Me Want

Me want new piercings. Me want new piercings now. And the caveman speak is totally appropriate.

I'm debating getting my tongue and/or nipple(s) repierced. Thanksgiving is next week and if I got it done Wednesday night, then I'd have the next 4 days to recover. I have to work Friday morning, but I rarely answer the phone and it's only a half day. It also falls into the not so obvious category. If I can find my old jewelry, that would be even better because it's pink. Hardly anyone noticed the last time I had it, so I don't see why this time should be any different.

The same goes for the nipples. No one will ever know and I'm at a point where they could probably heal quite happily. I just want to be sure they'll be done right. In talking with Jason, the best I can figure is they were pierced too deep the first time which resulted in the ridiculous pain and poor healing. Also no offense to Jason as I know he's quite a capable piercer, but I think I want a lady to do it. The owner, at least I'm pretty sure she's the owner, of Kolo where I got my belly button done years ago is a woman, so if I could get in with her, that'd be good times.

It remains to be seen if I have the balls to go through with any of it. Though I did have the balls to darken up my hair which I thought I'd never do, so who knows? Stranger things have happened.

Misty Part 2 Experience

All the usual disclaimers apply to my photography skills. It is, indeed, quite difficult to take a picture of your own arm. Anywhoo...

I love her. She looks awesome. I love the blue in her hair. That might be my favorite thing about her, though the whole thing looks great. Another A+ for Kurt's work. At this point when I'm getting tattooed, it's more an issue of boredom than pain. Sure there were some unpleasant parts like tattooing over a bruise and on the ball of my shoulder, but otherwise it was just an exercise in trying to not get uber bored. It was another two hour sitting and there's some detail work he wants to do. So we're gonna let her heal up and then see what else can be done. Typical artist, nothing is perfect. :P

Apparently the Halloween party was huge and awesome. I wished I could've been there, but hey, marrying off your best friend *is* kind of important. The good news is they're hosting another party in January that sounds even more my style so that made up for it. I think there was even a point where I jumped up and down when Kurt was telling me about it. Plus, it's right after my birthday so I'll feel like it's a belated birthday party. Joy!

I may join the "lady head" club. Jeremy, one of the newer guys at Ink & Dagger, has tattooed one on Jason and Kurt. I definitely wanted one, so I emailed him and we're gonna work something out. It probably won't be until late December or early January just because of weddings, holidays, and finances. I think my style is a bit of a challenge, but I have faith in his skills. They're great looking pieces. I'm still debating where I want to put her. Kurt & Jason both have theirs on their calves, but I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm leaning toward putting her on my left thigh just inside Pretty Bird. I've got time to think about it. I'm probably not gonna seriously worry about it until about a week before I want it done.

So now next on the list is my creepy pin up girl on my left forearm by Danielle. I'm really looking forward to her. She seemed confident that she could finish her in one session, especially if we start early. So I guess we'll see. I'd like to get her done in one sitting if possible. I hate multi-session pieces. Of course, if it has to be that way, then it has to be that way. I also need to figure out who's going to do the filler for my sleeve. I'm leaning toward Kurt because we seem to be very much on the same wavelength about the style I'm looking for.

Also, Kurt will have an article coming out in Prick sometime in the next few months. I'll keep my eyes peeled and post when I see it. Perhaps Lucius will be in there?

Backlogged Blogging

Hello my loyal readers.

I've been sadly behind in my blogging thanks to being in 2 weddings in 8 days in two different states and participating in National Novel Writing Month for the month of November. I'll try to post more often and just generally get my shit together. There's lots of exciting things to tell, so keep your eyes peeled the next week or so. I promise pictures, experiences, and upcoming events will be revealed.

Until then, don't do anything I wouldn't do. ;)

Pining for Piercings

I miss my piercings. Mostly my tongue, nose, and nipples. I could actually probably get away with having my tongue pierced as long as it was in the pink family or flat on the top instead of a ball. Though my work situation may be in flux in the near future, so perhaps I should hold off. I really want my lip pierced still, but that's just not gonna happen. There's really no way to hide it. I guess I'll just have to wait until I quit working for the man and become a bohemian poet.

When I told Jason how much my nipple piercings hurt, he was surprised. He thinks they were pierced too deep or something along those lines the first time. I'll buy it. Possibly TMI, but my nipples can put up with quite a bit of abuse and that almost brought me to tears. So if I decide to get them repierced, I'll get Jason to do it. I'm not shy. ;) It's not like I can afford it now anyway. My financial situation won't really be improving after all. I guess something to save up for? I was planning on taking a break from the tattoos, so maybe I'll go back to piercings.

Hrm...

Hillbillies and Freak Shows

Sunday is apparently my day to blog lately. Whatevs.

Russ and the Ink & Dagger crew are teaming up with Twain's and hosting a Halloween party. Alas, I will be in Virginia for a wedding on Halloween, so I won't be attending. So if you find yourself with nothing to do on Halloween, put on your hillbilly best and head over to Twain's. They're also doing $60-$100 Halloween themed tattoos during the day. I saw the flash sheet and they have some good stuff to choose from. Maybe next year for me...

Sat with Matt for the second session of his sleeve. They made his sword swallower look more masculine because apparently people couldn't tell that he was a he. Kurt was working on a really cool side piece. I love his work. Of course, doesn't make much sense to have someone's work you don't like on you.

I actually got to walk down the aisle at my friend's wedding without covering the tattoos at all. The airbrushing didn't work (as I'd suspected) so I just went au naturale. It was a great moment. I also got lots of compliments on them, which made me happy. All's well that ends well.

For Now...

I'm scheduled to get Misty finished on Nov. 7. I even put down a deposit this time, which I probably should've done last time. Lesson learned. I'll miss their Halloween party and $60-$100 Halloween tattoos because I'll be out of town. Lame. I'm sure I'll hear all about it afterwards. I always do.

Once I finish Beverly on Black Friday, which is the 27th this year, I think I'm done for a while. I'll get the filler for my left sleeve done at some point after Christmas because Meg's wedding is the Saturday before and to be done healing, it'd have to be done 2-3 weeks beforehand which would mean Beverly wouldn't be healed yet. So, I might as well wait until after everything is done and I have some Christmas/birthday money at my disposal.

My thigh is to the peeling and itching stage, which is my least favorite. Naturally all I want to do is soak in a nice bath, which can't happen for probably another week or so. This round has healed a lot better though, so I think he'll look nice for pictures. That's the point, after all.

Odds And Ends Part 308

Got my thigh touched up Thursday night. I sat for another hour and a half, so that brings the total up to 10 hours for just the one piece. It looks great, though. I haven't had many problems this time around. It's a little sore and if I sit for too long, it tightens up, but generally I'm doing much better than last time. When he's all healed up, we'll get proper pictures. Some gems from that night:

Russ: Damn girl, get a razor
Me: I never shave my thighs. You're the first guy to complain about it.
Russ: I'm the first guy to see it!

Jason: Jeremy gave me a lady head, too.
Russ: Jason, will you put on a wig and give me some lady head?
Jason: No, dude, that's gay.

After I was done, they insisted I watch some of these videos on YouTube. I'm convinced at least some of them are fake. But that's a whole other story for another time.

I bumped my appointment with Danielle to Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). Now that all is smoothed over with Kurt, I'd like to get Misty finished after Halloween. I don't really have time to get her finished and healed before the weddings. Since I'm going to be airbrushed, everything needs to be all healed up.

I got sent home from BBW on Wednesday because my tattoos were showing. It was total bullshit, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. It was a floorset (read: don't need to abide by dress code), so I didn't think anything of wearing a t-shirt, plus I'd just come from the gym. A lady asked me about them and then the manager on duty got all huffy and sent me home over it. I talked to the store manager about it today and she said that while she saw the point, she could've handled it better. Frankly, it's so rare that we do floorsets during selling hours anyway I doubt it'll be an issue in the future, but it was still irritating. Of course, she had a chip on her shoulder for other reasons that I found out today. It made more sense when I figured that out. Doesn't give her an excuse to be all passive aggressive about it though.

Consults and Touch Ups

I had my consult with Danielle today for the last spot on my left arm. We decided to take this girl:

http://imagecache5.art.com/p/LRG/12/1285/NUQT000Z/billy-de-vorss-tie.jpg

And make her more gothic and sinister to fit with what I already have. She's actually going to have tattoos as well, which I think is gonna look awesome. I think we're gonna give her a full sleeve and flowers in her hair so she looks a little more like me. Danielle was really into it, which was also exciting. It's always way better when the artist is into it. So I'm set for Nov 4 and she thinks she can do it all in one session. Rock on.

