Tattoo concepts, life in general

So, I've been considering new ink. I don't want to get it right away, I need to finish my back and I certainly don't want the piece I'm considering done before the wedding. It needs time to gestate in my head, to come together artistically, and for me to feel it's perfect. Why? Because it will be the biggest tattoo, and most visible, to date.


After some deliberation, I've decided to plan out a Sailor Moon sleeve for my right arm, stylized in the later anime style and simply left as bold outlines. No color. I haven't yet committed to putting this on my arm yet, but I'm definitely leaning that way.

Why Sailor Moon? Because, quite simply, I adore the show. Not the dub, but the original Japanese version and I can't think of any better sleeve theme for me than my all time favorite show. Plus it lets my inner nerd shine, and who doesn't love that? As an aside, no one seems to even have a Sailor Moon sleeve yet, so that makes it even better! (Shush about any retorts that there's a reason no one has it. I love the show, have for over a decade, and that's enough for me.)

Life has been changing at a fast pace for me since November. Life decisions have been made with little to no thought and it seems a little bit lately like things are going too smoothly. I expected bumps, disappointments... pain and suffering by this point and it is markedly absent.

Matt has been the kind of fiance I needed him to be for the past couple of years. No reverting back to past habits, no fears or doubts and no lingering feelings of insecurity. It's like climbing Mt. Everest for five years and suddenly realizing the peak isn't a mountain peak at all but a stunning oasis of verdant grass, deep pools of cool, fresh water and comfortable climate filled with soft cushions, white clad ladies with giant palm frond fans and all the delicious food one could ever need. I could get used to this.

Work, if possible, is going even more stellarly than my relationship. Exactly sixty one days from my first day of orientation as a part-time cashier, I attended my first day of orientation as the Hiring and Training Coordinator. When I stepped into the meeting room this morning to address the store managers, I received a healthy round of applause and felt like I'd won a Grammy Award. They are blown away by my ideas, by my ambition and by my motivation. I wasn't shunted to the side even after my "moment" was up, constantly asked how I view the inner workings of my store.

There is a down side to this though. I have thrown myself into work, 300%. I don't know of anyone to be promoted so high so shortly after starting a new job. When I get home, I'm so tired I can't even lift my arms to put my socks away. The place goes without tidying and every day more I feel like I'm dropping the ball. I haven't found my rhythm for work yet, balancing the effort so I don't come home exhausted.

I just hope I can balance them before the piles of dirty laundry become sentient. Just looking at them makes me want to sob.