GNR's set, we had to move to a safer location in front of the stage, to not get burned by all that pyro! I was so enthralled by Axl I forgot to snap a picture! Boo! Guns-n-Roses was my first concert EVER so there was a lot of nostalgia for me, and Axl Rose really does still sound AMAZING. He hit every note. The band is a little over the top ridiculous, but I suppose that's what they're getting paid for, and they sound great, so what if they look stupid? Haha. Thanks to Armond Butts Crump III for making all of my Guns-N-Roses dreams come true.

The Final Product...

2011-11-10T12:28:00.004-05:00

Labeled and ready to go! Some of our favorite friends will be getting gift honey for Christmas, and all other bottles are for sale. Need some raw local honey? Get at me! $5.00 per 1/2lb.

Sweet Success...

2011-10-25T10:56:00.003-04:00

The honey is finally bottled. Our bees made us 70 jars! That's quite a haul for some first year beekeepers. We had an exciting and rewarding season as new beekeepers, and hope to have great success with the next challenge our bees are facing... living through the New England winter! Stay warm little buddies!

Jack-O-Lanterns...

2011-10-10T12:36:00.007-04:00

Last night, Sean and I made these...
I haven't carved a pumpkin in so long! It was a lot of fun and they look so good on our porch, we may just do a couple more.

Ding!

2011-10-07T14:20:00.000-04:00

How did the tall and handsome Joshua Morgan Holden win TWO inflatable monkeys? With help from this guy, of course... Try to contain your envy, ladies, that lusty Marlboro man is all mine!

So, Josh came up from NYC to visit us for the weekend, and after I heard that as a CT native, he had never been to the Big E, I felt it was my duty to drag him there. It was the hottest day of the fair, but we made the best of it, eating and drinking anything that got in our way.

As we wandered around the midway, the men in our group thought it'd be fun to test their strength. They paid the man... Sean had a turn... Josh had a turn... And everyone went home a winner! But not until after we rode this...

Highway Honey...

2011-10-04T17:52:00.012-04:00

Last Saturday was our big honey harvest day! I suspected we were going to get something out of the hive even though it was our first year. However, I never expected to get as much as we did. I don't know where they got it, considering our close proximity to the highway, but, our bees collected enough nectar to make us 50 lbs. of honey! Go bees!

The harvesting process was tricky, sticky and fun. I think we did alright for first timers. Some pictures... After we stole the honey supers from the bees and secured them in the garage, we checked out the hive to make sure everything was good. That's me on the left and on the right, my Bee.F.F. Mike, helping me with the harvest. Everything was good with the bees, they didn't even seem to notice we robbed them! Sean would like everyone to know that he is NOT afraid of bees. Now we get that honey...Like a hot knife through, well, wax. Now all that's left is the bottling!

Feet...

2011-09-30T15:32:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Sean and I had to go to court (we're trying to collect back rent from some scumbag tenants who we evicted) and when you go to court, you spend a lot of time waiting for your case to be called. While we waited, and unbeknownst to me, Sean snapped this photo of our feet. He's all up on the instagram, and I haven't taken the plunge yet. So, I stole this picture from him because I thought it was really cute. Sometimes I can't even believe how queer I am.

Happy Birthday Bee...

2011-09-12T13:45:00.004-04:00

We don't usually get a lot of bees up near the house, but occasionally they buzz by the windows close enough for me to be excited that they've come by to visit me. This morning, this little girl landed on my kitchen screen and hung out the entire time I had my breakfast. It's my birthday today, so I think she came by to wish me a happy one.

Philly Cheesesteak Challenge...

2011-09-06T15:04:00.010-04:00

Sean and I spent this Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. I had a tattoo appointment with Martin LaCasse at Olde City Tattoo to start my back piece on Sunday, (more on that some other time, as I'm not quite ready to relive the experience! Those of you with back/butt tattoos can sympathize I'm sure.) so we decided to enjoy a little Philly since we were going to be there anyway.

Needless to say, the day after I got tattooed I was not exactly feeling up for an action packed day of tourist activity. We decided to do one easy-ish activity and while choosing which one, we were hungry, so we went for the Philadelphia Tourist Cheesesteak Challenge! It seems everyone has an answer as to who has the best cheesesteak, Geno's or Pat's. Unless of course you ask a local because they'll always tell you neither. I wanted to decide for myself. We went in to the challenge knowing that nothing would beat the amazing cheesesteak we ate the night before (that's right, 3 cheesesteaks in 2 days! We're animals.). But, we had to see what the "beef" was all about.

We started at Pat's...

Mmmouth full... The sandwich looked great at Pat's, and I think you get some points for presentation. The meat was a little tough and the only flavor really coming through strong was the Whiz.

We immediately headed across the street to Geno's... Sean takes a bite...On first sight, the Geno's sandwich didn't look as good. I wasn't even sure if they remembered the Whiz... It was in there!
The meat was much more tender in the Geno's sandwich and had a little more flavor. So, for Monday's challenge, Geno's wins!

I think either place is going to be hit or miss depending on things like time of day, and who's working the stand. So maybe Pat's was just bad timing. Either way, I don't see how most people could even tell the difference enough to claim one is better than the other. And those who swear by one or the other are FOOLS. The best cheesesteaks in Philadelphia are everywhere BUT Pat's or Geno's.

The best cheesesteaks we've had in Philly so far were from Brownies Irish Pub. You want authentic, delicious, flavorful cheesesteak, get one there! You can even have a beer with it, and avoid the tourists toting their tribes of children to the trendy spots from TV.

Check them out here http://www.browniesirishpub.com/

Job Stopper...

2011-09-01T11:48:00.004-04:00

Last night, I got my first finger tattoo! I've wanted it for a long time, and I'm so happy to finally have it. Now I just hope this whole tattoo machine building career thing works out. I'd hate to have to find decent work with this tattoo on my finger! Ha!
Thanks to Corey Scoolidge at Brass City Tattoo for the awesome mini tat. He used our new EST. inks! Check him out! http://coreyscoolidge.tumblr.com/

Sometimes Life Just Isn't Fair...

2011-08-25T18:08:00.004-04:00

This is especially true today while I'm at work taking care of business all the while being inudated with news of a hurricane that's making it's way toward us, which will inevitably ruin my weekend and everything else in it's wake. (Is that a run-on sentence?) Anyway, while I'm doing that, my husband is doing THIS... Just enjoying a few days off from work... IN PARIS. Poor guy.

Who Likes Crab Arms?

2011-08-18T14:41:00.003-04:00

THIS GIRL!
That's all for now.

Last Weekend's Tat Con...

2011-08-16T10:57:00.005-04:00

We had a booth at the Art Riot tattoo convention in Boxborough, MA last weekend. My mother once told me that if you didn't have anything nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all.

But, I guess it wasn't all bad. Our friend Myke Chambers was our booth neighbor, so that was a plus. And our booth looked good. And the only other thing worth mentioning is that Katie and I took home some trophies... for being AWESOME!

Book Review "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick...

2011-08-11T11:19:00.001-04:00

“This debut novel, set in the early 1900s, is a beautifully written psychological mystery, almost gothic at times. Advertising for 'a reliable wife,' Ralph Truitt, wealthy businessman, gets more than he realizes when Catherine Land steps off the train. Secrets on top of secrets, all revealed in Goolrick's lyrical prose in this a beautiful examination of love and regret.”
-- Leslie Reiner, Inkwood Books, Tampa, FL

And my review...
Eh. For all the twists and treacherous cunning this novel was still boring. None of the characters are very likeable, and maybe that's the point. We're all flawed? I don't know if that's what Goolrick was getting at, but these characters are all seriously damaged. There are so many awful things that happen in the current day where the book is taking place and in the character's pasts, that it's hard to read this book and put it down feeling good. Even though the ending is happy... sort of.

I couldn't recommend you read it and feel good about doing so.

My book club meets to discuss this book at the end of the month. I unfortunately will not be able to attend, because, that's right, I'm getting my back tattooed!!!!

Dinner...

2011-08-10T10:49:00.001-04:00

This is how we do "healthy" Mexican at our house.

Carnival Time...

2011-08-04T10:44:00.003-04:00

I love the first weekend of August every year because that's when they put THIS...
in our back yard!

I took this picture last night and this morning there were already more rides back there, including a ferris wheel and one of my favorites, the Tilt-a-Whirl. It's so fun watching the carnival go up, and there's nothing like watching a carnie take a pee in the woods behind your house while you have your morning coffee!

How Sweet It Is...

2011-08-03T13:03:00.003-04:00

I don't want to be too big a braggart, but I have to say, our bees are super productive, our queen is strong and our hive is an example of beehive perfection! I can't take all the credit of course, as the bees are doing most of the work, but I am turning out to be quite a good little beekeeper. I say this with my fingers crossed, but it is looking like we may have a honey harvest in our first year!
Look at all that honey!

July's HCBA BeeBQ...

2011-08-02T11:13:00.002-04:00

A big thank you to Carrie and Arthur Naatz for having us all over to eat and socialize! The food was great and there was plenty of it!
Anthony Trani attended the picnic and showed off some of his great beehive woodenware. He is a local craftsman and if you did not attend the picnic but would like to check out his work please click this link Anthony had a lot of nice stuff at very fair prices!
Some of us ventured down to the Naatz's beeyard. I love Carrie's choices of colors!
That's a good looking bunch of beekeepers!

Thanks again to Arthur and Carrie! See everyone in August!

Ouch!

2011-05-24T15:31:00.003-04:00

Sean was making breakfast yesterday morning, and I was tending our bees. He snapped this photo from the kitchen window right before I got a bee in my bonnet! Literally. So, I angered the bees again, and one very determined lady got inside my veil and stung me right in the back of the head! OUCH. I mean, at the time of the sting, it wasn't so bad, but Sean had to give me some first aid. While I sat with my head between my knees, my husband scraped a stinger out of the back of my head, just like we learned in bee school first aid. He got it all out in one piece, but I still had a swollen egg on my head all day and night. I slept on an ice pack and this morning it was much better already. Thanks to Sean for handling business AND not ripping out any of my hair! XOXO.

The good news is, everything is going great in the hive, Elizabeth Woodville is a highly productive queen, and I'm crossing my fingers for a honey harvest in our first year. And, yes, I've ordered some new protective clothing.