I'm also set for my touch up with Russ. I'll be seeing him Thursday night. That'll be good to finally get done, though my thigh doesn't think so. It won't be nearly as bad as the last time, though. I should be able to walk just fine after just a touch up. Russ didn't seem to think it would take that long, so I figure it won't be that traumatic. I don't have much desire to walk around like a pirate for another 2 days.

I still haven't figured out what to get Kurt to atone for canceling on him. I'm really leaning toward the gift certificate for a nice dinner. Who doesn't like going out to dinner? I know I'd be pretty happy with that. So maybe I'll just go with that. I'll refresh my memory on the prices of the stuff at this place and determine how much seems right for a dinner with drinks and dessert. After all, might as well go whole hog. Then once I do that, I'll schedule the second session for Misty and stick to it. I'd like to get it done with enough time to be healed or mostly healed by the first wedding, so that puts me getting it done sometime next week. I guess we'll see. I still have to atone after all and I'll give him a ridiculously big tip. I gave him over 20% last time, so I think that's appropriate for this time around.

Also, a shout out to my friend Grace who got her first tattoo this week and it looks awesome. Congratulations, girl! Welcome to the club.

I Like To Watch

So Wednesday Matt started his sleeve. I actually ended up getting there not long after they got started. It's gonna be a really amazing piece when it's done. The concept is circus freak banner art, which is just cool to begin with. It was nice to watch someone else get poked for once. I got to show off some of my spelling and grammar skills. It's the small things in life.

Tomorrow Jenn starts her 3/4 sleeve. I'll be interested to see how it works with what she already has. It's always fun to see how these things grow. I'm sure when my sleeves are done, they'll look a lot more cohesive than they do now. Yes, I've decided I'll eventually have two full sleeves. My parents will swallow their tongues, so I think I'll ease them into it. I want the left one done first, but that probably won't happen before my birthday. I have to cover them up for the weddings and I don't want to have to fuck with more than I have to. I may have to finish Misty after the Halloween wedding so I know she'll heal right. It all depends on when I start getting paid a decent salary. I thought it would be in by this paycheck, but no dice. If it's not in by my next check, heads are gonna roll. I'm already on Kurt's shit list for canceling last Sunday and rightfully so. So I have to figure out something to give him to make amends and show just how sorry I am. I'm also gonna give him a ridiculous tip when she gets finished.

Rational Choices

I was supposed to get Misty finished today, but I think I'm gonna cancel. After looking at my credit card bill and the fact that money I was expecting didn't come in, I really can't justify the cost. I feel bad canceling at the last minute, but I really don't have any other choice. I guess I'll see when my salary will be kicking in and go from there. Hopefully it'll be with enough time that she'll be healed by late October so I can have my arms airbrushed for the wedding.

It's not like I'll be without tattooing this week. As far as I know, no one else has changed their plans so I'll still get to hang out in tat shops and watch other people get poked. Sounds good enough to me.

The dermal is healing nicely. All the bruising is gone and it seems to be healing up just fine. It's still flush against my chest and I like the lower placement. One of my co-workers suggested I get more, but I think that would be pushing the dress code a bit. They tolerate one, but I don't forsee them tolerating 2-3 going down my sternum.

So that's the latest updates. With the permission of those being tattooed this week, I may blog about their experiences. Keep your eyes peeled.

Tattoo Week '09

I finally got around to scheduling Misty's second session. I'll be going in Sunday the 20th at 1. That's actually going to be a tattoo filled week. We should be able to finish Misty on Sunday, then Matt starts his sleeve on Wednesday, and Jenn starts her 3/4 sleeve that Saturday. I'm pretty excited about it. It's rare I get to see other friends tattooed. It'll be weird to not be the one in the chair.

I'm also a week away from earning my first two stars. I won't really bother to schedule those. I'll probably just call next Friday and see when Mark can fit me in. They'll probably take all of about 20 minutes to do. I don't want them to be huge, but big enough that they'll age well. I don't want something the size of a gnat. Maybe more like a dime. My ultimate vision is to have them snaking up the inside of my right arm, all representing some milestone. Different sizes, colors, and styles of stars each to commemorate a goal I set for myself. Who knew I'd actually have a tattoo with meaning behind it? I sure didn't.

Two Rants, One Old, One New, Neither Borrowed, Nor Blue

I also am trying to get rid of a migraine, so this is going to be more ranty than usual. You have been warned.

Rant #1-The Old-Touching Me Without My Permission

I've gone over this before. I don't like being touched by people I know, much less complete strangers. When I want to be touched, you'll know. The girl working in Old Navy today decided it was totally okay to pull my sleeve up to get a better view of Lucius. EXCUSE ME!!! Did I extend my arm? Did I make any gesture whatsoever that said it was okay to do that? No. Back the fuck off. I will gladly show you my tattoos, but it's not an open invite to touch me. Would you touch someone you didn't know who didn't have tattoos? No. Again I say, back the fuck off. ARG. I really need to start wearing a sign that says something to the affect of "Yes, my tattoos are pretty. No, please don't touch me". Maybe then people would get the hint.

Rant #2-The New-Your Too Hot To Have Tattoos

Grammatical error intentional on my part, not the hapless idiot that typed it in the first place. I find that statement so deeply offensive I'm not even sure where to start. I find it's usually spouted by some douchebag in a polo shirt and Sperrys or a tub of lard who couldn't attract a woman with a pair of Jimmy Choos tied around his neck. I'm glad you think that your opinion has so much sway that I'll change my mind because I would be less hot to you. If tattoos means you wouldn't be interested in me, I'll take a full body suit, kthxbai. Maybe I'm completely radical in my belief that my opinion only really matters to me and those who solicit it. I'll be more than happy to tell you what I think, but ultimately, it's your body. If you really want that tribal butterfly, at least let me point you to someone who would do a good tribal butterfly (or as good as humanly possible with that kind of source material). Plenty of people don't like my tattoos, both just the fact that they're tattoos and to a lesser degree, the subject matter. Most of them also have the sense God gave a turnip to realize that it's not their body. It's mine. I'm the one who will live with it forever. I guess some men just didn't get that memo.

I feel slightly now. I guess slightly better is better than not at all.

Bad Emily!

I do NOT need to get a tattoo from Ink & Dagger's guest artist this weekend and put more on my credit card. No! Bad! *slaps hand*

It Was A Bash...

The picture is the inspiration for my last focal piece on my left sleeve. I love her. She's perfect. However, she won't fit in the spot I have to work with. I talked to Tyson (www.tysonmcadoo.com) about it and he said while he didn't have time to modify her himself, he would help Russ any way he could if Russ ends up tattooing her. So I emailed Russ the idea and still haven't heard back. It's not like I won't be down there anytime soon, but if I want to get her done on the timeline I'm hoping for, then we're gonna need to set something up soon. I guess I'll know more in a few weeks.

My dermal spot still isn't totally healed so it can't be reset yet. It's looking like sometime Friday afternoon. At least I'll have the house to myself next weekend so I don't have to make up a reason why I'm going out. Not that it would really matter because it's not a new piercing, but still. They get uppity about odd things. If Jason has a glass retainer on hand, maybe I'll get my nose done for the last time. I also still want my tragus redone. The wishlist isn't getting any shorter. Le sigh.

All Eyes On Me

ARG.

Let me preface this by saying I don't necessary have issue with the content of the conversation, but the method he chose to approach the conversation.

I've made no effort to hide my new tattoos. I didn't really want to start wearing long sleeves just to prolong when they'd find out about them. My mom gave Misty & Dodgie the evil eye a few times, but didn't say anything. Then this morning in the car on the way to work, my dad starts busting my balls about it. For those who don't know, I'm not a morning person. I hate mornings. I think they were invented by Satan to torture us. So if you want to talk to me about something important, don't do it before about 10am. I'll resort to biting your head off which is pretty much exactly what happened. Not only that, there was nowhere for me to go. So he's cornered me and instead of, say, walking away to cool off and have a reasonable conversation later, I'm relying on emotional reactions. He does it to my mom, too, so I dunno what the logic is behind it. I was seriously considering if I could tuck and roll and survive.

