{"id":12163,"date":"2023-11-12T16:59:50","date_gmt":"2023-11-12T21:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/?p=12163"},"modified":"2023-11-12T16:59:50","modified_gmt":"2023-11-12T21:59:50","slug":"life-a-tattoo-story-7-years-overdue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2023\/11\/12\/life-a-tattoo-story-7-years-overdue\/","title":{"rendered":"Life: A Tattoo Story, 7 Years Overdue"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='__iawmlf-post-loop-links' style='display:none;' data-iawmlf-post-links='[{&quot;id&quot;:538,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/53318849136&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20231119225423\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.flickr.com\\\/photos\\\/adamjackson\\\/53318849136&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2025-11-03 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12:04:46&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-02-28 11:07:43&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-26 00:55:53&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-21 16:26:01&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-04-21 16:26:01&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]'><\/div>\n<p><a title=\"View &#039;Tattoo&#039; on Flickr.com\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/adamjackson\/53318849136\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"Tattoo\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Tattoo\"  width=\"683\"  height=\"1024\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53318849136_20c55e2206_b.jpg\" ><\/a>I lived in Alabama from 1st to 6th grade. We moved there to be with my dad\u2019s grandparents in their later years. They passed away while we in Alabama and shortly after, we moved back to Florida. My dad who had been running a martial arts studio in Florida of course started one in the town we moved. He had a day job or two (building decks, hanging garage doors, building houses, working at the post office) but fitness and martial arts was always his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At this dojo, we met Frog, a hometown hero who earned his nickname from another (well-known) hometown hero, Charles Barkley. In high school school, Barkley was at the community pool with Frog as a small boy looked at the short pudgy boy in arm floats and called him Tadpole. That nickname stuck until he was a teen and graduated to being called Frog.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He had a natural ability for art and a steady hand and found himself a tattoo artist for Danzig, The Misfits and a fixture of the Birmingham Alabama punk rock and heavy metal scene as both a performer, groupie and tattoo artist. Frog came to my dad to learn martial arts but, like many of his students, dad saw the stress and anguish and lost nature of Frog and offered to be more than a martial arts teacher. He was frog\u2019s friend but also spiritual leader. The 6 short years we spent in Alabama were a great part of my childhood. Dad\u2019s gym had 500+ people come through our doors and everyone learned something about themselves. The community called us satanic worshipers because we bowed to a frame photo of his Japanese teacher instead of Jesus Christ. We broke up a child sexual abuse ring at the local baptist church (kids I went to school with and were in our class shared their stories with dad who helped get many children out of these situations), we defended ourselves against drunk rednecks who would come in the doors proclaiming they had to \u201cregister their hands as deadly weapons\u201d and once, against a pack of wild dogs who tried to kill me and Dad took one down with a samurai sword. We did scalp a guy\u2026once and totally on accident who didn\u2019t drop fast enough from a sword exercise. I accidentally busted a man\u2019s left ear-drum during training and dad once ripped all of the skin off his face during a drill \u00a0on carpet and kept training the full 90 minutes before getting medical attention. I miss most of all swimming in strip pits (old mining quarries) and hiking in the woods with Dad barefoot. It was a great place to be a child and the time I got to spend with my grandmother, grandfather and great grandparents was really special.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When we moved back to Florida, Frog took over dad\u2019s studio. He lived in the backroom for a while but he kept clean and never went back to drugs and used what he learned from dad within the metal scene to be a mentor and guide to other youth. He never stopped challenging authority and continued as a world famous tattoo artist.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Before we moved away, Dad got his first and only tattoo from Frog. After a dozen trips to Japan while I was a kid, Dad received from the grandmaster his animal spirit which was a white tiger. Dad chose a Japanese art inspired white tiger with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seidoshop.com\/blogs\/the-seido-blog\/41-clarifications-on-the-origin-of-the-character-bu\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BU symbol<\/a> on his arm for war.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As a young kid and teen, I thought I\u2019d always get a tattoo on my 30th birthday. I figured by then I\u2019d have enough life experience to not get something I\u2019d regret.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The only thing I knew for certain as a kid is that Frog would be my tattoo artist. I tried to connect with him when I was 30 and he was traveling. I never sat down in his chair and even though I had a few trips to Alabama in that span on motorcycle trips, it just didn\u2019t work out.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I signed up for a motorcycle event called Barber Vintage Museum which just so happened to take place close by to my dad\u2019s old studio and Frog\u2019s tattoo shop. I reached out 2 weeks before my trip to see if he was in town and I sent him a few concept arts. I also asked Dad if he\u2019d come up for the weekend. He\u2019s never been to one of my motorcycle rallies and honestly, he hasn\u2019t seen Frog since 2000 so 23 years ago of not seeing each other face to face. I felt it was a good time to get my tattoo, spend some quality time with Dad and plan an evening with Frog of all of us hanging out again. I hadn\u2019t seen frog since I was a tadpole myself, we moved away when I was 14 years old and I last saw him when I was 16. I\u2019m 37 now.