beez

Well I am because this guy showed up to this tattoo artist with an idea (I guess) and he or the tattoo artist literally copied the exact same tattoo, my tattoo that Rudy Fritsch drew for me, including colors and put it on his hand, just like...me? See my point?

Oh man, I am so sorry for your loss.

Bit of heavy heart this week.
As I'm sure some of you have figured out since I've been hanging around LST that I'm pretty heavily into kung fu (duh, I got a Shaolin monk tattooed on my back). Well, there was something pretty tragic that happened in my city earlier this week. Some nut-job who had a hate-on for jews fired 50 bullets into a west end neighbourhood (where I grew up), through a door with a high powered rifle as the police were kicking down the door. He ended up killing the officer who was at the front of the battering ram before shooting himself and setting his house on fire. yeah i know crazy.
The killed police officer happened to be a student and friend from our kung fu school.
Anyway, we were approached by media to put off-duty-Dan into context and share our memories of him.
Our Dragon Team will be using our blue Shaolin robes and blue belts as a tribute and way to honour our friend Dan. Dan had actually just joined the dragon team a few weeks ago.
Anyway here is the story CBC news just ran:
Const. Daniel Woodall remembered fondly at martial arts school - Edmonton - CBC News
News Edmonton (Late Night) - June 11, 2015 - News Edmonton (Late Night) - CBC Player
I've had a pretty negative opinion of police when I was younger. Because the only interactions I've had is when the police say "you can't skateboard here", "where's the pot boys?", "pour it out, you can't drink beers in public", "here's a ticket for running that stop sign". Yknow petty dumb young stuff. But Dan showed me that a copper has an off-duty side too...someone who I could talk tattoos with (we had both been tattooed by the same guys and he was gearing up to start a Guan Yu backpiece), talk soccer with (he was from the UK, he said "ya can't cheer for 2 teams from London mate! Arsenal FC all the way!"), have beers with and talk about his tales from the Hate Crime and Gang Units, talk about awesome kung fu movies (The Lost Bladesman!). We were a bunch of punk rockers training kung fu with a cop and having lots of laughs in the boys locker room. He changed my perception of the police. So maybe that isn't a shitty thing I've been doing recentley but a positive thing moving forward. Anyway wanted to share, thank you.

I'm happy there's pain as well. It's actually taught me a few things about myself and has given me the courage to try new things and say yes to new experiences. As I've gotten older with some health issues, I began shying away from new and uncomfortable situations (physically speaking) But now 13+ ish hours in, I've been embracing physically new and possible and probable pain inducing activities. I'm not afraid of getting hurt anymore. I began 4 wheeling and I'm loving it, joined two softball leagues and have begun hiking, with plans to go sky diving this summer too. Have I gotten hurt? Yes, but I'm able to shake it off now and move on. Completely unexpected.

The pain creates vulnerability, it reveals your true self.
Through the pain you can receive clarity.
My tattooer and I were talking about the tattoo pain threshold yesterday actually.
We were discussing how everybody receives 'X' amount of tattoo credits, some receive more than others.
But once you're credits are used up, they are used up and tattoo pain will be worse for you moving forward. So tattoo and spend your credits wisely!

First session went incredibly smoothly! The design is very linework heavy and dense so we didn't cover as much space as anticipated but I am completely elated with what we got done. Just the top of the back and shoulders, a tibetan parasol in the middle and two dragons on each side curling down to the upper ribs. So far, it's been less painful than expected, but I also feel like this might have been the easiest session. Next session inn a month where we tackle the deity, very excited for that. Totally fucking awesome experience. Also I almost left my bra at the shop which was fucking hilarious. :o

For once, reading the comment section on an irritating link actually made me feel better instead of worse. rofl.

I LOL'd
The article is written by a person who clearly does not understand tattoo and is whining because tattoo wasn't made as accessible as she would like it to be. Christ almighty! Putting your kids name in micro-font on your neck...isn't about "art". Go have another cab-sav and slag off !

She strikes me as a horrible person. And I hate her tattoo.
But that's, like, my opinion, man.

@Graeme ????❤️❤️❤️❤️??????
If that string of emoticons is unreadable, just know I sent a string of googly eyes, hearts, and party horns.
It's been a long time since I've been around someone that aggressive who really enjoys upsetting people so much. I've never understood that kind of behavior. I have a friend who one time tried to explain to me the art of the troll and why it was so much fun...and messing with your friends just a tiny bit is a fun and time honored tradition - but rad's trolling takes it to a different level. It's not funny? I dunno.
Thx for taking care of it mods!

