The Eclectic Corner #8: My Unrealistic Christmas List

The Eclectic Corner is a feature on The Left-Handed Book Lover in which I talk about basically anything I want. A whole variety of topics! This is kinda like my chance to talk about non-bookish things. I came up with this idea because I really wanted to incorporate my love of TV shows and music somehow. This gives me a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers beyond similar taste in books.

I did my very first Eclectic Corner post almost exactly two years ago, and it was MY UNREALISTIC CHRISTMAS LIST. Last year, I decided to bring it on back. So, here I am for year three!! 

So basically on this list are going to be things I really want but would never ask anyone to get me because MONEY (or because they're just not feasible wishes). This year it has been a bit tougher to decide because my situation is VASTLY different than it has been in the past 2 years. Beside straight up money, there's not a whole lot I need, but here we go! 

I'm something of a clothes addict, and ya girl has not purchased any new clothes in a hot minute. It's torture, I tell ya. TORTURE! But with the onslaught of adulthood comes bills and grad school application fees and other less-fun things I have to spend money on. So, if someone could just take me into a store or two and be like, "Hey girly, buy everything your little heart desires," that would be ideal, thanks. 

Speaking of grad school applications, I really wouldn't mind if someone handed me an acceptance letter or two. Applying has been an exhausting, nerve wracking process, and I'm not even close to being finished yet. Also, am very much convinced that I'm not going to get accepted anywhere so I'd like it if that, you know, weren't the case. 

Listen, I don't like country music, but Shania Twain is my queen. My goddess. MY PRESIDENT. I am literally obsessed with her and this little last hurrah tour she's doing would be my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see her live, which is basically the dream. Funny story, though, I'M GOING TO BE OUT OF THE COUNTRY WHEN SHE'S TOURING so I guess the caveat to this wishlist item would be that I get tickets and meet & greet passes during a time when I'd actually be able to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will be bitter about this until the day I go, just so everyone is aware. 

So I have a slight tattoo problem. I currently have 7 and want at least a billion more. Problem is, they're expensive. I just don't see anyone in my family paying for me to get more anytime soon. Let's just say I'm pretty much the only ink enthusiast in my family. 

WHAT IS ON YOUR UNREALISTIC CHRISTMAS LIST?

My Bookish Tattoo

For most of my life, I had no interest in getting a tattoo. I always said that tattoos looked cool on others, but I was far too fickle to get something permanently inked on my body. 

Last December, it was like a switch flipped and I woke up one morning wanting to get a tattoo. I'm not even joking. I just woke up with the desire. Of course, I knew better than to immediately run off and get one, so I more-or-less disregarded the feeling and moved on with my life. Months later, the desire was still there, and I realized that maybe getting a tattoo wasn't just an impulse--it was something I really wanted. I just had no clue WHAT I wanted, and that wasn't a decision I wanted to make lightly. Again: me fickle, ink permanent.

I ruminated on this for a while. I only knew two things about my future tattoo. I wanted it to be bookish and I didn't want it to be cliche. I'm the type of person who thinks tattoos should be meaningful (At least on myself. Everyone gets tatted for their own reasons.) So, I scoured Pinterest and asked my friends' advice. Did I want it simple or intricate? An image, a quote, or both?

Finally, after a couple months, I found what I wanted. My best friend took me to get inked this summer.

This is a picture from the day I got it done. Sadly, I realized today this is the only picture I have of my tattoo. I guess the back of my neck isn't a place I photograph often. Whodathunk it.

I know it seems super simple, but I am still in love with it. It is honestly perfect for me. My whole family was super shocked (my dad especially), but when they saw it, they all agreed that it was extremely fitting. My boyfriend at the tame hated it and was extremely against me getting a tattoo, but I'm so glad I didn't listen to him, because he's irrelevant now.

Anyway, I got it on the back of my neck because that means I can show it off and keep it hidden whenever I want to, which was, in my opinion, the smart decision. Admittedly, I have long, thick hair that I don't wear up all that often, so people don't see it all that often, but I feel so happy and confident on the rare occasions I do show it off.

When people see a tattoo, everyone's first instinct is, of course, to ask what it means. Y'all have no clue how many people have seen it and asked me, "So, like, do you just really like reading or something?"

And here's what I've been trying to work toward the entire post. Usually when people ask me that, I simple smile sardonically and say, "Yeah, something like that," because I don't feel like trying to explain it all to people. Most people will find my full explanation of my tattoo lame and cheesy. But you, fellow bloggers, I feel will understand exactly what I mean when I say this.

Here is the full, honest explanation for my bookish tattoo that I've never really told anyone.

I like to think of my tattoo as having three tiers of meaning.

The first tier is the obvious, superficial reason: I love reading and I love books. Simple as that.

Even though tier 2 is essentially the same sentiment, but it goes a bit deeper. I got this tattoo because my life basically revolves around books. My past, present, and future. In the past, books basically saved my life and my sanity. When I was younger, I moved a lot, attended like a trillion different schools. It was hard to make friends and strong connections with others, so I would seek refuge in books. I found solace in the pages and the fictional characters living within them. In the present, I am double majoring in English and creative writing. I'm basically double majoring in analyzing books and writing books. In the future, I plan to be a writer and a novel editor. Like I said, my whole life revolves around books.

The third tier is a bit more weird and abstract. Here is the caption I posted the day I got it:

And there it is. Books, to me, are the most magical thing in this world. All these letters and syllables combine to create people and worlds that we can fall in love with, that we can relate to and find comfort in, that can show us we're not alone in this world. That's one of the most incredible things I can think of.