Not long after I got my fire-cat tattoo, I began to think about a water theme. I have a rather odd fixation on things being balance and it was very clear that my tattoos, while all very lovely and very representative of who I am, were out of balance. The right shoulder piece was larger than the knot work that adorned the left. It was also thematically elemental and there was nothing to balance that theme on the left.



After a lot of thought and considering I went back to my much loved tattoo artist Natasha of Final Sin tattoo in Pleasant Hill, California and for the first time ever gave her a load of ideas, and absolutely no reference art. I wanted water to balance the fire and I wanted a selkie. But I wanted something that clearly showed her as neither seal or woman. Oh, and it needed to be roughly the same size as my existing fire cat and not cover too much of the knot work that was already there. I didn't want a cover up, the knot work is still important and meaningful to me. I just wanted to expand on that. I don't ask for much do I?



After three hours, this is what I left with yesterday. I'm so very happy. I have my balance, both elementally and size.



Yes... Just yes. This is what I wanted and it feels incredibly right for me.

What is so apparently remarkable about it?



I’m doing it so I don’t see it, but in the past week I’ve had four people make comments about my dancing in a positive manner. Baffled Cat is, well, baffled. Anyone care to enlighten me?



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I'm a pyro. I love the way fire looks, sounds, and smells. The way the heat feels on my skin and the rush of playing with it. I'm also blessed with an unusually high tolerance to heat (just ask anyone who's watched me tend a fire bare handed).



I'm also a dancer. There are days when I live for the feeling of music crawling under my skin and setting my body in motion. For the feel of sweat gathering between my shoulders and trailing down my spine. Closing my eyes and just letting the music take me.



For years I've watched fire dancers in envy and admiration as they danced with their poi and staffs. Desperately wanting to move in sinuous forms while making arcs of light and heat with fire on the ends of chains.



I've had offers through the years to teach me from several people, but my attempts at following up and getting instruction to the point where I would be safe to light a set of kevlar wicks and set them spinning around my body never came to fruition. I want to play with fire, dance in a sphere of flame of my own making. But I'm also prudent enough to realize that there is a degree of risk. I like risk and I like walking that razor edge, but before I walk that line, I want to have as many tools and skills in my arsenal as I can possibly manage before hand. Risk management for the risk taker, it's not as much an oxymoron as some might think.



In any event earlier today danea drew my attention to classes at The Crucible in Oakland... Fire dancing classes. Twice a week, Monday and Wednesday after work, 9 classes to start to learn how to spin and incorporate dance in to the spinning, and one class at the very end with live fire. I tried to be good. I really did. In the face of having gotten my government bribe money just the other day, I failed. Classes start on July 21st. A scant three days after I go to Natasha for a new tattoo. The last class is a Saturday, four hours instead of an hour and fifteen minutes like all the rest, it's also the day before I leave for Burning Man. If I practice hard enough I'm hoping to have the skills to fire dance at the burn. Maybe not so good as some who've been doing it for years, but good enough to know I'll only get better.



Fire dancing... Oh yes.

Flogging Molly is going to be preforming on October 19th and 20th at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Tickets go on sale this Sunday. I'm buying one for the show on the 19th*. Anyone else out there interested in ganging along with me?**







* Yes it's a Sunday, yes I'm going. I'll take the Monday off.

** Basically I'm going to go no matter what. If you get a ticket for the same night and want to meet up let me know. We can do dinner or something before hand.

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, even if we don't speak often, please post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want -- good or bad. When you're finished,post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people remember about you.



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