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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Snoozing and Stabbing.....

Aaaaahhhhhh Tuesday, you’ve started off a little rough for me……… I overslept this morning. I awoke with the alarm and then negotiated with myself for more time, deciding that I really didn’t need to stop for coffee….. And that would shave about 8-10 minutes from my commute. 

I hit the snooze. 

The next time I hear the alarm 20+ minutes had passed.  More negotiation…. I won’t flat iron my hair, curly is just fine. 

I hit the snooze. 

The next time I hear the alarm, it is 10 minutes before I have to be at work.  Why do I always think that the snooze button is my friend??

FUCK

“No sense in losing your mind now TrippyBeth” I get up, call work, and get ready like a normal day.  Since I was already late, I got my coffee. 

Trying to right my world.

When I arrive work, I walk into my boss’ office to find a coworker trying to stab me in the back.  She seemed a little startled at my presence and began to backstep….

You’re caught CM. 

I bit my tongue…. There were several ugly things that I could say.  But I didn’t want to be that girl.  So I confirmed that I was, in fact, correct, pulled the knife from my back and turned on my heel and walked out of the office……

Now, an hour later, she asks if I feel ok “You’re not your usual chipper self.”  For fuck’s sake woman, don’t act so oblivious. 

Anyway, I shall carry on…..

So, arriving at work 20 minutes late sets off a chain of events…. Moving everything up 30 minutes.  Yay! But all that is taken care of now, I need to work and research a super interesting blog post.

I’m not completely sure that is going to happen.  If it doesn’t, accept my apologies, I’ll be back tomorrow.  If it does…… GO ME!!!

Here’s hoping your Tuesday started off better than mine!!!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Birthdays, Bourbon and Shameless Tattoo Pain

WOW! What a fantastic birthday weekend!

I have to start by giving a shout out to my posse!  And, yes I know that it is not 1994, somehow posse slipped across my lips on Friday and I am just going with it.  It’s odd how certain words or phrases are stuck somewhere deep down in the mucky bottom of your brain, and once and a while they are churned up from the bottom.  I have used the term posse all weekend, and probably will for the rest of the week, and then I’ll let it go and allow it to sink back to the murky depths of my psyche.

My birthday weekend started Friday evening, as most weekends do (even ones that are not birthday related) and I decided that I would keep it sedate, rest up for Saturday night.
After work I went to Sephora and treated myself to a few things including a Stiletto Red lipstick by LancĂ´me (which was sort of pinky-red).  I’ve never really worn red lipstick, but I like the look of it and am going to try to slowly introduce it into my make-up wardrobe.

After Sephora, I picked up some pad Thai and went home.  As I made the trek towards home, a wicked storm rolled through.  Rain and wind blew debris across the road, and at one point I was certain that the finger of God as attempting to push my Vibe right off the road.  Being the ever-vigilant and brave girl that I am, I carried on, through the storm and made it home unscathed.  The storm provided a welcome respite from the miserable heat that we’ve had here in the Ohtucky.  I was actually able to eat my pad Thai in front of the TV in my living room without having to continually wipe the sweat that would drip from my forehead.  It was nice. 

I have a rather roomy one bedroom apartment, in a charming 1928 Tudor.  When apartment hunting, I decided to choose charm over modern conveniences, like central air.  I do, however, have window units in my bedroom and there is one in the dining room.  I have yet to use the one in the dining room this summer; I really don’t see the point for just myself.  So along with my fabric shopping bags, this is my contribution to saving the environment by using less power.  That’s right; I am the hippy chick saving the earth girl! (Well not really, I never seem to feel guilty for the Styrofoam cups that McDonald’s serves my tea in. Let’s face it, that shit is good.  Sorry, earth).

My Birthday Eve celebration began at Zola (http://zolapubandgrill.com/), with Guinness and nachos for me.  I love the nachos at Zola.  I am not usually a fan of chili on nachos at most places, but at Zola it is definitely scrumptious.
On the drive to Mainstrasse, I made those with me swear that they would not buy me any tequila.  Tequila does one of two things to me, neither of which is good.  I either take my boobs out or I puke.  I was determined not to do either of those things on my birthday.  Thankfully, I was successful!!  Everyone lived up to their oath of no tequila!!

After Zola we headed across the street to the new-ish Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar (OKBB).

I am enamored with this place! They have more bourbon, whiskeys, scotches and other libations than I have ever seen and the atmosphere was very chill yet kinda classy!!  Some of their selections were extremely rare and unique.  With so many to choose from, decision making was HARD!

