Tara's Stunning Tattoos Represent Clarity and Freedom

I was riding my bike along the water and the Belt Parkway in South Brooklyn last month, when a woman passed me on her roller skates, headed in the other direction.<br /><br />I quickly reversed directions and caught up with her because I wanted to ask her about her half-sleeve:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhN7qOdxCIJ-hVfEUZ5pxgF_NHAlE4tmBZX3vfGcoHbI5Mx8yZ4XP2KYmtzNIQwIgZTKqZMRJGXHKlX6ti65maaBQRInMEh4_oyuVJnjYB47MP3fAfgoQaW_IYHeVTjLPPfqSeftaXjWs/s1600/skate+ink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhN7qOdxCIJ-hVfEUZ5pxgF_NHAlE4tmBZX3vfGcoHbI5Mx8yZ4XP2KYmtzNIQwIgZTKqZMRJGXHKlX6ti65maaBQRInMEh4_oyuVJnjYB47MP3fAfgoQaW_IYHeVTjLPPfqSeftaXjWs/s640/skate+ink.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><br />It's really quite stunning, and I was interested in who was the artist responsible for this work. Tara credited <a href="http://www.silkcitytattoo.com/christian-masot/">Christian Masot</a> at <a href="http://www.silkcitytattoo.com/">Silk City Tattoo</a> in Hawthorne, New Jersey. I've seen a lot of cool stuff come out of the shop and Christian was responsible for the work on the last two people I've met having been inked there. Check out all the Silk City work that has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Silk%20City%20Tattoo">here</a>.<br /><br />As for Tara, she's a Roller Derby Girl, who skates under the handle PMA, with the number 24/7,  because she has a Positive Mental Attitude, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.<br /><br />She explained, "I was going through a lot of stuff in my life a couple years ago and finally I had clarity ... so the lotus symbolizes ... clarity."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_Xeak5LF6TJyd74fATf-vlWhyjc9JOvzNCqvuuv6SkbLVEfB0KSjfJc6BoI6FYhq7LaG6pVsRu_INajHdKas1xSCsBziIin5di0ADxUxoOdkt7M2wXho80H5XE6xS4keq88cWUkHl_s/s1600/skate+ink+detail+flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB_Xeak5LF6TJyd74fATf-vlWhyjc9JOvzNCqvuuv6SkbLVEfB0KSjfJc6BoI6FYhq7LaG6pVsRu_INajHdKas1xSCsBziIin5di0ADxUxoOdkt7M2wXho80H5XE6xS4keq88cWUkHl_s/s640/skate+ink+detail+flower.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><br />As for the butterfly, Tara told me that her butterflies "symbolize change and freedom."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKjIT3CIG9nPEReg-6a_rZt1kl5CxOry1OXGBIctjjH-1nvgQtSxHwbDB1u-4JO2msKAuqJ6GdVk7tcnFNIElTiydRHUTwSNDveodWL4zhqQ4meZuE3NuOyuw8jhrhm5xTUE8BwypFg0/s1600/skate+ink+detail+butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKjIT3CIG9nPEReg-6a_rZt1kl5CxOry1OXGBIctjjH-1nvgQtSxHwbDB1u-4JO2msKAuqJ6GdVk7tcnFNIElTiydRHUTwSNDveodWL4zhqQ4meZuE3NuOyuw8jhrhm5xTUE8BwypFg0/s640/skate+ink+detail+butterfly.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><br />Tara elaborated, saying that she brought three pictures in for reference [there's a monarch butterfly on her inner arm] and Christian "made it his own," in part by adding the design that represents the wind.<br /><br />When I asked Tara how many tattoos she has, she said, "I lost count."<br /><br />Thanks to Tara for sharing these stunning tattoos with us here on Tattoosday! Keep on skating with that positive mental attitude!<br /><br />If you want to see more of Tara's ink, you can glimpse it on various videos on her YouTube channel <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MissLiz13">here</a>. She talks a lot about Vegan and Gluten-free recipes. I'm including one below that features her skating on the Shore Road promenade where I met her:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="314" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uJi1OiS8ExM" width="500"></iframe><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Tara's Stunning Tattoos Represent Clarity and Freedom

I was riding my bike along the water and the Belt Parkway in South Brooklyn last month, when a woman passed me on her roller skates, headed ...

