SOMEBODY had a great Valentine's Day!

Angry and I hung out at our local bar/grill for Valentine’s Day.  We don’t need anything fancy.  Our thought was, “Let’s go where the food's good, we are regulars, and we love the staff!”  So off we went.

Our bartender (we’ll call her “N” because the names of the innocent have to be changed) came over to us during the evening and said (while pointing to the other end of the bar), “I have to tell you something and I’ve been waiting for that guy to leave!”

Here’s how the conversation went:

Bartender N:  Did you see that guy over at the end of the bar with the “to go” order?

ME:  He was the one drinking wine right?

BN:  He had quite a few and was quite chatty.

Angry:  Did he proposition you?  Should I follow him and kick his ass? (That's why we call him Angry!)

BN:  No!  But . . . he asked me if you guys were a couple.

A (giggling):  Oh man, some guy’s giving googie eyes to my wife on Valentine’s Day.

BN:  I told him that yes, you were married.  And then he said to me, “Too bad because he's so yummy!”

ME & A & BN:  LAUGHTER AND SNORTING! 

We found it so funny because we had all assumed that he was looking at me.  Cripes, Angry was going to kick his ass for propositioning N.  And, even though he was giggling, he was wondering if some guy was "eyeing" me up on Valentine's Day.  Wrong answer!

ME:  What?  Not me?  ANGRY'S the yummy one?  That’s awesome!

A:  I don’t think I’ve ever been called yummy until today.  I have to admit that I’m quite flattered.

ME:  And I'm a bit jealous.

Ever since, I’ve been randomly saying “Yummy!” in a deep, male sounding voice during completely inappropriate times.  It’s fun!

The Packers better beat the 49ers today!

That is all.

Hey you 49ers, you're so gonna lose!!



GO GREEN BAY!!

It's my Blogiversary! Yes, I get to make up words if I want. It's my blog.

I started this bad boy on December 31, 2010 and I'm still here today (sort of).

While I've been way too busy to blog lately, I'm hoping to get back at it on a regular basis after January ends.  The project I'm "in charge of" at work should be done by then.

I've got some stories to tell you and I'm looking forward to sharing them!!


While you wait, take a look at these cutie pies and have a very safe and happy New Year!!

Isn't this a resolution that a lot of us have?  I'm going for the "buy a bigger basket" option myself!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!!



What's in a row?

Pat over at A View From the Edge always does a "Thursday's Things in a Row" blog.  It's a great idea and so much fun to see what she's taken pictures of!!

I decided to take a rare lunch break today and walked to a nearby mall.  It's accessible from my building by using a sky walk (which is great in the Winter!).  I took some 'in a row' pictures to follow in Pat's footsteps.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery don't ya know.

This picture has a lot of things in a row!  Skylights, rails, chandeliers, columns, and arches to name a few.

Here are some sugary treats in a nice row to help you along if you feel fatigued while shopping.  I think I'd pick my favorite color if I was to have some.

Walking through the mall I saw a store with lots of t-shirts for sale, all displayed in rows.

I was distracted by the shiny things in one of the stores!  Lots of bracelets in rows to choose from.  I didn't buy any though.  I did get a strange look from the person at the counter while I snapped the photo with my phone.  Maybe she thought I was casing the joint?  Really lady, I'm not stealing anything.  I'm blogging.

 

 

The same store had some Green Bay Packer shirts.  Go Pack Go!!

 

On the way back to my office building I stopped at a produce stand.  Look at all the yummy stuff in rows here.  I bought some avocados (five for $1!!).

Walking back through the sky walk I noticed the flags along the bridge (over the Milwaukee River).  Very patriotic and the flags looked beautiful blowing in the wind.

At last I needed to get back to work so I used the elevator (I'm not taking 24 floors worth of stairs even if they allowed me in the stairwell).  All the buttons are in two neat rows.

I got some exercise and had fun taking pictures.  And, I got some healthy avocados for dinner tonight.  My shopping trip cost me $1.  Not too bad for a shopaholic.  Right?

Hope you enjoyed shopping along with me!