Our bartender was Josh; he was super knowledgeable and able to make great recommendations.  KS is not a fan of the bourbon, so he whipped her up a concoction that he had just invented the previous night.  It was so delicious that I had to have one too! He had not named the drink yet, we attempted to give him some ideas.  The first was Holay Mole, for the Mole bitters that were in the drink.  That gave Josh a chuckle but I don’t think he was going for it.  Our next idea was, The Cy, after our pal Cy Press, who was joining us for the evening.  We shall see on our next visit, if he took either of our suggestions seriously.  I feel pretty certain that he will not.
Josh, the master mixologist, posing with Cy Press.
While at OKBB, KR arrived after making an 11 hour drive back from Myrtle Beach! My Birthday Eve would not have been the same without her!! So she won the “farthest traveled” award, which consisted of a hug!

JR and CC both had a couple of sarsaparilla sours, which were apparently pretty potent, I had a taste, but am SO NOT a fan….. YUK! I guess a sarsaparilla was the root beer’s predecessor.  Root beer gags me….. I chased that repulsive taste from my mouth, with some Double Oaked Woodford Reserve, it was like sipping liquid gold…so warm as I could feel it percolating down my throat, once reaching my stomach, the warmth spreading itself from my abdomen, crossing my chest and making its way down to my finger tips.  It’s all I can do to close my eyes and savor the moment.


So, after we all enjoyed some luscious libations, we headed across the street to Strasse Haus (http://www.strassehauspub.com/) as we could hear a band playing, and Birthday Eves are made for dancing!
The band playing was Lucky 7, they played some reggae sounding stuff and some covers that I knew well.  Two days later I still have “Land Down Under” stuck in my head…… I so hate getting a brain worm, hopefully it will abscond posthaste….
An anonymous band member with Cy.  Cy is such an attention whore. This is not a great photograph; I believe the photographer may have been a little tipsy.

So we danced, laughed, enjoyed buttery nipples and essentially had a groovy time!! 
We did notice an abundance of sequins on the bar patrons.  I have never really thought much about sequins, not sure that I am a sequin kinda girl.  And since my favorite places to shop are the Goodwill and Target, which don’t really carry much sparkle, I don’t really see many sequins on my infrequent shopping trips.
We did, however, decide that we needed to have a sequin themed outing, preceded by a craft night, when we will bedazzle and outfit each.  KS’s birthday is next, and I suggested that could be when we did sequin night.  She and KR were in agreement.  I love that my friends are just as dorky as me.

After Strasse Haus, the evening was pretty much over for most of us…. We all parted and went our separate ways.

I have to say that I have the best friends that any girl could ask for…… I’m very lucky!!

I had a massive headache early Sunday morning, but it vanquished fairly quickly.  I was a slug for the majority of my actual birthday. 
As I laid around in my shorts and ratty t-shirt with uncombed hair (teeth were brushed. when I first woke up, I felt like a cat had shit in my mouth) I got an unexpected invitation to go to the Beer Sellar (net/) www.beersellar.net) for drinks from TJ.
I, of course, said YES! It was officially my birthday and it wouldn’t be right to spend it lying on the sofa, with the cat, watching “Something About Mary”, that would just be sad.
I quickly began the magical transformation, back to a human being from the slug state I was wallowing in.

It was a beautiful evening on the banks of the Ohio River.  There was a slight breeze as we sat on the deck watching the boats go by sipping on our drinks.  I asked the bartender what his specialty drink was, “Sex on the Deck” he replied.
I had one.  I suppose it was essentially a “Sex on the Beach”.  It was fine.  After the Birthday Eve debauchery, lighter drinking was definitely on my agenda.

We enjoyed the view, the weather and the conversation for a while.  I felt oddly contented.  TJ suggested we go over to Joe’s Crabshack for a birthday dinner.  I eagerly agreed, I love me some seafood!!  I had some lobster stuffed shrimp, which was quite tasty.  TJ had a shrimp platter, which appeared to have the entire school of shrimp on it!  We even shared some key lime pie for dessert.

When discussing our dessert choice, the subject of chocolate came up.  I, as I’ve stated earlier, am not a big chocolate fan.  TJ said that sometimes chocolate was a sex substitute “Haven’t you seen women on TV take chocolates to bed and eat the whole box?”
I had to laugh, he was so earnest.  I had to retort, “Eating an entire box of chocolate is more about stuffing down feelings than substituting for sex.  If I’m going to stuff down some feelings, I prefer to do it with alcohol.”  Alcohol is just an all around better feeling-stuffer in my opinion.  And if you choose correctly it’s not so hard on your waistline.  If you’re truly using chocolate as a sex substitute, expanding your waistline isn’t going to help you get laid, I’m sure of that!