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Musician Monday: Meaghan Farrell

Over the past several years on Tattoosday, we've run into several musicians in our travels, many of whom have generously shared their tattoos with us. We've decided to post tattoos from these talented folks on the first day of the work week, and call them "Musician Mondays."<br /><br />We got a sneak peek at our first Monday Musician yesterday, as we shared a couple of <a href="http://www.meaghanfarrellmusic.com/">Meaghan Farrell's</a> tattoos in recognition of mother's day. The tattoos she has honoring her grandmother (<a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/05/happy-mothers-day-from-tattoosday.html">here</a>) are truly wonderful.<br /><br />I was fortunate to run into Meaghan, who loved sharing her ink with me. Her enthusiasm for body art was evident in her excitement. "My tattoos mean the world to me," she beamed, and added that "there is no greater commitment to art." Considering that a tattoo is a permanent installation on one's body, I totally understood what she meant.<br /><br />Aside from the two of Meghan's tattoos we posted yesterday, she shared a couple of more. Here's a wonderful piece on her left wrist that symbolizes her craft:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPA2gdV-hYjRxcbOY-nz9VXUu7j8xCAU9CliknVbj5lfSpalu-RbQ0hAU1Llt0J7j8PJuJgcnf8-hwe40nJJF2rVtw-5SRZG8zYofwe1Bzm-t68I04J8J-kZO6QyESgApmLFatx2t-gE/s1600/Meaghans+microphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPA2gdV-hYjRxcbOY-nz9VXUu7j8xCAU9CliknVbj5lfSpalu-RbQ0hAU1Llt0J7j8PJuJgcnf8-hwe40nJJF2rVtw-5SRZG8zYofwe1Bzm-t68I04J8J-kZO6QyESgApmLFatx2t-gE/s400/Meaghans+microphone.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br />Of course the central object in the tattoo is the old-style microphone. As a resident of Queens, she pointed out that the skyline of Manhattan that serves as the tattoo's background is inked from the perspective of her borough, looking west toward the city.<br /><br />Meaghan also shared this stunning monarch butterfly:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyMLkJ_x5M09ewUs8tWVZKDKRil4IRRrlOdcx480rZQx76MxMmmWr-air21Ske7_i8uLdUWIUTrHW6sgXzm4DMy6HOAQrNaLbr9XiI-nw0S8xavMqoMk2wXEpLdkcoJMMMhxOBivKMq0/s1600/Meaghans+monarch_picnik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyMLkJ_x5M09ewUs8tWVZKDKRil4IRRrlOdcx480rZQx76MxMmmWr-air21Ske7_i8uLdUWIUTrHW6sgXzm4DMy6HOAQrNaLbr9XiI-nw0S8xavMqoMk2wXEpLdkcoJMMMhxOBivKMq0/s400/Meaghans+monarch_picnik.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Meaghan explained that the monarch represents her sister, who she spoke of with great admiration. She called her the "matriarch of the family" and acknowledged that she was a solid presence that, despite huge challenges (she was widowed, a single mother, and is now remarried to a man who is wheelchair-bound), she retains the strength and grace of a butterfly.<br /><br />I love how the artist created the shadow below the monarch's wings:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fDDQG4tUym0lc72HLYBC2MTFHCiJkUMTVN87CeCZI4nlOYNIjnPsJ-Ttb08Ox_o503Vp3YVpTzANr_beE8KQgUS4MOr-wOpeui5IDep_mYVPQmlC2Kdnct3kvukKR0zRdw2BE9hA1X4/s1600/Meaghans+monarch+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fDDQG4tUym0lc72HLYBC2MTFHCiJkUMTVN87CeCZI4nlOYNIjnPsJ-Ttb08Ox_o503Vp3YVpTzANr_beE8KQgUS4MOr-wOpeui5IDep_mYVPQmlC2Kdnct3kvukKR0zRdw2BE9hA1X4/s400/Meaghans+monarch+detail.jpg" width="368" /></a></div><br />Like the work we saw yesterday, the artist responsible for these tattoos is <a href="http://www.myspace.com/beansink">Mr. Beans</a>, at <a href="http://www.fatcattattoos.com/">Fat Cat Tattoos NYC</a> in Astoria, Queens.<br /><br />Meaghan is a singer and she shared her debut CD, "Waitress," with me and let me tell you, it's a wonderful album. She has a very distinct voice and her songs are well-written and catchy. You can visit her website <a href="http://www.meaghanfarrellmusic.com/">here</a> to listen to her songs and see where you can hear her perform. In fact, she has a show this coming Saturday, May 14th, at the <a href="http://www.ucloungenyc.com/">UC Lounge</a> in New York City.<br /><br />Check out her video for "Lost in My Life":<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="292" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EHNiP3cAZu0" width="460"></iframe><br /><br />Thanks again to Meaghan for sharing her music and tattoos with us here at Tattoosday! <br /><div style="text-align: center;">~</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Musician Monday: Meaghan Farrell

Over the past several years on Tattoosday, we've run into several musicians in our travels, many of whom have generously shared their ta...

