Of Titletown and Tattoos

Big shout out to my sister and my three nieces as they travel to the high school State Bowling tournament.  All four are on the team--obviously, my sister is the coach, not a high school bowler.  How awesome is that? I predict they will CRUSH the competition like bugs.  Good luck, lady Rams!
 
Well, now doesn't that blog title make it sound like people in Titletown are getting tattoos in honor of the Packer victory in Sunday's Super Bowl?  That wasn't my original intention--they are two different topics I wanted to include in one blog--but, turns out that this blog IS about Titletown, tattoos AND Titletown fans getting tattoos in honor of this illustrious occasion.  I was going to call it, "Titletown, Toes and Tattoos," but decided my healing toe didn't deserve top billing.

We were at Master Reiki and Blue Eyes house for the big "XLV" game.  A friend--who is a HUGE Packer fan--walked in the door for the big event and showed us her new tattoo--her first tattoo (and she is way over the age of 50--what was she waiting for???!!)--a personally-designed Super Bowl-themed ankle bracelet featuring the Packer Logo, the Steeler Logo, a football and the "XLV" for the year of the bowl.  Talk about gutsy!  Getting a tattoo BEFORE you know the outcome of the game is gutsy.  She was celebrating a Packer victory before the victory was said and done.  As the wife says, "that was pretty risky."

Trust me, our friend got a little nervous at times during the game, especially when the Steelers were marching down the field in the last few minutes.  It's too late to remove that pre-game tattoo if you team loses.

I'm sure many a Packer Fan is sporting a new tattoo in honor of the Super Bowl Victory.  This isn't just a game, no matter what us Penny Heads think.  I'm glad a victory was secured so our friend will have uber-fond memories of this momentous event.

The wife hung in there during this ever-important game.  As she has been fighting sciatica (and, I'm not sure who is winning at this point), she tried to stay calm, take everything in stride, focus on keeping her muscles as relaxed as possible....and, stretch during the game.  When things seemed to get pensive (the wife's word), she would suddenly drop to the ground and start doing stretches people do for back issues. 

It's pretty funny to see someone stretching while watching a sporting event on TV, but it seemed to work, so I did not laugh.  Too loudly.

As you know (if you live in the Western Hemisphere), the Packers won the Super Bowl and thus the wife did not spontaneously combust, which is a very good thing.  At the end of the game, I look over and see that she is sobbing.  Sobbing!  This Packer thing is SERIOUS business for her, her family and the state of Wisconsin.  I can't list all the reasons she was sobbing, but trust me that there were myriad reasons.  All poor Blue Eyes wanted to do is get a photo of all of us in front of the big screen TV with the Packer victory in the background, but she couldn't get the wife off the phone, as the wife was celebrating from afar with her dad, brothers, sisters, in-laws and the like.

This has all been too much for the wife.  Now, she has a cold or the flu or both.  It's stressful being an avid Packer fan.  While most cheeseheads are out celebrating in the streets, the wife is laying feverish in the sheets.  (I couldn't resist a little rhyme, tacky as it is.)  Whatever will happen when they repeat the victory next year?  She may actually combust.  I'll have to keep a fire extinguisher next to me during the game.

As for tattoos, I went and heard Margo Mifflin, author of this book (pictured here), speak at the local college (which just happens to be my alma mater) last night.  I was all a-glow when I heard she was coming to town, as I love tattoos, I love her book, I love books about women with tattoos.  I thought here, "here's my chance to get my book autographed!"  I sat with an auditorium-full of college students and professors--it was a very big crowd, as they had to be there to fulfill a college requirement.  Can you imagine?  It's a college requirement to attend a lecture on women with tattoos!  When I was in school, we had to listen to lame old white men babble on about things of no redeeming value and of which I cannot recall one, not even one, topic.  Had topics like this been included, I would have been running to these required Forum lectures!

Anyways, the book is great, Ms. Mifflin is great, the lecture was interesting. I stuck around after the lecture in an effort to get her autograph.  As several people had questions (more like comments and opinions to me), I had to patiently wait to meet her.  Twenty-two year old college students have much to say, so it was a long wait.  I only chimed in once--that's when one of the youngsters said she can't decide on a design because "what will it look like when I'm 40 or 50?  People who are 40 or 50 don't look good with tattoos."  I literally interrupted and said, "HEY NOW! As a 50 year old person with tattoos, you're making me nervous!"  That got a laugh (no, I'm not 50, but 48.75 is pretty close) and gave pause to the 22 year old.  I wasn't sure if she was going to ask about my age or my tattoos.  Her friend asked the burning question...."do you have any tattoos?"

I just laughed.  Do I have any tattoos?!!

The author, by the way, does NOT have any tattoos.  Interesting.  Nobody asked her age but they did ask if she had any tattoos.

It was at this point I jumped in, handed her the book, admitted I was a local stalker and asked for her autograph.  She obliged, looked a wee bit shocked or amused or confused or whatever--most people must not approach her after lectures asking for her autograph.  The students were all stunned into silence.  "WHERE did you get THAT book?" they exclaimed.  Um, people! There is this thing called the internet and it is much more useful than just for buying ring tones and social networking.  I assured them they could find it on line.

So, the Packers won the Super Bowl, I got my tattoo book autographed.....and, my toe is on the mend.  It was a big hit at Blue Eyes birthday party.  Why, here is a picture of my foot eating some birthday cake and partying with all the peeps.  I got a lot of ooohs and ahhhhhs and a few diagnoses.  Seems like gout is the front runner, followed by some unremembered, obviously lame injury.  Since things seem to be healing nicely, I am going to let sleeping dogs (as in feet) lie.  Lay.  Lie.  Buttever.  I highly doubt that it is gout.  If other joints spontaneously swell and burst into color, I will go to the doctor and seek help.  If nothing further occurs, we can make fun of the "I don't know" diagnosis and call it a day.  My mother had the best answer:  it was an injury designed to turn green and gold just in time for the Packer Super Bowl game.

Come to think of it, the bruise WAS green and gold by the time the game rolled around.....

.....coincidence?  I think not.
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