Circles if you please: part II

I can see how blogging came into my life at the precise time I needed it to. Again, I realize I may one day regret putting it all “out there,” but it’s proving a good channel for management and release. (Methinks I’m gonna need all the management & release aid I can get…)

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Yesterday’s tattoo session was so exactly what I needed.

I hadn’t seen Tattoo Artist since fall of 2005 (2006 was a bit on the broke and miserable side.) As soon as he recognized me he said, “It is you. You look like a totally different person.”

“I am a totally different person.”

As we settled into his space, I was honest from the get go, “I’m so sorry to do this to you, to purge, but I’ve got a shit ton of stuff that I have to vent about.”

He waved me off and replied, “I tell people that my job is these 3 things in this exact order:

1. Therapist
2. EMT
3. Artist

But, please, purge away. Let’s get caught up.”

It’s been an incredible couple of weeks, but I had just spent the weekend telling immediate family and close friends about the divorce. I was emotionally 100% exhausted.

(Note: “Divorce if you please” is in the works, so for those of you that we haven’t explained it to yet…please bear with us as we’re doing our best to tell people in as timely and as comfortable of a time as we can muster.)

After catching up, we got back into our old swing.

Tattoo Artist and I have a connection of understanding. We get together and talk the basics: music, film, photography, art, travel. But we always find our way to the good stuff: stolen elections, conspiracy theories, assassination attempts, revolution, and riots.

Yes, this boy and I connect on the stage of our socio-political frustrations; i.e. let’s evolve faster/why aren’t we there yet -- fire and anger.

“Whattaya thinks gonna happen in 08?” he asked.

“There’s not gonna be an election. We’ll be at war with Iran and God knows who else. Bush’ll declare martial law and abolish Congress. They’re not gonna give up now, not after they’ve come so far.”

“Are you gonna stay to watch the empire fall?”

“I dunno. I really want to. I really crave it. I wanna see the corporations crumble. I wanna see class war. (It’s true, I do.) Not so pacifisty, is it? “But I also am at a place of peace, acceptance and creation.”

“You could always watch it fall from Europe. All you’ll have to do is turn on the BBC. You’re not gonna wanna come back, you know. I’m telling you, you, are going to fall madly in love with Europe.”

“I know.”

It was really good timing to see Tattoo Artist again. I desperately needed some release and he and I needed to come full circle from our last encounter. Things got a little outta hand with the over-the-top flirtation, likely my fault (but partly the fault of the tattoo).

Yesterday as I arrived, I was not 10 feet inside the shop when he blurted out, “Just so you know, I’m seeing someone.”

“O-kay. Well, just so you know, I’m only here to get some work done.”

Wide smiles were exchanged.

Re: my continued stress management --

He suggested I look into Bikram Yoga, which I had already done and plan on starting classes in San Francisco.

We talked tattoo artists that are in San Fran & LA and I decided that I think I still wanna try and come back to Cap Hill every 6 or 8 weeks. Fly in for a few days, get some work done, see my friends & loved ones. (I don’t have to live here, but I can visit for Christ’s sake!)

I told Tattoo Artist, “I need this. You understand, right?”

He was working around my wrist at the time, lots of bone. He laid on a little added pressure and I gasped ever so slightly.

He smirked.

Yes, he gets it.

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This morning, I’m running back down to King Street Station. I’ve got some train tracks to capture. Very fitting this series of transportation, because if there’s one thing that spot on, it’s that movement is on the horizon.