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Four from Christine

I met Christine at the <a href="http://www.yelp.com/topic/new-york-trader-joes-uws">Trader Joe's</a> on the Upper West Side yesterday evening and she shared these four tattoos:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGI55aLDTS8NBes2fCSU1Pv1XidIB1fHWfrs9iewZHwL0CHC1I3gqIqefX4pUxxCKghLcOsjj9FMjOr5LSldXOx3AGVOBYQpQW1gOhyphenhyphen5jwihGbn2rzT2ntx083x0WNq1ElkQIu8ORRTQ/s1600/Christine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGI55aLDTS8NBes2fCSU1Pv1XidIB1fHWfrs9iewZHwL0CHC1I3gqIqefX4pUxxCKghLcOsjj9FMjOr5LSldXOx3AGVOBYQpQW1gOhyphenhyphen5jwihGbn2rzT2ntx083x0WNq1ElkQIu8ORRTQ/s400/Christine.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><br />Moving clockwise from the upper left in the photo above, we start with an outline of <a href="http://brooklyn.com/">Brooklyn</a>, in honor of the borough in which Christine was born and raised.<br /><br />At the top of the other forearm is an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om">om</a> symbol, which captures her focus and has occasionally "helped with panic attacks."<br /><br />The two butterflies on opposite arms were inked in honor of her nieces, who both love these colorful insects. The shade of each represents their favorite colors.<br /><br />The Brooklyn piece was inked at <a href="http://asylumtattoostudios.com/">Asylum Studios</a> in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The om and the butterflies were done by artists at <a href="http://www.threekingstattoo.com/site/">Three Kings Tattoo</a>. Both shops are in Brooklyn and have had work appear on Tattoosday previously <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Asylum%20Studios">here</a> (Asylum) and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Three%20Kings%20Tattoo">here</a> (Three Kings).<br /><br />Thanks to Christine for sharing these four of her eleven (!) tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}</style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.<br /><br />If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit </span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Four from Christine

I met Christine at the Trader Joe's on the Upper West Side yesterday evening and she shared these four tattoos: Moving clockwise from t...

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Tattoos I Know: A Medley from Maida

