Pretty in Ink

Man Day 2010

2010-08-16T18:33:00.002-04:00

So, I don't have any pictures, but I'm sure I'll slowly nick some off Facebook.

In short, it was an awesome day. Originally I hadn't intended to get tattooed, but in light of the fact I'm not going to the beach, I figured why not? I got there at 1145 and I was 19th on the list. So I settled in for a long wait. I chatted with Jon, Jason, & Zach, watched a few people in front of me get tattooed, and finally went over to Wahoo for brunch. I also helped come up with a game for someone to win a free spin on the now infamous Wheel of Destiny. I suggested shotgunning a beer and it evolved into just chugging it. A fine collaboration between Russ and myself, methinks.

I got tattooed around 230 by Scott A. It's on the under side of my left upper arm near my armpit, so a relatively tender spot. However, because of how I was holding my arm it went to sleep and I was numb for about half the tattoo. Weirdest. Feeling. Ever. He trussed me up and I went home to nap before the after party. Tattoos are like sleeping pills for me. I always feel the need to nap after I get one. The after party was over at Twain's, which was infinitely better than last year. Last year everything was crammed into the side parking lot and the patio at Wahoo. It was still hot as balls in Twain's, but at least it was indoors. I ran into a couple people I wasn't expecting to see, which was cool. I was a little miffed that they had a limited menu and I couldn't get my garlic fries, but I see the logic behind it. I also played pool there for the first time. And by played, I mean sucked ass at. It was definitely a well organized and executed event. I was thrilled that so many people showed up and I don't even officially have anything to do with the shop.

Now maybe they'll revisit the Halloween party so I can experience that. :D

Could It Be? Satan Cupcake?!

2010-08-08T16:04:00.004-04:00

But first, the lovely Ella. She's still not totally healed yet, but she looks great. She fits perfectly in with everything else on my arm. I might have wanted her to look slightly more sinister, but really, it's probably for the best. I don't want to have to listen to people bitch about it since she's in such a visible spot. And now...

Matthias the evil cupcake. I've wanted a cupcake tattoo for well over a year, but it's something that got pushed down the list in favor of bigger, more time consuming pieces. I found a very similar piece of clip art online and knew that was the one. I had some time Tuesday night, so I strolled over to 10th Street to see Shane and Jev. Jev ended up actually doing the tattoo and he did a great job. I was expecting it to sting a good bit since it is near my collarbone, but it really didn't bother me. He kept me laughing and had me in and out in about an hour. I think he's going to need a touch up because some of my tops have been rubbing him the wrong way. I don't think it'll be too bad. He's to the scabby and crusty stage now.

I'm obsessed with the placement. I can't stop looking at it. I definitely want something in the same spot on my other shoulder, but that won't clash with Lucius. I see Malia in a little over a week for my gerbera daisies with skulls in them and that will officially finish all the major spots on my left arm. Then I just need filler and I'll officially have a sleeve. Of course, I need to figure out who's good enough to freehand filler. There's no way a stencil would work, so that's going to be a bit of a challenge. I think I know who I'll end up using, though, since he came up with a similar idea not knowing what I had in mind. Can't wait!

Twenty Five Tattos, Twenty Five Years

2010-07-21T21:32:00.003-04:00

I have a picture, but my phone is being stupid and is taking forever to send the email. It's forthcoming, fear not.

I'm so happy with her. I stopped by the shop yesterday after work and Dustin could take me immediately. Woohoo! He really loved the idea which always makes it more fun. After all, you don't want an artist who isn't into what they're working on. I love the placement, I love the colors, I just love everything about her. He spent close to two hours on it. As I've said before, it's more combating boredom than dealing with the pain. Up near my elbow wasn't particularly comfortable, but not like some of what I've had to deal with. I'm going to be totally screwed when I run out of space on my arms. Then tattoos are going to hurt again. Kurt was in working on Laura's arm, so we also had them to chat with. She's already starting to scab up, but she's still swollen and emanating heat. That's the part I hate the most after the itching. It's also why I'm not looking forward to the aftermath of my eventual shin piece.

After he finished, we went over to Thinking Man and shot the shit for a while. There was this super drunk guy there who was a source of endless entertainment. He was wurring his slurds quite impressively. Drunk people are far more entertaining when you're sober.

I'm probably gonna swing by the shop Friday so he can try to get a better picture. We weren't having much luck immediately after. It has to be better than the picture I took on my phone from a weird angle. Taking pictures of your own arm is a lot harder than it looks, kiddies. Don't try this at home.

So for the moment I have 25 tattoos to go with my 25 years on this earth. Of course by the end of August, it'll be at least 27. Coincidentally, that's my lucky number. Good times.

A Melody, The Memory

2010-07-17T17:55:00.003-04:00

I called Dustin this afternoon and we're getting together Monday for a consult. He was pretty excited when I told him where I wanted it. Prime real estate as he called it. I'm thinking about a few modifications to make her more me, mostly because it's a lot of black work. It'll be a fairly easy one sitting piece. I don't want it much bigger than my fist and I think the rose is actually bigger than that. Plus, my arms are so skinny, it would be hard to make her much bigger than that and not wrap around too much. All will be determined in less than 48 hours. So. Excited.

Now for the opinion time. I've wanted my shin tattooed for about a year now. I want one of Jeremy's "lady heads" as I'm sure I've mentioned. There are two drawbacks to this idea. One, my legs swell like crazy when I get tattooed. My thigh swelled so much last year that I had to take a day off work. So I'd have to arrange it so that I could be off my feet for at least three days. I'm thinking around Labor day. Since I have no time off, it would have to be near a day that we already have off. The next chance after that is Thanksgiving. If I got tattooed Friday night, I could lay around all weekend. Secondly, it would doom me to pants or tights for the rest of my working life. That's a long time. Like I'll probably be working until I'm close to 70. It's not a huge obstacle really. I wear pants most days because I find skirts ride up and my thigh tattoo shows. In the winter, I can mix it up with tights and skirts. I need to update my work wardrobe anyway. So, do the cons outweigh the pro of the fact I've been waiting over a year to do this? Really, the staying off my feet con is temporary. It's really whether or not I'm willing to commit to certain fashion restrictions for the next 45 years or so.

Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

2010-07-14T20:14:00.006-04:00

I'm back my dear readers! How long has it been? Too long is the answer. First of all, picture time!

The lovely Leilani!

Now to the point of said post. I'll be getting two new tattoos in the next two and a half weeks or so. As it turns out, Dustin will be coming back to Ink & Dagger after a year and a half. I'm too excited for words. I wanted him to do another piece on me ever since he did the rose on the back of my arm. To refresh your memory:

I found the perfect piece for him to do for me. I knew I wanted a pin up girl or something similar, old school inspired, and on my left forearm. So there had to be the right mix of pretty and creepy. A quick Google search and I found:

Perfect, no? I thought so. He'll be in town next week, so I'm gonna call him on Sunday and pitch the idea. Russ was kind enough to give me his number so I could talk to him directly. Thanks, Russ. The second one is actually the reason I went to the shop in the first place and found out Dustin was coming back. I'm going to finish out the half sleeve on my left arm. I'm getting Kurt to do a phoenix to mirror Lucius. Her head will be down by my elbow and the feathers will fan out on the inside of my upper arm. I don't have a picture of that one because he's drawing her up for me. I'll be getting her on August 1, about two weeks after getting the yet to be named pin up girl.

I'm so excited. I'd pretty much given up on Dustin coming back, but I'm glad I still have the space on my left arm for him. Perhaps it was the universe working for me. So keep your eyes peeled for more pictures as they're going to be awesome.

New Ink! At Last!

2010-02-07T20:47:00.002-05:00

So yesterday I gave Butch (my hummingbird) a girlfriend. Ink & Dagger was hosting an awesome artist from Hawaii and her portfolio was so me, it was insane. Birds, flowers, and pin up girls. As it turns out, her birthday is two days before mine. Yup, totally soul mates. Her portfolio is here.

I don't have pictures yet because I can't find batteries for my camera and she's still red and starting to scab. She's very similar to Butch's coloring, but we gave the flower a bit of a Hawaiian twist in honor of Sadie's current home. She was really cool to work with and easy to talk to. She said she was going to try to come back within a year, so maybe I'll need to leave some space on my right arm for her to do another piece. After all, it is the bird arm. :D

I think instead of the psychobilly pin up on my left forearm, I'm going to just do the ironwork inspired filigree and flowers. That arm is really mole-y and it would probably require way too much modifying to make the pin up look good. Decent sized flowers would fit and still keep the same gothic / creepy theme that I'm going for on that arm. The filigree would still look pretty and give the appearance of the arm being "full" while working around all my skin anomalies. It's a win-win. Now I just have to figure out who I want to do it.

Eep!

2010-01-07T20:34:00.003-05:00

Sorry my lovely followers. I've been very neglectful of my poor blog(s). Without getting into too much gory detail, work, the end of the year, and various holidays took over and I barely had time to figure out which was I was facing much less blog about anything.

I haven't been tattooed since September, but that doesn't mean there's nothing going on in the tattoo world. I have it on good authority there's a little shindig hosted by one of my favorite ink houses in town coming up in the near future. Since I missed the epic throwdown that was Halloween, I intend on showing up with bells on. Or fringe and a pair of backseamed stockings, if you catch my drift.

