You can't go home again...

...But you can visit a super awesome place that encompasses you, builds your spirit up and leaves you feeling refreshed. And you can see a great friend and pay homage to his nuptials - and your position as his number one - by getting a somewhat hasty-decided, yet no less bad ass back piece. And you can upload it to your blog.

This is The Groom:



And this is me:





I'm so incredibly happy that he's found such am amazing girl, and I was overwhelmingly proud that he chose me to be there. This was the first tattoo I've gotten since summer 2006, and, as they all do, it hurt. Not nearly as badly as his and the interior arm, but trust -- it hurt. There are some hideous photos of me squirming and contorting my face. It's amazing to me how addictive getting ink can be.

But today, en route to hang with Trail Mix (that boy is a little like crack), it sort of occurred to me that, while a lot of people might be tattooed in the most basic sense, a much smaller segment of the population is on the moderate to heavy side of the scale. I'd say those phrases are wholly subjective - this would be my sixth piece. Is that 'moderate' or still mild? I don't know; still, it's not butterfly on the shoulder or rose vine on my ankle. And this in no way derails my plans for the quarter sleeve. So... perhaps, at the risk of sounding ridiculous, this is my thing.

It's intrinsic to who I am, and the way in which I can push the proverbial envelope. For a long time now, I'm secretly lamented that I wasn't more athletic and/or adventurous. I had the chance to join Houston Roller Derby back when it was first forming, but I declined before I feared getting hurt (and I don't possess the mental capacity to bounce back). Some friends in Ohio went ziplining in order to cap off a fantastic wedding weekend, and while my schedule ultimately didn't permit it, my initial response was to balk (and check the weight limit of those damned harnesses). The idea of pushing myself physically is highly appealing, and I am always - but not necessarily outwardly - jealous of people who do that. But I always shy away in the end.

Up to this point I've thought of my ink as simply something I find beautiful and personally meaningful. But maybe it's more than that...? Maybe this is my way of pushing the envelope, and seeing how far I can take my body? Maybe there's someone out there looking at me and thinking, "Wow... I would love to do that, but I don't think I ever could."

Maybe.