Inspiration behind the ink

After many many months of contemplation, I finally decided on a tattoo design. I’ve spent a lot of time teetering back and forth, taking polls on artwork, and trying to mentally prepare my parents. Originally I had planned to get the tattoo for my 25^th birthday (my parents were conveniently on vacation) but I was pretty set on getting something on my foot, and with trying to train for the half-marathon a foot tattoo just wasn’t feasible in June. So I spent the last few months tweaking ideas, and watching a lot of LA Ink.

I am completely baffled by some of the tattoos I see.  I mean, to each his own… but seriously.  I am fascinated by the thought process (or in some cases lack of thought process) that people have going into this.  I mean, is it really necessary to get your ex-girlfriends face tattooed on your chest? (even if she did just die… you weren’t together at the time… do you really want any future lady friend you have to be looking at your ex-girlfriend every time you get naked?) Or what about the people who get their Pet’s names tattooed on them…. What happens when you out-live your pet, and in 20 years your kid is asking you who is Baxter, and why is his name written on your arm?

That being said, there are also a lot of really cool tattoos out there, and  once I started seriously contemplating getting my own ink, I began to notice everyone’s tattoos. It really added a whole new element to people watching, and there are so many things to notice!

 So last week I found myself sitting at the tattoo shop, talking with my artist, and picking out fonts.  It seemed fitting to get something poetic, and though the words are not my own, what better words to get put on your permanently than words from your favorite poet? Oh Mary Oliver... The quote is the final two lines from the poem The Summer Day  "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life."  Couldn’t you just read her words all day? I get so lost in her word… or maybe I get found in them?

This quote was also the inspiration for one of the poems that was the cornerstone of my senior thesis, so I feel really comfortable having them permanently on my body. Not only is in an homage to MO, but it is a perfect reminder for me to be actively living my life rather than sitting around waiting for my life to happen to me. 

And then there is the Om symbol… ( still awaiting for the parental reaction). There is so much to say about it, and then again no words to really get there. The three syllables (A U M) represent Body, Soul, and spirit, Or Physical, Mental, and Deep Sleep states. The all-pervading consciousness of the soul. For me it serves as a reminder to stay grounded, and also to honor my own truth, and it seems to go hand in hand with Mary Oliver’s words.

I’m really happy with how the font turned out. I wanted something that was easy to read at first glance… nothing too scripty. There are a lot of cool fonts out there, but I didn’t want people to have to do a double take, or struggle to read what it said. I’m also thrilled with the placement on my foot. Easy to hide if I want to, but also easy to show off.

Yes, it was a bit painful on the foot…. But overall I figured it would be painful no matter where it went, so I might as well get it where I wanted it. All the people in the tattoo shop were like “wow that is brave”  But thankfully there was no passing out involved (thank you yoga breathing) I found it was also nice to be able to see what the artist was doing while the was tattooing. Not that I had any doubts, but it helped to be able to anticipate when the pain was coming, how long it would last, and to be able to see how much was left to do etc. It was nice to be able to count how many letters I had left. I was thrilled that we were able to get it in two lines... When I first went in she was really skeptical that it would fit, but she did a great job! The line breaks are even true to the poem, so it's perfect.

I found it pretty ironic that last year when I was hobbling around with a staph infection so many people asked me if I had just recently got a tattoo. The whole time I was thinking “if only this was a tattoo!” (for the record the lancing and draining and packing of the staph infection was way more painful than the tattoo). Last night as I was hobbling around with the bandage (hobbling more so from the half-marathon than the tattoo) everyone I ran into was like “Oh no, what happened?” So it was fun to be able to say “nothing, I just got a tattoo!” But I will admit the bright green bandages were very reminiscent of my summer with staph.   

Now I’m just hoping for a few more weeks of flip-flop weather (come on Oregon!)

I survived!

Good News,

I'm still alive after "running" the half marathon! Ok running might be a little much... jogging? Trotting? I don't know if there are actual words to describe my pace of movement... but I like to call it running. That being said, I am still coming to terms with the fact that I was passed by SEVERAL power-walkers throughout the race... (one of them was a seventy-something year old man...) But my official time was still 2 hours and 53 minutes! I was assuming it would take me over 3 hours to complete it, so I was thrilled that even though I broke down and walked a bit that I still made it in under 3 hours! There were some definete rough patches (like the 3.5 miles of gravel hilly country roads that started at mile 8) but I survived!

I got up at 5AM on race day, and immediately I was thinking "no way in hell. I paid money to get up this early and run 13.1 miles?" After all, I am not a runner! I've decided that there are two types of people "runners" and "people who run" and I am a person who runs (or jogs... or trots). I still don't know what got into me that I had the desire to do this, but I do have a great sense of accomplishment.

