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Good stuff. Lately I have been getting more serious about my hobby of buying and reselling things from estate sales and whatnot. After coming to the realization that i cannot continue in my career and stay sane I really had no idea what else I would do as I have no desire to go back into a kitchen or up on a roof again either. So, I made an Etsy account and I've sold some stuff through there. Done pretty well on some ebay auctions. Made some good connections and hopefully I can keep the momentum going and turn it into something that will pay the bills. I enjoy it much more than anything else I've ever done so that is something.

It's done! The Valkyrie is in place, and I'm totallly in love with it! I tried uploading a pic, but it wouldn't let me. If I can't figure it out I'll post one when I get home tomorrow :)

thanks, no surgery needed they don't think.

@Dan Well, that's unfortunate. Crap. Do you have to have surgery? Feel better (hopefully no tattoos were damaged in the process).

don't let your thoughts get out of control from reading here, everyone told me my ribs,knees,elbows,wrists,hands,fingers were going to be brutal,and to be honest none of these spots I have had done were as bad as I had built them up to be in my head, I still preach that pain is mostly in your head,as humans we have a really good ability to overcome pain through mental focus, it works for me,and I find it a welcome challenge to work on when getting tattooed,I have come to embrace it. it starts with what you are doing now,mental preparation ,to preparing the day and night before,and through the morning of the tattoo up to and during the tattoo,it's an entire experience that I embrace and practice. here is my "pre-tattoo agenda" mentally prepare yourself in the weeks leading up to the tattoo sleep good and don't drink alcohol the night before (or the day of), pre-hydrate the day before and day of and while being tattooed,(water or Gatorade) eat a good non greasy healthy meal right before getting tattooed, bring candy (I bring M&M's and Skittles) to eat during the tattoo(the sugar will keep you from passing out),I also bring a banana,beef jerky, and a few cold bottles of water in a little ice chest(no artist has ever minded me doing this,as a matter of fact they have liked it). bring your phone for pics but mute the ringer and all sounds, keeping up body sugars,potassium,and electrolytes will help to keep you from passing out , get yourself mentally in a good place.in the days leading up to and during the tattoo. ask for a few 5 min breaks to stand up ,stretch,and get the kinks out. this all helps me have a better overall tattoo experience,and the artist will appreciate it too.

Recently returning from our son's destination wedding in St. Lucia. Pretty surreal place insomuch as you couldn't look in any direction without being astounded at how gorgeous it is. And almost every day we'd get these light drizzels for about 2-3 minutes, and they would create these incredible rainbows that were literally just a 100 yards away or less. Here's me viewing one on the porch of our room at the resort:

So, being a bone marrow donor does have certain requirements but the mad cow thing isn't one of them! Basically, the goal is to find a cancer patients identical genetic twin through a process called Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing. HLA is a DNA-based tissue test used to match patients and donors for bone marrow transplants. HLA are proteins — or markers — found on most cells in your body. Your immune system uses these markers to recognize which cells belong in your body and which do not. The closer the match the better the chances the patient’s body will accept the donated cells and allow them to grow and make new healthy cells. It's completely different and separate from giving blood! :) @devious @jaimilyn And you go! @oboogie

As an Aplastic Anemia Survivor (so far) I would like to thank those who donate blood and platelets and those who want to but can't. It never goes to waste. THANK YOU!!!!

On Friday, I had one of those "positive affirmation" moments that don't come along too often. I was volunteering at Warped with my charity, Love Hope Strength. At the end of the night, I had the deep honor of meeting the man who started the charity, Mike Peters of The Alarm. He was so incredibly genuine and sincere in his thanks to me for helping with his charity. And his wife was so amazing in her own right. Thet say that you should never meet your hero's but in this case, I am thrilled that I did! They both inspired me on a deep level....

Surprised to find that there isn't a thread for this yet, so here goes... We all know about "healed 'n hairy" tattoos, but how many of you have tattoos that you've only really come to appreciate after they've settled into the skin? It's taken a couple years for me to fully enjoy having this wolf on my leg. The tattoo was done by Ron Wells and I was ecstatic to get it, but before too long I didn't quite know what to think of it. Not that I didn't like the image, the artist, or the experience - it just felt a little out of line with my own demeanor. As time passed, more tattoos were added around it but it wasn't until the last couple of months that I realized I really liked this tattoo again! Even though the tattoo was mine, it took a while before I felt like I really 'owned' it, if that makes any sense. Here's a picture of it the day I got it, and one taken this afternoon (about 2.5 years later): So post your old, but better tattoos! I'd be interested to hear others' experiences in the matter.

I passed a beast of an exam today (VCP6 in Datacenter Virtualization). I am so relieved that it's over and that I passed. Huzzah!

I like it as-is, A nicely done tattoo. I find that it takes a while to adjust to a new tattoo, something has been added to your body. It takes a while to sink in.

Since I got my tattoos and dropped 35 lbs - and have been exercising a bit to tone up and keep my weight stable, I've been wearing a lot of sleeveless shirts and t-shirts. For work, I mostly wear short-sleeved shirts when the college is out of our normal semesters and I'm not wearing a suit. I'll even wear a tie with a short-sleeved shirt and sport coat. But, I don't normally go sleeveless at work. While I was out in Michigan at my sister's this week we were going through some old family pictures when I came across this one - my Dad in 1935. Apparently going sleeveless isn't new, it's retro, so I can now order some sleeveless dress shirts for work!!!

Another Commencement ceremony is in the books!! I absolutely love this day every year!!! Knowing that I'm going to retire in 3 years is bittersweet - only 3 more of these ceremonies left for me to enjoy. We had the rehearsal on Friday - and we all dress casually since were busy and walking around the college all day. It was hot so I opted to wear a sleeveless shirt under a short sleeve button down shirt. The gym was not yet cooled down so right before we started I pulled off my outer shirt. I heard the immediate conversations start from the students and then cheers and clapping - lots of the students had on clothing that showed their ink and I got lots of smiles and comments as they came up to practice receiving their diplomas.

Sometimes you have to go with the flow...even when you're the College President. My 2d favorite day of the academic year - Honors Convocation.