Endings and Beginnings ...

As 2017 comes to a close, the opening monologue from the fourth season of "Babylon 5" seems particularly poignant...

It was the year of fire, 

the year of destruction,

the year we took back what was ours.

It was the year of rebirth, 

the year of great sadness, 

the year of pain, 

and the year of joy.

It was a new age.

It was the end of history.

It was the year everything changed.

So on behalf of all the officers of the Forty-First precinct ... for those who have been Transformed into something more than they were...

and those who have been through the Process and emerged enhanced and tempered by the experience...

and those waiting for the chance of a lifetime...

A very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a wonderful, healthy, and Happy New Year!

Rant of the day: Politically incorrect fat-shaming

I have just about had it with the whole "I'm fat and I'm proud of it" thing.

You shouldn't be. It's not only unhealthy, but you look repulsive and you probably have body odor because of the high lipid intake metabolizing poorly. You know when someone drinks too much beer they "smell like a brewery"?? Well, boys and girls, a similar miasma permeates the air around you.

Fat-shaming is GOOD because it's the plain, unvarnished (and yes, painful) truth - whether you want to hear it or not. You probably got yourself into that predicament because of all the moral (and immoral) relativism around. If someone actually said to you, "You've put on some weight - you looked better when you were thinner" I sincerely doubt you'd be where you are today.

I can say this because I used to be a porker myself. The best day of my life was when I no longer had to go to the department store and get pants from the "husky" section. I went on a diet, exercised and lost about 60-70 pounds. Not using Slim-Fast. Not Nutrisystem. Not Jenny Craig. Just common sense and portion control. And I've kept it off for 38 years.

I can tell when I put on 5 pounds and I simply cut back on everything until I lose it.

This rant was brought to you by this picture.

I can only imagine what this guy looks like in regular clothes. Rubber can be slimming, but in this case, there's a limit of what it can compress. Honestly, if you want to feel sexy about yourself, looking like that, spend money on healthy food, and an exercise program. Just walk, for God's sake! That and swimming are the two best exercises around. And just imagine how sexy you'd feel when your pants start getting looser and looser!!

You may never get to look like a physique model, but you'll look a helluva lot better in rubber and everything else!

Photo Study #34: SPFX Black Senior Redux

I don't recall if I had ever published  my shoot with my SPFX Black Senior, but from the very start, it was an abomination. I like black guy masks and after seeing how good it looked, I wanted to get one.

There were multiple bubbles in the mask itself, there were no ear holes, the eyeholes had been cut cock-eyed, and there were thin areas in multiple areas of the mask. Even sending it off to Brian Wright for repairs/corrections made it somewhat better, but at that point, SPFX quality was in the toilet, and I kicked myself for buying it. But it looked decent - not great - after it was haired with brows and stache looking like Danny Glover from "Lethal Weapon".

The final straw occurred when I tried it on at a later point and the silicone oil that Rusty had used as a deadener had leached out of the mask, leaving it stretched beyond wearing. Completely disgusted, I sold it on ebay.

And because I was so glad to get rid of it, I didn't purchase USPS insurance for it. The guy that bought it from me (in Florida, who worked at some adult cabaret) claimed that the box was torn open and resealed, and an empty box was delivered to him. I believed him (stupid, stupid me) and refunded his money, thinking that either ebay or paypal would help me out. Nope. I even contacted the local sheriff in Florida and never received anything back. I'm sure the sonofabitch lied to me and I still curse him to this day. So I not only lost the mask, but I was also out $800 and shipping. I got a whopping $50 back from USPS.

Lesson learned - NEVER sell a mask without insurance.

But I still missed having an older black guy.

Enter Yves Gravelle of Metamorphose Masks.

I love Yves - he is such a joy to work with. I asked him if he could take a "Soul Man" and make it look like my Black Senior. I have a Soul Man of his already and love the way it fits. I sent him reference pics, and after about 6-8 weeks, I received a new mask. 

Yves also does beautiful work in hairing masks. He's diversified into hairing and repainting other vendors' masks as well. I HIGHLY recommend him for any revision, repair or hairing mask work you may have.

It's a beauty. Fits great overall, and excellent eye and lip fitment as well. And Yves makes amazing bibs on his masks. He's also upped his painting skills by a magnitude of ten, so the new black guy I got really is an amazing work of art. Here's a movement video that Yves made of the mask before it was mailed out:

I'm extremely happy with the new me (or him), so here are some shots of the "new and improved" electrician, Kaden Ross...