I Want Another Tattoo

That headline is not a surprise at all if you've known me for any significant amount of time. For those of you who do not know, yes, I do have a tattoo, as seen on the left. Even Blade thinks it's a pretty cool tattoo, as he's checking it out over my shoulder.

It's a Star of David with a cross in the middle. I have a necklace I've worn since I was very, very young that has that as the charm. Once I turned 20, I'd toyed with the idea of getting a tattoo, but I never really thought too much about it. Well, I began to realize the necklace would actually make a pretty good one because of how much it means to me. One day my sister and I decided it was time to get tattoos. My parents were totally on board. They took us to the place, paid for them and watched intently the entire time.

It was actually almost exactly eight years ago. We went sometime in August 2003.

And, yes, OK. I did pass out while I was getting mine done. IN MY DEFENSE, though, I hadn't had anything to eat that day, and it was really hot in the tattoo shop. And, oh by the way, shit hurts, man. They say it doesn't hurt anymore than a cat scratch. And, while that may be true, most cat scratches don't last for an hour. So you know, an hour. Anyway, I had a Coke, and they gave me a fan, and I was good to go the rest of the time.

While I was sitting down, the guy said, you're going to get addicted to this, and you'll want more, guaranteed. I called bullshit afterward. No way I'd voluntarily go through that again.

Well.

Just a few days later, I'd forgotten what it felt like, and I started kind of thinking about maybe getting another one. But my whole thing with tattoos is I always want it to be something that means something to me. The Star of David/cross has a lot of meaning to me. I'll never get tired of it, no matter how old I am.

I've never been able to think of something that would be equally special to me, so eight years later, I haven't gotten another tattoo.

When my grandmother died seven years ago, I thought I'd get something in remembrance of her. She was Italian, and her name was Rose. So I thought, why not the Italian word for rose? Well it turns out the Italian word for rose is "rosa."

And that means I would have had some random woman's name tattooed on me. That would have been fun to explain to anyone who saw it (especially girls). Because the only real way to explain that one is to tell the story of my grandmother's death and talk about a Debbie Downer.

So that was out.

Other than that, I haven't had any good ideas in the seven years since. But I've still wanted to get a second tattoo.

Now. It is NO secret that 2011 has been one of the more...challenging years I've ever had. It's been one kick in the nuts after another for the better part of eight months. Started in January, and it's hardly slowed down since.

Given all that, I am extremely proud of the way I've held on, made innumerable changes to myself for the better and even thrived in so many ways. In the face of some of the most difficult challenges I've ever had to face, I stood up, fought back and thrived.

The phrase "keep calm, and carry on" has gotten me through a lot. I've been saying it to myself a hell of a lot lately, and it keeps me focused and keeps me centered.

So, remembering the idea for the Italian translation of rose, I looked up the Italian translation of keep calm, and carry on. According to Google Translate, it's "mantenere la calma e continuare." And you know, the more I think about it, the more I like this idea.

Not everyone will agree, I'm sure. I already had a nice little disagreement with Katie on gchat about this haha. She's steadfastly against too many tattoos. Whereas my friend Laura is more of a fan of the idea.

I have a few thoughts here. I'm not a huge fan of cheesy, highly visible tattoos. To each their own, of course. If your tattoos are visible, and they mean something to you, that's awesome. I would prefer any tattoos I have to be easily covered for work purposes. And since this phrase means a great deal to me now, I feel like it would be appropriate, similar to the one I already have.

As for where it goes, I'm thinking either on the back of my left shoulder to balance the other one, or perhaps on my left bicep. That way, I could still very easily cover it for work, and I could still see it as well. I figure it would go lengthwise, going in the direction of my elbow to my shoulder. Not necessarily starting AT my elbow, of course, just that direction.

Thankfully, one of my sister's best friends is fluent in Italian. While I'm sure Google Translate does a good job, if there's any chance this might be inked into my skin, I'd like a second opinion from someone who, you know, speaks the language.

I feel like I should add I have no intention of getting more after this one (if I even get this one). Just one more, and I think I'll be good. Hell, it's taken me eight years to come up with an idea for a second. I don't have the energy to try for more.

So that's what I'm thinking right now. It's obviously not going to happen immediately or anything. But the more I think about it, the more I like the idea.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. Good idea for a tattoo? Bad idea? Good location ideas? Let me know!

-BG