Tattoo Tuesday V.107

Name and blog name: John O'Hagan -The Golden Rule Tattoo and PhxJohn on Instagram...Closest thing I have to a blog haha.

editor's note: fun fact- John was actually the person who took me to get my first tattoo almost ten years ago! I have him to thank for "showing me the ropes," and giving great advice that resulted in me taking my time and choosing really wonderful artists. It's pretty neat to feature him here after all of these years!

Age: 29 (ugh, when did that happen?)

Occupation: Historic and Mid Century Modern Home Specialist - Twins And Company Realty: A boutique real estate brokerage.
Co-Owner - Maxwell and O'Hagan Group: We buy historic/MCM houses, and renovate them in a period appropriate style.
Co-Owner - Golden Rule Tattoo: Customer service focused tattoo shop in Downtown Phoenix AZ.

Age of first tattoo: 18

Favorite tattoo: My arms probably. I loved the look of full sleeves when I was a kid. A lot less people were tattooed back then and when I saw someone with full sleeves it was really visually impacting for me. I always wanted that look.

Artist/shop/location of featured tattoo: Severed Geisha head and snake on my left thigh. Chris Lain - Pinnacle Tattoo- Corpus Christi, TX



1) Tell us about your featured tattoo.

I was in a band in the early 2000's and we were on tour and had a date in Corpus Christi. There was a shop next to the venue we were playing so we went over to check it out. Honestly most of the time on tour you are just killing time. I saw Chris' book and was blown away. I had never heard of him before, and I'm pretty into the style of tattooing he does. I chatted with him for a while and he was super nice. I won't get tattooed by pretentious tattoo dorks no matter how good they are. I want the experience to be solid all around. Anyways, I wanted to get something quick by him but he was setting up for an appointment and couldn't squeeze me in.
I kept trying to book another trip out that way to get in with him, but life kept getting in the way. A few years later, while I was at Immaculate Tattoo getting tattooed by Coleman he said there was a guest artist coming through in a couple months whose style I would love, and it was Chris! So we started this piece on my thigh and after a couple more visits finished it up.



2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where? 

I have full sleeves done by Aaron Coleman. My leg from the knee down was done by Jason K that used to work at Immaculate as well. I've been tattooed by a bunch of different people randomly here and there. Aaron is working on my torso/bodysuit right now, slowly... haha.






 

 

 

 

3) Do you plan on getting more? 

Yep. I'd like to be fully covered wrist to ankle, I'm on my way I suppose. I'm considering my hands when the timing is appropriate career-wise . But since I'm built stocky, I probably won't tattoo my neck ever.

4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? 

My Mom used to cry when I'd come home with a new tattoo. Now she thinks they are pretty. My Dad was always cool about it. They both just wanted to make sure I didn't get dumb tattoos that would prevent or limit me from future career choices. That was smart of them to consider, and thankfully I listened to them. In my daily career of dealing with buyers and sellers in real estate, it's nice to be able to cover up and not have to deal with reactions to my tattoos.

Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them?

Sure. I get glared at in public sometimes, or ignored by staff at high end stores. Especially when shopping for high end fixtures for properties I'm flipping for some reason? As if I having tattoos means I don't have the money to buy nice door hardware or shower fixtures haha. But once they realize I know what I'm talking about and that my tattoos are really nice, not jailhouse garbage they relax and treat me well.
In general I try and stay covered up in public just to avoid questions and being hassled when I'm on task.
When I was a bartender it was a constant source of annoyance for me. People trying to talk to me about them, ask me how much I payed for them, telling me they don't like them or calling me "tat guy" to try and get my attention when the bar was busy.

I've been into Yoga for a couple years, and I get a lot of weird looks when I go into a new class or new school. the mat space next to me is always the last one to get filled. I've been called out by instructors in front of the class before too, on some " why would you do that to your body" type stuff. It seems to be one of the most conservative spaces for acceptance of heavily tattooed people that I've run into. Seems strange since of all the open minded hippy bullshit they spew while I'm just trying to get more flexible.

John's pet piggy, Emma! See her tribute tattoo above. :)

Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos? 