It's safe to say that Maida has been a fan of Tattoosday from its earliest days.<br /><br />Over the last three years, a day generally doesn't go by without our discussing ink. As a co-worker, and a friend, she's a regular visitor to the site.<br /><br />Which is why one might wonder why her tattoos have taken this long to appear on Tattoosday. I even recall discussing with her potential designs as she researched new ideas.<br /><br />We always talked about me taking pictures, but it never came to fruition.<br /><br />However, yesterday the stars aligned and we got our collective acts together. Let's take a look, shall we?<br /><br />I'm starting with my favorite pair of the three she is sharing (out of four, in all):<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-uRYzZUaSQhKRGhprudDI_f0WiGChQosZKyzwVuceocXlc6CyRztaNBT0CaZ4yPiQtJukXMeUgB5S4YmMg25pY2Syg5JvOOEzyzufNCDf3bMZ7ykil3-pfa65scF5S4106YlgPLvI_8/s1600/Maida+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw-uRYzZUaSQhKRGhprudDI_f0WiGChQosZKyzwVuceocXlc6CyRztaNBT0CaZ4yPiQtJukXMeUgB5S4YmMg25pY2Syg5JvOOEzyzufNCDf3bMZ7ykil3-pfa65scF5S4106YlgPLvI_8/s400/Maida+two.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />These two are pretty cool, and the top one. a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triquetra">triquetra</a>, I remember her spending a lot of time thinking about.<br />She feels that it also acts as protection, warding off the evil eye:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3LBN717sw0WldfIq2SZR9FsoV_54oSi-BkH9Acs_str_d_2dtKglG80nbzceohZ8HV2LsmyxvUeXAogQTRrJY9wZqvyJ39OVTRCMhHqMxRiqWKeq5UxGyzxi25hpFgWPfc0RoQnw830/s1600/triquetra+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3LBN717sw0WldfIq2SZR9FsoV_54oSi-BkH9Acs_str_d_2dtKglG80nbzceohZ8HV2LsmyxvUeXAogQTRrJY9wZqvyJ39OVTRCMhHqMxRiqWKeq5UxGyzxi25hpFgWPfc0RoQnw830/s320/triquetra+detail.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br />Below that is a butterfly that is not your standard design. The wings' patterns resemble skulls:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTscDKIW68-1gCGaDiW28M3YOQMbE7x15_tx7r5S5jm2ODiTvSniB52Is-NFT0FHn0P1UaxfamaaulxW__qbH876QBMUyzHUvvVZ63hcypBppaWa4CvRkHSpLivKpVYZxd8q4FF_r8ms/s1600/butterfly+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTscDKIW68-1gCGaDiW28M3YOQMbE7x15_tx7r5S5jm2ODiTvSniB52Is-NFT0FHn0P1UaxfamaaulxW__qbH876QBMUyzHUvvVZ63hcypBppaWa4CvRkHSpLivKpVYZxd8q4FF_r8ms/s320/butterfly+detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Maida says this dual image, the softness of the butterfly and the roughness of the skulls, represents the two sides of life, and is a double-edged sword. The kanji represent the symbols for power (top) and strength (bottom).<br /><br />Maida also shared this tattoo on the outside of her right calf, above the ankle:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHd28Qc9AKPVipngk0-KmQPA40Qt-r-9cmZxMmmUc3Z7LfIw0_F1AjBqas_dzt2oEkX8wFU_cTFXnFhxpIx1511gRMjd0m4YXwjyvZqr8AbMnL55PF5qLPTORyaIMEV2N9uMcknzBkiQ/s1600/friends+for+life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHd28Qc9AKPVipngk0-KmQPA40Qt-r-9cmZxMmmUc3Z7LfIw0_F1AjBqas_dzt2oEkX8wFU_cTFXnFhxpIx1511gRMjd0m4YXwjyvZqr8AbMnL55PF5qLPTORyaIMEV2N9uMcknzBkiQ/s400/friends+for+life.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><br />Maida got this, along with her friend Kathy, as a testament to "the strong bond and love between two best friends". They each have it on the same spot, although Kathy's butterfly has lavender wings, whereas Maida's are turquoise.<br /><br />All of Maida's tattoos above were inked by an artist named JStar, whose website is <a href="http://www.jstarink.webs.com/">here</a>. The site includes photos of more of her work and is well worth a look.<br /><br />Thanks to Maida for sharing her tattoos with us here, finally, on Tattoosday! We look forward to seeing more in the future!

Tattoos I Know: A Medley from Maida

It's safe to say that Maida has been a fan of Tattoosday from its earliest days. Over the last three years, a day generally doesn't ...

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Mari's Prayer, with a Twist of Math