Speak easy until next time dear readers. ;)

Me Want

2009-11-17T21:12:00.002-05:00

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

2009-11-09T17:22:00.004-05:00

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

2009-11-07T22:04:00.002-05:00

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

2009-10-26T18:30:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-25T20:31:00.003-04:00

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...

2009-10-18T18:37:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-10T22:20:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-04T18:35:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-25T21:31:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-20T10:37:00.003-04:00

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

2009-09-11T23:16:00.003-04:00

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

2009-09-07T17:37:00.003-04:00

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!

2009-09-01T22:17:00.001-04:00

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...

2009-08-29T18:46:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-25T19:55:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-24T19:17:00.005-04:00

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

2009-08-23T11:48:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-16T15:22:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-13T23:22:00.004-04:00

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

2009-08-09T10:54:00.004-04:00

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

2009-08-08T23:45:00.002-04:00

Man Day

2009-08-08T22:30:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-07T21:45:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-06T11:47:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-29T18:03:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-19T17:36:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-12T11:42:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-06T19:34:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-30T20:42:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-22T18:34:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-18T17:58:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-12T21:59:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-09T19:02:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-08T22:10:00.004-04:00

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

2009-06-07T11:32:00.004-04:00

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

2009-06-04T20:27:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-03T20:41:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-02T22:30:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-28T23:03:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-26T10:13:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-25T19:16:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-24T18:27:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-23T10:26:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-22T21:39:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-20T18:42:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-17T16:31:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-16T23:41:00.003-04:00

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.

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Rant Covering Myself

2009-05-16T13:19:00.003-04:00

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

2009-05-15T18:13:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-14T18:09:00.005-04:00

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

2009-05-13T21:41:00.003-04:00

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!

2009-05-13T18:29:00.002-04:00

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.

First Appointment!

2009-05-12T22:35:00.002-04:00

I know I just posted, but it's my blog and I think this deserves its own post.

I got my first appointment booked for the convention! As I said I would, I sent out a bunch of emails and I got a response from one. His name is Tim Beck and he's based in Illinois. What caught my attention was how different the thumbnails for his work looked. So I clicked on his full portfolio and was super impressed. It's here for those who'd like to take a peek. When he said he had time and actually hadn't booked anyone in yet, I told him what I wanted.

As mentioned, I thought about a geisha bust. I'm not really much into the Japanese stuff, but I am into pin up girls and it's somewhat in the same vein. I also wanted something Ed Hardy inspired. Though I couldn't find an actual tattoo of the geisha bust I wanted, I found tons of the tees. This one really jumped out at me, in spite of it being on a shirt. I didn't notice any obvious Japanese work in his portfolio, so I waffled for a minute about suggesting it. It's also the biggest of the ideas I have. I kept mentally coming back to it. Sure enough, he loved the idea and was very enthusiastic about doing it. So I'm glad I pitched it to him. Plus, that's a reward for responding so quickly. He got the best idea I had. Anyone else is going to get one of the smaller pieces. Which brings me to...

Part of the purpose of the meet and greet is schedule time with tattooists. I think what I'll do is maybe book one more and then have two for sure. Everyone attending is super talented, so no matter who I go with, I'm going to get an awesome tattoo. Ideally, I'd like to work with someone who is from a state I doubt I'll ever find myself in, much less with time to get a tattoo. Tim is a great example. When am I going to find myself in Peoria with $300 and 3 hours to kill and near a tattoo shop? Probably never. Russ and Kreusman are the only GA reps, then there are a few guys from Alabama. The next closest is North Carolina. Sunday is probably the last day to fill up, but it is Labor Day weekend, so people will probably be staying until Monday morning because they can. I guess I'll see who gets back to me and when. I'll save Sunday for my "wild card" tat. I may be crazy for trying to get tatted in 3 days, but people before me have survived and I'm confident.

I'm so excited about this. It feels so amazing to know I'm going to get to spend 3 whole days immersed in the culture I adore and worship. If Russ is going, it's got to be a legit convention. This means meeting all kinds of super creative people in their element. It'll be such a breath of fresh air after my stuffy day job. I just have to wait 4 months for it! I think I'll start myself a countdown on my Chippendales calendar.

On that note, once I finish with my current plans, I'm quitting and saving up for the convention. I know I can do it because it's a defined goal. If I quit for 3 months, I'll get 2-3 awesome new tats. So I'll get my left foot cover up done, my Picasso dove, and my filigree/ivy/floral 1/4 sleeve thingy and I'm done. That'll all be done by June 7. Then it's almost exactly 3 months to the convention. I may have to swing by the shops just because I'll start to pine for all my tattooists.

*runs around in an excited circle*

Now my Benadryl is kicking in and the screen is starting to look shaky so I'm off to bed.

Hell City Bound

2009-05-12T18:13:00.006-04:00

HUGE NEWS!!

Through a series of site jumps from Ink & Dagger (shameless plug), I ended up looking at Hell City Tattoo Fes t in Phoenix. They have the flagship convention in Columbus, OH at the end of the month and then the Phoenix event over Labor Day weekend. I was thinking of taking a vacation by myself this year and the tagline for the Phoenix event was "Tattoo Vacation". A sign, mayhaps?

There was the small matter of money. I knew I was getting a nice tax refund, but we filed right at the deadline, so I figured I wouldn't see it for 6-8 weeks. Lo and behold, I come home and my Fed refund is in today's mail. Sweet! So once that gets deposited, I'm booking my flight and hotel for Phoenix.

As for the matter of being tattooed, there are tons of talented artists. One will actually be guesting at Ink & Dagger at the beginning of June. I emailed her on Sunday about doing some work while she's in town, but haven't heard back. If I don't hear back from her before she's in town, I'm gonna call the shop when she gets in and set something up. She'll also be at both Hell City events. So if I like her and she likes me, maybe I can go ahead and book time with her for Phoenix.

There are tons of others I'm interested in, but I've only sent emails to two of them. One I got a form email back thanking me for my interest. He's one of the organizers, so I doubt I'll get in with him. Though, I got in with Russ so stranger things have happened. I also emailed a guy from Austin. I'm gonna send more out today to others I was interested in. I have several ideas that I think are ideal "convention pieces". They are:

*A cupcake with devil horns and a spaded tail. Possibly a banner that says "Devilishly Good"
*A peach with a banner that says "Dirty" (my take on a Dirty South tat since I am a GA girl)
*An Ed Hardy inspired piece, right now I'm between a geisha and a flower inspired by this bag.
*Something that uses the text "No Love Lost"

Russ will be attending so if he's there when I next find myself there, I fully intend to pick his brain. Plus, they have a "worst tattoo" category in the competitions, so I may have to enter Ol' Blue Balls and see how we do. This could get interesting.

Now time to email more tattooists and see who wants to tattoo me.

New Plan

2009-05-08T17:25:00.002-04:00

The dermal didn't happen today. The problem with asking for permission rather than forgiveness is it gives them a heads up to your plans. And brings up the opportunity to discuss other...issues. The operations manager (my de facto boss) told me I need to start covering the tattoos. Also, the lip piercing was deemed "inappropriate". I was upset for about an hour, but then put my devious little mind back to work.

It's been suggested several times before to get tan or brown matte jewelry to look like a mole or freckle. I'm going to see if Melanie can get her hands on something like that for my lip and my nostril. The dermal will remain either clear or ice blue. Where I want it placed is always covered by my hair at work. At first I was hesitant because I didn't want them telling me it had to come out of they saw it. Frankly, if they didn't tell me the chest dermal had to come out and they see that on a daily basis, I think I can keep the teardrop covered. I'm going to hold off on it for maybe a few days to a week. I want to give them time to forget a conversation was even had.

As for the nostril and lip, I'm going to use a brown eyeliner pencil to experiment with how it would look. I have plenty of moles and freckles, so I doubt anyone would think twice about it. Plus, it will give me the ability to futz with placement a bit. If I used my brain power for actual productive things, I could probably take over the world. I'll probably get my nose repierced in a month or so and then the lip a month after that. As I said, I want to give them time to forget a conversation was even had.

As for covering the tattoos, it wasn't unexpected. In fact, it's even an opportunity for me to go shopping. I don't have any cardigans with long sleeves, so I need a few of those. I also need more dress pants. I really only have two pairs right now and one of them the hem got ripped out a little in the back. I'll probably give up on skirts entirely because that means wearing either tights or hose and I hate both. It would also take too much time to put makeup over everything that will eventually be on my feet and ankles. I already have quite a few long sleeved shirts, both button down and tees, so I'm set there. I think I can still keep the pin up vibe while making them happy.

Teardrops

2009-05-07T21:13:00.003-04:00

I can't believe I've gone a whole 5 days without posting in here. Amazing, kiddies.

The new tat is healing well. It's all scabby, but some of it is starting to come off. I can't wait to see what it looks like actually healed. I'm sure it'll be very pretty.

The big news is I'm getting myself another dermal anchor tomorrow. I've been itching for another one, but I thought adding more to my chest might prompt the office dress code nazis to crack down. I love the look of "teardrop" anchors and realized that the way I wear my hair every day covers that spot pretty well. Bingo! For those who don't know, it looks like this:

I want one that's either light blue or clear and Melanie was pretty sure they had a blue one. They have clear ones for sure. I think it'll look really pretty, though maybe not for the first few days as I bruise so easily. I'll be pierced by Jason because Melanie's off on Fridays, so that'll be a good experience. I hope. I know he has more experience with dermals that she does, so it might be for the best in the long run, especially since it's on my face.

