ishyface | (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.

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.

Threaded | Flat

So jealous! I can't wait until I have the money for my tattoos! God knows I have several all planned out.

That is amazing and makes me want to run out and get inked now. yes.

Bonjour tattoo! No bass guitar for you yet! (Although I had this really awesome plan that could never happen where we drive to Jersey with a guitar and a bass, and do fake interviews with different bands asking to borrow their drummers, and then we JAM! "Uh... oh, hi there, Bill... say, is The Butcher in? We're in a band, see, but we seem to have lost our drummer...")

Gashlycrumb Tinies, anyone?

Beautiful. Simple, well placed, and utterly gorgeous. Nice!

Very, very nice!

that's beautiful - for its reason as much as its aesthetic beauty

don't forget to take care of it

Yay! I loved how exciting the tattoo was. I went and got one with a friend; had designed mine four years earlier and waited so I knew it was something I'd really want. She had one all picked out and then saw a flash she really liked (it is pretty cool--it's a Native American-style puffin) and switched to that. Weirdo.

I like your comments on umbrellas. A very good personal symbol.

That is really, really cute. And it's nice and simple :]

I love it! It's really funky and unique but also simple and classy. Really, I heartily approve.

skjfjksd, awesomeeeeeeee.

* 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.

ahahahh. sailor jerry's has a vagina pie. i kind of wanted it, because i would laugh every time i saw it, but really, where do you put a vagina pie? (awkward sentence.

Spiffy ink, dude! And I likes the explanation- I'd never really thought about umbrellas like that before.

I kinda want to to get inked post-op in Montréal to celebrate, but odds are I'll restrain myself and just get a facial piercing instead. If I haven't already gotten one or two by then...

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.