I met Mari in front of <a href="http://www.thegarden.com/">Madison Square Garden</a> on a sunny day in October. How could I not stop and ask her about this tattoo?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYsLAXy0sJ10SMY08z3BkybJvJpiKG2GvaVbJDb8O0XTX5SpI9VPYNZ8WJHEZH-1durZV_jC7sMFkBIBa5GrzV4NeoHWODl4Jpoys5WKDLz9Lhy0VRpGSrwx0dqHtZE3D6rME4GS-U2I/s1600/Poem+Tattoo+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYsLAXy0sJ10SMY08z3BkybJvJpiKG2GvaVbJDb8O0XTX5SpI9VPYNZ8WJHEZH-1durZV_jC7sMFkBIBa5GrzV4NeoHWODl4Jpoys5WKDLz9Lhy0VRpGSrwx0dqHtZE3D6rME4GS-U2I/s640/Poem+Tattoo+wm.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Mari explained that this is an <a href="http://www.ananda.org/">Ananda</a> prayer, that her friends were meditating on it for a week.<br /><br />The text, which is attributed to<span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramahansa_Yogananda">Sri Paramhansa Yogananda</a>, </span>reads:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW04X94w2Q5brH9OdHuGVusHDqAYcjwYOj_hiiEATOcHUQKTs9GNN1uOhOLQuYzDzyTXD-zb6ay2yefWntquIVHfExZ64VjdKMInonxj7F7WFgw6glVEKIJ_LSNMw7zkRDqXv4VEliko/s1600/Poem+Top+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW04X94w2Q5brH9OdHuGVusHDqAYcjwYOj_hiiEATOcHUQKTs9GNN1uOhOLQuYzDzyTXD-zb6ay2yefWntquIVHfExZ64VjdKMInonxj7F7WFgw6glVEKIJ_LSNMw7zkRDqXv4VEliko/s640/Poem+Top+wm.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><br /><blockquote><i>Make me thy butterfly of eternity.<br /><br />I burnt my past. I ignored the foreboding seed<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><span class="text_exposed_show">s of sprouting destiny. I waded through the strewn ashes of past & future fears.<br /><br />I am the eternal present. I tore to shreds the cocoon of ignorance with the sharpness of my will.</span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span class="text_exposed_show">I am thy...butterfly of eternity, sweeping through immeasurable time. The beauty of my nature-wings I spread everywhere, to entertain everything. Suns & stardust are spread on my wings. Behold my beauty! Cut all the silken threads of thy shrouding folly: follow me in my flight to myself.</span></i></blockquote><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdGlZFIjk1wO0RT3eemtMGGbHfoCY9E4_4m_UxOUD44iuCCdZ6y6j7ShuJyci6n1E4wCyEf-WCfHRYDCmlueOX9aCIbiTIdiqezrrXSLxkmXRokDjC36jGC_i_GHN9IlN0Pbs-Bb2GRw/s1600/Poem+Bottom+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdGlZFIjk1wO0RT3eemtMGGbHfoCY9E4_4m_UxOUD44iuCCdZ6y6j7ShuJyci6n1E4wCyEf-WCfHRYDCmlueOX9aCIbiTIdiqezrrXSLxkmXRokDjC36jGC_i_GHN9IlN0Pbs-Bb2GRw/s640/Poem+Bottom+wm.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />The butterfly symbolizes transformation, a phase everyone goes through at one point or another in time.<br /><br />Also among her twenty-two tattoos is this formula at the top of her arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qw5hP0iNzrVMlQKNKdZ6lpbYmanIh17DvZkb9aLCNZty9iPZdSSASMmjB8VCgVxAhQpwjZlzDfb5pFOGHww8TOaEWpm_KUp6lGqPxW1EAk-ALD8UuLdjVN1FbJUOx_CxCyWgeivUF6I/s1600/fractals+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qw5hP0iNzrVMlQKNKdZ6lpbYmanIh17DvZkb9aLCNZty9iPZdSSASMmjB8VCgVxAhQpwjZlzDfb5pFOGHww8TOaEWpm_KUp6lGqPxW1EAk-ALD8UuLdjVN1FbJUOx_CxCyWgeivUF6I/s400/fractals+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2H5d012XiiFBcptjUWy69vupVlbffAnDSNsKssjoi1lZ508qN0tWjnRO-wikxZljwTWURq5-BRyZDQ915wxhOTgZIb-uJC1UtjJM4_HwDj93tzQt2kSn73FPahXXRuToCf-_xw6407w/s1600/square+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mari explained she loves math and generalized that, with this equation, "you can generate anything in the universe". In theory, at least. Here, it gets a little hazy for me. Part of this tattoo contains "f(z) = z^2 + c" which is described as a <a href="http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/aburns/orbits/quadrati.htm">complex function</a>. Then there is the part that equates the square root of -1 to the value <i>i</i>. This is a formula for an imaginary number. I'm bowing out here, knowing there's no way I'll be able to explain this part of the tattoo adequately. Readers are welcome to try in the comments section, below.<br /><br /><br />Mari's work was inked by Kevin at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lansing-MI/The-Tattoo-Shop/273975515167?v=wall#%21/pages/Lansing-MI/The-Tattoo-Shop/273975515167?v=wall">The Tattoo Shop</a> in Lansing, Michigan.<br /><br />Thanks to Mari for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Mari's Prayer, with a Twist of Math

I met Mari in front of Madison Square Garden on a sunny day in October. How could I not stop and ask her about this tattoo? Mari explained ...

