Catch me at work and you would never know that I have tattoos. You probably wouldn’t even realize that I love getting inked. But I do. Oh boy do I love getting inked! On Friday I decided it had been long enough. My last tattoo was in 2010 and the banner still had not been filled. So I called up the last place I went to, Freaks N Geeks, to set up a consultation. I was very pleased that Tiffany could see me the next day. I set about putting to paper what I wanted. I figured since it would take all of five minutes to fill in the banner, I would get some other minor work done. I sat with Tiffany yesterday and instantly liked her. She is bawdy, foul mouthed, and all about girl power. She was also straight up honest about the fact that one of my tats would not work out well (I was aiming for a finger tat on the side). I was furthermore pleased that she could squeeze me in about 3 hours later. Normally you got to wait a day or more to get in for the actual work. And I was anxious to get this stuff done.

I came back and we got to work. The first one she did was a fehu rune behind my left ear. This one didn’t hurt. Some discomfort but mostly the machine was loud in my ear making it difficult for me to carry on a conversation. I chose this because it’s associated with Freyja, my matron.

Since I was getting two on my head, we moved on to the next one. I chose three stars, each one representing my children. I have long wanted something done for them and I finally have it! The stars hurt. It was right on that bone and oh my did it hurt. But just like childbearing…..it hurt but not enough to keep me from wanting another. I would be game to doing another one on a bony spot because now I know I can deal. Except for the spine. That one is just too intense.

Lastly, I finally filled in the banner. This tattoo was a fundraiser for Haiti in 2010 and I knew that whatever went into the banner, it would have to be in Haitian-Creole. It would be wrong to put anything else in it. I spent many hours trying to figure out something to put in there and I finally settled on “strong priestess”. But I am going to be honest with you, I am not 100% sure that the phrasing is proper. Fo means strong and pretes means priestess. I thought long and hard before going through with it. Bottom line, if I am wrong I will own it. I can survive if a Haitian yells at me.

I have often said that getting a tattoo has a high that comes with it. And getting work done on your head has a longer and stronger high than any of my others on my body. I took a few min before driving but about halfway home it hit me and I was quite the loopy chick. And in this loopiness I was struck by the realization that I can understand and relate to cutters. Whenever I get work done, I am in a state of being overwhelmed with emotions. Most often it’s something negative and really wearing me down. The process of the tattoo gives me a release from those emotions and I get the endorphin high shortly after. At least I have beautiful work to show off (when I am not at work) instead of dealing with the shame that so many cutters face.

As I age I am also faced with a stronger need to not have to worry about where my tattoo is. I would love some work on my wrist, ankles, forearms, and even neck. But I can’t as of now. All I can do is setup a retirement plan strictly for tattooing the hell out of my body once I retire. Or hope that one of my children will be a tattoo artist when they grow up and guilt them into some free work.

When I was a young girl, way back in 1984 and 1985, I was a bowler. My family loved bowling so naturally I was on a league at age 9. My Nana and I had a tradition. Every Saturday morning we would go to Friendly’s for breakfast and then go to the bowling alley for a match or practice. When she passed in 1985, that tradition carried on with my parents. But there was something special about my Saturday mornings with my Nana. But there was always something special between me and her anyway.

I am not sure when it happened, birthday or just whenever, but I got a bowling ball. The finger holes were drilled to match my fingers, I do remember a gentleman using a marker on my fingers to help him make sure he got them just right. The ball is a lovely dark blue that sparkles when the light catches it right. My initials are engraved on the ball. My Nana got the ball for me. That alone made this ball very special.

As you can see, the ball is well loved. Plenty of scratches and dings from thousands of throws down a lane. I think it weighs around 12 lbs, not completely sure on that though. For many years that ball has sat in my basement untouched. Only recently have I begun taking my children bowling. They don’t love the game quite the way I do but they do enjoy the time spent and the trash talking that comes so naturally to me. The middle child has struggled the most with the game. She prefers bumpers, something I detest. But my rule is, bumpers until 10. The boy is 7 so that means bumpers when he is with us.

I decided that since I had a day off from work, I would take them out for some mommy-kids time. I grabbed my ball from the basement to see which child would be lucky enough to use her. Middle dd won. The boy can soon but it’s just too heavy for him right now. So off we went to our local lanes to gorge on bad pizza, pitchers of soda, and stiff bowling shoes.

There is something so comforting about the stale smell in a bowling alley. Really, it’s not a pleasant smell but it’s like home for me. Takes me right back to a happy time in my life. If we had a Friendly’s here, I would’ve made sure we went there first. It’s very much like an ancestral veneration when I step foot into the cascade of loud cheers, boos, and pins exploding into the air. I know that my Nana, amongst many others who have passed in my family, are there cheering us on.

Watching the middle dd take on her first frame with my old ball was quite the intense moment. I was happy to see that sparkly thing glide down the lane, it had been a long time. I swear to you that the ball was elated to be free from the confines of the ball bag and on the open lane. But I could feel our space get crowded despite no one but us there. My ancestors came and wanted this moment. Middle dd played her best game ever and rarely used the bumpers to assist her in nailing the pins. She declared the ball magical. I think it was the presence of my long deceased family there even though she had no conscious idea of that fact.

Middle dd wants to be on a league now. I am not sure if we will do that or not. I want to. I want to carry on that fabulous tradition that has left me with so many wonderful childhood memories. Middle dd wants to use my ball until her fingers won’t fit. I want her to use my ball. But most importantly, Nana wants her to use that ball.

