I'm getting a new tattoo tomorrow...

[Rising Phoenix]

yippee!!! Bi_baby and I are going to get one...all the cool people at the Boston meet up will get to see them...

[Rising Phoenix]

1. ok, since no body asked...

its three overlapping hearts...all in black...on my right hip...I am very excited...

[Shell Beau]

2. Ooh! Sounds cute!

:) Post a pic if you can!

[Rising Phoenix]

5. will do!

[progmom]

3. awwwww...

that's sweet. :hi:

[Rising Phoenix]

7. hi progmom

:hi:

[progmom]

22. hi there!

:hi: :hug:

[DS1]

4. be prepared for the non-tattooists to jump all over the

meaning of this tattoo, and how it'll haunt you and blah blah blah

[Midlodemocrat]

6. And, what, pray tell is a non-tattooist?

[DS1]

9. a blank?

:D

[Midlodemocrat]

11. Gotcha.

(not really, actually have no idea what that means)

[Richardo]

13. Well, me for one.

But I've quit giving unsolicited, curmudgeonly, annoying lectures on the subject :hi:

...And I'm sure all parties are better off for it. :)

[Rising Phoenix]

20. I appreciate that...

and respect your opinion

[RebelOne]

21. People like me who don't believe in mutilating

your body with tattoos.

[Susang]

27. How can you not believe in it?

It obviously exists, right? }(

[geniph]

52. You know what the difference is between people with tattoos

and people without tattoos?

People with tattoos don't care that you don't have any.

I have six, myself.

[Rising Phoenix]

10. I am prepared..

but thanks for the warning

[WCGreen]

8. That sounds very cute my dear..... Three hearts beat as one..

[Rising Phoenix]

12. exactly!!

[Shell Beau]

14. Who do the three hearts represent?

:) I think I know one of them.

[Rising Phoenix]

15. Why, can't you guess the other?

[Shell Beau]

16. I'm going to guess!

You, sniffa, bi_baby?

[Rising Phoenix]

17. that's my girl...

I knew you'd get it... :applause:

[Shell Beau]

18. Yay!!

:bounce:

[Rising Phoenix]

19. Hurray for Shell Beau!!!

:woohoo:

[Shell Beau]

23. I'm smarter than I thought!

:P

[Rising Phoenix]

24. oh, I knew how smart you were

:9

[WCGreen]

25. I'm just jealous.....

[Rising Phoenix]

26. jealous?

of the tattoo, of being as smart as Shell Beau or of our forbidden love....hehe...:yourock:

[WCGreen]

28. I'll take forbidden love for $1000, Alex

[Rising Phoenix]

29. we are very lucky...

you can be too..:hug:

[WCGreen]

30. One can only hope....

[Shell Beau]

31. Okay, so I am wondering...

Are y'all a trio as opposed to a couple? :loveya: And will bi_baby get the same tattoo?

[Rising Phoenix]

33. yes we are...

and yes she is...but on her shoulder

[Shell Beau]

34. Now sniffa needs one!!

:)

[Rising Phoenix]

35. he just hasn't decided where he wants it yet....

[ghostsofgiants]

32. Sounds cute

:)

[jane_pippin]

36. How sweet. Tattoo threads always make me want to get another one

but of what, and with what money, and where? Who knows.

[Debbi801]

37. Sounds very cool. Good for you!

:hi:

[ReadTomPaine]

38. "unsolicited, curmudgeonly, annoying lectures on the subject "

I'm late! But here you go...

The Golden Rules of Tattooed Body Art

1) Your body is a unified whole, a single canvas, not a series of separate galleries. When you put Mickey Mouse on your shoulder, a dragon in the middle of your back, a skull on the other shoulder and a band logo on your ass the only thing you are accomplishing is making a conceptual mess of the canvas that is your skin. This is the infamous "I fell asleep on the funny pages" effect. At the very least, all tattoos should be artistically or stylistically linked to the ones nearby unless you prefer looking like someone’s overzealously bumperstickered car. The more tattoos you get, the more important this becomes. Yes - this requires a person to <gasp> think ahead instead of diving on a needle the moment they see an appealing design.

2) Never rely on fine lines or very bright colors for design integrity. This is one of the biggest problems I've seen with tat happy people. Hint - the best tattoo is not your favorite image. It's your favorite image that's suited to the medium of skin. Tattoos, without exception, will fade. Fine lines will spread and become fuzzy, the bold colors will blanch. In your mind's eye, that tattoo might look just like the original piece of art it's derived from but the rest of us will see it as the funhouse mirror it really is. After a few years, that reality is often pretty harsh.