Now that you are all caught up on the Birthday Weekend hijinx, let’s talk tattoos.

A comment from Vigilarius, about the pain of tattoos has spurred today’s tattoo talk.  Vigilarius doesn’t have any ink, and is hesitant because of the potential pain factor.  Everyone perceives pain differently, but some areas are definitely more painful to have tattooed.  Personally the least painful tattoo that I have was behind my ear, although I’ve seen that some people thought that was very painful.  Of course, the tattoo behind my ear is relatively tiny and didn’t take very long at all.

I found a couple of charts that show the areas that are most commonly more sensitive.  The most painful tattoo for me was definitely my foot, that hurt like a mother fucker.

These charts seems to be pretty accurate, in my opinion.  Oh sure, you’ll find someone out that there will disagree, but opinions are like assholes, everybody knows one!

Aside from the actual pain, a person can psych themselves out, letting the fear of the unknown give them a case of the “tattoo flu”.  I saw a person very close to me suffer a terrible case of the tattoo flu at the time of their first tattoo.  As the needle touched his skin and began to make an outline, all of the blood drained from his face and he turned as green as a gourd.  There was a mad dash to the bathroom, some vomiting ensued.  Now this person was not a whimpy person, had suffered some painful injuries without any major drama.  Yet, the idea of the tattoo needles piercing his skin brought forth a physiological response. 
While he was in the bathroom trying to compose himself, the tattoo artist said “It’s the tattoo flu, you never know who’s going to get it.”

After some encouragement, a cool wet paper towel and a Mountain Dew, he regained his composure and calmly sat for the rest of the tattoo session.  He even went on to get a second tattoo a year or so later, without contracting the tattoo flu!

So if you’re nervous about the potential pain of a tattoo, that’s understandable.  You may find that it’s not nearly as bad as you had anticipated.  You might get a case of the tattoo flu.  Or, getting a tattoo may not be the way to go for you. 

If you really feel like you can't live without getting that first tattoo, yet are freaked by the thought of the needles forcing ink into your skin, maybe look at those charts and try to choose the least painful area to start off with.  I'd venture to guess that 8 out of 10 people would say that the tattoo did not hurt as bad as they had anticipated.

If the idea of a tattoo, sends you down a rabbit hole of panic, I'd definitely consider finding some other way to express myself.  There's no shame in that.




Friday, July 27, 2012

Birthday Anticipation and Misspellings

It’s FFFRRRRRIIIIIIDDDDDDAAAAAAAYYYY!!!

WOOT WOOT!!!

I didn’t even work on Monday, and this week has seemed just as long as any other week.
I believe that tonight, for me, will be very sedate.  I need to be resting up in preparation for tomorrow night.

My birthday is on Sunday, so on Saturday evening we will be embarking on a pub crawl through Mainstrasse.  As it stands, there will be approximately 12 of us.  A good size crowd of folks that are always a good time!!  Bring on the Jager bombs!! But NO tequila, as that’s where everything went wrong last year, terribly wrong.

I LOVE birthdays!!!

Last night I was treated to an early birthday dinner by my friend R.  We traveled across the Roebling Bridge to Over The Rhine (OTR).  The Roebling is my favorite bridge! I remember it being called the “Singing Bridge” (because it has a steel grate roadway that hums as you drive over it) when I was a child, but it’s more commonly known as “The Suspension Bridge”.
John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge
Once in OTR, we went to Lavomatic (http://lavomaticcafe.com/) it was their reopening night, but we were unaware of that!
I had the shrimp and crawfish pasta (YUMMY!) and R had the duck sandwich.  I now know that I am not a fan of duck.  I also had a tasty beer, Smutty nose, an IPA.  Very hoppy, and I dig that!
And, as Ohtucky is truly a small town, I ran into someone that I had worked for at Bockfest, so hopefully I’ll be pouring some beer at the Midpoint Music Festival September 27-29 (http://www.midpointmusic.com/).  Very cool that the stage in the newly renovated Washington Park, will be the main stage for Midpoint.  We drove past Washington Park last night and it looks fabulous!!  It sits in front of my favorite building in the city, Music Hall.

