I CAN HARDLY WAIT...
The last time I got tattooed was way back in January...Andreas was visiting from toronto and I bought my son a tat for his 18th birthday and had to get one to make it a truly father and son experience.(I had warned my son if he got tattooed before his 18th birthday I would remove it myself by any means necessary and he actually bought it!So how could I say no...he drew it himself,a cheshire cat image from alice in wonderland...very cool...Andrea's did him right ...plus it was fun to watch my son make the bitch face...which he did ,alot.)
Still he was a trooper,so I got one in his honor and to let him monitor me for the bitch face,which I made once...and he saw it...still,it was a bonding experience I will never forget.(The bitch face is when the machine hits a tender area and you wince...like a bitch) For the record,I got a sailor jerry style horseshoe with a 13 in the center made of bones....
So...tomorrow I get tattooed by my buddy Hez...I'm finally finishing the leg sleeve on my left leg,45 minutes tops...and then I'm sleeving out my right leg with stars...both from the knee down.
I remember when I first got ink in 82...just one I said...then it was two...then three...always bigger than before...to now,when people ask how many I have the answer is "just one big one"...I probably have 2/3's of my body covered .
Why?
Do I like the attention? No.
Am I a rebel? No.
Can I blame it on my upbringing? Yes.
My Father was heavily tattooed...from the military during WW2,Korea and Viet Nam.
Can I blame it on culture? Yes.
Austin was a punk hotbed in the 80's and tattooing was a hallmark of being in the scene. I was in the scene.
Do I blame it on these things? No.
Well,maybe the Dad part.I'm colored by choice,plain and simple.
Plus...when I die,Ann can have me stretched and framed for immortality...cool.
So...tomorrow I cover up some more skin...the buzz of the machine...the realization of art.The creation of something that won't go away,something that is unequivocally mine.
I love it.