this is a story of my tattoo. it is located on my right ankle. right in front, above the top of my foot. its a little sun. it keeps me happy on days that are sad.

i got it my freshman year, a little more than 3 years ago. it was winter quarter. i was taking an economics class. i hated that class. mostly just the teacher, but still, it sucked.

after the first terrifying exam, i willed myself to do better. and so i did. on the second exam, i walked in a little shaky, but i left knowing i had gotten a decent grade.

i had been wanting a tattoo for a while. and i couldn't think of a better reward for all of my hard work. so i went back to the dorms, rounded up all my girls and headed uptown to the shop. as i walked in, i knew what i wanted. i had seen it on one of the flash sheets a few weeks earlier when i was just browsing.

his name was brian. and honestly, he was a bit scary looking. but very nice. he sat me in the chair and i pulled off my shoe and sock. he cleaned my ankle. applied the design. and then mentioned that it might hurt a little. boy was he right. [perhaps i should mention my aversion to any amount of pain AND needles]. he got about halfway through, before my leg started to shake. he had to stop. i needed to calm down. after a few deep breaths, and a few quick squeezes of my best gals hand, i was good to go. and we finished. and i was never more proud of myself.