When I tried to address the underlying issues of why he forced me to agree to this stupid sabbatical or whatever in the first place, he was all "that's not the point". Then what is?! I don't feel guilty about going back on something I was strongarmed and guilted into agreeing to. It doesn't make me immature or unreliable. He knows full well that I'm actually very mature for my age (I know that sounds like such a 14 year old thing to say, but I have independent verification :P) and reliable. It's not like I offered someone a kidney and then backed out of it. The simple fact of the matter is we'll never agree on this. His three main arguments for why I shouldn't have the "volume" of tattoos I do are as follows:

1. It will hold me back professionally
2. I shirk my bills to pay for tattoos
3. No man will ever want me

Shall we examine these a bit more closely? I think yes.

1. Obviously not if I was just given a promotion and will be gaining a whole new set of job skills. There are tons of successful people in the world with way more tattoos than I have. I've demonstrated that covering them up isn't a big deal. Plus, I don't expect to be in the industry I'm in forever, so that may not always be the case. Who knows what I could end up doing. Even if I stay on this path, there's nothing wrong with wearing a full suit every day (with my own special touches of course!).

2. I actually save and budget quite carefully to make sure that I don't miss a bill in order to pay for a tattoo. On many occasions, I've put off or limited the length of a session to make sure I had the money on hand to pay everybody.

3. This one is just ridiculous to me. If my recent social life has been any indication whatsoever, if I really wanted a boyfriend, I could have one. I could have several. Even if there's a guy I like who doesn't like me because of my tattoos, then he very obviously wasn't meant for me. I would expect my mom to bust out with something like that, but my dad? Oy! I've found if anything guys like girls with tattoos because they think it means we're wild in other aspects as well. There may be some truth to that...

At some point I'm just gonna come out and tell him my whole grand plan. He won't change my mind, I can do that just fine on my own, but maybe he'll be more inclined to keep his mouth shut if he knew it was going to happen. Or maybe I'm just deluding myself. Either way, I plan on revealing my plans to him in the next week or so.

*goes to look for riot shield and tear gas*

Sleeve Step 1

Yesterday I moseyed over to Ink & Dagger and decided to go ahead and start my sleeve. I knew I wanted the Misty Benson print, so I pulled it up to show Kurt. He liked the idea and took me around 6pm. We got about 2ish hours fo work done on her and all the really sucky stuff like shading.

The pictures aren't great, but that's what happens when you take a picture of your own arm. Also, the autofocus on my camera goes off when you turn the flash off, so that's why the first one is blurry. It gives a pretty good idea of placement and how the arm is going to look. She's gonna be reds and blacks with purple highlights. The kitty is pretty much done, though I dunno if he's totally finished or not. We should finish her up in about 3 weeks. I'm sure I'll be healed before then, but I want to make sure everything I want done can be done.

Kurt had a similar idea to mine as to filler and tying the whole thing together to make it look like a sleeve. He suggested some kind of vine work or filigree and I wanted iron work inspired filigree with roses or rosebuds interspersed. I'm also toying with the idea of having something not so nice spelled out in there, but we'll see. It depends on how ballsy I'm feeling, but part of me thinks it would be hilarious to have "bite me" or "fuck off" worked in somewhere so that you have to look really close to see it, otherwise it just looks pretty. Another part of me thinks it might be pushing the envelope too much.

I'm also wearing one of the Man Day shirts, if you can tell. I didn't get one on Man Day probably because I was working (and loving it like the goof I am). It certainly makes me feel manly, like I needed any help!

Various Updates

It's been about a week and the new tattoos are almost healed. There's still a little bit of scabbing which will probably be taken care of when I shower. I love text tattoos. They heal so fast.

I'm waiting to hear back from the piercer if he's at the shop today. I noticed my dermal is sticking out pretty far and I'm afraid it's gonna work itself out. I caught it on my seatbelt a few days ago and I guess it got a better yank than I thought. If he's not in, I'm gonna have to figure out sometime during the week to go.

In less happy news, Hell City is in two weeks and I'm not going. *sigh* It would've been great to see Muriel again and collect a new tattoo (or four). Maybe next year and maybe someone else can go with me. That'd be more fun than going by myself anyway. As I learned in New York, I'm only good at entertaining myself for about 2-3 hours.

And So It Is

So yesterday was the day. I got there 15 minutes late and Mark wasn't there yet (big shocker). It gave me time to eat since I hadn't eaten anything yet. I had several fonts picked out and I decided on the one that was still pretty, but would be legible for the future.

We got the placement on the first try and it doesn't look stupid when I have my arms down by my sides. It really wasn't that painful, but at this point, it takes a good bit to get my attention. Plus, we were done in all of about 35 minutes. Yet another reason to feel the love for text tattoos. I was wrapped up and out of the chair less than an hour after I got there. It was good to see Mark again. I forget how much I miss the cranky bugger's commentary. Hilarious.

I don't feel too bad about breaking my "promise". Most people haven't even noticed them yet. The ones who've asked are the ones who knew I was getting them in the first place. I feel like it was the right time to do it. I'm happy with them and they mean a lot to me and will very likely take on a deeper meaning in the next few months. If I'm gonna eventually have a full sleeve, everyone's going to have to get used to it.

The One Worth Sleeving

So much for being over the cold by Tuesday evening. It's Thursday night and I'm still hacking, have lost my voice, and spent most of today asleep. I've still got time until Saturday, but I'm not going to reschedule for a second time. I'm feeling a lot better than I was on Monday and Tuesday, but it would be nice to get rid of this cough. I have tattoos to get, dammit.

I'm gonna have to work out a design for my sleeve pretty soon. I have to figure out a way to work the text into the overall look I want for the sleeve. I have a general theme, but no real specific ideas. I like the look of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, but I don't want anything taken from it. Lucy was inspired by a Tim Burton character, so it follows. I know I want it more loose and open than fully colored in. I never thought that the fully colored in look would work well on me, or most women for that matter. I think it looks great on guys. Plus, with all my moles and skin imperfections that need to monitored, having everything colored wouldn't work anyway. I think a mixture of iron work inspired filigree and more roses would be a good jumping off point. I want Lucy to stay the focal point and I don't want make the text unreadable. A lot of it depends on who ends up doing the sleeve or if it becomes some kind of collaboration. I guess it's already a collaboration in the sense that the current 3 pieces were all done by different people, but still look somewhat cohesive. All if this is probably in the distant future anyway, but I'd rather get it worked out now so I can make sure it's the best looking sleeve it can possibly be.

Plans Foiled

I woke up this morning with a nasty cough which went away and was replaced by my sinuses filling up with fluid. The first rule of being tattooed is don't do it if you don't feel 100%. I'm gonna call Mark when they open, apologize profusely, and reschedule for next weekend. It probably works out for the best because I'm on my own next weekend and then can save the epic battle when my parents get home Tuesday or Wednesday.

edit: I'm set for 2pm next Saturday. I'm actually feeling better already thanks to 4 extra hours of sleep, Sudafed, and some tea. I'll probably be over this completely by Tuesday morning. I guess it was just a sign that today wasn't the day. Who am I to argue with the universe?

It doesn't make me any less pissed about it, though.

Highlights From Man Day

Man Day

I took pictures, but yet again can't find the cord for my camera, so they're forthcoming. I swear.

We got there around 3 and it was pretty busy. The list for tattoos was already three pages long, but I went ahead and added myself just in case they could fit me in before I needed to leave. I meant to get a shirt, but never got around to it. I also got my picture taken inside the cutout of the artwork for man day. Mama always said I'd make someone a good husband. ;) Jenn and Lauryn participated in the smoking contest which entailed seeing who could get it down to the butt while inhaling the fastest. Ah, hilarious. They were having trouble getting participants for the wing eating contest and I didn't hear how that panned out. Jenn also spun the wheel of destiny and got a Harley Davidson shot glass. Apparently she also stood on the Captain's back while he laid on a bed of nails.

The reason I missed some of this was because I ended up being in charge of the list. Not-Jason (I can never remember this guy's name and I keep trying to call him Jason and he's not, so thus the Not-Jason) needed a break so I took over. It was actually pretty fun. It was very similar to working as a hostess in a restaurant, minus the vibrating coasters. Russ got his hands on a bullhorn, which sped up the process of finding people so they could get their manly tattoo. I got to live my little dream of being a shop girl even if it was only for an hour or so.

