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New ink! Finally!

Posted 08 Jul 2005 in personal, tattoos

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I can’t believe it’s been a year since I’ve had my half-sleeve worked on. I know I’m bad at procrastinating, but geez! The only new ink I’ve had since last year was the small piece I got on my back to celebrate my divorce. Anyhow, yesterday I phoned my artist (Casey Cokrlic, check him out) and set up some time to get some new ink done. Or rather, to work at finishing up the large piece I got last year. He’s over in a new shop, same owner but new location. Good thing is, my guy is basically running the show at this new shop. Most of the flash on the walls is Japanese or otherwise Asian in influence. And lots of samples of Casey’s work. It’s a small place with a very cool vibe.

traci went with me and while waited for the autoclave to finish sterilizing the equipment, she decided she wanted to go ahead and get a new piercing done. She got her cartilege done on her right ear, similar to what I’ve got on my left ear. She was gonna get a surface piercing on the back of her neck, but the piercer didn’t have the right jewelry for that so she’s going to have that done next time.

Sitting in the chair again was a minor thrill. It’s funny how one can crave the experience of sitting there and allowing someone to carve in your skin with a cluster of needles covered with ink. The pain in certain parts is exquisite and difficult to bear. But still, I was very excited to finally make some progress toward having this piece finished. While I sat there and tried to breathe, relax, and just roll with the pain, I enjoyed the delicate smell of incense and some fun stories about what Casey’s been doing over the past year. After about 90 minutes, I was pretty spent and ready to stop for the night. Casey’s good about working however long the collector is comfortable (a relative term, if ever there was one) with being inked, so we just made plans for the next round. It’s gonna take about another hour or so to fill in the rest of the phoenix, and then a few more to finish up the wind bars and clouds around it. But it’s looking SO good and is going to be even better when it’s all finalized. Everywhere I go, I get comments on the tattoo. I can only imagine what people’s reaction will be one Casey’s work is complete.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, my youngest daughter will be testing for her first rank in kenjutsu tonight. I’ll be sitting on the judges panel for her exam, and I’m so thrilled for her. I know she’s nervous about getting up in front of the class and demonstrating, but she’s so ready for this. She practiced with me for two years when we lived together out in Plano. Every time I’d get out in the back yard to practice, she’d go get my short bokken and ask permission to train with me. You’d be surprised how quickly she learned the basics and what a good student she is. She’s better than many students twice her age. And she’s been coming to class for a year since then as well. All she needs is more aggression, and that’s already vastly improved. Plus, she’s still a pre-teen, so she’s maturing apart from class alongside the lessons she’s learning from the sword. It’s so satisfying to see her refine her spirit as well as her technique. And it’s humbling to see all my own quirks and idiosyncracies mirrored in her perfectionism. It’ll be so hard not to grin like a monkey during her test. But my instructor is confident that she’s ready, a fact I’ve known for a while now. Omedetougozaimasu, Tessa-chan!

Posted by FullMetalPatriot
12th gen. American, Constitutionalist, Harley-riding Texan, gun owner & NRA member, blogger, illustrator, Florida Gator alumnus. #TCOT

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