I dig the Bliss. Day 3

Today I got to go first in picking out what tattoo to do. 10 am a bunch of people showed up for us newbies to draw permanent stuff on their bodies. Flash, at that! Well, lucky us, right? Anyway... my choices are this cute colorful, not realistic turtle, this little bolt that looks like it's going thru part of the skin and under it the words 'Born nuts' and this kinda large (like 7" maybe top to bottom?) colorful one with this topless chick standing on an 8 ball with flames and three playing cards behind her. So, do I go for the adorable colorful, yet easy turtle thing? Or do I go for the complicated (as in tons of straight lines, tons of fine lines, one great big circle) skanky chick on the 8 ball? "Dive in, Geri, and go for the challange!!" SO yep, I go for the skanky 8 ball chick. Oh. my. word. It took me almost 3 hours.

Dude would not sit still.
Dude had wrinkles on his hand area that were deep crevices like bad stretch marks.
Dude had scar tissue I was tattooing over.
I messed up the chick's arm. Her other arm looks too long and skinny but that was indeed the flash.

Well, in the end, the guy loved it. Said it was beautiful. Honestly, as much as I think it sucked (as in I screwed it up), it did look better than a lot of the tatts I saw on him, heh. So, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'm glad I went for it though. It really was a challange, especially this morning.

Why this morning? heh. Well, because you see, as I've mentioned, I'm cutting WAY back on my drinking. So last night though I had 1 or 2 more drinks than the most I usually have (which is 2). Woke up feeling hung over! It sucked!

So I survived messing up my stencil by getting it wet with rubbing alcohol, a design with a ton of straight lines, circles, 7 different colors plus black, a client with deep wrinkles, scar tissue and moved a lot all on a hangover (which by that time was not bad really, but you know how you just feel run down even after you feel better? yeah.) And he loved it. His wife loved it. All was good.

Off to lunch, I went back to the house for some chili I made last night, which I hardly could keep from wolfing down in record time because I could not WAIT to get back to do another!!! I get back and my next tatt, was a shamrock on fire with the words "Easy Money $" below it. The guy, John, was a total doll. Just adorable. And he sat still mostly. And he was great to chat with. And the outline style was new school which is great fun to do, and he gave me some artistic go ahead so I added more depth using color. The font was that.... heck I don't know what it's called. It's just L.A. Ghetto to me, haha, but it's popular in tatts. I can't usually read it though, LOL. I thought that kind of stuff (that crazy font) would be really hard but it totally wasn't. All you need is a good stencil. Heh.

John's friend, Terry, got a tattoo from Tara. OH. mygod. This girl is a born natural. I knew right away, when she first started her first tattoo yesterday, just watching her- she naturally takes her time, she gets a great grip on the person... she just does the right things naturally.. and her work is omg fantastic. She did a chameleon on Terry that I swear man is better than MANY MANY works from tattooists that have years under their belts. This girl puts them to shame. Right as I type the finished work of the chameleon is not yet up on the site ( http://www.tattoosbylisa.net/schoolthisweek.html ) but it was finished tonight, the finished pic will be posted in the morning. You just have got to check it out. You'll agree she rocks. And if you disagree? Well. Um. Yeah. You're wrong. LOL hehehe

Anyway though, this guy Terry. Oh my freaking lanta. Never ever in my LIFE have I heard a guy whine so much. For over 4 hours he sat for this tattoo, and everyone in the shop agreed that it was WELL worth the time and pain (near and on the elbow, a hella painful spot for a tattoo). But I mean this guy moaned- literally MOANED- like he was having a bowel movement after being constipated for 2 straight weeks. I heard him say "You mean you're not DONE in that spot yet???" and other such nonsense at least 20 times. I am not exaggerating. Near the end, Jen fixed up a spider web on someone else's elbow, and they barely winced. Ya know? I am juuust saying. The funnier thing is, this guy John comes to this school like all the time to get ink. AND he will go straight to Lisa for BIG tattoos. So it's not like he has not sat for long periods of time before for ink..... but each time he complains like a constipated republican.

haha that was funny. LOL

Tara and I can not WAIT to get back to the shop tomorrow and do more tattoos. We both feel like this is it. Neither of us are looking forward to going back to our day jobs. She's pressured to finish grad school in a subject she's just not interested in, while keeping her day job of course, and well I just have to get things lined up to make the transition and that will just take some time. Her and I went next door to Dunzy's for grub... yeah we have food here at the house but we both felt, without saying, that today was definitely a day to not cook for ourselves. It was a historical day in both of our lives. We have the fever! Jen did not come with us. From Hawaii, she is NOT digging this zero degree stuff. And our driveway (which is what leads directly up to the house) is NOTHING but ice. And her poor ears have not recovered from the very LONG trip here.

Meanwhile the weekend fast approaches. I can't believe I don't want it to! hah, that does not happen too often in one's life LOL. I was pretty stoked on going to Burlington VT, but, it seems that plans are brewing for festiveness that includes Matt, Tara, and the guys from the shop. And I am not so sure that I would be too smart to miss out on them. I mean we're bonding here, ya know? I just miss VT horribly. And have never spent time in Burlington. We shall see when the time comes.

Oh. One funny thing- I drop paper towels like nobody's business. LOL. I mean they just fall from my hands. For those unfamiliar, when working a tattoo the artist usually keeps in their non-inking hand a paper towel with some green soap, so as to wipe away the excess ink and such so we can see what we're doing as we go along. Well I just keep dropping them. Like *poof* ...*drop*. After about 1o times it became really damn funny to me. I think it's my "trademark" HAH... at least for now. :P

OK.
Sweet Dreams!!