I also finally got the guts to ask about a lip stud. I asked one of the female managers because for some reason I felt more comfortable asking her. She said she would look into it for me, but that she thought they'd probably say no. I told her they allowed my nose stud, though I didn't tell her I asked for forgiveness rather than permission. ;) So hopefully she'll get back to me soon on that and it'll be good news. I won't be totally heartbroken if she says it's against the rules because our handbook is very, very vague on the subject of dress code. The only things it covers in specific are no formal wear and no weekend wear. It doesn't say anything about tattoos, piercings, or unnatural hair colors. Those are easily the 3 biggest issues employers have. I think when I told her they allowed the nose stud, it gave her pause. I also have no client contact, so that should also help my case. I even gave her an example of size. I feel like I made a pretty good case, I wasn't whiny, and if she says it's a no go, then I'll just accept it. I hope she says it's okay, though.

Unexpected and Amazing

2009-05-02T12:25:00.003-04:00

As you can see, this not the tattoo I described. However, I love it. Even when it's swollen and still a bit bloody. It's also rather difficult to take a picture of your own ankle.

My original appointment was schedule for 9:30 last night. I get a call around 6:30 from Kevin saying he finished up his previous appointment early and could I come in earlier. So I pull myself together and head out the door. When Kevin showed me the sketch, my first thought was "Where's the lock?". I didn't say anything because I did like the sketch and it had the feel I was going for. It took forever for us to decide on colors. It's supposed to look like a white rose, which will be more apparent when my leg isn't red and swollen. I already have red and pink roses, so I wanted a different color. So we decided to fake the white by just using my skin tone.

It really wasn't that painful. We took two breaks, one for me to stretch and Kevin to smoke and another because my skin got really red all of a sudden. I think the whole thing took about an hour and a half but I have no idea what time we got started. It's a great looking piece and I love it. It's a lovely addition to my collection.

The true highlight of the evening though was watching an 18 year old get his first tattoo. He wasn't taking it well. One of his friends had come with him and it soon became a communal effort to keep him from freaking out, passing out, or some other equally unpleasant option. He got it on his upper back right below his neck. I don't have one there (yet) so I can't speak to the pain factor, but I would guess it's on par with an ankle depending on how bony you are. He was amazed at how I was just chilling while Kevin worked. His friend pointed this out and he was like "But she's got it in places that don't hurt!" and I was like "Oh honey, you have no idea". He survived, though, and swore up and down he'll never be getting another one. They're not for everyone.

Mark and I worked out a final plan for my foot cover up. He told me the cupcake idea just wasn't going to work. We decided that while roses seem a bit uninspired, they're really the best option for covering up black work. We're gonna do several different colors and pretty it up a bit. I'm sure it'll look infinitely better than what I have. And really, who can argue with roses? I know I can't. So that's set for May 24. Then I'll be getting my other foot done 3 days later by Danielle. My poor feet are going to hate me for about a week. Oops. On the up side, it's an excuse to buy more pants and shoes. ;)

I'd definitely like to get more work done by Kevin. He's really nice and obviously very talented. He's not as much of a smartass as Kurt or a misanthropist as Mark, but definitely a cool dude. So I guess we'll see.

Under Lock and Key

2009-04-30T21:54:00.002-04:00

I'm getting me a shiny new tattoo tomorrow. It marks two weeks sober. Two weeks may not seem like much, but I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I'm also going to schedule time to get my foot text covered up. I also had to reschedule with Danielle for my dove, so that's now going to be done the evening of May 27. I'm so excited. I haven't been this excited for a tattoo in so long. *squee!*

Keep your eyes peeled for pictures tomorrow night/Saturday morning!

PSA: Bandaging Your Tattoos

2009-04-28T22:29:00.003-04:00

As I think I've mentioned, I've been on Yahoo answers a ton trying to spread the gospel of tattoo goodness. What I've noticed more than anything is how many people suggest keeping a tattoo bandaged for more than a few hours and, what's worse, with Saran wrap. In short, DON'T DO IT.

A tattoo is an open wound (duh) and wounds need to breathe. The only reason they're even bandaged in the first place is because of the bleeding. I even use the term "bandaged" loosely because I don't think Saran wrap counts. It certainly doesn't stop the bleeding and it creates a bacteria playground. That aside, once you've had it on for a few hours, let that puppy breathe.

I would only advocate bandaging with actual guaze and then Saran wrap if you know you're going to be getting into something that might cause infection. Yard work comes to mind. Once you're done, take it off immediately. Keeping it bandaged will just slow the whole process down because it isn't getting the chance to heal properly. Ever kept a bandaid on a cut constantly and it took forever to heal? There's a reason for that.

I hope that all my readers (har har) have the good sense to not do that, but I just had to get it out there. Say no to bandaging!

Number 18 &19

2009-04-25T12:31:00.003-04:00

Through some weird hiccup of the universe, I'll be getting paid $130 more than I anticipated next week. So what do I do with the extra windfall? Nothing practical like paying off credit cards. Not for this addict. I'm getting me some pretty new ink. One is already set up and one isn't.

Mark's friend Kevin will be in town next week. I checked out his MySpace and really liked his portfolio. So Mark and I bantered back and forth and he's gonna call me when he gets in town and we'll see where things go from there. I've been batting around the idea of getting an old school lock tattoo. This was the closest I found to what I wanted:

I don't want the banner or the dagger. I want the heart shaped lock with a key and a rose behind it. The rose would be coming out of the right side as the viewer sees it. And all of that has to fit on the inside of my left ankle.

The one that is set in stone is another one by Danielle. I'm getting one of Picasso's doves of peace on my right foot with "Believe" underneath in the Picasso font.

That's set for May 8 at 8pm. Her availability on weekends is filling up fast, which is good news. I wish I had better availability at night, but it just doesn't happen. It's just as well because if this thing with Kevin pans out, then I'll probably have that done next Saturday. So it would probably be for the best to give myself a week off.

And for those keeping score at home, one week sober. Only 176 more days to go until I earn my diamond.

Stars, Diamonds, and Years Passing

2009-04-21T22:25:00.005-04:00

This isn't going to start out sounding like a mod blog appropriate post, but it'll get there. Just hang on.

As some of you undoubtedly know or have heard in the past few days, I've been battling alcohol addiction and binge drinking for a while. I've received an amazing amount of support from all sides. Even people I barely know have stepped up to support me on what is going to be a long, hard road. I'm 4 days sober currently and feeling on a roll. I think you may know what comes next.

When I reach 6 months sober (falling off the wagon restarts the clock), I'm getting a diamond tattooed on my left hand between my thumb and index finger. I've wanted a hand tattoo for a while, but couldn't justify something that ballsy. I think marking 6 months sober is ballsy enough. In an absolutely flawless world, that would mean on October 18. Then at one year I'm getting a star on my right hand in roughly the same place. After that, every year will earn another star. Ideally, they'll go down toward the bottom of my thumb and start to wrap around my wrist and arm. It'll be quite the project after 20 years and an ongoing one. I can only imagine the looks I'll be getting when I'm 80 and asking for another star up my right arm. I know stars are cliche, but it seems like the right thing to mark each year. Only 361 more days to go!

Various Incendiary Things

2009-04-19T20:47:00.003-04:00

I'm so ready for this damn scabbing to fall off of my spade. Srsly. I never thought I'd say this, but I want to wear a real bra again! *grumble* I'm gonna take a bubble bath in a bit and maybe that'll steam the rest of it off. At the risk of sounding like Mark...fucking bastard.

Got my ID back from Ink & Dagger. Chatted with Russ, Russ' client, and Kurt for a bit. Russ was making fun of my Yelp habit. You just watch it, Mister, I can bust balls too, ya know. It's one of my specialties. There's a new member coming to Ink & Dagger, but it's all a big secret. It should be announced in about two weeks who the new artiste will be. I wait with bated breath.

Forcing creativity kind of sucks. I know I want to expand both my chest piece and Lucius. Ideally I'd like to turn Lucius into a half sleeve, but I'm not sure what else to put with him. I've been assured it'll come to me. I'm just not that patient. The same is true for my chest. I started with Britney & Christina so I would have space to expand. Of course, I'd also probably have to have my dermal removed since I've heard tattooing near one can actually force it out. Might need to do a bit more research on that, though. I'm batting around a few ideas for that area. I know I want a lot of color and I guess I'd need to figure out how to work red and black into something other than...well...red and black. I'm debating if I want to do a traditional banner that's flanked with flowers or if I just want to do flowers. There are blue accents behind the girls, so that could be a jumping off point.

Still haven't called Alex's to cancel my convention appointment. Urg. I hate making those kinds of phone calls. It's gotta be done, though. Blech.

Lucius Part 2

2009-04-18T16:01:00.003-04:00

My lovely Lucius is finished. He looks fantastic. Kurt spent a lot of time working on details and making him the best he could look. I'm so thrilled. No pictures yet as I forgot my camera (again) and Kurt didn't want to take any until he's healed. I'll try to get something in the next few days, though.