Washington Park
Music Hall
So now that you are up to date on my social life, we will chat a little bit about tattoos, since that is the objective of this blog.

Today is the first day of the 2012 Summer Olympics, in London.  I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I’ll probably try to catch some of it.

In honor of the 2012 Olympics, I bring to you the tale of Jerri Peterson, from our very own Atlanta, Georgia.  Jerri was nominated to participate in the torch-bearing brouhaha. To celebrate this, Jerri decided to get a tattoo.  I totally get that, had I been chosen to carry the torch, I might consider it myself.  So, as the story goes, Jerri went to a “very good" tattoo artist locally, got the tattoo and was happy.  So happy, that she emailed photos of it to friends.  Jerri was blissfully unaware that her tattoo was misspelled, until a friend pointed it out, after receiving the emailed photo.

Major bummer.

Jerri’s tattoo artist offered to correct it, but she turned him down, preferring to leave it as it was "It's the Oy-limpics - it's as unique as I am."
Good attitude, Jerri……
This is just another example of people (tattooists and tattooees) not utilizing spell-check, or Google or a dictionary….. sigh……Not everyone spells well.  R and I were discussing this last night, the English language is arbitrary, if one has a brain that only functions in black and white, spelling could be an issue.  It could also be an issue for those who "can't be bothered", an R quote, to spell correctly.  Tattoo artists, MUST be bothered to spell correctly.  If their brain doesn't work that way, they must implement tools that will assist them.  Again, as I've said before, half of the responsibility lies with the tattooee, after all, it's their skin and they are the ones that will be wearing this until death + 5 years.
 I, however, would be VERY unhappy with this tattoo….. I spell fairly well, so I doubt that this would happen to me.  If I ever decide to get any tattoo with script, you can bet your ass that I would double, hell, TRIPLE check the spelling.  TrippyBeth recommends that you all do the same!!
Have a wonderful weekend my friends!  If you want to join in my birthday debauchery, hit me up!!!
See you all back here on Monday!!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Tattoos go to the Opera

Today I am bringing to you the plight of Evgeny Nikitin, a Russian opera singer.  Evgeny was scheduled to perform at the Bayreuth opera festival, in Berlin Germany.

You can check out the Yahoo story here: 

When opera officials saw photos of Evgeny with a swastika tattoo on his chest, they got a little antsy.  Not surprisingly, the German people aren’t cool with folks sporting a swastika, go figure…..

After Evgeny started receiving some static about the tattoo, he bowed out of the festival. 

"I had these tattoos done in my youth. It was a big mistake in my life and I wish I had never done it," Nikitin said in a statement on the festival's website.
Everyone makes mistakes, and I’m not sure what the culture is in Russia, where he’s from.  Maybe it’s more acceptable there.
But then he goes on to say this "I was not aware of the extent of the irritation and pain these signs and symbols would cause especially in Bayreuth and in the context of the history of the festival." 

REALLY Evgeny???

You don’t think that the German people are a tad bit sensitive about a swastika?  Did you ever hear of a little thing called the HOLOCAST?
The festival does have Nazi ties. Richard Wagner, whose music the festival celebrates, had anti-Semitic sentiments, years before Hitler came into power.  And Richard’s daughter-in-law was a friend of Hitler.

So, with the history of the festival, I suppose Evgeny thought that the swastika was no biggie.
BUT, the people of Germany once worshipped Hitler too….. uuuummmm dude, things change……. Get with the times…….

The only photos I can find of the tattoo look like it’s been partially covered.  He doesn't look like what you expect an opera singer to look like, does he?
So……….. is it still an issue?  It’s still obviously a swastika underneath, but he has attempted to make it go away.  You can tell that it was a big, dark tattoo…. Not easy to cover, and I’m sure not easy to laser away.
He says he regrets getting the tattoo, maybe because he no longer identifies with what the swastika symbolizes? Or because he doesn’t want it to affect his ability to get work?

When choosing a tattoo, there can be consequences.  Tattoos that represent hate are never, in TrippyBeth’s opinion, a good idea.  

This might be acceptable……

But why? I’m sure someone out there has their reasons to get one of these tattooed on their body, and I fully support their right to do it.  However, if you choose this symbol, don’t be surprised when people hate on you for it.  I mean, if you’re old enough to get tattooed, you’re old enough to know the passions that certain symbols can incite.

So…… go forth, get your ink……..just choose wisely, my friends.  No one wants to end up like Evgeny. 