My ex wife was heavily tattooed, but wasn't when we started dating.
I've dated really heavily tattooed girls, and more recently more girls that have either no tattoos or like one small one.
I don't have a preference honestly. I like good tattoos, but bad tattoos are a turn off for me. No tattoos is fine by me. I'm not into the social side of the tattoo industry, I just simply like the aesthetic.

5) What's the most interesting experience you've ever had in regards to your tattoos? 

I mostly remember confrontations. Most of my tattooing experiences have been really pretty typical.
People touching me really doesn't work well for them. Other than that, I am fine with people staring. I don't mind a couple questions but I don't like getting sucked into weird conversations with strangers for any reason, especially not tattoo related.


6) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet? 

Do your research. When I was trying to figure out who I wanted to tattoo when I was younger I read an article in a tattoo magazine and it was an interview by Chris Trevino and in it he said " Everyone gets the tattoo they deserve" and that always stuck with me. If you just walk into a random shop and get a bad tattoo, it's your bad. If you do your research and find an artist you like and are comfortable with, then you'll have a great experience. Either way, it's your experience to own and you get to/have to live with the consequences.

Clean-Eating Challenge!

My plan was to post this last night when I got home from San Francisco but guess who came down with an awful case of food poisoning? Yup. This girl. I've never had food poisoning before and it's just as awful as I thought it would be. I'm finally feeling a little better today at 2pm Arizona time, but it was a horrible plane ride home and a rough night. However, the trip was great (more on that tomorrow) and I refuse to let the second half of Sunday and today change that! :)

With that said...it's Monday! I'll reference you back to the original post for details, meal ideas, and more specifics, and be sure to link up below so we can all visit each other's blogs!

Remember, you don't have to get crazy; small changes are great as well, so if you want to join in but in your own way, do it! This is all about getting healthy, so any way you get there is awesome.

Also don't forget to label all of your tweets with #SScleaneating and feel free to send me updates to @danihampton. If you end up posting recipes, send me the link via Twitter with the hashtag so everyone can check it out too! And if you're "new" to twitter, all of you have to do is click the hashtag to see all the tweets grouped within it.

Good luck, and here's to a week of health!

Lessons from Henry

By nature I'm a bit of a multi-tasker. A rusher. A to-do list checker. I often find myself trying to get more than one thing done at a once, manage my time efficiently, and make it so at the end of the day I can sit back and say to myself, "yes, I've done it all" (note: this rarely happens).

This isn't always a good thing though, and in the past I've found myself so focused on "what's next" that I failed to notice everything that was right in front of me. Having a child made me realize this more than ever. I see the way Henry takes it all in; to him the whole world is new and exciting. A sunset is not just a sunset- his eyes widen at all of the beautiful colors in our Arizona sky. On our walks he's looking all around. Everything is interesting- the ducks in the pond, the way the water shimmers in the sun, the sound of a plane as it flies by.

Thanks to Henry I'm reminded everyday to take a step back and appreciate the small beauties in life, rather than rushing by them to get to the next thing.  Just the other night I looked outside to see Hank and Henry, looking up at the moon in the backyard. They stood there in perfect silence, Henry pointing upward, and I thought about how lucky we are to have this little person in our life to remind us to enjoy all of these often overlooked moments.

a Saturday playlist

I thought I'd share a playlist this morning, full of pretty music and happy sounds. I hope all of you make the most of your day and take a little time out to do something special for you! Enjoy! xo

Weekend links!

source

Happy weekend everyone! I'll be enjoying our time in San Francisco while our friends "vacation" at our house, and I'll be back with some photos and a few stories to share, I'm sure. In the meantime, here are some links to get your Friday started.

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Don is on a roll! Check out Krista and Sam's blog. Amazing. And be sure to check out his design info if you're interested in redoing your space. I'm still in awe of what he did here.

Loving Abi's photos of this cute little shop in Portland.

What an adorable clutch! This one too.

These pilates videos that Michelle shared are on my to-do list. They look awesome.

And speaking of lists, yet another dry shampoo to add to my to-try list.

