Tattoo the Second

Well, I got another tattoo. I've been wanting a second since the day I got my first - completely addictive! Quite honestly, I didn't long and hard about this one. I did think about it, I did plan it out, and I did carefully go over the sketch. But there isn't a whole lot of meaning behind it. The design, the pose and the location truly mean nothing to me. It's pretty, it looks great, and I love it. That's what ultimately matters. Besides, why not decorate my body with pretty art that everyone can appreciate?

So anyways. It's a robin, like my name. It's also my favourite bird, because of its name.

There's always this moment before I do something permanent that I think, This is the last time I'll look like this. When I got my ears pierced (when I was a tween), I sat there holding my ear lobes, feeling their undamaged flesh. It was the same when I got my nose pierced. On my way to my first tattoo, I took a picture of my leg. I've never shown anyone, because it's literally a picture of my bare thighs. Not the most attractive picture. This time was no different. As my tattoo artist got everything ready, I sat there with M, thinking that my back would never look the same. I was more excited than nostalgic, though.

I'll never look like this again

She put the stencil on, and I looked, checked, thought and committed. This is the hardest part for me. There's no going back once she starts.

Nothing's permanent yet!

I had to spend the next two and a half hours laying flat on a bed without moving. It actually didn't hurt as much as I was expecting. Not to say it didn't hurt! Oh, it hurt like hell. And adrenaline only got me through about two hours. The last half hour, I was wiped. I was in pain and not dealing with it well. I laid there, whimpering and crying, trying to breath, and trying not to think about it.

Outlining done!

At long last, my artist announced that she was done! I have never been so relieved. It looked amazing, but I didn't even care right away. I actually didn't get up to look in the mirror for ten or fifteen minutes. I just wanted to sit, sip at my Coke and relax.

Oh! That's one piece of advice I have for anyone who wants a tattoo! I took a six pack of Coca Cola bottles, and I do not regret that decision. I don't know if it's the sugar or the caffeine, but that helped a ton. And my artist said that I was smart to bring them. I only drank one, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. M can't have caffeine, so we brought a six pack of Gatorade for him. He only drank three, but they definitely helped him too. And on our way out, we offered a bottle the man who was just getting ready for a new tattoo. He turned it down, and his artist thought he was pretty dumb. Haha. So, if you plan on going for a tattoo, bring something like that. It'll keep your blood sugar up, your energy up, and give you something else to think about.

Fresh, still bleeding. :(

So after my tattoo was all said and done, M got his done. Yes, we got tattoos together. I think it's great. We got to be in pain together, and now we're going through the healing process together. Also, Saturday was the 16th - our two year and two month mensiversary. We didn't plan it that way, but I'm plenty happy with it.

Finished, cleaned up, fresh

M got a half sleeve tattoo of a kraken taking down a ship. He only has the outlining done so far, so it doesn't look super great. I won't show you a picture of it yet. He's going to get in finished in three weeks, and he's pretty excited for that.

So that's it for now. I don't think I'll get another for quite awhile. I think my tattoo addiction might be sated, at least for a year. Maybe a year. We'll see.