Filthy Casual for Life

I have waffled over whether or not I should get a tattoo for the better part of a decade. The thing that stopped me over and over again was the pain. I knew it was going to hurt. I consider myself to have a high tolerance for pain, but not surface pain. Scratches, paper cuts, etc. hurt more to me than when I had shoulder surgery. I know that probably makes no sense at all. The second thing that always kept me from making a final decision is the subject matter. I didn’t want something that I would regret.

About a month ago, I finally made the decision to get my first tattoo. I decided on a Hello Kitty x Totoro tattoo. The artist I picked specializes in anime tattoos and did an amazing job. Here is the sketch of what he was going to do.

Leading up to the tattoo was torture. I had scheduled about three weeks out. That gave me plenty of time to want to back out. I watched endless Ink Master videos and videos of people explaining their pain. I was doing myself no favors. But, in the end, I am no quitter.

I showed up nervous as hell, but Jason was cool. He really put me at ease. At first, the lining didn’t hurt at all. I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to chat and have a good ole’ time. Then, he started coloring. Was it the worst pain in my life? No. Was is bad enough? YES! I was able to sit still, but the pain sucked. I know he was just being encouraging, but he told me I was doing good for a first-timer. He told me stories about people tapping out after a few minutes. I’m sure they had truth to them. It did make me feel better. By the end, I wanted to go home. It hurt me that much. Am I a weenie? Probably. Here is the end result:

It came out really good, right?! I am totally happy with it, BUT I am one and done. I don’t think I can sit through another one knowing how much it hurt. Kudos to those that can go back time after time and sit six-plus hours. You’re a champ. I’m definitely a chump LOL.

Do I regret it? No. I will love looking at this the rest of my life. I think it is so adorable and definitely “me.” However, you won’t see me in line for another.