How in the world is shopping desirable to anyone? Why does the idea of looking for something to spend money on sound fun and appealing? If you don’t know what you want or need, then save your money until an occasion comes where you will need it. I’m even more confused by the appeal of shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

I understand people want to get shopping done for the holidays but I don’t understand how it’s seen as fun. If I need something, I’m going into the store to purchase the item and get out as soon as humanly possible. I’m not glancing around for ideas for the fun of it.

When it comes to Christmas shopping, doing it online makes so much more sense to me. You don’t have to worry about battling traffic on the way there. You don’t have to take an extra hour out of your day to go pick up whatever you need and you don’t have to stand in long lines. Plus, it’s not like there’s any guarantee that you’re going to find what you want or need and if you end up having to take it back, you wasted a trip.

So in order to avoid the Walmart crowds and those at the Tyler malls, why not save yourself the hassle? I mean, seriously, why wouldn’t you? I guess I’m not giving advice as much simply asking why in the world would you voluntarily put yourself through that if you don’t need to. There are some things we’ll never understand.

After seeing the trailer for the movie, “The Big Short,” I had no idea what I just watched. To me, it wasn’t clear what the premise of the film is but one thing was clear; the movie has several big-named actors.

That can be a really good thing or really bad because from what I’ve seen in the past with movies that have big casts is they often rely on the big names and the story lacks. Who knows, that may not be the case here but we’ll see (or some of us will).

The movie is based on true story and stars Brad Pitt as Ben Rickert, Christian Bale as Michael Burry, Finn Wittrcok as Jamie Shipley, Karen Gillan as Evie, Ryan Gosling as Jared Vennett, Marisa Tomei as Cynthia Baum, Steve Carell as Mark Baum and many others.

What is the actual plot? Well perhaps you should view the trailer and decide for yourself because truth is, I have no idea. I’ve only seen the trailer once so perhaps I’d have a better idea if I watched it again but at the same time, it might be a better idea to let it remain a mystery. I do know it’s got one heck of a cast though.

The world is made up of about seven billion petty tyrants and we all deal with our own and other’s hang ups in different ways. When we need to make confession or otherwise unburden ourselves, many of us seek the council of our priests or pastors. Others prefer a more secular / medical guidance found in therapy. But there is a huge segment of humanity that takes its council from more pedestrian sources. Bartenders are like this. How many works of literature, cinema and the like, contain characters like the bar keep who observes human nature up close, and when called upon to do so, dispenses wisdom to patrons?

Professions of this nature place the attentive practitioner in the unique position to connect to those with no other connection or to allow for a vulnerability that can only come from anonymity. One such profession is the tattoo artist.

I met Floyd Guinn, the owner and operator of “Redeeming Tattoos,” a few years back and was so intrigued by him and his business that I wrote an article for this directory. I found him intriguing because Floyd is a practicing Christian in a profession many Christians would shy away from… which is a big part of why he does it; aside from the fact he’s tremendously talented.

When we recently sat down to talk he told me of conversations he’d had with folks who’d never dreamed of darkening the doorway of a church. Often times he works with suffering customers who will sit through physical pain, often for hours at a stretch while the artist shares his faith with them. And then, they’ll come back for more. Floyd has given his honest opinion to those struggling with identity issues, prayed with atheists, and helped cancer patients recover something of what they’ve lost due to surgery. His profession has placed him in the unique position to encounter vulnerable humanity.

Of course not all Floyd’s customers are outside the main stream of society. They are often Christians seeking to quietly express their individuality and faith. And while Floyd and his artists will do generally any kind of work, tattoos with Christian and religious themes are the shops specialty. For what it’s worth, the owner told me candidly, that at times he has discouraged potential customers from getting tattooed and while it’s not the norm, it’s nice to see someone put the good of his customers above personal profit.

To read my original article entitled “Redeeming Tattoos, A Christian Tattoo Parlor in Tyler” click on the following link. http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/3144/tyler-texas-tattoos/ Also, for more information, look for Redeeming Tattoos on Facebook.