 

 

 

 

 

Totally distracting!

Let me tell you a another story about my friend Judy (A.K.A. Pancake Judy).

I’ve already told you how we met in 9th grade and I hope she forgives me for telling you this.

Judy is very lucky and has beautiful, naturally curly hair.  Most women would pay a lot of money to have hair like hers.

When I met her, she wore her hair just like Roseanne Rosannadanna.  You remember that character from Saturday Night Live don’t you?  She was played by Gilda Radner and had hair that looked like a triangle.  Or, maybe it was a trapezoid?  Go ahead and Google that; I had to.  I'm not sure which but I felt like it was a triangle so that's the story I'm sticking to.

Maybe Judy just didn’t know how to handle that great hair as a young lady.  Every day she’d put a barrette on each side of her head and mash that section down.  Every. Single. Day.  The result was a perfect triangle of hair.  When I sat behind her in 9th grade English, I was very distracted by this.  I’d wonder how it got into that triangle shape and stayed there.  It was hard to concentrate on class with that thought racing through my head.

Not really Judy but you can see how distracting this hair would be. Right?

I asked begged her to let me see her without the barrettes.  She refused.  I continued to beg; she refused.  This scene played over and over.  I wondered and wondered how that hair would look once it sprung from those damn barrettes!  A circle?  A square?  A parallelogram? 

One day she got her haircut and let those curls loose.  She’s had the most beautiful, non-triangular hair ever since.

Now that I look back, I wonder why I never got to see that hair without those barrettes.  What DID it look like?  It still haunts me.

How did you guys meet?

When Angry and I are out and about, people occasionally ask us that.

That’s not the story I’m going to tell you though.

My friend Judy (of pancake fame) and I have known each other for 30 years.   We obviously met before we were born since we are both only 29!!  Well, maybe not. . . but that's not the point. 

Judy attended a Catholic grade school and junior high while I was at a public school for those years.  She graduated 8th grade and moved over to the public high school I was attending.

I was in an English class in 9th grade without any of my friends from junior high.  My teacher announced that we were going to do an assignment that required us to pick a partner.  Everyone else grabbed their friends and there I sat without a partner.  The person sitting directly in front of me didn’t have a partner either so I tapped her on the shoulder and asked her if she’d like to work with me.  She was sort of stuck with me at that point so she said "sure."

The project consisted of us being videotaped doing something akin to a TV news interview.  We were to learn how to ask valid questions and give valid answers.  And, we had to learn how to handle speaking in front of a camera.

Each pair had to come up with a scenario of who was interviewing who and why.  Judy was the interviewer and picked Betty Babtrock as her character’s name.  I was Cecile Cameal, the interviewee.  I was being interviewed because I was going to teach Pygmies in Africa how to play flute.  Yes, you read that right.  Pygmies. Playing. Flute.  Now, we both actually played flute but who comes up with that Pygmy shit?  We did for some reason!

I, unfortunately, can’t recall what grade we got on our project but I’ll tell you it was an A.

I can also tell you that to this day, 30 years later, we still call each other Cecile and Betty!

Those memories of a great, lifelong friend can’t be beat.

But wait!  I've got another funny story about her to tell you soon.  She may not be happy with me after that but I need to share.

Who noticed?

I wore a new, totally cool pair of pink shoes to work today.

These rock. So do my kitty socks. Did you notice them?

A MALE co-worker noticed them and said, "Those are cool pink shoes.  Are they new?"

Why yes, they are new, cool, pink, AND sparkly.  Thanks for noticing and saying something.

I think that's cool that a guy noticed!

Carry on.

Where's the party?

New Year’s Eve can be a wild, drunken evening for many people.  I like to call those people "Amateurs."

Been there, done that.  I’m too old for that craziness now.  In reality, I can’t stay up much past 10 pm now a days.  Either way, I don't head to the bar to get drunk on December 31st anymore.

We spent this year with my BFF (Weezy), her hubby J, and their kids: A (8) and “Little” J (6).

Since she lives about one and a half hours from us, we headed there on Friday and spent the weekend with them.