These monogrammed bracelets are so simple and pretty.  I'd love to a D and an H.

Choosing Positivity in Parenting. I thought it was very sweet of Kacie to include me in this list.

I'm really enjoying reading about Jess and Chelsey's experience at Alt Summit. It kind of makes me want to go next year!

200 running songs.

All of Amber Lee's SF posts got me quite excited for our little trip. 

I re-shared my clean-eating applesauce oatmeal muffins on my friend Ali's blog- take a look.

Loving this elopement session (and video!) on The Loveliest Day.

Great post on how to pick the blogs your sponsor.

How fantastic are these embroidered initial necklaces? I'd love to have one.

What a simple, healthy (and quick!) quinoa idea from my friend Jessica.

This bow needs to come in Henry-bow-tie size! Too cute.

Oh, this dress in mustard is just perfect.

Matisse is one of my sponsors- have you ever tried their shoes? So cute and comfy. Go see for yourself!

And one more sponsor related item- how about some Etsy love? 1, 2, 3, and 4.

I wanted to be an actress or a writer (or an astronaut or the President) when I grew up. How about you?

An absolutely beautiful video on one of my favorite blogs.

Change your attitude, change your life. Worth the read.

A baby shower with a "make a mobile" station! Brilliant!

Did you see the February Photo-a-Day Challenge on Chantelle's blog? I'm definitely in (again).

And finally, if you haven't already done so, take a look at my blogroll. I'm missing quite a few favorites (I accidentally deleted a handful), but you might find a new favorite!

Have a great weekend! xo

Why I Don't Mind Turning 30

Today I'm over on Hello Giggles, talking about why I don't mind turning 30 in a few months. Head on over and see what I have to say, and chime in via the comments on HG about your own "getting older woes!"

 image via ruffled blog

One Week Clean-Eating Challenge

First of all, you might be thinking "what? I thought this was supposed to be a sugar-free challenge!" It was. But as I was writing this post Tuesday night, and after thinking over some of the comments I received, I realized that it would actually be irresponsible of me to ask all of you to do a detox of any sort. I realize there's a tricky line with blogging and giving out unqualified advice. I never want to harm anyone, and in this case I think my excitement just got the best of me, and as I was typing it out I realized I need to be a bit smarter. Although I fully believe that making healthy changes wouldn't do any harm whatsoever, there are tens of thousands of people reading this post, and how am I to know what your medical or nutritional background is? I do believe that cutting out all sugar is a great idea, but if you are going to do so it might be best if you speak with a medical professional. For me the switch was great- and I do think that because I already ate well it was an easy change. But I don't know that everyone who reads this blog is in the same boat, and I would hate to make any assumptions, especially when dealing with someone's health. Thanks to Vanessa and Lindsay for your thoughtful comments on the matter that really got me thinking. You all know that I'm not a doctor or a registered dietician, but I feel comfortable encouraging all of you to just be healthier and eat REAL, whole foods.

So with that said, I thought it would be much safer and a better idea to encourage all of you to eat clean for a week, beginning Monday, January 30th.  This means you would still avoid sugar, but fruit is a-okay. If you want to try this out, you'll be focusing on WHOLE foods, no refined sugars, no processed items, and also cutting things out like white pastas and breads if you'd like.

If you feel this is too much to commit to- maybe you eat fast food everyday or have a sweet tooth- maybe choose one area to focus on throughout this week. Perhaps you want to promise to forgo all processed items, or just not eat any refined sugar. Any way you want to do this is great- it's all about what is best for you.

And what is clean-eating? From my fave clean-eating lady (Tosca Reno's) website: "It is eating the way nature intended. You eat the foods our bodies evolved to function best on, and that makes you feel – and look – fantastic. When you Eat Clean you eat more often. You will eat lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. These practices keep your blood-sugar levels stable and keep you satisfied."

I thought I'd post this well before the weekend so you have enough time to prepare your kitchen for the upcoming week. I'm going to tell that you that it's going to be hard, especially if you're used to eating processed food every day, but I promise you if you stick with it for these seven days you will feel great at the end, and maybe even want to keep it up in some way or another.

