Friday, September 19, 2008

I Might Have a Tiny Streak of Adventure

There's something regarding the wedding that I haven't mentioned yet. In honor of the day, I got a tattoo.

Yes, really, I did.

Well, sort of.

JD has a large tattoo wrapping his shoulder. It's some sort of Celtic-ish design that he designed himself. It looks pretty cool, and, surprisingly, I like it.

Which is very, very weird. Early in the summer I would shake my head in disbelief when I would realize once again that LovelyDaughter was marrying a guy with a TATTOO. Strange.

But somewhere along the line, my ideas began to change, and, long story short, I got this odd idea that I wanted a tattoo for the wedding. A temporary tattoo. I planned to buy a kit for it, and have LovelyDaughter, with her artistic talent, do it for me. It would last about two weeks.

However, with all the last minute busy-ness and sickness, it didn't happen.

And then. On the day of the wedding I remembered that some people do very temporary tattoos with an ordinary black Sharpie permanent marker. It lasts maybe two days and looks very realistic. Ah ha, I thought.

So I bought a fine tip marker, and at our pre-wedding supper, I presented it to LovelyDaughter and asked her if she would do the honors.

I had showed her earlier a couple of tattoo designs online that caught my fancy, and using those for inspiration she sketched several ideas on the back of a grocery receipt that I had in my purse. I picked one, and she drew it for me on my back, just above the line of my dress.

I'm not sure why I wanted it. It just sounded like a crazy idea, something to make the day memorable. (As if it wasn't memorable enough-- I know.)

By the time we got to the wedding, I had already forgotten I had it. So after the ceremony, I was surprised at the number of people who commented on it. And all favorably! My uncle kept asking me, "Is it real?" and I had no idea what he was talking about at first. He was even disappointed when I told him it was temporary, just for the wedding, and he showed me the tattoos on both of his arms. (Oh yeah, I'd forgotten he'd turned biker dude over the last few years. Gee, he's got to be almost sixty.)

Later I even found out that there had been discussion among my friends behind my back --(Get it? behind my back? Har. Sorry. Very lame)-- about whether it was real, and whether I was crazy/adventurous enough to REALLY have a tattoo done. Of course, the answer was No, and No.

At least, I think the second answer is No. I mean, I MIGHT seriously consider getting a real, i.e., permanent tattoo sometime. But that would be unthinkable. Wouldn't it? I can't decide.

I mean, what if I get really sick and tired of my design after ten, or five, or two years? Then what?

(Now there's a thought: Maybe I should wait till I'm sixty or seventy. Then I would have less time to get tired of it...)

What if really I'm too old, and I'll just look like I'm in midlife crisis?

(Of course, that IS actually a possibility, I suppose, and if that's the case, then, really, who cares? If men can get shiny sports cars, maybe women can get tattoos?)

Do I have the right personality for a tattoo? Am I weird enough?

(or isn't that a criteria?)

Will it look really stupid on me when I'm old(er)?

Am I completely whacked for even thinking about it?

Am I just showing a latent rebellious streak? Will I shock people? Will I open the door to other weird behaviors for my kids? As in, If mom got a tattoo, then I can get my belly button pierced? Will it HURT? (Okay, that one I do know the answer to: Yes.)

On the one hand, I'm pretty sure I'm nuts. On the other hand, I have this urge to be crazy and adventurous.

So I guess it boils down this: I feel like being crazy, or I already am!

Okay. It's your turn now to put in your two cents worth. Add your vote to my new poll, and let's see what you think about momhuebert turning into a CrazyMama.

2 comments:

Sarah said...

I say go for it! Jason and I plan on getting them soon. :) And if Uncle John can get one in his late 50s you can certainly get one in your 40s!! :)

carrie said...

Mom, I believe you know I have a tat on my shoulder and my tongue pierced ;) There is NO reason for you not to get a tattoo especially on your back. If you get it right smack in the middle it'll hurt a little bit going over the spinal cord but even that won't be too horribly bad. The rest is like annoying mosquito bites. Oh and on your back it won't sag, get stretched out, or any weird things that can happen to tattoos on arms/legs/stomachs/etc. So yeah if YOU like it...and think about it a bit. Is it a style that you've liked (not *just* as a tattoo but as art/style/design) for awhile? Is it something you are pretty sure you will like for a long time? That's why it was easy for me to get mine...it's a cross with a curtain rent across it ;) I have to get the curtain fixed and when I do I will post pictures of...that'll probably be in March or April of next year. So hopefully you'll get yours before then so I can live vicariously through your tattoo until I can fix up my piece of work and get my new addition (it's a secret)