Just Dive In

I've decided to go ahead and get the new tattoos. I'm set for Sunday at 2 with Mark. I love what he did on my back, so I'm sure this will look just as good if not better. It's also even a similar meaning to what's on my back. There's only so much you can do before life takes over.

It's also fun to talk with someone who is as heavily tattooed as I am. It's comforting to hear someone get asked the same stupid questions and compare notes. It can wear a person down to go a long time feeling like you're the only one who has to deal with the endless parade of idiots. It's the simple connections in life that can make shit generally easier to deal with. Plus, there's someone to have a good laugh with when you get asked "Is that real?" or "Did that hurt?" for the third time in one day.

I still need to set up time with Sylvia for my photoshoot. I got sidetracked after the 4th and totally forgot to email her back. I think it might be time to drop her a line.

Whatever Will Be, Shall Be

I'm getting really bad at updating this thing. I need to try to get better about it.

I've been in New York for the past 4 days and I've gotten quite a few compliments, comments, and strange looks over my tattoos. People certainly aren't shy about commenting, good or bad. A definite change from the Southern ways I'm used to.

That said, my tattoo itch is still pretty bad. I don't know if I've mentioned it here, but there's one I really want that has been kind of my mantra lately. Made famous by Doris Day, the original "Che sera sera/Whatever will be, shall be" comes from Dr.Faustus. I want "che sera sera" on the outside of my right forearm and "whatever will be, shall be" on the outside of my left. When I stack my arms on top of each other, it would read like two lines of a play or song. I saw the placement a while ago and loved it. I think it would look great with a really pretty font.

I've been dealing with a lot of change in my life lately, with still more to come. Some of it has been good and some of it has been bad, but in the end whatever will be, shall be. I do all I can to influence things, but eventually it's out of my hands. I think this is something I really need to get and soon. It's been 2 months since I was last tattooed and that's pretty much an eternity in my world. I know I unofficially agreed to 6 months, but in the end there's nothing anyone can do about it. It's not like my parents would kick me out on the street for getting some new work. My job situation will be determined either tomorrow or Monday, so then I'll know for sure about that. There are other changes in the works, but nothing I'm ready to share with the entire internet yet. Those who know me can probably guess, though.

I'll see if I can hold out until the end of August. I do have some big bills coming up and tattoos ain't cheap, after all. So indeed, che sera sera.

Two Tattoo Events Worth Noting

For those of you in or around the Atlanta area, here are two events worth checking out in the near future.

The first is on Saturday August 1 from 7-10pm at YoungBlood Gallery. Danielle Distefano (who did the 13 spade on my chest) will be having an art opening. The theme is 100 ladies and all the paintings will be for sale. There are the usual snacks and drinks. It runs through August 30th. She's a total sweetheart and very talented, so if you're in the area, try to check it out.

The second one is the following Saturday August 8. Ink & Dagger will be hosting and since I can't say it any better, here's the info from the man himself:
Starting at noon, Ink & Dagger will open its doors and let the festivities begin with a smorgasbord of manly tattoo designs for $50 or less. After you get your manly badge of honor, head to the big tent and raise a glass to the Y-chromosome while enjoying a plate of the city’s finest BBQ. Stick around for a live sideshow performance from the world famous Capt. Stub-Taggo. He’ll amaze your eyes and astound your senses as he performs timeless sideshow acts including sword swallowing and the human pincushion.

As the day progresses, the Captain will host a carnival of events including an lady dunk tank, arm wrestling showdown, bobbing for lobsters, wing eating contest, cinder block toss, and the human dart board... to name a few!

Everyone wins on “Man Day” but a lucky few will win a free spin on Ink & Dagger’s soon to be world famous “Tattoo Wheel of Destiny”. Once you emerge victorious from one of our manly competitions, your true destiny awaits as you step up and face the wheel. Throw caution to the wind and give it a spin.

The festivities don't end there... The Man Day after party is hosted by our friends at The Graveyard Tavern. You won't want to miss the painted ladies and debauchery!

Don’t worry ladies, if you’ve been thinking this day would have nothing to offer you, you’ve got it all wrong. No man is worth a damn without a good woman at his side. So we wouldn’t dream of excluding you… just keep those skirts short and your necklines low. We’ll see you on “Man Day”!!!

I will, of course, be attending both. Keep your eyes peeled for the redhead in the tattoo print dress and don't be afraid to come over and say hi.

Pictures & More Pictures

Official pictures taken of James Bond & Aleister. Nothing like hiking up one's skirt in a room full of men. It's a good thing I'm not shy. ;) It needs a little bit of a touch up, but nothing major. I guess I'll get around to scheduling it once I'm over this test. With a piece that size, there were bound to be a few spots that didn't heal perfectly.

Still need to schedule time with Sylvia. The last time we talked she was doing a wedding out of state and starting a new day job. I'm probably not gonna get any skinnier, so now's as good a time as any.

We'll Be Alright, We'll Be Okay

Nothing new to report. I did get grabbed at the mall yesterday by a lady in Hot Topic (yes I was in a Hot Topic. Don't ask). She had a peacock feather tattooed on her forearm and wanted to see Lucius. She did apologize for grabbing me and said she hated it when people did it to her. It didn't bother me so much and I was happy to show her, but I was on a roll with the whole no grabbing thing.

Since I won't be in the office four days this week, I can wear whatever I want. It truly is the small things in life that make you happy. Of course, I was told the classroom is really cold so I may end up covered head to toe anyway. I'm planning for all contingencies.

Still need to get my dermal tightened again. I have no idea when I'm going to have the time to do that. I don't really have time today and Melanie's out of town anyway. I might be able to swing it next Saturday, but definitely not next Sunday. My big scary test is next Monday, so I'll probably spend all day Sunday studying and reviewing. I won't have time to drive 40 minutes one way for a 5 minute adjustment. It hasn't fallen out yet, so I'm not too worried.

Stupid People Rant Part 957

The more I say I shouldn't let shit get to me, the more it does. This same dumb bitch at work drives me batty. I'm glad I don't work with her that often because I'd probably beat her to death with a bottle of lotion. She's really rude in general, but she seems to love using me as a lightning rod.

I go in last night wearing a tee, so most of the stuff on my arms is visible. She goes "Oh my God! Don't you have any space left?". I just brushed her off with one word answers during the usual 20 questions when stupid people don't know when to shut the fuck up. It's no one's damn business how much skin I do or don't have left! It's not your problem! Back the fuck off, asshole.

I also hate it when people are all "Well, you made the decision to get tattoos, you should just deal with what people say". Umm, no. I deal with no one. I will happily answer any questions that are asked in a respectful and genuinely curious manner. I don't put up with closed minded idiots interrogating me. I don't walk up to people and say "Hey, did you know that your nose is really ugly?". Elective or not, it's amazing how many people don't know when to just shut their trap.

On a positive note, New Friend and I were complimented on our work over the weekend. This lady who was apparently a photographer said we'd make a good photo with all our art and the retro look we had about us. So even in the most unusual places, people will surprise me.

Just Another Day in Suburbia

So since I have no new mods to discuss, the next few entries will probably focus on my various rants and raves about being modded, perceptions of those who are modded, and the like.

For those who don't know, I live in the suburbs. Visible tattoos are about as common as the bubonic plague. As a result, I become a walking point of interest to those who encounter me. When I'm at work and don't have a sweater on, usually at least one person will comment on my ink. For the most part, if they've decided to bring it up, they're going to say something nice. On rare occasions, someone is actually looking for a recommendation and I point them in the right direction. The vast majority, though, just stare and squirm. Or they'll ask something stupid like "Did that hurt?" or "Is that real?".

I was actually surprised when we went to play laser tag a few weeks ago in the most suburban of suburbia, I didn't get one dirty look from parents. It's like just by having tattoos, I'm somehow encouraging their kids to get full sleeves. Umm, no. If your kid is gonna get a tattoo it's not because they saw me when they were eleven. Though if they did, I'd probably be flattered. You just never know how you influence someone's life.

I often get asked if I regret them. Aside from the fact I don't really believe in regret, I don't. It does make my life harder sometimes, but if I had the chance to do it over again, I don't think I'd make a different choice. It's part of who I am. I guess it's like asking someone if they regret having a nose job or a boob job. A choice has been made and, for better or worse, you live with it. Ideally, you never look back. I find that sometimes I peek over my shoulder wondering what could have been if I'd made a different choice. Then I remind myself that I know what it's like to not be modded and that I'm better off now. Being who I am is worth a few adjustments to my wardrobe.