The experience itself was fine. I hadn't eaten in almost 7 hours by the time he tattooed me, which is a huge no-no. I never felt dizzy or nauseous, but I'm an old pro. I wouldn't recommend it as a good idea at all. I didn't actually end up getting food until almost 11 because I got pulled over, but that's another story for another time. Fact was, I didn't pass out or even so much as feel unsteady. I kept having to change positions because my butt kept falling asleep. That was probably the only irritating part of it. That and he stuck to the inside of my cardigan so now I'm going to have to wash it. Fortunately, he didn't stick to my friend's sheets or futon last night.

No more plans in the pipeline until May 16. Then I think I'll go to Mark and we'll get serious about covering up my foot. The warmer the weather gets, the better it is to get a foot piece. I'm also considering taking a few days off anyway as a mini vacation, so perhaps I'll work that into my time off. That's assuming I don't get a new job that doesn't give a happy rat's ass if I have tattoos or not.

Say What You Need to Say

2009-04-15T19:44:00.004-04:00

I haven't forgotten about you, dear readers. I just *gasp* haven't had anything to say!

The spade is healing okay. It got nice and crusty, so I'm doing my best to keep the scabs soft. I like to lay on my stomach when I'm on my laptop, so it's annoying to have them crack every time I move. I suppose I shouldn't be expecting miracles when it's only 5 days old.

Lucius will be finished on Friday night. Kurt said between an hour and two of work left. I figure I'll assume two and prepare myself for such. I'm sure he'll be even better than I imagined. I'll also try to remember my camera so he can be documented when he's still fresh. :)

Still haven't heard from anyone at Memorial in spite of sending an email and leaving a message. I guess I'll just show up on May 16 and see what happens. I'm probably just being overly paranoid again. I'm sure there's no ulterior motives or hard feelings about me changing my appointment. I want the tattoo and he wants the income. It's in my best interest to go through with it, otherwise I'm out $100. That's not good, now is it? I'm sure I'm just imagining things and it'll be a great experience.

Somewhat related to that Jason is moving from Ink & Dagger to Memorial this summer. This would be the third tattooist who's moved from I & D to Memorial. Maybe Russ smells funny? Who knows? I'd be interested to hear more about why that is. Of course, I'm nosy like that.

In other news, I've been spreading the gospel of tattooing on Yahoo Answers. There's a ridiculous amount of bad information on there. I'm just doing my part to correct some of that. I also really like the opinion questions because then I can bash tribals and Chinese characters guilt free.

Adventures in Tattooing

2009-04-11T17:05:00.004-04:00

A few photos from yesterday. They're actually reversed, which is a bit annoying, but whatever.

Jenn and I started at Ink & Dagger. They'd actually already finished talking about her tattoo by the time I got there. We hung out there for about an hour just chatting. I confirmed with Kurt that we'll be finishing Lucius on Friday night. Then it was off to Only You, Danielle's new shop.

We got there early, but that didn't seem to bother any of them. They're all super nice and I'd trust any of them to work on me. It took a while to get the placement perfect because of the banner, but once we got it, it was cake from there. I'd expected a lot more pain, honestly. There were a few spots that stung a little, but overall, it was a very easy experience. Of course, now I can't wear a bra for a few days, but who cares? I don't think the cats mind. So if you're thinking about getting your lower sternum tattooed, it's really not that bad. Just try to keep your breathing even and don't laugh. It was definitely one of the easiest experiences I've had to date, but it's also fairly small. I think it only took her 20-25 minutes to do the whole thing. Ah the joys of small tattoos.

Danielle was also nice enough to let us bounce some ideas off her. I threw out the idea for my tramp stamp and she gave me a lot of things to think about. It could end up being both a slightly cheesy, but really awesome tattoo. Once I think on it more, I may go back to her and have her refine it and ultimately do it. We'll see.

In other news, I contacted Sacred Heart about the convention. The artist I want to work on me said to contact her about a week before the convention so she knows when she'll be working. Her old school work looks solid. I've been thinking of getting a gypsy head and she's got a Medusa head in her portfolio that looks to be about what I'm looking for. If they have a "Bad Tattoo" category in the competitions, I've been informed that I'm entering it with Ol' Blue Balls. Oh my how awesome that could be.

Secrets and Lies

2009-04-08T20:33:00.006-04:00

I cannot keep a secret to bless myself. I swear.

Jen (a co-worker of mine from BBW) and I are getting inked on Friday night by Danielle. She's getting a penguin in one of three possible spots and I'm getting a spade (like the playing card) with the number 13 in it on my sternum/diaphragm area. Since there will be two of us for the first time since I got oh...my fourth tattoo or so...pictures are going to happen. I need to remember to put fresh batteries in my camera.

Prior to that, we're headed over to Ink & Dagger so she can get a consult with Russ. Since he doesn't charge for consults and he's not afraid to give an honest opinion, I figured it couldn't hurt for her to bounce a few ideas off him. She has a decent idea of what she wants and I'm sure he'll help to refine it all further.

Haven't heard from Phil or Lee about my appointment bumping. I'm sure they just didn't feel the need to confirm the change. I still feel bad and I know appointment changes and the like happen all the time. At least I had the decency to call and reschedule rather than just not show up at all. Mark gets really pissed when that happens and understandably so. Phil will absolutely get my money, just two months later than originally planned. Goddamn life getting in the way.

What do we think of gun tattoos? Like an Old West revolver type tattoo? All manner of opinions are welcomed. Come out of the woodwork, loyal readers! I want to hear your thoughts.

Something like this:

Or

Vampire Bunnies and Painted Ladies

2009-04-06T21:49:00.005-04:00

If it were kosher to steal a tattoo, I would totally steal this one:

I was obsessed with Bunnicula as a kid. I don't know who this person is who got this tattoo, but s/he is my hero. I wonder if I can convince Danielle to modify it for me so it's not outright stealing, just a homage?

Speaking of Danielle, she'll be working on me in the near future. Of course I couldn't find the damn picture that was my inspiration, but she knew what I was talking about. She seems super sweet and I already know she's got talent. I'm really looking forward to meeting her and working with her. Plus, it's nice to support ladies in the industry and new business owners.

Lucy's still itchy and peeling. I'm kind of over it now. I'd really prefer that she just be finished healing. *sigh* I'll be sure to put some Benadryl cream on her before I go to bed. It was really damn distracting last night. Ol' Blue Balls could probably use some as well. Though he doesn't bother me nearly as much. Probably because he takes up less space. Or I'm just deluding myself into thinking he's less itchy because Lucy itches so damn much. *whine*

I can't wait until Ol' Blue Balls is healed. Then I can have bubble baths again. Joy. At least until we put the pirate hat on him...

She's Blushing!

2009-04-05T21:14:00.004-04:00

As seems to be my Sunday routine, I spent most of the day in tattoo shops. First I went to Ink & Dagger to chat with Kurt and work out a time to get Lucius finished. He's super nice about everything. We've tentatively set time for 6pm on April 17 and there's 1.5-2 hrs of work left. He needs to finish his tail and then he said there are some general things he wants to tinker with. So keep an eye out there.

Russ agreed to add a pirate hat on Ol' Blue Balls. That may happen around the same time. He said he was down with it. No one can believe I actually went through with it. Life is too short not to have a ridiculous tattoo. Or two. Or one with a pirate hat. Arg matey.

Then I went over to GFY to show Mark our antics. He was tattooing, so I kinda had to flash Andrew and him. He gave me a look and I blushed. I NEVER blush. There's only one other person in the world who can make me blush. Of course, when Mark pointed out I was blushing it made me blush more because I was thinking of said other person who can make me blush without even trying. Oh so funny. And probably the first time I've been embarrassed in a long time. I hung out there for a while, looked through the latest Prick (still hotter than the cover girl), and then went on my merry way. I need to schedule time to talk about my foot in a serious way.

In other news, I want to get my sternum tattooed. I have no idea what I want, but I'm sure it'll come to me. I've learned to just let the inspiration flow. Rushing things results in cover ups and that's totally no fun. Plus, you can't exactly tattoo on boobs very well. So I guess we'll see what develops on that front.

New Plans, Yet Again

2009-04-04T18:23:00.003-04:00

So time for a totally new plan on the tattoo front. I discovered yesterday that my tax refund won't be here until much later. So the new plan is to cancel my appointment with Phil so I can still afford to go to Roanoke. I also want to go ahead and get my foot cover up started. Since Mark doesn't charge nearly as much as Russ or Phil, I can afford to get that moving at least. I also have to get Kurt to finish Lucius. I'll know more about that tomorrow. I don't think there's really that much work left, which is fortunate.

Ideally, I'll get Lucius finished in the next few weeks, then start on my foot cover up, then get tattooed at the convention in Roanoke. Then I'll see if I have the money to pay Phil to work on Alice. I definitely don't want to miss out on my trip to Roanoke, not just because of the convention, but because I haven't seen my BFF since last June.

Lucy is peeling like crazy. She looks pretty gross. I hope she'll look better tomorrow when I go to show her off to everyone.

Yay pictures!!

Lucy Part 2

2009-04-02T21:54:00.004-04:00

So now for the real post that everyone has been waiting for.

