Author: tristancrane@gmail.com

Pi Day

Today is Pi day! While this is numerically irrational, and the cause of much celebration across the internet, I like to take time on this date to celebrate the presence of an aptly-named member of our family.

Pi Cat was adopted just over two years ago, a scrawny but vocal kitten from the San Francisco SPCA. She immediately came down with a bad case of ringworm – while insisting on sleeping near my pillow. Despite her best efforts, neither of us were infected. Pi’s overcome her health issues and grown into a solid lump of cat with a… unique personality. She keeps David company during late-night coding sessions, refuses to cuddle with me unless we’re both underneath her favorite blanket, and recently adjusted to the arrival of an annoying little sister.

Pi, we love you, grumpy cat. You’re our favorite greeter of guests, investigator of boxes, and lover of smelly shoes.

If you’re interested in Pi as a number, here’s a very cool link which displays Pi to one million places.

David Fixes The Nintento

David’s a useful guy to have around. When I broke the garbage disposal, he took it apart and put it back together. He also took a grandfather clock to pieces, cleaned every part, put every tiny gear back in place – now it keeps time more accurately than it did before. Here he is, fixing our vintage Nintendo so I can get my Tetris fix. I’m totally keeping this guy.

 

Chance McKinsey – Tattoo Story

I wanted something simple for my first tattoo, and settled on my astrological symbol in the middle of a tribal sun. While looking for artists, I became inspired to start planning out my next, oh, dozen or so tattoos and found myself scribbling constantly in my sketchbook. One day, I banged out four tribal looking symbols for the elements: earth, wind, water, and fire. I was so pleased with the results that I immediately 86’d the idea of getting anything else.  And then, I found Dawn.

Dawn was a corporate graphic designer for ten or fifteen years before waking up one day and realizing she was unhappy. She quit her job, bought a motorcycle, and became a professional female bodybuilder and a tattoo artist. She told me all this to distract me while she inked up my chest, getting my attention most when she was going over the tender collar bone area. I was so inspired, I never forgot her story and repeat it to myself every time I worry about not knowing what I want to do with my life.

For a week afterwards, I wore button-down shirts so I could periodically rip them open and break into the Captain Planet theme song. Really, the symbols are just there as reminders of the love and awe I feel for the power of nature.

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