Friday the 13th...

2011-05-13T15:16:00.004-04:00

Happy Friday the 13th everyone! I was married on a Friday the 13th, so we use any Friday the 13th as an occasion to celebrate. I knew we would be doing something fun later tonight, but didn't expect this surprise!

My wonderful and thoughtful husband sent me flowers to work today! I love you, too, Sean! XOXO.

Katie's Cupcakes...

2011-05-05T16:39:00.009-04:00

I got into bees and Katie got into baking. So to congratulate me on my bee school graduation, Katie made me these awesome cupcakes.
Is she great or what? Thanks Katie! XO.

My First Sting and Other Accomplishments...

2011-04-29T11:57:00.010-04:00

I went into my hive yesterday morning to find my queen and see if she'd started laying eggs yet. It was a little early to check, but I'm glad I did. When I pulled out my first frame, I found this... The bees are supposed to build their wax comb within the frame, in a nice even and flat pattern. But, as I learned in bee school, sometimes a colony introduced to a new hive with a caged queen, will build a structure like this one around the queen's cage. So it is a problem, but a common enough one and fairly easy to solve. All I had to do was take it off. Yup, that's all. Yup, that's how I got stung. It turns out, the bees get upset when you destroy their hard work. I hope I won't have to do that again! Now that I've gotten my first sting out of the way, I feel like an official beekeeper.

Other accomplishments yesterday include, easily spotting my queen, Elizabeth Woodville (not an easy task sometimes!) and graduating from beekeeping school (while my new sting was still swelling.)

Easter Bees...

2011-04-26T22:34:00.000-04:00

I've always thought honey bees were very cool and Sean encouraged me to pursue my interest. So, I did and I discovered the Hampden County Beekeepers Association. I've been going to beekeeping school since January. Sean was even able to join me a few times when he wasn't in NYC rehearsing for the CudLife Tour (coming soon to a city near you). We've both enjoyed bee school and have definitely learned a lot. What do I do with all that knowledge? Start a hive of course!

Tom from the HCBA drove all the way down to Georgia to pick up bees for this season's new hives, and on Easter morning the bees had arrived in MA. I was so excited to pick up my package! And I'll be honest, I was a little nervous too. Bees sting you know! It looks like they like me, I made it through the whole day without a single sting!

Here are some pictures...

Our package, in my lap in the car on the way home.Here's the Queen cage. She's not visible but definitely in there. Her name is Elizabeth Woodville.How do you get the bees into the hive? You dump them of course!Look at all those bees!As a first timer, I feel completely comfortable saying the install went great! The only thing I did wrong was forgetting to put an empty super above the bottom brood box when I dumped the bees. I had to put it on after I poured them out, and I managed to do it and only crush one poor little bee. Oops.

So, as we speak, my new bees are working hard to eat through the candy and free their queen. I'm going to leave them to it, but I'll check in on them Wednesday to make sure she is out of her cage and laying them eggs.

I'll post more soon!

KiD CuDi...

2011-04-24T22:21:00.003-04:00

My husband Sean who spent more than a decade riffing guitar for the hardcore heroes of Hatebreed, has done a musical 180, and has a new job...Check him out! He's playing guitar for KiD CuDi. So, unfortunately for me, this means he'll be touring again. A lot. But, fortunately for any fans of KiD CuDi, hip hop or music in general, Sean will soon be in a city near you, back on those rock guitars. I've seen the show (3 times actually) and I highly recommend it, bias aside, you'll love it. Also on tour, our friend Cage Palko.

Ted's Restaurant...

2011-03-02T21:21:00.000-05:00

On our way home from the Winterfest at Lyman Orchard, Sean decided to take me to Ted's. We're trying to eat healthier, but we WERE in the area. It would be my first time eating at the "world famous" restaurant, and I LOVE cheeseburgers, so I was excited. Ted's is famous for it's steamed cheeseburgers, and has been featured on all those travel channel shows that champion beef. I was ready to see what all the hype was about, and now that I have, trust me, you can believe it. I have a new favorite cheeseburger! They're like heaven in your mouth. We sat at the counter and I had a great view of the process.
Just look at that cheese!

EAT AT TED'S

Winterfest and ICE WARS 2011...

2011-02-28T20:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we headed down to Lyman Orchards in Middlefield for some winter fun and some quality time with the Easts. The orchard was packed, and it was a nice day for some low-key winter fun. We started in the Apple Barrel, which is their market. So many wonderful things in there! We snacked and sampled and purchased some of our favorites. Then we headed outside to see the ice carving competition. Circus theme!

Then it was up to the snack bar for peppermint hot chocolate and hot apple crisp. Mmm.
I think the sign says it all.

BUCKCHERRY...

2011-02-26T19:57:00.013-05:00

Anyone who knows me will be able to tell you that I'm a big BUCKCHERRY fan. I refuse to be embarrassed about it. They're a great rock band; a very real rock band. They're from Los Angeles for crying out loud! So, needless to say, I've seen them a million times, and this most recent time last Wednesday night, was AWESOME.

Our wonderful, funny, talented and handsome friend Keith Buckley was on tour with his new band The Damned Things, so we were going to see them when they played CT. The Damned Things is one of those new "super groups" (haha) and is made up of 2 dudes from Anthrax, 2 dudes from Fall Out Boy and 2 dudes from Everytime I Die. The combination is good! Check it out. As excited as I was to check these guys out, the real elation came over me when I found out it was a BUCKCHERRY show! Yay! It turned out to be one of those Jagermeister Music Tours my husband is so fond of (sarcasm font). The bill also included All That Remains and Hell Yeah. Old friends from bands and crews all around! So fun.

Some of the photos I snapped...
The Damned ThingsMy credentials... (thank you Keith!)And I don't want to brag, but I got some really great shots of Josh Todd...
So, it was a great show and a great night! Except for the part where I lost my Iphone, there's a very good chance I left it in a casino bathroom. It was an OLD
2G, so that turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Book Club 02/11/11...

2011-02-19T16:52:00.001-05:00

For February's book club meeting we read "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese.Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother’s death in childbirth and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Yet it will be love, not politics—their passion for the same woman—that will tear them apart and force Marion, fresh out of medical school, to flee his homeland. He makes his way to America, finding refuge in his work as an intern at an underfunded, overcrowded New York City hospital. When the past catches up to him—nearly destroying him—Marion must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and the brother who betrayed him.

An unforgettable journey into one man’s remarkable life, and an epic story about the power, intimacy, and curious beauty of the work of healing others. (taken from bookbrowse.com)

And here is my brief review from Shelfari...
Whoa. What a LONG book. Not only is the page count high, but the book spans decades and continents. Reading it is a journey. In the end I will say that overall I enjoyed it and I am very much looking forward to discussing it with my book club. The book is heavy with medical terminology, and descriptions of procedures and afflictions are often vivid and gruesome. This book is definitely not for the squeamish!

Turns out almost everyone at book club enjoyed the book, with only one of my fellow book lovers absolutley hating it. The nurses in our group loved all the gross medical stuff, and everyone found the political details and history to be a little boring. We all agreed that Marion and Ghosh were stand-outs for favorite character, and that Genet is completely worthless. If you have some extra time to kill and are a fast reader, I'd recommend checking this one out.

How Romantic...

2011-02-18T12:28:00.005-05:00

Sean and I went to a CT Vineyard for a pre-Valentine's tasting special. It was great! We went to the Jerram Winery in New Hartford last Sunday for their annual VD special. The package included 8 tastings accompanied by cheeses and chocolates and it was only $25.00 per couple! And we got to keep our glasses as a souvenier! The wine was so good we bought 4 bottles! Jim & Catherine were wonderful hosts and we will definitely visit their vineyard again. If you're looking to check out CT wine country, try Jerram Winery

As we were leaving the vineyard, we turned on our GPS and discovered...

We were on Pussy Lane! How romantic!

Good Morning...

2011-01-31T15:21:00.003-05:00

This is the view from our bedroom window...
So, even though I'm sick of winter, sometimes it's still a little pretty.

One, One, OneOne...

2011-01-11T13:32:00.008-05:00

Happy New Year! I know I'm a little late since today is already 1/11/11, but I'm here to talk about 1/1/11... ten days ago. Time sure does fly.

Last year, we had a wild NYC New Year's Eve, and while we were able to avoid Time Square and all the chaos that takes place there, it was still a raucous evening. Ending with me throwing up. Fun as that was (sarcasm font) we were thinking "low key" this year. We spent NYE close to home, had some friends over and then headed to a near by local bar for the big count down.

We had a sober driver, and were all back to our house around 12:30am, so I guess we acheived our low key goal. And we had fun. What more do you need? Us? Apparently we won't be satisfied until we see some more action. Which leads me to our New Year's Day...

Sean: "Daryl just texted me... Do you want to go see Glassjaw tonight at the Nokia Theatre?"
Me: "In Time Square?"
Sean: "Yes."
Me: "You want to go to Time Square on New Year's Day?"
Sean: "I thought for sure you'd want to go see Glassjaw."
Me: "I do. It's going to be crazy. We're going to get mad."
Sean: "I know."
Me: "Let's go."
So we did. Sometimes we're so ignorant. We drove right into the heart of it all too. Parked on 49th and literally battled the crowd of tourists through Time Square. It was CRAZY and I do not recommend it. But it was worth it! Glassjaw was fantastic! So loud, and the sound was amazing. The crowd was wild and the place was sold out! Here is our view of the show... *Photos taken by Ben Grippo but I was standing right next to him. We had a nice view from a VIP balcony which kept us safe from the wild crowd below.

After the show, we spent some quality time with friends, and around 2am decided it would probably be smart to head back to CT. The Time Square crowd had thinned, and we love to act like tourists, so here we are again, kissing in Time Square... And then another brilliant idea! Let's head home by way of Katz's Deli! We went to Katz's on New Year's Day last year, so now we'll try to make it a tradition. They're open until 2:45am and we made it just in time to eat this... Like I said, sometimes, we're so ignorant.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year!

God Bless Regular Mark...