New Year’s Eve started out with a nice dinner (W works hard to feel us very well when we are visiting).

Once we cleaned up the table, the six of us played Barbie Uno and Cat Bingo.

Fun for adults too!

Fun AND educational!

The adults enjoyed a bit of beer and wine while the kids had some soda and iced tea.

Even though we ate a big dinner, we had yummy snacks of mixed nuts and spicy trail mix.  We tried not to get the cards all greasy!!!

We played until 10:30 or so and the kids went to bed.  One of the Uno games lasted for over 45 minutes!  It was a blast.

For the first time in years, we all stayed up until MIDNIGHT!  When the clock struck 12:00, we wished each other a "Happy New Year."  Then we said “goodnight” and it was off to bed.  We can’t take those late nights anymore.

I can’t begin to tell you how much fun we had.  Most important was the fact that we were with great friends who mean the world to us.  While the games were “competitive,” no one was out for blood.  We laughed and laughed and enjoyed every minute.  No sore losers (or sore winners either).

I hope that everyone also had a great New Year’s Eve, celebrating in whatever way you chose.

My wish for 2012 is that you will all have plenty of time to spend with friends and family and enjoy yourselves like we did at W’s house last weekend.  Those times are so very precious.  Don’t forget to tell those people how much they mean to you and how much you love them.

I wouldn’t trade this New Year’s Eve "party" for all the money in the world. 

Thanks very much.

Thanksgiving is upon us once again.
 

I’m not sure if anyone cares but I'd like to tell you what I’m thankful for.

1.     I’m glad that my parents taught me:  right from wrong, to respect my elders, how to behave in public, how to treat others with respect, how not to judge a book by its cover, how to be honest, and many other things that make me a better person.

2.     I’m thankful that even though my Mom passed away in 1995, I feel like she’s with me every day.  That makes me stick to all the great things she taught me (see #1).

3.     I’m glad that my Dad is still around.  We drive each other insane constantly but I’ve sort of become his guardian since my Step-Mom passed away.  I’m glad for the opportunity to protect him when he needs it (she left him in quite a financial mess so he’s really needed it).

4.     I’m thankful to have great In-laws.  My Mother and Father-in-law treat me like their own daughter.  My Sister and Brother-in-laws are no different than if they’d been born in my family or me in theirs.  It’s nice to have another family to share good and bad times with.

5.     I’m glad that I have a great Step-Brother and a soon to be Step-Sister-in-law.  They are awesome people and so much fun to be with.  I only wish they didn’t live so far away.  I can’t wait to see them get married next year!

6.     I’m thankful that I have pets.  It’s great to be greeted at the door every night by my two goofball cats.  They want to be picked up and held and they want to sit on our laps.  They love us no matter what we look like or how silly we are.

7.     I’m glad that while I’ve been diabetic for 37 years, I’m in good health.  I’ve got healthy kidneys, healthy eyes, and am in great control even though I’m overweight and am not a perfect eater or blood tester.

8.    I’m thankful that I got to go to college for a good education and that I have a job.  That lets me own a car and a house.  I may have too much credit card debt but I can pay my bills and am working to lower that debt.

9.   I’m glad for the friends I have.  They are a joy to talk to, to shop with, to eat out with, to laugh and cry with, and to share old memories with.

10. I’m most thankful for Angry.  As I’ve said before (here and here), I can’t imagine my life without that man.  He’s my rock, my best friend, my life.  While neither of us is perfect, we are perfect for each other.  I’m glad to have had him in my life for 22 years and that we’ve had a very happy and fun filled marriage for 20 of those years.  I love him more than words can say and I look forward to many more years together.

There are many more things that I am thankful for.  I’m just too lazy to spend the day typing them all.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  Don’t forget to think about what you are thankful for.

How did I NOT get killed (or at least sustain an injury)?

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time with my cousins (remember, I was an only child).  We don’t speak anymore (maybe I’ll blog about that sometime) but back then, we were best friends.  We were together constantly.  All but one was older than me but we all considered ourselves pretty equal.  We played hard.  We probably almost killed ourselves many times and should have been, at the very least, maimed.