@MMtexas ... find a new symbol. also, the tattooer will probably re-draw your image and it will likely exceed your friend's expectations.
everyone else... be nice!

you might have been trying to draw one of these:

buddha chart

It looks like it's supposed to be bonji but is drawn so poorly that it's like showing us a jumble of lines and asking us what they're supposed to read. There are a lot of tattooers in Texas (I assume that's where you're from) who do excellent Japanese--heck, the best person who does arguably the best Japanese tattooing in the U.S. is in Austin--so your friend should go to one of them because your drawing is frankly terrible.

At the end of the day, all your tattoos will look like they belong there. It sort of takes care of itself, coverage wise!
Re back piece - really gonna depend on what kind you want (and you already know you wanna go to the thighs!) and the artist you work with. definitely don't stop considering how it will all look in the long run - your thoughts will matter when it comes down to it! - but it will also work itself out in general. IMHO w my own tattoos at least!
- - - Updated - - -
@knucklehead211 re acne - sometimes i have bad back breakouts too. None of my pieces have been ruined. Actually seems like I have fewer pimples in the areas of coverage.

I'm gonna up the creep factor. Skin - A Story by Roald Dahl

@SeeSea @Fala +1 on loving my hips and thighs because of tattoos! so much! and I can't really speak to "aging" at this point in my life, but I know when my mom's friends saw my tattoos they were like "oohhh, I can see how that covers cellulite right up". (and in my personal experience, tattoos sure as hell do!) (also I find myself favoring my more heavily tattooed side in the mirror anyway...it's pretttttty awesome ;))

I am very attracted to tattoos - they catch my eye first and immediately - and if they're good tattoos my brain melts a little and my heart starts racing and this is all before I've even made contact...so you can imagine...I don't talk to a lot of tattooed people...(hahaha cackle...it's only partly true! Can be super awkward...)
In any event - I would LOVE it if tattoos were something I could share with a partner. I love them. I love looking at them. (Don't know about you guys but I definitely look at my own tattoos a lot...is that a weird thing to admit??)
I've never dated anyone with any kind of tattoos at all. I've dated guys who have given me shit about the tattoos (obvs they don't last long) and guys who were clearly into the fact that I had tattoos but they did not have them themselves, which was fine but incomplete for me.
Tattoos aren't a must, but are something I would like to share with a partner in the future for sure.
My parents set me up with a lot of conservative types (when I am visiting them in OK) who are decidedly NOT into tattoos, are definitely the type who think they are trashy etc. I tend to stay covered at home regardless because of the negative attention I receive - though there are certainly more tattoos in Oklahoma than when I left 8 years ago - but still get a lot of negative looks, creepy comments etc when they are showing.
So what I'm waiting for is the big reveal - on a date with some guy who seems maybe like not my type blah blah blah we get along, there a few more dates and then BOOM there is a moment of discovery where both of our heavily tattooed bodies are revealed!!! (Not necessarily THAT moment...I'm just saying....). Haha so basically I get myself through all these obligatory parent-lead dates by pretending the man I'm speaking to has an incredible Filip Leu (Or whoever - insert your fav artist here) body suit underneath whatever he's wearing.
Hmm. I'm going to write that movie...

I'm gonna up the creep factor. Skin - A Story by Roald Dahl

So this just reminds me of Buffalo Bill from Silence of The Lambs. Sans tucking...
Instead of a woman suit, let's make a coat of @Graeme's back. Sorry Graeme, you look like my size ;-)
@BrianH, excellent observational skills. Dat crack!

this thread gone creepy:eek:

I would rock a Graeme trenchcoat.

Not sure if it's still around, but there used to be a company that made products out of human skin. Belts, shoes, etc.
Apparently, because our skin has such small pores, it makes the most amazing leather. Basically, you agree to donate your skin when you die, and your family recieves payment after the skin is delivered.

I saw something recently about full body tattoos fetching several hundred thousand in life when agreeing to hand over the skin apon death. I'm sure there is more to the tracking of the body but.....cool

Come on, man. At least let me finish my back before you make plans to turn me into a trenchcoat.

What, no books made out of real human skin?