Thursday, December 6, 2007

A Word on Tattoos

Here's the thing about tattoos.... they're one of those dividers in life. Those who have tattoos and those who don't.

Kind of like women with kids, and women without kids.

When you meet someone else who has what you have, you talk about the similarities, the love, the pain. (I'm talking about kids here, try to keep up)

Since I am a lover of tattoos, I enjoy hearing the stories behind other people's pieces. One woman told me her sister got a tattoo in the shape of the state of Louisiana because she enjoyed her vacation there so much. Now that's interesting.

Of course I've got my share of uninteresting tattoos (kanji, anyone?) and if I tried to sit and talk through the chronological history of my tattoos, it would take too long and I'd get bored. Or you would. What I find interesting is that my kids are completely and utterly indifferent to them. My older son was only a few months old when I got my first tattoo and my body of work has grown right along with him. By the time baby #2 came along, I had plenty. In fact, the anestesiologist was especially nice to me because she saw the Sanskrit on my arm and talked to me about visualization and a blooming lotus flower to help control my pain. Incidentally, after she gave me an epidural, it worked great. You see, tattoos can connect you to people in ways you don't expect.

Recently I went to the tattoo shop -to see the same doer of tattoo that's been working on me for years- with two women that I NEVER in my life expected to bring there. Highly respectable, society type women. Goes to show you, that even people who don't want to be judged by their tattoos will still make judgements about others based on tattoos.

Anyway, one of them got her husband's name on her butt. The other got a silhouette of a woman on a motorcycle. It was a very interesting day. You learn a lot about people inside a tattoo shop. In some ways, more than you'll learn about them outside of one.



Here's a fun book about tattoos and kids. That's another obsession of mine. Books. All kinds of books. But that's a story for another day.

6 comments:

Laura Marchant said...

I must say I was a little surprised by tattoos that they got. I don't have any. I am too afraid of what they will look like when I am old and wrinkled.

J said...

I don't have any tattoos...yet.
My wife has three and is longing for at least two more that I know of.

Her ex was heavily into the tattoo scene, so it's fun hearing her stories about conventions and tattoo parlors.

ProzacPoet said...

Funny, I was browsing through blogs by way of tattoo interest and came across yours, and this is your most recent post :P I'm a tattoo'd mama myself. I subscribed to your blog, I hope that's ok.

NH Yocal said...

That is too funny, a tattoo of her hubby's name on her butt? Priceless. I don't have any myself but have a few friends that do. I went to a parlor in college when my roomie got a tat and I got belly button pierced. I have considered getting a tat too but just couldn't pick the right thing. I keep changing my mind.

Veronica Garcia said...

Too bad their just so darnt expensive!!! I'd be covered if it wasn't for me being broke!!! =)

Mo said...

what about the guy that got three Zune tattoos?! I get that you love your Zune, but 3 of em?!
starting out with a butt tat is kind of hard core, good for her. I would've thought butterfly on the shoulder or something....