KatieSchenk.com

Anonymous asked: What do you want?

The biggest problem with me not getting what I want is that I don’t entirely know what I want. It’s an ugly circle of frustration.

My brother just texted me to let me know that he’s been looking for that traffic light pull chain for me on Ebay for years with no luck and that he’s pretty sure the one at Papa’s had the yellow light. He “didn’t want to get one that wasn’t the same.” Apparently Mom and Dad have been called on this as well and they’re also pretty sure it had a yellow light and was not glow-in-the-dark.

I’m at the point now that even if I got the exact pull chain from the family member that does have it, I would just use it to make sure the tattoo was accurate.

Yesterday
Riverbank State Park Baseball Field
West Harlem

Far from Jupiter, FL

alldirections:

Alright baby, here’s how it’s gonna be. Meet me at my place at 6:58 so that we can catch the M104 down to Bryant Park. I should still have $4.50 on my metrocard. They might have some flowers there that I can dig out of the snow and pick for you. Plus it’s fashion week. We might be able to get a few snapshots of each other with hotter people. Then we’ll walk a few blocks over to Port Authority so we can wave at buses going to romantic places. We’ll stroll a few more blocks down scenic Ninth Avenue and stop off at one of those quaint dollar-draft bars with the dirty construction boots outside. They always use red Dixie cups on Valentine’s Day. Plus, they write your name on them with a marker. I’ll let you keep both of them. You can wash them when you get home. I can keep them if you want, but I already have a ton. After a drinking contest with the teamsters and maybe a couple of games of pool (bring quarters), it’s just a few more blocks to one of my favorite parts of the city…Penn Station! It will be perfect because we’ll probably both need to pee by then anyway. We can grab some chicken and rice on the way in and have a little picnic on the steps in front of the NJ Transit terminal. We’ll probably be a kinda sleepy by then so we might want to find a bench. But if we still have energy, there’s a K-Mart on 34^th and they have those shiny mylar balloons! I’ll try to get you a heart one but if they don’t have any, I’ll get you an early birthday one. We can also pick up some condoms while we’re there. I’m out. Then if you want to wander up to Times Square, we can. I kind of hate it there though. Too many yuppies and unfortunately it’s way too cold for that naked cowboy guy. That dude is awesome! So yeah, my vote is to head back up to my place instead. Make sure to use the bathroom in the lobby because there’s something wrong with my toilet. We can either sleep on my bed or on the couch. My bed doesn’t have sheets. Also, can you wake me up before 7:00? I have to stop by the hardware store to pick up some spray paint and plastic bags. Otherwise there’s no way I’m making it through the day at work. Thanks, babe! See you at 6:58.

One of the main reasons I never went through with getting a tattoo is that I could never find a good picture that even came close to what I remembered in my head. I google searched the hell out of traffic lights and never find the right one.

Until tonight, of course. Drewdoo’s photo above, I believe, is the exact same pull chain that hung above my grandparent’s sink my entire life until my Papa passed away. I won’t tell you the story of why I don’t have this in my possession, but I don’t… and that caused quite a few tears.

And there you have the very brief story behind the tattoo. Location? My thought is the top of my foot with the beaded chain around my lower ankle, but I go back and forth on foot tattoos. I want the artwork to include the chain, so I feel like that limits the locations a bit. Also, I don’t want the cream ‘glow-in-the-dark’ color. I don’t need an exact replica on my body.

It weirds me out that I actually found a picture of it tonight. That has never happened before and now I’m thinking this current tattoo craving may end a little differently than in the past.

Update: My family doesn’t think it’s the same pull-chain. Everyone is pretty sure that Papa’s had a yellow light and was not glow in the dark. However, this atleast gives me a much better starting point for a drawing.

Riverbank State Park
Hudson River

New Jersey is out there somewhere.

It will pass. It always has.

Posted without comment.

(via The White House)

Ugh, typical “omg it’s snowing” photo.