My "Luckdragon" Melvin

Since moving to the country, the tattoo bug has come calling more often than it did when I was in "corporate America".  After getting my "Vegan themed" sugar skull...

 



I decided that it was time to get an animal specific tattoo.  After a lot of thought, I decided that Melvin Goat had the perfect mix of panache and uniqueness that I was looking for.  While I trust my artist's abilities (Chris Chrome at Heart and Soul Tattoo in Yuba City), I have seen way too many portrait tattoos that struggle to capture the elements that define the subject so I wanted to steer clear of that since a non-perfect Melvin would be worse than no Melvin at all. 

For those who have never seen Melvin, he has a very distinctive strut.  His whole body wiggles as he moves and this combined with his face gave me the idea of having a "Melvin Dragon".  This was not without risk because of the fact that Melvin is a very hairy Angora goat.  I was keenly aware that this could turn out looking like a character from "The Neverending Story" - the Luckdragon.  The thought of having to explain that I was not a fan-boy for this movie for the rest of my life was not appealing.

As it turns out, when I introduced the concept and sent in the source pictures, my artist had the same worries. 

As it turns out, I think he did a great job pulling it off and five and a half hours later, I am as lucky to have the tattoo I wanted as I am lucky to have Melvin as my friend.

Lessons from Harold

Harold is our newest member of the family.  He was found at my work and was in need of a home at the same time that fate left us with a vacancy.  He helped us all (Including Henry our other fuzzy buddy) through a rough patch.

If I am honest, I have recently been worried about whether or not Harold is "all there".  He is an adorable and loving dog, but he often has a vacant expression that leaves you wondering what he is thinking, or if he thinks at all.  He struggles with some of the things that I would expect that a dog his age shouldn't have any difficulties with like avoiding "accidents".  Every time he is left at home, regardless of the duration, we are almost sure to find a wet spot in the same general area of the carpet.  It has become somewhat of a running joke as a means of maintaining our sanity about the situation.   He is freaked out by noises no matter how may times he hears them.  He will chew his racquetball for hours on end and get excited when it pops out of his mouth mid chew - even for the hundredth time.

Tonight as I fret over the uncertainties of life I am able to lean a lesson even from Harold, particularly a dubious source.  His doggie IQ could certainly be debated, but what is unquestionable is that he is happy.  This leads me to believe that maybe, just maybe, he thinks just the right amount.