AOAC is a comic I'm doing page by page. I don't even know what's gonna happen, so don't ask! Lol.
Enjoy no. 1-4 ☺ No. Really. Look behind you. You see that? That's "off". "OFF" IS THE DIRECTION YOU NEED TO FUCK.* THANK YOU *Disclaimer: This is not directed at anyone SPECIFICALLY. If you feel that it is directed at you, that is your own issue.
XOXOXO 💋🖤 I know I used to post (somewhat) regularly, and one day....I just up and disappeared. Well, for the several thousand of you guys who stuck around, THANK YOU!!...and you deserve an explanation. I'm not going to get crazy into my personal life, and I'm not going to pour over everything in boring detail (that would take forever!), but I will wrap up the past 2 years in a neat little package for you. About 2 & 1/2 years ago I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis. It's an autoimmune disease similar to RA. It got so bad that I could barely walk, and I was in and out of the hospital for a while. The messed up thing was that tests were coming back pretty normal, and there are really no visible symptoms for this disease (aside from psoriasis...which I have never had). Basically my immune system decided that all the connective tissue in my body isn't supposed to be there, so it attacks all my tendons, cartilage, etc., as if they're viruses or bacteria, and tries to destroy them. This causes severe pain in all joints, in my sternum where my rib cage joins it (I was having chest pains so bad, I thought I had a heart attack a couple times), my spine, and worst of all; my hands & wrists. The pain and swelling in my hands and wrists is so bad that I haven't been able to tattoo for 2 years. I still can't. I'm on medication now that does help, but it's not magic. I can walk pretty normally, with limited pain, most days now. In fact most days, overall, I'm pretty okayish. The only issue that is remaining consistently are my hands and my wrists...so I still am unable to tattoo. Tattooing is my love and passion, and it was a huge blow to learn I may never be able to go back to it. Also, it kinda really sucked to have a doctor tell me that I have to live with a pretty painful disease for the rest of my life. This, combined with an extremely toxic and abusive relationship (which has been over and done with for some time now) kinda threw me on a whole downward spin. I'm still trying to climb my way back up. My kids help me a lot and my family helps me tremendously. I have a boyfriend who I adore, and we actually have a healthy relationship. My friends all kick ass. If I didn't have these people in my life, I don't know where I'd be right now. I'm still not okay, and I may be looking at surgery on my left wrist. The overall pain is better, but that's only because I'm injecting $2000 worth of medication into my thigh every week. If I miss a dose......it's just no good...I absolutely cannot do that. On the bright side though, mentally, I'm in a much better place. Anywaysss...so that's what happened, in a nutshell. Just remember, just because someone doesn't look like they're sick or struggling, doesn't mean that they aren't. This goes with mental illness and physical illness. A smile can hide a tremendous amount of pain. Thanks for reading. 💗Laura I know, I know....LONG TIME NO TALK!! My entire life has changed since last posting. Some for the better...some for the worse...some just *meh*. I'll be posting new content soon.....I promise!!!! If you know me...you know I NEVER break a promise. Huge thank you to everyone who kept stopping by!!!