3) Pay attention to the source of your images. Here's a perfect example. I had a friend who loved a videogame company's logo art. She went and got it tattooed on her body, despite multiple warnings that she was going to wind up looking like some tech convention candy girl. "Nonsense" she said. "Nobody has ever heard of that company and no one ever will". Needless to say, they became one of the biggest publishers of the 1990's and she spent close to a decade trying to explain to everyone who saw her free advertisements that she hated videogames and just liked the picture. Eventually, she had it removed. Learn something from this.

4) Never, ever get a tattoo while you are drunk or high. You'd think this was simple common sense, but it happens a lot. This is similar to getting married when you are on a drinking binge. It's highly likely to end in separation and there will be scars for years to come. Perhaps even more critically, don't ever get a tattoo while your skin artist is drunk or high. This is also more common than you'd think - I've seen dozens of tattoos that are crooked, misdrawn or asymmetrical - results directly attributable to the operator's state of sobriety (or lack thereof).

5) For goodness sakes, don't do the tattoo yourself. Go to a respected professional, the best you can afford. Do I really need to go further on this one? While self-tattooing is mostly a high school thing, it's wise to add since plenty of people seem to peak in high school and remain there forever.

6) Wait until after the surgery, diet or upcoming pregnancy to get that tat done. Tattoos are like potato chips, it's hard to stop with just one. Before you start your body art program, make sure all that hard work and money isn't ruined by a wart removal, planned cosmetic surgery, C-Section, serious dieting plan or similar. It doesn't take much to distort or ruin a nice tattoo and once ruined they can be hard to fix.

Since I see many of these mistakes often, no doubt there will be those among you who feel differently about Tattoo aesthetics and will insist on making the errors above.

So, if you’re feeling defensive (Hey that guy is talking about *my* tattoo) relax. Most people won’t laugh in your face regarding your disfigurements, and some with a similarly stunted sense of art and design may even offer a compliment or two. Just remember to bring this handy list along next time and get in the good graces of a dermatologist. If in the fullness of life you should come to your senses, you’ll need that number.

There we go. Class dismissed. Now tat away. ;)

[LaraMN]

39. So since the "canvas" of my skin is already defiled by stretch marks from

pregnancy, I might as well go get a tatt, too! Right?:rofl:

[WCGreen]

40. Really... You have stretch marks.....

You know, that's today's tatt's...

All the kids are gonna get stretch marks applied....

There are all sorts of stretch mark parlors popping up all over....

[LaraMN]

41. I got some below my belly button, with my first baby, and much to my

dismay, the doctor told me that, "no, you cannot reuse the same ones in subsequent pregnancies." bastard.

[WCGreen]

42. Honey, by the time anyone gets down below the belly button

they ain't lookin' at no stretch marks.......

[ReadTomPaine]

46. LOL! n/t

[LaraMN]

48. True. I can alway count on you to put things into perspective!

W.C. Green: answering machine.

[WCGreen]

49. The answer is emerging from bellow the belly button...

See the joy on the young girls face!!!!

[ReadTomPaine]

50. Sex thread warning!

;)

[ReadTomPaine]

44. Better now than just before your pregnancy..

If you had gotten the heart mentioned in the OP, it might look more like a "triple liver" now. Or the ever popular Alien head would have morped into a John Merrick cameo. If that pregnancy is right around the corner, better to wait or get the tat someplace relatively safe. This is your body, not a used car. You get one chance on an unblemished canvas.

Tattoos are forever. Don’t impulse buy things that you have to live with the rest of your life. Pretty solid reasoning, one would think.. but it seems quite a large number of people get them on a whim, bet or similar last minute decision. There are few things in life as foolish as this, and no, it’s not cool to think like a fool. It’s not spontaneous. It’s stupid

[jane_pippin]

45. Number one is good advice...

I've got two and I want more but I don't want to just put the third one anywhere. I want them to make sense, but not sure how to go about making that happen just yet.
As soon as I figure that out though--look out!

[Richardo]

47. "If in the fullness of life you should come to your senses,"

Love that phrasing.... :rofl:

[In_The_Wind]

43. I think that's wonderful!

[Trigger Hippie]

51. That's so sweet....

I can't wait to check it out Saturday. :hi:

[Dastard Stepchild]

53. excellent!

I am getting mine in January. :)

[gmoney]

54. Excellent!

Can't wait. ;)

[Dastard Stepchild]

56. lol...

I'm not sure who is more excited.... you or me. ;)

[gmoney]

57. I'm not tellin'

But I'm gellin' like a felon... :rofl:

[gmoney]

55. Sounds very sweet...

You'll have to pose together and show them off!