road trip

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Anniversary Celebration

September 30, 2011 by Mayde | Leave a comment

Dan and I celebrated our one year anniversary the same way we celebrated our wedding – with friends and family.

King and Queen at Medieval TimesWe were originally hoping to attend the last weekend of the annual New York Renaissance Faire, but since it was supposed to rain all day, we opted to go to Medieval Times instead. Dan and I have been to Medieval Times several times over the last ten years, but it’s still one of our favorite places to go on special occasions. Sunday afternoon, we drove two hours south to New Jersey and made it there early enough to hang out before the show actually started. (Anyone who’s been to Medieval Times knows that the hour before the show is the best part. You get to hang out in the lobby, take pictures, buy stuff, drink beer, and visit the torture museum.) Dan’s sister went with us and, once there, we met up with a few of Dan’s new coworkers.

The last time we went to Medieval Times was a few years ago, so some things had changed since our previous visit. This made the experience all the better, since there were new things for us to see and do. Once the show actually started, it was the same routine we’ve come to expect and love, so I can honestly say we weren’t disappointed. Especially when, at the end of the tournament, our knight was declared the winner!

Black and White Knight

When we got home that night, we stuck with tradition and pulled out the top tier of our wedding cake, saved in the freezer since our wedding day. (We actually pulled it out that morning so it had time to thaw, but that’s beside the point.) Despite some hesitation and fear of food poisoning, we cut slices for Dan and I, as well as for his sister and parents. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I took the first bite, and…

 Year-Old Wedding Cake

Slice of Cake

…it was pretty gross. The frosting had some freezer burn, the cake was stale, and it tasted very gritty. But despite how bad it might have been, and despite the fact that no one actually finished their piece of cake, I’m still glad we followed through on this tradition. It was fun to see our cake again, and it was a sweet reminder of our actual wedding day.

Thanks again to Ellie-gant Cakes for our wedding cake (which tasted delicious when it was fresh!), and a special thank you to all our friends and family who celebrated with us, or who wished us a happy anniversary!

Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival

August 18, 2011 by Mayde | Leave a comment

With everything that’s been happening lately, I’m getting a little behind in my blog posting, so please just bear with me while I try to catch up!

Just over two weeks ago, Dan and I drove down to Asbury Park, NJ to attend the 2nd Annual Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival. We’ve been to several tattoo conventions before, but this was our first time working at one, so we were a bit excited and nervous, and weren’t really sure what to expect.

The convention floor

The convention started on Friday, July 29th. We got there late in the day, but used the time to set up our booth, get acquainted with our neighbors, have a look around, and check into our hotel room. Dan was even able to get a tattoo done in the short time between set up and closing.

Our booth at the convention

Saturday was a bit less rushed, but much more exciting. As soon as we got to the convention hall, Dan set to work on his appointment for the day, and I helped run the booth, greeting people as they stopped by, showing off Dan’s portfolio, and trying to book some appointments for him. When I wasn’t needed at the booth, I walked around and took in some of the entertainment. They had skate demonstrations, parkour performances, and burlesque shows, but my favorite act was the Show Devils. Similar to the old fashioned sideshow acts, the Show Devils hammered nails into their heads, lit cigarettes with sparks, and cut apples with chainsaws – while blindfolded! Their act alone was worth the price of admission to the convention.

The Enigma

After the entertainment acts, the tattoo contests began. Dan entered a few tattoos in the various categories (and won for Best Small/Medium Color!), but what we were really excited about was the Best Tattoo of the Day competition. This particular contest compares all of the tattoos done in a single day at the convention. It’s held at the end of each day at every tattoo convention, and is one of the most sought-after awards among tattoo artists. By winning a Best Tattoo of the Day competition, a tattoo artist gains a new level of respect among his peers.

Eddie entering Dan's tattoo in the Best Tattoo of the Day contest

So naturally, after working for 8 hours straight on our friend Eddie’s chest piece, Dan submitted it to the Best Tattoo of the Day contest. It was up against 22 other amazing pieces, so we waited with bated breath while the judges deliberated. After several long, drawn-out minutes, they finally announced Dan as the winner!

Eddie and Dan with their Best Tattoo of the Day trophies

I was so excited for him, and so proud that he had won two awards at his first (working) tattoo convention!

We stayed up late celebrating on Saturday, so of course we slept in Sunday morning and missed our check-out time. Fortunately, the lady at the front desk was incredibly nice and didn’t charge us for the extra hour we spent in our room. (Thank you, Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel!)

Sunday was much more laid back, as everyone was just hanging around and the other tattoo artists were slowly packing up and leaving throughout the day. We stayed just long enough for Dan to do one more tattoo, and then we packed up our stuff and got ready to make the long drive back up to New York. Of course, we were stuck in traffic most of the evening along with the thousands of other people leaving the Jersey shore, and we didn’t make it back home until after 11:00 at night, but it was all worth it. Dan now has two trophies to put on his shelf, and a new title to add to his resume – award winner!

Bonus shot of the beach. You're welcome.

Have you ever been to a tattoo convention? If so, which one(s)? If not, would you attend one? Ever been to the Jersey shore? Tell me all about it in the comments.

