Gettin' Ink

I just found out that one of my friends got her fifth tattoo the other day, and if you've read my other posts you'll know that I want to get a tattoo some day too. The only reason I haven't gotten one yet is:

A) I don't have that kind of money right now, being an unemployed college student and all.

B) (Ok, so it's not really an "only reason", it's more like a long list, but whatever) I'm pretty sure my parents would kill me if I did right now.

C) I kind of have this thing about needles. Especially ones that vibrate really fast and pierce my skin hundreds of times.

D) And finally, I'm not really sure of what I want tattooed, or even where.

I know very well that tattoos are "permanent" and that I should htink about what I want and how it will look when I'm 80. But I also know that tattoos can be removed with lasers, so if I end up hating it when I'm 80 I can undo it. I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I think I might have some sort of idea of what I want. Three words: Bubble. Chamber. Track.

A bubble chamber is a vessel filled with a superheated transparent liquid (most often liquid hydrogen) used to detect electrically charged particles moving through it. I warned you earlier that this blog will end up being a nerd fest. :-) Physics is what I love, especially partivle physics. And if you're supposed to get a tattoo of what you love than this makes sense, right? Plus, it's just lines, which shouldn't be too hard/painful, right? Really, I was inspired by this fourth photo, which I think is on someone's arm, but I'm not sure. I was thinking of getting this on my calf, but I can't decide on which one to get.

The first picture is very simple, just a few lines, nothing too complicated. The second picture has a few more lines, and I really like the circles. I'm pretty sure the tattoo is/is very similar too the third picture I have up here. It's very intricate with lots of lines and curves.

What do you guys think?

1000 Things

For the past couple of months I've been trying to write a list of 1000 things I would like to do before I die, a "bucket list" if you will. No, I was not inspired by the movie, starring Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman. I haven't even seen that movie. It actually all started a few years ago, when I was a Junior in High School. My friend Kathy & I had each made a list of things we wanted to do, mostly nonsensical things, like "take over the world", "become a pop star", "build a house out of chocolate." Anyway, I got a new Moleskine a couple months ago & decided to start over with a new, more realistic list. The original was about 130 items, but I decided to be a little daring & shoot for 1000, which is a task that deserves to be on the list itself. After three months I'm at 465, & I've decided to share it with you. Also so I can have a digital copy. Just in case. I'm not going to put all 465 items on here now, but I'll try to put 50 or so every week or just randomly. Feel free to tell me how stupid some things are. Feel free to suggest new things. Just feel free to say anything.

001. Go on a roadtrip

002. Hug a tree

003. Learn to ride a horse

004. Visit CERN

005. Get glasses

006. Learn to fence

007. Go to Canada

008. Find a dollar in my pocket

009. Collect $1000 in change

010. Solve a murder mystery

011. Attend a SciFi convention

012. Learn to fly a plane

013. Eat french toast in France

014. Get a theme song for myself

015. Build a giant snow castle

016. Start a rumor about myself

017. Learn to read lips

018. Do a crazy hippie dance in a park

019. Start a chain letter

020. Run for an elected office

021. Adopt a small child

022. Get my ears pierced

023. Throw myself a surprise party

024. Attend a rave

025. Write a book

026. Get a tattoo

027. Find Waldo

028. Meet a Sherpa

029. Join the Peace Corps

030. Get an awesome nickname

031. Spend a month in Europe

032. Declare myself "King of the Penguins"

033. Receive an obnoxiously large balloon for my birthday

034. Thump a Bible

035. Get a posse

036. Pet a llama

037. Find my evil twin

038. Get lost in the woods

039. Work on a particle accelerator

040. Attend the Glastonbury Festival

041. Go to a circus

042. Meet a Nazi

043. Legally change my name

044. Build a better mouse trap

045. Join a protest

046. Be an extra in a film

047. Learn calligraphy

048. Start a cult

049. Be interesting enough to have a blog

050. Start & maintain a blog for at least one year

Well, there you have it. The first 50 items on my list. One of the reasons I started this blog is to get myself out there & show people who I am, & what better way to get to know someone than to discover their dreams & aspirations, no matter how trivial.