2010-12-30T11:06:00.005-05:00

It's no secret that I love bacon. And what is a more thoughtful gift for someone than something they love? I can't think of anything. I'll start this story by rewinding back to last summer when Sean and I threw a BBQ reception to celebrate the fact that we were secretly married with no witnesses. We may not be the typical wedding type of couple, but we do like to party. So we had the BBQ, and our friends brought gifts (an overwhelming amount of gifts that still makes me emotional when I think about it, thanks again everyone!) The morning after the party Sean and I were off to a cute little B&B in Plymouth, MA to have a mini-moon (this is where we took the awesome photo that became our Thanksgiving card). So, we figured the presents could wait to be opened when we got back. Upon our return we discovered that our friend Regular Mark had gone to the trouble to make us CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON! I was so excited and moved by this meaty gesture, that I almost forgot that it had been sitting in our living room for 4 days. In June. Oops. So, of course we couldn't eat it. And I had to tell Regular Mark how we neglected the gift he took the time to make for us. I felt bad. BUT! This story ends happily!

For a Christmas gift, our wonderful friend Regular Mark, one upped himself! He gave me, I mean us! He gave US a dreamy bacon gift basket, including more homemade CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON!
And a close up... Oh MY GOD was it good! Are you kidding me? If I wasn't already married to Sean, I'd get married to Regular Mark's chocolate covered bacon. If it was a boy of course. I haven't tried the bacon soda yet. I wanted to save it for a special occasion... like New Year's Eve! You can ring in the new year with champagne if you like, but I'll be poppin' bottles of bacon soda. In fact, I think my resolution will be to eat more bacon.

GOD BLESS YOU REGULAR MARK! XO.

BINGO!

2010-12-22T11:23:00.005-05:00

Last night, Katie from Pulse and I went to BINGO! At church. With her Grampa. We didn't win anything but, Dick Tracy did. That's right, Katie's grandfather's name is Dick Tracy. How cool is that? BINGO was a new experience for me, and the regulars take it VERY seriously. I found the whole thing to be very amusing. It was a fun night and I hope we get invited again!

Sunday, Fun Day...

2010-12-13T14:50:00.012-05:00

Yesterday, we had a BIG, WET day in NYC. Despite the weather (we were soaked!) it was a fun filled adventure of a day. So much fun, in fact, that I didn't even think about taking a single picture! Oops. This will be a blog of mostly words, sorry. I'll be brief...

I took a bus into the city with my girlfriends. It was a holiday work trip for one of them and the rest of us were happy to tag along. We had tickets to a show, and were planning on a nice lunch before. However, it was chucking buckets when we got to the city, so we decided to take cover in the first open restaurant we came across. After a so-what lunch at an "Irish" pub (there wasn't any Irish food on the menu) the rain had thankfully stopped and we were able to walk the 6 blocks to our show, without taking on too much more water. We were meeting my husband, Sean and our friend Dan at the theatre and we were all excited to see The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway!
It was great! The set looks exactly like you want it to, and there is a ton of audience participation. Paul Reubens is awesome, the show was fantastic and fun, and my cheeks and abs are still sore from laughing. If you are a fan of Paul or of Pee-Wee I highly recommend this show!

After the show it was pouring again, so that put a damper on our other outdoor city plans. We all headed to a nearby watering hole to pass some time and have some drinks. Before we knew it, it was already time to head back to the meeting spot for the bus. My girlfriends were getting ready to go, and my husband and our friend were getting ready for dinner. That's when I said, "Sorry girls, I just can't get back on that bus!" Luckily I have understanding girlfriends, so they headed back to the bus and I headed to Ninja New York with Sean and Dan.Talk about a fun meal! I had heard great things about Ninja from friends who have been. As a matter of fact, Joe Capobianco is who I first heard about Ninja from. Ninja New York is more of a dining experience than just a restaurant. The food is delicious, the presentation is mind blowing, the service was great, and the ambience alone is worth a trip there. I don't want to give too many surprises away, but I definitely screamed more than once while we were there! What can I say? I am easily surprised by Ninjas. After dinner, a magician ninja provides table side entertainment and that just tops the whole experience off. Great time! Eat at NINJA !

Sounds like a fun day, right? WAIT! There's more! Who wants to go to a secret Glass Jaw show in Brooklyn on the way home? I DO!!!! I DO!!!! So we did! They of course killed it, and the new songs are AWESOME!!!!! Sorry for the almost picture-free post.* Here's one to spice it up a little. Sean was thoughtful enough to take a shot of us in Time Square during a short break in the rain.
*I obviously did not take the pictures I've included here, I ripped Pee-Wee and Ninja from their websites and I believe the GlassJaw photo was taken by the one and only Julian Gilbert. Check him out here.

I Left My Heart in...

2010-12-03T16:00:00.022-05:00

SAN FRANCISCO!

Sean and I went out to the left coast to celebrate our first wedding anniversary in November. I have only ever been to Southern California so this was to be my first northern California experience, and I definitely loved it. It is one of Sean's favorite cities on earth, and we have some awesome friends out there, so I definitely experienced everything San Francisco had to offer and with style.

Here are some pictures of our adventures...

We stayed at an adorable English Bed & Breakfast, The Union Street Inn, and I highly recommend it if you're planning a visit to SF.
We visited Chauncey and his little friend Walter.
We acted like tourists at Fisherman's Wharf.
We ate a delicious meal by the sea on our actual anniversary. We spent an amazing and beautiful day in Napa Valley with Cage Palko. We took a boat to Alcatraz.
We visited our friends at Last Gasp Publishing, where they only distribute the BEST books available... (Maybe I'm biased?)We had a great dinner date with Mr. and Mrs. Aesop Rock.We TRIED to see the Golden Gate Bridge. And I had my first In-N-Out burger.We ate our way around the city, saw the sights, and enjoyed time with friends. I loved San Francisco and we hope to go back ASAP! Thanks to all of our friends for showing us such a great time.

Riff of the Ages...

2010-11-27T14:39:00.000-05:00

First check out my awesome husband...

Then check out 900bats.com
http://900bats.com/

You won't regret it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...

2010-11-25T01:00:00.000-05:00

Every Time I Die...

2010-11-03T14:15:00.009-04:00

On Monday night Sean and I went down to Toad's Place in New Haven to see Every Time I Die. I offered to drive because he always drives me around, and this way he could relax and enjoy a few adult beverages with our friends without having to worry about the drive home. Plus, I had jury duty the next morning at 8am and I didn't want to do anything that may have compromised my being on time. Me driving seemed like a really great idea... until I got pulled over for speeding on the way home! I got a ticket for 81mph in a 65mph zone, which adds up to a $294.00 ticket! I guess that's the price I'm going to pay for having such an awesome night with friends.

It was great to see Mr. Keith Buckley and hear that I've been missed on Twitter! Hahaha. The show was amazing! These guys have such energy and their live show is so fun to watch. The crowd was young and wild and put forth a maximum mosh effort. I tried to watch the show from the relative "safety" of stage right but the stage diving kids became tough to dodge, I grabbed Sean from the bar and watched the rest of the set from the front of house. In the end I was really glad to have had both experiences. Here are some pictures from my views...

What a fun night! LISTEN TO ETID!!!!!!
*Photo of Jordan Buckley by Benn Grim aka http://twitter.com/BENNGRIMCC

I Got My Baby Back...

2010-10-23T17:03:00.001-04:00

So last Monday morning Sean left to go into NYC and do some in-studio work on the new Cold Cave record. This means I was left cold and alone all week. I toughed it out though, because I support my man. It was a big deal for him to go play guitar at Electric Lady Studios and since he is not a bragger, I'll steal some of his thunder. Those of you "in the know" may know all about this famous NY studio, I however did not, and for the rest of you who may be like me, here's what WIKIPEDIA has to say...
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by JIMI HENDRIX and designed by John Storyk in 1970. A variety of artists have recorded music there, including John Lennon, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Carly Simon, The Clash, Peter Frampton, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Al Green, Dave Matthews Band, Christina Aguilera, Bad Religion, Stevie Wonder, Cactus, Goldfrapp, Greezy Wheels, Billy Cobham, Curtis Mayfield, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Lou Reed, Mandrill, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, The Early Years, Sinéad O'Connor, Billy Joel, Billy Idol, Nas, The Mars Volta, Frank Zappa, Mike Oldfield, The Magnetic Fields, Guns N' Roses (Chinese Democracy sessions), Elkie Brooks, Patti Smith, John McLaughlin, Kiss, Van Halen, Weezer, Interpol, Ryan Adams, Steve Earle, Monster Magnet, The Pink Spiders, Deee Lite, Chris Braide, Rancid, D'Angelo, Wolfmother, Miley Cyrus, The Big Pink, Erykah Badu, Common (as well as the majority of the Soulquarians), Brandon Caie and Metric.

So, if you're into music you can see how this would be kind of a big deal.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I was COLD AND ALONE ALL WEEK! I was very excited to get my husband back last night and to celebrate I made a nice dinner of creamed spinach with olive oil, garlic and tomatoes over wheat rotini...

And Sean enjoyed it...And we popped a bottle of very expensive champagne...

That was sarcasm by the way. You may not be able to see it but the price tag reads $8.99And then we drank the champagne with a delicious assortment of snacks... And then we took this silly picture together...Doesn't he look happy to be home?
Then we went to bed and I'll spare you the pictures of that. Wait! What?

And Then We Got Hibachi...

2010-10-22T15:25:00.000-04:00

After our long day of hard work at the Build Your Own 2 Seminar, we all went out for a nice hibachi dinner at our local Japanese restaurant. Our chef's name was "Ben" and he was awesome! My wonderful husband Sean began to taunt Ben while he was juggling spatulas and throwing eggs, and Ben retaliated by throwing food at Sean, sometimes intentionally missing his mouth and by squirting gallons of Sake down his throat. Well matched adversaries.

Which leads us to one of the funniest moments of the night... The Sake was in the same style of squeeze bottle as the oil for the grill. Don't worry! No harm came to Sean! But, the first time Ben sprayed the Sake at Sean, and continued squeezing the bottle until it was practically empty, SOBA thought it WAS the oil! His face was priceless as he thought we were all just sitting there laughing as Sean drank oil. He was horrified and I wish I got a picture of his face. So if we weren't already laughing hard enough at Sean and Ben and their Sake duel, it was even funnier finding out BJ thought Sean was chugging oil! Gross.
Brett from Pulse with BJ "SOBA" Johnson from Workhorse Irons, Katie From Pulse rocking bunny ears courtesy of Ben Reigle from Off the Map Tattoo
Sean gets Sake bombed! Point-blank range.