On Sunday night I'd recommend preparing some of your base foods so you don't feel stressed during the week. Be sure to make a big pot of quinoa if you can, chop up veggies and put them in easy to access containers in your fridge, and make any of the big items you'll eat each day.  I often will cook some chicken breasts on Sunday evening so I can just grab them and go throughout the week. And If you work you're also going to want to take time each night to pack a healthy lunch and snacks for yourself.

Also- I know it can be hard to do something like this when you have an entire family to feed, or even a partner who may be supportive, but isn't into changing their diet. First of all, remember this is just for a week. A lot of the recipes I've included below are really, really awesome and I believe that all people would be into them, even without an open mind. Also remember that as far as meals go, you aren't that limited. You can eat everything that is whole and natural. Let's say your partner is a meat and white potatoes kind of guy or gal- well, you can do meat and sweet potatoes! Family likes pasta? Try quinoa (see my linked post on it above). Make little changes and I bet your whole family may get on board.

I thought it would be great to round up some recipes around the web for inspiration, followed by quick meal ideas.

Breakfast:

Ricotta and Spinach Frittata (you can make this on Sunday and eat it throughout the week- it will be enough for four breakfasts.)
Veggie Omelette
Zucchini Fritters
Quinoa pancakes- just don't take her sweet topping suggestions! ;)
plain Greek yogurt with sliced almonds
a slice or two of Ezekial bread with almond butter
Wasa crackers with almond butter and a few berries
steel cut oatmeal

Lunch: (this is tough to separate because I eat the same things for lunch and dinner)

Salad with my homemade, favorite salad dressing
Pizza made in the oven/toaster oven on an Ezekial tortilla
beans and avocado with salsa
baked or microwaved sweet potato with broccoli and cheese
bowl of quinoa and steamed veggies
healthy, homemade soups

Dinner:

Portabello mushroom pizzas- be sure if you use tomato sauce try to avoid unnecessary, added sugar- Trader Joe's makes a great one, but you can also just mash up some Roma tomatoes to stand in for the sauce.
big salad topped with protein of choice (chicken, salmon, etc.)
Sweet potato/black bean/quinoa burgers
Chicken Taco Stew (omit the taco seasoning in favor of your own spices- those flavor packets include a lot of nasty additives and preservatives)
Walnut-crusted chicken breasts (be sure to use an Ezekial bread slice rather than the whole wheat specified in the recipe)
Quick Kale and Quinoa Minestrone
veggie stirfry
bean burritos with fresh salsa

Snacks:

Kale chips
Edamame with sea salt (you can buy ready-to-microwave packs at Costco)
Wasa crackers with almond butter and a few mashed up raspberries
hummus and veggies
plain Greek yogurt with sliced almonds
pieces of cheese and meat rolled up
raw nuts (raw means unroasted, no salt, etc.)

To recap, remember you are eating whole foods- fruits, veggies, lean proteins, healthy grains, nuts and seeds. No processed food or refined sugars. No soda! The more colorful your plate the better, so be sure to focus on variety in your meals. The recipes and meals I listed up above are just ideas, so feel free to look around online and get creative.

When it gets tough, remind yourself that this is not a punishment, it's actually a reward. Nothing feels better than being healthy, and I know that at the end of this week you will feel great when you look back and know that you only ate whole, healthy foods for an entire seven days. And if you mess up, do not give up! It's all part of the journey. Just make sure the next thing you choose to eat is on point.

Here are a few clean-eating blogs to check out: one, two and three!  The last one is my most favorite. And here is a large collection of recipes on the Eat-Clean website.

And if you're on Twitter, be sure to keep me updated via @danihampton and use the hashtag #SScleaneating so we can all follow along.  I was going to just use #cleaneating, but it's a well-used tag and wouldn't allow all of our tweets to be in an organized feed.

Oh! And also, if you end up cooking and blogging about an awesome meal, send me the link! I will share it next week so everyone else can get inspired too.

Get ready...Monday will be here before you know it! I'm so excited.