i am going to be 35 tomorrow and possibly going through and early midlife deal. i have always wanted a tat and would like to get one incorporating my world, that is my boy. I lack creativity, any good ideals? thanks for your thoughts.

Get "I am stupid" across your forehead.

tanks. guess i deserve that for asking.

no, you didnt deserve it...how about "liberals do it better"

I've got a couple, they were put on my body though accidents. One on my elbow when I hit sand in a blind corner in a canyon. Another one on my nose when the throttle stuck wide open into a dead end and the brakes broke, always have a kill switch! Asphault tats, painful and for life.

I just think his name and a picture of him is a good way to go, I've seen some really good pics put into tats. Just find a good artist. I've got 10 tats, and the only one I regret is the one about a former girlfriend, so I'm having a guy put barbed wire through it!!!

Good luck, let us know how you decide.

"Hepititus, The Gift That Keeps On Giving"

Good point. Roddy make sure they use new ink and a new needle. You might have to pay extra but Hepatitis C is an ugly disease.

That is soooo funny, sorry Tap. There was an Italian joke book years ago, you turned it over and it was a polish joke book. One of the pics showed a guys arm with names crossed out all the way down his bicep.

RL_ I remember that book, I memorized so many jokes out of it. How can you tell which airplane is the Italian one? It's the one with the hair under the wings!

YES on the new needles, make sure you see the guy take them out of a new package, some guys will re-sterilize the needles, I don't like that at all.

ALWAYS get a temporary tatoo so tat in a week you won't feel remorse over getting it..............

P.S., I have none and the one I would want would be too vulgar to wear openly.............

Here's a funny true tat story. I worked with a guy who was talking about getting a ruler on his upper inner thigh, I suggested he get it on his palm!!! At least then he could use it!!!

I got mine for my 40th birthday, love it, and have since had it embellished. I designed it myself, based on the nickname bestowed on me by my main crew.

What to get is the hard part... but once you decide, I say go for it !

Best thing about tats: you can take 'em with you.

Sterilized needles are probably safer than ink that is not newly opened.

Absolutely, I've been under the needle enough to know, but I have friends who called me and asked to go with them to get their first one because of that, the unsuredness (not a word) I'm always glad to help. I've told a couple of tat artists that we'll walk if they don't use fresh needles and fresh ink. The ink comes out of squirt bottle, so it's not that big of an issue, unless you're in a factory, then they tend to try to use them more than once, the little cups of ink I mean. There are a lot of really good reputable artists out there, one has to get recomendations from people first. One good idea is to try to find someone who works out of their house, they have no rent, and aren't so stingy with the needles because they have no rent. The cleanest guy I know works out of his house and his studio was cleaner than my dentist, he was a great guy.

I have one only. A green pentacle on my shoulder I got at Pinky's Tattoos on Grosevenor Rd., Wanchai, Hong Kong. Among the nautical tattoos I can rightly wear are a rope around my left wrist for crossing the equator(Golden Shellbacks who cross at the Prime Meridian get one on the right, a golden dragon for crossing the Date Line, two junks on the underside of my lower arms for service in the China Fleet(Westpac), a sampan and the ARVN flag for the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, a polar bear for crossing the Arctic circle and a globe for going around the world. I have known men who had tats of Jesus standing next to a sailor at the wheel in stormy seas across his back, Twin screw propellors, one on each cheek of his ass; a rooster hanging on his shin so he could tell people he had a cock that hung below his knees; "Hold Fast" across the fingers of one hand and "Hold Tight" across the other. Be sure you pick a design you REALLY like, because your stuck with it.

Here's my favorite tattoo story. About 10 years ago, we were living in Pasadena and Janet had flown north to be with her daughter during her first childbirth. Her grand daughter was born 3 days before my birthday, so Janet talked me into taking my birthday off and flying up to SF for my birthday. I flew in the night before so we took the Vallejo ferry in to SF in the morning and spent my birthday hanging out there. We started with Crab omelettes at Costagnola's on the Wharf, Irish coffees at the Buena Vista then hopped the Hyde St. cable car and rode to Powell. We walked downhill to Chinatown and caught the Lion Dance competitions in Waverly Alley in front of the Tong Associations, then headed over to City Lights and stopped for a drink at Vesuvio's. We walked down Broadway for Veal Scallopini at Little Joe's then walked back over Columbus towards Fisherman's Wharf.

As we passed Lyle Tuttle's Tattoo Parlor, Janet decided she wanted to get one to share her daughter's pain. So we go in to find out that Lyle ain't there, his female assistant is working that day. Additionally, there are four 19-year-old German au pair girls getting the obligatory tribal markings. So, while Janet is choosing her design, the assistant finishes with the German girls who remain talking to the assistant. As she's working on Janet, I'm leafing through the design books like I've done a thousand times before. At that moment I realize the following:

I've been in tattoo parlors from San Diego to Singapore to Port Said, from New York to Mombassa. This was the first time I was ever able to truthfully say...

I was the ONLY GUY in the tattoo parlor, and I wasn't getting a tattoo.

I have two. One for each of my children (I am female). I have a ladybug on the inside of my right forearm that represents my daughter because we call her Laylabug and she has lots of ladybugs everywhere (room, clothes, toys, etc) that she identifies as part of her identity. I have a Buddha (a Tibetan one, not the Happiness Buddha many seem to think of) on my back with a star of David in the middle of his belly that represents my son. We call him Buddha Man and his name is Hebrew for "praised one".

Ish--so funny, the last time I went to a parlor, it was with one of my friends who wanted to get a, get this, UNICORN!!! covered over. So while he's looking, I see one I love, and I get it, and he pusses out!!! I'm like look shithead, don't ask me to go with you and puss out, I can only go in there if I know I'm here to help you, you puss out and I'm like I have to justify the gas it took to get here!!! So I got a nice bear paw footprint on my right inside forearm, which I do love.

If I ever get another one, here's the design I'll choose:



You know, they named a whole country after MY family.

Just make sure it really means something to you.
There's a difference between a statement and becoming a walking comic strip.

On my right shoulder I have the Confederate Flag, being Southern by the grace of God, you see.

On the left shoulder a memorial to a friend that met with a tragic demise that I unfortunately witnessed.


Avoid the stenciled tats, everyone has them. Have your's drawn as original art and have it mean something very significant to your life. Make sure the tat artist has a strong reputation of good work and cleanliness.

If you want something to do with your boy, is there a picture or design that shows the real him?? Does he have a (nick)name that can be converted to ink, either by picture or script? Is there something that's special to just the 2 of you?

I have a small Stones tongue logo on my left shoulder...


If I ever were to get another one, it'd be Tom Waits's face...

And hbd a little early
xoxoxo