inked!

I've been wanting a tattoo for several years now. But, I know how I am, and I tend to change my mind a bit. I really didn't want to be stuck with something for the rest of my life, and not be in love with it. So the deal I made with myself was that if I still wanted the same tattoo when I turned 30, I'd get it. This is what I'd wanted:

I wanted it to be red with black shading, about an inch tall, and on the lower part of the back of my neck.
30 will be here Saturday (ugh!), so I went to Acme Ink yesterday to get my fleur de lis. When I described this to the guy doing my tattoo, he didn't think that was a good idea- something about red being blotchy, I'd look like a cardinals fan, and the tattoo would be disproportionately small for that big a body part. He convinced me to go larger, and incorporate the red on a smaller scale. But, once he was done with the black and grey, he said "huh, I think I like it just like this, it looks good with your pale skin." (Wait... should I be offended?)
Anyway, after looking at it, I decided he was right- it looks great!

So, despite my previous apprehension of large tattoos, this is what I ended up with, and I LOVE it! Damn, Slim, you're freakin' good.

(Just an FYI- it's really had to take a picture of the back of your own neck. I had to use 2 mirrors and hold the camera, hence the funny looking shoulder blades.)