It is finished.

Just like Jesus, I got nailed. But repeatedly. With a small needle. And I got it on Maundy Thursday instead.

Yup, my tattoo happened yesterday.

Shane Wallin was my artist. He’s inked Kyle before, as well as some other people in the cities whom I’ve met. He’s good.

This is me at the start of the process (photos taken by Kyle, who was kind enough to sit and chat with me during).

Yup, I sorta remembered and sorta forgot how ouchy the tattooing process is. It’s like being scraped with a rose thorn. Over. And over. And over again. Some areas are “oooo, that’s not nice!” And make your body tense. While other areas are just more annoying than painful.

Up near the elbow pit– that’s a more hurty location.

I should have taken a selfie during, but I was really focusing on breathing and not moving. I wanted to be a good, completely immobile canvas. And I was.

The entire process took about 2 solid hours, so not bad all things considered. My other tats took 3 and 3.5.

Here it is freshly completed:

Looks pretty good, huh?

And here is a snap shot from this morning after my shower:

>

My two kitties!!

The first shower and tattoo cleaning is, um, not comfortable. But it wasn’t as bad as I remembered. And now my arm just feels a bit like a bad sunburn.

I can’t wait for it to heal so I can display it! I think it’s kind of B.A.

Oh, and PS– the lion is made of text and it is a Rumi quote: remember, the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you.;

T-Day

Well, today is T-Day for me– aka Tattoo Day. And I’m a little nervous.

It’s been at least 7 years since my last tattoo, and I’ve been agonizing for the past 5 years about what my next one would be. And where it would go. And who would do it.

I have settled on a design that I quite like: zoomorphic Arabic calligraphy with a quote from Rumi. It goes well with the text-as-art designs of my other tattoos.

And I settled on a location. My right forearm.

The location caused the most internal debate for me. I want to be able to see and enjoy the ink, but be able to cover if needed. It needed to avoid areas with sag potential. And it also needed to be in balance with my other two.

By placing it on my right forearm, it falls between my left shoulder tattoo and my right calf tattoo. And it forms a scalene triangle which obeys the visual form ideas of ikebana.

Yes, I actually think like this.

However, my forearm will be very visible in warmer months when is wear short sleeve shirts. Which is one of the things giving me pause.

The other is that this is a line detail heavy tattoo. It’s swoopy Arabic in the form of a lion. I think it may be fairly technical for the artist and I hope it comes out well.

The artist is very highly recommended and fairly sought after in the cities. Kyle has even used him for several of his tats and has been quite pleased with the results.

My original appointment was booked back in early March and the earliest appointment I could get was in June. However, a spot in the schedule opens up and I took it. Hence the ink tonight.

Which means I’ve had less time to stew and wrap my head around all my decisions.

So I’m nervous.

Wish me good luck tonight!!

Last “before” pic.>

Whoopsie.

So, evidently it’s “filter changing season” at my condo building. Getting ready for summer (or some such warmer season, even though it’s snowing here today). Anyway, I vaguely recall seeing a reminder email about it.

The filter work entails a couple guys (our building caretaker and an HVAC dude) going into your unit and doing the individual filter changes/checks for the shared AC unit.

Well, I forgot it was happening and subsequently did NOT have my place tidied up and appropriately ready to receive visitors. And yesterday they did visit.

My kitchen was a mess and there were dirty clothes littering my bedroom floor. And I also may have had porn DVDs lying about in full view.

Dirty, raunchy, nasty porn DVDs.

And worse than that? I had also left out my “kit”. My, um, special cleaning kit. For, you know… Um… Deep Cleaning.

Ahem.

And it was out. In full view. In my bathroom. Which is where the access panels are for the AC filters.

Quel embarrassment!

End of Days??

In case you have been living under a rock, there was a special celestial event last night: a total lunar eclipse.

And I woke up for it.

Although it’s the “how” I woke up for it that was a little bizarre. Miss Phoebe actually woke me up.

Right at 2:58 am.

Which just so happened to be the precise moment of totality for this eclipse.

** ooooo-weeeeee-oooooo **

Bizarre, right?

I had actually set my iPad alarm for 3 am, but was awoken by Phoebe meowing and pawing at my blinds. Her racket woke me up, so I groggily reached for the iPad to check the time.

I saw it turn to 2:59. Freeee-keeeee. So I got up, tossed on some sweat pants, and ventured out on my balcony where I had a first class view of the eclipse.

