iowagirl

Whew, what a relief! Cancer fecking blows.

Sending you guys lots of good thoughts!

The ones on my upper body all were easier to heal and all healed fast, compared to my ankles and feet. I did the same healing thing these last two times, same artist, one was the cherry blossoms on my upper arm/back, and the other my feet, and my blossoms were gorgeous immediately w/maybe one little piece peeling. My feet...lordy they scabbed and peeled and itched, had those big pieces that come loose and stand up and look all weird. JD's that he had on his back when I got my feet done was just as perfect as my blossoms. Same artist, same healing process.

OMG I haven't heard this song in forever!

How big will it be/where is it going? - - - Updated - - - I googled the song, have never heard it. Would be nice to be able to fit a name on the tags, for sure. Or on the helmet-don't you guys put your first initial/last name on the front? Tried googling fallen soldier tattoo, but I just get all emotional sooo I clicked out.

I think it's a wonderful way to memorialize those you lost. Do you have an artist in mind? Maybe whoever could help finish it out for you? My dad was a Marine in Vietnam, so I have a particular affinity for that branch of service.

Well, then I clarify that *I* view them as an accessory to *me*.

Wasn't there already a show like this or am I thinking of a different one? There are so many tattoo shows I can't keep them straight. And I fully admit I scrape the bottom of the barrel and watch them at times. Rubbernecking at an accident, me.

How does copyrighting work? I'm on a diamond/gemstone/jewelry forum and there are huge throwdowns about copying/replicating/inspired by pieces. You might have 10 different rings, they all look completely 100% identical other than the center stone and they're all from different vendors/designers. One of the girls had an antique ring she found at a pawn shop, she posted it, someone liked it and had a replica made. It's not 100% the same, but close. The girl who had the antique ring fuh-reeeeeaked out-this was clear back in 2008 and it's *still* not allowed to be mentioned on the board and has become "the ring that shall not be named". I know tattoos aren't rings, but they're an accessory, I feel. I designed a ring entirely myself, and have come across a replica, tho mine is waaaay better. Does a person have to go thru certain channels to make everything they make, be it jewelry or tattoos, if it's their original creation, copyrighted?? I don't understand.

Awww what a great looking family!

I love the sibling dig. You know he'll be throwing his arms up in the air and going "arrrrrgh you f-ing butt munch!"

Goh! Rub it in rub it in!

Sometimes it's nice just to talk about it "out loud". Never know when a conversation will spark something. I do love the Gibson girl thought mentioned earlier. That's the type of face I pictured in my head at first reading the initial post..but w/the twigs and flowers just b/c I'm drawn to that, I like nature.

I saw a link when I was dinking around on here..but I don't recall which area it was in. Anyway, it was a link to maybe a blog post? About imagery and meanings. The example was of Diana, an oak tree, a deer, a moon and...a dove I think. It was shown in two different ways, one showing the Huntress, the deer and tree etc all top to bottom and the other was like the deer laying down, Diana behind it, and a partial tree to the side. It showed how just b/c you want 20 different things in one image/tattoo b/c they all have great meaning to you, there is a way it can be done w/out needing to have a super large space. I would definitely check around at other shops too, if that guy you talked to was like that.

I second Etsy.

Awww crap really? Gaaaah. We *do* actually have smart phones in the land of corn...just *I* don't. Dammit. We need to get on the stick and trade ours in. I want to look at more tattoo pictures than what I can find on pinterest.

I'm going to sound like a dork but is it like an app that you download to your computer? I went to it and it said to download at the apple store or on google play and then I got all confuzzled so I didn't do anything.

Too cute! I love this age! Makes me miss my kiddos at school.

I hope you decided to wait. I was under the impression that even w/parental consent a person couldn't be tattooed under 18, but maybe I'm wrong, or it's state specific? And not to say that at 18 you magically know exactly what you'll want on your body forever or anything, but it gives you a little bit more time to think about what you want/where you want it etc. I can't speak to the pain on the ribs, not having any there. Feet blow, I can tell you that, but you'd never know it by watching me..but only b/c I refuse to show that it hurts. Inside I was swearing and wanting to kick the guy. I *could* have made all kinds of noise. Now when I was in labor, that was pain like I've never felt before and I could *not* make a sound. All I could do was lie there like a limp noodle...and that's how I felt too. Being tattooed never left me feeling like I'd been thru the washing machine. 'Course, I never did it for 40 hours straight either so who knows haha! I always thought being tattooed felt like..being carved. If I knew what being carved felt like. And if it wasn't so much a knife as a buzzing machine w/a bunch of needles in it.

