Two Stars Shining on Nicole

A common Tattoosday ritual for me is to go to the bank at lunch and, time permitting, head over to the <a href="http://www.manhattanmallny.com/">Manhattan Mall</a> and make a circuit through the food court, before heading back to the office.<br /><br />Needless to say, as any regular Tattoosday reader could tell you, pickings have been slim since the mercury dropped below 50 for the season.<br /><br />Yet I am an optimist, and forever on the lookout for ink, as evidenced by last week's <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/01/world-is-full-of-kings-and-queens.html">"Queen of Hearts" post.</a><br /><br />However, my hopes were slim as I headed out at lunch and encountered a drizzle that the meteorologists hadn't forecasted until the evening. Nonetheless, I went to the bank on 6th Avenue and then visited the mall.<br /><br />The location introduced me to Alex (<a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2007/10/atom-strange.html">here</a>) and has had promising ink displays, discovered only when the weather drove me indoors. I passed out a flier or two in the food court earlier this winter, but to no avail. The one problem with the food court is inherent in its very nature. Most<br />denizens are eating, and I am reluctant to disrupt the meals of people, tattooed or otherwise.<br /><br />On Tat-Tuesday, I made the food court pass, seeing nothing, and was on my way out when two<br />tattooed stars behind a young woman's ear caught my eye:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXG8EZvNqgZbKYPeJpxZzVLOYoWTYcClM3tG1I9zIR32dOVqYLagQ5S_FFKsPmQSSAOFGbQUJ4OtBcWPF7umHebvvjUmYcd1vsRaThr-lDhySGTJgzT9zfaLv2ox6LPjyhXQUmxfNauyPc/s1600-h/100_6328.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161137416605228850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXG8EZvNqgZbKYPeJpxZzVLOYoWTYcClM3tG1I9zIR32dOVqYLagQ5S_FFKsPmQSSAOFGbQUJ4OtBcWPF7umHebvvjUmYcd1vsRaThr-lDhySGTJgzT9zfaLv2ox6LPjyhXQUmxfNauyPc/s400/100_6328.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" /></a><br />To be honest, I've never been bowled over by stars, but these were colorful, and it is January, and even the simplest tats can be fraught with meaning.<br /><br />Nicole was sitting alone (another plus, on the approachability scale, as I tend to shy away from groups) and she had a coffee and <a href="http://www.cinnabon.com/flash.html">Cinnabon</a> on the table, as she played with her cell phone.<br /><br />I approached and asked if I could talk to her about her stars and she gladly obliged.<br /><br />Nicole and I discussed the two stars behind her right ear.<br /><br />They have no significance, they are just decoration, "for the hell of it," done partially out of boredom.<br /><br />So the next question is generally the "how many do you have" inquiry. Nicole reacted to the question like most people who have a ton of ink: uncertainty. My limited experience leads me to believe that, somewhere between twelve and eighteen, one loses count.<br /><br />At that point the ink has taken on a life of its own, and the clusters, sometimes themed, sometimes not, become sleeves.<br /><br />Such was Nicole's situation: under the winter coat and long pants blossomed an explosion of colorful ink. I did not see them, nor did I ask, but she catalogued a host of designs, "mostly girlie stuff," like stars, flowers, and hearts.<br /><br />"About six years worth..." of accumulated ink.<br /><br />Like most people, Nicole is loyal to one shop, <a href="http://www.nyadorned.com/jewelry/index.htm">New York Adorned</a> (featured previously <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2007/10/you-must-believe-in-spring.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2007/09/welcome-to-his-nightmare.html">here</a> on Tattoosday). The artist who inked the "baby pink" and "baby blue" stars was <a href="http://www.myspace.com/bryan_randolph">Bryan Randolph</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Nicole and her two shining stars! Here's hoping she'll make a return to Tattoosday in the future!

Two Stars Shining on Nicole

A common Tattoosday ritual for me is to go to the bank at lunch and, time permitting, head over to the Manhattan Mall and make a circuit th...

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