Beyond the Books: Tattoos

This week's topic is:  Tattoos.  Do you have them?  Why or why not?  Talk about one.

I actually got my first tattoo this year...and immediately followed it up with another!  It's true what they say: tattoos are addictive.  It took me a long time to finally get a tattoo because I was indecisive.  I had ideas of what I wanted, but was never totally certain on placement/exact image/etc.  I was also worried that it would be more painful than I wanted it to be.  It took my fiancé making me schedule an appointment to force my decision.  And I'm glad he did because it wasn't painful (really) and now I am on the path to possibly doing a full sleeve!  YIKES! 

My first tattoo is totally FOR ME.  I specifically turned it upside down to face me (not the correct placement for tattoos) because I wanted to look at it.  It's not for anyone else's pleasure but my own.  It speaks to my nerdy-ness and my love for Harry Potter and the German language.  
The Deathly Hallows (obviously) with the house colors and "always" in German. Super fresh tattoo.

My second tattoo is, again, for me, but I did position it in the correct way (facing the viewer) and is of a Scottish thistle.  I lived in Scotland while I was working on my Master's degree and completely fell in love with the country, the people, the culture, and all that goes with it.  This commemorates my time spent there and the memories I made.
A Scottish thistle (more traditional style than the one above).
Next on the block...a portion of Gustav Klimt's Life and Death.  This one represents the following:  my love for Klimt and his work (my favorite artist), my love for Austria (I taught English for a year just outside of Vienna), my love for the German language (again), and my love for things that are kind of macabre and dark.  It's a much larger tattoo than the others I have, so that makes me a little nervous.  But it's going to be so awesome!
I plan on getting the death side of the painting on my forearm.
In general, I am of the firm belief that people should do whatever they want with their bodies.  If they want to tattoo their face, let them!  If they want fake boobs or a nose job, go for it!  Shave your entire head except your bangs?  Whatever floats your boat!  Gender re-assignment?  You do you!  Nobody should be able to tell you or have the right to tell you how to adorn your body to make yourself happy or to make yourself comfortable. 

What are you thoughts on tattoos?

Beyond the Books is a weekly event hosted by Karen at Kissin Blue Karen.  Feel free to join in!  

Comments

  1. Lori BreeMay 12, 2016 at 9:48 AM

    Amen, girl! I totally agree. Tattoos are awesome! I need to get the guts to just do it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MelMay 12, 2016 at 10:35 AM

      Yes, you do! I'll hold your hand :) I promise that Kevin is super nice and it goes by so much quicker than you expect.

      Delete
  2. Elliptical ManMay 12, 2016 at 5:06 PM

    I have several. I can't afford to get any more. (sigh)

    ReplyDelete
  3. KarenMay 17, 2016 at 4:57 AM

    Okay, first of all I am sorry for being so late to comment here. I was out of town last week and have needed some time to recover.
    I LOVE your tattoos. I think placing it so that you can see it is perfectly fine. You are the one who has to see it the most. I have a tattoo that sticks out of my shirt, on my inner upper arm, and people are always asking to see it and read it. They don't get it though. That tattoo is for me. I love the German influence on your tats, I have German heritage as well, but no tats about it....yet.
    I love the death side of that painting, I am sure it is going to look awesome.
    Thanks for playing along this week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MelMay 18, 2016 at 9:37 AM

      No worries, Karen! And thanks :) Some have thought my thistle is an artichoke...haha. But I feel that tattoos are for the tattoo-ee, not the viewers. I love the font of the one on the back of your neck!!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Get Wordy!

Popular posts from this blog

2016 A-Z Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal

Image
Oooo...the day is getting closer; creeping stealthily, it will smack you in the face in no time! While we impatiently await the start of the challenge, it's time to reveal our themes.  Yay!  I'm going for something drastically different this year.  Something much more challenging than I've ever done in my previous four years participating in this particular challenge.  Normally my posts are pretty straight-forward, contained, not overly ambitious.  This year is going to be another beast all together. My mission, should I choose to accept it, will be to write one continuous story for the entire challenge.  I know my characters, setting, and where I want it to go...kind of.  All I need to figure out is how to get from point A to point Z.  The first word of each post will start with the letter for the day; some of these will definitely be more difficult than others, but I'm determined. I look forward to writing this, receiving feedb...
Read more

Bianca's Vineyard (Book #13)

Image
I've had Teresa Neumann's Bianca's Vineyard for a while now, thanks to my grandmother, but have been skipping over it to read other books.  I don't know why I did this because it was actually a great read.  Neumann is a local author who decided to write a novel about family history.  The majority of the novel is based on factual evidence and personal family interviews.  There is one portion, which I won't give away, that is only speculated at by Neumann, but what she does choose to speculate is a highly probably scenario. The book is written in a way that suggests it is being told to the reader, as well as Egisto's son and his wife, through flashbacks from Bianca in her 80's.  We know this because the font and boldness of these sections gives personal reflection from Bianca and foreshadows what she will eventually reveal.  She takes you back to the beginning of what changed the course for this family, mainly one brother of the Bertozzi family moving to A...
Read more

Top Ten Tuesday: FREEBIE

Image
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and it's a way to share what you're loving in list form. The topic changes every week, so there is always something new to discover! This week's topic is:  FREEBIE .  Yay!  So, because I missed last week's Top Ten, I am going to go with that topic... Top Ten Complete Series I Have Yet to Finish . Here they are: Inkworld   by Cornelia Funke Finishing School  by Gail Carriger The Chemical Garden by Lauren DeStefano Contours of the Heart by Tammara Webber The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman Edilean by Jude Deveraux The Tudor Court by Philippa Gregory Wildwood Chronicles  by Colin Meloy The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff Some of these I've only read one book in, while others are nearly complete!  What are some series you need to finish? Also, look for next week's top ten:...
Read more