As you said to me: The negative space kills it. XD Not anything against you. Anyways, yeah, that's a little too much negative space. GREAT avatar though. ^_^ If you want some CnC on the actual tag, do tell, because I will.
I'll admit I like the old paper texture thing going on, it could become something nice if it wasn't too empty on the left. You could add your favourite quote there, for example. It's pretty nice, but could have more as a signature.