I'm betting it will lessen as the days go on. My feet looked like balloons when I got them done and my ankles were horribly swollen for a few days. If a person could just hang out for like a week or so, chill on the couch and put your feet up, use ice packs and such, it probably wouldn't be that big a deal..but sadly, we have to be up moving around, walking. Sometimes it's good to get the circulation going to those spots, but having all your weight in them for long periods of time makes them swell so much.

I worked in a Dr's office for 8 years and we were allowed to wear capri's. I worked part time, and rarely w/the office manager, but towards the end I worked w/her more often--and then came the no capri's rule after I caught her looking at my legs many times. We were in the office, patients hardly ever saw mine-I sat behind the front desk. Rarely my arm one would poke out. But she was the one who was telling me about how surprised she was that this guy they hired to put in their wood floors did such a great job b/c he was scruffy looking and had several tattoos so she didn't want to hire him b/c she thought he might steal from them. I'm like ohh yeah, I'd be wary of some one w/tattoos too, you never know. Then she was like Oh well, I mean you know, not YOU of course... Now I work in a preschool. I thought for sure if I was going to have a problem w/them it would be in a school. Many of the teachers in the higher grades have them..tho nobody has near what I do, they have smallish ones. Kids are so accepting, they just don't care. They like my Tigger and like to touch them now and again but it's like skin color or disabilities-when you're little, you don't care. When I got my cherry blossoms, I kept wearing my same "uniform" of Dr. Seuss shirts and they have really short sleeves, so the blossoms are visible on my arm, and they're visible on the back of my neck. The kids got a kick out of them, and one of my special needs kids uses the petals to count. Nobody said anything when I got my feet covered. One of the teachers is pretty straight laced, and I thought if anyone would say something, it would be her, but she just said they're pretty and she wished she thought she could deal w/the pain. My husband is a police officer and there is no policy here about visible tattoos-he has one on the inside of his wrist and another on his forearm that are visible. He does know of some departments that make you wear a skin colored sleeve thing to cover them, or flat out won't hire you. That seems just ridiculous to me. Having tattoos does not in any way inhibit your ability to do your job, regardless what it is.

Saw a good sized garder snake today in the yard, had its head in the grass, looked like it was digging. I like to talk to them "Oh hai! oooo hellloooo snakie!" it lifted its head out and I'll be danged if he didn't have a worm sticking out of his mouth. He scooted over under one of the barberries and in that split second he had the worm gone.

Ugh that suuuucks. I hope that doesn't happen to my foot!

I don't see why you can't have both. I don't think necessarily I need to have like some deep cosmic connection w/an artist, but I want to feel comfortable around them. The shit hurts. Why put yourself thru pain and be irritated or uncomfortable right along w/it? The first 5 I got were all from the same guy, and he was gruff/abrasive. It wasn't anything I couldn't deal w/but later on it got to just be too much. He did bend the rules for me a few times since I'd been there so much and had referred others to him, like no deposit, and he came in 2 hours early and left the closed sign up to tattoo my husband who worked crazy hours and couldn't get in any other time. But then when we went back another time he acted like we were idiots b/c we didn't bring a deposit (which he'd not asked for the last 3 times I'd been there) and b/c I wanted mine on the back of my neck. We tried a different shop on recommendation from someone in town I met by chance who has some gorgeous work. When we went in, we were not greeted nicely or treated nicely, and it just about got to the point my husband almost said something. The rudeness was coming from the apprentice, go figure. We met who would be doing my cherry blossoms and he was really nice, and we felt comfortable immediately w/him. It's nice to be able to chat about stuff during-he and my husband are into guns, so they spent a lot of time talking about that. He's moving however, so we'll be switching to the owner, who we've met and both really like. I wouldn't want to see a dentist who was a jerk, or a physician who berated me, so I'm not going to sit and have my skin ground on by someone who thinks he/she is the cat's ass.

Awww I'm glad you saved him. I like snakes. They like to live in the railroad ties around some of our plant beds so we have to stomp around the yard before we mow so we don't get one of them by mistake.