My Sister-In-Law and I at 6AM

Initially I signed up because I thought I would need something to distract me from the fact that I didn't get into graduate school. Running seemed like a healthier option than eating or drinking excessively, so I paid $80, and figured there was no turning back.  Well that way May, and this is September, and I can honestly say that I did not need the distraction. Work got crazy, I started yoga school, and all the excess running was really more of a hassle than anything else. I started to feel like all I did on my days off was excercise, and I will be very glad to take a bit of a break from running. I do think I will continue to run a couple times a week, but I'm talking more like 2-3 miles, rather than 7-8 at a time. I'm excited to get back to the gym after a summer absence, and I'm excited to have a little more free-time on my days off!

The race itself was actually pretty fun. It's weird to be around 2,000 all running towards the same place. For me running is a solitary activity, I just listen to my music, have some time with my thoughts, and get in the zone. So it was an adjustment to be running in a herd of people. I knew a ton of the people  who were running, and started the race next to my dentist and his wife, and was right behind one of my co-workers. They quickly pulled ahead of me.... and as the race went on, I was passed several time by people that I knew. They each kindly tapped me on the shoulder and waved as they went by, and I embraced my spot in the 12-13 minute mile bracket.

Oh Look... It's my spot

I was totally in the groove until I hit the gravel... and then my body simply said "NO" but overall I think I ran at least 11.5 of the 13.1 miles. I am currently in a cycle of "Advil, Ice, repeat" and probably will be until I can get my hips stretched out. Right now my hips don't lie, and they are telling me that I do not have a runner's body. Thank God for Yoga.

 The Post Race Shock... I mean afterglow

Hello September

Is it weird that I am kind of excited for September to be here? Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way ready to relinquish summer (though I am starting to think about things like leggings, tall boots, and light-weight scarves) but every I cannot help but get a little excited for September.

I blame it on our society, mainly, and the “Back to School” mentality that we have exposed to our entire lives. September rolls around and this undirected excitement starts building. I wonder if this will go away the further and further I get from my life in academia. Will I always be spending the first weeks in September longing for new roommates, and jonesing for school supplies? Oh to be in twenty and taking art history classes….

Ok, so gone are my college co-ed days, but even in the “real world” I’ve got a busy September and a lot to look forward to as well. Here are just a few things on my radar.

1) I’m taking some much needed time off of work. This is not to say that I will be working any less, as my project load is increasing, and weddings are still going in full swing. But I’m shifting some things around, taking a few days here and there, and hopefully regaining a bit more of my sanity. I am in desperate need of a social stimulus package, so I’m taking some time. Yes, this might mean burning the midnight oil as I write copy for a website, re-vamp contracts, draft newsletters, and design tee-shirts, but at least I’ll have some quality buddy time.

2) I’m running my first (and possibly/probably last) Half-Marathon! Ok so there are runners, and people who run… and this experience has solidified that I am a person who runs (or really a person who jogs… but that just sounds dumb)

3) I’m choosing and teaching the “Pose of the Month” at my yoga studio. This is really exciting because I get to explore what aspects of the pose I find important, and get to utilize some teaching skills, anatomy, and yes, some Sanskrit. Get ready for Vrksasana (Tree Pose).

4) I’m getting my first (and possibly my last) Tattoo! After giving it much contemplation, I have finally decided to get inked. Expect updates/ pictures… September 7th.

5) Going to see Stephen Kellogg with the fam. I feel sort of like we have been like a wolf pack this summer, as most of my fun outings/ experiences have been in a family setting. We go to the theater together, to baseball games together, to fancy dinners together, to concerts together and soon to Montana together. But we all like each other (most of the time), and though I feel slightly nerdy going to a concert with my parents on a Friday night, I think we will have a good time.

6) Quality time with my college roomies! I’m going to Seattle to spend a few days catching up with one of my old roommates… we haven’t seen each other in almost a year, so clearly there will be many cocktails and lots of catching up.

7) Catching another Red Sox game. I don’t care how many players are on the DL… I’m still excited.

8) Going to a wedding that I am not coordinating! Two of my good friends from college are getting married to each other! This means lots of craziness and good times will ensue. This is the first time that a lot of us have been together since last August (at the last set of nuptials). It will probably be a shit show, as there is a crazy bachelor/bachelorette party taking place, out of town guests, and overall hanging out/ re-living college, celebrating our friends & their super awesome wedding. I CAN’T WAIT!

9) Knitting Projects: There is something fundamentally wrong with knitting in the summer time. (this may have something to do with the fact that I only know how to knit scarves…) I’m ready for some cool fall evenings curled up with project. Cowl Neck Scarf anyone?

10) The Much awaited Season Premiere of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia…

Bring it on September. (but I’d be ok with the Indian summer…. And many many many more days of sunshine and warm evenings)