else

Does "friending" or not "friending" make a difference here? I'm not sure what "friend" means in this context...

I'm not sure you'll find a lot of love for "all white" tattoos on this particular board. People here generally love "plenty of black"...

Maybe the palm tattoos query will get more responses?

It would be interesting where. I like his stuff!

I know! If I were ever going to have a backpiece I think I would want him to do it...

Oh man! The knee tattooing piece wasn't nearly as bad as I feared, except for a couple spots around the edges of the knee cap it was ok. But the heat and swelling today is TERRIBLE. Just awful :(

It's *much* better today. Still a little swollen but it's possible to make out the edges of a knee cap in there.

A dementia-lady accidentally kicked me in the knee today though and it was AWFUL - totally saw stars there for a minute. She didn't mean to, it was just a thing...

The ankle isn't nearly as swollen with this one as it has been with the calf tattoos so that's good.

i saw that @David Bruehl is tattooing at the convention http://twitter.com/davidbruehl with some availability on friday

I know! He posted somewhere that he'll be in Austin in July - unfortunately for me I'm hoping to be out of Texas by then though. I was totally bummed when I saw that.

Oh Lord! You cracked me up again! @Graeme

I didn't click over to read the link but what I do is just peel off a big ol' cabbage leaf, soften it up a bit in my hands, and then put it on wherever is swollen. It's nice over the knee because the shapes match well. And then I just leave it there until the leaf doesn't feel cool anymore.

I haven't done this on either of my other recent tattoos - it didn't occur to me - but the swollen knee was so reminiscent of the old knee surgery that I remembered it.

Thanks rev! I love the thing! I've been sitting around with my pants leg rolled up gazing at it all morning.

Also nothing wrong with using a bag of peas to take the heat off it.

or a cabbage leaf!

I found antihistamines really helped me out with that. Fair play getting your knees done! How is it with moving around?

I'm moving around pretty good once I get going - there's always that first few moments when I first stand up that I have a total "oh hell" thing going on but it abates quickly.

Else, that is the finest looking knee I've seen in an age!

I think you're my new hero!!!

Aww Shucks! (blushing)

It feels like an AA meeting... "Hi Matthew!" ;-)

thata a beauty @else love it knees were made for tigers !! Still need to get me a tiger its necessary . pure stoater !!

I had to google "stoater" @Gregor but Thanks! I agree! :D

There's some bones in there somewhere... I promise! I've seen the x-rays! Can't find them just now though... can't wait til the swelling goes down even just a little bit.

@else

That is one fine looking big cat..rawr

Thanks @Brock Varty I'm pretty chuffed about the thing!!

6 months ago I never would have imagined having a HUGE tiger on my knee... and then I came here... and the rest is history! :-)

Here's my tiger. It's pretty gnarly looking right now. I wouldn't share it any place but here, but I know y'all will understand.

Totally in love with the thing! And now I have one big cat on each leg - total protection from evil eh?

Man! I'm so swollen!! Can't even fit my leg in most of my pants!!

Oh man! The knee tattooing piece wasn't nearly as bad as I feared, except for a couple spots around the edges of the knee cap it was ok. But the heat and swelling today is TERRIBLE. Just awful :(

@Jack lets just hope we don't have to go another ten pages with out boobs :p

I literally laughed out loud! I'm sure someone will come up with some more boobs!!

I finally enrolled as a PhD student. It's taken almost a decade just to be able to begin. I don't have an MA and went to art school, so I was told by the university I wanted, 'I'm sorry but it is simply our policy and without a good Master's degree you will not be considered.'

I got depressed, then indignant, then pissed off. So I spent a month reading, focusing and writing a proposal and extra essays, sent it all in, and proved (mainly to myself) that I could do it. That felt pretty good.

That's so great! Good for you!!

Raw cabbage leaves - they're commonly used for new breastfeeding moms - after my knee surgery, way back when, my acupuncturist suggested I try it and it worked like a charm.

They feel really cold going on and then within a few minutes the cabbage leaf is all warm and wilted and the swollen area is less so. It's nice - and cheap!

(But looks a little funny!)

Very happy with the tiger - right now it looks totally awful though. I'm so swollen you can't tell there's any bones in there at all and really oozy :(

Oh well, it'll be fine before I know it.

- - - Updated - - -

Bonus! Knee surgery scars are covered!!

Anyone else ever tried cabbage leaves to take down swelling?

I used them on my knee after surgery a few years ago - and again now with my new knee tattoo.

I have no idea why it works but it feels wonderful.

Check it out...there's a pho restaurant in an old coverted gas station, I think like right at 60th or 61st...killer soup.

I know the place! That's one of my favorites. If you're ever in North Portland there's a good one up on Killingsworth near Jefferson high school.