Weekend Parting Shot: Tattoo Blues and How to Save America

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Happy Friday, Gentle Readers,

I hope this missive finds you well and headed for a restful weekend. While setting one’s own hours has its advantages, my weekend is going to be spent attending to honey-dos, running errands, and doing yard work. That having been said, the impressive cumulus clouds and approaching thunder may mean that I can get out of that last odious task.

Who am I kidding? This is Utah. That storm will have passed by the time I’m done typing this sentence.

To ink or not to ink, that is the question

I am not about to throw shade at someone with tattoos. I have two of my own, which are holdovers from my younger rebellious days. Okay, I was in my 30s, so technically, I was younger. Mine are on my shoulders, which means no one can see them unless I want them to. I am a proponent of free expression, and if someone wants to ink themselves up and perforate various body parts, that is up to them. And as we are all adults here, most of us understand that our choices have consequences. 

Allow me to present to you a young woman who is in search of a part-time job so she can make ends meet. And given the trajectory of today’s young people, I find her goal admirable and commend her for her industrious attitude. She seems a bit perplexed as to why the nice people at her local T.J. Maxx decided they could do without her services. See how many things you can spot below:

@ashxobrien I want to know who is also having a hard time finding a job right now! #jobs #jobmarket ♬ original sound – Ash🖤

First of all, I want to reiterate that I have no problem with tattoos. That being said, I think that many, if not most T.J. Maxx shoppers would be a bit… distracted by this woman’s aesthetic choices. Personally, if I were to trundle up to the counter with an armload of stuff I really don’t need, I might be somewhat concerned that this person might scream at me about my privilege or possibly leap across the counter and eat my face off. Those tats and that nose ring do not exactly scream “T.J. Maxx.” They scream something; I just don’t know what.

I also counted at least twenty times that she dropped the word “like” into her comments. I think she used it correctly twice. I may be wrong, but I’m not going back to count again. Besides, like you know, if like, you can’t like, express yourself, like you know, like a professional person, like you might not like get the job and you may have to like, keep looking.

Just sayin’. 

How to save America

Once upon a time, short-term mission trips were big in many churches. I should know; I went on three of them. In Haiti, we were bagging rice to hand out to the locals, and it quickly devolved into a competition to see who could lug 20-pound bags of rice up the steps the fastest to show how dedicated they were. It got pretty brutal. It reminded me of that old joke, “I went on a mission trip, and a hockey game broke out.” 

Somehow, the call for mission trips began to evolve into the “sold-out” mindset. I expected it to reach a point where Christians would be expected to sell all their belongings, move to a third-world country, settle into a lean-to, cut off both legs, and spend the rest of their lives handing out Bibles and juice boxes to be truly on fire for Christ. Many people embarked on mission trips. Many returned home when they realized they just were not cut out for the field. Some felt ashamed even though they had no reason to feel that way. Faith does not always require over-the-top expressions. Usually, it is defined by how we live our lives every day.

The same can be said of patriotism. The news these days is depressing and discouraging on almost every front. You don’t have to spend too much time reading about current events to conclude that it is game over for America. That was how I was feeling yesterday when I spotted this work site:

These guys were just doing their regular jobs. They weren’t staging a protest, and they weren’t making a social media post. They wanted to be very clear to everyone who drove by that they believe in America and are not ashamed of that fact. It was just the shot in the arm I needed yesterday. The foreman said they put the flag up everywhere they go and usually get plenty of honks and shouts of encouragement.

If you feel called to speak up or speak out, you should follow your conscience. At the same time, simply living your life according to your values and without compromise can be effective, too. It may be the encouragement someone else needs. It might not be a grand gesture to save the nation, but it will help.

Wine recommendation

Because if you are planning on getting as many tattoos as the young lady above, you are going to need some anesthetic.

This week, allow me to introduce you to the 2021 Bonny Door Vineyard Le Cigar Volant red blend:

Fans of the TV show “Frasier” may recall that “Le Cigare Volante” was a favorite restaurant of the Crane brothers. It translates into “The Flying Cigar,” and that’s good enough for me. This wine is a blend of 65% Grenache, 18% Syrah, 15% Cineast, and 2% Petite Sirah.

This is a strong, dry red wine. My bottle had an understated but peppery bouquet, and the red fruits, such as cherries and berries, mixed well with a little bit of tobacco. Unlike some similar reds, this wine does not spend too much time in a wood barrel, so if you are looking for a smoky wine, this is not it, but you will not be disappointed. Most serious critics, of which I am not one, gave it high ratings in the 90s. That’s justified since all of the varietals come together very well. Despite the high scores, it runs between $13 and $15. 

That’s it for me. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you next time.