Why in the fuck dick yourself up like that?
I almost always follow that comment or thought, by adding the comment, “Life is painful enough without me going out and finding more pain by having a tattoo.” But, I also think of at least two examples of what I would have called, “beautiful blonds,” who had large black tattoos on their bodies. It has been several years ago but I was having lunch at “Thai Pepper” near the FSU Campus, and I was facing the cash register, so I was watching a steady stream of customers as they came up to pay for their meals. At some point there was “the beautiful blond” who came up in line. She was standing about 15 feet, directly in front of me, with her profile facing to my right. As I looked at her my eye did a laser focus upon the side of her lower leg, just below her knee, where she had a large, black, intricate tattoo. It wasn’t distinctively recognizable and reminded me of a large dark bruise on her leg. And, I don’t care how beautiful a blonde, brunette or black haired woman may be if she had a large bruise on her leg, or arm, or neck, or elsewhere that is visible, it isn’t attractive. *Which reminds me of a thought that I always have when I see a woman with an actual bruise on her leg or arm, especially if there are a couple of small bruises that look like a hand. Did her husband or boyfriend hit her?
I was checking in for my appointment with Dr. Norem last time and the nurse taking my information had a tattoo on her neck. It was just two black dots about two inches apart. I say dots, but they were about the size of the width of a rubber eraser on a pencil. My curiosity got the better of me and I asked her what it was. She said that they were vampire bite marks. It must have been how her face changed that made me ask if she had ever regretted having the tattoo. It appeared to be an odd question and she responded with “no.” I think I said that I had first thought it was missing the Smiley Face mouth.
The thought just came to me if she could have changed the color from black to red dots, representing blood. The AI response was:
“Yes, you can tattoo color over an existing black ink tattoo, but it’s important to know that achieving vibrant colors over black ink can be challenging and often requires pre-fading the black tattoo with a laser to achieve the best results, especially for brighter colors; consult with an experienced tattoo artist to discuss your options and the potential limitations.“
In another vignette, I had gone to the First Citizens Bank at Westwood Shopping Center to cash a check. It was a short wait, because no one was ahead of me in line and the teller finished her assistance of the person ahead of me. I walked up to the counter and presented my check, with my NC driver’s license, and told her, “My First Citizens account number is written in the bottom left of the check.” Since coming to Fayetteville in 1995, I have continued to use my credit union account for my necessary checking and have always written my FC# on my credit union checks. I guess that is one reason why I have my FC# memorized, and know that one day, when I forget that number, it will be a sign of my decline in my old age. But, not yet. And I have a trick for remembering my NC Driver’s License # and my latest telephone number. I do remember my Social Security Number, but I don’t have any trick for that.
She asked if I wanted to cash the check and I responded, “Yes.” As I watched her, I noticed a small 3 star tattoo on her hand, near the crook in the hand were the thumb and index fingers come together. I asked, “Does that tattoo mean something.” She told me that it was a symbol that was on every page of the Harry Potter books. She then went on to explain that she loved to read, and that set me off. I asked if she was aware of “Little Lending Libraries” where you could “take a book,” and sometime later should “leave a book.” She thought that was an exciting idea. But, then I also said that the Cumberland County Library was supposed to have it’s quarterly book sale in about a week. It was actually about three weeks, and now is 13 days on February 21st. *I’m thinking I might stop in to cash another check some time in about a week and see if she is still interested in the Library Book Sale.
I don’t care if you dress her in pink and put a tutu on her, she’s still a hoss.
Bill Gibson, II 