My 2014 list: January Recap

To help keep me on track with this list, I'm going to do a recap at the end of each month to note what I've accomplished from my list and what I still need to work on. Here's my recap for the 1st month of the year:

I got my side/ribcage tattoo done! I am SO happy with the final result. It wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be but it was definitely uncomfortable and started to really hurt after awhile. Here's a picture:

I've wanted a tattoo of a lion for a while because the lion has several meanings to me: it's the symbol of my zodiac sign (Leo) and it's the emblematic animal of the House of Gryffindor (HUGE Harry Potter nerd right here). The Lion is seen as a majestic animal - he's the king of the jungle! The lion symbolizes strength, courage & honor. More simply, the lion is one of the biggest cats in the world and we all know how I feel about cats :)

I've made some progress on the guitar - I can play all the main chords except F (fuck that chord, no pun intended) without having  to look them up, I learned how to play a few new songs including 2 new DMB songs and I learned how to tune to drop D. I need to work on my strumming and keep practicing at least 15-20 minutes a day.

I finished reading Insurgent (the 2nd book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth). In all honesty, I started reading it before the new year but I finished it this month. I'm currently reading the 3rd and final book in the Divergent trilogy, Allegiant and Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love and Karaoke by Rob Sheffield.



I've been doing some research on Burlington, VT (things to do, places to go, where to stay) and hoping maybe I can go back up there sometime in August, maybe for my birthday. That's definitely a work in progress.

Speaking of work, my job has been extremely frustrating lately but I've been trying to not let it get to me. While I'm looking for other job possibilities, it's not looking too promising. Instead of having the 'fuck this place & everyone here' attitude, I try to tell myself  'do your job, do it well and get through each day one at a time' - that's sort of working for the most part. I wonder how hard it would be to switch careers at this stage... I would have to make some sacrifices but if it means I'm happier and not stuck here for the rest of time, it would be definitely be worth it.


So I can cross off one thing on the list and I've made progress on several other things listed.
I'd say it's been a good start to the new year :)

Free Thought Fridays (Issue 8) - Monday Edition

Doing the Monday thing again - work has been pretty hectic with Paley Fest starting last week and all - plus I wanted something to distract me from doing work today so here I am.

Round Trip flight to London has been purchased! It's actually happening people, I'm leaving the United States and going abroad. This is the first real adult vacation and the first time I've taken any sort of vacation in over a decade. Next on my agenda - get a passport (yeah, I've never had one of those.) I'm hoping to get that done sometime this week at the post office. I guess it's time to dig out my birth certificate.

Also, all 3 dates that I requested for the DMB 2012 Summer tour are MINE! Alpine & Bethel, here I come! Also, I'm bringing my Mom to her first DMB show. Yep. That is also going to happen this Summer.

Spring is almost here! and I can't wait to see this happen - and the Botanical Garden is right across the street from my apartment! I'm also really excited to see this exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum which is also right across the street from me. (Don't tell anyone but in the almost 2 years that I've been living in Prospect Heights, I haven't been to either of these amazing places - I know, I'm terrible.)

and now a random thought on the subject of museums:
When I was younger, I used to think that the giant blue whale that hangs in the Ocean Life Hall at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan was real. I knew it wasn't alive anymore (duh - it needed to be in water to survive) but I thought it was some sort of frozen/preserved version of an actual blue whale. I also thought I would be the one it would come crashing down and fall on if I walked underneath it.

As promised, here is my newest ink:



I go back in about 2 weeks to get some more work done on my left forearm.

and I leave you all with this: a recipe for Funfetti Cake Batter Dip. yeah, I know - I'm evil.

All Inked Up

Yesterday while I was doing some grocery shopping a woman stopped me in an aisle and said "Miss, I just want to tell you that your tattoo is so beautiful. The colors & design are just amazing." I thanked her & she asked me a question or two about it and then we parted ways. Later that night while standing on a subway platform with some friends, a stranger approached me to compliment me on the same tattoo and then continued to ask me a laundry list of questions about it - Thank God the train came soon after THAT started.

This has been happening a lot more lately, mainly due to the weather being so warm causing me to wear less layers & more tank tops, dresses etc. I have multiple tattoos but the one on my right arm is most visible & in my opinion (and in what I have been told by others) a very interesting tattoo. (by the way, in case you haven't seen it, you can see a picture of the tattoo here.)
It's eye-catching & it's different - the coloring alone draws people in. I knew getting this piece would mean dealing with instances like the 2 scenarios above and I do not at all regret getting it or having it. Most of the time, I am very much grateful for the compliments & obliged to answer questions. But to be completely honest, there are times I can't be bothered. A friend commented last night that I should get the questions I get asked most often along with the answers tattooed on the other arm so that I wouldn't have to answer them all the time. I thought that was hilarious & genius at the same time (and no, I won't be doing that).

Tattoos have meaning to people - it's art on a person's skin. Explaining a tattoo is much like explaining a piece of art to someone. Even though the artwork/tattoo may have a specific meaning or a concept to convey, everyone sees something just a bit different about or in the artwork/tattoo. Also, you can't make someone understand passion or beauty. They either see it or they don't. Attempting to explain it to someone who might not have a connection to what the artwork/tattoo represents or even had the experience of creating art/creating & getting a tattoo makes it even more difficult.

About a year ago, I wrote a play about tattoos, specifically my tattoos and what I think and believe tattoos/getting tattoos represent to others and what they mean to me. I recently found that first draft and have been revising it here and there but my thoughts on tattoos are still the same since the day I got my first one done 12 years ago. My mom's comment to me once sums it up in one sentence: "It's your body - do what you want".

I haven't decided whether I want to post the play here because I may use it for something else in the future. If it does or doesn't get used, I will eventually post it.

One thing I have decided - I will be getting more tattoos.