What time is it? Tat2 o'clock! (Tuesday, December 18, 2007)

DISCLAIMER: this blog is mine & mine alone. Thou shalt not blame family nor friends nor employer for what you may read here.

More Ink
Those that know me know I have multiple tattoos, those that don't, well, you wouldn't know by looking at me. All of mine can be easily covered by a short-sleeve t-shirt & shorts. Strategic placement has been a consideration all along. Ya never know your audience, and I choose to avoid garnering the stereotypes that (still) go along w/being inked. In a tank top some are visible, but all together my tat's can be hidden if I deem necessary or choose to.

So anyway, me thinks it's time to get a new piece. The first tattoo I got was by a guy in Cedar Rapids, IA, nearly 17 years ago, and he told me that tattooes can be addictive; you get one, you want two; get two, want three. Sure enough, about a year after my first tat along came 2. A three-year gap or so, and 3 appeared. The next one will put me over the half-dozen mark. They are addictive in a way. Getting tattooed is something of a religious experience; you get to know yourself well while sitting in the chair (or lying on a table) w/the needle pulsing in & out of your flesh for an hour or more. Disassociate yourself from the pain (you try), or drink it in. Find your "happy place" or count ceiling tiles, whatever. It still hurts. They all hurt, no matter what anyone may claim. Some spots hurt worse than others, to be sure. But they all hurt to some degree.

Tattooing is an ancient practice, thousands of years old & found across many many disparate cultures. In some cultures tattooes marked a rite of passage, coming of age. Each tattoo of mine marks a phase or place in life, and has a story behind it. None were rash, spur-of-the-moment decisions made in haste, and none are or have been regretted. Never would I consider having any removed. So I'm stoked about the next piece, to appear sometime after the first of the year. I've found a great place here in Tampa Bay (Atomic Tattooes, the shop I go to is in Largo, on Ulmerton Road), and a very talented artist who's drawing up a custom piece for me now. Can't wait til the holidays pass & it's time again.

Well I guess that's it for now. I still cannot believe I'm voluntarily subjecting myself to the brutal cold that surely will descend upon Cleveland come the end of the week. I think I need to have my head examined, and those that know me would probably agree. Take care, stay warm, and get ready to make the most of each day, and the new year that beckons.