Build Your Own 2...

2010-10-21T15:45:00.017-04:00

On October 16th we hosted the second "Build Your Own" workshop. The first was held at the Paradise Tattoo convention in September 2009.
http://pulsetattooblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/build-your-own-was-great-time.html
The first event was a great success and because of the limited amount of spots available, we have had several requests to "DO IT AGAIN!" After announcing the date for the new seminar, all 15 spots were filled in just 2 days! It's not that hard to believe when you think about what you get. BJ "SOBA" Johnson from Workhorse Irons flew in for the weekend, and every artist attending had a choice to build any of our machines or any of his. So you got to spend the day with us at Pulse learning all about how we do things here and how BJ does them back at Workhorse, build & tune your own machine and Katie and I served up a nice lunch! We had a great group of tattooers in here for the day, and I like to think everyone had a good time.

Here are some photos of the action...

Opening discussion with BJ from Workhorse as well as Joe, Tim and Brett from Pulse

A room full of artists ready to learn
Coil Wiring with BJ and JoeSpring Dynamics with Brett and Tim
Coil Winding with Tim Georgina was the only female tattooer to participate and one of the brave few who attempted to spin a coil herself. Go Georgina!

LUNCH BREAK! Katie and I made our delicious and now famous French Toast, Maple, Bacon Cupcakes. She did most of the work, as I am no baker, however I am a bacon connoisseur, so she left the frying up to me. We make a great team. I think they were amazing! The rest of our lunch was catered by a local sandwich shop, but I think we did a great job laying it out. Ha. Mmm... After lunch everyone got busy building and tuning their machines.

After everyone tuned their machines to their own specifications and satisfaction, we opened Pulse for our very first "Get It Yourself" shopping night. It was the first time we've had customers come into our building and browse and shop on their own. They actually had to form a line to check out. It was great.

I think the day was a success and I think we're going to do it again in the spring! If anyone who attended is reading this, please comment to let us know what you thought!

The Sun Always Shines on Greatness...

2010-10-07T11:24:00.003-04:00

We had a huge and beautiful rainbow over Pulse yesterday. I may have been a little slow about trying to capture it, and it was fading fast by the time I got out front with my Iphone. I think you can still see it here and imagine how magnificent it may have been in it's prime.

Book Club 10/1/10...

2010-10-06T11:36:00.002-04:00

Tonight's book club discussion was of "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave. Mr. Cleave has just made it onto my "favorite authors" list with this book, and I am looking forward to reading his first novel "Incendiary" as soon as possible!
Here's a quick synopsis of the book from it's publisher Simon & Schuster...
Little Bee, a young Nigerian refugee, has just been released from the British immigration detention center where she has been held under horrific conditions for the past two years, after narrowly escaping a traumatic fate in her homeland of Nigeria. Alone in a foreign country, without a family member, friend, or pound to call her own, she seeks out the only English person she knows. Sarah is a posh young mother and magazine editor with whom Little Bee shares a dark and tumultuous past.

They first met on a beach in Nigeria, where Sarah was vacationing with her husband, Andrew, in an effort to save their marriage after an affair, and their brief encounter has haunted each woman for two years. Now together, they face a disturbing past and an uncertain future with the help of Sarah’s four-year-old son, Charlie, who refuses to take off his Batman costume. A sense of humor and an unflinching moral compass allow each woman, and the reader, to believe that even in the face of unspeakable odds, humanity can prevail.

I LOVED this book! Loved, loved, loved it! Chris Cleaves wrote an amazing and captivating story, peppered with highly developed characters who you can't help but love. The cliff hanger ending really makes you wonder. I love a good ending! This is one of the best books I've read in a very long time. I liked it so much, I actually went to the author's website and couldn't stop myself from leaving a gushing fan message. I never do these things! To my absolute surprise and delight, he replied to my message on his site AND sent me an email to further answer my questions! I was so excited you would've thought I was a teenager again getting an autograph from Motley Crue. I guess I'm just getting nerdier as I get older.

Everyone at book club was in agreeance... This book is awesome! Read it!
www.chriscleave.com

If you've read the book, I'd love to know what you think. Or if you want to read along, next meeting we're discussing "The Red Queen" by Phillipa Gregory. I'm about half way through it and so far I like it a lot.

The Big E 2010...

2010-10-05T11:06:00.004-04:00

Sean and I went to the Big E for the whole day on Sunday. I was going to make a lengthy post with pictures of all the food we ate that will eventually cause our first heart attacks, but then I remembered this: http://jessicapulse.blogspot.com/2009/10/big-e.html

I blogged every little thing we did last year and one of the great things about the Big E is that it NEVER changes! Same food, same vendors, same fun. I even ate the Craz-E-Burger again!

I made three trips to the fair this year, so I may have to invest in the season pass next year. It's just so close to our house!

Katie from Pulse Loves a Good Tiger...

2010-09-29T15:00:00.001-04:00

Roar!

Orlando (Part Four)...

2010-09-27T15:14:00.002-04:00

Our last day in Orlando, we got up super early and drove over to the Disney compound. Our plan was to spend the day at Disney's Animal Kingdom, return the rental car, and get on the airplane by 5. SUCCESS!

We knew we were off to a good start when they made us park our car in the unicorn lot. As soon as we were inside the park, we made a beeline for Africa and the Kilimanjaro Safari. We got stuck on the ride for awhile due to a giraffe in the middle of the road in front of the safari vehicle ahead of us. Luckily we were stuck next to the hippos. After the safari, we hit all the walking tours where we saw, Komodo Dragons, tigers, birds, gorillas and one of my favorites, Giant Fruit Bats... After checking out the animals, we rushed over to Expedition Everest which is one of the most fun rollercoasters I've ever ridden. You ride in and out of the mountain, fly backwards into the dark, and scream (if you're me) like a little girl when you see the Yeti! After Expedition Everest, we ran over to Dinoland USA and rode the super fun DINOSAUR... After the DINO-ride, we still had time to kill! Labor day weekend really is the best time to visit Orlando, little to no line waiting is awesome. We decided we would kill time by riding the Expedition Everest again and then again!
And here we are hamming it up now that we know where they keep the camera... Oh and that guy and his daughter in front of us? Definitely not acting! Ha.

Here's a nice picture of Katie at the Tree of Life. And then... we headed home.

All I Need is One Mic...

2010-09-23T17:29:00.005-04:00

Last night for the very first time, I recorded some vocals in our home studio. Why haven't I done this sooner? It was so fun! Sean and Benn Grim have been working on some things for Benn's new record and I was honored and excited when Benn asked me to help out too! Now that I'm addicted to the sound of my own voice through headphones (or "the cans" as we call them in the biz) I'm going to see if I can get on a House of Blow track, and then maybe a solo record. Ha!

SKUNK!

2010-09-21T14:58:00.004-04:00

Turns out this little guy lives under our porch! And all this time I thought that smell was just something I'd have to get used to living with Sean. Ha! He's just a baby but he is causing quite a stir with the neighbors. I've seen him a few times at night, and so far I haven't actually smelled him spray anything. He's getting a bit bold now though, coming out before dark to look for dinner in our yard, and I don't know what to do. The neighbors want him out, but he lives under my porch, so I'm the one that will have to pay to "have him removed" by a wildlife specialist. If he's not hurting anything, is this necessary? I suppose I won't think so, until I end up skunked in the face!

Orlando (Part Three)...

2010-09-15T16:53:00.008-04:00

ROCK IT! First thing on day three, we headed over to regular old Universal Studios to ride the most intimidating rollercoaster I've ever seen.
The ascent is completely verticle and even though that looks like a loop, you are never actually upside down! The aren't even shoulder harnesses on this ride! Just a lap bar! It was awesome. This rollercoaster has a touch screen and speakers in each seat and you get to pick what song you listen in your personal speakers while you ride. I chose Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart". I sang and danced and screamed my way through this entire ride, and I was only slightly mortified when I discovered I was filmed the entire way. Instead of a picture available for purchase at the end, this ride offers a video! I looked SO stupid! We had a really good laugh at my expense.

The new Simpsons ride was great!

In this park, we also rode JAWS, Men In Black, Twister, Terminator 2, Shrek 4D, ET, and our personal favorite The Mummy! We rode that one twice too! Unfortunately we actually had to wait in line both times. Luckily it moved pretty quick. The Mummy rollercoaster is all indoors, in the dark, and at times it moves backward! A backwards rollercoaster is one of my all time favorite rides! There is also a really great pyro effect on the Mummy ride. Woooooo!

Look at this thing again...

I'm thinking one more Orlando post and I should have it out of my system. We just had some much fun, reliving it here is fun too!

Orlando (Part Two)...

2010-09-13T17:52:00.012-04:00

We got up early to head deep within the Island of Adventure and spend our day exploring Hogsmeade and Hogwarts at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! We had stumbled upon the entrance the previous evening, but Katie was very stern about turning me around and reminding me that we were saving the experience for the following morning. I stared back over my shoulder longingly as she drug me away.

Here's the entrance to Hogsmeade... And the Hogwarts Express...Our view of the Hogsmeade streets... The girls of Pulse love some butterbeer... Hogwarts...

One of the longest lines we waited in on our trip was for the Dragon Challenge rollercoaster. Not worth it. Come to find out, it's just the 20 year old Dueling Dragons rollercoaster that has always been at Universal Studios, just with a new name. LAME. We rode the blue coaster or the Hungarian Horntail and decided to not waste any time waiting to ride the red Chinese Fireball. The Flight of the Hippogriff coaster was fun, but not thrilling. While waiting in line you get to pass Hagrid's Hut, so that was pretty cool, and Buckbeak greets you from his nest on your ascent, also very cool. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was awesome! Thanks again to the tattoos and my big mouth, a friendly line attendant named Ryan, escorted us inside Hogwarts and showed us some amazing props on our way to the front of the line. Thanks Ryan! Immediately after riding we had yet another friendly Universal employee lead us back to the head of the class, and we were able to enjoy this ride twice in a row too! I'll admit to being a little dizzy after our second go!

