If you are in the LA area anytime between now and May I highly suggest visiting LACMA. The In Wonderland exhibit is really phenomenal.
North American Female Surrealists from the 30's to the 60's (think Frieda Kahlo and Lee Miller). Really beautiful work that put a lot of modern work in context for me.
Also the Metropolis II Exhibit is just incredible, here are some shaky camera phone videos I took but they give you a rough idea of the awesome intricacy of it...
Did you watch Ink Masters last night? If not you can watch the whole episode here!
I think a reality competition show about tattoo artists is a super cool idea. Basically the same format as Top Chef or Project Runway (which I am addicted to) but with WAY higher stakes.
Listening to Oliver's critiques on line work and shading was super interesting. That type of knowledge of what to look for in a tattoo artist will make for a more well informed public. I think the time limit to do the tattoos is a bit scary since they have to be on someone's body forever but I guess a good tattoo artist can budget their time accordingly. Some of the artists seem like they might need some more experience before they will get everything down perfectly though. Which is a little scary to watch and you feel for the human canvases, well most of them. Anything the contestants do though will likely be better than what the people might get from walking into the nearest open shop without a plan.
So the other day I was getting dressed, you know put my shirt and pants on and went about my morning business. After a minute or two I felt a sharp burning pain at my knee and then again and again. I reached my hand down my pants to see what it could be, and my finger had a similar pain. I pulled down my pants and there was a spider in my pants. That's right a spider, IN MY PANTS. I screamed (naturally) and ran around pants at my ankles freaking out. I had 6 bites on my knee and 1 bite on my finger.
I survived the incident but the trauma lingers.
Moral of the story, shake out your pants before you put them on, just in case. Better to be safe than sorry.