Tattoo – AJ Mullican, Author

Floodgates open? Well, there’s a trickle

#bipolar, #books, #dystopian, #publishing, Abnormal, anxiety, Mental Health, Novel, SCA, Sci-fi, Stress, Tattoo, Work, Writing

Well, after a good solid month of being blocked, I’m back to writing. It’s still slow going, and the progress isn’t marked, but it is progress.

I’m starting to get more of the world in place, the situation–locally for my characters as well as globally–the timing…things are coming together. Or, well, for my characters they’re falling apart. Lol

I can’t say too much without getting spoilery, but I’m getting more confident in the direction Book 3 is going. It’s fleshing out, it’s developing, it’s coming to light. (Sounds silly for only having added about 1500-2k words this morning, but you’d be surprised how much can be conveyed–or inspired–by those few words.) I have more of a vision of what’s happening and what’s going to happen.

Of course, this means that my long work day in the surgery department will seem even longer, because I’ll be away from my laptop and unable to continue my momentum. My brain might end up being stuck in the distant future instead of being rooted firmly in the present. (Don’t worry–I don’t do anything more crucial than taking vital signs, giving drops, and maybe giving discharge instructions. Lol)

Adding to the time-taken-away-from-writing is my upcoming anniversary. Six years this Saturday! We’re going to get coordinating Gallifreyan tattoos once we have the extra funds saved up. It was my husband’s idea, but I fully endorse it.

Tomorrow I’ll start on the full-dose Vraylar, which means I’ll be taking it only three days a week (yay for a long half-life!) and hopefully seeing even more improvement in my stress levels. I handled yesterday’s work day well, and it seems even the days that are craptastic aren’t as bad as they normally would be. I tried to cut hours where I could, but it looks like I’ll be in OT again this week–which means I’ll probably be sent home early tomorrow. Darn. Guess I’ll have to write or something until my husband gets off work and we can leave for our weekend trip.

We’ll be going to an SCA event on Saturday, but Friday-Sunday we’ll be staying with his dad and stepmom, and Saturday after the event we’ll be having a nice dinner with friends at a delicious restaurant. The adult in me is looking forward to a beer; the kid in me is looking forward to FOOD!! Seriously, this place has the best chicken pot pie I’ve ever tasted.

Well, it’s getting to be That Time again. Time to leave for work, to leave my comfy abode and make the twenty-minute drive to employment.

Inked again

#design, Tattoo, Writing

Yep, it’s that time again! I decided to get a writerly tattoo, and after searching for months on Pinterest I found a design I loved. The catch? I didn’t want to use “household” funds to pay for it, so I funded this by selling autographed copies of Abnormal. Yep, a writing tattoo funded by my writing. (Plus, it helped shorten the stack of leftover books from Tucson Comic Con. Lol)

It’s not huge, it’s not elaborate, but it’s what I wanted and it’s great. The artist (Amanda Jimenez at Battleship Tattoo in Sierra Vista, AZ) had an amazingly light hand, so I almost fell asleep lying there…but I had a friend with me recording live for Twitter, so I stayed awake just to avoid snoring. Lol

This has really been a huge pick-me-up. I missed getting new tattoos (it’s been over a year since my last one), and just knowing that my writing was enough to cover a tattoo feels great.

The next tattoo isn’t that far off; hubby wants to get coordinating Gallifreyan tattoos done for our anniversary. He wants his name in Gallifreyan; I’ll get my name. I’m still trying to decide where to get mine; with 40+ tattoos of varying sizes compared to his one small one, I have considerably less available real estate for it. Because of the detail associated with the tattoo (lots of fine lines and circles) I need to get it relatively large, so I have to decide where I have left that’s large enough for it.

A Rare Lazy Weekend

#books, #dystopian, #nerd, #publishing, Abnormal, Celebrity, embroidery, escape the light, Geek, Novel, Sci-fi, Sewing, Stress, Tattoo, Work, Writing

River (pictured above) pretty much embodies my spirit animal last weekend in this picture. I slept quite a lot, and accomplished not much of anything.

Okay, so I got the last of the handwriting from Estrella transcribed. That’s something I accomplished. And I got the laundry done (but not put away). I was basically the noodle-cat in the picture, limp and lifeless.

I know that I kind of earned it, but I still feel a bit rotten for not getting more done. I hope to remedy that next weekend with more embroidery work finished. My timeline on that is ticking down, so I need to focus. Thankfully, I have only two halves of a hem to do to be totally finished. Just a little more…

Book 3 is, as all first drafts are, crap, but it’s got potential. I need to clean and beef it up, but that’s for later, when I have the draft finished. I’m still waiting on the edits from RhetAskew before I get too invested in the story I’m starting to tell there, because if they decide I need to change the ending of Escape the Light I’ll have some rewriting to do for Book 3…best not to get too committed to any one story right now, when I might have to make sweeping changes (learned my lesson the hard way on that one).