To get our heads together and recollect after the Harry Potter rides, we decided to sit down for a meal at... The Three Broomsticks! Katie had the fish and chips and I had the shepherd's pie. Both of our meals were delicious (sorry for the lack of pictures!) and we both enjoyed a frozen butterbeer with our lunch. So good! Butterbeer tastes kind of like a butterscotch soda and they put this (forgive me) MAGICAL whipped cream on top. We tried the frozen and regular and both were to die for. They also serve Pumpkin Juice and Pumpkin Fizz. I was excited about both, but after inquiring about the ingredients and discovering both contain an apple juice base, I was not able to try either. Anyone who knows me will tell you that there are no circumstances in which it is safe for me to drink any amount of apple juice. I'll spare you the details here. Which is sad, because I do like it. Someone out there try it and tell me how it is!

We tried to mail postcards from the Owl Post, and that turned out to be a complete cluster F@%*. There are only four Potter postcards to choose from and the website leads you to believe there are stamps and other mail novelties, of which we found none. We were able to get the Hogsmeade postmark stamped on our cards before we left the store, but we had to mail them ourselves from our hotel. LAME. As a matter of fact, other than the Three Broomsticks, I found most of the Hogsmeade village to be a complete cluster F@#%. Katie from Pulse is the nicest person I know in real life and it even made her angry and mean! Which I appreciated. Ha.

All in all our day in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was very fun. The attention to detail was amazing, but as a huge fan, I was a little let down by the less than spectacular attractions. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey inside Hogwarts was outstanding, but it left everything else pale in comparison.

Orlando (Part One)...

2010-09-13T17:23:00.010-04:00

Katie from Pulse and I spent our labor day weekend down in Orlando, FL at Universal Studios. Katie had never been, and I'm a big fan of the parks there so when they opened the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we just had to plan a trip.

We arrived on Friday evening, drove from the airport straight to Universal, parked and ran for those rides! We made it on the Cat in the Hat, Jurassic Park, Spiderman, and the Incredible Hulk all without any waiting in line! One of the ride operators on the Hulk liked our tattoos, and let us ride twice in a row! The second time he put us in the front! It was awesome. Katie from Pulse loves a good Lorax. And who doesn't love Moose Juice? We used a real film camera to take our pictures and it's been so long since I've done that, I forgot how much fun it can be! I definitely want to start doing that more often again. I also used my iphone for a few shots when we were out of film.

We picked a perfect weekend for this trip, as most kids start school the first week of September and most parents wouldn't be silly enough to plan a vacation during their children's first week back to school. The people traffic at the parks was light and the lines were short. Awesome!

Tomorrow... Hogwarts.

My Husband Went to Miami...

2010-09-08T17:32:00.009-04:00

and all I got were the pictures posted in this blog! Just kidding! While he was getting tattooed down at good old Love Hate Tattoo Studio (formerly Miami Ink), I was keeping busy in central Florida at Universal Studios! More on that later. Now back to Sean...

Chris Garver had started a back piece on Sean several years ago and they haven't been able to get together to work on it much since. Sean was always on the road with Hatebreed and Chris was busy with traveling of his own, as well as a TV show so it was hard for them to be in the same place at the same time. Until last weekend.

Hey Sean, after you finish your back, maybe we can do something about your front?Sean sat for almost 6 hours and Chris covered a lot of ground. Here's to hoping they get together sooner than later and we can see some more progress on this thing!
Check out Chris Garver at www.lovehatetattoos.com

Book Club 08/28/10...

2010-08-30T11:17:00.008-04:00

I've been in a pretty awesome book club for a couple of years now, and I think it's time I start blogging about it. We meet once a month, alternate houses, eat, drink and ACTUALLY discuss the book. I love book club because I get to read a lot of books I wouldn't have chosen for myself so that broadens my literary horizons. I also love talking about the books and find that the discussion can actually change how I originally felt about the story or characters after I'd finished reading. It's a great bunch of amazing women and we have all become friends over books.

This meeting's book was "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay. The book is historical fiction and takes place in 1942, Paris. The historical focus is the round up, arrest and deportation of thousands of Jewish families who were first held at the Vélodrome d'Hiver and then transported to Auschwitz. The story is told from 2 perspectives, the first a little girl effected by the round ups and the second a modern American woman living and working in Paris as a journalist for more than 20 years. I did not like this book. It kept my attention, so it wasn't all bad, but overall it just didn't do it for me. I like really well developed characters or a well thought out and creative story. Give me both and I'll have a new favorite. This book had neither. It also lacked a hero. Both lead female characters in the book were weak. I'm not going to get into lengthy book reviews here but if you have a question or an opinion, please share it with me here.

This meeting's snack was Basil Palmiers. I made these and they were delicious!We read a book that mostly took place in France so I chose a French appetizer. They were full of fresh basil, garlic and parmesan cheese. I had the chance to use my new Magic Bullet for the first time to pulse the ingredients together and it was awesome. I highly recommend the Magic Bullet. From margaritas to pesto with just the twist of the wrist!

I made it!

2010-08-27T10:48:00.003-04:00

My first day without any Twitter or Facebook* was great! I am going to miss funny tweets from my favorite twitter peeps, but I had been avoiding Facebook for quite awhile now, and I don't think I'll miss that at all. Time will tell. Whatever happens, both sites made it very clear that I am welcome to come back any time simply by logging in with my old user name and password... but I thought I deleted my account?

*Original post stated "social networking" where it now says "Twitter and Facebook". Thanks to my anonymous reader for pointing out the faux pas. See comments for more details.

PS- I definitely mean this to be funny.

I Did It!

2010-08-26T11:37:00.002-04:00

I just quit Facebook and Twitter. It felt good. Time to focus on real life. Wish me luck!

As Seen On TV...

2010-08-25T14:05:00.004-04:00

It's Darren Brass! Tattoo artist, reality television star, father and friend. He just loves that Pulse Watson machine. We're glad you like it Darren!

Miami Ink may be off the air, but you can still find Darren tattooing in the shop even though the cameras have stopped rolling.
http://www.lovehatetattoos.com/darren-brass.html
Get down there!

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words...

2010-08-20T16:13:00.000-04:00

Photo by Todd Westphal. http://ishootamerica.com/

Our photog friend Todd just happened to be at Brass City Tattoo the last time I stopped by, and he just happened to have his camera, and just happened to catch this beautiful candid. When Todd sent the picture to us, the file name was "truelove" and it got me all emo. I love this picture and wanted to share it for no other reason. Thanks Todd! XO.

Please check out this video of images Todd shot on a recent trip to Haiti.

In a Tiny Kitchen in NYC...

2010-08-18T15:04:00.000-04:00

On a recent trip to NYC I had the opportunity to play sous-chef for the amazing and very real chef Ms. Sarah Bean Bolla. I chopped and peeled and halved and sliced. Luckily no one was hurt.

Sarah is a real pro and it was fun shopping with her in NYC's Whole Foods and watching her select ingredients from a recipe in her head. We got caught in some spontaneous pouring rain on the way back to the apartment and trying to hail a cab was an adventure in itself. As soon as we got back to the apartment we started making dinner for our men.

Have a look at the delicious meal I helped prepare...
Bruschetta to start.

Meat.

The savory vegetable saute/broth stuff (I'm just the sous!).

Combine the two.
Add some potatoes.

And dinner is served.
Of course I don't have a photo of the plated meal. Lame. You'll have to take my word for it, it was beautiful and delicious.

Cold Cave X Verizon...

2010-08-15T16:31:00.000-04:00

Did you see this new Verizon commercial for back to school and think "Wow, I really like that song... I wonder what it is?" Wonder no longer! The song is called Life Magazine and the band is Cold Cave.

And you can buy it here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/life-magazine/id335935314?i=335935382&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Why do I know so much about this 30 second spot? Because one snowy night in Philadelphia "Life Magazine" was written by a pair of handsome and talented men you may know as Wes Eisold and yes, F.Sean Martin.

We Got a Cat...

2010-08-13T16:47:00.000-04:00

By accident.

We weren't in the market for a pet, and Sean is a dog person. But, desperate times call for desperate measures, and this guy was pretty desperate for a home. He's cute, he's got a great personality, and he does his business outside. I love him, and when I left the house this morning, he was sleeping next to my husband, so that means Sean loves him too. Anyone who knows Sean will tell you, it's impossible to sleep next to him otherwise!

His name is Ron.

I Can See Clearly Now...

2010-08-12T14:24:00.003-04:00

Is it possible to see a rainbow and not get all giddy like a little kid, and be all "Look! A freaking rainbow!"? I was in the parking lot at Marshalls and couldn't resist joining in with all the other regressed grown-ups taking pictures with our fancy phones. I got to see both sides of this sucker, but couldn't quite capture it all.

Booze That's Fun to Drink...

2010-07-19T15:48:00.000-04:00

Mostly because every time you need a refill you get to shout "RELEASE THE KRAKEN!"

It comes in a fun bottle, and tastes pretty good. I tried it on the rocks and with a little Coke. The Coke adds an even more fun element because then you're having "Kraken Coke" which sounds like "crack and coke" and then you're REALLY partying. I say try it!

The Wedding Gift That Keeps On Giving...

2010-07-16T14:52:00.000-04:00

So, Sean and I got married waaaaaaay back in November. Eight months is a long time! And things are going so well, we may even make it a year! I'm kidding of course! It's just about the best thing I ever did and it's more awesome than I ever imagined it could be. So hopefully we'll remain happy together forever. I know this guy is hoping so too...

Our actual wedding was private and secret. I'm just not a traditional dream wedding kind of girl. But of course we do like to party! So about 6 months after we were married we had "Jessica and Sean's BIG Wedding BBQ", and celebrated our nuptials properly with 230 of our closest friends. (I'm hoping to blog pictures soon.) At the party we were presented with a framed copy of the picture above! It was given to us by tattoo artist and friend Dominic Picirrillo. So while I'm trying to make sense of it, Dominic is busy rolling up the leg of his pants. OMG! He really got our names tattooed on his leg! Thanks to Dominic for the amazing gift!

The Lawnmower Man...