But....... the more I think about it, this could have been a good thing for Evgeny…… I had never heard of the dude before, although I am not exactly an opera groupie, and now he’s all over the news……..

Bad publicity is better than no publicity….. and all it cost him (that I’m aware of) was one gig.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Some People Have Dumb Kids.

I search the news for tattoo stories that I think may be interesting to you, my readers.  In doing so today, I came across this article.  I had to laugh.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-24/news/chi-elgin-street-robbery-20120724_1_distinctive-tattoo-kane-county-bond-court-robbery
To give you the Cliff's Notes version, the dude pictured above, decided to rob a man a gunpoint.  It's Chicago, we know these things happen.  But this guy, who is obviously eligible to join MENSA, never considered the fact that his face tattoo might make him more identifiable. He was immediately found and arrested.  One might suspect that Jesus could have a monkey on his back, that forces him to make these unwise decisions, I don't know.  And the fact that he's on parol, you'd think, would make him think these things through..... Obviously not.

Take some advice from TrippyBeth...... I am not particularly knowledgable about criminal activities, all I know is that "it's only illegal if you get caught" words of advice from my father.  BUT..... I would advise all of  my readers, who are considering taking up a life of crime, to, either not get that face tattoo that they want sooooo badly (or hand or neck tattoos for that matter) OR if they already have one, to find a way to cover it up, before they embark on a crime spree

It's only prudent......

Butterflies in the Workplace

Bonjour mon ami!!!

Giving a shout out to Fred in France today!!

Another hump day is upon us, and it’s going by rather quickly, YAY!!

As I told you yesterday I was going back to have Dustin (www.facebook.com/dustin.zion) touch up my Georgia butterfly and have another butterfly tattooed on my right collar bone.

I did it! They both look fantastic!  The collar bone is a semi-tender location, most of it was tolerable, but there were a couple of sweet spots….. you all know what I mean!
But, Dustin started on the new butterfly, outlined it, and then moved to the Georgia butterfly.  So the new butterfly calmed down a little bit before he came back to add the color.  I should do 2 tattoos every time!
I had the new butterfly done in blue and purple, didn’t want any pink as I have a lot of pink on that shoulder/arm already.  It’s a good contrast and it balances out the swallow on my left collar bone.  I love it!  Interestingly, Dustin told me that women sit so much better for tattoos than men do.  Not shocking, we were created for baby making, so it really makes sense, its biology.  But, as much as I hate to admit it, research shows that men actually have a higher pain tolerance http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/painthreshold.html.
 The stencil.
 Dustin at work.
The finished tattoo.

Now, this particular butterfly really has no significant meaning, I just wanted it, just wanted something pretty on that collar bone for symmetry’s sake.
Not all tattoos have to have some deep, personal meaning.  Although some will tell you that they should.  It’s your skin and your prerogative to put anything on it that you wish, and I won’t judge you, unless you put something stupid on your face… then you’re just asking for it.

I mean, come on dude, does this really have the chica’s lining up? I bet your grandma loves it, and your job prospects??? Zip, zilch, nada!! But the no job thing could be the objective.

Tattoos are becoming more accepted in the work place, we see them all the time in our bartenders, servers, etc…. But in some lines of work they’re still not accepted.  Most corporate, tattooed people I know keep theirs covered at work.  I did, however, meet a bartender at Claddah’s Irish Pub in Newport that, when seeing my tattoos, offered up his sleeve (very nicely done) that he had to keep covered with a sleeve.  So not ALL bars let their employees show their ink.  I am disappointed in my Irish peeps!!

Now for me, my wrist tattoos show 99% of the time and my foot tattoo, 85% of the time (I detest socks! That little seam across the toes drives me insane!), and sometimes my arm tattoos peek out, depending on how short my sleeves are.  No one in my office has ever said anything about them.  There is one other girl here with more than one tattoo; she and I actually got tattooed at the same time last year.  But I am the quintessential “weird girl” in the office, and I’m totally good with that.  No written dress code exists in my office, so it would be a little difficult for them to actually ask me to start covering my ink.  Unless they drafted a policy and had all of the employees sign off on it.  But we really don’t have too much interaction with the public.  I see docs from time to time and no one seems to even notice.

Tattoos in the work place is a virtual mine field for employers.  I ran across this article http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management-employee/4113152-1.html#axzz21eIsCNdr which thoughtfully addresses the subject.  This statement stood out to me “And remember, making assumptions about the qualifications of people who have tattoos is not only unfounded, it may result in discrimination claims against your company.”  I’ve known people with tattoos, that you’d never think had them, and it’s becoming more and more prevalent in all lines of work.