Weekend in Philadelphia

February 14, 2011 by Mayde | Leave a comment

Happy Valentine’s Day! Unfortunately, I don’t have a romantic post for you today, but I hope you’ll enjoy this story of my recent trip to Philadelphia.

Last weekend, Dan and I went with four of Dan’s coworkers to the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention in Pennsylvania. Most of us had never been to Philly before, so it was a bit of an adventure, even though our trip only lasted two days.

We left Manhattan at around 4 o’clock Saturday afternoon and got into Philadelphia right around 6. (This was our first time on one of the infamous Chinatown buses and, despite all the horror stories we’d heard, we had a nice, easy trip with not a single complaint. For $10/person each way, it’s definitely a great deal!) After getting off the bus, we found ourselves about 8 blocks from the hotel where the convention was being held, so we took our time leisurely strolling the streets, taking in all the unfamiliar sights. While a lot like New York in some ways, Philly definitely has a different atmosphere about it. I think I could see myself spending more time there.

Despite some rumors that the convention was sold out, we were able to get in and catch up with some old friends for a couple of hours Saturday night. Unfortunately, the hall was so packed that we weren’t able to do much exploring. Just imagine thousands of people trying to navigate up and down rows that were only about 4 feet wide. Since trying to walk around was so miserable, we were content to just sit and people watch most of the time. We went back to our hotel room early that night so Dan would be well rested for his appointment the next morning.

We woke up bright and early on Sunday, grabbed some free breakfast in the hotel lobby, and then spent a good hour wandering around Philadelphia looking for our friend’s car. (One of the downfalls of parking in an unfamiliar city.) When we finally made it to the convention, we met up with Dan’s tattoo artist, Carl Grace, and they got to work right away. While Dan was being steadily tattooed for 7 hours, I spent my time trying to explore (again, the crowds were horrific!), hanging out with friends, and keeping Dan’s blood sugar level up by supplying him with snacks and sodas.

Carl finished around 7:30 pm, with just minutes to spare before the Best Tattoo of the Day competition started. Dan entered at Carl’s request and, among 22 contestants, he came in 2nd place! It was an exciting end to our little trip, and gave us something to celebrate on the bus ride home.

But enough talk. Here are some photos:

philly3

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Dan and I in Philadelphia

What do you think of Dan’s new tattoo? Would you ever consider getting one? Have you ever been to Philadelphia? What are some places you’d recommend for our next visit? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Weekend in Long Island

July 27, 2010 by Mayde | Leave a comment

A couple of weekends ago, I took a much needed mini-vacation to Long Island with my friends Olivia and Sehrish to visit Naana, one of our best friends from college who had been teaching overseas for 8 months and who was home for a brief 2-week visit before returning to the island of Tonga, where she’d been working.

Our trip began when Olivia, Sehrish and I left Brooklyn late Friday night and drove the hour and a half into Long Island so that we’d have a full 36 hours to spend with Naana before we all had to be back in the city on Sunday. Our first night there was spent sitting out by the pool in the moonlight, catching up on all the latest gossip and reminiscing about our college years (which seem so long ago now, but really just ended a year ago). We swapped stories and laughed and cried and didn’t go to bed until the wee hours of the morning.

On Saturday, we woke up bright and early to have breakfast with Naana’s adorable niece and nephew. Every time I visit Naana’s parents’ house, I can’t help but be reminded of my own family. Their house is warm and inviting, and Naana’s family is one of the kindest and most loving families I’ve ever met. It really is a joy just to be around them, and I always feel so comfortable and at home while I’m there.

After breakfast, we headed out to the beach to spend the day in the sun. Being a Saturday and well over 90°, the place was packed and we sort of had to wedge ourselves in between two other groups of people. We tried going in the water, but ultimately couldn’t stand the frigid temperature, so instead, we laid out in the sun, tanning and reading Cosmo and Bridal magazines.

We were only able to tolerate the heat for a couple of hours before we decided to leave and spend the rest of the day hanging out in Naana’s pool (but not before grabbing lunch at Ruby Tuesdays! Yum!). While the ocean temperature had to have been in the mid-60′s at most, the pool was a pleasant 85° so we spent the next 3 or 4 hours just floating lazily around and enjoying a day without responsibilities.

Once the sun started to set and the bats started to come out, we took a trip to the local ice cream parlor to grab dessert before dinner. We spent the rest of the night munching on baked ziti (courtesy of Naana’s mom) and raw cookie dough (courtesy of Naana) while we watched a movie and got ready for bed.

Despite our lack of sleep, we woke up early Sunday morning to make the long drive back to Brooklyn before noon. Fortunately, there was no traffic, so we got home right on time and were all able to spend the day preparing for the long week ahead.

Some highlights from our trip:

I think we all had a really good time this weekend and it was nice to spend time with Naana again after not seeing her for so long. We all definitely needed a break from our busy, every day lives and it was really great to be able to spend that time together. It’s strange to think back on when we all first met as scared, immature college freshmen five years ago, and to then think about how far we’ve come since then. We all have good jobs despite the bad economy, and we’re all working in the fields that we went to school for, which probably isn’t true of most college grads. This weekend was a good refresher, and should hold me over at least until my trip to New Orleans in August.