I don't sleep at night... no biggie.

If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and color, we would find some other cause for prejudice by noon. ~ George Aiken

Sad, but most likely true. People love to hate.

I'm Jess. I live in Charleston, WV. I am a nurse on a neurological floor. I mostly care for older people that have had strokes or have other problems with their noggins. Some seizures, head trauma and spinal surgery too. Lately it's also been the satellite psych ward. I work night shift, so it's even more fun since the real crazies come out at night.
March 9

Tattoo

I currently have two tattoos and I have been wanting another one for a while. Recently I’ve been obsessing about getting a new tattoo. I have been thinking about old ideas I’ve had for tats, modifying them, and coming up with brand new ideas. In fact, I’ve had to start a little notebook to keep all my ideas in so I don’t forget them. Though I guess if I forget an idea, I probably am not that excited about it and therefore shouldn’t have it permanently inked onto my skin… but I have a terrible memory, so it doesn’t count as much. 

One of my newest ideas is to represent the state I’ve been living in the last 7 years, West Virginia. Everyone seems to have the outline of the state, or the flying WV symbol (my school’s symbol/trademark). I wanted something slightly more original, so I did a little research about the state’s symbols. The state tree is the sugar maple, which has very pretty leaves, particularly when they change color in the fall. So, I want to get a sugar maple leaf with the state’s motto “Montani semper liberi” (aka Mountaineers are always free) lining the stem.

Then yesterday I decided that if I was going to get something to represent WV, I should probably get a tattoo that represented the state that I spent all of my childhood and over 2/3 of my life… Virginia. So back to researching state symbols. I could just get a Cardinal, that would represent both states, but it is also the state bird for five other states. Plus, I am not that big a fan of cardinals. The state flower and tree is the American dogwood. The flowers are simple and pretty, so my decision was made. A branch of the state tree with several blossoms and perhaps the state motto “SIc Semper Tyrannis” (aka Thus always to tyrants) along the branch, just to keep with the previously initiated theme. 

While doing my research I found out that Virginia has 95 counties. I spent my whole childhood and school-aged years in the state and I never knew that. You see, VA state history was not a required class, in West VIrginia at around middle school age and there’s even a test called the “Golden Horseshoe”. WV seems to want its children informed and knowledgeable about the state they live in, maybe so they can retort to out-of-staters when they are given flack about how hill-billy and backwoods it is here. Children in West Virginia must memorize all 55 counties, which is probably why they like to use it as a category whenever they play Kings.