Love you guys!!! 💋💋💋💋💋 Adulthood. Kinda sneaks up on you when you're not paying attention, doesn't it? One minute you have no responsibilities. The next minute, bills are stacking up, one kid needs braces, the other is starting school, and you're working constantly just to make ends meet. Yes, adulthood is one sneaky bastard. How do you know that you're an "adult"? I'm still not totally convinced that I'm a "grownup". In fact, I KNOW that I'm not. I still can't help but giggle or smirk (or, at the very least, think to myself, "That's what she said") whenever anything remotely sexual is said. Even if it wasn't used in a sexual definition, my brain suddenly turns into an 11 year old's and warps it so it sounds dirty. I basically turn about half of what I hear in commercials into double entendres. I REFUSE to share my toys/comics/video games...even with my own children. "You can look, but DO NOT TOUCH!!" My son wants to play with my Darth Vader action figure? No sir. You can have your own, but don't go messing with mommy's toys! (They're actually collectibles, but that's beside the point.) You want to read my comic pulls from this week? Absolutely not! I'm more than willing to pick you up a few issues for you to read though. No you can't play on my PS3!! You have a 360 all for yourself (or WiiU...depends on which of my sons is asking)! Why do you need to use mine? That being said, I play with my kids' toys ALL THE TIME! I will ABSOLUTELY dress up like comic characters for no reason at all. While dressed up, I totally become that character also. My idea of what "fun" is hasn't really changed too much since I was about 12 years old. "You want to dress all in black and run around the neighborhood playing manhunt? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP FOR THAT!!" (As long as I can get drunk first. Makes it more fun!) I still suck at committed relationships. I'm not afraid of commitment. I'm not afraid of falling in love. I just totally suck at relationships. It's not that I don't put effort into them. I totally do! A LOT of effort actually. I just am terrible when it comes to longer term relationships. I wind up freaking out and breaking it off most of the time. Why? I honestly have not a single clue. That being said... I don't mind being single either. No one has to try and conform me the their perfect girlfriend (which is good because I am FAR from perfect). When I'm single I don't really have to answer to anyone, and I do really like that aspect of being single. I will blow off work and other engagements to go to a punk show. Who's playing? WHO CARES!! A show's a show. Silly things make me SO happy! I will (and have) completely lost my mind because someone picked up a Lego Storm Trooper keychain light. Seriously. That little thing made me so happy for the longest time. I've been lucky enough to find people who are just as screwed up as I am...and I LOVE YOU GUYS!! There are so many reasons as to why I don't believe that I'm a "grownup"...at least in my brain. What really defines being grown up? If you know, let me know. This is information that I need. I HAVE TO HAVE IT!! That's all I got this time! Please follow my blog if I made you think, or laugh, or eat ramen noodles, or ANYTHING....and feel free to comment if you agree, or disagree, or just want to discuss the possibility that unicorns exist! I'm not here to judge you! But I do have an opinion on a LOT of things, and if you can help me understand yours, in a logical and reasonable fashion....you might just change my mind! But probably not. I love you, and I hope you have a glorious day! Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/+LauraCeruti Email me: I'm single, so I don't think I can muster up the energy to give a single fuck about the fact that today is Valentine's Day. Wait....let me try....................... Nope. 0 fucks given. I know that I'm definitely not the only one who's single. Far from it. This isn't really about the people who are single and are fine with it (like myself). This is about those people who are so desperate to smash ANYONE, simply because it's Valentine's day. Maybe they want to drown their sorrows in alcohol induced hookups, and the sweat of shame that comes with said hookups. I've been there. I'm not judging you. I'm not here to tell you not to go and pick up that generic bar slut, take him or her (or both, you little freak!) to your car/hotel room/house, and engage in self pity sex. If you want to do that, GO AHEAD! JUST BE SAFE ABOUT IT! Enough seriousness. Just remember these fun little poems I wrote this morning, and you won't wake up the next morning having to plan your frenzied dash to the walk in clinic. Yeah, I know that most of these are directed at males...but ladies, take the same advise. You don't want to be locked down with some random dude for 18+ years simply because you didn't want to use protection (or he didn't want to use protection...) So, be safe! WRAP IT UP! That's all I got this time! Please follow my blog if I made you think, or laugh, hump a splintered piece of balsa wood, or ANYTHING....and feel free to comment if you agree, or disagree, or just want to discuss the possibility that unicorns exist! I'm not here to judge you! But I do have an opinion on a LOT of things, and if you can help me understand yours, in a logical and reasonable fashion....you might just change my mind! But probably not. I love you, and I hope you have a glorious day! Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/+LauraCeruti Email me: Every day I wake up and think to myself, "Fuck." That's considering if I slept at all that night. Many nights are sleepless. Just tossing and turning, not being able to shut my brain off. The nights I am able to sleep, I have terrible nightmares and wake up soaked with sweat, barely knowing where I am. Did you know that after about 5 days of no sleep, you start to hallucinate? I didn't. No one warned me about that. That tidbit of information would've been useful so I didn't think I was going TOTALLY insane. People on the outside of my life looking in may think that everything's fine. I have a roof over my head, a good job that I love, family who I love, 2 beautiful boys who I love...what could possibly be wrong? Also, I seem like I'm in a pretty positive mood most of the time, so nothing could be wrong, right? WRONG!!! I don't know why I think the way that I do. To be honest, it scares the shit out of me...and I'm not easily scared. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for what I do have. I am definitely not some ungrateful, spoiled little shit. I do have family, friends, food, shelter, and a career. Which is a lot more than most people have. So why am I so fucked up? Why am I having these terrible thoughts? I DON'T KNOW!!! And that's what scares me the most. Could it be all the twisted crap that I did in my past? Maybe. Could it be due to the fact that I have pretty much blocked out 12 years of my life? (Which multiple psychiatrists have determined is because of a trauma that was so severe that I simply can't handle it, so I repressed those years.) Possibly. Could it be that no matter how hard I try to be healthy, and stay sober (for the most part), I continue to have severe health issues that are totally incurable, and the treatment for them (so far) has been a total waste of time? Could be. Could it be that every month I lose another one of my friends to overdoses, suicide, accidents, etc.? Might be. Honestly, it's probably a combination of all that crap. It can't just be one thing. I know I'm not a weak person. I've been through shit you probably can't even imagine...not even in your worst nightmares. Honestly, I wouldn't want you to be able to imagine the shit I've dealt with. I wouldn't wish any of that on my worst enemy. I don't even really know where this is going. I just needed to write this, just to get some crap off my chest (metaphorically speaking). I know I have issues. Trust issues, issues with anxiety...I have a lot of issues. Most of them I deal with, some I can't handle. The only things keeping me on this earth are my kids. This is not a "cry for help". I don't need or want anyone's sympathy. I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad for me. Just take this thought with you: Simply because a person may seem like nothing is bothering them, like nothing's wrong. That they're happy in life...that may not be the case at all. This is going to sound really cliché, but don't judge a book by it's cover. The cover may be all sunshine and rainbows, but once you actually start reading that book, it may be one of the most terrifying experiences of your life. That's it for now. Usually I have a little funnyish thing to put here, but I'm not in the mood. If you are having any similar thoughts, get help. Seriously. Don't mess around. Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/+LauraCeruti Email me: So you guys totally blew me away with the amount of readers on my last blog "Things You Should NEVER Do In a Tattoo Shop (Unless You Want to Look Like a Total Asshole)". So to follow up, here are things you should ALWAYS do in a tattoo shop. 1: Look at the artist portfolios! Don't just go for the cheapest price. This is probably the most important thing, that only about 15% of people actually do. The majority of the time, potential clients come in and simply ask for a price, without even bothering to even skim through any of our work. This makes it pretty obvious that you are only looking for the lowest cost, as opposed to looking for a high quality, well executed tattoo. You have to keep in mind that, especially in this industry (I hate that word, but that's what it is), YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Say I give you an estimated quote of $250 for the piece you want. You think that's kinda high, so you go to the hack shop down the street. They quote you $100 for the same piece. So you think to yourself, "Why should I go to her? She's asking $150 more! Overcharging bitch! I'm going to the $100 shop." Yeah...usually a pretty bad idea. Did you even bother to look at either of our work? Definitely not, or you wouldn't just jump on the cheapest deal. The "artist" who quoted you the $100 piece just started last week, has no idea what he's doing, and will probably mess your whole world up. You'll walk out with a traced flash piece, with crap line work, choppy shading, no solid color saturation, and probably tons of scarring. That's why it was so cheap! Look at the work, and spend the extra money to get it done right. You will probably have to look at it for the rest of your life, unless you choose to try and get it salvaged by someone who knows what they're doing, and guess what...now you have to pay MORE that the original quote to get it done right in the first place! 2: Get a babysitter! Okay, I get it. I'm a mom myself. It's hard to find a decent babysitter, and it's another expense. But seriously, you really shouldn't have your 2 year old with you while you're getting tattooed. You can't really watch your kid too well, and it's not like you can jump up every 15 minutes to grab your kid up and keep him out of trouble. So make sure you line up a babysitter! 