*Rant* Covering Myself

And I don't mean with long sleeves and long pants.

Since I've been discussing my trip to Hell City, I've gotten more than the usual interest in both my current tattoos and those I have planned. More than I hate anything, I hate the "Are you going to cover yourself in them?". Most people are genuinely curious, but tend to say it like there's something morally wrong with it. Some people are just being assholes about it and look down their nose at me because no having tattoos gives them some kind of moral high ground.

For the record, it's the question I hate the most. If I want to cover myself, that's my decision. I'm an adult and I'm perfectly capable of handling the consequences of my actions. I don't need to be reminded that they're not socially acceptable. Do you think I somehow missed that memo every day of my life when someone stares at me for too long or I have to wear a sweater in July? Just shut up about it. Seriously. I don't comment about habits of yours that I think are strange. I don't comment if you want a boob job or a nose job or to dye your hair. You have your forms of modification, I have mine.

Please do me a favor and keep it to yourself. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings by losing my temper at the wrong time over it. I know most people have know way of knowing the frequency with which I find myself answering this question. Consider this your public service announcement. I know what I'm doing, so please respect that, and keep it to yourself.

PSA: Bandaging Your Tattoos

As I think I've mentioned, I've been on Yahoo answers a ton trying to spread the gospel of tattoo goodness. What I've noticed more than anything is how many people suggest keeping a tattoo bandaged for more than a few hours and, what's worse, with Saran wrap. In short, DON'T DO IT.

A tattoo is an open wound (duh) and wounds need to breathe. The only reason they're even bandaged in the first place is because of the bleeding. I even use the term "bandaged" loosely because I don't think Saran wrap counts. It certainly doesn't stop the bleeding and it creates a bacteria playground. That aside, once you've had it on for a few hours, let that puppy breathe.

I would only advocate bandaging with actual guaze and then Saran wrap if you know you're going to be getting into something that might cause infection. Yard work comes to mind. Once you're done, take it off immediately. Keeping it bandaged will just slow the whole process down because it isn't getting the chance to heal properly. Ever kept a bandaid on a cut constantly and it took forever to heal? There's a reason for that.

I hope that all my readers (har har) have the good sense to not do that, but I just had to get it out there. Say no to bandaging!

Public Service Announcement: Tattoos and Antibiotics

This is something that's somehow managed to get overlooked. As I mentioned, I was put on antibiotics about the same time I was tattooed. I figured I would be okay because antibiotics help with healing, right? Wrong!

The antibiotics attacked my tattoo. My whole upper arm was swollen and the tattoo itself was very hot to the touch. It scabbed up within 24 hours of being tattooed. The swelling and pain would only decrease when the antibiotic had left my system. So, every time I took another pill, I was enduring the swelling and pain.

Since antibiotics are so common these days, I thought I'd warn my fellow modders. If you're on antibiotics and looking to get tattooed, wait until you're done with the course. Ideally, wait a day or two after you're done with the course to ensure it's no longer in your system. You don't want to risk what happened to me. The tattoo didn't fall out, but I'm still dealing with scabbing and it will probably need a touch up.

Happy inking, but make sure it's antibiotic free!