I don’t have a tattoo. I’ve thought about it, and I certainly am curious about it. Does it really hurt? Can I take it? Who am I? What would I get written on me permanently? This?…
The reason that I don’t have a tattoo is that I have yet to define myself. And they (tattoos) are just not my thing. But I fear it. Not the tattoo, but being that well defined. I see a software guy giving a presentation about writing software, and I think: That guy is a bit of a geek. He’s got no life. All he thinks about is writing software… and he’s damn good at it. I’m pretty good at it too, but not that good at it.
I’m jealous.
I see images of great art on the web. I want to create great art. I’ve made some pretty interesting stuff. At least I think so. But I’m not a pro. It takes a lot of work to make something great, and I’m a bit lazy.
I did some rock climbing. For a few years, I was out climbing every weekend. I could even do three or four pull-ups. I’ve also done some mountain bike riding and some kayaking. I took a class to learn surf kayaking techniques, and I can even manage an angel roll on one side. (No, that’s not me in the video)
And yet, none of these things seem to define me. I think that my fear is that I would be stuck with just one thing if I took any of it far enough to define me. But I feel some regret at not becoming a grand master at anything.
So no tattoo.
Just this atypical blog post.