A date is set!

A couple of months ago I mentioned really wanting to get a tattoo, if only I could decide what to get. In the meantime, I've settled on a second idea (though I still plan to eventually get the first idea I had), scoured the internet for images similar to what I have in my head, and debated about where on my body I should get it. I had already settled on the tattoo shop, House of Tattoos, on the Haarlemmerdijk, which didn't look dodgy and had some glowing reviews from customers. I was going to wait til my birthday at the end of October to make the appointment, to be sure I was letting the idea settle, but I couldn't wait any longer. Especially since I had the feeling that they are quite busy and the actual appointment would probably be a few weeks after I scheduled it. So I went in yesterday and spoke a bit with the owner of the shop, Sjap, about what I wanted and he recommended I have Claudia do the tattoo because it fits more with her style and specialities. That was perfect since I'd already decided from looking at their galleries that I liked Claudia's work best.

I went back to the shop today because she works on Sundays, and I talked to her about the design. I had planned to bring in some of the photos and art I'd found online that is along the lines of what I have in mind, but our printer decided to stop printing black last night (even though it's only a few months old). So I'll have to email her the stuff, which is fine, I can explain things a bit more that way. Anyway, she was really nice, a bit chatty, but really easy to get along with straight away. We spent about 15-20 minutes griping about how hard the govt makes it to get your permit here (she's Swiss). But regarding my tattoo, it was so cool how she seemed really excited about my idea, especially since she'll have to pull it together herself from the photos I send her. She's a true artist, and I'm happy to give her a challenge (as she said, "not another little tribal tattoo" =) and I am so excited to see what she comes up with. The appointment to see the drawing and get the tattoo (well, probably just the outline first) is Nov 2. 5 weeks! It'll be a hard wait...