so my mom works all day this upcoming saturday, and i will have the entire day and the entire house to myself. i need to plan for this day carefully else i end up overwhelmed by the myriad of possibilities and wind up doing nothing. i have narrowed by choices to three things which i will discuss briefly below: 1) go to morro bay and get a tattoo; 2) stay home and do stamping projects; and 3) go to santa barbara.

1) this would be a perfect day to run over to mb and get inked again. since i’d have all day, i could take my time going through the books, taking to the tattoo artist, and getting the work done, if i decided to do it. the problem i have, and, in fact, have had for some time, is i can’t decide on a definite design. i’m still wanting the sunflower border across my lower back, and the monarch butterfly on the top of my foot, but not sure i really want to deal with something that involved right now. the sunflower border wouldn’t show unless i wanted it to, but i’m worried about my clothes rubbing against the tender skin. the location i’d like is right where the waistband hits now, and also where my lower back rests against my chair everyday. sure i could sit forward a bit, and not lean against the chair, but the waistbands are still a concern. the butterfly would definitely show, and i’m not sure how that would go over at work. the one i have now only shows when i wear skirts, and isn’t all that obvious even then. there’s also the problem of having to wear socks, whether cotton socks or nylons, and shoes which, once again, pose a rubbing issue. it’s not so bad with my work flats, but wearing my cross-trainers while working out could be a problem. i have also considered using one of my favourite rubber stamps as a design, but i have so many favourites, i haven’t been able to choose.

2) and, speaking of stamping, this would also be a great day to do just that. i could do a couple st. patrick’s day designs for work, do my easter cards, do a couple birthday cards for some upcoming birthdays, and work on a couple scenes i have started. i’ve also been wanting to play with some clay, making some relief plaques like i saw on “next door with katie brown” a couple weeks ago. she used some fake grapes to make a neat plaque, but i wanted to try making stuff with some of my stamps. plus i have yet to experiment with shrink plastic, or make hand-made paper.

and, finally, 3) i could always just do my monthly run down to santa barbara. that almost seems like a waste of a mom-free day, however, i am beginning to feel the need for a run down south. beginning to get a craving for a silver martini, and macadamia crusted halibut at rock’s. beginning to need to run through wet seal, even thought i can’t fit into anything in that store right now. it’s silly, really, to waste time and gas on a trip that long for such small things, and it’s especially silly to waste a mom-free day on a trip i usually take to give myself a mom-free day. i could easily go to the wet seal in santa maria, which is much closer. i’ve seen the ingredients, as expensive as they are, for the silver martini available in local grocery stores, and how hard could it be, really, to make my own macadamia crusted halibut?

i can see i’m already talking myself out of the third option, which leaves only the tattoo and the stamping, and if i’m so desperate to get out of town by myself, morro bay is not such a bad second choice! i could easily combine choices 1 and 2, and come up with the perfect saturday, taking into consideration, of course, the fact that i still have to be home by 5 and cook dinner. it’s not that i want to hide stuff from my mom, although the new tattoo certainly falls into that category, but she and i just have different ways of thinking, and there’s no point in causing her any undue stress. i’m just trying to be the thoughtful, considerate daughter! but, a little ink she can’t hardly see can’t hurt, can it?

o, but i forgot my last, but most important option: doing absolutely nothing! just laying around the house, watching some videos, taking naps . . . *sigh* now that sounds pretty good to me right now. we’ll just have to wait and see. yes, i’m keeping you in suspence! how else do i get you to come back? :-)