Pugilist

Huge congratulations!!!!

When I think of the number of ways @Graeme and I will inevitably embarrass our hypothetical children, our tattoos seem pretty low on the list.

What? And shave off his precious locks? He would lose all his power. - - - Updated - - - OMG I am so delighted that we posted that at the same time.

I saw that! So cool. Not quite ready for a skull tattoo myself though, haha.

That is seriously fantastic.

Man I thought this thread was about bad tattoos (difficult enough to define as it is without entering douchey territory), not about tattoos I don't like. That distinction seems pretty crucial to me. I can't stand black licorice, but that doesn't mean I'd call it a "bad" food (although I definitely have done that when my husband has eaten it because I'm a jerk).

Haha

If you don't like lettering, don't get it! BAM.

We call it fruit looping around here.

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I don't think those posts are related to each other!

...? I haven't seen anyone call him that?

Oh I definitely don't find it enjoyable at all, but I've just been pleased to see that bra wearing doesn't seem to adversely affect healing for me. It still feels terrible.

@ironchef - yeah, I chatted with him at the convention a few years ago and he was so personable and warm that I am really looking forward to the appointment beyond, you know, the thing where I'm going to get an amazing tattoo. You are very lucky to be getting so much work from him! I just confirmed my appointment and texted @Graeme to tell him when it was and he responded, and I quote: "you still psyched?" Dumbest question, haha. Anyway thank you guys for being so pumped for me! Helps me stoke the fires of my stokedness. I asked him for a Baku on my thigh.

U I have worn bras all throughout healing my back, as I realllly can't go without. I do wear the softest ones I have that dig the least, but I've never had any healing trouble from bra wearing. Although, I definitely could imagine that it I was able to go without, I probably would, just in case!

Exactly!

For you guys:

That's cool dude, you can do whatever you want, just sharing my recent experience with, and love for, the same image. You can see mine here: Instagram photo by @catmischief (Anna) | Statigram I have noticed variations on that design at least half a dozen times on instagram in the month since I got it, and it makes me happy every time. It's classic.

I got this exact anchor last month. We changed almost nothing about it, because it's perfect. I love it.

Look around on this board, on Instagram, on the websites of good shops, until you find something that makes you go, "DAMN, I need to have that on me" and it just feels right. It will happen!

I got my dragon during a moment when I needed to feel strong. Dragons are awesome tattoos, and a great idea for feeling like you're tougher than something that has gotten in your way.

Hahaha I know, right? I still kind of can't believe I am getting tattooed by the dude in less than a month. We rewatched his Tattoo Age last night and I am so excited it's not even funny.

I am topping this so that you guys who have been tattooed by him can tell me how stoked I should be that I just got a convention booking with him and how fucking awesome it's going to be.

If you are having trouble thinking of something, I would encourage you to think beyond literal imagery, and think about what could convey how living with your stutter has made you feel/what role it has in your life/or how you have coped with it. People around here can be very resistant to tattoos with big meanings behind them, not because tattoos should not be meaningful, but because when we go for very literal imagery to convey something it can look stilted and forced. So try to "think outside the box". For example, this past year I defended my PhD, and wanted a tattoo to mark that for me. I ended up getting a torch, which is obviously not something that "obviously" represents the meaning I was going for, but it was perfect. To me the torch just felt like it captured that moment and how it felt for me perfectly. It evoked the medieval feel of the university where I studied, it made me think of something you'd carry through its underground books stacks, it was at once something dark (reminding me of how difficult my process was), and the fire of a torch also evoked light, and having survived the process! So totally non-literal, but really based on the image feeling like it could capture what I needed it to capture. So think about what your stuttering tattoo is about. Is it about marking something that has affected your life negatively, or is it about your overcoming an obstacle? Is getting a tattoo about it your way of marking its role in your life, or giving yourself some strength in dealing with it, or marking that you've moved past it? I realize that I sound like a big hippie here, but once you figure out what the tattoo's meaning is in a deeper way, it liberates you in terms of imagery a bit. If it's about overcoming an obstacle, then think about what tattoo imagery makes you feel like "fuck yeah! I am tough!" or whatever. Doesn't have to be something that literally signifies your stutter, but rather something that evokes its role in your life. That may end up being like, a dragon or a dagger or something.

I have become an annoying yoga hippie over the past six months or so. I've done it on and off since I was 16, but since I started practicing at a nearby studio recently, it's really "clicked" for me. I have been going regularly since the spring, and it has done wonders for my sense of well-being. I take a regular hatha class that is a pretty perfect combo of asana and more meditative elements, like chanting and breathing exercises. I think I'm at a point in my life where I am attracted to the mental benefits of it as much as the physical, making the whole thing feel a lot more "crucial" and not just a cool exercise class. I have some stress-related health problems and getting into both yoga and acupuncture recently have done more for me then the medication I was on for years (and which I have now kicked). I do find yoga really, really tough, but I feel like it's good for me to be bad at something and work really hard to improve. Actually, this week I did my first successful inversions - both a headstand and a crow! Felt euphoric! @Delicious, yoga can be so, so intimidating for folks who do not look like Lululemon models so I feel you, but actually yoga for round bodies is an emerging field and there are more and more people who are trying to make yoga culture feel more inclusive, both in terms of attitude, and in terms of finding modifications and poses that suit larger bodies better. I hate that yoga can feel so intimidating because it should be the opposite, but I have struggled through this as well, and it has been worth it. This website and blog is fantastic for helping bigger folks get into yoga: Yoga for Your Body | Curvy Yoga