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Tattoos I Know: Tracy's Tributes (Re-Post)

<i>Let's take a moment and pause from our regularly-scheduled programming this Veteran's Day to remember the men and women who serve our country bravely. I've dug into the archives and reposted a friend's tattoo, which appeared originally here on Tattoosday in January 2008. Be sure to thank a Veteran today, and to appreciate not only our soldiers at home and abroad, but their families who support and inspire them to serve our country courageously.</i><br /><br /><i><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/01/tattoos-i-know-tracys-tributes.html">This post</a> originally appeared January 14, 2008:</i><br /><br />Tracy is a friend of mine who lives in <a href="http://www.drum.army.mil/sites/local/">Fort Drum, New York</a>. She was in town last weekend, visiting family, and this was the first time I have seen her since Tattoosday was born over the summer.<br /><br />I knew Tracy had at least one tattoo, because she and my wife have talked ink before. So when I saw her on Saturday, unexpectedly, I was happy that I had a couple of Tattoosday printouts in my pocket.<br /><br />I explained the blog and asked if she'd like to participate. She was happy to oblige and, as fortune would have it, she was coming to an indoor soccer game the following day. Her nephew plays on the same team as my daughter Shayna. <br /><br />After the game Sunday, I asked if she was ready. She lifted the back of her shirt to reveal:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7UDimrs6qXzjNDlNfkdzF8FBJAdQdwfZh7HhHBHjSMgjtNsIXoQHrjYUUYBkLnpz6GtfKHbdhuPUy1AT13qKS0L6x2-fLOFMXTDOiTbGmkcbyDoVj9LMp2wcqbzHJ7lABBmFde-DY-n7/s1600-h/100_6245.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155020510763723682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7UDimrs6qXzjNDlNfkdzF8FBJAdQdwfZh7HhHBHjSMgjtNsIXoQHrjYUUYBkLnpz6GtfKHbdhuPUy1AT13qKS0L6x2-fLOFMXTDOiTbGmkcbyDoVj9LMp2wcqbzHJ7lABBmFde-DY-n7/s400/100_6245.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />I was surprised, honestly. I was not expecting butterflies, but expecting the one above it which, as fate would have it, is later in this post. But I wasn't about to pass up a cool tattoo, so I took a picture of this one as well.<br /><br />Tracy is a mother of two boys, Matthew and Danny, and these butterflies represent each of them, as they flutter and transform, as ones children are apt to do, growing from infants into people. Tracy had these inked three years ago in <a href="http://www.ci.victorville.ca.us/">Victorville</a>, when she was living at <a href="http://www.irwin.army.mil/channels">Ft. Irwin</a>. She said that they had been done at "Victorville Designs," which has either changed names or gone out of business, based on <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=dIu&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=tattoos&near=Victorville,+CA&fb=1&view=text&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=1&ct=more-results&cd=2">this link</a>.<br /><br />These butterflies are nicely inked and really seem to float over the skin. Definitely a nice tattoo, from design to execution.<br /><br />Above the butterflies is the tattoo that I had heard about:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXR-LemVstMt5QZWfopwLj-cmNnKUOgqGV9Ni0O6k_yH-dklMh1NS8HZ_-x1gL1ZMhi_W-KyNkemK2Ee01A6kBHYxH3yZMvgOhU7fKj1Y5WTmt7op5jkZVpIrWzB4cSRHvDSnS94c3x8M/s1600-h/100_6246.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155020351849933714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXR-LemVstMt5QZWfopwLj-cmNnKUOgqGV9Ni0O6k_yH-dklMh1NS8HZ_-x1gL1ZMhi_W-KyNkemK2Ee01A6kBHYxH3yZMvgOhU7fKj1Y5WTmt7op5jkZVpIrWzB4cSRHvDSnS94c3x8M/s400/100_6246.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br /><br />A simple, basic script. The arced triad of three pillars of strength in many people's lives: "Faith. Family. Friends."<br /><br />In order to understand this tattoo, we have to take a little side journey.<br /><br />Whatever one's politics may be, or however one feels about what we are doing in Asia and the Middle East, one thing must be acknowledged: the men and women in our military are there to do a job, to serve our country, and to fight to not only protect the people there, but here as well. Thousands of American men and women have given their lives and their souls to serve our country.<br /><br />As one may have guessed by two prior references (Ft. Drum and Ft. Irwin), Tracy is closely tied to the <a href="http://www.army.mil/">United States Army</a>, as she is married to Pete, who is a soldier with the 10th Mountain Division, Light Infantry.<br /><br />On October 31, 2006, Pete's friend and fellow soldier, Major Douglas E. Sloan, was killed in the line of duty in the Wygal Valley in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan">Afghanistan</a>, while serving with <span class="details">Company B, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment</span>. You can read more about Doug <a href="http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/desloan.htm">here</a> at the Arlington National Cemetary website.<br /><br />As every drop of spilled blood in the line of duty hits home, the loss of Major Sloan was devastating to his family and friends back in the States. The community of Fort Drum mourned Doug's passing and hearts went out to his wife Kerry and their children.<br /><br />In December 2006, to pay tribute to Doug's memory, Tracy and three friends, including Kerry, went to <a href="http://www.tattoos-forever.com/">Tattoos Forever</a> in Evans Mills, NY, and each had the same inscription inked. In hindsight, Tracy recalls how funny it must have appeared, for four moms in minivans to drive up to the shop and collectively get tattooed.<br /><br />It is a recurring theme on tattoo shows. Memorial tattoos are among the most popular types of body art. People mourn, heal, and remember through the art of the tattoo. And a piece of the loved one lives on, for years, in the flesh of the survivors, who gain strength and hold on to the memory of the departed.<br /><br />The alliterative mantra of "Faith, Family, and Friends" reminds not only the tattooed, but those around them, of the most important things in life.<br /><br />I want to thank Tracy for sharing her tattoos, and the stories behind them. I would add a special nod of gratitude to the memory of Major Douglas Sloan, who I never knew. Yet, by virtue of this tattoo, helped remind me of the sacrifice that our soldiers make day in, day out, and their families they leave behind.<br /><br />Some related links:<br /><br />A touching tribute to Major Sloan from YouTube:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/okXkQlOoEX0&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/okXkQlOoEX0&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Also of note, <a href="http://www.oxy.edu/">Occidental College</a> professor <a href="http://www.marybethheffernan.com/bio.html">Mary Beth Heffernan's</a> <a href="http://www.marybethheffernan.com/skin.html">"The Soldier's Skin,"</a> currently <a href="http://www.pasadena.edu/calendar/eventitem.cfm?ID=7555">on exhibit</a> at <a href="http://www.pasadena.edu/">Pasadena City College</a>.<br /><br />****<br /><br /><br />Tracy's husband Pete subsequently returned from Afghanistan, but has since returned to duty overseas. On behalf of all of our Tattoosday readers, I want to thank Tracy and Pete, for their commitment and sacrifice, and for sharing this one story among thousands, with us here at Tattoosday.

