Tattoo Tuesdays: Hello Mister Misfortune

I remember the days when I didn't like to read. "Ahhh . . . Maddie don't say that," I'm sure is what you are thinking, but it is true. Regardless I had this innate sense to horde books when given the chance. A bookshelf in my room growing up (only one?) was slowly filled with books received as gifts or books I glimpsed at school book fairs. The gifts, more often than not, were given by a relative with thoughts of spurring me onto reading . . . what they deemed 'appropriate' or 'enticing', meaning young Maddie was unlikely to read it. I kept the books because that innate sense said "Keep these books, smart people, bookish people, have books and lots of them." I was facinated by this magical breed of humans.

I had quite the hodge podge collection; from basketball memoirs to self-help books to Christian themed chapter books (fiction and non-fiction). Even now I want to ask people what they were thinking with their book choices. It is obvious they were not taking into consideration that children and adults do not have the same motivational igniters.

One such horded classic was The Borrowers by Mary Norton. I have never read it. I tried over and over again to read it, but as I said back then I was not a reader. The cover so intrigued me, three 'little people' gathered round a giant wooden block in the act various tasks. I wanted so badly to be the bookish type and perhaps I kept it in lieu of that day coming. Sadly I don't have the book anymore. I may have purged my shelves at some point or donated it, I can't remember. This post has decided for me that the book will make it back to my shelves and to my tbr pile.

Why am I telling you this on a Tattoo Tuesdays post? The first thing I thought of when I saw today's tattoo was little people, Borrowers. (insert smile) It took me down memory lane and I wanted to reminisce with you.




“Misfortunes make us wise” ~Mary Norton (The Borrowers Afield)



The 'Misfortune' of my youth (of which I have many) would be that I can't claim to have always loved books and reading. However, just as the quote says, and the tattoo shows by the butterflies fluttering away, is that this bit of history from my past has made me wise. I can use it my writing. I can instill it (or maybe enforce would be a firmer rhetoric to follow, insert grin) in my children what I neglected to do in my youth; love books, love reading, and everything that goes with it.


Other Features for today:




COLOR! I would agree with the Tumblr person's sentiment "I want to kiss it."

 

 

If you haven't listened to Lydia, go now and do so!
This is Lydia's Illuminate cd cover*.
My favorite song (not on that album) is It's In Your Blood.

*According to the click through link the tattoo is by Kyle Berg at Dark Water Tattoos in Illinois.

Tattoo Tuesdays: It's a Jamboree!

I suppose the only real celebration to be had is that...I'm back! Tattoo Tuesdays is one of my favorite posts and you know something else, it is my mum's favorite too. I mention that because it is funny to me. She is strongly against tattoos, especially with my considerations for getting one, but loves to hear what I have to say about the various tattoos I come across. Maybe we should have an interview with mum sometime, to get to the bottom of this phenomenon.

Here's a time where I wish I could give my shyness a nice beating. This past week I was in Chicago for a business trip. I of course visited a local Barnes & Noble (in the Schaumburg area). The gal that rang up my purchases had a tattoo, but not just any tattoo. A bookish tattoo! An awesome bookish tattoo!!!  Curses! Why couldn't I find the courage to ask her for a picture? 'Barnes & Noble cool tattoo cashier' if you read this, please send me a picture (insert pleading smile).

Are any of you familiar with Macaulay Culkin's smash hit (in my opinion) The Pagemaster? For shame, if you answered no or looked at me with that deer in the headlights look, as one of my friends did.

Richard (Culkin) is a cowardly boy, in what starts out as a live action film. He quickly finds himself turned animated illustration in a world of BOOKS! His fellow cartoon friends happen to be books each representing a different classic genre. There is Adventure, resembling a pirate and voiced by Patrick Stewart. Then there is Fantasy dressed to impress fairy style and voiced by Whoopi Goldberg. The more cowardly and sad, Horror, than as his name would suggest, is voiced by Frank Welker.

I used to watch this film over and over again as a kid. I think it is time to find it and watch it again!

The tattoo featured each of the books and spanned the entire length of her left arm. Half of the tattoo was in color, while the other half was only in the outline stage. She was headed back to the shop the next day for another 8 to 9 hours in the chair! At least I had the courage to talk to her about the tattoo. She told me her other arm would be next with an Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton style, tattoo. Again if you find this post...please send pictures. :)

Also, because this post wouldn't be complete without some actual inkings...here are some recent favorites worth seeing.

Click the picture for a cool backgroud story about this tattoo.

Advertising is the ability to sense, interpret... to put the very heart
throbs of a business into type, paper and ink.
~Leo Burnett