Jan 13 2011

Writer’s block

It’s been a while since I posted anything here. The desire to write is there, but the words are just not flowing. Draft after draft, where I use the backspace key more often than any other. I recently wrote a guest post on my girlfriends blog and it was so easy. I had an idea and just took it and ran. Before I knew it, I had filled the page and was very happy with how the post turned out. Writing that post was so much fun, and the feedback I received was great. This made me want to write more, and that’s exactly what I set out to do. It was time to blow the dust off of my own blog and get something posted. This is where things went downhill. I thought the momentum of my guest post would make it easy for me, but the words just weren’t there. I wasn’t in the mood to write a technical article, didn’t have any recent pictures that were begging to be written about, so I decided to write something more personal.

I had previously written about the process of getting my tattoo, but realized that I never posted a follow up story. In fact, there is not a single picture of my completed tattoo anywhere on my blog and it has been over three months since it was finished. Now that I had my subject and a few pictures to go along with it, the writing should be easy. My ink has been a part of me for long enough that I have countless stories that can be attributed to my tattoo. Or so I thought. As I began to write, there were so many directions that I could have gone that I just kept going in circles. Do I want to talk about the symbolism of the tattoo and how it mirrors my personality? Do I discuss the new friends I have made, the conversations started with total strangers who know nothing about me besides the fact that I have a tattoo? Or do I go into detail about the story behind the ink? The ideas kept coming and I became so overwhelmed that the end result was a very poorly written, terribly structured post that I could not even bring myself to complete.

I kept thinking of other topics to discuss and the only thing I could seem to write clearly about was my lack of ability to write about anything interesting. Hence this post. As soon as I started thinking about all of the things blocking me from writing, the words just started to flow out of my fingertips onto my keyboard. Writing inspiration stemming from my inability to find the inspiration to write. Irony aside, it seems to be doing the trick. My need to write is being filled, even if I’m not saying much. Hopefully this will allow me to clear my head and start again fresh another day. Until then, at least I can say I posted once on my blog in 2011.


Aug 30 2010

Tattoo round three…

The time has come for my dragon to be brought to life with some color. I have gotten so used to seeing the outline perched on my shoulder, but I just knew it would be completely transformed once the color was added. Heidi and I were making our way from PA to the city and were sitting in traffic in the Holland Tunnel just 10 minutes before we were supposed to be at the shop. After what felt like hours of traffic, we finally arrived just barely 10 minutes late and it was time to begin again.

After some setup time, the buzz of the machine started up. How quickly we forget what the needles feel like. Multiple needles piercing my skin, hundreds, if not thousands of times per minute. It hurts, but that’s why I’m in the shop. The pain is all part of the process and in reality isn’t that bad at all. The color process for me is far less painful than the outline. It is not a pleasant experience by any stretch of the imagination, and of course the are a few very sensitive spots. The area around the armpit and the breastbone seem to be my most painful areas. It is only fitting that my dragon happens to be gripping into my flesh with it’s claws in those exact areas.

He began on my back, in an area that I couldn’t see. I tried to turn and look, but my head just doesn’t turn that far. I knew what colors he was using, but could not see anything but Heidi’s reaction. Her eyes would light up and she would grab the camera and shoot as Darren worked on me.
Dragon color begins
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