It was a brilliantly clear night here in Minnesota, and so quiet at 3 am! The moon was definitely a dusky orange-red. And shadowy. And there were a couple bright stars (probably planets) nearby.

It was pretty cool.

I tried to take a picture with my iPhone; this was the best I could do:

Now I kinda wish I had the forethought to charge the battery for my good camera. Or take some pics of the wispy cirrus clouds that were orange-colored.

Still, it was neat to see. And who knows if it will be as clear for the next ones?

Did anyone else wake up for the eclipse?

PS- two of my coworkers also saw the eclipse because their dogs woke them up to go outside. Curiouser and curiouser….;

Hair Apparent

Evidently I have accidentally struck upon some magical hair style for myself, and it’s bringing all the boys to the yard.

I’m reporting this as I’m as shocked as anyone by the responses I’m getting. I always just viewed my hair was my hair. Meh, you know? It’s grey and straight. With cowlicks. I cut it and let it be whatever. Sometimes messy, sometimes neat. Mostly short.

The only compliments I ever got (and only very occasionally) had to do with the color. And those were mostly along the lines of “Who highlights your hair? What?? That’s natural?!?”

But my last couple of haircuts I have evidently tapped into the zeitgeist of current gay hair styles and also found something that works with my face and hair color, etc. Because random men are commenting on my hair.

And giving me “attention”. Ahem.

Guys at the gym. Guys in the chorus. Guys online. And guys at the gay bar. During leather night.

Yeah, I stepped outside of my comfort zone a bit on Saturday and went to “gear night” at the Eagle. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was at a gay bar– probably last summer some time.

Anyway, I donned my gay apparel (aka bulldog harness, tight Levi’s, and motorcycle boots) and went to the bar.

Where guys actually talked to me!!

Even in my still heavy winter phase, guys chatted me up. And mentioned my hair. This included some of the rugby studs that were there for a mixer. And a heavily muscled, shirtless Latino dude in a daddy cap who felt up my nips while calling me a “silver papi”.

(This is pre-newest haircut and beard trim– but you get the idea)

I even “reconnected” with a guy that I was in lust with awhile back. (He was in a harness and fuuuuuuck he looked good!) We have a coffee date tentatively planned for this coming weekend. Thanks be to hair.

It’s all very mystifying, but heck! I’m not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.
;

Gratuitous Selfie

I just cut my hair this morning, and decided to give myself a beard trim. It is now a very close beard.

Yeah, I have now officially broken every beard growing rule– my neck line is too high, etc. But with my weak chin and neck flab, the short beard just accents those flaws. So I trimmed it to better disguise them.

I may go goatee– or shave it all off entirely. I can always grow it back. It’s pseudoSpring and I need a change.

Being a pogonophile, it is hard for me to let go of the facial hair.

What you all think?>

Me. Want.

So gorgeous. So impractical. So unnecessary.

So want.>

Wood chipper Marge.

Oooo, I almost forgot! Our performance venue was decorated with a rough hewn tribute to Fargo’s most famous pregnant lady cop:

Fabulous Friendly Fargo

Hey y’all.

Sorry for the lack of fun posts– or any posts– recently. The new promotion at work has me a bit swamped and I’ve been busy with chorus, etc.

Like this past weekend when I road tripped with the chorus to Fargo for a joint concert with the brand new Fargo-Moorehead gay men’s chorus.

Moore head. *snicker*

This is me on the bus:

God, I thought I was done with bus travel because I’m not doing drum corps. Evidently not.

At least this bus travel was with nothing but gay guys– so, there’s that.

It was a good time and I got to know quite a few more members of the choir– getting drunk in downtown Fargo will facilitate that.

We also had a good turnout at the concert. I know, right?. In Fargo of all places. But we did and the audience was appreciative.

It seriously felt eerily similar to Priscilla when they stopped in Broken Heel, though. I’m not joking.

Better take another selfie:

>

Other than giving up the first actually nice weekend in Minnesota to do this trip, it was a good time. But I did lose the weekend, and now I have to go to Ohio for work.

So, another crazy week for me– probably with few posts.

Sorry. I’ll try to do comix on Friday. >

8 to 12 inches (NSFW)

This:

To this:

>

Is more of that I was hoping would hit later today— and into tomorrow.
>