So I came back to NYC again yesterday and went straight from the train station to the wondrous Porcupine Tattoo, where Emma, who has done such beautiful work on Joi the past year or two, gave me my first tattoo in 17 years. I got a tattoo when I was 18 and another when I was 20, and ever since I've thought I really ought to get a good one and/or get those ones fixed up -- the worst is the fairy on my thigh, done on the Greek island Rhodes by an Englishman who carried a tattoo kit around with him! she's just a jailhouse looking outline and not even the outline is done properly -- but I have really just been farrrrr too lazy. So for this one I thunk and thunk and figured it ought to be special and I wrote a list of images I love and finally decided to get DAPHNE TURNING INTO A LAUREL TREE. And Emma drew it up based on a Mucha painting and then yesterday did the outline and a little bit of color. She'll finish it in January. Look:





And then in February I am getting a little complementary piece -- flower women! -- done on the back of this arm and down to the forearm. It shall be looovely and weird and elegante.

In other news I am now obsessed with Arvo Part's "Fratres for Violin, Strings and Percussion" after hearing my friend Svetlin perform it with a small group of musicians at his violin recital Friday evening. It's unbelievably strange and gorgeous. I went home and bought it and can't stop listening to it now. Oh and the movie Frozen River. And the new James Bond movie! I've decided Daniel Craig really ought to play the fur-wearing gloomy 14th century Viking prince who's gonna be the LOVE INTEREST in my new mermaid book. I mean really. Admit that gave you shivers.