2010-07-08T15:13:00.004-04:00

Is that Nic Cage mowing my lawn? No? It's someone even MORE famous? Yup! Ladies and gentlemen feast your eyes on Jarvis Morgan Holden! You may recognize him from such bands as American Nightmare, Give Up the Ghost and my personal favorite Head Automatica. Why am I sharing this? Because I know just how lucky I am. Thanks Jarv! XO.

Double Down...

2010-06-13T16:51:00.000-04:00

I'm a big sucker for fast food TV commercials. I see it, I want to eat it. It really doesn't matter what it is. And you know it's a let down every time. The limited menu items on fast food menus always look so good on TV and even though I know it'll be a disappointment I can't stop myself from driving through!

The KFC Double Down Chicken Sandwich was no exception to this phenomenon. For anyone who hasn't heard about this wacky sandwich (what do you live under a rock?)... Here is the official description of the sandwich from the Colonel himself:

The new KFC Double Down sandwich is real! This one-of-a-kind sandwich features two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel's Sauce. This product is so meaty, there’s no room for a bun!

And the sandwich's mug shot:
Looks good, right? With all that meat, cheese and bacon I thought for sure this sandwich would be the reason I ended up having my first heart attack. I was actually afraid to try it for fear that I would love it so much I'd be eating it everyday. But my fears were quickly quelled when I received this...Are those Kraft Singles? So maybe it wasn't as good as advertised, and maybe I'll learn a lesson. Or maybe I'm craving another one right now! Either way, I'd rather have a cheeseburger on a donut.
http://jessicapulse.blogspot.com/2009/10/big-e.html

Finally! New Pulse Stickers...

2010-06-10T17:57:00.003-04:00

We just got the new stickers in here at Pulse International! We think stickers are fun and we love new sticker day. Of course my favorite stickers are always our "KISS" parodies, but from this batch this may be my top pick...

Place an order and get your own Katie of Pulse sticker!

Betty White...

2010-05-25T13:17:00.004-04:00

She has her muffin...

While I have my cupcakes...

Seriously though, how awesome is Betty White? I can only hope to be as amazing as she is at her age. She's 88! Go Betty!

Dan Marshall Skull...

2010-05-19T23:44:00.001-04:00

A long time ago in a place far, far away I got this skull tattoo. I was 21 and in Los Angeles, CA. I had recently discovered West Hollywood and the Sunset Strip. Anyone else find heaven on earth at the Rainbow? Dan was working at West Hollywood Tattoo at the time, which he had come to by way of Electric Dragonland in Minneapolis, MN and which he eventually left to move on to Last Rites in NYC. That's quite a resume Dan! Now you can find him at his own spot in the NYC's East Village, Tribulation Tattoo. Definitely a shop to check out!

http://www.tribulationtattoo.com/

I May Have a Problem...

2010-05-13T15:51:00.000-04:00

With bacon! It's not time for an intervention just yet. Keep the awesome bacon gifts coming ladies and gentleman!

Bacon slip on sneakers given to me by my friend Angela on HER birthday!

Bacon mints from my friend Stacey. Now I have the freshest breath!

Bob Tyrrell Stops By...

2010-05-11T15:42:00.000-04:00

Bob came out to the East Coast to do a black and grey seminar with fellow tattooer Shane O'Neill at Off the Map Tattoo in Easthampton, MA. On his way to the airport and home, Bob stopped by to see us. I've said this before, and I'll say it again... Bob is one of my favorite tattooers and one of the nicest guys in this biz. It was very good to see him! He picked up a new machine while he was here complete with coil covers he designed for us a few years back. We hope you like the new machine Bob! Come back soon!

Brett from Pulse with Bob Tyrrell and Gabe from Tattoo Now/Off the Map Tattoo

www.bobtyrrell.com
www.offthemaptattoo.com

Ice Boner...

2010-05-10T12:53:00.000-04:00

Can someone please explain to me how this happened? My mind was blown when I opened my freezer to find my ice cubes happy to see me.

Happy Mother's Day...

2010-05-09T15:04:00.000-04:00

My beautiful mother and me in 1980.

Running Through the Ghetto...

2010-05-07T12:58:00.005-04:00

Sing it to the tune of Van Halen's "Running with the Devil" and it's funny.

The nice weather is here so I'm backing to running and biking outdoors. Not that I was doing much of it indoors though. The last 6 months have been newly-wedded bliss which means I've spent a lot of time eating take-out while helping my husband hold our bed down.

This morning on my run, which takes me directly through the "bad section" of town, I saw this view and thought I was pretty lucky to have this be the worse section of the area where we live.

I'm No Baker...

2010-03-26T11:38:00.001-04:00

But I'm trying to perfect this recipe.So far, it's pretty good. I'm thinking peanut butter topping on the next batch.

Foster's Italian Game Dinner...

2010-03-23T12:26:00.011-04:00

This dinner was back in February and may be at the top of my list of favorites from Foster's.

The PRE-Game: Beautiful fresh bread and a giant antipasto platter

So many delcious meats, cheeses and marinated things! I may have been full before the first course!

1st COURSE: Kangaroo sausage and peppers

2nd COURSE: Buffalo Braciole braciole- the word is commonly pronounced /bra'zhul/
The name given to thin slices of meat (typically pork, chicken, or beef, but even swordfish)that pan fried in their juice, or in a light amount of olive oil and then are rolled.

This was my first experience with a braciole. And it was to die for! The buffalo meat was so tender and had the texture of pulled pork. The braciole fell apart at the touch of my fork and the meat was so flavorful and it melted in your mouth. So good!

3rd COURSE: Rabbit cacciatore

4th COURSE: Antelope bolognese sauce tossed with basil and roasted elephant garlic gnocchi Look at those colors and try to imagine the flavors! The parsnip chips around the plate are my new favorite snack! Chef Dave was nice enough to send some home with me. Mmm.
By the time the gnocchi came out, I was so stuffed I almost couldn't try it. Almost. It was so good, but I had to save some room for dessert. For the first time ever, I had to take left overs home from Foster's.

5th COURSE: Tiramisu

Each course of this meal was so wonderful that I wish I had more experience as a food critic or writer so I could better describe the foods and flavors using words like "scrumptious", and "bursting with flavor". But, as a casual diner who just likes to take pictures of her food and blog about it, I fear I will not do this meal justice. It was just that good.

EAT AT FOSTER'S!!!!

WWW.Fostersrestaurant.com

One Amazing Advertisement...

2010-03-15T11:31:00.000-04:00

This gem is hangin in a frame around the bulletin board at my gym. Apparently if you pay the price you can advertise whatever you want. Today I'm going to call and find out how much they charge to tattoo a small child... at 3am.

Harry Potter the Exhibition...

2010-03-10T12:50:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday Katie from Pulse took me on an awesome date! She whisked me away to Boston and the Museum of Science to see "Harry Potter: The Exhibition".

In this amazing exhibition, guests will get an up close and personal look at the artistry and craftsmanship that went into creating the iconic props and costumes that appeared throughout the Harry Potter films. These authentic artifacts will be displayed in elaborate settings inspired by locations from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry including the Gryffindor common room, Hagrid’s hut and the Great Hall. -Taken from the Museum of Science Website

It was the last weekend it would be on display so the museum was a little too crowded for my taste, but it was so fun anyway! Unfortunately, they do not allow photos inside, so you'll have to take my word for it when I say it was awesome. Wicked awesome!

There is of course an extremely large and over priced gift shop at the end of the exhibit. I tried on the Sorting Hat and Katie got us some rock candy. And what's a trip to the Science Museum if you don't check out the dinosaurs?
After spending the entire afternoon in the museum learning about; dead animals, optical illusions, magnets, and weather. We were starving and in desperate need of cocktails. Katie wanted to bounce and bend light, but we had to fight off too many children to get in there. So we retired to the nearest restaurant for a relaxing dinner. I'm suggesting a stroller free adult swim to the science museum.

Thanks to Katie for the great girl date! She's always doing such nice and thoughtful things for me! XOXO.

Fall Out Boy...

2010-03-05T14:15:00.000-05:00

So I may be a little late on this but I heard Fall Out Boy has broken up. I guess nothing lasts forever. Because of the small buzz about the band's demise, I thought it would be a good time to share some ridiculous photos.

I am not too proud to admit that when "From Under the Cork Tree" came out, I jumped right on that band wagon. It was catchy and fun and their lyrical content was smart and snarky. I was totally into them until I discovered they weren't exactly as clever as everyone thought... Hi Wes!

Back in 2007 while I was still addicted to their pop, I had the opportunity (mostly thanks to my husband who was SO mad about it at the time) to hang out on the set of a video they shot in Brooklyn. It was for the song "The Take Over, The Breaks Over". Turns out, I'm in the video (for exactly 3 seconds)! Check me out...

I'm such a nerd. Thanks again to Joe from Pulse for capturing these screen shots for me. If I didn't have the stills to prove it, you'd never know I was there!

We Love The East's...

2010-03-03T12:24:00.008-05:00

Our friends Nichole and Carlos East (who I constantly love publicly via the internet) have earned another post on my blog. They just returned to CT after a month long trek across Asia. The relocated to CT from NYC just before they left for their vacation, and we were excited to have them back and to see their new place. Last night, they had us over for dinner. Carlos is an amazing cook. Check out dinner...

We got to hear all about their trip, see some amazing and beautiful photos as well as some insanely funny videos. Lucky for us Nichole and Carlos are always thinking of us when they travel. Here are our latest amazing souvenirs...

Apparently, these shirts are all the rage in Taiwan. Maybe Sean and I can start a Crazy Baby Tshirt craze in the states?

Thank you to the East's for being so awesome!

Tom Strom Skull...

2010-02-27T13:44:00.001-05:00

This awesome skull flower bud tattoo was done by Tom Strom from Uptown Tattoo in Minneapolis, MN. Tom is an amazing tattooer, as well as painter, a dancing machine and an all around great guy. A fun fact about Tom is that he still makes his own needles. Go Tom! This tattoo is unfortunately on the back of my leg just above the knee, so I don't ever get to see it.
Here's an old picture of Tom and me on the day the tattoo was done. This was way back in 2005. We both have much longer hair now. He likes Mastodon too!
Check out Tom and the rest of the guys at Uptown Tattoo here http://www.uptowntattoo.com/

Three Sixty Five is heavy...