Tuesday night was the drop dead date for Lucy's second session. I called Mark the night before to remind him that I was going to be there and he should show up. I got there right at 7 and Russ was setting up for me. There was another chick getting tattooed on her hip and she went way overboard with privacy IMO. They had the room sealed off and a screen up inside the room. Seriously? Honey it's not like your cooter is hanging out. But whatever. Maybe I'm just immodest.

We got to tattooing around 7:40 and I was starting to get a bit miffed that Mark hadn't showed up yet. Of course, I forgot that his concept of time is very different from most peoples'. He's on tattooist time, which I think is somewhat like being on GMT or something. Russ wasn't happy that I "ratted him out" for his singing/humming/making noise along with the music last time. We bickered about that all night it seems. Every time he would hum/sing/make noise along with music he'd go "Not singing!". (Sorry Russ, the story was just too good not to share!).

Mark rolled in about 8:30 when Russ was bantering with a flash seller. I admit, I was glad to see the cranky Brit. He kept me distracted for a good hour. I'd forgotten how nice it is to have someone there to distract you. Russ had a lot of work left to do all over my arm, so I was getting work done in some pretty tender places. Him laughing at me or observing habits he's never noticed before were a welcome distraction. It was at some point during this time that we were introduced to the "tittie skull". I remember Mark was still there because he was laughing along with the rest of us. He ran off before Russ finished, so he hasn't gotten to see what she looks like in all her glory.

After a little under 2.5 hours of tattooing and almost 3 hours of being there, Lucy was done. He bandaged me up and then we launched into the antics mentioned in the previous entry. For those waiting with bated breath, he is 100% real. I call him "Ol' Blue Balls" for short, like a pirate. I actually want to see if Russ will give him a pirate hat. I mean, how much more ridiculous can you get than a dick skull? Not much, methinks.

Oh and Mommums said that Lucy looked creepy. I was like "That's the point" and she was like "I didn't think she'd be that creepy". Score!

And for fun, a few quotes taken out of context that made me laugh:

Me-"As you can see, my legs are wide open" (I was wearing a skirt)

Russ-"It's like tattooing on a Goddamn trampoline!"

Mark-"You need to stop wiggling"
Me-"He's fine"
Mark-"Yeah, because he's leaning on you"

Skulls and Private Parts

2009-04-01T18:05:00.005-04:00

So Russ absolutely insisted I blog about this so here goes.

Last night went from normal tattooing session to one for the history books in about 10 minutes. While Russ was finishing up Lucy, he felt the need to show off one of his particular specialties reserved for a select few. It is...the "tittie skull" (and my spell checker seems to think there's another way to spell "tittie"). I give you the appropriate visual aid.

He had about 4 of them in various shapes and configurations and we all got a good laugh. The conversation somehow degenerated into something like this:
Me: I want one!
Russ: Seriously?
Me: Yeah! Come on! If you're up for it, I'm up for it!
Russ: But you're a girl, you can't have a tittie skull, you need a dick skull!
Me: Go for it!

And thus I was officially inducted into the private part skull club. The way to get a free tattoo is to hang around long enough and let the tattooist have his way with you. If you're willing to let him do whatever he wants, you can have a free tat. I was laughing so hard for most of the time he was tattooing me, he was like "It's like tattooing on a Goddamn trampoline!". That, of course, made me laugh harder. He finished in about 20 minutes and the end result was absolutely hysterical. I literally burst out laughing about every 5 minutes on the drive home.

So without further ado I give you Dick "Blue Balls" Johnson, the founding member of the Dick Skull Club.

Happy April Fool's, kids!

Growing a pair

2009-03-29T14:16:00.004-04:00

Assuming Mark shows up on Tuesday when I'm getting Lucy finished, I think I'm finally going to ask him for real if he'll let me "work" for him. I use the term work loosely as it's more of a you answer the phone and deal with stupid people all night and you get the "family discount" on any work you want. So we'll see what happens. The worst he'll say is no and I guess that won't crush my entire universe. At least I'll have given it an honest go.

My rook seems to be doing better. I took 3 days' worth of antibiotics and gave it regular cleanings. It definitely doesn't hurt as much and I think there's only a little bit of swelling left. Piercings obviously aren't my thing. I think I'm just too damn lazy to take good care of them. The funny thing is, the two most difficult piercings to heal haven't given me any trouble. My dermal and my belly button are just peachy. So who knows? Maybe it's a sign I need more dermals ;). I've pretty much scrapped the idea of a lip piercing. If I can't make my nostril stud behave, I'm skeptical that I could make a lip stud behave. Plus, it would probably be way more trouble than it's worth to try to hide it for work. I guess if I end up working in a very liberal industry, I can get one. And if I stop being so damned lazy.

In other news, one of my friends who lives in Roanoke confirmed that Alex's is pretty much the best shop in town. So I feel more confident having Monica work on me. Her portfolio is great, but it's nice to have someone's opinion as well. Apparently another shop opened and is working up a good reputation, so I guess we'll see what that's all about. I keep telling myself I don't need to be tattooed twice at the convention. *slaps self*. Besides, the artist I wanted to do something on me never called or emailed me back, so I'm going to take it as a sign. And no one else on the list really does anything for me. I'll just take home my rockabilly skull and be a happy little girl.

Some People...

2009-03-28T23:34:00.004-04:00

Some people really don't get it. Honestly. I got a message on my private blog about how I pay for all my tattoos. Okay, I'm pretty open about a lot of things. I'm all about spreading the tattoo gospel. Any idiot can tell that. However, that doesn't make it okay to get too nosey. Like asking about money. As I said in an entry long ago, you can ask me, but you can bet your ass you'll get charged more. When this person asked I simply answered "My job". She replied with "But don't you have to pay bills?". I was tempted to say "Yeah, and then I trade sex for tattoos". I mean, really, who gets that fucking nosey? May I note this is the same chick who felt the need to tell me where to get my Tim Burton heart "fixed" when she has, count 'em, zero tattoos. Talk about not even a leg to stand on. When you've got some decent work, we'll talk. Until then, don't trifle me.

Anyway, I opted for the "polite" answer and told her I budget so that I can pay for all my work. I may whine about not having money, but I always make sure I pay up those who earn it. I make sacrifices for my addiction. Maybe some people just don't get it.

Incidentally, I ran into three really drunk chicks in the bathroom at the hockey game. I ended up giving them a brief tour of my ink. One of them had just gotten something done today and it was already looking angry. I tried to explain in drunk speak that she needed to get lotion on it ASAP. It'll probably fall out, but it wasn't my fault. I do what I can.

Danse Macabre

2009-03-27T20:11:00.004-04:00

Okay, the first version of this post was totally cracked out. Not good. Let's try this again, shall we?

I was browsing tattoo portfolios at work today because I was bored (in between getting yelled at for shit that isn't my fault) and it got me thinking about my back. My original thought was angel wings going the length of my back. However, upon closer examination, Mae is placed such that getting the left wing to look right would be very difficult. Like, it would have be super skinny before I wanted them to be super skinny. If that makes any sense. I'm not sure it does, but whatever.

Russ suggested previously I get something to do with dancing on my back since I already have the quote on my back about dance. I started with the concept of angels since I started with the angel wings. I bounced around the internet and then decided to go for more of a dance theme. For some reason, the concept of a danse macabre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_macabre) popped into my head. Lucy is somewhat dance macabre-ish, so it would work well to move from my arm to my back. As I did more research, I decided I really liked the concept of having a ballroom scene on my back with 5 dancing couples. I think some of the couples might have one partner as a skeleton and one partner as human in various ballroom poses. I also want "danse macabre" in the tramp stamp area. In a very pretty font of course.

I thought it also might be cool to have different artists work on different couples. I could have everyone's style but still make it look like a complete piece. I'd also want some kind of background to make it look like a ballroom. I'll probably discuss it with Russ and Mark on Tuesday and see what they think. They're my top two choices to work on a couple, then I'm batting around ideas for the other three. That's, of course, if I even end up getting 5 different artists to work on me. The level of skill is roughly the same and I may give some artists who aren't quite as good at skulls or skeletons a different pose or couple to work on. Ideally, I'd have two couples dancing near my shoulders, one in the center of my back over my current back piece, and two on my lower back, then "danse macabre" at the base.

I was trying to put pictures up, but the stupid thing won't work. *sigh* Maybe later. In the mean time Google "gothic puppet" or "Van Helsing" to get an idea of what I'm going for.

Adding On

2009-03-26T18:32:00.004-04:00

So I've further solidified my latest ink idea. As I mentioned in the previous post, I thought I would use a quote rather than some kind of scroll work as the "lacy" part of the thigh highs. I stayed up way too late on Wednesday night looking for inspiration through music. A few lyrics seemed like they could work, but I wanted something that would go together. So unless I picked lyrics from the same artist, the odds that found two that would work together were pretty low.

As all good tattoo collectors and artists know, Google is your best friend. I simply searched "tattoo quotes" and through that found my inspiration. It's a quote from Oscar Wilde's play "A Woman of No Importance" and it goes "The only difference between a saint and a sinner is that every saint has a past and every sinner has a future". And then the light bulb came on, champagne rained from the heavens and I knew exactly what I wanted. So my right leg will read "Every saint has a past" and my left leg will read "Every sinner has a future". Once I got that set in my brain, more ideas just came flooding out.

