Tattoo Information

Here's some additional information on the tattoo:

I had it done at Living Canvas Studio in Columbia, Missouri.

http://www.myspace.com/livingcanvastudio

Adya did all of our tattoos. She's the shop manager and co-owner as well (I think).

Anyway, if you are looking to get inked in the mid-Missouri area, seriously consider Adya. She's nice, funny, interested in what you want, and she does great custom and cover-up work. Bring in a rough idea of what you want, and she'll sketch it up. She's an amazing artist. The shop is big, clean, and friendly!

I drew the tree and I roughly drew the climber she did last year on my other shoulder, but she made it look much nicer than my original rendering.

Adya also did a caduceus for Jenn last year

Their myspace page also has a $20 off coupon for tattoos.

Remember to tell her I sent you...and tip well!

TATTOO!

Sorry for the delay...it's the first week of classes so us academic advisors are super busy.
Here they are, pictures of tattoos and the tattooing process. It might gross you out...sorry :)

This is the beginning of the process. They place the outline on your skin and then start to trace it in black ink with a very thin (and quite painful) needle.




I was really hurtin' at this point. Can you tell by the awesome face I'm making?
This also provides you kind readers with a shot of the rock climber tattoo Adya did last year.
The outline and roots are done. I have gauze stuck in my bra. Not my finest or hottest moment.
Almost done. Feeling faint. I think I might need a juice box. :(
Jenn and I both got the tree tattoo on our shoulders. Tara loves the cubs so much that she now has the Wrigley Field Ivy on her shoulder forever. They should give her free tickets or at least a ball cap.

The Fifth Time's the Charm!

I'll be getting another tattoo tonight along with Jenn, Fizzy, and Tara. We're gonna go for broke tonight on a multi-hour tattooing spree. Adya at Living Canvas is doing all our pieces. She's pretty amazing. She also did my rock climber tattoo. It's hard to find female tattoo artists in Missouri, we're lucky to have such a great talent right here in mid-mo.

If you live in Columbia and you want a tattoo, check out Living Canvas. They are an all custom shop (the only way to go). What I like most about their shop is the fact that it is Classy with a capital C! Adya's room even has a fireplace!

I'll post a picture of the new puffy, red, and swollen tattoo tomorrow. It'll rock your face off. I'm sure I will also have plenty of priceless photos of the other three too. Call it a hunch, but something tells me Tara will be making ridiculous faces the whole time. It's important moments like these are caputured!

Complaining is FUN!

So, I wrote a letter to the good people at Worlds of Fun about our experience last weekend. And this dude wrote back...a personal and very nice email. I'm regaining some confidence in WOF.
I'm still waiting for free tickets ;) but here is his response:

Megan

Thank you so much for taking the time to write us here at Worlds of Fun. It is usually the high point of my day to listen to the concerns, suggestions, and comments of our guests. I was very upset to read about your experience at the Viking Voyager. It is unfortunate that someone found it necessary to share his hateful and obnoxious comments with the rest of our guests in the park. I apologize for your having to listen to his ranting while you were in line. However, I find it more unacceptable if our employees overheard this and did nothing to contact our security department. I assure you if that would have been the case we could have put an end to his comments or asked his group to leave the park. I want you to know that Worlds of Fun takes a lot of pride in promoting a fun and enjoyable atmosphere free of hate and discrimination. But after reading your letter, it seems we could do more. I want you to know we will continue to educate and train our seasonal staff to be aware of these issues and the appropriate actions to take when these situations arise. Once again please know the comments and attitude of one guest does not represent those of the park or the hundreds of employees who work hard each day to make Worlds of Fun the best amusement park in the midwest.

I was also upset to read in your letter about the service and meal you received at the All Stars Grill. As the Director of Retail Operations, I try to stress to all of our employees the importance of giving great customer service and putting forth a quality product our guests will enjoy. I was very sorry to read about the salads your group was served during your meal. I wish I would have been there at the time of your visit to listen to your concerns, fix the problem, and ensure you were served the best salad you've ever had!

Once again, thanks for taking the time to write us and pointing out ways we can improve the Worlds of Fun experience for our guests. I will remember to address the issue of healthy and vegetarian options as we look toward the 2008 season. But more importantly, we look forward to the opportunity to train our seasonal staff on ways to react when they encounter someone who is obnoxious so our guests and children don't have their days spoiled.