2010-02-25T13:18:00.007-05:00

Here at Pulse we recently started selling a little book called "Three Sixty Five". I was being sarcastic when I said "little" because these suckers weight 6 lbs a piece. The book is absolutely amazing and it is selling even better than we hoped. Because we are moving so many books, the act of physically moving them has left me injured. I've pulled a muscle in my chest somewhere between my sternum and my ribs. Boy is it painful! Doc says no lifting or exercise for 2 weeks. Oh and for the pain? Ibuprofen. Thanks Doc.
For more information on the book or to order one please visit www.prestoart.com or www.pulsetattoo.com Don't worry about me, some else will have to do it! Below is a beautiful print of the art that is wrapped around the slipcase of the books. It is available for purchase too. And for only $10.00!

ZEROFRIENDS Pop-Up...

2010-02-09T15:45:00.000-05:00

Artist Alex Pardee recently visited the East Coast for the grand opening of his ZEROFRIENDS Pop-Up store in NYC's East Village. We couldn't make it to the opening, but from what I heard the line was out the door and Alex's signing went on hours longer than intended. Go Alex! The next morning however, we caught up with Alex and his lovely lady Nicole for brunch. After a delicious meal at Frankie's, we all headed over to check out the new ZEROFRIENDS retail location. It's awesome!

Sean and Alex (CC brothers) out front.
It's only open for a limited time so if you are any where near NYC between now and April 30th get down to the lower east side and check out the store. They've got prints, T shirts, books, and toys that you need to own!

UPPER PLAYGROUND PRESENTS:
ZEROFRIENDS NY
437 East 9th Street
New York, NY 10009-4935
OPENING JAN 30, 2010 - APRIL 30, 2010.
Store Hours: 11 am - 7 pm Daily.
http://www.zerofriends.com/

And check out Alex here: http://eyesuckink.com/

Match.com...

2010-02-08T13:11:00.001-05:00

Two of my closest girlfriends have forged amazing relationships with men they happened to meet on the internet. In this day and age it seems if you are really interested in meeting someone you have to put yourself out there. You know how girlfriends share everything? Well Match.com is no exception! I loved helping to check out profiles, reply to emails, shop for first date coutfits, and then getting to hear about the dates afterward. I am a total voyeur, and I really enjoyed watching their process on Match.com

Because of my friends' experiences with Match.com I always tell people to try it. A friend of mine who we'll call "Katie" was recently kind enough to be talked into signing up so I could live vicariously through her experience. She's a great sport and even let me set up her profile. So far, she's had some great dates, met some interesting people, and has not yet been discouraged by the wide world of internet dating.

One of my favorite tasks on Match.com is helping to eliminate possible creeps. My friend "Katie" is pretty hot so every day her in-box is full of potential suitors. I think sometimes this pleases me more than her! We start our first round of email eliminations by deleting any creep who's message says "Hi. Wanna chat?" (There is an instant message feature on the site) and anyone who sends what appears to be a form letter email. Which finally brings me to my point... We had one gentleman send "Katie" the EXACT same form letter twice! For the first time ever, "Katie" let me reply to an email and I enjoyed it so much I wanted to post it here.

EMAIL FROM POTENTIAL SUITOR:
Subject: "Hey there...Here is my 'RESUME' lol..."
All right here goes nothing ....let me start by telling you about me seeing I did get to read about you and I was intrigued by it....well for starters I am 32 I live in Hatfield MA.. I built a house there and I also have a house that is new in West Springfield,,,I use that more as an office but I also stay there (its a long story why there are two homes...don't worry its not a bad story at all).. I am self employed I own a Carpet cleaning co a property management co duct and vent co and a landscape co along with rental properties...It is more or less one large corporation instead of many small businesses.... I keep busy which is good, I also love what I do...I have many great employees I trust so if I need a day off or a week to do something fun I can...I can take all the time I want away from work... Anyway for fun I love to travel I do that often I also play hockey often, I golf, boat, water ski, jet ski, I love the beach, I like going out to dinners, going to the casino, I like to try to cook now and then. I am not the best cook though ( I am learning though and becoming much better).....I am a very hard working person with a great head on my shoulders I have my degree in business which is supposed to make me smart....Jury is still out on that one though ha ha....but I guess I have to be doing something right seeing I have been successful so far in business.....hmm what else I feel like I am typing a "resume" out although I have never actually applied for a job in my life lol....what else can I tell you... hmm I am huge Red Sox fan I love going to Fenway often in the summer I am also a huge Patriots fan I love to go to the warm weather games....I like going to comedy shows in Hartford....I am picky when it comes to woman I believe in MY fairy tale woman... I want the relationship my parents have...Theyhave been married 37 years I want love and passion they still have for each other after all that time...I know you don't hear that from a guy too often and if you do it sounds like a line but I am actually serious and I am serious when I say I love to cuddle and be romantic also lol....Also I believe that romance is more then just flowers or cooking a dinner...Its all the little things day in and day out...though its always fun to do the large extravagant things for her to...I also have one dog named Molly...she is wonderful, smart, well behaved, sassy at times but very cute or so everyone says.....well I think I rambled enough about myself I would love to chat more with you....you can email me back here I think it should work right??? I would DEFINITELY like to talk more with you and learn more about you... I hope to hear from you soon and I hope you write me a novel back ...I look forward to it
Bye for now,
Jay
Also, seeing looks do matter I will tell you that I do have a picture I can send you but I don't know how through here I am 6'0 tall 180-185-ish dark hair and eyes

OUR RESPONSE TO JAY:
Dear RESUME (aka Mr. Copy and Paste),
I'm sure you send this out to so many girls that it's hard to keep track. I know it's exciting when you see a pretty girl on the internet, but try to control yourself, or atleast try to remember who you send your copy and paste messages to. This is the second time I've received this email. It'd be a huge turn off to any girl to know you were just sending her the same mass message you send everyone whose picture strikes your fancy. This info should be in your profile not my in-box! Just trying to help. We're all here for the same reason so if we can help each other get there, why not? So while we're on the subject, if your form letter wasn't bad enough, the fact that you don't have a picture obviously means that you're married or are a registered sex offender. Also a turn off to us ladies. I hope you find what you're looking for, be it mistress or victim.
Good luck on Match!

TO WHICH HE RESPONDED:
Lol. Thanks for the great laugh! :)

We can only conclude from his reply that I was right!

Chris Palko and the Cardboard City All Stars...

2010-02-04T14:49:00.009-05:00

I went to a really great rock show last weekend. Cage was playing at the Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn NY. Usually when he tours he'll have DJ Chauncey with him and sometimes F.Sean Martin on rock guitar. Recently at some one off shows close to home, Cage's band has grown in numbers and they were at their largest last Saturday. What a great show!

Joshua M. Holden on bass, DJ Chauncey, Cage, and Daryl Palumbo singing the hook on that Shoot Frank Remix.
F.Sean Martin and Joshua M. Holden. Finally in a band together! Chris Palko on lead vocals and Daryl Palumbo on lead rock guitars.
Let's get this post show party started! Just off stage, it's F.Sean Martin with a lead guitar, Nick Hook of Cubic Zirconia who played keyboards in this super group, tattooer of the stars Corey Scoolidge, and lead singer guy, Chris Palko.

LISTEN TO CAGE!!! http://www.myspace.com/cagekennylz

Foster's "January's Not Such a Boar" Game Dinner...

2010-01-29T15:01:00.019-05:00

Girls night! Joe was out of town tattooing and Sean had a 100 Demons show to attend so we decided to make it ladies night at Foster's. It's amazing how many more people are comfortable talking to us when our large, loud, heavily tattooed husbands are not around! Alethea, Katie and I arrived a little late but hadn't missed anything yet thank goodness! Shortly after we were seated the first course was served...

The PRE-GAME: Boneless BBQ Wild boar short rib

This little guy was so meaty and delicious!

1st COURSE: Wild boar sausage wrapped in puff pastry with a mango chipotle Dijon mustard This dish was like a giant and gourmet version of pigs in a blanket. The flavor of the sausage was great, and the pastry was so flaky and buttery.

2nd COURSE: Smoked boar belly with a golden BBQ sauce, corn bread and seaweed coleslawThis was my second favorite course of the evening (wait until you see dessert!) Corn bread? Yum! Coleslaw? Yum! Pork bellies? Yum!

3rd COURSE: Grilled boar chops served on a bed of flowers tossed with honey vinaigretteTalk about presentation! How beautiful is this dish? I had never eaten flowers before. Turns out they taste like they smell. The white, yellow, and multicolor flowers had a strong floral taste, while the purple blossoms were milder with a really great texture. I enjoyed the flower salad and liked the purple flowers a lot.

I thought the pre-game dish was one of the main courses so after the boar chops I expected to see dessert come out. Instead, out came this...

4th COURSE: Wild boar porketta with jus and roasted potatoes Are you kidding me? I was already stuffed and another entire dinner plate is placed infront of me. I'm a trooper so I dug in.

5th COURSE: Wild boar bacon Mississippi mud pieWhen this highly anticipated dessert was placed before me I died a little. The camera came out and it was like I was the paparazzi and that brownie was Britney Spears. Seriously, I took like 15 pictures of it. Here's another one: This may be one of the greatest things I've ever had in my mouth! Wild boar bacon dipped in dark chocolate and planted in a dalop of whipped cream, home made espresso ice cream, and yes, THERE'S BACON IN THAT BROWNIE! I actually told Chef Dave that if that brownie was a boy I would consider leaving my husband for it.

We had Orange Spice Hot Toddy's with dessert.

We made new friends at dinner. Here's Alethea and Doug. And fellow regulars John and Liz. Hi John and Liz! See you in March! And saving the best for last, Chef Dave Foster! The man himself gets behind the bar to serve us up some after dinner shots of flavor infused vodka (ginger and canataloupe), and tequila (espresso). They make it right at the bar. You can see the vodka marinated cantaloupe slices in the lower right of the photo. Talk about smooth! Thanks for another great meal Chef Dave!

