Haha, we decided to wait on the anklet part and he began preparing me for the mermaid focal.  This being my first tattoo, I was unprepared really, for how it would feel.  Sure enough, it does hurt like a bitch.  S’cuse the French.  I didn’t tear up or cry or wince, I just swore a lot.  A lot.  We took a couple of breaks - me stretching and he smoking.  During the first break, a couple was walking by the shop and I came up in conversation, as getting my first tattoo, and she took a look at it and asked me what the mermaid’s name was.  I was astounded!  I had not even thought about it!  I told her that I would have to think about it and that it was nice to have met her!  What a chance encounter!  Some time last night, between aftercare cleanings, I chose the name “Aleena”.

Anyway, back to the story.  He finished up around 10pm and I took off after an appreciative handshake.  I knew I was coming back.  Not just to finish this tattoo, but to get at least one or two more.  I chose Andy and Tattoo Technique because the owner had wonderful things to say about Andy, and I’ve seen his previous tattoo work, as well as the awesome art hanging inside the studio.  I think he did a totally kickass job of taking my art and making it his tattoo.  It almost feels like an unintentional collaboration between two artists.  I’m going to bug him when I’m all healed up to see if he can help me figure out the anklet part(ocean waves of some sort!), and to thank him again!  So far, I have to say that the pain of aftercare and general soreness when a tattoo is completed is worse than the actual tattoo procedure.  Guh!

That Saturday we went to my niece’s softball team’s fundraiser dinner and got smashed. Yay open bars. It was pretty fun too, and the food was damn good. On top of that I got some gamer/adult swim swag. Rawr, I’m almost done with Mass Effect though, already. :( Boohoo. SO yeah, been busy! I spent this week putting together a tattoo design for myself, and now I’m going to spend the weekend unwinding, grilling some burgers, and maybe go see a movie. Next week I have a ton of shit to do. Paintings, skins to finish, and an artist to bug.

*Pics added!

At first he liked watching Bruce while sitting on top of Bruce’s cage, but now he gets a bit aggravated when Bruce gets attention - see, baby! He is a very sensitive guy, either way, and watching his personality grow is going to be very interesting. He does not like Moya at all, so far. Elsy doesn’t phase him too much, but he gets all ruffled and annoyed when Moya is near. She’s kinda big though, so it makes sense!

In any case, he is the most beautiful bird I have ever seen. Pictures do him no justice. His feathers are colored in such a magical way… he really is an amazing sight. He’ll be even more stunning when his upper beak is matured and the black is gone. Wow! I wonder what the girls look like in person!

Dante comes home tomorrow! I’m so excited, and have so much to do! I’ll be putting together some birdie food today for the next week or so and hope we have a fine time adjusting overall. Susie Christian and Lisa have been just so nice and helpful about all of this - I’m happy to be getting one of her flock. I’m rambling! Must be allergies.

Dante is currently residing in California with Miss Susie Christian. He’s a cute lad with pretty green feathers coming in! I think his tail is just adorable.

Dante is an eclectus parrot, specifically an Aruensis Red-Sided Eclectus parrot. Eclectus parrots intrigued me several years ago when I was studying companion parrots for a future friend. I was initially interested in African Grey parrots, but when I saw an entry in the book I was reading about Eclectus parrots, I was immediately drawn to them. They just seem so calm yet personable. They also have a good range of speaking ability, and while that’s not very important, it’s good to know.

So here I am, waiting for Dante to grow up and come home to his new playground. I’m hard at work making him a play-gym and buying him toys, and in general, getting ready for his arrival. I think Bruce is going to be VERY jealous. Heh!

There’s a new man in my life! I met him in January and he’s very charming. He can be a bit opinionated, but he’s also sweet and somewhat cuddly. We talk a lot and he seems to really like me! I think he misses me when I’m not around and often calls me. Sometimes we have breakfast together, too!

Hee! Bruce is a trip, he’s going to be a pain when he hits puberty, I just know it. :P I didn’t plan to get a cockatiel at all - we had one when I was a kid, so I’m familiar with them. I was browsing our pet store back in January and was saying hello to the ‘tiels and this one boy was just totally adamant that he was going to fly out of the aquarium(they keep the almost weaned babies in one for display) and go home with me. I later picked him up when he was weaned and he’s my new buddy. He can get pretty loud sometimes when he wants me to be around and I’m not. He’s kind of an “air-raid siren”, heh, heh.

Bruce will hopefully be joined by another baby boy in the next few months. A baby boy I’ve been looking for for a few years now. I started studying them some time ago in hopes to learn more about them, and I think he’ll be a good fit. I found an amazing breeder in California and her assistant has been a huge help! I’ll post more later when I can!

Unfortunately, I went through a small depression afterwards. I don’t think it was “post-con blues”, just bad timing, especially since we moved into our new house.

“Hey, you’ve got a great new house! Be depressed!”

Haha. I’ve recovered mostly from that and am trying to buck up, so to speak, completely. On top of that, I’ve learned that my mother may be fatally ill. Well, I know she’s fatally ill; we just don’t know how immediate it is. That situation has come with a bucket of sadness, anger, bitterness, confusion, and turmoil. She’s putting her estate “in order” and that has caused some strife.

Underneath my goofy exterior, right now, I’m dealing with personal darkness. So, excuse me if I seem distant.

On a happy note, I fixed Thallos, finally… I had forgotten I left it in disrepair some months back. Yes, I’ve also switched to Wordpress… I’m so flighty, huh? I like it, though.

*waves*

Happy Yule

I’m sidetracked by some other projects and will get back to it soon!