Sharp Objects and Defenseless Vegetables

So since I agreed not to get tattooed again until roughly my birthday, I have to get my body mod fix somehow. Now might be the time to start ticking stuff off my piercing wish list. The current list is:
Left nostril (final try, if it doesn't work, it's a sign from God)
Lip (probably not going to happen with my current employment situation)
Right tragus (again last try)
Tongue (if I can get the placement I want. If it's not feasible, not gonna happen)
Dermals on the back of my neck

I still haven't gotten my chest dermal tightened either. I figure when I do that we'll have a little chat about what I decide to get pierced. Jason said he could give me a glass retainer for my nostril and it would be invisible. Even when I had the pink one, no one said anything. Lip piercings, on the other hand, are a lot harder to hide. *grumbles angrily*

I'm also pretty excited about the prospect of more dermals. They'd really be placed more on my upper back than my neck. I figured one on each side of my spine where my neck meets my back (nape?). I could still wear a necklace and it wouldn't interfere. I'm also not a back sleeper, so I wouldn't have to worry about that. Again, it's a feasibility issue.

I guess we'll see where that goes. I can't afford anything until I get paid next Tuesday anyway, so it's all just a thought experiment anyway.

Weekly Update

I'm almost done healing, I think. I still have some stubborn scabbing near my hip, but I'm not surprised. A bunch of it came off in the shower this morning so hopefully this will be off soon. Once I'm fully healed, I'm going to schedule my photo shoot with Sylvia and be a model for a day. *bats eyes*

Jenn and I swung by Ink & Dagger on Sunday, but Russ was still at the convention here. We hung out for a bit with Kurt and Bryan (at least I think it was Bryan). They didn't end up doing a collab on someone, so I felt better about not being able to go. That's really all I wanted to see anyway.

I need to get my dermal tightened again. It's getting a bit too loose. Melanie will be back on Tuesday, so I'll go sometime next week. I was going to go on Sunday, but Jason is off on Sundays and with Melanie out of town, no one to fix me up. Ah well. It has survived this long, I'm sure it'll hang in there for a few more days.

I also made a new friend. He's a client of Russ' and he messaged me on FB to compliment Aleister and James Bond. We've been chatting back and forth and it's nice to talk to someone who understands my obsession. I need more tattooed friends. :P

That's all for now, kiddies. Just for shits and giggles, check out this story. My personal opinion is it's bullshit, but view for yourself.

Good News, Bad News

Outwardly, my leg is healing fine. He's almost done peeling and it's only been 5 days. However, the pain and swelling have stuck around longer than normal. I even stayed home from work today so I could just stay off my feet. When I came home last night, my whole leg was swollen and it was effecting my back and my knee. I made the executive decision to stay home and it was a good one. The pain has gotten better, the swelling has gone down, and I can walk normally. This is good seeing as I'm going to be wearing impractical shoes tomorrow for Susie's wedding.

Jenn and I are going to try to hit up the convention here on Sunday. She needs some cheering up and I'm up for another round of tattoo bingo. Maybe I'll make actual cards this time, just for fun.

Nothing much else to report. I'm taking some time off at the beginning of July, so perhaps that's when my photo shoot will happen. My leg will definitely be fully healed and I should hopefully have all my sexy new clothes and accessories in. And maybe be down a few more pounds just because I'm vain like that.

Born Every Minute

Hi kids!

The Atlanta convention is this weekend, I'm considering blowing out of work early on Friday to check it out. Russ and Kurt are doing a collab(oration) on some other poor sucker and I'm devoutly hoping it's either Friday or Sunday. I'm booked pretty much all day on Saturday, so I guess I'm SOL if they're doing it then. I guess since I just went through it, I'd like to see who else is as crazy as I am.

I'm technically supposed to be getting tattooed on Sunday, so I guess I should call and cancel. Even if I wasn't on a sabbatical, I'm in no shape to get tattooed again. I don't think I could bring myself to get willingly tattooed for at least a month. It also helps that my leg still really hurts. I haven't taken any pain killers since Sunday night, so I probably should.

I've finally named the magician. I think I'm going to go with Aleister after Aleister Crowley, who is pretty much an evil icon. James Bond is still thinking he got the better end of the deal.

More Pictures

Goinked from Meg aka my personal photographer. Thanks, love!

I'm in pain and having trouble walking, but in love. He's absolutely amazing and there's no two ways about it. I'm ridiculously happy with the results, even if I am starting to develop the nasty scaly scabbing. I figured I wasn't going to dodge that bullet. That would've been too easy. I had to promise everyone that the office that I'd print out the picture so they could see it since I can't exactly go lifting up my skirt or dropping trou at work.

Apparently my spell checker doesn't like the work "goinked". Its loss.

Augusta Tattoo Expo

A huge shout out to Russ and the Ink & Dagger crew, Beth (Russ' wife), Melissa (one of Russ' clients and helper for the day), and Muriel (the adopted I&D artist). They were all amazing and not just because I was stuck with them for 10 hours yesterday. The arena was FREEZING and Beth went out and got me a heating pad and Melissa let me borrow her sweater. The heating pad was really the lifesaver. I was to the point where I was shivering so badly it was affecting the tattoo process. Not good.

Instead of both working on me at the same time, Russ and Muriel switched off for the first 5 hours. So it wasn't any quicker than if I were just being tattooed by one of them. They would pow wow when they switched, so it was interesting insight into how a tattooist's mind works. As Russ said, this is normally stuff inside their heads but they have to communicate it to each other. The toughest part was in hour 6 when they both started working on me. That was definitely a sensory overload experience. For the first time ever, I cried while being tattooed. We took a break around 6.5 hours so I could get it together, eat something, and just power through the end.

They were actually holding the tattoo of the day competition until we were done. I jokingly said it when they pushed it back by an hour the first time, but then the organizer came over and asked when we'd be done so we could enter. I thought that was pretty nice. Of course, from what I heard, there wasn't really much other competition and everyone had taken an interest in the piece. So it would've been silly to hold a tattoo of the day competition without the Russ Abbott and Muriel Zao collaborative piece entered.

As for the convention itself, it wasn't much to write home about. We had a little time to kill before I got tattooed, so we walked around, but there wasn't much of interest. The sound system also wasn't that good, so it was hard to tell what they were saying sometimes. I think at one point they were having $25 piercings and $40 something involving acetate, or at least, that's what we thought we heard. They had food, but it was pretty bad. The pretzels that were supposed to be soft were ridiculously salty and on the hard side. There's a distinct possibility they were left over from the last event.

Overall it took 8.5 hours of tattooing time, we won tattoo of the day, and I will have no problems taking a break after this. It was definitely one of the toughest things I've gone through. It was worth it, as the piece is amazing, and the crown jewel of my collection. Muriel suggested doing a full "sleeve" on my thigh that has a macabre circus theme. Hmmm.

Pictures will appear in Skin & Ink magazine, or so I heard. I'll have to confirm with Sylvia. She got a couple pictures of all of us and then one for winning tattoo of the day. After a good night's sleep and some real food, I'm really glad I did it. The experience was tough, that's for sure, but I made it. I think when I get back into it, short tattoos are in my future. ;)

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

Oh My God, I am getting the coolest tattoo ever.

They didn't have anything on paper yet, which was fine. I instead got the verbal tour of their idea. For those who have seen The Prestige, I'll be getting a magician very much like Hugh Jackman's character. For those who haven't, he's going to be a Victorian era magician with the tux and mustache. Muriel assured me that he would be "sexy". Rock on. Instead of a rabbit coming out of the hat, it's going to be this tentacle type thing that Muriel is apparently known for. The feel is going to be gothic and creepy, which is pretty much perfect.

Russ is starting to creep me out with how well he picked it. I was obsessed with magic when I was younger. Rannie and I even did a "messed up" magic show for the talent show in 4th grade. It's always been something that fascinates me, so it's pretty damn perfect that I'll have a magician of my very own. Maybe he can make my ass smaller. :P

I honestly haven't thought about it much since I've been dealing with all this work drama, but when I heard the design, I was so excited. If it comes out the way I'm seeing it my head, and it probably will and more, it could very likely become my favorite tattoo. Now I'm even more excited for the photo shoot as well. This is going to be an awesome piece to highlight. Plus, I'm way prettier than their last 3 cover girls, give or take.