Tattoos I Know: Tracy's Tributes (Re-Post)

Let's take a moment and pause from our regularly-scheduled programming this Veteran's Day to remember the men and women who serve ou...

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Rebecca's Memorial Butterfly

I met Rebecca a couple months ago in Penn Station and asked her about her tattoos.<br /><br />Of the eleven, she shared this one from her leg:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVgUulu3QVCEao1jfFiQPBCu6GwsB49sz5_2R6Wj2pDhKAg_Qz6UTAPnwVOYLWsFLBfdBQ5olIqRlO16LZQCsJQ192zsK8CwdFuXjDAkhELNFUIJI0MtokrMU-qaUApHiHuTFAJpY/s1600/butterfly+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVgUulu3QVCEao1jfFiQPBCu6GwsB49sz5_2R6Wj2pDhKAg_Qz6UTAPnwVOYLWsFLBfdBQ5olIqRlO16LZQCsJQ192zsK8CwdFuXjDAkhELNFUIJI0MtokrMU-qaUApHiHuTFAJpY/s400/butterfly+wm.jpg" width="372" /></a></div><br />This beautiful, yet battered, butterfly is a memorial to her unborn child. She lost the baby when she was just nineteen. The cherry blossoms are often symbolic of the fleeting nature of life.<br /><br />The tattoo was completed on October 13, 2007 by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/natestattoos">Nate Hudson</a> when he was at <a href="http://www.vabeachink.com/">Virginia Beach Ink</a>. He now tattoos at <a href="http://folkcitytattoo.com/?page_id=35">Folk City Tattoo</a> in Suffolk, Virginia. As today is October 13, I've been hanging on to this post, not only to correspond with the day the tattoo was finished, but also the due date of the baby that was lost.<br /><br />We here at Tattoosday truly thank Rebecca for sharing, not only this poignant tattoo, but also for allowing us to relate the emotional story behind this butterfly.

Rebecca's Memorial Butterfly

I met Rebecca a couple months ago in Penn Station and asked her about her tattoos. Of the eleven, she shared this one from her leg: This bea...

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