This article surprised me http://rense.com/general11/plac.htm, I had no idea that Starbucks had such a strict policy regarding tattoos.  Damn, I almost expect my barista to be tattooed.  But, honestly, I never noticed one way or another.
We, as a society, just need to get used to it.  Body art is a form of self expression, so much of the art is beautiful, let's just admire it and appreciate it my friends.......

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Bars, Butterflies and Skulls....

Good morning my friends!!

I apologize for not posting yesterday; I was feeling rather shiteous.....  Ahhhh the joys of an autoimmune disease.  This is apparently my own fault….. But I won’t bore you with that story.

I had an eventful weekend, a date on Friday, I hit Mainstrasse on Saturday with a good friend and had a work event at the Florence Freedom (http://www.florencefreedom.com/) on Sunday.

On Saturday night, Gene and I found my new favorite bar!!! The Up Over bar! 

Not sure how I’ve missed going into this place on my many trips to Mainstrasse (http://www.mainstrasse.org/entertainment/).  It’s a hole-in-the-wall kinda a place, a shotgun style building with just a handful of tables and bar stools and their bathroom was CLEAN!  There was a duo playing, The Fat Shannons, they had a trumpet!! I knew they were my kinda musicians!! 

The Fat Shannons

A patron that was gracious enough to pose for a photo.

The crowd was diverse, there were people that looked kinda like me (tattooed) some biker-looking dudes, a goth-ish couple, some preppy looking folks, some average looking patrons and even some frat-boy looking dudes came in toward the end of the night.  The music that played in between the Fat Shannons’ sets was rock, not the brain numbing, thumping stuff that had to have been written by a kindergartener, playing at Cosmo’s.  And there was smoke! I don’t routinely smoke, but I like a bar that allows it… it feels like a fucking bar should feel, I don’t go to a bar for my health! I did end up bumming a smoke from Tim, one of the folks we met, along with his lovely wife Barb.

I had spent the evening, when I wasn’t drinking may Maker’s and Coke or chattering away, looking at tattoos.  I didn’t really see any I felt like asking about until I saw the bottom of this one sticking out of a t-shirt sleeve.
First let me say that I need to perfect my tattoo photo taking technique…. The photo may not show it, but this tattoo is sick…..
It was on the arm of Joe Vogerl; he was very gracious by allowing me to photograph it and told me that he was inked by Dusty Palmer at Acme Tattoo (http://acmebodyart.co/). You can find their contact information on that page, but sadly there are no portfolios, this is what I continue to bitch about…… I’m sure they have some photos on their Facebook page, but it’s better to have actual portfolios on their webpage…. However, I still admire the work that Dusty did on Joe’s arm, would love to see more of his work.  Maybe I’ll check it out on Facebook; I’d just rather not have to do that. Oh well…….
We were in a bar, and it was loud, I didn’t get any of the story behind the tattoo from Joe.  I did give him a card; maybe he’ll drop me a note and let me know why he chose the tattoo.  We shall see…..

Today after work, I am heading to Asylum Tattoo (http://www.asylumtattoo.com/) once again to have a tattoo touched up, because of my weird healing issues and to have a butterfly added to my right collar bone.  Sunday is my birthday, so it’s an early birthday present to myself! I will be under the needle of Dustin once again (http://www.facebook.com/dustin.zion).

I got this tattoo not too long ago, about 6 weeks or so.  The butterfly is the Tiger Swallowtail, the state butterfly of Georgia, and the flowers are peach blossoms. 
The Tiger Swallowtail in it's natural habitat.

I got them to commemorate 2 beautiful weeks that I spent in Georgia.  Things didn’t work out the way that I had hoped they would, and I suppose that’s my own fault (which is a theme in my life, see beginning of this post).  But I have no regrets, and I never want to forget it.  I’d like to remember every single moment, but I know that my brain won’t do that.  Eventually there will only be a few memories left, just like with other things in a life, and that will make me sad……… but life must go on!! I am about making some new memories now!!

So, come on life!! Bring me some beautiful memories!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Some more Mason love......

My Friday at the office is crawling by............... so maddeningly slow..................

So I am distracting myself with more of Mason's work, I am completely emamored. 
I think that you should be too!!

Caesar.... those eyes....
 It's a crime for a person to have to wear a shirt, when they have artwork like this!
I love Masonic symbolism, having a family tradition myself.  This is stunningly beautiful.

