body art, for the second year in a row...

Veronica and I are making a trip to the Tattoo and Body Art Expo an annual event! This year it was at Rosemont Convention Center (near O'Hare) so it was a bit of a journey on the Blue Line. The 2010 convention was a bit smaller, but there were plenty of interesting things to see.

What I love about this event is that people are not afraid of displaying their individuality and creativity for all to see. There's a spirit of friendliness and acceptance that is quite joyful to be around. We met and talked with a bunch of fascinating people-- a man who had his entire body (sans face) tattooed (pictured above), a delightful young man from Michigan who used piercings to help him find clarity and openness in his relationships (also pictured above). I was so capivated by his looks and personality that it is highly likely he'll show up in a painting soon. We saw men and women who were unique in every way. That's so great!

I wanted a new tattoo really, really bad... but with the jobless situation right now, the timing wasn't right for that kind of investment. But Veronica got her hibiscus flower tattoo brightened up from a guy from Penitentiary Ink in Los Angeles-- it made a world of difference.

After seeing a piercing booth, I did what I normally do-- made an impulsive decision. I decided to get my belly button pierced. Well, I shouldn't really call it spur of the moment because I had been thinking about it for years, but I certainly didn't wake up Saturday morning thinking I was going to get one that day. Veronica acted as my photo documentarian and patiently took step-by-step pictures of the entire process. I was lying on the table (much like the doctor's office) so I didn't see much. The pain was intense but short-lived and surprisingly it only bled a little. I know that some of my readers are a bit squeamish (hello, Suellen!) so I won't post all of the pictures (admittedly, they're a little hard to look at). I'll just show the "after," not the "during."

But, bottom line, it was a day of exploration and positive energy with a friend who shares my spirit of adventure, so it doesn't get much better than that.

And the belly? Yeah, it hurts a little as it's healing. But I really, really like the look of it. :)