Geeks and tats

No, I do not have that tattoo. But, boy do I wish I had the guts to get it!

For years, I planned what my first tattoo would be. I knew I would get one. I wanted it to be simple, timeless, and of course, something I wouldn't regret. After losing my mom, I tried to come up with a design that would honor her, but discarded my ideas as too complicated for a first tattoo. I thought, what do I love more than anything else that I will never stop loving? Other than Simon, of course! (I vowed never to tattoo ANYTHING to do with ANYONE I love, just in case. Minus my late mother, for obvious reasons.)

The answer: Music. I love to sing, and although I'm mediocre at best, many people seem to enjoy my voice. I compose a bit, and would love to make a CD someday (oh, that elusive "someday"). So a tattoo to do with music was my best bet. Okay, now what? I went through countless designs on www.tattoofinder.com. I'm not sure when it finally hit me, but I eventually decided on the simplest music design I know: the G clef. Just a black G clef on the back of my shoulder.

I didn't decide on this till I was about 26. Tattoos had been legal in MA for years, but I never got up the guts to do it. I finally made my appointment for my 27th birthday, Nov. 21 2008. Here is what I got:

It was SO much easier than I ever imagined. I had Simon in the room with me, and a few minutes in I waved him off with a, "I'm fine honey, you can go do something else." I was super pleased with the final result. What I am NOT super pleased with now is the few chunks of black that went missing a few weeks later. It's now a bit patchy and needs a major touch-up. Sigh.

So what I'm thinking is I'd like to get a second one when I go to get this one fixed. I'll wait till after the summer so I don't have to worry about covering it in the sun. I've pretty much decided on this great design from www.tattoofinder.com:

I bought the stencil and used Paint to change the hair from blond to brown. I like it because it's sort of a fairy/angel mix; my mom was VERY into angels (and flowers), and I love fairies. I may have her initials or dates of birth and death incorporated into it somehow. It's obviously a lot more complicated than my first one, so I want it to be just right. I'll put it on my right shoulder, and possibly have her face the other way.

I know, once you get a tat, it's kind of addicting. I definitely see this, and am already thinking of a third. I'm trying to keep it simple, because Simon is not a huge fan of them and I don't want him to start rethinking the engagement (Kidding! He wouldn't do that. I hope.). For the third one I would love to have something geeky, but not over the top. I have a friend with a small bow and quiver of arrows tattoo because she always plays a hunter. I love that idea, but I never play hunters. Usually a paladin. I don't want it to be related to a specific game, because those come and go (yes, even WoW). I'm thinking a sword design of some kind? I looked online and all I can find is swords with blood and skulls. Gross. I want pretty. I want girly. I want a sword. And I'm not sure where to put this one (I'm trying to lose weight, so nowhere that will stretch a lot, and somewhere easy to cover but not indecent to show).

Any ideas? Anyone else have a geek tat they'd like to share? I absolutely love some of the ones I've seen online, but I can't see myself loving them in 20 years, even though I am a Tetris champ (unofficially). Comments?