I need to bug my mom for the edits on my short story. Time’s ticking on that deadline, too, though I have a couple weeks still. I want to get it submitted ASAP though, because I am anxious to get it in the bag. I know, I know, “patience young Padawan”….I don’t wanna be patient. I wanna get as many coals in the fire as possible. (I’m pretty sure I’m mixing metaphors there, but you get my drift.)

My pen nib tattoo is scheduled for Wednesday after work. I’m really excited about it, especially since I’m funding it with autographed books that I’ve sold. It’s the perfect way to pay for a writing-themed tattoo, right? In case you need a reminder, here’s the image I’m going to get inked:

It’s going to go horizontally along my collar bone (and I’m not getting the little crown or whatever that is put on it).

The surgeon is back at work this week after nearly a week off, so I’m back to work as normal. I’m hoping that the new med continues to work well. I haven’t felt nearly as stressed since starting it, and I hope it’s not a fluke.

I suppose I should get to work on something right now. I have a few hours until I have to get ready for work, so I’ve got some play time, but better to jump into the next project so I can keep momentum going for the week.

Taking over

#bipolar, #books, #design, #dystopian, #nerd, #publishing, Abnormal, Celebrity, Convention, Crafting, Fandom, Geek, Mental Health, Novel, Parties, Promotion, Reading, SCA, Sci-fi, Sewing, Social Media, Tattoo, Thoughts, Time, Writing

Today marks my first time doing an author takeover for a Facebook book-release event. I was a little apprehensive about what kind of content to post to get the attendees revved up about my new friend’s book, but then I started reading a copy and, wouldn’t ya know, she’s got a character named Eli, too! I thought it was so funny that I immediately came up with a game/contest to run during my hour of “screen time”: Who Said It: Eli or Eli?

I’ve still got Abnormal bookmarks left over from Tucson Comic Con, as well as a few copies of Abnormal, so I’ll give away a few bookmarks and a signed copy of the book for those who participate. It was fun searching the two books for quotes that could potentially have come from either Eli.

My time for the takeover isn’t for a few hours still, but I have my posts scheduled and a lot of stuff to do around the house, so I don’t mind the wait. I will have to set a timer so I can interact and live-post in between scheduled posts…I’m likely to get caught up in laundry or cleaning or sewing and forget! Lol

I have that kind of wound-up, keyed-up, pent-up feeling right now…like I need to do something totally unnecessary. I want to sew something new; I might do that. I kinda need new fingerless gloves for keeping the ol’ hands warm (yet still giving me that all-important phone access). They might come in hand-y at Estrella, too, even though they’re not period. They’ll work when I’m out of garb and still freezing. 😉

Yeah, I think I’ll do that. Or make a bag/purse of some sort. Or…or…or…

Hmm…maybe I’m a tad manic…

Niche-y

#design, Art, costuming, Crafting, Critique, Education, Learning, Reading, SCA, Sewing, Tattoo, Time

I have a new place in the art world, and it’s an interesting one. Thanks to my new interest in embroidery, I have become the maker of belt ends.
Let me explain:
My husband weaves belts and trim, and he’s made a few now for “foreign” royalty. One thing he wanted was a way to end the belts that would look nice and be functional. Our solution? Tiny, 1.5-2″ embroidered coats of arms sewn into little sleeves, into which I slide the end of the belt, and then it gets sewn shut. Ta-da! Belt doesn’t unwind, and it’s personalized for the recipient.
I guess it’s been done before, but from what I understand it’s not done often…at least not that I’ve seen. And so far, the people who have received the belts have loved them–especially the embroidery.
It’s kinda cool, but a little painstaking at times. The designs I’ve done so far haven’t been too complicated to shrink down and stitch, but I wonder what I’ll do when we get a commission for a more complicated coat of arms. I want to get recognition for the work I do, but I don’t want to get to where people expect more than I can do.
I’m finally done with the commission embroidery for the meantime, though, so I can focus on A&S. I’ll be reading and embroidering and measuring and cutting and sewing and typing and…yeah. A lot of work ahead, but it’s work that should be fun. Interesting, at least.
There won’t be any progress pics here, though, because that’s part of the research paper; you have to include pictures of the process of whatever you’re doing. Once it’s all done I’ll post stuff… but that’s a few months away.

Sword arm

#design, costuming, Crafting, Exercise, fencing, Novel, SCA, Sci-fi, Sewing, Stress, swordfighting, Tattoo, Time, Writing

Finally! After weeks of waiting and rescheduling and poor timing, my sword tattoo is done! The tattoo artist’s name is Amanda Jiminez at Battleship Tattoo (to give credit where credit’s due) and here’s the outcome:

I’m ecstatic! I love it and can’t wait to show it off at Estrella War next week.
This has taken a majority of my mind off of the continuing drama, but I know it’s just a proverbial band-aid on a bullet wound. If that’s a proverb….if not, it should be. Can we coin that phrase? Let’s coin that.
I still have a few things to make/stitch, but the majority of it is done. A tunic to finish (though most of it is cut out and much of it is sewn) and some trim to stitch onto another tunic…that’s about it that I can think of right now. Oh, and some little piddly stuff to do, but that stuff is minor and less time-consuming than the above-mentioned stuff. These things also can help take my mind off of the drama things, though only temporarily, and mostly only when I have to get out the seam ripper. Gods, I hate seam ripping.
Book 1 is still in the editor’s hands, but I’m waiting patiently because I know she’s been quite sick recently. I totally understand that and have no ill feelings on it (ha! pun!). I’d like to get back to writing, but….maybe after Estrella. Right now, my time is pulled in other directions.
Two more work days until we leave for war.
Let the games begin.