I already wanted another pin up girl on my right thigh, so why not give her a sister? One the inside(ish) of my "saint" side will be a blonde pin up with angel wings and a halo in a blue or light green dress. On my "sinner" side will be a brunette with devil horns and a spaded tail in a red dress. The placement would be when I'm sitting indian style and you're looking down at my legs, you'd see them both clearly. I'm leaning toward Danielle Distefano as the artist. I know I've mentioned her before and how I really wanted her to work on me. I think her style would be suited to my vision. I want these two to be more old school than Mae & Lola. They're fabulous, but a little more modern in terms of style. I think Danielle's work has the right mix of old school and pretty. Plus, she does really great color work.

So the plan as it stands now would be finish all my works in progress (Lucy, Alice, & Lucius) by mid-late May and I'm gonna try to give myself a break for a month or so. Then I'll get Mark to cover up my foot piece around July 4. After that, I'll get him to do the base of the bows and quotes so that Danielle will have the base she needs to properly place the girls. So it'll probably be early August for the bows & quotes, then 3ish weeks of healing time, and starting the girls in early September. Knowing me, this timeline will probably get squished up into a much shorter period. In a perfect world, I will be able to give myself a month off just to give my body a break. In reality, it probably won't happen.

Crazy Little Thing Called Ink

2009-03-24T18:07:00.004-04:00

Hey kids!

I came up with a totally crazy, but possibly totally awesome idea for more ink. That in a second. For those of you keeping score at home, the following dates will be noteworthy.

March 31-Finishing Lucy
April 18-Session 1 of Alice
May 8-Rockabilly skull at Roanoke Tattoo Festival
May 16-Session 2 (and hopefully finishing) Alice

I was originally supposed to go in for my second session of Alice on May 2, but I don't want to get tattooed 6 days apart. It's just a bad idea. I'm going to tell Phil when I get there for the first session. I feel guilty about it, but the convention was just such a great opportunity, I couldn't pass it up. In short, keep your eyes peeled around those times for pictures. There also may be another "look at me!" post once more work has been completed.

Now on to the crazy idea. I've been batting around the idea of getting bows tattooed on the back of my thighs. Kind of where thigh highs would hit. What I thought might be even better was to incorporate text looping around the rest of my thigh so it looks like a garter with a bow in the back, but the garter is made up of text. There could be a few obstacles to this.

One, thighs move a lot. Not as much as say, fingers or wrists, but enough that it could cause blow out and not age very well. I wouldn't be happy if the quote was unreadable in 5 years. Two, the text size may have to be quite large for it to age well. This would result in probably needing a larger bow, which may take up more space than I'm willing to take up. Three, I don't know what quotes I would use. I have so many ideas floating around in my head, it's hard to pick just two that I would want to have on me forever. I've got everything from song lyrics to Shakespeare to just generic quotes about love, life, and being awesome. The good news is I could probably get away with something fairly long as I have big thighs. For once, having big thighs actually proves to be useful! The idea is in its infancy and I know absolutely 100% that I want Mark to do it. No doubt in my mind. He did such a beautiful job with my back that I know he's up for the task. Plus, he could also make the bows look really good and fit perfectly with my personality. And I want him to do Beverly on my right thigh, so it's just easier to have the same artist working on two pieces in the same area.

So that's my current crazy idea. Whether or not it becomes a reality is debatable. I'll need to talk it over with Mark to see if it's even feasible. Though let's face it, he lets me get away with a hell of a lot more than most clients. If some random chick walked through the door wanting the same thing, he'd probably say no. Me? No problem. Ah the joys of a tight tattooist/client relationship. *gets all mushy*

Photo Whoring

2009-03-21T12:06:00.006-04:00

And that's pretty much what I look like in all my inked glory. There were some of my foot and ankle, but they're not that great. I don't really much feel the need to show them off. I think I'll feel more confident when I've got a good cover up going on my foot and my calf piece.

Enjoy!

Odds and Ends

2009-03-20T14:19:00.002-04:00

Sorry I haven't been updating regularly. Life gets in the way sometimes. :P

Lucy is healing great. If she's lost any color, I can't tell at all. She's also already to the peeling stage and it's only been a week. Downside is she's itchy as hell and having your whole arm itch can be deeply annoying.

Not much else new in my world. I still haven't gone out to Memorial to tell Phil my new idea. I guess I'll do that tomorrow afternoon. My only obligation is going to work at 6, so I'll have all afternoon to get out there and pitch the new plan.

The lump where my nose stud was is all but gone. I dunno if I'll be stuck with it forever, but I think it's still healing. The middle feels like a scab. I doubt I'll repierce it. It's just too much of a hassle. I think I'm ultimately too lazy to be good at healing piercings. Though my dermal turned out fine, so who knows?

Big Pimpin'

2009-03-16T17:58:00.006-04:00

I can be such a shameless pimp-tress sometimes. I was on a separate website and someone (I believe she follows this blog. Wave if you do!) asked if anyone had any experience with Timeless Tattoo here in town. Being one of the few Atlantans, I jumped in with both feet and told her I'd never heard word one about them. They have good reviews on Yelp, hands down the most reliable review site on the interwebz, but it was mostly for the owner. Very little was mentioned about the other artists. I looked at the portfolio of the artist she'd picked and his work just didn't seem to suit what she wanted. So I told her to check out Overlord, Memorial 2, and Ink & Dagger. That, of course, got me to thinking who else I wanted to work on me.

I love Dave Kruseman's use of color. It's absolutely fantastic. I have no clue what I'd have him do, but it's so pretty to look at. I also really like Danielle Distefano's work. As I learned from Russ, she and another 13 Roses defector opened a shop in Grant Park. They actually had their big opening on Friday complete with $20 tattoos, which I missed. How come I always miss the tattoo sales? *pout* Anyway, I'd like to have her do something on me as well. So I may wander by at some point and poke my head in. It would help to have an idea first, though. I keep saying I'm going to take a break after I finish Alice, but who knows? I'm a sad, sorry addict.

The Healing Process

2009-03-15T12:08:00.003-04:00

I had to retire my nose stud. Now I've got a lovely lump of scar tissue (not to be confused with a lovely lady lump, mind you) that I'm slowly trying to make go away. I'm taking this as a sign and I'm not going to attempt to repierce it. Obviously it doesn't work out for me. At least I'm not that heartbroken over losing it. That's the good news.

Meg and I are going to get her nose pierced this afternoon. I can also get Mark to see how my ditch is healing. I think it looks pretty good. I'm not really seeing any striations or wild variations in the color. It still looks pretty solid. I think I may have a bit of bruising though and she was pretty badly swollen last night. I'm gonna give her a bath when I get in the shower and get the last bit of excess ink off.

Speaking of, time to hop in the shower, confirm Melanie is there, and then head out.

Puppet Experience

2009-03-14T10:12:00.005-04:00

Hopefully that's a good enough size for everyone. I'm still futzing with Blogger's image uploader. I is not computer savvy.

So yesterday was the big day. I got there early, as I am wont to do, and Russ was still in sketching mode. So I just hung out and was privy to the now infamous Russ Abbott "Hunky Male" calendar. ;) Once the obligatory paperwork, stenciling, and readying was done, it was time to put needle to skin.

It HURT. Not like the usual "this is unpleasant, but I can live with it". It was like slowly wiggle away kind of pain. I managed to keep it together pretty well. I forgot to breathe at some points and then had to refocus. My elbow and the ditch (inside of your elbow) were probably the worst. That's when I started making faces. We took two breaks, which for once I was actually grateful for. I'm still too stubborn to ask for one outright unless I honestly believe I'm going to die. And that's only happened once to date. I think this may win for second most painful after my sides. Goodie.

Russ was great. He would occasionally sing along with the music, which provided a nice momentary distraction. Everything you see in the picture was done in less than 3 hours (it was timed). There's only an hour and a half to two hours of work left, which made me happy. I'm not so much a fan of running around with unfinished tattoos, especially in visible places. However, I don't think it's that obvious that she's incomplete (much like Lucius). Also probably not easily visible in the picture is the amount of detail. Her braids have a ton of detail. Parts of her skirt actually look like fabric. Her nose and mouth also have a lot of soft details that also are probably hard to see. If you see me in person, I'll be more than happy to point them all out. Talent like that doesn't grow on trees, kids.

My second session is at the end of the month (March 31), probably just enough time for me to work up the emotional energy to do it again. I'm sleeping with saran wrap on my arm (per Mark and Shane's suggestion) to help the ditch heal better. It's uncomfortable, but if it means better healing in the long run, I'll suck it up. I only have to do it two more nights. Haven't broken it to the parents yet, but I figure I'll do it soon. They can't exactly talk me out of it. What's done is done. Plus, when I have my arms down by my sides you can only see her hand from the front and part of her skirt from the back. It's not like *BAM* giant tattoo!!

Overall, it was a really positive experience. The whole I&D crew is great and that's probably a reflection on their esteemed leader and proprietor.

Good Omens

2009-03-12T17:49:00.003-04:00

Well, I had shitty day of sitting on the switchboard and dealing with idiots and assholes. To cheer myself up, it's time to blog about my favorite things.

