Tattoo!

Yes, I know it's permanent. And yes I know I'm not polynesian. And yes, it did hurt. A lot. But as a birthday present to myself and a token of my time spent in Hawaii i was tattooed today.

I spent about 2 and a half hours under the needle today. And though the overall design was planned ahead of time, Jake Omoto, the tattoo artist, ended up free handing all of it. Sharpie in hand he laid out the overall flow and scale of the piece...a general outline of the three critters he was to ink. Then he went back in with a ball point pen to sketch in the detail before bringing out the tattoo gun. He does excellent work. Heck...Bruce Willis got two done by him. Formerly of Hart and Huntington, Smilin' Jack now has his own shop down on Nimitz. As you can probably tell, Polynesian is his specialty.

A low low down on the symbolism...

Honu, the turtle. Well, swimming with the turtles will probably be one of my most memorable moments from my time in Hawaii. I have an affinity to the pokey shelled reptile. But in Hawaiian folklore, it symbolizes family and navigation.

The Manta Ray offers protection at sea...important as I move off the island...and represents freedom and elegance.

The shark...mostly strength, but also adaptability and speed...all things I attribute to my success in my career thus far.

Why water creatures? To offer warm thoughts in the cold months. And for my new found love of snorkeling. I will miss the water when I leave here...