Friday, January 20, 2012

18 Years Young

Bigger Girl turned 18 last year.

She claims that everyone has to make their one big "18th year mistake," and that it's time for hers.

So she's decided to get a tattoo.

She wants the Japanese kanji for "Serenity" on her upper arm, where it can be easily covered by a sleeve.

When she asked what i thought, i told her that i don't have a tattoo because i don't want to have to explain it to my grandkids someday, but that i don't object to adults doing as they please about this topic.

After all, she is a grown up now, legally anyway, and even if it turns out to be a stupid move, stupid is not illegal.

No, i don't think this will turn out to be a stupid move, especially as she plans to have them use the new ink that can be faded with the right laser.

As she put it, "I'm going to make my big 18th year mistake, but nothing I can't undo later!"


Today is:

Arbor Day -- Florida and Louisiana, US

Armed Forces Day -- Mali

Army Day -- Lesotho

Ati-Atihan Festival -- Kalibo, Philippines (through tomorrow; colorful celebration that commemorates the peace pact between the Ati of Panay (pygmies) and the Malays)

Camcorder Day -- five companies agreed, this day in 1982, to cooperate and construct a camera with a built in VCR

Celtic Tree Month Beth (Birch) ends

Coffee Break Day

Day of National Mourning -- Azerbaijan

Deer Dance Ceremonies -- Taos Pueblo, NM, US (Native American celebration of the deer spirit; through the weekend)

Dinagyang -- Ililo, Philippines (through the 22nd; religious and cultural festival)

Festival of Jubilation for Osiris -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate, in Busiris)

Heroes Day -- Cape Verde; Guinea-Bissau

La Tamborrada de San Sebastian -- San Sebastian, Spain (24 hours of drumming, begun last evening)

Martyrs' Day -- Azerbaijan

National Buttercrunch Day

National Cheese Lover's Day

National Granola Bar Day

National Disc Jockey Day -- listed lots of places, but no particular reason given for the choice of date

Penguin Awareness Day -- okay, so we are aware of them; another bizarre internet generated holiday

Porri Month begins -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (the name means Middle of Winter; often the harshest month)
Bondadagur (Husband's Day) -- first day of Porri (various traditions honoring the man of the house; these days, women often give the men flowers)

Rio de Janeiro Foundation Day -- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Stay Young Forever Day -- celebrate the child in all of us, do something fun

St. Sebastian's Day (Patron of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; archers, athletes, and soldiers, and is appealed to for protection against plagues.)

Take a Walk Outdoors Day -- unless it's storming, a good way to get some exercise

Tenmangu Kowakamai -- Setaka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan (festival of old style Japanese dances)

Tip-Up Town USA -- Houghton Lake, MI, US (Michigan's largest family winter festival, through Sunday and next weekend, Friday-Sunday)


Birthdays Today:

Rainn Wilson, 1966
Bill Maher, 1956
David Lynch, 1946
Dorothy Provine, 1937
Arte Johnson, 1934
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, 1930
Patricia Neal, 1926
Federico Fellini, 1920
DeForest Kelley, 1920
George Burns, 1896
Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, 1889
Carolus Linnaeus, 1778
André-Marie Ampère, 1775



Today in History:

The first elected English Parliament called into session by the 6th Earl of Leicester, and meets in the Palace of Westminster (a/k/a Houses of Parliament), 1265
The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro is first explored, 1502
The Casa Contratacion (Board of Trade) is founded in Spain to deal with American affairs, 1503
The cornerstone of Amsterdam town hall laid, 1648
The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip decides that Botany Bay is unsuitable for the location of a penal colony, and decides to move to Port Jackson, 1788
China cedes Hong Kong to British, 1841
L.A. Thompson patents the roller coaster, 1885
The first full length talking motion picture filmed outdoors is released, "In Old Arizona", 1929
Nazi officials hold notorious Wannsee conference in Berlin deciding on "final solution" calling for extermination of Europe's Jews, 1942
The first atomic submarine, USS Nautilus, is launched at Groton, Connecticut, 1955
Witnesses report sightings of a Bottlenose whale swimming in the River Thames, the first time the species had been seen in the River Thames since records began in 1913, 2006
A three-man team, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the southern pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1958 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance, 2007

7 comments:

  1. AHHHH 18.

    Sign me:
    a woman who got her first tattoo at 28 :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Isn't youth wonderful? Yes, i have no objection to them, though i don't really want one myself.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tats are far different today than they once were. More socially accepted, especially for females, and there are more ways to be rid of those you regret. I don't have any ink stains on my body, but I've seen some on others that were quite excellent. Just make sure she doesn't get a "tramp stamp"!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm not a fan of tattoos .. especially when kids are still so young and changeable but to each his/her own. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love that you're so open-minded and non-controlling about it! I'm not a tattoo person myself, but it sounds like she's going about it quite sensibly, and choosing a design that's way less likely than most to be outgrown as she gets older. Plus, I didn't know they had new inks that made it more reversible! Hmm... time for a big ol' Cranky Fitness crab on my ass? Er... maybe not.

    --crabby

    ReplyDelete
  6. At least there is the possibility of removal, if she decides she doesn't want it.

    One of my friends made a comment about tattoos, you have to be careful with them. The lovely rose bud you get on your breast at 18 will become the long stemmed rose as you age. :)

    I have no tattoos myself, but I have always thought they were kind of neat, as both my grandparents had them...

    Cat

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sully, she knows what a tramp stamp is, and wants no part of that, but thanks for the reminder.

    Hilary, as i said, i wouldn't, but she has to decide for herself.

    Crabby, the ink was approved by the FDA a couple of years ago, and easily fades with a specific laser treatment, although you can still see the clear outline for life.

    Cat, you must have had amazing, and interesting, grandparents.

    ReplyDelete

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