Kim took me to one of the green properties in Austin that GLR is working on... reminds me of Thailand.
Our night out in Austin was harshly bludgeoned into submission by massive blows of an unforgiving Texas thunderstorm. We had to retreat back into our room early in the evening.
To celebrate Stone Temple Pilot's reunion, which happened twenty years earlier than I had anticipated, I decided to get a tattoo of the Shangri-La Dee Da logo.
Since this is my first (and probably last) tattoo, I have decided to document my skin's healing process.
DAY 3
Last night, while falling asleep in bed, I held a pillow in my arms for a few minutes. When I let it go, I felt the tat sluggishly peel off from the pillowcase... I guess some areas were still a little wet and gooey!
Today, I barely felt any discomfort when rinsing, soaping, and putting lotion on the tat. I could see that the inked area is hardening up and will probably scab in the next day or two. Also, the edges of the tat are showing signs of the ink bleed out (see pix).
DAY 2
Jose said I could start using antibacterial soap on the tat before I go to bed on the first day, but unfortunately we were unable to acquire the proper soap from the small gift shops in the vicinity, so I didn't get a chance to do this until the second day. Jose also said that I should put on some lotion to help the skin heal with minimal scabbing starting on day two.
Washing the tattoo with soap was a little painful, similar to washing a knee that is starting to bleed from a scrape on the ground. Putting lotion on the tat was also irritating, and you can see here that my skin turned red for a while.
There is no itching quite yet.
DAY 1
Jose from True Blue was my tattoo artist. He was to the point, professional, and had no problems working with the design I brought into the shop. The sensation of a tattoo needle vibrating against my skin is similar to that of me quickly scraping my arm against a wall with very fine, rough surface. After a few seconds there is a rug-burn-like stinging on my skin. The discomfort was tolerable.
I was very happy with the final outcome, especially how well the ink stood out on my arm. Jose said the tattoo should be completely healed within 2-3 weeks, provided that I take good care of it. For the first night, I was told to keep the tattoo well-aired and rinsed clean (after the excruciating bandage removal) .
Green Living Realty Headquarters
These pictures are from Vince's phone...
My team at work volunteered to help build a house for Habitat For Humanity this past Saturday. It was a great experience, especially because most of us were out of our element, doing the sort of things we would never have done on our own. I personally felt pretty useless, just standing around waiting for new things to hammer down. I definitely will volunteer again next year, or maybe (if I somehow stop being lazy) I'll volunteer on my own.
Link to the whole set at flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/aboatc/sets/72157604311733266/detail/
