This weekend, I decided to visit my closest friends back at home. I didn't tell my parents or any of my other friends that I was coming home. I'm staying at my friend Jennifer's house with my friend Chloe for the weekend. We've all been friends since we were 7 years old when I first moved to New Jersey and we all live in the same neighborhood too. My friend Jennifer has been wanting to get her first tattoo for a while now, but she never had the guts to get it until this weekend. She's definitely following the quote "Go Big or Go Home" because she wants to get a big dragon going down from her hip to her thigh. For me, I started with a small quote on my collarbone, so it wasn't a scary first tattoo experience. Knowing that Jennifer has a low pain tolerance, I hope she'll make it through her tattoo session.
12:34 p.m. We arrived at the tattoo shop about 20 minutes ago and now we're just waiting on the tattoo artist, Dominic to set everything up. I know he's capable of doing the dragon tattoo because he did one of my tattoos and he also did all of my body piercings. Jennifer's extremely nervous and she's hoping it won't be as painful as she imagines it to be.
1:05 p.m. Dominic is starting to put the stencil of her tattoo on her hip/thigh. He asks her if she's ready and she nervously answers, "yes.." He then starts on the tattoo and she's relieved because it wasn't as painful as she thought it would be.
1:30 p.m. "Never mind!" she yells as she squeezes my hand so hard that I feel pain too. I didn't want to complain and tell her she was squeezing too hard because I know she's in more pain than I am. As she's squeezing my hand, I could feel the bones in my fingers crack. Even worse, she starts to dig her nails into my hand. She lets go and starts biting on her jacket. I could see her hand and nails imprinted on my skin. "Ow.." I said.
2:38 p.m. Outlining the tattoo is known to be the most painful part and after an hour and a half of tattooing, the whole dragon is outlined and 1/4 finished. she decides to take a break before continuing and dreads finishing the tattoo. Dominic gives her the option of finishing the tattoo in 3 weeks if she can't take the pain anymore. Jennifer decides to stay strong and finish the whole piece in one day.
3:45 p.m. An hour has passed and our other friend Chloe finally comes after running some errands. She brings me a coffee and a salad from Wawa . Jennifer was in so much pain that she didn't even want to eat. It was the first meal of the day for me because I didn't have an appetite in the morning. My stomach was growling and begging for food the whole time. The first bite of my salad was heavenly. Even though it was only a salad, it was probably the best salad I've ever eaten. Wawa coffee was exactly what I needed after my salad. My hunger finally subsides and I feel content.
4:33 p.m. "Almost done!" Jennifer's eyes brightens up. She said it was the best thing she heard all day. The tattoo is basically finished, but now it's time to pick the colors for the flowers. After 10 minutes of deciding, she goes for the color orange and red. I didn't know if it would look good because I've never seen orange and red on a flower before.
4:45 p.m. As expected, Dominic never fails to disappoint. After blending the colors red and orange on the flowers, the tattoo is finally complete! It was one of Dominic's favorite piece, so he took a couple pictures for his Instagram. It was extremely tempting to get something done while I was there, but I fought the urge because it would've been an impulsive decision. And also because I'm a broke college student.
Jessica, this entry was really entertaining! It's funny because my weekend was similar in that I almost impulsively got a piercing done but didn't because I didn't want to make an impulsive mistake and I too am a broke college student. I love the colors in your friend's tattoo and how it turned out!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jessica!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog post to be very interesting. I really like how detailed your post was.Also, I like how you described the part where your friend squeezed your hand too hard. It reminded me of some of the experiences I had with my own friends. It's great that you got to spend some time with your friends. I'm looking forward to more of your posts!
Hey Jessica! I was really interested reading this post because I felt the same anxieties and pain as your friend did when getting my first tattoo. I could almost picture your friend in my head squeezing your hand to the point where it's all numb since I did the same to my friend who went with me. But if I were at the tattoo parlor I'd also be fighting the urge to get another one, so I totally agree on being a broke college student as we all are! Also your friend's tattoo is really cool, I don't know how she got a tattoo that big especially it being her first one. All aside I really like it!
ReplyDeleteMy roommate and my dorm-mates also got tattoos and honestly, this post is so accurate and it was exactly how that process went through. That was a really fun time for me so I'm glad your post reminded me of it, thank you!
ReplyDeleteWow what a awesome tattoo. It is great that you can be there for your friend in a time of need like getting a tattoo. I have never got a tattoo but I imagine I would of wanted my friends by my side just like she had. Can not believe she got that big tattoo for her first one, definitely took some courage.
ReplyDeleteHey Jessica, my friend is actually thinking about getting her nose pierced this upcoming weekend so I can now us this post as a little foresight into what that experience will be like. I enjoyed reading this despite never really having too much interest in getting tattoos. Atleast now I know that if I ever decide to get one not to make it big and or on my hip.
ReplyDeleteJessica, this was a really good post and that tattoo looks pretty awesome. You're a good friend to go home for the weekend so that your friend Jennifer didn't have to get a tattoo alone. Being in the chair for 3+ hours is incredible and I can only imagine how somebody with a low pain tolerance could do that on their first tattoo.
ReplyDeleteThis was a funny story to tell. Very descriptive and entertaining. My respect to your friend. I personally wouldn't be able to get a tattoo of any size or finishing it in one day. Just because like your brave friend, my tolerance for pain is on the floor, or at least I think so due to horrible experience with waxing. I know is not the same, but still. She is pretty cool for that! Meanwhile, me sitting here I'm feeling her pain and yours, so I think I'll skip on the tattooing for the rest of my life.
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