One of our favorite games to play was Kill The Guy Football.  We used a sidewalk as one end zone and a tree as the other.  If you somehow got possession of the football, heaven help you.  You ran as fast as you could and hoped to hell no one caught you.  If you were caught, you were subject to whatever they could come up with to remove that football from your hands.  That could include punching, kicking, hair pulling, tripping, elbowing the head or ribs, or knocking the person head over heels.  Often, we used several of those moves at the same time to get the ball.  If you were “lucky” and made it to an end zone that was just as painful.  Try diving face first onto a sidewalk and let me know how that works out for you!

Another favorite was Violence Basketball.  That game was basically the same as Kill The Guy except using a different ball.  This was often an indoor game (in the basement) so you had obstacles to navigate.  It was always a thrill to slam full speed into a washing machine or dryer.  Baskets of laundry were fun though because the clothes would fly all over and confuse your opponents.  You’d run for your life and hope that the “violence” wasn't going to be too painful.  You got caught hurt more often in this game because you had to were supposed to dribble the ball.

We also played Detective.  We’d be Starsky & Hutch, Baretta, Kojak, and occasionally the girls would be Charlie’s Angels (without a Charlie to boss us around).  Now, we were all “good guys” but we’d beat the hell out of each other to solve crimes.  Don’t ask me how that worked.  An arrest consisted of getting knocked to the ground and having someone sit on your back and pretend to put handcuffs on (while wrenching your arms backwards).  You’d hope to get caught on the grass and not on the sidewalk or in the alley.  Then, you were interrogated.  None of that bright light in your face from the detective shows, no way.  You'd get sprayed in the face with the hose or you were subjected to some sort of physical punishment until you confessed (to something).  Often, you’d get the nerve between your shoulder and your neck pinched.  Pinched real hard.

I’m not sure, as I look back now, how we survived.  Without broken bones.  Without concussions.  Without ever having to go to the ER.

We did survive.  And we had a blast doing it!

FOOD, FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD (and some shopping too)!

Since I told you what I wanted to eat at the State Fair, I guess I should tell you what I actually tried.

I went twice.  Spent 14 hours with my BFF, Weezy, on opening day and then Angry and went after work one night and noshed our way through some more goodies.

Day one, in order of “tastings”:

Deep Fried Pickles – While this wasn’t on my list of things to try, both Weezy and I really like these things!  We decided that this was a healthy option as pickles are technically vegetables.  Right?

It's a veggie. It's healthy!

Chocolate Covered Fritos – These were good but a little strange.  I’m a fan of sweet and salty but Fritos have a “spice” on them that was kind of weird with the chocolate.  I’ll stick to chocolate covered pretzels for that type of taste.

Chocolate and Fritos. Next big thing for people with the munchies?



Deep Fried Bacon with Country Gravy – This was really good! The bacon was super crispy.  I could have done without the gravy though as it didn’t do anything to the bacon.



Lordy, bacon is better than it was before!



Deep Fired Butter – These were small dough balls filled will melted butter (about a teaspoon in each?).  They also had powdered sugar on them.  I was very lucky because Weezy tried the first one.  It basically exploded, sending butter everywhere.  Luckily, she only got butter on her hands and arms and not on her clothes.  I learned from her how NOT to eat them.  We both said, at first, that they were pretty good.  About an hour later, we decided they were kinda' gross.  Why the change of heart?  I’m not sure.

Is there a magical surprise in there?

A puddle of butter. Maybe just a little gross?

Chocolate Covered Bacon – This is served cold so the chocolate can harden and cover the bacon.  I didn’t like it.  The cold strips of fat in the bacon were the turn off.

Bacon makes everything better EXCEPT chocolate. Fact.

Cookie Dough Fondue – Also something not on my original list but it looked good so we tried it.  We didn’t share these as we wanted different flavors.  You got a cold “glob” of cookie dough on a stick dipped in a "fondue" and sprinkled with a topping.  I picked toffee cookie dough dipped in caramel with coconut topping.  It tasted pretty good (and the cold dough on a hot day was a treat) but my choices made it too sweet to finish.

