further musings on tattoos.

So what can we say about those people who don’t really think it through before running out and getting inked? I wonder if they approach relationships the same way. Is that the type of person I want to go out with? Yes, we’ve all made mistakes, and we’ve all done things that, looking back, maybe weren’t such a great idea…so maybe I should hear the story behind your tattoo before I make a decision. Let’s take a brief tour of some of my relationships using tattoos as a bellweather:

Boy #1: This boy had a tattoo on his bicep of the upper half of a skeleton appearing to poke through the flesh of his arm. I have no idea what this was supposed to signify. If I remember correctly (and trust me, these years are pretty blurry), he thought it looked cool. Well there you go. This was the boy who definitely had a few bad habits, which I thought about going into here, but yeah, I think I’ll just let those go. What was I thinking? I may as well have had that skull tattoo on my forehead.

Boy #2: A tattoo of his college logo on one hip, and his astrological sign on the other…OK well from him we can gather that he was loyal (to his school, anyway), and I guess he liked to be symmetrical, but couldn’t think of anything better than an astrological sign to ink opposite the college logo. If I remember this right, alcohol WAS involved in the decision making process. He did end up being pretty loyal – but not to me. As for the astrological sign…well I can still remember when his birthday is…

Boy #3:  He had a tribal-looking tattoo on his right shoulder. This was the most interesting of the bunch. The most interesting tattoo, and the most interesting boy. He was the one that, to date, lasted the longest.  And to refer back to the tattoo – I could never figure out what the significance of it was. When I’d ask about it, I would just get “I don’t know” as an answer. And that just sort of summed up the whole relationship. I never could figure out what was important to him. I’m not sure he knew either.  I hope he figures it out someday – his tattoo and his life…

Next time, we’ll take a look at the 2 tattoos I got this summer.

tattoos and the single girl, part 1.

I have a tattoo. Lots of people have tattoos. How carefully do you think all those people think about what they’re doing before they get their tattoo?

I admit, my tattoo was a kind of a quick decision. I remember exactly where I was when I realized what I needed to do. I was vacationing in Sunset Beach last summer, driving up PCH to go grocery shopping. On the bridge between Sunset Beach and Seal Beach, stopped in traffic, I looked at the guy driving the old beat up Volvo in front of me (I know, seems like an unlikely source of inspiration for much of anything, really). I saw his arm – it was covered in tattoos. And all of a sudden it hit me. I need a tattoo! To come home from vacation with a permanent reminder of my time at the beach seemed like a very good idea.

And so here it is:

If you can’t see it very well, it’s a tiny ‘OM’ symbol. The sound of the universe. I chose it so that I would remember that even when I may feel alone, I’m always connected to something that’s bigger and more important than myself. I chose my wrist so that I could see it easily. But, I’m not allowed to show it at work, so I have to wear a watch over it most of the day. Not that you can force the concept of time on the ultimate nature of the universe, but you know, I try.
How you feel about tattoos could be an indication of how you approach relationships. Well, it’s plausible, isn’t it?
First off, do you even like tattoos? If not, why? Do you think they’re unsightly? Perhaps you think they’re ugly; you’re more of a clean livin’, no fuss, no muss kind of person. Do you prefer a relationship that’s the same way? Clean and simple – no drama, no fuss. And in some cases, no meaningful length of time…
Or you don’t want to mark up your body with anything permanent…? How come? Do you not want to commit to it? Is there nothing that has enough meaning to you, to have it permanently inked on your skin?
Do you like tattoos but are afraid to get one because it’ll hurt? Scared to try something new?
OK so if you like tattoos, how come? What about them? Do you like the idea of carving something into your body because you like the way it looks? Does it have personal meaning to you? Do you want a permanent reminder of something, to carry with you? You’re not afraid to make that commitment?
It’s pretty obvious that many, many, (many) people get tattoos that most likely weren’t really thought out very well ahead of time. Well couldn’t you say the same about relationships?? Um, HELL yes…