tattoo touch-up day!

this is a red-letter day. after thirteen years, i finally gave my little prince his star :-)

for those of you who know the book, you know how significant this is. if you haven't read the book, please do yourself a favor and buy or borrow a copy this weekend - you won't regret it.

anyway, one thing that i promised myself i'd finally accomplish during my sabbatical was to touch-up my little guy and to get the star. after so much time, his colors had faded into a big blur. to top it off, half of his face was blown away by a laser when i was getting laser hair removal a few years ago. (my friend and laser technician, anne, graciously offered to pay for the touch-up). but i had to wait for that scar to heal before i could tattoo over it. now, three years after that debacle, it was finally time.

i went to tiffany at black & blue tattoo in the mission, and in under an hour, she reconstructed his face, gave him brand-new bright-blue duds, and, most importantly, his star! i am soooooooo happy to finally have my little dude back! he's been a vital ally through the years, and it gives me great pleasure to see him happy and thoughtful on my ankle, again.

for your viewing pleasure, click on any of the pics to see a bigger version. here's what he looked like this morning - blurry, partly faceless, and somewhat sad:


and here's what he looks like now, close up! his hair is brighter, his skin has cleared up, he's got new pants and a whole new face. aw, isn't he the cutest?


and, finally, another one of him and his star.


and now that you've seen this and have read the book and understand, maybe someday, when you're feeling lonely, you can look at a star and think of him, and you can laugh and not be lonely anymore, because you know that all of the stars are your friends.