Man Day 2010

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?!

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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

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

Misty Part 2 Experience

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

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

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

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

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

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

Backlogged Blogging

Hello my loyal readers.

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

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

Pining for Piercings

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

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

Hrm...

Hillbillies and Freak Shows

Sunday is apparently my day to blog lately. Whatevs.

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

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

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

For Now...

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

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

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

Odds And Ends Part 308

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

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

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

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

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

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

Consults and Touch Ups

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

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

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

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

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

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

I Like To Watch

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

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

Rational Choices

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

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

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

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

Tattoo Week '09

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bad Emily!

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