Week Thirty-Six

Sunday
It rained and it rained and it rained and it rained.


Monday
I had another day off work and I spent it watching movies I've seen many times before. And one that I'd never seen*.


Tuesday
Reading a good book on the train (The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade by Thomas Lynch) with Craig by my side.


Wednesday
Trying on beautiful clothes that, ultimately, I did not buy.


Thursday
The morning spent at a Speed Reading course. It was surprisingly interesting and effective.


Friday
After work drinks lead to a later than usual train ride home.


Saturday
Visiting a vintage store I came away with a glorious kitsch souvenir scarf from Rome and a vintage camera. All for under $5.


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* Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

It's a Mulligan thing...

In our family, a card depicting a stern catholic nun, the inscription a thanks for the familial trait of pedantry, and a box of boutique beers and cheese makes a pretty good Father's Day present.

Tattoo: Ewww Edition

This is my Rose Tattoo 5 days into the healing process.
Yes. It itches. A lot. No, I do not scratch it. Yes. this is EXTREMELY annoying.

(Shh, Mum, it is still totally worth it)



But more than anything else, it reminds me of this:



Ironic really, as it's the result of an addition to my personal colour scheme.

(cute notepad from www.nutandbee.com)

USS Arizona Memorial

Craig at the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbour
27 August 2008

I'm still alive: a Rose Tattoo story

Sir C and I flew all the way up to Auckland for ever-so-slightly under 48 hours in order for me to go to Sacred to get a new tattoo.
It was all because of the internet. I put the call out for recommendations for colour tattoo artists in the Wellington area and the internet came back with one recommendation. I asked about Auckland? New Zealand? Anywhere? and I received many many more.
The only person who received more than one was Dan at Sacred Tattoo.


My best "I'm not nervous at all" face (HA)

I took in the idea of a traditional rose tattoo, sans stem & avec curlicues, in shades of pink (FUCHSIA!), the size 8cm squared to 10cm squared, and these photos:



The lovely Dan talked about what I was looking for and drew 3-4 different traditional style roses (after each one I proclaimed "I love it!" and then amazingly the next one was even better) and talked me into ... bit larger than I was originally thinking.



But oh, he was right.

...

And then there's a gap ... Craig had to hold my hand while the outline was tattooed.


The shading was much less painful.


I love the reflection in my glasses.


I think Dan is adding the gold to the leaves here. But there's a little bit of blood in the way, I'm basing it on the ink on the paper towel.


The next day I covered it for brunch (a fresh tattoo is not brunch appropriate) but couldn't help peeking at it.


And! I lovelovelove how it peeks out of the sleeve of a regular t-shirt.


And on Sunday? the yellow bruising came in.

But I love it. So much.
The painterly black shading and the three (four?) different shades of pink. Dan says the colours will really come into their own more as it heals. The curlicues and veins in the leaves are actually dark-grey to the outline's true-black, the three (four) different shades of pink, the different shades of green etc etc.

This tattoo definitely makes my others look like babies. I cannot believe how worried I was about the cupcake! But, as Dan says, a little trepidation is healthy. Otherwise you can be caught unawares by the pain.

I was caught a little ... by the post tattooing pain. I thought it would be like my others, a little itchy and after three days it would still feel a little raised but otherwise just like skin again.
This time it feels more like sunburn. It aches, every so slightly, just enough so I forget and over extend my arm and then the pain, the tight-skin sunburn kind of pain.
But of course, I'm not complaining. Because it's my own damn fault.

And totally worth it. Adoration abounds.



By the way? Dan and Sacred Tattoo were amazing.
I felt like Dan helped me design my own tattoo based on quite broad general ideas, and their hygiene and safety procedures were unlike anything I've experienced before. I had to fill out a form with any allergies or medications, that I understood tattoos were permanent (Yes! Seriously!) and that I had agreed upon the design with the artist, Dan even showed me the sealed packaging of the one use needles (At my earlier tattoo appointments I'd seen them open the needles and seen the empty packages but still).
And after all that? it worked out to be cheaper than I had been quoted.
The internet is amazing.


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Craig and I were sitting in Starbucks post-tattoo and I was bouncing up and down in my seat, peeking at the glad-wrap covered tattoo and Craig smiled and shook his head:
Me: What? I just love it!
Craig: We're going to have to come all the way to Auckland for any other tattoos you want aren't we?
Me: Yip! Well ... maybe.
But if they are colour? then Yes. Definitely yes. Dan was worth the flight.

