So, as I was gearing up for my 40th birthday, I had tossed around the idea of getting a tattoo...but there were serious considerations to...uh...consider.
One, would I still be able to donate blood if I got a tattoo? I'm a big advocate of blood donation. You are literally saving a life when you do it. And, there's nothing easier than sitting on a table and letting your blood slowly fill a pint bag. It doesn't take an appreciable amount of time and you're making a real medical impact. Plus, there's cookies and juice afterwards, for FREE! I understand that there are some who have medical reasons for not being able to donate. And, for some back-ass-ward reason, men in gay relationships are treated like 3rd-world citizens who traveled to Africa where they shot up heroin with dirty reused needles that they got from rabid chimps. Technically, if a man has had sex with another man in the last 12 months, he can not donate. What the fuck? I'd get more into the latent bigotry about a group of people who are likely tested for STDs more often than the rest of the population...but that's another post for another day. For the rest of us, even if you're tattooed, you can donate. The Red-Cross says that, even if you get a tat in states which don't require tattoo parlor registration/regulation, you can still donate after 12 months of having the work done. Not sure why a near-surgical procedure wouldn't be regulated...and what's going on in the District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wyoming?
For those who get inked in an approved state the RC states that "A tattoo is acceptable if the tattoo was applied by a state-regulated entity using sterile needles and ink that is not reused. Cosmetic tattoos applied in a licensed establishment in a regulated state using sterile needles and ink that is not reused is acceptable. You should discuss your particular situation with the health historian at the time of donation."
So, in the clear on this one. Next fear:
What are the ideas about getting tattooed as a Jew? This one's a bit more complicated. A literal translation of the Torah says "You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:28)."
That guy is strict! There's a couple of interpretations. The first is that any mark is a no-no. So, all you Jew ladies out there with earrings, well, you're just as screwed as a dude with a tattoo. Also, anybody with noticeable scarring from surgeries, you've had someone mark your body (for good or for ill) and now you're out as well. The second interpretation looks at the colon between the words of God. That colon stipulates that, when you do get your 'mark' you don't write God's name on yourself. It's the pause between the notes...Ahhh. A third interpretation indicates that, as long as you're not honoring the dead (Grateful or not), then tattoo away. This is obviously fodder for theologians more versed in the Bible than myself, so I'll leave it with this thought: if women can get earrings and people can get carved up in the name of "it's good for your health" then I can get a tattoo without upsetting any deities.
Oh, and that whole thing about not being able to be buried in a Jewish cemetery is a load of horseshit; an old wives tale told by Jewish mothers who don't want their kids running out and permanently marking themselves without thinking.
Speaking of that, my third consideration is, would this kill my mom? Familial opinion does weigh heavily on people's minds. I mean, spouse and significant others are choices we make. Family, you're born with. Luckily, my family tends to be fairly progressive. While it wouldn't be their first choice of expression, my bro and sis approached it with curiosity, and my parents haven't pulled my trust fund yet. Granted, I'm not entitled to that fund until they actually put something away into that fund...and, well, there's little chance of that. All in all, I did it for me. I got, what I believe to be a very tasteful tattoo which has meaning to me...something I've been toying around in my mind for a while. And, when I found the artist who could help me realize my vision, the resulting artwork exceeded my expectations. Shit came out great. And, as anyone with a tattoo will tell you, it's hard to get just one. I'm already mulling over what a next one should be, and where it should be. My sister may have inadvertently started that ball rolling when she remarked about this tat, "I thought there would be more light sabers." Yes...light sabers...good idea. Time to start saving. (:
As beautiful as it is here, it looks even better in person! Badass, dude.
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