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>The tattoo concept:<\/p>\n<p>My spirit animal, self-assigned and not from a grandmaster in Japan is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paper_tiger\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Paper Tiger<\/a>. Dad came up with it. I overcame many of the paper tiger characteristics through hard training and self-reliance. When I sparred with an Army Ranger for 2 hours because I refused to give up and he eventually passed out from exhaustion or when I nearly bit George\u2019s toe off after he almost snapped my knee\u2026dad told me I was overcome the animal and had graduated to tiger but I could never shake the paper tiger mindset. It\u2019s an animal attribute that I still have deep inside and find myself falling back on it sometimes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve wanted a paper tiger tattoo since I was 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I also always told myself that if I had children, I\u2019d want a canvas where I could add them to it. It looks like we\u2019ll just be having one child but I chose Japanese kanji that would allow for 3 cubs if that presented itself at some point in my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I spent a lot of time thinking about making my child\u2019s facsimile also a paper tiger but I really was drawn to the design.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As for the kanji, my dad follows the warrior way to this day. It\u2019s in his blood. It\u2019s a part of him. I have always followed the way of water. Flexible, movable, soft and immersive but can be hard as concrete if you hit at at enough speed. Water has the power to erode rocks, bridges, land and the strength to carry people away and drown them. But its power is in its flexibility. I chose the kanji for Aikido. From Wikipedia:\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n<em>The word &#8220;aikido&#8221; is formed of three kanji:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u5408 \u2013 ai \u2013 harmony, unifying<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u6c17 \u2013 ki \u2013 energy, spirit<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u9053 \u2013 d\u014d \u2013 way, path<\/em>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I studied many martial arts as a young man and none impacted my approach to life, a pursuit of my center and how I interact with the world than the philosophies and techniques of Aikido.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Mockups I sent to Frog:<\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"Mockup2.jpg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Mockup2\"  width=\"1530\"  height=\"1192\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Mockup2-jpg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"Mockup1.jpg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Mockup1\"  width=\"1456\"  height=\"2338\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Mockup1-jpg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<p>I also included a photo of Dad\u2019s tiger to jog his memory. I added this note,<em> \u201cDad\u2019s tattoo tiger has claws extended and open mouth. This aligns with warrior way and the Bu symbol but I\u2019m looking for a less-threatening protective tiger. I also don\u2019t think I can steal the white tiger and would prefer something more traditional\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Here are some photos from that evening spent with Frog and Dad but first dad carves up a burrito he and I split with a machete:<\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"IMG_5931.jpeg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"IMG 5931\"  width=\"960\"  height=\"1280\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG_5931-jpeg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"Mike Frog&#039;s Tattoo Ink House-5527October 06, 2023.jpeg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Mike Frog s Tattoo Ink House 5527October 06 2023\"  width=\"854\"  height=\"1280\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Mike-Frogs-Tattoo-Ink-House-5527October-06-2023-jpeg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"Mike Frog&#039;s Tattoo Ink House-5806October 07, 2023.jpeg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Mike Frog s Tattoo Ink House 5806October 07 2023\"  width=\"1280\"  height=\"854\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Mike-Frogs-Tattoo-Ink-House-5806October-07-2023-jpeg.webp\" ><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"IMG_5944.jpeg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"IMG 5944\"  width=\"1280\"  height=\"960\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG_5944-jpeg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"IMG_5952.jpeg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"IMG 5952\"  width=\"960\"  height=\"1280\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG_5952-jpeg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"IMG_5943.jpeg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"IMG 5943\"  width=\"1280\"  height=\"960\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG_5943-jpeg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"Mike Frog&#039;s Tattoo Ink House-5808October 07, 2023.jpeg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Mike Frog s Tattoo Ink House 5808October 07 2023\"  width=\"1280\"  height=\"854\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Mike-Frogs-Tattoo-Ink-House-5808October-07-2023-jpeg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"IMG_5962.jpeg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"IMG 5962\"  width=\"960\"  height=\"1280\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG_5962-jpeg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"IMG_5967.jpeg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"IMG 5967\"  width=\"960\"  height=\"1280\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG_5967-jpeg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<p>This is a photo taken right after it was done:<\/p>\n<p><img  loading=\"lazy\"  decoding=\"async\"  style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"  title=\"Resized_Resized_20231007_191408.jpeg\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"Resized Resized 20231007 191408\"  width=\"643\"  height=\"857\"  border=\"0\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Resized_Resized_20231007_191408-jpeg.webp\" ><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Honestly, the whole experience, despite being done 7 years later than I had planned ended up being completely worth it not because I got what I wanted (with no regrets because I\u2019m 37 and not 18) but more importantly, spending my weekend with dad at a motorcycle rally (my favorite thing) and a whole day with Frog and Dad who I spent 5 nights a week with at the dojo and 2 whole Summers with building decks and just hanging out like old friends. I was there for Dad\u2019s first tattoo and he was there for mine. It wasn\u2019t a close drive for him but everything aligned really well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Frog was available, dad was up for a drive and quite literally 2 weeks later, Matilda arrived and her place in my heart, life and as art on my arm was completely solidified. Literally in permanent ink. I\u2019m so happy with how this came together.