Shane’s Game

by Kyle Eustice

Shane O’Neill is not your average tattoo artist. His ambitions are endless. Instead of just sitting around tattooing butterfly tramp stamps and tribal bands all day, he has taken his art to a whole new level. Armed with a bachelor in Fine Arts from the Philadelphia University of the Arts, O’Neill specializes in realism, portraits, wildlife and horror, but his skills aren’t limited when it comes to tattooing. 

“Sometimes it makes no difference that I have a degree, but there are times that it does come in handy. It might be color theory, drawing, drawing and more drawing,” O’Neill jokes. “There is a very common misconception that if you draw, paint or airbrush that you will be a…

Swede SKICKAT

by Sean Brennan

Ask anybody from the Omaha metro area about the connection between Sweden and permanent body ink, and it’s likely you’ll get Stieg Larsson and his trilogy of bestselling novels (since made into movies) starting with the “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” as your answer.

Ask again after this weekend and the Omahan might tell you something else: Jens Arnkvist and Big Street Tattoo. Well, anyone that attends The Best in the Midwest Convention, that is.

Arnkvist, whose Big Street Tattoo shop hails from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, will appear at this weekend’s convention (Friday-Sunday at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs) alongside about 200 other tattoo artists. Ten percent of shops represented at the show will be from…

Chris Comes Home

by Kevin Simonson

Omaha is a veritable hotbed of talent. The city’s authors and musicians routinely grace national “best seller” lists. Alexander Payne is in contention for more Academy Awards this year. Johnny Carson, Fred Astaire and Marlon Brando, legends all, at one time called Omaha home. And then there’s Chris Blinston.

Unless you happen to have a tattoo in your household, Chris Blinston may not be a household name. However, in the World of Tattoos, he is perhaps as well known as Warren Buffett is to the denizens of Wall Street.
Blinston’s trek to star-status began in 1999 when he and a fellow Marine by the name of J.P. “Smitty” Smith created Big Brain Productions in Omaha. Blinston’s degrees…

Local Author Hopes for Pie

by James Derrick Schott

When life gives you lemons, make pie. At least, that’s what Omaha-based writer/comedian, Tony Endelman, author of Randy Penny: Cordially F@#*ing with People and I Hope There’s Pie, a recently released collection of personal essays about his life, touches upon in his latest book. “I was always the class comedian, but never really the class clown. I was the kid with the witty comment. I’ve always been a huge smart ass,” says the University of Wisconsin graduate.

It’s Endelman’s apparent lifelong penchant for cheekiness that inspired a practical joke at the office.  “I really wanted to (mess) with one of my bosses. So, I sent him an email (messing) with him.”

After a…

Cosmic Forecast, Feb. 23-Feb. 29

by MojoPo

Neptune, the mystical ruler of Pisces, rules mysticism, inspiration, that which can’t be defined, illusion, confusion, delusion, the color purple, the number 9, and the “doorway” to/through the next level. If you can define it, it’s not Neptune. Last week was all about Neptune. Confused yet? Let’s take a mystical peak at this week. There are no mistakes. Peace and love shall conquer all. MOJOPOPlanetPower.com

l PISCES (2.20-3.20)  Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to think. You don’t have to! It’s your season; you don’t need a reason. It’s your season of dreams on the sea of tranquility. Mystics rule. Get holy. Do your yoga — whatever that means to you. Drink deep from the ocean…

Stupid Human Tricks

by Michael Braunstein

Prepare for the polemic, a challenge to your beliefs. Some may find this list disagreeable but present-day perception is not its prism. Viewed through the perspective of time, it may become clear.

 Unless one can identify the problem, a solution is impossible. For their untold effects on health and wellness, we offer history’s Top Ten Most Disastrous Inventions. These have wrought havoc on the human race. Of course, there will be those who point to them as boons to mankind. For your consideration:

The Internal Combustion Engine When time has run its course and clarity prevails, the damage done to the earth and its inhabitants by this once-believed good idea will be tallied. We could have found…

Late Season Slump Threatens to Spoil Jay’s Dream Season

by Jason Krivanek

What a difference a week can make in the world of college basketball. It seems like just yesterday the Creighton Bluejays were soaring, with just 2 losses all season while playing some of the best, most inspiring basketball seen by the program in at least a decade.

The Jays, led by the stellar play of sophomore phenom Doug McDermott, had climbed all the way to 12th and 13th place in the major college polls. ESPN braketologists had the Jays pegged as high as a #3 seed for the Big Dance. This was all the makings of a dream season for the Creighton program. Then the alarm clock went off and the Jays hit snooze.

The nightmare began…