Pass the drool bucket....

Today I’d like to feature some local Cincinnati area artists for your viewing pleasure.

First I present to you, Kore Flatmo…..
I must confess that as I admired his portfolio, I peed in my pants a little bit.

Beautiful, stunning, intricate….. I can’t even think of enough adjectives……

Kore’s website can be found here: http://www.plurabella.com/main.asp
Check out the Tattoo sectionhttp://www.plurabella.com/tattoos/index.html, his larger work is amazing! I am reminded of Horiyoshi III.  
Take your time and appreciate his portfolio….. it will be time well spent, grab a tissue for the drool.....
Breathtaking....
I am particularly mad about this one, I have a penchant for cannons....

Just enough color...

As I peruse the websites of Cincinnati tattoo shops, I have one complaint to the webmasters out there.... Sites without individual artists and their portfolios are useless to me!!
I was on the site of a shop, touted to be one of the 5 best in Cincinnati.  They had a gallery, ok, that's nice.  But nowhere did it even name their artists, let alone have individual portfolios.  AND, there wasn't even an email address anywhere on their site that I could write to and give them a little friendly advice.
It is 2012...... if a tattooee hasn't done some homework via the internets.... well, they are either not too serious or not too smart.
So, Cincinnati Tattoo & Piercing http://www.cincinnatitattoo.com/pages/content/index.html, please take TrippyBeth's advice.... work on that website!!!

And I must say this too...... NO TATTOO COUPONS!!! The thought of using a tattoo coupon makes me feel kind of dirty and cheap, like I'm getting inked at the Family Dollar Store.  And have you been in a dollar store lately? It doesn't exactly scream quality art work!
So, if you are chosing a shop, based on the fact that they offer a coupon.....uuummmm.....well........you're not too smart.  Wait a little longer, save up the extra $20 bucks and go to a shop that has a quality reputation and doesn't need to lure tattooees in with coupons or gimmicks.  I just pulled up a tattoo artist's website, saw the dreaded tattoo coupon.... immediately backed out of it.....

**steps down from soapbox**

Next I am visiting Beelisitic’s Blood Money Tattoo…..
Sweet website…… I love the artists dorky photos **small round of applause**.

Those cats are cranking out some quality work, and a good rep for the art and the cleanliness of the shops….
Bee, himself.

Give their website a look, it’s easy to maneuver, but, sadly I can’t seem to copy any of the tattoo images to share with you…. So you’ll have to click on this link and look for yourself http://www.beelistic.com/home.php .


Thursday, July 19, 2012

I'll have the doc with the full sleeve, please....

Today I had a doctor’s appointment, such a joy….  I will continue on my current medication regime, only increasing the folic acid, in hopes that my hair will stop falling out.  I surrendered 3 vials of blood and was off on my way…..
The hair falling out thing is pretty distressing, but it is par for the course with the medication that I take.  It needs to stop asap…. I will not be able to maintain my incorrigible cuteness as a bald chica….. so we shall see.

As I sat there waiting (which was not long, as I was the first patient of the day, the best appointment to have if you actually have a life to get back to when you leave the office) I thought back to my first visit with this particular doctor, a rheumatologist, I’ll call Dr.B.

At the first visit, my diagnosis was still unconfirmed, but we were between lupus, dermatomyositis and the unknown.  He did the obligatory physical, reviewed notes from my dermatologist and previous lab results.  After the studying and his quizzing of me, he began to outline the game plan.

Medications were discussed and further testing.
“Since you have several tattoos, even though they look well done, we should really test you for hepatitis.”  Dr.B said without looking up from my chart.
I just nodded my head.  But in my mind, I’m thinking “I don’t have any hepatitis symptoms.”  But I guess that’s prudent in his way of thinking…. Rule everything out.

I, of course, don’t have hepatitis.  I only go to reputable shops that maintain sterile equipment and clean tattooing.

Which leads me to think about tattoos and healthcare.

I remember being in nursing school, I was rounding in OB and had a nurse that I was working under tell me this, when taking care of a patient with a few small tattoos “That girl has tattoos, make sure you double glove.”   Funny how those little statements stick with you, even all these years later.

My former mother-in-law, a nurse, (I will refrain from calling her a psycho fucking bitch) made the statement more than once “If they have more than one tattoo, they are not worth saving”  how I wish that nut job could see me now….. I don’t want you to save me you piece of shit….. what happened to people just being people? And we are all worth saving?  Would you really want a nurse caring for you that had that attitude, even if you had NO tattoos?? I wouldn’t.  Skill in your medical professional is extremely important (which really should go without saying) but skill without compassion, without seeing every patient as first a human being, is less than ideal.