First off, I start my puppet tomorrow afternoon. I'm really excited to see what Russ came up with. All I saw was a very, very rough sketch in Sharpie. Part of me is nervous that I won't like her face, but on the other hand, he's a very talented artist and he's gotten to see my personality. I think he'll do right by me (and her). I want a very specific feel to her and anything less I won't accept. I know that sounds kind of hardline, but if it's going to be on my body for ever and ever 'til death do us part, I want it to be a certain way. I lack the artistic talent to draw it out myself and sometimes giving a verbal description just doesn't hack it. I'll know for sure in 16 hours. I'm a ball of nervous and excited when I think about it. Unlike with Lucius, I'm fully committed. No second guesses here. Even if it does cause my parents to have a major cardiac event...

Secondly, Monica called me back. She was totally on board with my idea and I'll be tattooed by her for sure at the convention. My appointment is for 3:30 on May 8. Now I just need to make sure the BFF is gonna house me for the weekend. LOL! She was very honest with what she could do with my idea. When she asked about size I said 4 inches and she was like "It's gonna need to be bigger" and I was like "That's cool, I'm just guessing when I give it in inches". I put down a deposit, though I'm probably going to call back closer to time to get a better estimate on total cost. Her shop is hosting it, so it might be a bit on the pricey side. I'm really looking forward to it. I still have to tell Phil I need to reschedule again, but I'm not totally canceling and that's good...right? It'll just probably be June before we get started. Originally, my first session with him was supposed to be next Sunday. Life happens.

Now to chill out a bit and then work out. Hopefully that'll put me in a better mood.

Weddings and Conventions, Though Not Conventional Weddings

2009-03-09T21:06:00.003-04:00

So my best friend is getting married in October. There happens to be a tattoo convention in her city in May. Can we say perfect time to multi-task, kids? I already have a voucher from Delta for a botched flight in December, so that would cover most of the cost of my flight. I don't need to worry about hotel because I can just crash with her. Really my only expenses would be admission to the convention, the price of the tat, and food. I'm waiting to hear back from both the BFF and the tattooist I want to go to. Which brings me to...

I want to see Monica from Alex's New Tattoo in Roanoke. She has a really great way of mixing the cute with the macabre. I think she'd be perfect to do a rockabilly style skull like the one Rhianna has:
http://rihanna-fenty.com/other/tattoos/skull-sign.jpg

I don't think I want the crossbones behind it, I want more detail, and I think I want a tiara rather than a bow. My parents have always called me "princess" so it would suit me more than a simple bow. It can definitely be completed in a few hours and should look really cute.

This also brings me to another issue. My appointments with Phil are April 18 and May 2. The convention is May 8-10. I have two options. I can either cancel completely and lose my deposit or reschedule for June-July-ish. Of course, that's assuming Monica can even take me. The convention is still two months away so I hope she's not totally booked yet. The shop is closed on Sunday and Monday as I discovered when I got the answering machine (way to put your hours online folks!), but allegedly she works tomorrow so hopefully she'll get the message and call me back ASAP. I'll probably miss the call since I'll be at work, but I'll keep an eye on my phone after 1pm.

In other news, I start my puppet on Friday afternoon. Then I have to go see Jason so he can check out my nose. The vitamin E was essentially gluing the stud to my nose. When I would try to clean it, I'd pull out more healing tissue trying to separate it. So now I'm just using the H20cean twice a day and a seriously diluted vitamin E and H2ocean mix once a day. I'm going to be a busy little bee on Friday. Then sometime over the weekend maybe I'll get up the guts to go to Memorial and reschedule for the second time with Phil. I also need to pitch the new idea, so I guess I'll just suck it up and do it then. *sigh* I'm sure he's going to think I'm a total flake, but such is life.

Walking Pin Up Girl

2009-03-08T23:04:00.004-04:00

So I've been out of town since Thursday, thus the radio silence in my normal super active blog.

The more I've thought about this whole "ink girl" thing, the more it made me think that I may need to change my overall style a bit. I've always loved retro styling, especially the whole pin up and 40's-50's era glamour. I can't afford to redo my whole wardrobe right now, so I'm working with what I have. A lot of my shoes are very pin up and I've gotten a few accessories off eBay. I'm also playing around with make up to get the right "look" in my make up. I need a better shade of lip color, so I think I may play around with some new lip colors at Sephora. Kat Von D has a couple promising shades. I'll need to try out several, though one is described as "blood red" so that sounds promising. The only shade of lip gloss I have now is too pink. I think I need something that has more of an orangey undertone. I get paid on Friday, so maybe sometime over the weekend I can experiment.

I feel like I want to express more of the tattooed, stylized rockabilly, pin up chick. I'm okay with looking a bit costume-y and campy. I'll probably end up mixing more modern pieces with more retro pieces rather than going full out into retro. I've been debating about growing my hair out anyway and this pretty much sealed it for me. If I hate having long hair again, I can always chop it off. The short hair just doesn't look very pin up and a little too modern. Plus, I've had long hair for such a long time, that I kind of miss it. It also opens the door for a tattoo on the back of my neck. Teehee.

My tax return can't get here fast enough. It's going to finance all kinds of trouble. ;)

It's (Body) Art

2009-03-02T18:43:00.003-05:00

So time to share a little dream of mine. I'd love to do an artsy nude photo series to highlight all my body mods. At minimum, I might apply to be a Prick girl (which is clothed, but the point is to highlight body art). I've wanted to do this for a while, but I don't know any photographers. I guess I could find one and pay him/her to do it. Though I admit, I'd rather do it with someone I know and am comfortable with. On the one hand, most people know the difference between art and porn. On the other hand, people can be so grossly closed minded that on the off chance they "got out" who knows what might happen?

I guess applying to be one of Prick's "ink girls" would be a start. There's no need for full nudity to successfully show off any of my tattoos. Still leaves me with the small matter of finding a photographer who doesn't suck. I'm pretty comfortable with my body now even though I haven't reached my goal weight. I'm sure there are tricks to hide my tummy poodge and saddlebags. Maybe once I've finished Alice, my puppet, and the cover up on my foot I'll contact the photographer for the mag itself. She charges $75/hr and does sessions in 2 hour chunks. I think that's reasonable and she'll work with you to get what you want. Since she photographs for the magazine, I'm sure she'd be able to help me with what they're looking for in a model. For a month, I might be a minor celebrity. I know I'm inked enough and I know I'm attractive enough. If anything, some of their previous girls have been more curvy than me. So I guess sometime in August, I'll contact her and set something up. Nothing like the dog days of summer for a photo shoot.

Here's to model behaviour. ;)

Insert Title Here

2009-03-01T19:05:00.003-05:00

I didn't make it to Memorial this weekend. Yesterday after I left GFY (inside joke about Overlord's new name) I just wanted to go home. Plus I hadn't printed out any source material. Today I had to work from 8am-noon and by the time I got out it was snowing. Yes, snowing. In Georgia. In March. Plus, I was something equivalent to a zombie. I won't get to go next weekend either because I'm going to be out of town. So I'm not sure when I'll actually make it there in person. I guess I could go sometime during the weekend of the 14th. Part of the problem is it's a pain in the ass to get to. There's no real direct way to get from my house to their shop.

Lucius has reached the itchy stage. Definitely my least favorite part of the process. Britney & Christina are coming along nicely. The good thing about touch ups is they heal fast. It also helped that they didn't really need a lot of work to begin with.

I'm firming up my idea for my foot cover up. I think I want two cupcakes sitting next to each other and then other wrapped candy scattered around them. Toward the outside of my foot / the bottom of the piece I want it to say "La vita e dolce" which is Italian for "Life is sweet". Yes, I took enough Italian to translate it myself. This probably won't happen until late summer because I do need to slow down. Once Phil finishes my leg in early May, I'm taking at least 3 months off. By that point I could very well be working with Mark so then I wouldn't feel like I had to have an excuse to be there.

And now my laptop has pissed me off to the point that I'm going to finish this entry.

Touch Up Times One

2009-02-28T19:36:00.002-05:00

So what was supposed to be touching up of three pieces just turned into one. Mark had a rash of cancellations and appointment changes so he didn't want to spend too much time on unpaid work. Of course, he didn't know I had $40 to give him, which was its own amusing experience.

We opted to touch up Britney & Christina as they needed the most work. Lola really just needs her shoe recolored and a few lines. It definitely hurt more the second time around, but the funny thing was it made my nose itch. I kept wiggling my nose and Mark was like "You okay?". There actually wasn't much to be done, so it only took about half an hour. They also ooohed and aaahed over Lucius. I got to see Melanie's cupcake, which was just as cute in person.

When I tried to give Mark the tip we went through the usual "Take it" "No" "Yes" "No". He finally took it when I threatened to kick him. I also gave them pencils which I actually promised to do several months ago and always forgot about it. So now they have pencils from a defunct brokerage firm.

We didn't get to discuss my foot, though there was certainly time. I think when I go to show off the first part of my puppet, I'll bring in the pictures and we'll talk about it then. I have a pretty good idea of what I want and it'll cover it up really well. Of course, then I can't wear skirts without hose anymore because it is going to be big and bright. But that was going to happen eventually anyway.

The Cover Up

2009-02-27T18:39:00.002-05:00

So the more I'm looking at my foot piece, the more I'm thinking I want to cover it up. Melanie got a cupcake tattooed on her thumb and that reminded me of a really amazing sleeve that I saw. It was full of pastries and candy. Unfortunately I couldn't find it on Google. I did find a few that I really liked. Such as:

I like the "realism" of the first one. I like the colors in the third one, especially the pink. I like the variety of things in the third one like throwing in candy and such. I've always been intrigued by the concept of a candy or confection tattoo. It's something that makes me smile, it's whimsical, and it's okay if it doesn't look real.

