Bye Bye Birdie

Those of you who are followers of my blog know that I like love mermaids and have many representations of them around my house. I also have books about mermaids and T-shirts, bags, a bar of soap and a purse that sport mermaids on them. I even have a Voodoo-ish mermaid key chain (she hangs in my kitchen window. I got her in Key West).

The Colonel and I were just in our favorite antique-filled town. We went for an early anniversary lunch and some shopping. Here is my latest mermaid purchase. I just love her face.

I now have the likeness of a mermaid that I carry with me at all times. Yes, I have gotten a mermaid tattoo. I had been thinking about this for some time and when Ink Life Tour (with 200 top tattoo artists) came into town last month, I thought what a perfect time to see about maybe making my mermaid tattoo a reality.

The Colonel, Judy (an older friend of ours who may eventually want a tattoo) and I went to the event center (the same one Yam and I were in for the County's 80s party). After a purse check and paying our entrance fee, we went into the huge room that was packed with booths of tattoo artists and tradesmen.

We walked around the room and stopped at various booths. The tattoo artists all had binders full of examples of their work. There were some very, very talented artists at the event. I stopped by one booth in particular and asked the artist if she could maybe help me out.

When Spud was a toddler (he is 25 years old now), I got a tattoo of a bird on my right ankle. We were in Texas visiting The Colonel's sister and her husband. I mentioned I was thinking about getting a tattoo and Tony, who had recently gotten a tattoo, said he would take me to the place he had gotten his. When we got to the tattoo parlor the artist asked me if I had been drinking. No, I replied. He informed me that they did not tattoo anyone who had been drinking. Good policy. Tony and I walked around the small parlor and looked at pictures of items he could tattoo on my ankle. I knew I wanted a bird and not a large one. He did not have much of a selection to choose from and the bird I chose had a rose in its mouth. I told him to ditch the rose.

The bird was my first tattoo. I did not know what to expect. The pain was intense but bearable. I remember using some Lamaze breathing techniques as the tattoo artist was working.

Back to the tattoo artist in the event center...So, I asked her if she could maybe do something about my bird tattoo. As she was looking at it, The Colonel suggested I get the bird covered up by a mermaid tattoo. I would still have my bird but it would be incorporated within the new mermaid tattoo. It just so happened that the tattoo artist I was talking to specialized in tattoo cover-ups and watercolor tattoos. I asked if she could oblige me and she said sure. I would be her first tattoo of the day.

The tattoo artist was named Cee Jay Inky Jones of Sassmouth Ink out of Riverview, Michigan.

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I am not immersed in the tattoo culture and was not aware that there is a television show called Ink Master. Cee Jay Inky Jones was on season two of the show. My confidence in Cee Jay's abilities increased and I was committed to getting my new mermaid tattoo.

I joined Cee Jay in her work space. She had set up a table for me to sit upon and began to get the tattoo supplies together.

The look on my face betrays my feelings at the time...I wanted to do this...but I was not looking forward to the discomfort.

With Cee Jay's help, I decided upon the design for my mermaid tattoo. Cee Jay then began sketching the mermaid on my leg. She hid my bird tattoo within the mermaid's tail.

Once Cee Jay had the sketch done, it was time to begin the tattooing.

I had forgotten just how painful tattooing was. I was doing the Lamaze breathing again as well as having a death-grip on the cuff of my shorts or the table. Once the needle pierced the skin, Cee Jay was able to put some Lidocaine cream on my leg...that helped a bit with the pain...a bit...but the needle had to pierce the skin first. This new tattoo was considerably larger than my little bird tattoo too.

The first part of the tattoo was complete...the outline...

Bye bye birdie...Now time for the colors...

Nearly done...Thank God...

Two hours and fifteen minutes later and my tattoo was done...goodbye birdie, hello mermaid!

You may be able to see in this photo of Cee Jay and I, that not only was I sporting my new tattoo but I also was sporting a colossal headache. The tattoo session had taken more out of me than I had anticipated. No more tattoos for me...I am getting too old for this kind of thing.

There were all kinds of contests during the tattoo event. One contest was for the best cover-up. Cee Jay entered my new tattoo into the contest. I lined up with the other contestants and when my name was called, I had to show the three judges a photo of my old tattoo and then show them my new one. I was not the winner.

The Colonel and I kept seeing a heavily tattooed and pierced man walking around the room as I was getting my tattoo. I wondered what kind of job he could hold (besides maybe being a tattoo artist or biker) with all those tattoos and piercings. Well, I did not have to wonder long as he was the featured human in the World's Sickest Human Suspension Show (I kid you not, that is the name of his show).

This man had his back pierced and was suspended by his back as he was swung around the room. The big guy in the black shirt helped to swing the pierced man. A couple of times the black-shirted man held on and swung along with the pierced man. Ouch! The whole crowd watching let out a moan. I felt a bit sick as I watched this.

A friend of mine said one of the reasons she will never get a tattoo (aside from the pain) is because she would be afraid that she could be identified, via her tattoo, if she ever committed a crime (I cannot see her in any criminal capacity...she is an Oxford trained PhD). I Guess I will have to keep my nose clean while sporting my new mermaid tattoo.