Tuesday, August 3, 2010

A Rose by any other name

One of my favorite twitter pals is @Candylandgang.  She posted a blog update at the end of last month about a recent tattoo she just got.  You can find it here.

After reading her blog posting I was inspired to share the stories of how I came to be inked.

I got my first tattoo when I was in the Navy.  To be completely honest, when you are in the Navy getting a tattoo is a right of passage.  I am not saying everyone who is in the Navy has one...but...well a lot of them do.

I was living in a foreign county.  I was away from home and it was a truly exhilerating experience.  In my infinite wisdom I thought getting a tattoo would be a great way to celebrate this, my new found independence.  Plus I knew it would really bug my Grandmother and there was nothing she could do about it, so you can see the appeal.
 
I would like to tell you that I spent hours deciding on what it would be, but I did not.  I knew I wanted a rose.  I know that is very cliched, but it was so romantic to me.  

The thing is, no body told me how freaking much it was going to hurt. I mean "OW!" I was probably the worse customer that tattoo artist had ever seen.  Laying on that table panting and breathing and carrying on like I was in a labor, squeezing Captain Kid's hand like my life depended on it.  

When it was all said and done I had a beautiful piece of art work that I could carry with me for the rest of my life and the knowledge that I would never again do this to myself.  Sounds familiar right?  The bigger question is did it end there? 

8 comments:

Linda G. said...

Snap! I blogged about my tattoo today, too. Well, kinda.

The real question about yours is, where on Kelly is it? Hard to tell from the pic. ;)

Unknown said...

My vote would be no...When I got my first tattoo, I swore it would be the one and only...uh five more later and I'm thinking I may need another...you know, because you really shouldnt have an even number of tats. Nice rationalization huh? :)

abby mumford said...

don't leave me hanging..... did it end there? do you have just one?

the closest i've gotten to a tattoo is being the one offering the hand to hold while the tattoo is being put on someone else. it's really quite cool to watch it being done, provided i'm not the one having a needle continuously probe me... ouch! you are brave!

Candyland said...

Beautiful! I actually like the pain. I'd have tats everywhere if it didn't look trashy on a girl! PS I know you won something on my blog today, and you commented, but you haven't yet emailed your choices:)

Patty Blount said...

Very nice!

I've got a lower back tat and the pain wasn't all that bad, honest. I found it more uncomfortable to maintain the wacky position the tattoo artist needed. I had to straddle the chair, facing the back.

For me, it may stop there. They're just so expensive! I do have one in mind for my wrist or ankle... if I ever have extra money. Just the words, "once upon a time" - I think they're perfect for someone aspiring to be a writer.

Unknown said...

I was just thinking I should write a post about my tattoo experience.

There are usually good stories to go with tats...I liked yours very much.

Great post; thanks for sharing.

Kelly Breakey said...

Linda: You are such a tease. I went to your blog expecting to hear about your tattoo and it was FAKE.

Karla: I want to see yours too.

Abby: Come back tomorrow and see if I have any more.

Candy: Point taken, why do they look so hot on guys?

Patty: You need to share a pic of yours too. Besides you can't stop with just one.

Jeannie: Thanks for stopping by and I will check your blog out in the hopes of seeing your tattoo too.

Thanks for stopping by and I really appreciate the comments.

Kelly

Harley May said...

This was a great post! I didn't know you were in the Navy. I grew up on Navy and Army bases in South Korea. Very cool.