Come what may

Come what may

There's that saying "Do something once a day that scares you". I think I've been doing that for so long now that what scares me the most is slowing down and taking it easy. I guess once that happens that means I'll have to pick up the pieces of whatever is left and go from there. Hopefully there will be enough pieces left to salvage, and at least I'll have some stories to tell. But I am starting to think maybe I'd be quite content with a life not so unsettled.

Going completely against that recent epiphany, I've ended up back in Australia. I've had $50 Australian cash in my wallet since I left a year ago and I guess now I can finally spend it.

Bit of a side note: Along with the 'come what may' tattoo across my chest, this crazy life has left me with an entire rib cage littered with not-so-nice-looking scars and knife wounds. Please cover with more tattoos if possible. Thank you.

(I feel awful because I forget the name of the photographer that took that picture years ago - but you are great)        

Army of one

The passed 10 months:
Brooklyn
Manhatten
Los Angeles
Hollywood
Venice Beach
Orange County
Compton
Santa monica
Beverly hills
Bel Air
Long Beach
Blacktown
Brisbane
Byron Bay
Sunshine Coast
Sydney
Melbourne
Wolongong
Canberra
Mornington
Wagga Wagga
Holbrook
Coffs Harbour
Woombye
Mullumbimby
Brunswick Heads
Ocean Shores
Albury
Goulburn
Toronto
Newmarket
Vancouver
Whistler
And probably around 10 more that I'm forgetting or just never got the name of.

Finding myself, or maybe just getting more lost? I really don't know.

Moving around so often requires a sort of numbness to travel. It makes it easier to let go, leave behind, and move forward. But because of that, I often fail to realize the effect that that might have on others. If I've been selfish and ignorant - I'm sorry. Maybe naive at times, but I've never had anything but good intentions.

Uncertainty

Every day my life scares me. I still can't decide whether that means I'm doing something very wrong or something very right.

I'm in LA now, tattooing at California Tattoos right along the Hollywood stars walk of fame. There are mirrors everywhere so when I'm not tattooing I do quick 10 minute sketches to remind myself of how I need to shave.

Impermanence

While lost, brushing my teeth in the Vancouver rain, wandering around and running into friends from all over the world, I've come to realize my life is just a series of random happy accidents.

I am temporary.

It's a deep dark night and I hear you, I've been there

$10 a night gets me a foam mat in a small, grimy room packed with people. The guy in the bunk next to me snores and the guy in the bunk above talks in his sleep. I eat instant noodles with ketchup. I use a towel as a blanket. I sleep in my jacket, spooning my backpack, hoping nothing gets stolen while my eyes are closed. I listen to a lot of Bon Iver and try to sleep. It's tough to drown out the random guy playing banjo in the hallway and the guys fighting outside our window. Living the dream.

I'm tattooing at Dark Day Studios in Vancouver now - Main st and 29th (4560 Main St.). I tattoo for coffee and cookies. Just kidding (But not really). And if you say the secret code word, I give you a 25% discount. Hint: The secret code word is "platypus", so come get tattooed.

Also, check out the new 'Love Everyday' Facebook page! Wooo!

That slow dance didn't last very long

But god damn it was nice.

Sailing away from the safe harbor. Heading out on to more adventures. Excited to work on some things with Love Everyday along the way. 

I don't like good byes. Just leaving quietly the same way I came in. See you when I see you, Toronto, and thanks for letting me sleep on your couch.

I fall in love with every city that isn't my own.

I tattooed Kerri and Meghan and they made a twitter account for me. They said everyone cool is doing it and it would be good for business. So follow my adventures? I woke up in Brooklyn the other day. Somewhere between eating pizza and sneaking into the YMCA to take showers I went to a baseball game in some little park where everyone looked like an angrier version of Big Pun. If I wasn't phoneless/homeless I might have made a clever "tweet" about it. That's what you're missing out on. Also tattoos.

I started putting these pictures into a little myspace spot as well. It's basically like this except with my useless ramblings filtered out. So good!

Mike Mendes Tattoos

In other news, I've somehow been nominated as a Champion of Change and featured on the CBC News Site. I think that mostly means I have the best friends that are more amazing than I am and they decided to nominate me for this. You're wonderful.

 Champion of Change - Mike Mendes

Lost my heart under these neon lights

Greg got his first tattoo.

Skate 4 Cancer

We were bored at the shop the other day, so instead of working I got "Awesome" tattooed on one leg and "Super Cool" on the other leg. I think this means that I am in fact none of the above.

A week ago my friend told me to come skateboard across Australia with him, so in a few days I'm heading down there to do just that. Check it out if you haven't heard about it already. Skate 4 Cancer

 

I love dachshunds and Kerri because Kerri got me a dachshund calender for Christmas.

In the meantime, I'm trying to cram all my appointments into the next day or two that I'm here. If I don't get to you, I'm sorry :(  I will be back in a couple of months if I don't fall prey to deadly animals (Or get hit by a transport truck like my dad assured me I would)

 

 

Love Everyday !

Love Everyday from Mike Mendes on Vimeo.

Video by Graham Beasley,
Art by Mike Mendes

SO much thanks to
Daniel Johnson, from Stereos
Isis Salam, from Thunderheist
Billy Hamilton, from Silverstein
Richard Howard, from Staylefish
Rob Dyer, from Skate 4 Cancer
Rick Cordeiro, Greg Elliott, Stu Jakeman

Love Everyday

Video finally finished! Wooo. Not this though ,

Plus I stubbed my toe and have been bleeding for an entire hour so far.

TREE!

There is a letter from my landlord buried in my mailbox. Without even opening it, I can tell it's my 14th eviction notice.

I'm going to open it right now...

Yep, told you so.

 

Barely started and so so so much more to go.

 

GIRAFFES!

I write better with a tattoo machine than a pencil