Cookie dough made better by science. Food science that is.

Tropical Fruit Tempura – This is another healthy option because it's fruit.  Don't laugh.  I think I got one that was sitting under the heat lamp too long.  My tempura batter was only slightly warm and the fruit was mushy.  It tasted OK but I think I could have given it an “I love it” rating if it had been fresh out of the fryer.



Cold batter + mushy fruit = just OK (but healthy because it's fruit!).

Swiss Cheese in Rye – We killed two birds with one stone here.  Deep fried cheese that was also on a stick.  A big hunk of Swiss cheese surrounded by rye batter and fried.  All I can say is, “YUMMY!”

This is pure genius!

Cream Puff – Our State Fair is known for their cream puffs.  It’s a “must do” when you are there.  At this point, Weezy and I had pretty much had our fill of goodies.  We decided to split a puff and that worked out great.  These are really good as they are made fresh constantly.  It was the perfect way to top off our food filled day.

World famous Cream Puff from the WI State Fair!

Day two, in order of “tastings”:

Deep Fried Beer – These were like raviolis filled with beer.  The ravioli dough was “blah” and the beer was warm (of course it was, they just deep fried the damn things).  Not sure why they added the cheese.  I’m glad I tried but would skip this next time.

What the hell is with the crappy cheese?

Fried Oysters – A “just because I like oysters” thing for me.  Plus, they were on a stick!  Angry wanted to try the deep fried bacon so I went with this.  They were fresh and yummy.



Fried ocean goodness!



Maple Bacon Sundae – Vanilla ice cream with bacon and maple syrup.  I wasn’t too sure I’d like this but it was really good.  The cold bacon fat was not an issue because the bacon was chopped so you didn’t “notice” the fatty parts.  A good mix of sweet and salty.



Bacon makes almost everything better (see above for the one exception).



Elvis – Not the real Elvis!  These were deep fried peanut butter cups in banana batter (on a stick too!).  I LOVE peanut butter cups and I love bananas.  This was actually pretty darn good.  The peanut butter and chocolate was at a perfect melting point and the batter had just the right amount of banana flavor.

Oh. my. god.

Pulled Pork Sandwich – We felt we needed something “real” that wasn’t candy, cheese, or deep fried.  This hit the spot and was a great size to share.  The pork was infused with IPA beer; beer is good.  

Real food?



Deep Fried Peanut Butter and Jelly – I’m a huge fan of warm, melty peanut butter.  This was really good.  They didn’t get carried away with the jelly either as there was just enough to give it a slightly sweet taste.

PB&J made better by a deep fryer.

Spaghetti and Meatballs on a Stick – While this was pretty generic, we had to try it.  How do ya get noodles on a stick you might ask.  How about IN the meatballs?  The meat didn’t have much seasoning and the sauce was sort of like Ragu but it was worth a try to see how it was done.

Where's the noodles?



Here they are! Packed into the meatball.

Swiss Cheese in Rye (again) – I liked this so much that I told Angry we should have needed it.  He didn’t argue and agreed that it was awesome.  You are not getting another picture.  It looked exactly the same!  Exactly.

Cream Puff (again) – Well, you can’t go to the Fair and miss the cream puffs.  Angry and I were in the same "we already ate too much" boat so we shared.  A nice treat to end the night.

I think we got more cream in this one!

So, what crap did I get suckered into buying?

Mr. Sticky – HEY! Get your mind out of the gutter!  This removes pet hair and crumbs.  I got cats. I got crumbs. I now have a Mr. Sticky.  So far, I like it.

This is not an adult toy.

Sweep Express – This is a rubber broom.  It does not do what its name implies.  Sweeping is still time consuming.  I already own one of these but the bristles are “mushing” together.  I needed a new one.  I talked Weezy into one so we could get the Mega Pack.

Doesn't really make sweeping an "express" job.

Saw -  Sorry, this thing doesn't have a fancy schmancy name.  It's just a garden saw.  Angry and I need this for the back yard.  That’s what the sales guy said.  I like the looks of it and hope I don’t cut myself.  If I do, you’ll know about it as soon as I’m able to type again.



