Male Librarian

So, I got my tattoo during the latest Vegas trip. Here are some pictures -- click on them for larger versions. As mentioned, the most painful aspect of the tattoo was having the outline drawn (left side). Once it was time for coloring however, the process was a breeze. I think tattoos are best left to the imagination of the viewer. When people ask me what my other tattoo "means," I'm always at a loss for words. They want a quick answer, but I can never find the words to summarize everything a tattoo means to me. It reminds me of having spent time abroad and then trying to respond to the question, "So how was it?" The original artwork for this tattoo was created in block print form by the Japanese artist Masami Teraoka. Much of his work is about the intermingling of the East and West. This particular piece is called "31 Flavors Invading Japan." I love his work more than perhaps any other visual artist I can think of.

It's finally happened. My eyes have turned bloodshot as a result of these never-ending home renovations. Literally -- as in, I just looked in the mirror and saw two agitated, angry, red eyes looking back at me. They seemed to be pleading, "When is this ever going to end?" To their credit, the landscaping contractors have finally started showing up for more than an hour a day. In the last two days, they've worked full time and the two yards are now chock full of grey boulders and new desert plantlife. They even repaired the water main they broke the other day and once again I have -- glory be -- enough water pressure to wash both my body and the dishes that accumulate from day to day for lack of a dishwasher. (The dishwasher is stored temporarily in the garage awaiting completion of the terrazzo flooring in the kitchen; there is likewise no running water in the kitchen at present.) Yes, part of my mid-renovation routine now is washing dishes while butt naked. The toile...