 ©1999-1999 ICFTP What're you, kidding? |
11 July 1999
Shout outs to Jens and Wendy at Wolfs.org, for sharing their ink with me. In return, a view of my stuff you don't normally see here.
This first one's big, but hell, I love him and I want y'all to be able to see him.
He takes up most of the inside of my right calf, about ten or eleven inches tall. Took about an hour and a half for Electric Ed Ebbole to put him on me, and it was over too soon.
He's the Griffon from Alice and Wonderland, here seen dancing the Lobster Quadrille. The original Tenniel illustration also has Alice and the sobbing Mock Turtle, but the Griffon has always been me favorite. There's another Tenniel illustration where he's asleep with his eagle's beak resting on his crossed claws, the rest of his body curled up like a great cat. Siddy wanted to smack my for getting this one and not the sleeping Griffon. Don't hit me yet, Sid, I've got lots more skin!
On the other side of that ankle...
More Tenniel. Considerably smaller. These guys are slithy toves, from the poem Jabberwocky. The first stanza reads:
Twas brillig and the slithy toves
did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
all mimsy were the borogroves,
and the mome raths outgrabe.
Confused about just what the poem meant, Alice asked Humpty Dumpty for clarification. He had this to say about slithy toves:
"Well, 'slithy' means 'lithe and slimy.' 'Lithe' is the same as 'active'. You see it's like a portmanteau - there are two meanings packed into one word.
"I see it now," Alice remarked thoughtfully: "and what are 'toves'?"
"Well, 'toves' are something like badgers - they're something like lizards - and they're something like corkscrews."
"They must be very curious-looking creatures."
"That are that," said Humpty Dumpty; "also they make their nests under sundials - also they live on cheese."
Who wouldn't want these guys on an ankle? :) Around the other ankle we have...
A little bit o' Celtic. When Ed finished this, after two hours of hard work, he sat back, wiped his forehead and looked up at me.
"If I never have to do another piece like that as long as I live, it'll be too soon."
Ed's kinda gruff.
I think he did a pretty amazing job, considering. The detail is packed in there. The tattoo continues around the other side and each end brackets a circle with more knotwork inside.
In other news:
Today's pretty mellow. Tanya's been cleaning all morning, getting ready for the arrival of Rob and Sid. I talked to Rob on his cell-phone (he wants to be yuppie scum, he really wants to, but his style keeps getting in the way) and they were at mile marker 89 at quarter to one. I'm at mile 269. So kiddies, when's Rob gonna get here if he travels at, oh lets say knowing Rob, a good solid average of 85 miles an hour?
Siddy's bringing her camcorder and the tape they made of everyone hanging at the house!
"Nod your head to this!"
Oh yeah... a little 311 to get me in the mood. Bouncy bouncy bouncy... jam jam jam.
"We all that!"
hehehehe
"Yo PNut! Beat that thing!"
It just doesn't really take that much to make me happy, ya know?