ishyface: (Default)
the creature from the blog lagoon ([personal profile] ishyface) wrote2008-02-13 07:01 pm
Entry tags:

(no subject)

What did you guys do today? Me, I didn't do anything very special. Went to class, wrote a test, and oh yeah GOT A FUCKING TATTOO.

I made the appointment about three weeks ago, and even though I got there late today- because I got on the wrong bus again, damn Gerald you're really not all there- it all went really well. The tattoo artist is a lovely old man (he likes Michael Moore!) who kept calling me "dear," which usually bothers me but didn't today because I was really, really nervous. And kind of shaky.

I shouldn't have been! It barely hurt- at worst it felt like a very, very strong itch. Definitely not as bad as getting blood drawn. And- and- Jesus Christ I have a tattoo. Kerrin, you need to show Mum. She will Go Spare.

Photobucket

Photobucket

One of my first memories- not my very first, that's of my second birthday when I got two troll dolls on my birthday cake and I wanted to keep the girl one but Keggie got to keep that one, how unfair is THAT, it was MY birthday!- is of being a little kid in a park in the middle of the city. It was a rainy day and someone had left an umbrella on a picnic table. I'd seen umbrellas on television and in the movies before, but no one in my family ever had one. We still don't, really. So I was fascinated by this weird little device, and I wanted to see how it opened up, and I shoved my hand inside.

It turned out it was really sharp and rusty and I cut my fingers, but I still got it to open up.

Umbrellas still fascinate me. Maybe that's a weird thing to be interested in rather than... I dunno, the glory of a summer's day or a wild herd of ponies running free across the plain, but whatever. I like umbrellas. I like the sanctuary they offer; I like that they give you this warm dry bubble in the middle of a storm. I like the way people struggle to keep hold of them when the wind blows. I like the way people stand under them together, sharing small and lovely spaces. I like that when it's raining you see umbrellas dot the sidewalks, and I like the way the coloured ones revive wet grey cities. I like that if you have an umbrella and the right west wind you could fly, or at least float.

I also like this song. A lot.

For me an umbrella means you'll always have a safe place, even if it's small and even if it's temporary and even if the world outside is a mess. And now I have my own.

I just- argh, I feel really good about myself right now. I've wanted a tattoo for years, and I waited until I knew what I wanted before getting it done instead of just picking out something random from the book.* I designed this myself (true, not that much to design, but still) and made the appointment myself and went there myself and didn't chicken out at all. And now I have my own lovely (slightly irregular) tattoo.

\:D/

* Everything they have in those books is really, really ugly anyway. Who gets a fucking skeleton on a motorcycle? Surely that's a punishment, just like the tuba.

[identity profile] doubtful-salmon.livejournal.com 2008-02-16 07:10 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, I really love it. It's a really great tattoo. It's simple but brilliant. And I'm not usually like a tattoo sycophant. I mean I try to be enthusiastic for people because they're not like shoes, you're kind of stuck with them, but I really, really like this one a lot. Good choice.

[identity profile] ishyface.livejournal.com 2008-02-17 04:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you! (I'm glad that you're not a tattoo sycophant AND you like it- I sometimes wonder if people only compliment people on their tattoos because they're so eager to welcome another person into the club of We Actually Paid For This, No Really, We Did. Of course, if you really hate someone's tattoo it's not worth mentioning- it's not like they can return it, or do much of anything other than cover it up.)

[identity profile] doubtful-salmon.livejournal.com 2008-02-18 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
Right. I generally just keep my mouth shut if I dislike someone's tattoo. But I really like yours. I think there is something magical about umbrellas even without the personal meaning, and it's simple yet elegant. I love it, I really do.