Last night at the dinner event that was held at this meeting, we had the opportunity to get tattoos (they allegedly fade in about 5 days) and to have a conversation with a psychic. There was also a caricaturist, but I declined to sit for a portrait (everyone ended up looking like Tom Cruise or Rosie O'Donnell, and I didn't want to take my chances with either of those).

There was much hoo-hah about the tattoos as people picked their designs and bodily locations. The tattoo artist explained that she could not put one in any private region because we "were in mixed company". I suppose if we had been a single gender gathering we might have ended up with more interesting locations than wrists, ankles, arms and the small of the back (the most risque of the ones that were done last night). I ended up with two (one glass of wine = first one; two glasses of wine = second one), one on each arm. I would have done an ankle design, but the presence of pantyhose precluded that. The first one was a yin/yang symbol (although I realized what an uneducated bunch I work with, because 90% of them didn't know what it was or what it symbolized). The second was a crescent moon, embellished with a face and a few stars. I, wisely, decided that the sunburst in the cleavage was a bad idea. I'm debating about whether to try to convince my kids that they're real.

The psychic was another experience altogether. (Once again, peer pressure led me astray.) She was dressed in an elaborate gold and purple hat, black velvet elbow-length loves, lots of dangly jewelry, and sat in front of a table decorated with candles, a crystal ball and various celestial symbols. She asked a few questions (the same ones she asked of others who had seen her before me) about whether I was married (I guess the ring wasn't enough of a clue), how many children I had, whether I worked with a lot of international people, who from my family has died (she sensed "a lot of spirits around me" and asked if I had pictures of all them from when they were 20, and if not, I should try to find those photos). She told me I had a dual career line on my palm (news to me - unless I'm holding another job while sleepwalking), and asked if I sang (can't carry a tune). She said she sensed a third child in my life (perhaps the baby I lost before I had Caitlin) and that the last two years had been stressful (you could pick any two year period from my life and that would be true). I can't remember the tarot card I picked or what its significance was. I chose a piece of paper that shows my animal spirit is the alligator, which means I'm a strong woman (and I need to get an alligator statue). I picked a pink crystal (love, happiness, peace) and a bluish-green one (ideas, leadership, blah, blah, blah). All-in-all, I'm glad I didn't have to pay for any of the "advice". But I think I will pick up that alligator statue. Just in case.