Once again, the time has come for a new tattoo. (Catch up on tattoos 1 and 2, if need be). I reached a goal - earning the master's degree - so I'd like to mark it with ink.
Now this is the part where I describe the tattoo, you pass judgement and then I go and do it anyway.
I'm not the most diehard Husky sports fan, that's reserved for undergraduates, but I found this to be the perfect opportunity to merge my accomplishments with my love for geography. (Amanda just bought me a sweet map of Puget Sound for my birthday, btw).
I saw this New Era hat image months ago, which combines the outline of my home state (I've threatened to get the outline of it already for years) and that Husky W.
My vision for the tattoo is just that with some color tweaks to emphasize the state and minimize the color fill for the W. My Photoshop skills lead me to something like...
Now imagine that on my right shoulder. Wait, you don't have to! Photoshop skills again!
Now that I'm married, I did the responsible thing and discussed this action with my wife. I pitched her this Washington tattoo as well as ideas for a couple other future tattoos that may bloom on my skin in coming years.
I have a romantic notion about tattoos and broached the issue as such, even introducing to Amanda the idea of getting matching tattoos one day. She constantly identifies us a pair of owls, so I thought it'd be cool if we each got one. Just small, little tattoos. John Cusack-movie sweet, right?! Here's how I recall the conversation:
Me: "Hey Amanda, remember that image of the pair of owls on our wedding invitations? What if after this Washington tattoo we get matching owls for each other?"
Her: "Yeah, no. I'm not going to do that."
Me: "Why? That's a great idea! Very romantic."
Her: "I don't want a tattoo. When did I say I wanted a tattoo?"
Me: "Well, I just thought --"
Her: "Nope, but you have fun with coloring your arm up. I'll stick to scrapbooking."
So the romantic angle fell flat. I still think it's a good idea, and I'll have redress my request at a later date. After all, how many times did Tom Hanks get turned down at auditions before he became Forrest Gump and the guy who Saved Private Ryan? How many times did JK Rowling get rejected before Harry Potter got picked up by a publisher? How many times did Kendra have to sleep with Hugh Hefner before she got a reality TV show on E!? Rejection is just an opportunity to hone the pitch.
All that aside, we're still a go for the Washington tattoo. I took the "have fun coloring up your arm" as confirmation. It's something I'd like to do in the next few months. I'm really happy with the concept of having lineage and sport represented on my left shoulder and home and accomplishment on my right. I like to carry a lot of weight on my shoulders. It's time to show it.