At the end of dinner I learned that Chef Dave has added a link to my blog to the Foster's website. What a huge compliment! I hope anyone who ended up here by following that link found my blog helpful and headed over to Foster's because of it. The game dinners are great but they also have a full menu of "eccentric American" cuisine that is also worth the trip any time! I've said it before and I'll say it again and again EAT AT FOSTER'S!!!

www.fostersrestaurant.com

Inside the PI (Volume 6)...

2010-01-19T14:47:00.002-05:00

The Pulse Pet. Meet Quincy the Pulse Dog. He's a grouchy old pug who spends most of his time sleeping on a pillow in my office.

The Couple That Plays Together...

2010-01-18T11:16:00.004-05:00

For the record, I'm not trying to learn to play the guitar. I just think this is a cute picture. We were at our friend Daryl Palumbo's place in the city where there are guitars aplenty. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Turns out it's harder to play the guitar than the men in my life make it look. On the bright side, I did learn a mean pick slide. But I doubt we'll be taking this show on the road.

DISGUSTING...

2010-01-15T15:27:00.003-05:00

I saw this on TattooSnob.com and I couldn't resist reposting it on my blog...

What's everyone think about this?

KATZ'S Deli...

2010-01-06T16:19:00.000-05:00

I went to NYC with Sean to celebrate our first married New Year. We didn't get crazy and go to Time Square, but we did enjoy another New Yorker New Year's day tradition. We went to KATZ's Deli.We were visiting friends in the city and our gracious host was the one and only Joshua M Holden whose East Side apartment is just a short walk away from KATZ'S. Talk about convenience! On our way to the deli, we even got to walk by the Hells Angels NYC club house. There were some very real bikers out front so I had to act cool and not take pictures. Bum out.

When we arrived at KATZ'S the line was out the door! I blamed Adam Richman of Man vs Food via Twitter for this. We decided to tough it out, and even though I got so heated during a table standoff with another patron (I WAS THERE FIRST!) that I wanted to walk out or flip that table... it was still worth it. Thanks to my husband for keeping me cool. Anyone who knows us will have to read that twice, it's a bit of a role reversal!

Josh and I both ordered the brisket of beef. My sandwich is featured in the photo, on club bread with cheese. You can see Josh's in the back right corner on rye with mustard.

Sean had a pastrami combo the likes of which I've never seen before... Just as we finished our lunch (we ate it all including fries, half sour pickles and macaroni salad) a nice gentelman with a bus cart stopped by our table. He wished us a Happy New Year and asked where we were from. After finding out it was my first time dining there, he gave me the full history of the place, and asked us for our meal tickets. Turns out he wanted to give us the "10% Tattoo Discount". He took our tickets, lowered the prices and was on his way. Score! Being a bunch of tattooed maniacs finally pays off! It wasn't until after he left our table that I realized he was in fact the owner! The owner of KATZ'S gave us a break on our bill because he liked our tattoos! In the words of Joshua M Holden, "Happy New Year indeed!"

If you find yourself in New York's Lower East Side, EAT AT KATZ'S! KATZ'S has been featured in many films including Donnie Brasco, Across the Universe, Offbeat and of course, When Harry Met Sally...

Pulse is 10...

2010-01-04T17:50:00.005-05:00

2010 marks our 10 year anniversary here at Pulse International. It will also be my 10th year with the company, but my anniversary isn't until later this year on June 16th. I really can't believe it's been that long! Where does the time go?

On our first day back to work after our New Year holiday break and inventory, we were delivered a surprise treat. A creative, beautiful and delicious cake from Margaret Brady AKA Katie's Mom (you should've seen the Santa cake she baked us for Christmas!). Thanks Margaret!

Remember That Time...

2009-12-22T15:38:00.009-05:00

You got mouthy with Pauly Shore and he smacked you in the face?
I do.

Just came across this photo from last winter and couldn't resist posting it.

Stills from Sons of Anarchy...

2009-12-22T15:04:00.007-05:00

If you don't watch the show or didn't see the episode, here are some stills from the Sons of Anarchy episode starring the Pulse Solution Tattoo Machine...

The backs of both Freddy Corbin and Henry Rollins.
What are you working on Mr. Corbin? What a beautiful shot... from the tip to the clip cord... ALL Pulse.

Thanks to Joe from Pulse for capturing these stills on hulu.com! Go Joe!

Tis the Season...

2009-12-18T11:42:00.007-05:00

I love getting mail that's not bills! This time of year is great for mail because of all the holiday cards. I've always wanted to send a Christmas card of my own, but have never gotten around to it. Thank you to everyone who continues to send them to me! Now that I'm married, domestic things are becoming more and more exciting to me. My husband bought me a new dishwasher last week and you would've thought it was made of diamonds I was so excited. So, as a lady with a husband, I really wanted to send Christmas cards this year, but, of course, I didn't. In my defense, I JUST got married! It's as good an excuse as any. I got some really great cards so far this year, and next year I plan on reciprocating. Here are two of my favorites...

This one is from tattooer Dan Marshall of Tribulation Tattoo in NYC (www.tribulationtattoo.com ) and his wife Madoka.
And this one ROCKS! It's from Joel Stroetzel of the mighty Killswitch Engage ( www.killswitchengage.com ) his wife Jess and of course their adorable dog Lieutenant John Rambo. More cowbell! Thanks for the great cards guys! You've inspired me for next year!

My Friends Went to Mexico and All I Got...

2009-12-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

Were these awesome souvenirs! Nichole and Carlos East went to Mexico to visit family over the Dia de los Muertos holiday. Nichole is a cemetery enthusiast and this trip would be her first time experiencing the highly decorated graveyard scenes of The Day of the Dead. Knowing this, I was super psyched that she thought of me on the trip! Check out what they brought home for me...

The Skull Face Stripper. Every occupation imaginable was represented and I got the best one! Check out the awesome G-string and $100 bill! These Diego Rivera Tattoos are pretty awesome too! I've always been a fan of Frida Kahlo, so I'm not sure exactly how I feel about Diego but I'm positive these tattoos are cool! Check out Nichole's pictures from Mexico here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/toybaroness/sets/72157622644887169/

Thanks Easts! I love you guys!

Inside the PI (Volume 5)...

2009-12-09T15:48:00.000-05:00

The Photo Studio... It's true. We take our own photos. Well, Brett actually takes our photos. For our catalogs, website, advertisements (right now we only advertise in Tattoo Artist Magazine) and any other printed promotional material, postcards, stickers etc. Because Brett does all of our graphic design work himself, he can really get exactly the shot he needs by taking the photos himself. He's collected quite a lot of legit professional photography equipment and I think during the slow season we should start shooting models. Head shots anyone?
He even took the pictures printed on the T-shirt he is wearing!

Classic Tattoo T-Shirt...

2009-12-05T14:32:00.000-05:00

Just so you know, when you send them I really do wear them! This one is from tattooer and friend of Pulse Duane "Dewey" Smith. Thanks Dewey! XOXO. You can find Dewey at:
Classic Tattoo
23900 Lorain Rd.
North Olmstead, OH 44070
440-614-0447

Or on the web at:
http://www.deweysmithtattoos.com/

GlassJaw & Brand New...

2009-12-03T17:15:00.001-05:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to see a couple of shows on the GlassJaw & Brand New tour. There is a good chance that GlassJaw is my favorite band of all time. I hadn't seen them play live since New Year's Eve of 06-07. I am also a huge fan of Brand New (and I'm not ashamed of it). Saying I was VERY excited for this rock show would be a bit of an understatement. I was going to document every moment so I could savior it later, and of course, blog about it.

Unfortunately, electronics have some aversion to me and I recently went through three digital cameras in two months! Leaving me officially camera-less. Sigh. BUT... Christmas IS coming! Any way, that's my excuse for these terrible camera phone photos...

I am blessed to have a little Daryl Palumbo in my life, and he lets me watch the rock show from the stage! Aaaaah friendship. I know you can't tell from this terrible photo, but that's Daryl in the white shirt and the handsome (you'll have to trust me) gentleman with the bass is Manny Carrero. The after show dressing room party starring photographer Julian Gilbert ( http://juliangilbert.blogspot.com ), F. Sean Martin ( www.fseanpresents.com ) and GlassJaw front man extraodinaire Daryl Palumbo ( www.glassjaw.net ).

My apologies for the bad photos/blog, but it was amazing and I couldn't just go along not mentioning it at all.

LISTEN TO GLASSJAW!!!!!

Sons of Anarchy...

2009-12-01T13:19:00.008-05:00

I have a friend in CA who works for an amazing Special Effects Company. They do make-up, prosthetics and props. Included in the make-up category is what they refer to in the biz as "prosthetic make-up effect; tattoos". That's the technical term, I swear, you can't make these things up. Because of the popularity of "the tattoo" in our culture today, my friend finds himself doing a lot of work in this vein. To add authenticity to his work, he does his research. I am always pleased to be one of his consultants! Over the last few years, I've sent him equipment as he's needed it to make his tattoo scenes more credible. Pulse Tattoo Machines & Equipment have had multiple appearances on NIP/TUCK and PRISON BREAK and tonight our Solution Tattoo Machine will be guest starring on SONS OF ANARCHY!

If that's not exciting enough, our linear power supply and Ergo grips will be there too! Tattoo legend, Freddy Corbin will be using all Pulse equipment to tattoo the one and only Henry Rollins on tonight's season finale of SONS OF ANARCHY. Corbin designed the three piece patch that became the show's logo. You can learn more about that from his recent Inked magazine interview here: www.inkedmag.com/icons/freddy-corbin

I don't watch the show, but I hear quite a buzz about it. I'll be tuning in tonight and if it's as good as I hear, I'll be looking for it on DVD. Everyone watching tonight... keep your eyes open for PULSE!

And now some top secret photos from the set...

The great Freddy Corbin with Pulse Solution Tattoo Machine, Medium Ergo Grip, Pulse clip cord, and Pulse PS24 Linear Power Supply!
The great Henry Rollins in the chair for his "prosthetic make-up effect; tattoos". Doing the application is my friend Mike!

Per a request from the set, we also sent out a gift package full of Pulse Tshirts and other gear for the cast and crew. They gave them to everyone at the show's wrap party. I heard the Pulse gear was well received so maybe we'll see Charlie Hunnam sporting a Pulse T in tabloids!