Week Thirty-Five

Sunday
Watermelon Gelato from Gelissimo in Eastbourne aka DELICIOUS.


Monday
Exhausted on a Monday night, eating peppermint icecream and looking at my flickr contact photos.


Tuesday
My e-cup self is very very excited about this.


Wednesday
I spent about 15 minutes packing my bag for Auckland.
It looks empty here (and it really was) but the addition of a hairdryer and GHDs meant it was quite heavy after all.


Thursday
Looking at my faux-brogues in shame after missing the bus.


Friday
A cool apartment building being constructed just off K Rd.
(Yes. This was tattoo day. But Craig took all those photos!)


Saturday
Mount Taranaki (AKA Mount Egmont) as seen from the plane on the way back from Auckland to Wellington.


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Bed head and Beauty mark in Auckland.

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Tattoo photos tomorrow, I promise!

My mum is going to kill me ...

A sneak preview of my new tattoo!

photo taken by Sir C during my post-tattoo frappuccino

Weekend Break

Tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow Sir C and I ride off into the sunset. Uh that is, for the weekend. Ish. To Auckland. And I finished packing in just under 15 minutes. I am just a little worried BUT! my plan is sound:

The trick to packing a carry on bag (as forced upon me by my former flatmate who went carry-on only for a fortnight in Italy) is either to plan a trip down to the last second (sigh) or (OR!) to take items which can be twirled around and mixed and matched to suit almost any event. Which is much more fun.

I am taking:
1x blazer
1x skirt
1x dress (which can be packed packed down)
1x pair of jeans
1x cardigan
1x magenta waist belt (to cinch the cardigan or add to the dress
1x black cami top (with the jeans and cardigan or skirt)
1x tee-shirt (to wear with the jeans & blazer or the skirt)
1x 3/4 sleeve tee-shirt (again again again with all)
1x formal ish faux brogue flats
1x heels

And just from that I can imagine outfits for: the day of work pre-travel, coffee & aquarium, tattoo appointment, drinks, dinner, movies, museum, dancing, a show, in fact almost anything save for black tie. And even then, with the right accessories ...

But of course (of COURSE) I have no idea what we are going to be doing in Auckland (save for the tattoo appointment) so my carefully crafted long-weekend wardrobe might fall down around my ears.
And then, I'll be glad of the extra space to shop!

Approaching the USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbour
27 August 2008



The Memorial marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors killed on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.



The memorial was dedicated in 1962 and is visited by more than one million people annually, and it spans the sunken hull of the battleship without touching it.



To the Memory of the Gallant Men here entombed.



The survivors can choose to be interred with their shipmates.



Looking out over the Wreckage.

Week Thirty-Four

Sunday
A beautiful way to spend a day: curled up in bed with my darling cat and a book about a serial killer*.


Monday
My Wink spinner necklace by Allumer arrived from Kabiri and I fashioned it into a bracelet so I could wear it immediately.
Also? hands look very strange when you cut any indication of fingers or thumb out of the picture.


Tuesday
Dinner at Oaks before the premiere of my baby sister's high school movie.


Wednesday
I have come into possession of my very own (dun dun dunnn) Crystal Skull (aaaaaah) which has been activated by Amar himself (ooo) but really? the best part is the emails I now get from CrystalSkulls.Com**.


Thursday
Teetering about for hours and THEN I realise I have a huge run in my stockings.


Friday
I picked up part of my baby sister's birthday present and I see that the photo I had framed has been deemed that of a Lady.


Saturday
But she's not so grown up that I can't make Cheeseburger Cupcakes for her on her birthday.


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* The Boston Strangler. Not my favourite kind of serial killer but still.
** For example, did you know that to mark the significance of 09.09.09 .... there will be an historic gathering of significant crystal skulls and their guardians - this is probably the largest gathering of known ancient crystal skulls in our time.
Presenters and crystal skulls include:
1. The Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull (aka The Skull of Love)
2. Sha Na Ra
3. Synergy Like in Jem! Except I don't think Synergy was a Crystal Skull in Jem. But you never know, she MIGHT have been.
4. Rainbow
5. Nagak'u
6. Rosie
7. Maya
8..Bob (The Skull of Wishes) Bob! I think he is my favourite
9. Mystery Crystal Skull : rarely seen in public

I think my crystal skull needs a name. Suggestions?