Blog posts of '2015' 'June'

The big day (or night) is finally here. You have tested, pondered and selected your perfect tattoo, and then you found the perfect tattoo shop to get your tattoo design inked. You know that you are going to treasure this tattoo for the rest of your life, and you are eager to get the process underway. However, just because you have decided that this tattoo is for you does not mean it is all over yet. You still have one more responsibility before you hand over the reins, and your tattoo stencil and color guide to the tattoo artist. You need to be sure that your body is as prepared as possible to get this tattoo so that the experience is as pleasant, painless and convenient as possible. 

Of course, the most important part of getting a tattoo is being prepared. You need to know what you want going in so that you can clearly communicate your desires to a tattoo artist and get the perfect tattoo. The best way to accomplish this part of getting a tattoo is to bring in your own stencil that you have already selected to be your tattoo design. A stencil is a temporary pattern that can be transferred to your skin to serve as a guide for your tattoo. Generally, stencils also come with color guides or colored images to further guide the tattoo artist as they create your tattoo. You should also have already decided on a location for your tattoo and discussed this with the tattoo artists. Some tattoo artists will tattoo anywhere, while others have a few areas of the body that they consider too painful or too personal to ink. 

When the big day arrives, it pays to take care of yourself. Getting a tattoo involves sitting still for an extended length of time while a process that ranges in effect from mildly irritating to quite painful, depending on the person and the location of the tattoo, is carried out. As a result, you need to be prepared to hold a position and resist wiggling, squirming or flinching as you get your tattoo. The best way to be prepared for this process is to be well rested and well nourished. While you might think that being tired will help you hold still, in reality being tired will make you and your body less tolerant of the sensation of being tattooed and cause you to have less resistance when it comes to fidgeting. Also, make sure that you have eaten before you get a tattoo. Even though most people do not find the tattoo process particularly painful, holding still for that long and the mildly painful sensation of a needle driving ink into your skin can make you lightheaded. The best way to avoid this is to eat a healthy but light meal about thirty minutes before you get tattooed. Avoid heavy and greasy foods that might upset your stomach or give you heartburn so that you can be as comfortable as possible while you are getting tattooed.

What you drink before getting your tattoo is also very important. You should drink plenty of water so that you are well hydrated, but avoid alcohol and caffeine. Both can make you fidgety, necessitate frequent trips to the bathroom and make the tattooing process more painful. Many tattoo shops will refuse to tattoo you if you have been drinking or are visibly drunk. While this is partly for their own protection, it is mostly for yours, as selecting a tattoo while intoxicated can lead you to make life changing, and body altering decisions that cannot be reversed. Also, if you have been drinking alcohol before getting tattooed, you will likely bleed much more than you would otherwise. This makes it harder to tattoo you and can create hysteria if you are already drunk. Of course, you should also avoid drugs before tattooing. Many people think that some types of drugs, such as marijuana or pain relievers, will help them relax during the tattooing process. However, in reality they can make the process feel as if it is dragging on by affecting your perception of time, and also can make the process much more painful. As with alcohol, drug use generally causes tattoo artists to call a halt to the tattooing process until a time at which you are sober. 

Getting a tattoo is exciting, but most people know understand that it is going to sting a little. Being prepared in every aspect is the best way to make your tattoo experience the best experience possible. By preparing yourself mentally and physically for getting a tattoo, you set yourself up to really enjoy the tattooing experience, and to eagerly anticipate getting your next tattoo.

Gargoyles are architectural elements of carved stone with a spout that is designed to be a path for water to move from the roof and down the side of the building. (If the gargoyle does not have a waterspout, then it is technically a "chimera" or "grotesque" because it simply a statute.) Legend says that gargoyles keep away the evil spirits and protect the building and its inhabitants from harm. In medieval times, people also believed that the rainwater that passed through a true gargoyle is transformed into holy water. In modern fiction, gargoyles are usually depicted as winged demonic race with horns, tails and claws. They are said to be the guardians of the building they rest on, able to fly around the city at night but confined to stone during the day.

Gargoyle tattoos are talismans of protection and guard the wearer from evil spirits or harm. They can also represent death or defying the forces of death. 

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A horseshoe is a U-shaped item made of metal or modern synthetic materials and then nailed or glued to the hooves of an animal, usually a horse. It's meant to protect the horse's feet from wear and tear, just like a shoes does for a human. Professional horseshoers are called 'farriers''. They place the horseshoes on the outside surface of the hoof by nailing through the insensitive hoof wall (which is like the human toenail only much larger and thicker.)

Horseshoes are often kept as a talisman and said to bring good luck in many cultures. A common tradition is that if a horseshoe is hung on a door with the two ends pointing up,good luck will happen. If placed with the ends down, bad luck will occur. Other traditions say it doesn't matter how the horseshoes is hung, so long as it has been worn by horse already, found and not purchased, and can be touched. In almost all traditions, luck is contained in the shoe and can pour out through the ends.

One reputed origin of the tradition of lucky horseshoes is the story of Saint Dunstan and the Devil. Dunstan, who became the Archbishop of Canterbury in AD 959, was a blacksmith by trade. The story relates that he once nailed a horseshoe to the Devil's hoof when he was asked to re-shoe the Devil's hoof. This caused the Devil great pain, and Dunstan only agreed to remove the shoe and release the Devil after the Devil promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is hung over the door.

Another theory concerning the placing of horseshoes above doorways is to ward off fairies. The theory was that fairies are repelled by iron and as horseshoes were an easily available source of iron, they could be nailed above a door to prevent any unwanted, otherworldly guests. One can see how the custom, as people began to forget the stories concerning the Fair Folk, eventually morphed into a simple good luck charm.

Horseshoe tattoos can stand alone as a symbol of good luck or may be incorporated with other good luck tattoos, such as four-leaf clovers and dice. Horseshoe tattoos can also be symbols and talismans of fertility.

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Lightning is the atmospheric discharge of electricity, usually during thunderstorms. A bolt of lightning can travel at 60,000 m/s and can reach temperatures as high as 30,000 degrees Celsius. Lightning get so hot that when lightning strikes sand, it has the ability to fuse sand into glass. 

The expression "Lightning never strikes twice (in the same place)" is similar to "Opportunity never knocks twice" in the vein of a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, i.e., something that is generally considered improbable. Lightning occurs frequently and more so in specific areas. Since various factors alter the probability of strikes at any given location, repeat lightning strikes have a very low probability (but are not impossible).

To the Greeks, lightning bolts were thrown by the very hands of Zeus, the father of all the Gods, and the principal God on Mount Olympus. In Norse legends, Thor was the God of Thunder, and lightning bolts were the sparks that flew when his mighty war-hammer hit its target, often the skull of a Frost Giant. Lightning was a symbol of power, and because it could not be predicted, it was also a symbol of the capricious nature of the Gods and the world men lived in. Because lightning often accompanies a rainstorm, lightning also was seen as a symbol of fertility, rain being a crucial element to a successful crop. Some cultures saw lightning as male, as the sun was male and the earth as female.

Lightning bolt tattoos symbolize power, strength and energy. They are often used as flourishing around a word or action.

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