Places, people!

#design, Tattoo

Well, the original location where I wanted my sword tattoo probably won’t work according to the artist, so I have to think of where I have room left for one that size. The calf is the most likely place I will go, but I could do somewhere on one of my thighs or maybe–maybe–my torso (between the belly button & sternum). Not sure how my husband would feel about that one though, or how I would feel about it. I’m working hard to keep my weight stable-to-decreasing, but with all the meds I’m on it’s difficult, and I don’t want to end up with a warped sword just because I was looking for a place that had a lot of room for it. So calf it may be.
I guess since I’ve taken up so much space I have to put more thought and planning into the locations of any future tattoos. Will X spot work for the shape and design of said tattoo? How about Y spot? Does Z spot even have room for what I want? Not that I really regret any of my 40+ tattoos; I’m just running out of room.
My legs are relatively roomy when it comes to blank canvas, as is my torso below the chest and above the belly button. There are a few places on my arms, but because any tattoo of a decent size is going to kind of wrap around the arm I have to take that into consideration.
Regardless of where the sword ends up, I am excited to get it done. It’s been entirely too long since my last tattoo lol

A sword deferred

#design, Drawing, fencing, SCA, swordfighting, Tattoo, Time

I had so been looking forward to getting my next tattoo yesterday…unfortunately, the artist I scheduled with had a change in plans, so I have to wait until next Friday. 🙁
I’m still getting the tattoo, but the wait is a bit annoying. What tattoo am I getting? Why, I’m glad you asked. Let me show you my Photoshop masterpiece:

You have no idea how difficult it was to get the sword and wings straight and even when the images I used were at angles that just would’t have worked. I spliced two different images, a geometric sword tattoo I found on Pinterest and a a geometric bird I found on Google.

Yay for Photoshop! Sword is no longer nearly as crooked, and the bird wings are nice and even.
Now, if the final image looks familiar, there’s a reason: in a few lazy Google searches, I found several winged images that said they were traditionally symbols of Valkyries. Here’s an example:
b608b0a5d71c9a6f8624d06452fddc0e--bat-tattoos-wing-tattoos Some of the images I found had a sword in place of the downward lines. Those weren’t necessarily actually related to Valkyries, but since I swordfight in the SCA and since my SCA persona is a Viking, well….yeah. A sword. With wings. The geometry isn’t too SCA-period-y, but I liked the style.
Next Friday. Perma-sword time. 🙂

May the Fourth Be with You

Convention, Corsetry, Cosplay, Fandom, Geek, Holiday, Movies, Sci-fi, Tattoo

Yes, it’s that day again: the day when the nerds come out of the woodwork to proclaim their love for Star Wars.

I’m one of those nerds. I love the movies (well, most of them), and if I wasn’t a bigger Doctor Who fan I would probably have been getting a Jedi Order tattoo yesterday instead of a TARDIS.

I guess I’ll let my Star Wars/Doctor Who mashup cosplay make up for it. I have less than a month to lose enough weight to comfortably squeeze into it, though I can still fit it. I’d just like the corset a little less…tight. Like, really tight. I mean, I know corsets are supposed to be tight, but this one is homemade, not professionally made. So I’m hoping there aren’t any wardrobe malfunctions at Phoenix Comicon.

Anywho, happy Star Wars Day to all, and May the Fourth be with you!

Time lost

Musings, Tattoo, Thoughts, Time

Well, I lost an hour or two of my life today.

Is it so hard to make and keep appointments? You write the date and time down, and you make sure to be there. Boom. Done.

Or not. I was supposed to get a tattoo done this evening at 7:00pm. I arrived early–about 6:40pm–and one of the artists in the shop told me that the artist who scheduled me wasn’t even supposed to be in today. It’s his usual day off. So why even schedule an appointment for today if he wasn’t going to be working?

It sucks, because I set aside time and money–not to mention the $20 deposit–to get this done. I planned for it. Looked forward to it. Now it’s not done, and since the artist wasn’t there I can’t even reschedule it because, well, can’t get hold of him. Even when one of the other artists tried calling him he never called back.

I know it’s “just a tattoo,” but that’s not the point. An appointment is an appointment. I wouldn’t even have been upset if he had been running behind, but I left my card–and left the shop–over an hour ago and haven’t heard from the guy. So if he showed up late (after I gave up on waiting), then that means he didn’t bother to call me.

Thus ends my long, whining rant.