Might as well make it fully public.

I have become, by choice, a member of a visually identifiable minority, and one which suffers some degree of prejudice.

Yup, I got a tattoo.


To be fair, this was not a rushed decision. The design and placement have been settled since before I even met the LA, which does date it somewhat; she and I are only just over a year from our first wedding anniversary, and the wedding was not a spur-of-the-moment thing; we'd been intending to marry over two years by that point.

I can highly recommend the place I went to: Diablo Ink, in Pleasant Hill (or, as the business cards have it, Pleasant Hell). My artist was the owner, Rickey-Lee, but all the artists there are good, and the prices are very reasonable for California. Multiple friends of mine have been very satisfied with work from Diablo Ink, and I'm expecting to remain happy with my ink; everyone who's commented on it so far has said very nice things about the choice of design and quality of work.

Right now, that arm is itching, and I'm fighting the urge to scratch. In about a month, it'll be fully healed, but right now it's still slightly fragile. As for the inevitable questions about whether I'm intending to add to it, I don't know at this point. I don't have anything in mind, though, so given my self-imposed rules for tattoos (minimum of a year wanting the same design and placement), I won't be getting inked again this year, and probably not next!