We know that the prejudice exists against tattooed patients, how about tattooed medical professionals?

So, utilizing my extensive research methodology…. I Googled “Tattooed doctors”.

This image always comes up in such searches
Dr.Dave, I’d love to work for you, dude.  This guy is fucking awesome.

Full sleeves on my doc? Yes, if you please.  I dig it.

Now…… when perusing the list of items that came up in the search I came across many other results that weren’t so pleasant to me.

For example, this was on a thread on the College Confidential board entitled “Doctors with Tattoos”.  The person that started the thread was asking a thoughtful question about whether or not they should get a wrist tattoo, with a poem, when they were on track to become a surgeon/researcher.  A valid question for someone in school who has yet to be tattooed, it’s not a decision someone should jump into without giving it some thought.
Some of the replies were well thought out, considerate…… but others….. well I’ll let you judge for yourself….

I would never go to a doctor with a tattoo.”

“I wouldn't go to a doctor who has a tattoo. If I had a doctor and then found that s/he had a tattoo, I'd change doctors. To me, tattoos are evidence of a simple absence of judgment. They have no real benefit and serve to alienate a large portion of the population. If a prospective doctor has no better judgment than that, they're not qualified to have me for a patient.”

“I am a doc, and I would hold a visible tattoo against someone in interviewing for med school admissions and for employment in my practice. Harsh but true. I think it shows a lack of judgment, and one can discriminate against those with tattoos - it is not a protected minority. Do Henna for the wrist, and think long and hard about permanent ink.”  Notice how this person points out, indignantly, that one can discriminate against those with tattoos, it is not a protected minority. Classy.

In the end, the medical student that posted the query decided NOT to get the tattoo.  While I fully support a person’s right to be, or not to be tattooed, I feel that he/she made the decision based on obtuse opinions, like those shown above.

But what are you gonna do?

Would patients really be offended by my tattooed wrists?  My simple black Celtic knots?  To me they are beautiful, empowering (i do hate that word) even.  If I came into your hospital room, to give you care, give you comfort, in a skilled and compassionate manner, would you decline, simply because of the black ink on my wrist?


Look at these tattoo statistics:

Statistic Verification
Source: Pew Research Center, Tattoo Finder, Vanishing Tattoo
Date Verified: 3.23.2012

Statistic Verification
Source: Pew Research Center, Tattoo Finder, Vanishing Tattoo
Date Verified: 3.23.2012

Tattoo Statistics
Annual amount of U.S. spending on tattoos$1.65 Billion
Total percent of Americans (all ages) who have at least one tattoo14 %
Percentage of U.S. adults 18 – 25 who have at least one tattoo 36 %
Percentage of U.S. adults 26 – 40 who have at least one tattoo 40 %
Total number of Americans that have at least one tattoo 45 million
Number of tattoo parlors in the U.S.21,000
Average cost of a small tattoo$ 45
Average cost of a large tattoo$150 / hour
Percentage of U.S. population who have covered up a tattoo with another tattoo5 %
Percentage of people with tattoos who claim they are addicted to ink 32 %
Percentage of people who have some regret after getting their tattoo 17 %
Percentage of people with a tattoo who are getting or have had one removed 11 %
Factors Considered When Getting A Tattoo
Percentage of people with tattoos who think the reputation of tattoo artist or tattoo studio is the most important factor 49 %
Percentage of people with tattoos who think price is the most important factor8 %
Percentage of people with tattoos who think a tattoo with a personal meaning is the most important factor43 %
How People Feel About Their Tattoo
Total percentage of people with tattoos who say their tattoo makes them feel rebellious 29 %
Percentage of people with a tattoo that say it makes them feel more sexy 31 %
Percentage of people with tattoos who say their tattoo makes them feel more intelligent 5 %
Statistic Verification
Source: Pew Research Center, Tattoo Finder, Vanishing Tattoo
Date Verified: 3.23.2012

With 45 million Americans having at least one tattoo, chances are, that at some point in your life, you will have a healthcare provider that is tattooed.  And if you have a problem with that, first let me say that you are kind of a dick, suck it up.  It's a reality.

Tattooed people are no different than non-tattooed people except that they don't care if you're tattooed or not (I totally stole that from Anonymous).