What's New,?

Well, last time I wrote, I discussed the entertaining method in which I obtained the sweet, little laptop on which I am currently hammering away. I think tonight is going to be the night that I begin my tale of tattoos. I think most people put a lot of thought and meaning into the permanent body art they choose to have. I know that there are some who do not think things through, and there are some who refuse to be dissuaded, even though it is patently obvious that the tattoo they want will be something they regret, after the fact.

I am in the first category, and I also fall into the category of people who do well with taking their own general concept and working with the artist to maximize the idea to fit with who I am, what I like and what will look the best on me. I love each of the tattoos that I have gotten. While I went in with pictures and plans, I am no artist, so I had to work with the person who was going to do the ink to find the best possible way to permanently mark my skin.

My first tattoo is what is known as a "tramp stamp." That being the case, I would like to point out that they were not yet the fashion when I got mine. However, even with the tattoo being as old as it is, I am extremely impressed with how it still looks. I have never had to have it re-inked. The artist, Jeff, told me that he was inking it in such a way as to keep me from having to have it touched up quite so often. That tattoo is actually the bottom part of a drawing that was on the wall at the shop. It has one large, open rose in the middle with two closed buds on either side and leaves that finish it to either side.

It was many years before I could afford another tattoo, so when I finally got to get another one, even though it had to be small and inexpensive, I was able to get a most awesome one. I don't know about anybody else, but I always thought that Taarna the Taarakian from Heavy Metal (1983) was the most kick-ass female hero, ever. Seriously, this woman could throw down, wield a sword, ride a flying thingy, and not fall out of that outfit. Now, that's talent! She also has a birthmark on her neck in the shape of a red dagger. I took a screen shot while watching the DVD on the computer, printed the picture and took it to a tattoo artist. Finding one who would put one on my neck was a challenge, but this young guy drew it up for me. It was just different enough from the original to make it mine, but enough like it that people who are devotees will know it for what it is. Personally, I consider it a mark of triumph over the pain that I face daily due to a chronic pain condition. It proves that I, too, am a tough bitch! Plus, my husband thinks it's really hot! Honestly, though, it was a tattoo I had thought about getting for years, and it was just the right time in my life to finally get it. So, I did!

To be continued..............

In With the New!

I always love this time of year. I'm usually getting a tax refund, and my other half is usually getting his bonus. This means we take care of a few annoying bills, do the things we couldn't afford to do during regular pay periods, and get a few things that we covet, like tattoos, electronics and miscellaneous things. Today, I'll talk about how I got the laptop that I now have. 




There I am, diddling around on the HP website, since my husband gets a discount on HP through his job. My last laptop was trashed during a camping trip when my middle child had gotten too hot and vomited into my pretty, new toy that I had brought with the intention that the children would be able to watch movies with it. Like a moron, I did not get the warranty that would have covered child vomit. Dammit.

Thanks to the quick thinking of my mother-in-law and hubby, there was not too much inside the keyboard, and the damn thing still kind of works. However, during the cleaning process, keys were removed and could not be replaced. I solved this problem by hooking up a regular keyboard to it, but it understandably had serious issues and was not a reliable machine, anymore.

Unfortunately for me, the only other computer in the house is the desk top. It's pretty decent, but I hate having to sit in the chair at the desk for very long. I get stiff and my feet freeze, regardless of the season. We must have the ghosts of many dead mice in that corner. Plus, the rotten, gaming hubby hogs it.


Anyway, back to the HP website. I just could not convince myself to spend that money, again, so I decided to look on Ebay. Why not? I farted around for a while, and I found a little Dell laptop. I'm not too picky, and the specs looked decent. The auction was about to end, and the bidding was around $175. I got silly and put in a bid of $176.50. I put in a maximum of $179 or $180, I think. Much to my surprise and dismay, I won. Oops! How do I tell the hubby?


I did tell the hubby. I just inserted this non sequitur into the conversation, "Oh, and I kind of won a laptop on Ebay, today." Then I continued the conversation. It turns out that he does pay attention to some of what I say. Who knew? I explained the situation to him, and he was fine with it. After I got the laptop and set it up, he explored it a little and was pleased with my purchase and the bargain!

Now, I have a laptop again! Yay, me! It's so much easier to blog and write, now that I have portability, again. Well, that's all for tonight, folks. Good night!