05-18-02 - 8:25 a.m.
back from an overnight to hollyweird and venice beach; berrie's 16th birthday gift. we stayed in a highrise on highland and walked to the boulevard; berries and her beau were country bumpkins awed by the big bad city. in venice, i sent them off by themselves and shopped the tattoo studios for a fleur-de-lis, no small undertaking; i was reduced to describing it as boy scout uniform ensignia and most artists still didn't have a clue. finally, in a closet with bad lighting but good attitude, a kid named houston whose adam's apple was emblazoned with 'sick boy', hunched over my leg and deftly produced a perfect fleur-de-lis on my ankle. berrie's birthday gift was a piercing of her choice; once i saw her quivering tongue clamped with a giant hemostat, my nonchalance vanished and i bolted outside for air. she and michael spent the long ride home lisping, sipping cold drinks and re-evaluating the importance and versatility of their tongues. urban decay is good for the soul.