Love is a Mix Tape

On a recent trek to <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/">Starbucks</a> at 31st and 7th Avenue, I saw someone sitting at the table lining the window. I thought to myself, "Hmmm... She looks she would have tattoos....". This is just the way I think. However, there was no visible ink on this person.<br /><br />Standing in line, a minute or two later, I discovered I was right at first, wrong at second. The young lady, indeed, had a tattoo:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHUJ7dKaGObTyBFz_cNx0Y0lQMQyaRU6CWeAuPYFjzmcJfbfHckMPfm8Q2e0Mq7hijYdMKQ6jI1TFpMh7L-iM3jIYJfH1gHGxdBMaycQg7qVQHfBSgCsqNY8zSa_5aCR5pumOiOdr1CRn/s1600-h/100_5293.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117259568124729538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHUJ7dKaGObTyBFz_cNx0Y0lQMQyaRU6CWeAuPYFjzmcJfbfHckMPfm8Q2e0Mq7hijYdMKQ6jI1TFpMh7L-iM3jIYJfH1gHGxdBMaycQg7qVQHfBSgCsqNY8zSa_5aCR5pumOiOdr1CRn/s400/100_5293.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a>After grabbing my venti sugar-free cinnamon dulce (with room) <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_beverage_detail.asp?selproducts=%7B97b5582d-25ac-452b-920c-857f5f83c616%7D&straction=getdefault">Americano</a>, I headed over and introduced myself.<br /><br />The possessor of the skull tattoo <del>was</del> is Vanessa, a student at <a href="http://www.purchase.edu/">SUNY Purchase</a>. The tattoo above was Vanessa's first, and originated from her being fond of cassette tapes, a characteristic her friends tease her about. She loves mix tapes. I asked if she had read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Mix-Tape-Life-Loss/dp/1400083028">Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Sheffield">Rob Sheffield</a>, which is a love song to the mix tape. She had.<br />Here's a little more detail:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ofE7Y0Q2-w-RAf67lV6dPxdTlM_5mdccjsFEQk6YANJnRjQQcXQEMAzlgtIlUscOIpVQtolzlWdXn3PpHCT3ZUWbuZt02hIE-0N_P8sI4hLENLCDl4av7I7KmVtkdeaLsUI2JglyZxvF/s1600-h/100_5293a.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117259383441135794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ofE7Y0Q2-w-RAf67lV6dPxdTlM_5mdccjsFEQk6YANJnRjQQcXQEMAzlgtIlUscOIpVQtolzlWdXn3PpHCT3ZUWbuZt02hIE-0N_P8sI4hLENLCDl4av7I7KmVtkdeaLsUI2JglyZxvF/s400/100_5293a.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br />This piece was inked by Adam, owner of <a href="http://www.adambombgallerie.com/">Adambomb Gallerie</a>, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<br /><br />Vanessa, however, said that the tattoo meant little to her compared to this one, on the inside of her left forearm:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwx6OzMHNAJVtWdtmKt6PjudEBqCNnFkjMOJ5I_X-UKl_hYac2Gj0O2GaLAqJ5v4bvuHVeolC2BOZ9YtmRHwoDn51gXlG1DVpzjz12i0fm-MxRoYOWhS5llrTAKjbibGOCiY42HXZhyj1/s1600-h/100_5294.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117259323311593634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwx6OzMHNAJVtWdtmKt6PjudEBqCNnFkjMOJ5I_X-UKl_hYac2Gj0O2GaLAqJ5v4bvuHVeolC2BOZ9YtmRHwoDn51gXlG1DVpzjz12i0fm-MxRoYOWhS5llrTAKjbibGOCiY42HXZhyj1/s400/100_5294.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br />Seems pretty simple, yet Vanessa insisted that this basic tattoo had great meaning for her. It's the logo from <a href="http://www.eyeballrecords.com/">Eyeball Records</a> in New Jersey.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G6-Oqd2hoMEt_2jPf64u4zlgL9DIMloYlLSEKloO0XszaO7sqMnKTwa_GbQU-kycPd7WE4NAvYGb3xhPKOqMKGVqQtBxfhTB7VgQWDTIxUq535lfDrjm5ZnUHz3xSspCqnvh1444sAjU/s1600-h/eye.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118447135172008290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-G6-Oqd2hoMEt_2jPf64u4zlgL9DIMloYlLSEKloO0XszaO7sqMnKTwa_GbQU-kycPd7WE4NAvYGb3xhPKOqMKGVqQtBxfhTB7VgQWDTIxUq535lfDrjm5ZnUHz3xSspCqnvh1444sAjU/s400/eye.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a>Eyeball has a lot of indie bands, including a band with one of the coolest names I have heard in a while, <a href="http://www.itsnumber12time.com/">The Number Twelve Looks Like You</a>. Eyeball records, according to Vanessa, changed her life, which is why she paid tribute to it with the logo on her arm.<br /><br />Thanks to Vanessa for her contribution to Tattoosday!

Love is a Mix Tape

On a recent trek to Starbucks at 31st and 7th Avenue, I saw someone sitting at the table lining the window. I thought to myself, "Hmmm...

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