This thing will cut a small tree with ease! Or, maybe my hand.



Now I have a year to think about what crazy food and shopping items they may come up with next!

It's time for the State Fair!!

Wisconsin has a really great State Fair and it’s right in my backyard.  No, not literally; it's a few minutes’ drive from my house.

This year, I'm going with my BFF, Weezy (not her real name, but that’s what I’ve called her for 26 years).  We are going on opening day which is next week! 

I know that State Fairs all over the country have foods on a stick and strange crazy adventurous foods.  We are going to eat like pigs!!  The plan is to buy one of everything we want to try and share it.  That way, we get to try more (and maybe get a little less fat).  The Fair’s website has a “Healthy Options” link in the food section.  OH. HELL. NO.

Here’s some of the stuff I’m planning to try.  Enjoy my list and don’t get too hungry (or jealous): 


Food On a Stick:

Cheddar Cheese – It’s Wisconsin people, cheese is our bidness.  We LOVE cheese and will eat this out of principle.  And any other cheese on a stick we can find.  Actually, any other cheese.

Country Fried Bacon with Country Gravy – Bacon calls to me.  It makes other food better.  This will be in my tummy.  Breakfast maybe?

Chocolate Covered Bacon – This was big at a lot of fairs last year.  I wasn’t at the fair last year.  I’m a day late and a dollar short but I’m trying it anyway.  Since everyone else ate some last year, I won’t have to wait in line.

Deep Fried Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog – Everything’s better with bacon.  Even lips and assholes.

Deep Fried PB&J – What’s not too like?  Peanut butter rocks.  Anything deep fried rocks.  Mix them together and you have bigger rocks a winner!  Plus, it’s on a stick.  Less mess or more mess?

Elvis (Deep Fried Peanut Butter Cup in Banana Batter) – Thank god they aren’t cooking the real Elvis.  That’s gross.  But this item sounds like pure heaven to me.

Macaroni & Cheese – On a stick?  I have to get this just to see how the hell they accomplish this feat.

Scallops – Weezy won’t eat seafood so this one’s all for me.  I’m eating it because I love scallops.  Yum.

Tropical Fruit Tempura (banana, mango and pineapple with powdered sugar and carmel, chocolate, or strawberry sauce) – I love good for you fruit covered in stuff that’s bad for you so I’m getting it.  Plus, it wins the award for item with the longest title.

Spaghetti & Meatballs – On a stick?  Again with the pasta on a stick?  I’m not a fan of this dish on a plate but we may have to try it to see how messy it is.

Cream Cheese with Bacon – Well, we’ve combined cheese and bacon.  What’s not to like?

Breaded Deep Fried Oysters – I’m on my own again.  Oysters are definitely a no-go for Weezy.  I love the little sonsabitches though so I’m getting some!


“Crazy” Food Not On a Stick:

Deep Fried Beer – I love beer and I gotta see how they do this.  So, why not?

Deep Fried Butter – Oh hell yes!!  I’ve read that this is more like a biscuit filled with butter.  Still gonna be great!

Chocolate Covered Fritos – This one, I’m a little unsure about.  I love a sweet and salty mix but Fritos are not the same as a pretzel.  I’m probably gonna try it anyway, just to say I did.

Bacon Sundae (vanilla ice cream, pancake syrup, and real bacon bits) – Another food item made better by bacon.  I may not share this one with Weezy!!

Needless to say, they are many, many more choices than these.  This stuff sounds different and cool.  I’ll be the cool kid on the block if I eat this stuff, right?  We’ll see if I explode by the end of the day.  We plan to arrive when they open at 8 am.  The fair closes at 11 pm.  That is a whole lotta eatin’ time.


But we aren’t going JUST to eat. 

There will be shopping.  As their website states, “It’s like an infomercial came to life.”  I wonder what “As Seen on TV” item will be the hot seller this year?  What will I get suckered into buying?