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Thanks Frog and Dad.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>PS: sorry for the man-boob photos. I am down 6 more pounds since this photo was taken with about 25 more pounds to go until I reach my goal weight.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I lived in Alabama from 1st to 6th grade. We moved there to be with my dad\u2019s grandparents&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_custom_appearance":"","csco_disable_excerpt_posts_layout":false,"csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12163","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-life","7":"cs-entry","8":"cs-video-wrap"},"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb3IC4-3ab","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":212,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2009\/04\/10\/when-i-grow-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":12163,"position":0},"title":"\u2605 When I Grow Up&#8230;","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"April 10, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"We all had dreams and aspirations as kids. We all wanted to do something with our lives and I have a feeling most of us didn't fulfill those dreams. I had a close friend who told me she wanted to be an aerospace engineer and, at the time, she was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Life&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":82,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2009\/02\/23\/where-i-come-from\/","url_meta":{"origin":12163,"position":1},"title":"\u2605 Where I Come From&#8230;","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"February 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"My hometown isn't small but isn't big either. My county has about 100K people living in a 60 square mile area whereas my current town, San Francisco with a 7 square mile land size, has nearly 1 million people. My hometown was small but we had a Wal*Mart, McDonalds and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Life&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"High School Poll","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3499\/3305316478_02b114d20d_o.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":673,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2009\/11\/30\/realizing-concepts-and-realities-are-as-real-as-our-consciousness\/","url_meta":{"origin":12163,"position":2},"title":"\u2605 Realizing Concepts and Realities are as Real as our Consciousness","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"November 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"All photos taken by me this weekend a couple of them are from last year For just a moment, I\u2019d like to write about my Father. Since I moved to San Francisco, you may notice that most of my personal blog entries mention him at least once as a quote\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Motivational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Motivational","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/motivational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Me and Dad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2663\/4146716098_d25667dd8a.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4309,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2014\/11\/28\/linked-the-kids-are-not-alright\/","url_meta":{"origin":12163,"position":3},"title":"Linked: &#8220;The Kids are not Alright&#8221;","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"November 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"via Slate: 15% of college students now experience from chronic anxiety, self-mutilation is rampant, affecting 15% of all adolescents, and 40% of women in college will suffer from anorexia or bulimia, all in an attempt at exerting some form of control over their own lives. This same innate need to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Linked&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Linked","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/linked\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":710,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2009\/12\/15\/the-best-christmas-gift-ever\/","url_meta":{"origin":12163,"position":4},"title":"\u2605 The Best Christmas Gift&#8230;Ever!","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"December 15, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"It was May 31st, 1996, just before midnight and I was only asleep for a couple of hours when I was awoken suddenly by Dad. My favorite Nike t-shirt and shoes were laid out on the floor because this night had been in preparation for a long time. For the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Life&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cheyenne (my sister)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2674\/4189144440_84dcaa9625.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7621,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2018\/11\/14\/linked-forbes-30-under-30-and-self-made\/","url_meta":{"origin":12163,"position":5},"title":"Linked: Forbes&#8217; 30 under 30 and &#8216;Self-Made&#8217;","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"November 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"@Hels on Twitter: My take is: all 30 Under 30 lists should include disclosure of parental assets Aditi Juneja (one of the 30 in a rebuttal): Of course, the truth is that none of us are entirely self-made. Most of us receive government support, for one thing. When asked, 71\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Linked&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Linked","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/linked\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12163\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}