Meg will be tagging along to document, so keep your eyes peeled for a Facebook album and highlights posted here. Hopefully I'll also have a "tattoo of the day" trophy to show off.

But Wait There's More

Tomorrow is my consult with Russ and Muriel. I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'd like to get out of there with two things. A good idea of what design I'll be getting and how, exactly, I'm going to get a grand in cash to pay them. It may not end up being that much, but I always like to have the high end of the range on me. Since it's a convention, odds are they can't take a card, but who knows? I'll ask.

In other news, I think I might get my rose/fleur de lis cover up lasered off. I would only do it if I had a design for a full sleeve planned out. I have a vague idea of what I want for the sleeve, but not concrete enough to spend all the time and healing getting the original lasered. I don't really feel too bad about it because most collectors have had at least one removed. I don't regret it, I just feel like I need to make room for something better.

There will of course be pictures and a full experience up on Sunday. I also found out that one of my co-workers is a bit of a fan of tattoos and he dropped a few names that most people wouldn't know. He definitely gets some cool points. :)

Time Off

I know I've been AWOL for a while. I think I was working up the time and enthusiasm to write my latest entry.

I struck a deal with my dad. I'll be getting the collaborative piece from Russ and Muriel this weekend and then I'm taking 6 months off from getting inked. This included canceling my trip to Phoenix, which was really the worst part. I was so looking forward to it. There's always 2010, though, and maybe someone can afford to go with me.

It's probably best in the long run that I take time off to give my body a break and really focus on what I want. I'll still probably hang around the shops because I do like everyone and I'm sure others will be getting tattooed and I can tag along. Right now I'm pretty set on adding a phoenix to Lucius and turning it into a half sleeve. If I still want it in 6 months, then I'll know it's right. I'll have Kurt do it and I'm sure he'll do an awesome job. I have to cancel our time for Sunday, too. I guess I'll do that on Thursday when I go to meet Muriel and discuss general ideas about my last hurrah.

In better news, I contacted the photographer for Prick. She was game for doing a photo shoot at the end of the month and she'll be at the convention. She also said she'd do a few extra shots for free so I can send the right amount in for Prick. Who knows? I could be their next Miss August or Miss September. That'd be pretty awesome. It might help me break into the tattoo modeling scene. Or just as a minor celebrity for a month or so. All the guys (and Danielle) would be so proud.

So that's pretty much that for now. I guess I finally have to accept certain realities and "grow up". I don't view it as maturing, but if it saves me a bunch of arguments and headaches, then it's worth the price.

The Itch

And no, I'm not talking about my healing tattoos. They haven't hit the itchy stage yet. My foot is healing awesome, too. Mark's gonna be so proud.

I'm itching for a few things. Namely, a full sleeve on my left arm (the arm with Lucy). My parents would absolutely wig out, so that will probably have to wait until I no longer live at home. In other words, I'll get it when I'm about 30. :P

I'm also itching for some new piercings. I'm gonna give my nostril one last try. If it screws up for a third time, then I'll accept it and move on. I still want my lip pierced and my "teardrop" dermal. Jason said he probably wouldn't be able to hide a lip piercing. I know Piercing Experience has jewelry that is flat and tan/brown. I really don't want to have to go there to buy the jewelry and then go back to get pierced by Jason or Melanie. I may need to powwow with one of them a bit more on the subject. The dermal would be hidden by my hair, so that's no biggie.

I'm also still toying with conch piercings (ear). I hear they can be finicky and you really need to have a CBR in them to get them to heal right. I wonder if that would fall under "not appropriate" at the office? I'd hate to ask because then they're onto me. If I just came in one day with it, that's another thing. Again, powwowing needs to happen.

But before all of that...bedtime.

Foot Cover Up Experience

In all the shuffle, somehow writing the experience of getting my new foot piece has gotten lost. Clearly this must be remedied.

After donuts next door I shuffled over to the shop. Mark was late, so I offered donuts to Jevin and Andrew. When Mark did arrive, he came storming in complaining about some woman in the parking lot. The mullet and aviators were what really made the visual. I wish I'd gotten a picture.

We opted for 3 roses instead of 4. Originally I'd wanted 4, but he just couldn't get them to fit in a way that would heal well. Fair enough. So we went with red, purple, and blue which are the colors of the birthstones of the women in my immediate family. So now I have a grand total of one tattoo with "meaning". Go me.

It hurt, but nothing that made me want to start crawling away. I was hanging off the edge of the massage table and Mark had my foot on his knee. He commented at one point that his leg had gone to sleep. That was met with a glare. Silly man. The worst part was right near my ankle bone. It's also where the swelling has been the worst. I started to feel a little out of it in the last 20 minutes or so. I think I've gotten to the point where I know there's only a little bit left and my body starts to let itself go a bit. The three donuts I had earlier did me right and I was fine. I may have discovered the secret to keeping one's blood sugar up during a tattoo. Donuts!

He bandaged me up and I was on my way as he had another appointment after me. As it turns out she's not from Atlanta and I was thrilled to shop at H&M over at Atlantic Station while she waited. Nice to know I helped a fellow fashionista out. :) I really like it. The color is great, I love the old school twist he put on it, and it looks much, much better than what I had. It totally accomplished the task of covering up the old piece. You can't even tell anything else was there.

It's day two of healing and other than some swelling, it seems to be doing alright. I've got some light scabbing, none of this scaly business, and it hurts to stand for prolonged periods, but other than that it seems to be doing okay. Hopefully this means I can avoid a touch up. I'm supposed to check in with Mark in about a week, so maybe I'll pick up donuts for the fam as well. Might as well combine trips, right?

Sunday Night's Alright for Fighting

Got into an argument with my dad last night over the tattoos. We spent a good 20 minutes on it. He doesn't like the whole "agree to disagree" thing, but honestly, what else can we do? Of all the reasons he gave me for not liking them, I only felt one was really valid. He even said "What if you find a guy you like and he doesn't like your tattoos?". I was like "Then he's not the guy for me". I can't believe he pulled that one out. It just seemed so ridiculous. That's something my mom would do and see it as a totally valid reason. He kept hammering on me "When is enough? When are you going to stop?" and I kept saying "I don't know". It's true. I don't. I strongly suspect it'll be much like how this whole thing got started. I woke up one morning and decided to get tattooed. I may wake up one morning and decide to quit. However, that doesn't come with a defined time frame.

As I suspected she insisted that he drive me to the convention which is why we even got into this in the first place. I think I've come up with a reasonable compromise. Once I finish my thigh piece at the convention, I won't get any more until Phoenix. I already canceled my dove on Wednesday and I'll cancel with Kurt next week in person. Then I'll only collect two in Phoenix. I've already told one guy I'm having second thoughts, which is true. I know I want the geisha from Tim and the pirate from Scott. I'll probably just tell Thad that I changed my mind. In that time, I'll be putting the extra money toward my credit card bills. That should keep him off my back, I'll still have something to look forward to, and then we'll deal with it again after Phoenix.

Collaborations

After some serious thought and talking with a few people who truly "get" my obsession, I'll be getting a collaborative tattoo from Russ and Muriel. For those who don't know, it's when two tattooists are tattooing at the same time on the same piece. They usually also share in the design process. It's a way to get a large piece done in half the time. I called today to confirm and Russ, by way of Jason (?) was all for it and said I was awesome. He was tattooing so I just let him know that I was in and would be by to meet with both of them shortly before this goes down.

When I originally asked about it, he said they got to pick the design, I'd only be on the hook for one of their hourly rates, and it would probably take 5-6 hours. Placement will most likely be the front of my right thigh. Now I think he's open to my input on what I want it to be. Crap. That means I have to think! I trust them both, so I didn't much care what they picked, as nuts as that sounds. I have so many ideas, I don't know what would look good on that large of a canvas. This is an opportunity to do something big and visually stunning. And all on display for other convention goers.

