Happy Hump Day

Model: unknown

Photographer: unknown

Underwear: perfect

Ladies and Gents: Guess what Day it is...

Happier than a camel on Hump Day

Gentleman's Advice: the Only Relationship Advice a Man will Ever Need

I grew up as a confused child.  Not in my sexuality but the role of sexuality, affection, attraction, and appearance v. personality in relationships.  

I recall being caught by my biological father and mother multiple times masturbating as a child. The first time, I was 8 and my father said it was ok; nothing to be ashamed of.  But I was to do it when there was no one in the house and always be sure to clean up after myself.  Fair enough. The next time occurred six or so months later and my father did a complete religious 180° turn. I was beat and then given a talk about how, masturbation was a sin and I was going to hell for "making love" to myself.  This double standard advice continued throughout my childhood until I was eleven.  And, all coming from a man who maintained such a mishap of an adulterous marriage that hypocrisy is an understatement of the infidelity involved in my biological parents' relationship.  My father always considered hisself a fair and human minded man.  He often related that looks were not important and it was always about what was "inside."  He also relayed that "God" told him whom he was going to marry.  All this eventually failed to suffice as any virtuous developmental or relationship advice.  My father was a man who constantly cheated on my mother and then after finally divorcing her, remarried three months later to a hefty woman whom represented a mirrored gluttonous, tragedy that my father had become with a bipolar personality. After a year, he divorced her and then remarried a third time only several months later to another "healthy sized" woman with who knows what problems.  

During this time, I realized how full of shit my father's advice was considering his mangled view and taste in people.  After losing respect for my biological ancestry and loathing my existence as a product of two inherently twisted and unhealthy people; I continued to observe and take note from other people whom I saw representing a wholesome relationship and constantly interviewing to see how these people seemed so successful in finding each other and staying together.  I found that it has always been a touch of luck, a big factor of timing, and valuing the character if each other.  

This as nice as it was, was of little use to me as I was  trying to find someone like myself (but more nice) and needed advice detecting such a wholesome person.  So, I diverted unknowingly to a film that set me with a solid base that I now believe is a good measure to how a man may find his self a reasonable, down to Earth, considerate and caring person to spend time with.  The film is "A Bronx Tale". The relationship advice in this movie speaks such volumes that all maturing men should be required to observe these words of wisdom if we are not given the advice by our mentors.

The advice comes after the question of how do you find out if a "broad" is a good woman and the "One."  The answer is reflected through various crude solutions by the main character's childhood fiends.  The solutions come in the form of "tests."  After the character Sonny dismisses these ideas, he tells C, the main character, The Door Test. The following is the dialogue explaining the test and the value therein:

Sonny: Alright, listen to me. You pull up right where she lives, right? Before you get outta the car, you lock both doors. Then, get outta the car, you walk over to her. You bring her over to the car. Dig out the key, put it in the lock and open the door for her. Then you let her get in. Then you close the door. Then you walk around the back of the car and look through the rear window. If she doesn't reach over and lift up that button so that you can get in: dump her.

Calogero 'C' Anello: Just like that?

Sonny: Listen to me, kid. If she doesn't reach over and lift up that button so that you can get in, that means she's a selfish broad and all you're seeing is the tip of the iceberg. You dump her and you dump her fast.

This of course only advises the men directly but can be taken for both parties in a relationship.  (Take note to self evaluate before taking initiative to find an individual of such virtue)

This advice has helped me straighten out my own understanding of people and the relationship I hoped to have held.  Taking a notice of people's simplicity and their base actions helped me relate on who I wanted to be as a man and how to find that type of individual.  It's a good bit of advice for any person seeking assistance in the "love" department.  A great thanks to Chazz Palminteri. Thank you for many life lessons from The Bronx Tale. Many more to be featured.

-A Gent's Advice

Hump Day: Alright Gents and Ladies

Model: unknown

Photographer: unknown

Gents and Ladies:

It's Hump Day.

Enjoy 

Motivation Monday: Inked Pose of the Day

This nouveau traditionalism style has sprung open the gates and unleashed its overwhelmingly simple yet timeless imagery on the masses. Take note of simple contrasting colors. Traditional tattoos are very clean and are tattooed using only primary colors and black.  Nouveau Traditional tattoos use various contrasting colors (secondary and tertiary) besides the primaries. This is a major difference between the two. Take your pick. One style started the American industry, the other is reviving it. Both are equally appreciated and timeless.

Artist: Unknown

Model: Unknown

Photographer: Unknown

Symbol of the Week: "Satanic" Cross

The Satanic Cross:

As well many of us westerners know, the cross is a sacred symbol among Christians and inherent to young individuals trying to find a tattoo design with meaning. A cross tends to be the default for many individuals just starting their collections, however there has been a gap in communication to the mass populous on religious tattoos.

The upside down Latin cross: (see image A)

Image A

This cross has been taken by pop culture (and the masses) as the satanic cross for simple reasons. People have commonly thought that since this cross is inverted, it represents the inversion or opposite of Christ. That is however not the case. Though reasonable as this thought may be it is incorrect and actually quite the contrary. The inverted cross is still and actually a popular Christian symbol as it represents the death of St. Peter.  St. Peter also known as Simon Peter was the first "pope" of the Catholic Church. St Peter was martyred in 65-66 AD. When he was crucified, he pleaded that he be crucified upside down as he did believe himself worthy to be killed like that of Jesus, his Lord. (See image B). There are many speculations as to how he had finished dying as suffocation for crucifixion was typically the fatal consequence however as St. Peter was inverted, suffocation took longer. Some speculate that he was burned on the second day but did not die and then finally beheaded on his cross on the third day. 

Image B

Even so, the inverted cross represents a dark martyrdom but is not related to the true satanic symbol. The real satanic cross is represented below: (see image C)

The Satanic Cross is a variationof the  alchemical symbol for sulfur that represents fire and brimstone. The sulfur symbol was placed above the Nine Satanic Statements in the Satanic Bible in LaVeyan Satanism, and is commonly used in rituals performed by Theistic Satanists. It can also be interpreted as a combination of the Lorraine cross and the mathematical symbol for infinity, or a phallic re-imagining of the cross, with the infinity symbol representing a scrotum. It is often interpreted as a symbol of Satanism, because LaVey adopted it from the Cross o Lorraine or even the Patriarchal cross, which is also a symbol of Christianity and Hermeticism. Hermetic alchemists of the Renaissance used the emblem as a symbol of earth and spirit by combining the square earth cross with the cross of Christ. When drawn symmetrically, it symbolized the hermetic maxim, "As above, so below".

Ergo a simple inverted cross has no significance as a satanic symbol and in fact is used by the papacy as a symbol for the Pope, referencing St. Peter.  

Tattoo of the Day

Tattoo by Alexander Grim