Return of the Librarian

I have mentioned on occasion that I am not merely a librarian by trade -- I am a librarian right to the very core of my being. From the moment of my birth, I firmly believe that there was nothing else I could have become. No, I was never the kid who dreamed of growing up to be a librarian. I didn't think librarians were lame or anything, it just never crossed my mind that I would be a librarian.

You've all heard the story, so I won't tell it again. I will say that I am a librarian as a lifestyle choice -- year-round -- even though I'm only professionally a librarian for nine months of the year. That is to say, if you ask me a question and I don't know the answer, I'm going to tell you how to find it. Depending on the situation, I might tell you where to stick it, too.

On the whole, I am pleased with my choice to fit my personality/fate with my profession.

There is one thing that I have found all librarians to have in common: a strong desire to be approachable and inoffensive. For some of us, this spills out into our time away from the reference desk. I feel that I am approachable and inoffensive any time I'm in pubic -- I must be. If I wasn't, I wouldn't catch so much shit from strangers.

This approachability is the lynch-pin in my argument that body art is not, in and of itself, intimidating. Folks walk up to me all the time and ask for directions or recipes or political views. (BTW, I don't hand out my political views.) Then again, I've been careful with the body art because, well, I like having a paying job.

If a potential employer _thinks_ you will intimidate or isolate patrons, you don't get the job. This is valid. I used to have students who would go wild -- they were in school for phlebotomy and insisting that they had a right to keep their four-inch-long fingernails. Nope. I don't care if they have some way to clean those claws, if I see a nurse or other medical professional with long fingernails, I'm not going back to that doctor's office. It's the same with librarians.

So, yeah. I was running out of space, to be honest.

Then, I discovered white ink.



Now, this is not completely healed. The 'S' is, for the most part. It looks more like a scar than a tattoo. And I love it. I had never considered getting a tattoo in such a public place.

So, I'm starting a pool. When will someone at work -- student or fellow professional -- notice it? If you're right, I'll take you to get a white tattoo. :) There are some financial limits -- I'll spend on you what I spent on me -- and, honestly, I'm not going to take a stranger anywhere, so get to know me if you lurk.

There are some things you should always explore when getting a tattoo. Just google it. Or ask me. Some notes on white tattoos:

• They only work consistently on very, very pale skin. If you have pale skin, then you tan, you're going to fade your tattoo right out.
• You want to use an artist who has some experience -- not just with tattoos, but with white ink specifically.
• Some folks will tell you that the transfer ink will taint your tattoo -- this has not been the case with any of the white I've seen.