What: The frog from Silverchair’s Frogstomp album. His name is Pike.
Where: Right shoulder
Who: Pedda, Falkenberg
When: 1999
Why: In 1999 I made one of my self-made piercings, this time in the eyebrow. After I’d been making three of four holes to make it sit right the brow was too sore to play around with so instead of forcing an actual ring in or something I just left a safety pin in. My mom usually don’t care about crap like this, but she – believing I was actually going to leave the safety pin in, I learned later – offered to pay for a tattoo if I took it out. So I did. I was really into the Australian band silverchair at the time, and frogs are cool, so I wanted this one. I’ve figured out later that the shoulder is an unfortunate placement for it, since I want to cover my arms with tattoos and I can’t figure out what the hell I should have around it. But I love Pike and his cockiness.
Interesting fact: Pike has a girlfriend. How many tattoos/frogs can say that? (Cheated on her a couple of times though, but it’s probably a very open relationship.)

What: Twin Peaks symbol
Where: Inside right ankle
Who: Bubba, Smålandsstenar
When: Summer 2008
Why: A looong time ago me and Matilda a.k.a. the Sidekick was watching Twin Peaks (again), and while seeing the burnmarks Major Briggs and the Loglady gets in the show someone came up with the brilliant idea to get those marks tattooed on ourselves. Six+ years later we finally got around to it (We’re not the most effective people in the world when it comes to stuff like this;) Since Matilda didn’t plan on getting more tattoos after this one (and I didn’t really give a crap) she chose symbol first, and her getting Margaret’s and me Briggs’ is fitting on a couple of different levels. She also picked the spot for them.
So what the hell does these not so beautiful symbols mean for us? Well, for starters we fucking love Twin Peaks. One of the greatest tv shows ever. And me and the sidekick are kinda two pieces of a very small puzzle. Different, but the same. A fitting BFF-tattoo for tv-nerds.
Interesting fact: Don S. Davis who played Major Garland Briggs died just a week before we got the tattoos. Mine is dedicated to him.

What: Guts/Gattsu from Berserk
Where: Left shoulder
Who: Bubba, Smålandsstenar
When: Summer 2008

I guess I have Ljungberg and Anders Svensson to thank for my love for the best sport- or team - ever, because it all started as an inside joke with those two (nothing perverted, yo ;). Suddenly everything was clear. At first it was mainly about the national team, but the interest just had to go somewhere when they weren’t playing so a natural choice was to start watching Arsenal games. Not only because my favourite swede played for the club but it was the only team I knew anything about (even if it wasn’t much) because I had seen a few games before when my dad occupied the TV watching them, giving me all kinds of information hoping I would care. Well, after a few games with the best frickin’ team ever I was hooked. And in love.

Arsenal is my addiction. No other team can make me care like them. Tried to give a damn about other teams in the beginning, but none of them gave me that same fussy feeling as the Gunners. You can’t argue with what your heart tells you, you know? I can’t imagine life without them and for those of you who don’t have a team to feel strongly about it might sound a bit dramatic and even ridiculous, but I bet some of you knows exactly what I’m talking about.

I never had the opportunity to see Arsenal play at Highbury, but I’m planning on visiting Emirates Stadium as often as I have the chance (and the money). So far I’ve only been there once. It was fantastic, even if the result of the game that day wasn’t (1-1 against Newcastle). I’m happy I got to see Thierry Henry score for us live, before he left the club seven months later.

In 2009 I got to see Arsenal beat the home team in Liverpool. That game was a season-changer and it was awesome to see it live, even though I had to sit among Liverpool-supporters :)