3: Have a basic idea of what you want. You don't need to be insanely specific. In fact, if you're not crazy specific about every single little tiny detail, you'll probably get a better tattoo. Obviously if you want lettering done, you should specify what you want it to say, and if you want something significant included, you should definitely let your artist know. Aside from that, have a basic idea/theme and location/size. If you have reference pictures, bring them with you, but allow for your artist to get creative and design you a tattoo that is made custom for you. Trust me, you will get a better tattoo if you allow your artist creative freedom. 4: Eat before you go! I can't even express how important this is. Even if you just have a PB&J...EAT SOMETHING! Getting tattooed takes a lot out of you, and getting one done on a totally empty stomach is never a good idea. I've had people come in for three hour (or longer) sittings, when they haven't eaten a thing all day. They're fine in the beginning, but after about an hour, lightheadedness starts to kick in, and that is never a good thing. So eat before you come! Oh, and bring a drink with you too. Water's always good, but something with a little sugar is always better. 5: Practice good hygiene. "You shouldn't even have to put this on the list, right? That's just common sense.", you're probably thinking to yourself. I really wish I didn't have to include this, but apparently not everyone HAS common sense. I've had people come in fresh from the gym, people who haven't showered all day, haven't brushed their teeth in what seems to be years. All kinds of disgustingness. So wash your ass & brush your teeth before you come in. Do not subject your artist to your various body odors. It's not cool. 6: Prepare the area that's getting tattooed. I'm not saying go get a wax job so you're completely hairless or anything crazy like that. Shaving the area is part of my job, and I'll probably do it out of habit even if you had just shaved. If you're a girl, and your getting a tattoo on your foot, maybe get a pedicure before. You won't be able to for a week or two anyway. It also prepares the skin with the exfoliation & moisturizing, also your foot won't smell horrific (see #5). To prepare your skin, exfoliate (don't go crazy and damage the skin), and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!! Especially on rougher skin like elbows, knees, etc. It will soften the skin and allow the entire tattooing process to go much more smoothly (pardon the pun!). 7: If you don't like something about the design, SAY SOMETHING!! So many people think that they're going to piss me off, or annoy me by asking me to change something. You won't piss me off, and you definitely won't annoy me. It is my job to create a piece of work that you love. If there's something you don't like about the design, tell me! 8: SIT STILL DAMNIT!! Tattoos hurt. They all hurt. I have over 300 hours of work on me, and I can seriously tell you that every single one hurt. Some hurt a little, some totally killed. You know it's gonna hurt going in. Don't drag the process out longer than necessary by squirming around. Now for leg tattoos especially, you will get involuntary muscle spasms. THIS IS NORMAL, and a good artist should be prepared for this. Just try to relax your muscles and focus on your breathing. That'll actually make it hurt a little less also! 9: Always pay attention to the aftercare instructions that your artist gives you. We give these speeches for a reason people! Not every artist will give the same exact aftercare instructions. I've always said that if you put 10 artists in one room and ask them all for aftercare instructions, you'll probably get 10 different answers. I personally ask my clients (if they have other tattoos) what they used in the past. Unless it's something horribly wrong that will screw up the tattoo (like using Vaseline or Neosporin for healing ointment...DON'T DO THAT!), and it worked for them the last time, stick with what you know. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. However, especially if you're a tattoo virgin, PAY ATTENTION! We usually have aftercare instructions printed out available for you, should you need it. Follow them, and you won't have a crappy healing process. 10: Don't be afraid to ask questions! Ask! Ask away! It's part of our job to answer them! We WANT you to ask them if you are unsure about something! 11: TIP! You tip your hairdresser. You tip your waitress. You tip the pizza guy. TIP YOUR TATTOO ARTIST!!! Most artists are only actually getting between 40-70% of the money you paid for the tattoo. The other portion goes to the shop. I mean seriously. You tip the guy who brings the Chinese food to your house, but you don't tip the tattoo artist who spent hours drawing up your tattoo, then a couple more hours actually doing the tattoo. Does that sound like it makes any sense to you? No! Because it doesn't! So tip!! (Unless you are not at all happy with your tattoo, but that goes without saying) That's pretty much it. Not too complicated. If you do these things, you will have a good tattoo experience....unless your artist is a total asshole. If that's the case, you should probably get a different one. That's all I got this time! Please follow my blog if I made you think, or laugh, or eat ramen noodles, or ANYTHING....and feel free to comment if you agree, or disagree, or just want to discuss the possibility that unicorns exist or the revelation you had the other day that you may be a mutant! I'm not here to judge you! But I do have an opinion on a LOT of things, and if you can help me understand yours, in a logical and reasonable fashion....you might just change my mind! But probably not. I love you, and I hope you have a glorious day! Tweet me: http://www.twitter.com/nytatt2chick Facebook me: http://www.facebook.com/nytatt2chick Instagram me: http://instagram.com/nytatt2chick YouTube me: http://www.youtube.com/therealnytatt2chick G+ me: https://plus.google.com/+LauraCeruti Email me: |
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