Unexpected and Amazing

As you can see, this not the tattoo I described. However, I love it. Even when it's swollen and still a bit bloody. It's also rather difficult to take a picture of your own ankle.

My original appointment was schedule for 9:30 last night. I get a call around 6:30 from Kevin saying he finished up his previous appointment early and could I come in earlier. So I pull myself together and head out the door. When Kevin showed me the sketch, my first thought was "Where's the lock?". I didn't say anything because I did like the sketch and it had the feel I was going for. It took forever for us to decide on colors. It's supposed to look like a white rose, which will be more apparent when my leg isn't red and swollen. I already have red and pink roses, so I wanted a different color. So we decided to fake the white by just using my skin tone.

It really wasn't that painful. We took two breaks, one for me to stretch and Kevin to smoke and another because my skin got really red all of a sudden. I think the whole thing took about an hour and a half but I have no idea what time we got started. It's a great looking piece and I love it. It's a lovely addition to my collection.

The true highlight of the evening though was watching an 18 year old get his first tattoo. He wasn't taking it well. One of his friends had come with him and it soon became a communal effort to keep him from freaking out, passing out, or some other equally unpleasant option. He got it on his upper back right below his neck. I don't have one there (yet) so I can't speak to the pain factor, but I would guess it's on par with an ankle depending on how bony you are. He was amazed at how I was just chilling while Kevin worked. His friend pointed this out and he was like "But she's got it in places that don't hurt!" and I was like "Oh honey, you have no idea". He survived, though, and swore up and down he'll never be getting another one. They're not for everyone.

Mark and I worked out a final plan for my foot cover up. He told me the cupcake idea just wasn't going to work. We decided that while roses seem a bit uninspired, they're really the best option for covering up black work. We're gonna do several different colors and pretty it up a bit. I'm sure it'll look infinitely better than what I have. And really, who can argue with roses? I know I can't. So that's set for May 24. Then I'll be getting my other foot done 3 days later by Danielle. My poor feet are going to hate me for about a week. Oops. On the up side, it's an excuse to buy more pants and shoes. ;)

I'd definitely like to get more work done by Kevin. He's really nice and obviously very talented. He's not as much of a smartass as Kurt or a misanthropist as Mark, but definitely a cool dude. So I guess we'll see.