Then there are the animals.  Weezy’s a farm kid and she now has a “hobby” farm.  That means she’s still a farm kid.  We’ll be perusing the cattle barn, the swine barn, the sheep barn, and most importantly, the chickens.  She wants to see all the chickens. 

We’ll have a busy day.  We’ll eat too much.  We’ll probably get sunburned.  We might get blisters.  We’ll buy some junk.  We’ll have a great time.

I can’t wait!!

PS - Edited so that I can point you to the reason that I won't be spending any time at the Midway riding crazy rides. 

Tattoos!

Let's talk about Tattoos.

Years ago, only gang members, bad ass bikers (those you supposed to be afraid of, like The Outlaws), or those that had done time in jail got tattoos.  If you had a tattoo you were one of these people, no questions asked. 

Unless you were in the Military.  That's one group that has always had tattoos but weren’t looked down upon or considered dangerous.  I think they’ve always been “allowed” to have tattoos.  As it should be!

Now a days, tattoos are mainstream.  Is there anyone, anymore that doesn't have a tattoo?  Well yes, actually there are.  But, do people who don’t have a tat still look down on those that do?  I'm sure there are still some people out there that do "frown" upon tattoos but the majority don't seem to anymore.  There are even TV shows about tattoos on The Learning Channel.  The Learning Channel!!

I understand that some people do not want to have a permanent "picture" on their body.  I know that people worry about what it will look like when they get old.  Some people aren't even sure what they'd want to get.  Those are all great reasons to NOT get a tattoo.  I'd rather not hear a person's story about how much they hate their "stupid tattoo" and how they wish they had never gotten it.

I love tattoos (unless they are gang signs).  I love to see them.  I love to hear peoples' stories behind them.  I love to hear where they got them and when.

Angry and I each have three tattoos.  We got our first so long ago that I can't remember when it was!  I think it was 1997ish but who knows?  We got the second the following year.  We got our third this September.

It's been said that once you get a tatt, they are addictive.  I can concur.  Damn right!  I'm always thinking about what to get next and where to put it. I actually have a plan for another one but am looking for a good portrait artist and need to save some money.  These things ain't cheap!

Our stories go like this:

Tattoo #1 for Angry is a bald eagle and wolf set up like yin and yang on his shoulder.  These are two things that he really appreciates and respects (they are strong and beautiful at the same time).  It's an awesome tattoo and looks like a painting.

This tattoo ROCKS!

Tattoo #1 for me is a cute version of Tigger on my upper thigh.  Memories of my childhood laced with Winnie the Pooh triggered this tatt.  Tigger is my favorite character and just seeing him makes me happy.  I have not taken great care of him so his beautiful orange color has faded a lot.  I’ll be getting him touched up soon (hopefully).

Tigger is terrific!


Tattoo #2 for Angry is an arm band (like the barbed wire ones you see all the time).  But, his is made up of a killer whale, a great white shark, and a dolphin (repeated 2 times).  He thinks these guys kick ass.  He's thinking of having that arm done in a half sleeve of all sea creatures.  That would be cool.


I'm gonna eat you!



We're not as deadly but we're just as cool!

Tattoo #2 for me is an outline of a cat on my ankle.  It's simple and small but it shows my love for cats.  God forbid I turn into "The Cat Lady" when I'm old and feeble!!

I love cats (and I wish I was really that tan!).

Tattoo #3 for both of us is a pink breast cancer ribbon.  Angry's Sister is a survivor and my Step-Mom passed away from breast cancer this October.  We got these tattoos before she died so that she could see them.  She loved them which made us happier than I thought it ever could.  We got them on our forearms (my left, his right) so that they would show all the time.  This tattoo is my favorite and I am very proud to have it.



Angry's version.

My version.

I do wish these pictures showed the true colors and beauty of these tatts (especially the pink ones).  I was lazy and used my cell phone camera.  They are so much better in person!  Trust me on that.

Tattoos do involve some pain and suffering.  I hear people say that is what makes them special.  You “suffer” but you have something beautiful to enjoy forever.  You need to take very good care of them during the healing process.  You need to take care of them throughout life so they stay gorgeous.

Is it worth it?  You bet!