Downside is the convention is in Augusta, so I'm going to have to drive 2+ hours one way. The harder part will be explaining this to my parents. I'm less nervous about it now than I was when I made the decision, but I can't just disappear for a day or so. The good news is, if I don't feel like driving back on Saturday night, I can crash at my grandparents' house for the night. They'd probably be happy to see me. That will all be hashed out sometime this week. Daddums is the tougher critic, so I'll deal with him first. I'm half expecting him to say he'd rather do the driving to and from. I can see him at a tattoo convention now. LOL

So that's my big news and will be my final tattoo until September. Yikes! At least I'm going out with a bang before my hiatus. ;)

Tattoo Quest '09: Holy Mother

The first stop on my body mod tour was Holy Mother. It had fairly positive reviews, though not many, and I'd never heard anything negative about it. After stopping by Ink & Dagger to get pictures of Lucius, I headed over to Little 5. I was expecting to wait as it was a Friday night after work.

I walked in and it was dead. Good for me, bad for them. The shop girl (didn't catch her name) helped me immediately and was quite the character. Jett was next up in the rotation and he whipped up my design in about two minutes. I had barely finished my paperwork and he was ready for me. I did get my ID back this time, which was good.

Jett went out for a smoke while my stencil was drying. It's been so long since I've dealt with a habitual smoker, I forgot they need their fix. ;) He was still really cool though. The conversation was easy and he worked quickly. I think from start to finish, it took 25 minutes. That was probably the best part when I was used to sitting for several hours.

I had a little chat with a couple of the other guys after I was done. The vibe was good and I'd feel comfortable sending someone in there. I'm happy with my piece. Jett was happy that I picked the color I did because he had a huge bottle of it and had only ever used it for one tattoo. I love the color and I think the blue really makes it pop. Now for the list:

Friendly staff: Check
Parking/Easy to find: Parking sucks because it's Little 5, but the shop itself is easy to find.
Reasonable prices: Check
Private tattooing areas: Nope, open air

I give it a 4 out of 5.

Great Tattoo Quest '09

Some people go on quests to visit every baseball stadium or every sushi restaurant, I've decided to get tattooed at every (reputable) tattoo shop in the city. Yeah, it's nutty, but it's something that I know I'll enjoy doing. So here's the list as it stands now.

Done:
Overlord (duh)
Ink & Dagger
Only You
Black Cat
Holy Mother

In the queue:
13 Roses
Memorial 2
Sacred Heart (original location only)
All or Nothing
Psycho 2
Liberty

Some of them are harder to get walk ins with, especially All or Nothing. Plus, they're all the way in Smyrna. That will probably be one of the last I go to. I'll Yelp about it and post my experiences here. I'll judge them on the following criteria:

*Friendliness of the staff
*Private tattooing areas
*Reasonable prices
*Parking/Easy to find

Those are the basics and I may decide to add more later. There are of course the intangibles like the vibe I get from the shop, the general talent of the staff, and whatnot. The shops I listed are all fairly well known and not full of scratchers.

Let's begin!

Atlanta Convention and the Final Lineup

The picture is from last night's Yelp event. Jason (the piercer at Overlord) works for the donut guy, so we showed our donut love for the cameras. Yum! I think he did better with a goofy face than I did.

I'm now going to the convention here. I'd pretty much scrapped the idea because getting information was like pulling teeth. However, Aileen expressed an interest in going and Jason confirmed that good artists would be there. So I figured what the hell? It's a few more days to hang around "my people". I'll also be getting tattooed, but we'll get to that in a minute.

I had a super embarrassing moment today. My phone rang and it was a number I didn't recognize so I figured it was one of the tattooists calling me. I thought he said "Zack" and for about 5 minutes, I thought I was talking to a totally different person. Turns out it was Thad, who I contacted early on and then never heard from. He took it in stride, though, which made me feel a bit better. Still embarrassing, though. So I sent him a few ideas to see what he thought. No one has been giving my cupcake any love, so maybe he will.

That finalizes the line up for Hell City:
Friday first thing-Geisha bust on my left shin by Tim Beck
Saturday first thing-Lock and ribbons on my right foot or ankle by Thad Ritchey
Saturday night-Pirate pin up bust on my lower stomach by Scott Ellis
Sunday first thing-Dragon back piece by Matt "Skinny" Bagwell

I'm probably insane and the plane trip back is going to suck, but I'll have some awesome new art to show off. I'll probably load myself full of Advil and Benadryl and just sleep. The best part? In normal clothes, it'll only look like I have one new one.

As for the convention here, another guy from Ace Custom where Matt works will be coming down. His work was really solid, so I decided to see if he still had time to tattoo. He did so he's going to my magnolia blossom and peach on my right hip under and slightly behind Lola. I called a shop in Savannah, but the guy who will be coming is off today. He'll be in tomorrow, so I intend on calling him first thing about some small work I've had in mind. So it could look something like:

Friday evening-Bumblebee and ladybug on my feet by Clay McCay (in theory)
Sunday afternoon-Magnolia blossom and peach on my right hip by "Lil" Tommy McCarter

Now I just need to get a money order so I can pay for my pass to the convention. It's a bit of a pisser that they don't have an online option to order because money orders are a pain in the ass to get. Why can't I just send cash? Or better yet, drop by in person and give them the money.

Now back to Bones and relaxing. Or trying to...

So It Goes

Sorry if yesterday's entry didn't make much sense. I was fiddling with some HTML and I'm rather inept at that sort of thing. Oops.

I got an email back from Scott Ellis as I think I mentioned. He liked my pirate pin up idea, but thought having the whole body would make her face too small. I am wondering if I'm asking for trouble tattooing directly on my stomach. I guess everything on my torso and even my feet are at risk if I get pregnant (and I figure I'll probably decide to have one or two of the little monsters eventually). I'm not terribly prone to stretch marks. The ones I got when I gained weight are almost invisible now. I guess I have to weigh how much I want it with how heartbroken I might be if pregnancy screws it up. I assume he would've said something if he thought it was a really terrible idea. He already said the whole body would be a no go, so I figure if he thought my stomach would be an issue, he would've said something. Also, Yelp has been a total godsend during this process. I've looked up all the shops I've contacted people from and they've all got 4.5 or 5 star reviews from at least 5 reviewers. I read over and over again how good Scott was, so that put my mind at ease a bit. Russ also said this was an "all star" convention and that I'd get great work regardless of who I saw.

Sent Jeff another MySpace message. I figure I'll need to keep on these guys to make sure they don't forget about me. I'll see how that goes and if it pans out. I really do like his work and he seemed to think he could do something cool. So I guess we'll see how long it takes him to get back to me.

Also, if I really like my experience with Muriel, I could always get something else done by her when I'm there. :P

As for my issues with possibly attending Memorial's little party, I think if nothing else I'll swing by. If they've got a particularly cute black sheep, I'll put my name on the list. If not, then I guess I'll go on my merry way. I've never been to one of these and it might be fun just to see what the experience is like. I've missed every single one up until now, so I'm pretty determined that I'll at least see what it's like.

Emails, Phone Calls, and Sheep

Got another email back. This was one of the first guys I contacted. I gave him a few ideas. I figure I'll get the best tattoo possible by giving them choices and having them pick what they think they'll be best at.

I called Immaculate to try and make an appointment. First of all, he doesn't work on Saturdays. Secondly, the shop girl had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned the convention. That wasn't a good sign. I told her that I'd been told to make appointments ASAP as a lot of people fill up before they ever set foot at the convention. She was fairly helpful, but since he wasn't there, she just took my name and number. She also warned me that he probably wouldn't call me even though she'd let him know I called. Frankly, if I get in with Scott, that will give me three appointments and that's probably more than enough. The plane ride back is going to suck balls.

In other news, I have a bit of a conundrum on my hands. Memorial is doing a special on Memorial Day (hmm). It's black sheep tattoos for $40-$100, along with beer and bbq. The usual rules apply for one of these things. Normally, I'd go without hesitation. However, I feel really terrible canceling on Phil then rolling in to get a $40 tattoo. It's like saying "Well, I can afford you when you have a sale, but no when you're charging what you normally would". It could just be my paranoia at work. They probably don't give a shit and I'm reading too much into it. Of course, I could be working that day, which would render the whole thing moot. Still, I feel like I need an outside opinion to tip me one way or the other. If nothing else, it sounds like fun.

Custom Search

*Rant* Covering Myself

And I don't mean with long sleeves and long pants.

Since I've been discussing my trip to Hell City, I've gotten more than the usual interest in both my current tattoos and those I have planned. More than I hate anything, I hate the "Are you going to cover yourself in them?". Most people are genuinely curious, but tend to say it like there's something morally wrong with it. Some people are just being assholes about it and look down their nose at me because no having tattoos gives them some kind of moral high ground.