On behalf of the park, let me once again apologize for these two occurrences. I hope these two situations didn't ruin what I can only hope was a fun-filled and enjoyable day for you and your friends. I hope at some point you give us the chance to entertain you and either meet or exceed your expectations.

Have a great summer!

Matt Steere
Director of Retail Operations
Worlds of Fun / Oceans of Fun

Amusement Parks: Playgrounds for the Red of Neck?

We went to Worlds of Fun this weekend. "We" being me and my lesbian friends. My vegetarian lesbian friends.

Worlds of Fun was....fun...however not a friendly locale for the gays...or the vegetarians.

We were all very excited about the Viking Voyage. The WOF website describes it like this:

"An adventurous voyage in a hollow viking boat takes riders on the ride of their life. The boat climbs an incline, floats through a treetop flume and ends with a 40-foot plunge back to ground level."

They were wrong...this is more accurate:

"A troublesome journey into the twisted mind of the twenty-something young man in front of you in line. His jokes float through sexism, size-ism, and homophobia and end with a plunge into shouting at two men he doesn't know...calling them gay and queer while WOF employees stand by laughing."

It was awesome.

We dined in the "All Stars Grill" that evening. From the WOF website:

"Sports fans will enjoy visiting the All-Stars Grill. Now with walk-up service and big-screen TVs, guests will be able to catch a game in-between riding the Viking Voyager and Spinning Dragons."

The reality:

"Iceberg lettuce fans will enjoy munching on a tiny $8 bowl of greens. With rude employees and screaming children, you might be able to eat some dinner in between homophobic slurs at the Viking Voyager."

The vegetarian salad at the All Stars Grill came with turkey. They had to remake all four salads for us. I know turkeys are dumb...but I still don't want to eat them.

All jokes aside, we really did have a good time at WOF. I learned somethings about myself:

Although I am really bad at actual basketball, I'm pretty good at midway basketball...I have a mini-wolverines ball to prove that point. Also, the prizes on the midway haven't been screened in a couple months, because they still have Lindsay Lohan posters up for grabs at the dart vs. balloons booth.

Did I mention we also went to Oceans of Fun.

Words of Wisdom: On the ride "Hurricane Falls" pictured to the left...choose your weight distribution carefully in the tube. We almost tacoed over on a corner because...well, I guess maybe we should have eaten more iceberg lettuce and fewer fried foods. Maybe the folks at the All Stars Grill were trying to send us a message.

Reunion

On the bus today 10 out of the 15 people riding were reading the new Harry Potter book...myself included.

The real news of the week:

I caved in and I went to my 10 year high school reunion this weekend.

I was dreading it. I didn't want to see most of the people. I hated high school, so why replay it?

I'll tell you why:

B/C I haven't done the following things that other folks in my class have done:

1) stayed in Jefferson City
2) popped out 5 babies
3) added a (positive) slide show of George Bush to my MySpace page
4) become a professional arm wrestler
5) hosted a 10 year reunion after-party at the house my rich daddy bought me

So, overall, I think I'm fairing well compared to my counterparts.

I did get a chance to catch up with my dear friend Katie. We had a good time avoiding the party and laughing at/with people. Her husband was a RIOT. They were my favorite part of the whole reunion. It was all I hoped it would be at a little more... The strangest part of the reunion: I didn't recognize over half the people there and that's odd, because it was a small high school. Folks change...but I'm still as snarky as ever.

Sadly...

There hasn't been much going on in the way of bus news recently.

There is a new bus driving on the Red East in the morning and boy is she punctual. I've almost missed the bus three times in the last week. Punctuality, although prized in many occupations, may not be the best attribute for bus drivers. If you're too early...other people are going to be late.

In other news:

1. I'm buying a new car even though I can't drive it for two months. It gets excellent gas milage and it should save Jenn a boat load of money.
2. I officially did not have a seizure. I passed out. The doctor said so. He wants me to hold of on driving "to be safe" and I will....but it feels good to know I didn't have a seizure!
3. I really mean it this time when I say I'll update my blog more. Promise.