On Sunday, during my 117th appointment with Horizakura, I saw a bright light and heard the beckon call of my ancestors calling me into the afterlife. At least, that’s how it seemed while he was outlining my chest for a little over an hour. The last time I had outline done on my chest was in 2007 when I started my half sleeve in Japan. It turns out the chest is particularly unpleasant for me and I think I died a little. Unpleasantness notwithstanding, I am incredibly happy with the results of this appointment. Not only in terms of coverage, but also in terms of Horizakura’s choice to keep things simple with a cherry blossom branch and wind. The understated chest will let the phoenix on my belly take center stage on my torso. There is now only a very small area on my chest that is left to be outlined! After that is done, all that remains of a fully outlined body suit is my right forearm! We are so very, very close!

I noticed a long time ago that when Japanese and Korean people say my first name (Jordan), they have a tendency to drop the “r” and say Jo-dan. I never thought much of it until an appointment about a year ago. Horizakura was drawing on my stomach and kinda mumbled “Jodanjanai” two or three times to himself. Haru started laughing and explained that jodan is the Japanese word for “joke.” Jodanjanai means “not a joke.” While I was certainly appreciative that Horizakura was invoking the contrary, it feels awfully fitting that my name would be synonymous with a joke. It fits nicely with my sometimes rye sense of humor. Anyway, with that context in place, during this appointment Horizakura hit me with the gem “No Jodan, No Life.” I live my life with an ego that is always on the precipice of being too large to tolerate. Now that I have been blessed with the kind of life affirming phrase usually reserved for bumper stickers and Live Strong bracelets, my wife may soon find me absolutely impossible to live with.

If ever you should find your life at a crossroads, just remember: No Jordan, No Life.