Michael Jackson

I'm sure that some readers have noticed my use of a Michael Jackson song title for each of my posts (with the exception of "Eat It", a Weird Al Parody of "Beat It"). It's becoming increasingly difficult to find a poignant MJ song title for each entry, so from now on, I'll just use the titles for songs I like. Who knows, maybe I'll introduce people to some great music that way.

The theory of the Bibliowhining "business" is to share my artwork and art tips. Have you seen this one yet? From 2006...

 Christina Spallone, 2006

Don't give up on Bibliowhining. I'm in a transitional period right now...I just moved out of Syracuse and am currently unemployed and living with my parents. I really liked Syracuse -- there were certain things about that town that were ideal, and I will miss it. I doubt I'll ever find a better cafe than Recess Roastery...I always felt comfortable there. The owners were friendly, and their coffee drinks, sandwiches, and desserts were excellent. I appreciate when people take pride in their work. I had a dream about one of their mysteriously-named coffee drinks, the Kuato. I dreamt that I asked what a Kuato was, and the answer was that it's a coffee drink made with one's own blood after getting a piece of flesh torn open. I'm sure it's nothing like that, though.

Halo Tattoo was also ideal. I got my first tattoo there, and, knowing nothing about getting a tattoo, I went in with this ridiculously complicated sleeve design, a combination of Jim Woodring's panels from The Frank Book. This design consisted of an onion-top house with surrounding pebbles, rocks, and mountains, and a starry sky with windstrips in the background. One of the artists, Mike, looked at this and was all excited about doing it. It turns out that he's a big underground comics fan, and has been for a long time -- he has an original copy of Boiled Angel and everything. The tattoo took three sessions and about ten hours to complete, during which I listened to appropriate tunes such as "Fresh Flesh" by Fear. Now I have this awesome tattoo that is unlike any other tattoo I've seen. It's really a work of art. I wanted to get another one, but there's a limit to what I can afford. I don't know if I'll ever find another tattoo artist like that -- I got really lucky in finding the perfect tattoo artist for the job. I joked with one of my friends, who is staying in Syracuse, that he should get the tattoo for me and then we can exchange skin grafts. He was a little creeped out by my joke -- perhaps I should ease up on the dark humor.

I even liked the job I had in Syracuse. Some people might think that cataloging is boring, but I didn't mind -- I appreciated working in a field I was actually studying, as opposed to making sandwiches all day. My boss was respectful and had a good sense of humor, and I could pick my own hours, which allowed me to wake up, go to work, and then have the rest of the day to myself to read or work on my hobbies.

Syracuse has a prominent hardcore scene which I would have liked to check out. The thing is, I don't have any friends who are into that kind of music, and I'm shy about going to concerts by myself. It takes a while for me to get to know people, and I've never been the type to just go up to a person and strike up a friendship. I've had friends in the past, in high school, who were into punk rock, but they've all either moved away or took a turn for the worst. It's really sad getting to know a person when you're just a kid, sharing secrets, going on adventures, and then seeing them grow up and waste their lives on drugs and/or alcohol.

What do you think? Is it weird to go to concerts and stuff by yourself? What do you do in those situations?

Well, I'll miss Syracuse. Overall, it was a positive experience, and I really hope someone gives me a chance to prove myself in the workforce. I can't wait to get my independence back, and apply the skills I learned in library school.

I'm watching Edward Scissorhands now, one of my favorite movies. I really relate to the main character.