September/October 2019 Fly-By Status Report – My First Tattoo Experience! (I’m a Grown-Up Hobbit, Part 2)

Posting a month late, twice in one year? Hey, come on, I always have a good reason! This time, I was waiting til a very specific wound healed so I could get a good photo. That is, I took my temporary tattoo idea I mentioned in my January Fly-By Status Report, and made it permanent! I couldn’t shake my desire for one, even though I had some reservations, but finally decided I should just go for it! So I got my first real tattoo the year of my 33rd birthday after all! (If you’re confused or feel like you’re missing context, read the post here.)

So what does the tattoo mean? It includes a Celtic triangle with a heart woven in, as I’ve always loved Celtic art, especially the triangles, and they have a lot of significance to my faith, marriage, and I just like the way they look, and the heart just makes it feel even more personal! I’ve explained it before, but the JJ and SDG stand for Jesu Juva (Jesus Help) and Soli Deo Gloria (To God be the Glory), which are abbreviations that composer J.S. Bach used to write at the beginning and end of a lot of his music scores. I also added “Holy Spirit, come” with an Armenian abbreviation, which stands for (phonetically) “Soorp hogin, ari.” You know, to complete the trinity motif!

I got it on 9/19/19, Talk Like a Pirate Day. I found a very highly rated local place that a few friends had gone to, picked one of their artists who did good work on small tattoos, and started musing on the design! I ultimately decided to simplify it by just adding the text to the outside of the Celtic triangle, rather than inside of it, like my original design. I got it on my side, so it was more sensitive than many other areas. So at worst, my pain level was a five, but only for a second at a time, and even then, not every time. This is the only reason it was bearable at all! Also, I had Wervyn there, so I could grip his hand ^_^ I had to wash it twice daily and apply Neosporin cream and unscented lotion, and after ten days, I only have to keep moisturizing for 2 more weeks!

EDIT 11/6 – I meant to update this earlier, but I did go back and get touch-ups on my tattoo a few weeks after the initial inking, and may I say that going alone and without pain killers somehow pushed the pain up to an 8 on the 1-10 scale! So take that into consideration! ? </edit>

So that’s the biggest thing that’s happened to me in a while! Let’s see what I accomplished of my goals:

Spring/Summer/Fall 2019 Agenda:

• Send out Book 1 draft to readers – Started to! I’m on Ch. 2 (these things always take longer than I expect, and I didn’t prioritize over the summer because of Momo & Dragon Con), but I’ve gotten some very helpful feedback and encouragement!
• Organize and de-clutter workrooms – YES! I’ve actually been doing this, and things are looking a lot better in the guest room, in particular! The office was cleaned, but then got cluttered again because of a big project involving cardboard boxes, but that’s another matter…
• Keep losing weight and exercising – Very hard to stay motivated, so it’s something I need to get back to doing, and keep posting about it on social media for accountability
• Keep learning piano & practicing ukulele, Duolingo language practice, do more oil pastel & try new art styles, keep on cross-stitching, crocheting, and knitting (and listen to a lot of audiobooks while I do it). Also, finish a few unfinished projects – wow, that’s a long list, but I’ve kept up with Japanese & my uke, sort of on piano, just started learning watercolor painting, and of course worked on a bunch of projects that I’m hoping to get done before Christmas! Also, I’ve been listening to audiobooks mostly on planes (so, rarely. I mostly listen to podcasts), but I have been a lot more as we gear up for Halloween.
• If I can manage a Twitch stream or a Free Art Friday, or posting new things for sale at my stores, that’s gravy. – None of that has happened, but I’ve been so busy with other creative stuff, so that’s fine!

Thankfully, using Habitica (along with Trello and Google Keep) has helped me manage my executive functioning and my to-do list really well! I’ve fallen off the wagon with my social media accountability posts, but I’m trying to get back on that too, after my crazy September! The thing that I keep learning is that it really IS all about the journey and that I’ll be on that journey my whole life. So I just need to keep on keeping on, and the most important thing is to keep climbing back on the wagon, even if I fall off.

Keep an eye out for an updated agenda and Ta-Da List on the front page. Some Ta-Da highlights are the Lore Podcast Live, Atlanta Miniature Society show, and finishing a big jewelry-making commission, so check out the whole, cool list! and I’ll see you in January if not sooner! My new tattoo and I wish you a great end to 2019, and may you finish all your works in progress! ?