This is probably the most-famous of all the archeopteryx fossils:

And it's probably the most recognizable fossil ever. "Lucy" might be the most famous, mostly because of what she represents; but Lucy ain't much to look at.

So, three weeks ago, I got a tattoo of that archeopteryx. Here it is, in-progress:

Mmmm... juicy.

And here it is, (nearly) all peeled and scab-free:

For a week or so, the colors were completely wrong; it was red and green instead of tan and black like it was supposed to be. I was convinced the guy who did it was colorblind and accidentally used the wrong inks. Seriously. I was completely bummed-out. Total regret. But that was just the redness of my irritated skin showing through, and after a week or so, the redness started to fade a bit, the dead skin began to peel off, and the actual colors appeared. Underneath the gore and debris, it looked much much much better. Now, three weeks after I got it, I like it. What a relief!

Now I'm thinking I should fill the rest of that calf with other Solnhofen fossils: a fish, some insects, shells, maybe a fern or something - all surrounded by that same light tan sandstone color. Am I up for more of that kind of pain, though ? That's the big question.