For the record, it's the question I hate the most. If I want to cover myself, that's my decision. I'm an adult and I'm perfectly capable of handling the consequences of my actions. I don't need to be reminded that they're not socially acceptable. Do you think I somehow missed that memo every day of my life when someone stares at me for too long or I have to wear a sweater in July? Just shut up about it. Seriously. I don't comment about habits of yours that I think are strange. I don't comment if you want a boob job or a nose job or to dye your hair. You have your forms of modification, I have mine.

Please do me a favor and keep it to yourself. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by losing my temper at the wrong time over it. I know most people have know way of knowing the frequency with which I find myself answering this question. Consider this your public service announcement. I know what I'm doing, so please respect that, and keep it to yourself.

For Those Keeping Score At Home

No new emails when I got home. It was a wee bit disappointing, but I also know that Friday is a busy day for most tattooists. As it stands now:

*Booked in with Tim for the first appointment on Friday.
*Still working on the design for my dragon with Matt/Skinny. Probably going to book that in on Sunday.
*Heard back from Jeff. He said he could do something cool with my peach idea. He asked for my cell, but I haven't gotten a call yet.
*Still going back and forth with Eva about a design. The dragon won't work on the curves of my hips, so we're batting around ideas. We both love the placement, but haven't hit the "it" design yet.
*Haven't heard anything back from Scott, Durb (not surprised), or Thad.

I may find myself in a bit of a battle to get the time off from work, but I'm not stressing about it too much. My situation could be totally different in September, so I figure I'll bide my time. If absolute worse comes to worst, I'll just tell them the day before I leave.

It's Official

So much has happened today.

After feeling almost frustrated for choice with all the tattooists who are attending, I decided to call Russ and get his advice. I figured he'd know a fair number of the attendees and be able to point me in the right direction. Firstly, we discussed my desire to be tattooed by Muriel. I told him I hadn't heard back from her yet so he gave me her number. He also gave me a list of about 5 guys who I should talk to. I picked the first guy he suggested Jeff Ensminger and the guy he said he knew somewhat well Matt "Skinny" Bagwell. But before I get to them, I called Muriel.

She is super, super nice. She said she'd gotten my email, but hadn't replied yet. So I told her to ignore it since I'd changed my mind. We batted around a few ideas and decided on an iron work inspired 1/4 sleeve around Lucy that fades into cherry blossoms on the back of my shoulder. Since I'm looking to go more traditional Japanese on my back, I figured the cherry blossoms would flow the best. We talked for a good 10 minutes and I'll be seeing her in person when she gets into town. That way she can see what she has to work with and then set up an official appointment. I'm really excited to work with her.

After that, I shot Jeff an email and then got the number for the shop Matt/Skinny works at. He was tattooing, but one of the other guys helped me out by playing middle man. I decided to give him the dragon. I described what I wanted and he requested a picture of my back to see what's currently there and my height. I ended up taking this vaguely soft core porn shot of my back as no one else could do it. I think it still gives the idea, though. So I guess I'll hear back from him in a day or so once he's had time to look at the pictures and source material.

So everything is booked. There was some drama over my flight, but in the end I only ended up paying $36 out of pocket. Sweet! I just have to fly out about 4 hours earlier than I originally planned. I'll get in around 2 and check in isn't until 4, so maybe I'll just explore for a few hours. I think they said something about a shuttle to the mall and I know they'll hold my bags until check in time. Maybe I can ask if I can lay out by the pool before I'm officially checked in. ;) That means I'll be there well in time for the meet and greet at 8. Yay!

Everything in Life is Location, Location, Location

Okay, I think I've got this figured out.

Firstly, I'm moving my Picasso dove from my right foot to the outside of my right thigh. As I thought about it, I realized that it doesn't go with the rest of what I want down there. Also, it's such a delicate piece, I think my thigh would be a better canvas. Plus, I have a bird on the outside of my left thigh, so there's symmetry. Woohoo! So that's step one...

Doves are often used to symbolize the Holy Spirit and I want the angel pin up girl on the inside of my right thigh. So not only would I have an angel, but a dove as well. So that's cohesive. A cardinal doesn't exactly stand for evil, but he's red and the devil pin up's dress will be red. Again, we have some form of cohesion.

Then there's the matter of my back and the potential quarter sleeve/shoulder piece I want Muriel to do. I still haven't heard back from her, so I figure I'll just drop by the shop the day she comes in. I've tweaked my design a bit so it'll fit with both my left arm (home to Lucy and 2 roses) and the idea I have for my back. I still want the filigree work, but instead of ivy, I could incorporate cherry blossoms. Then the filigree almost fades into just the flowers on the back of my left shoulder. The would keep the Japanese theme that would fit with my dragon.

Thanks to my friend Sara, I now have new ideas on placement for my cupcake and peach. Both she and another friend have tattoos on the outer fleshy part of their hips, but still near the bone. If that makes any sense at all. I wouldn't have to deal with cohesion issues as much, either. It also has an added bonus of not being visible on a daily basis so I wouldn't have to explain it to my parents. I also want a bell tattoo that has a banner (can you tell I'm obsessed with banners right now? LOL) that reads "Southern". Southern belle, haha, get it?

So in summary:
*Dove on thigh
*Saint & Sinner pin up girls on thighs
*Geisha bust on lower shin
*Dragon going up the center of my spine
*Peach on right hip
*Southern bell(e) on left hip
*Filigree and cherry blossom quarter sleeve/shoulder piece
*Cupcake on upper part of right calf

Too Many Ideas!

I officially made my appointment with Tim this morning. I talked to his apprentice Zach, who was super nice. He was really helpful. I'm booked as Tim's first appointment on Friday, whenever that is. Neither of us knew when the official start of the convention was, so we decided to just say "first tattoo of the day". It took everything I had not to squeal in the poor kid's ear.

I got replies from two more tattooists, Eva Huber and Thad Ritchey. I emailed Eva back with a few ideas (detailed below) and gave Thad my cell, but haven't heard from him.

Now I have a dilemma. I've decided that I want all the tattoos I get that weekend to have an old school feel to them. Sailor Jerry and Ed Hardy of course being the kings of all things old school, but still awesome. I've already got the geisha booked, so I was browsing for more ideas. I came across this shirt and fell in love. The dragon is also a Japanese motif I can relate to. I was obsessed with dragons as a kid and had a stuffed dragon that I literally loved to pieces. He's currently sitting in the top of my closet so I can resist the urge to snuggle with him. My first thought for placement was going up my spine above my current tattoo and stopping right at the nape of my neck. Then I thought about putting it on my lower stomach between Mae's foot and Ol' Blue Balls. However, I don't think that's going to fit. It's a much smaller space and these guys are fairly detailed. My back may just end up being an incoherent mish mash of everything. And then Russ would cry. I guess a third option would be running up the back of my right thigh, as well.

I also still want a lock tattoo. I'm perfectly happy with the tattoo I got from Kevin, but in the end, I'm still lacking a lock tat. I though it could somehow be worked in with the rose and key I currently have, maybe on the back of my calf or something.

I'm also running into the issue of pieces being coherent and well laid out. The roses on my left foot will look fine with a geisha bust. But how well would a Japanese dragon and two Western style revolvers go together? Should tattoos on the backs of my calves or thighs be a pair? Maybe not, but they should have the same feel to them. I think a cupcake and a peach, both with banners describing my personality and heritage, could work. Or a cupcake and a bell. The right tattooist can give the cupcake the right feel to it.

If I opt for the dragon on my back, the revolvers are going to have to move. Now revolvers and pin up girls, that could work. I'm sure someone with Danielle's talent could keep the feel of the revolvers and wording in the same style as a pair of pin ups. It's a cliche place to have them, but I think in the long run I may be happier. I'm not concerned about it going with the shamrock or Ol' Blue Balls simply because they aren't visible even in a bikini. Let's face it, I wear a bikini once a year whether I need to or not. So it's more what makes the most sense artistically. In all honesty, I would like to stay away from my back. Perhaps just my original idea of "Tough Bitch" and a pair of lip prints on my ass like I started with. Then there's no meshing issues and it's still a tattoo I can be totally happy with.

Enough with the stream of consciousness for now and time to work out. After all, I'm still 7 lbs away from earning the right to have that "Tough Bitch" tat.