Nice squat PR!!
and I like your crescent wrench
Finally did something I’ve been wanting to do for years: got a beautiful piece of ink done. My back is still wrapped so I’ll get pictures for the pic whores laterz. I’ve been so anxious about the pain and it turns out my inner masochist LOVED IT! I was practically purring on the chair. She worked on me for 3 ours and got a lot done. The shading and finishing work is planned in 3 weeks.
Epic moment in Frenchie World. According to Bear and Brute this will get me my 315 deadlift fo sure! 
Ooo, can’t wait to see it. I’ve heard of the pain of inking being addictive. I’m sure it helps your body to release amounts of endorphins, kinda like when I eat really hot chili, love the little highs from pain.
OOH! OOH! new first ink! How exciting and addicting!!
can’t wait to see what it is.(I think I know)
And I can’t wait to get my arm finished, woot!
[quote]nlmain wrote:
Presenting my new piece of work… Was it what you thought Betty?
[/quote]
I LOVE IT!!! Its so beautiful and it suits you perfectly!! Power and fortune, rules the waters…
Do you know the legend of the phoenix and the dragon? You are quite literally the yang to my yin 
Tell us about this, Mainy!! What inspired you?
I LOVE it!!!
so awesome…I want to get a dragon as well someday wrapping around my leg…fairy battling a dragon sort of deal.
I thought yours was going to be a wolf.
I’m getting my arm finished first though!
Maybe next year after saving up more cash and brain storming more ideas. After my ‘battle,’ with my health should be settled.
Can’t wait to see your ink finished…it also looks great as is!
HA HA 
EEEEYEAHHHHH! ! ! !
Can’t wait to see it grow…cuz you know it will :)! !
Mims - although the wolf “adopted me” I’ve always been more of a cat person, I’m not sure I’ve truly adopted it. The wolf does represent certain dragon traits: wisdom, strength, natural choas (good and bad). The one major difference I can think of is that wolf is pack driven while the dragon is a loner. Funny thing is my tatoo artists thinks I have native blood due to my type of skin. I wouldn’t rule it out since my dad’s side of the family is a total mystery.
Brute- the husband is totally scared of that. And you’re right, the chances are high.
Masch- thank you! Basically I’ve been drawn to the dragon since my late teens. They are a force of nature, brute raw strength coupled with incredible wisdom. That is what I like best from them. Strength and wisdom on their own can be rather inefficient but coupled together, it becomes an unstoppable power. I also see a certain feminine fluidity to the gracefulness (didn’t know it was associated to water but it makes sense). Longevity, resilience, power… also their choatic nature: neither good nor bad. I’ve always strived to be “good” until I realized “good” was mostly what other people expected of me. I’d rather live life according to my standards. The people who love me will love me non the less.
Also I had my horoscope done recently and it clicked so bad it was freaky. I was told that my happiness was steaped in routine, pattern. I feel very unbalanced in the midst of change. I make lists, I have scheduals and it makes me feel safe and in control. However I was told was that I had a Anarchist “shadow-side”:
There is something extrememly rebellious and rather wild inside of you, which not only longs to break free of the sometimes constricting views you hold; it is also much more concerned with, and connected to, the broader stream of humanity, particularly the unconscious side of the collective, where new and innovative ideas are born, and change errupts to alter social mores…
…You need to integrate some of this unpredictable and eccentric spirit into your consious life, for it will keep your mind and imagination alive and responsive to growth and change; and it can also add to your stable and reliable personality a quality of broad compassion and tolerance for attitudes different from your own…
…It might do you a great deal of good to occassionally be disruptive, peculiar, and mystical, for you would discover that, far from destroying your cherishes stability, it would make you a more flexible, open and sympathetic person…
The dragon is an impersonation of this “shadow-self”. A reminder that stepping outside my comfort zone, outside social “norms”, outside routine and schedual once in a while will feed my soul.
edit: just read up about the myth of the dragon and the phoenix - the one where they create a pearl. was that the one you had in mind? What is our “pearl” Maschy darlin
Nice ink Frenchie
looks awesome Frenchie. You’re such a bad ass
It’s gonna look awesome all colored and shaded!!! Didn’t the needle feel ticklish when it went right over your spine? I loved the feel of getting tatted. I remember watching some sort of History Channel show on secrets of the masons or something. I barely paid attention to what he was doing.
Nice Ink Dragoness
You take better plumber/construction themed pics than anyone on T-Nation
Nice squatting!
ooo. more shadow self please.
beautiful ink. and beautiful meaning behind it, too.
Don’t know if you guy’s picked up on it but the smile was really important to me. I wanted him to have a grin, hence the sideways head.
Greenies - I don’t remeber feeling that much different on the spine… The toughest part for me was the residue of an old sunburn which made the skine more sensitive. You can see the redder patch of skin in the pic.
They had a movie selection and I watched madagascar 2 (funny) followed by Megamind (blah). Also I connected with my artist (35yr old cute, unconventional woman) and we chatted quite a bit over the 3 hours.
Bree - do you mean more quoting or more crazy Frenchie?
Your tattoo is incredible!! Sexy, fierce, and I do get the whole fluidity thing. Its graceful and powerful, I love it.
So many levels of Frenchie!
Also need another pic, with all your back, shoulders showing, that Vtaper is beauteous!