I went to my Facebook Fanpage this morning to post a status and noticed I had almost a dozen new peoples. Usually I glance at the total “likes” but I didn’t this time around. And so a little while ago I was checking in on my phone and noticed that I broke 1500 “likes”!! WOW! Who knew that I would ever have that many?

So I got to thinking and I feel like I should do something special. I know that other pages have way more likes than that but I am not those other pages. So yea, the need to do something cool to celebrate reared it’s head. But what? I glanced around my house in all of it’s cluttered glory and my eyes rested on this one thing that I never could figure out what to do with.

It’s my most favorite blanket that I have knit but I knew that I couldn’t just keep it on a couch or snuggle up under it. This handmade beauty was destined for something else. Someone not me and someone not in my family. My hubs wanted to give it to someone at the holidays but my gut said “NO!”. And what a good thing because it’s going to one very lucky reader!

How to enter:

Simply leave a comment here telling me about your favorite hobby/past time. It can be anything. Even staring into space. Just share it! Be sure to include your email in the comment form so that I can email you if you are the lucky winner (you don’t have to post it in the comment if you wish to keep your email private!)

You can leave only one comment per day but you can enter every single day until contest closes.

The contest will run from January 13, 2013 to midnight EST on January 31, 2013.

Unfortunately at this time, I can only open this giveaway to those in the US. *sorry!*

On the evening of February 1, 2013 I will email the winner. Winner will have 48 hrs to respond to my email before I move to the next person in line. Winner will be publicly announced once I have received an email response with mailing information.

Winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Good luck!

I am very much in a place of how to make everything into a ritual. It’s just TOO easy to allow the mundane to interfere with my spiritual path. At work I have a lovely mini altar set up. Most everyone notices it and comments on how pretty it is. They don’t know what it is (as far as I can tell) so it’s pretty cool to get compliments. I have also got the option to take off for Ostara (or any other Holy Day) in exchange for working on Good Friday. I wanna do Ostara but then again, I might save it for Samhain.

A while back I was at the gym doing my duty of exercising my heavy and tired body. Sometimes it really feels like hard work and sometimes I love it so much I don’t want to stop. I have also started hitting the steam room post workout because it helps with the next day soreness I often experience. I can’t wear my glasses in there and so I am pretty blind. But I wasn’t blind to a very intense moment I experienced in there.

I sat in this steam room with about 4 other people. We all leaned back into the wall and heads back to really breathe in that Eucalyptus Steam into our lungs (which often makes me cough). Relaxation crept in and I noticed how very close to a sweat lodge this was. Now, mind you, I have not done a sweat lodge before so I could only compare it based on my book learning. As I looked around, people were relaxed. Almost joyful and blissful. Hints of half smiles and deep thoughts were on the faces closest to me. There was no talking. And I have since discovered that I actually hate it when people are in there carrying conversation because it disturbs that relaxation that takes place. But that’s another gripe for another day!

I went home and really thought about this and have begun a bit of a Gym Rite. No circles cast but I make an offering before I go to the gym. I ask for patience, commitment, and diligence in exchange of the gifts I leave. I let Freyja know that this is in preparation of being Her Warrior Woman. Then I work out and I try my hardest to exceed what I have done the week prior (even if that means one more crunch or 1 more minute on the elliptical). Most times I succeed and on occasion I don’t. Then afterwards I go to the Steam Room and sit in quiet reflection. I give thanks for the strength to do what I have done. I imagine the toxins leaving my body as I sweat. I imagine a deep physical and spiritual cleansing in that room.

I think that this is part of what has been keeping me going. Other than the fact that I have become quite addicted to working out. No really, if it’s been more than 2 days I get real cranky and aggressive. But having that spiritual connection, what gets me a wee bit closer to Her, is my biggest motivator. To love my body as the gift that I have been truly given, that is what matters most at this time.

So I have been very unhappy as of lately. My job is not the ideal one. Sure it’s something that pays the bills and I am honestly not very bad at it, but my job makes me hate people. Customer Service has never been my forte. I get a lot of compliments on how well I am at it but I have to really ground and center between each and every call so that I don’t go insane. Sometimes one call gets through that irritates me in a way that I forget my manners and I am not very nice (but not near as mean as I can get).  And let’s not even discuss how much I have been sick over the last month. That place is a hotbed of germs and I have been affected in a bad sort of way.

So with my unhappiness at the job, I continued to search for something in the financial field. Something that I would look forward to doing (like I feel about tax returns). I have continued applying and applying, hoping something would come through. I am very happy to announce that something did. The day after Christmas I had to go to Urgent Care. That same day I interviewed for an Accounts Payable position. The hubs thought I was crazy and that I would sabotage the interview with my incessant hacking but I couldn’t pass the opportunity. So I interviewed and I felt very good about it. I was told they would let me know by the 28th if I made it to the second rounds. I did. Then I sent in my references and those came back on a very positive note (bless my references!). So I was called to see about meeting my coworker this morning. I went out and met the most loveliest woman. I also spoke with the VP of Finance for the second time. He let me know they had one more person to talk to and then they would make their decision. I was a bundle of nerves for 5 hours. And towards the end, I convinced myself the other person was going to be Superman and hired on the spot. Except I got an email with the offer. I have accepted it and I am seriously on cloud 9000.

This is a job I wanted so badly. It has wonderful benefits and an increase in pay. But really? That doesn’t matter. The environment is one that I love. It’s quiet (the occasional loud noise but overall quiet). It’s number crunching. It’s Quickbooks. It’s money. It’s a set schedule with no overtime and weekends off. I love everything about this job. So much that I would do it for free if they asked. It’s going to feel good having a job I love again!