When I see Mark tomorrow I'm probably going to see what he thinks. I may have to press him to get an opinion, but he was the one who originally suggested covering it up. At the time, it made sense to get it. Now I think I've moved beyond all that trauma and I want something happy and whimsical to make me smile. It's why I took my nipple piercings out. They were a rebellion and "sticking it" to Will (my ex for those who may not know) one last time. I eventually moved beyond it and just wanted to leave that part of my life behind. So, out came the piercings. I think it may be time to move beyond the time in my life when I got the foot piece. I don't need to remind myself that inner strength is needed daily. I know it is. I want something that will make me smile, remind me of the joy that is needed to get through the day, and possibly make me hungry.

Thoughts? Ideas? Further reading?

Touch Ups and Such Ups

2009-02-26T17:57:00.003-05:00

I got my days off approved from the office so I don't have reschedule with Russ. That's a huge relief. Plus, I'm looking forward to playing hooky from work to get inked. Teehee.

Dustin had a very cryptic message posted on his MySpace. He's recovering from something, though his proxy refused to disclose what it was other than he wasn't in jail and he would honor all appointments at a later time. I'm sure I'll find out what's up eventually. It just concerns me when people post things like that and then details are scant. Makes me think of things that are worse than they actually are, usually.

Mark's touching up a bunch of my stuff on Saturday. Depending on how long that takes, I may stop by Memorial and talk to Phil about my new idea. Though knowing Mark, we won't get started until 3 and then it's gonna be a good 2-3 hours of touch up work. He didn't have any ambitious plans when we spoke last time, but when he gets into it, he comes up with all kinds of ideas. Outwardly, they don't need much work. Lola's shoe needs a bit more color and some lines need to be smoothed out. B & C need some filling in, but nothing major. The time consuming thing is going to be my foot. We don't really have a solid plan that would fall within the realm of "touch up". At minimum, he's going to make the linework look better. I think I want to add more than either of us is prepared to deal with, but we'll talk about that when I get there.

I Am Not My Job

2009-02-22T17:43:00.004-05:00

I know I dealt with this like three days ago, but it seriously bothers me. I'm so damned sick of stereotypes surrounding tattoos, especially tattooed women. We're not all sluts. We're not stupid or incapable. We don't all ride motorcycles. Most of all, we're not unemployable.

My job is not my life. It's simply a means to finance living. I'm not going to let a bunch of closed minded bankers dictate who I am. I'm not going to suppress my personality to make them happy. I cover them out of professional courtesy (and practicality. Even in July our office is an icebox). I fail to see how I should take something that's such an insignificant part of my life as an overarching guide. I'm not so stupid or flagrant to get my face tattooed. That's doing it for the sake of pissing someone off, which isn't my goal. I do forget to wear my class ring some days, but really, no one cares about the tattoo on my finger. In fact, most people think it's cute. I think it's a totally irrelevant argument against tattooing.

Maybe some people are their jobs. Maybe some people are fortunate enough to be able to be themselves at work. I'm not one of them. My tattoos make me smile. In an industry that discourages free thinking and creativity, I need all the smiles I can get. Part of me feels like a badass knowing that they have no idea what I really look like. Some have an inkling, but no one knows the full extent of my art. As Kurt said yesterday, there's no real point in hiding who you are to make other people happy. Though it was in the context of weddings, the point still holds true. When I'm on the clock, I'll play by the rules. When it's my time, all bets are off. I was talking to another woman in our office and she said something similar. When she's off the clock, she's a totally different person. At least there's a kindred spirit around.

So I'll keep wearing my suits and pumps, hoping that maybe someday I'll find a job where it doesn't matter or (God forbid) even encourages that sort of thing. Until then, I guess the "real me" will just smirk at those around me.

Peacock Experience

2009-02-21T19:53:00.002-05:00

Five. Hour. Sitting. Hear me roar!

So after some cold feet, I almost canceled my peacock appointment. Then I split the difference and decided to move it to my thigh. When I got there and saw the sketch, I knew he was meant for my arm. We tried both places and really, it just looked better on my arm. So Kurt went back to get everything ready. We didn't get started until almost 1 even though my appointment was for noon.

I got to meet Russ' younger son. He definitely takes after his daddy. He was fascinated by Kurt tattooing me. I'm not normally one who enjoys kids, but Cody was pretty cute. He was a happy baby. He said he's looking forward to tattooing me especially after seeing how well I sat.

Kurt has his girlfriend with him, so we talked some. Kurt wasn't much of a talker, but apparently he concentrates very deeply. I gave them some advice about places to eat and things to do in town since they're moving down here. Laura (the girlfriend) was looking through listings of rentals and I'd chime in with my opinion. They're looking to live somewhere close to the shop. I'm jealous. I miss living in Decatur.

We didn't finish all of him, but we got the bulk done. Kurt had someone coming in at 4, who he had to bump to 6, and obviously had to take him. He's got to finish filling in part of the tail feathers and wants to do more detail in the tail in general. He can also touch up anything that doesn't heal properly. Whenever they move down here is around the time we'll finish it. It's going to be at least a month though. I'm not too worried, he looks pretty good as he is now.

I'm really glad I went through with it. I'm incredibly happy with the result. He looks amazing. Now he just needs a name. Without further ado...pictures! Click on them to see the full view if they don't look right.

Big Ideas

2009-02-19T19:08:00.002-05:00

So after having a super stressful afternoon, I come to my favorite refuge of body mods. Ahhh, I feel more zen already. So to make myself feel even better, here are my big ideas (literally).

Half sleeve:
One of my favorite songs is "This Time" from August Rush. Lyrics can be found here:

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/augustrush/thistime.htm

My vision is to have an angel standing on a balcony (think Claire Danes from Romeo + Juliet) and a really nice classic car where the headlights are clearly visible. Those would be the main components of the piece, but I'm sure I'd incorporate more.

Back:
A few months ago, I saw a really awesome back piece in Prick. It was this girl who had angel wings tattooed on her back and they took up her whole back. They were in full color going from red to purple. I loved the piece and thought if I covered my back, it would be with something like that. No wussy baby angel wings for me.

Since I already have the French phrase on my back, I thought I'd add to it so that it reads (translated) "I dance with life and I fly with my dreams". I'm also not so crazy about the rainbow idea. Plus, I don't want to spend half my life explaining to people I'm not a lesbian. Since my favorite colors are reds and pinks, I thought it would be really pretty to make the wings in the colors of a sunset.

Thigh:
Since I came up with a better idea for my arm, I decided to move my peacock to my right thigh. Since I already wanted a pin up girl there, I thought I'd try to get them to work together. I'd change the colors of the dress to work with the peacock (probably green and purple) and maybe try to make it look like the girl is turning into the bird. Maybe have a few random peacock feathers floating between the two to signify change. It's something that I'll definitely need to discuss with Kurt because I need to make sure the proportions are right and the bird isn't huge while the girl is small.

Calf:
This one I've brought up before. My Alice in Wonderland piece. The complete vision is the Cheshire Cat sitting in a tree and Alice is looking up at him. Underneath it has the iconic quote "We're all mad here". It would probably be the least amount of work of the ones I've listed here.

So those are my big ideas that will require more time and money than I have now. However, everyone has to dream, right?

Now time for a bubble bath and a glass of wine.

What Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful

2009-02-17T20:10:00.002-05:00

I hope to inspire every girl with tattoos with this post. Whether you have 1 or 100, I hope this post will touch someone. I know I wish someone would say it to me.

My tattoos don't make me ugly. It's not some bizarre form of self mutilation. They don't make me undesirable. They don't make me *gasp* unmarriagable. I love my mother, but if I hear how no man is going to want me because of my tattoos one more time, I'm going to scream. Or some equally snide comment from my father that the only place I'll ever find a husband is a biker bar. She claims she doesn't want to marry me off, but I think some days she's convinced she's going to have two spinsters still in the house. Every time there's a new one, I have to hear about how it will show in a wedding dress, yet, no man wants me. So how is it that I'm going to shame my mother at my wedding, but I'll be damn lucky if I even find a guy dumb enough to marry me? Or will I end up with some guy their age and we'll run off and get married in Vegas?

My tattoos make me beautiful. They make me different. And they are part of who I am. I'm not "too pretty" for tattoos. I am one of "those people". There are plenty of men out there who find tattoos attractive. Most of them also have tattoos, but I'd bet there are some who don't. I don't want a guy who wants a cookie cutter bobblehead for a partner. I want a guy who isn't okay with just any girl. I don't know what my tattoos say to them, but I know what they say to me. I don't really care what people think and I'm not afraid to express myself. I happen to be proud of being a walking art gallery. I always have something to bring me joy even on the worst of days. I always have stories to tell. I have a genuine piece of art that was made for me.

Tattooed women of the world band together. Wear your ink with pride. Don't let the bastards get you down. Don't let people convince you that you're ugly or slutty or unworthy. If anything, you're better than all of them. You had the guts to take a chance. To do something permanent. Even if it didn't work out like you hoped (let's face it sometimes they don't), you stepped out on the limb. You pushed the envelope.

I have tattoos. And I am beautiful.