UPDATE

i figured i'd update since it's been awhile. i've been keeping a personal writing journal lately and that's been doing me good for awhile. the past couple of weeks have been pretty crazy for me emotionally. i'm finally off of that awful medication effexor xr. if anyone reading this is thinking of getting on this medication, i'd really think about the long term consequences. it's really hard to get off of this stuff. like i've read online message boards and people can't seem to deal with the awful side effects (including what has been adorably named "brain zaps" EW!) and never get off the medication. i'm talking like years and years on this stuff. thankfully i was weaned over a period of about a year and i think getting through early sobriety and having support from my sponsor and others really helped me through it. there were times when i wanted to cry for no reason and the irritability and agitation was just fucking awful. i couldn't believe anything i was thinking at times and i had to just trust that i wouldn't feel this way forever. it's day 19 without it and i can honestly say that i feel almost completely normal, but that didn't start until about two weeks into it. i truly feel free being almost completely free of any substance to help me deal with my life and smoking is next on the list. it's pretty incredible.

we got a new supervisor at starbucks, janice had to go to another store to help out because they didn't have a manager for awhile. i had been working A TON of hours the couple of weeks that she wasn't there and it sucked. mostly because i couldn't really tattoo that much and that's what i want to do and get better at. but since alicia has been there i've had a lot more time to be at the shop, draw, and tattoo. i'm getting better the more and more i work at it and it seems like all of the things that jason's been telling me that are floating around in my head are coming together more and more every time i do a tattoo. it's a slow process but i'm patient and am lucky enough to have the best teacher anyone could ever have. i recently tattooed a few of the girls that i work with at starbucks, a little coffee cup. it's our little club tattoo. the one barista wendy had never been tattooed, and i definitely see more tattoos in her future. a lot of the girls are getting really into it, which is really cool. i think jason and i have tattooed just about everyone there.

in tattoo news, i got my knee tattooed my krooked ken, jason and i did a mini sailor jerry tattoo on each other for our anniversary, and my traditional leg is slowly filling up. todd noble gave me a tattoo at the new york tattoo convention, and i've got an appointment with jared russell at black star tattoo in august. we're going to the seattle tattoo convention just before that also. lots of summer tattoo plans! i love it.

in much bigger news, black cat tattoos with no longer be at 314 north craig street. we're moving into the most perfect location ever, and we're so so excited about it. it's pretty fucking perfect and it's kind of unbelievable. anyway i'm going to go get a shower and head to work.