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The Frisco Skin one was a huge inspiration on me when I first started getting tattooed. A lot of the work I get is "weird" (especially by the standards that were in place in 1990) and I'd walk into shops, barely 18 and ask for really odd stuff. Most of them were polite to me, but.... they didn't get it. To have Higgs saying that it's ok to get things that people consider stupid and that it works anyway... it just opened my eyes to what I was missing. That there were people out there who were roughly my age who were into weird comics and art and all that shit AND who tattooed it. After that, I just had to be patient and find the right tattooer. Which is a good lesson when you're young and you just want to be tattooed. Patience is hard found sometimes.

Hi from Queens NY. I'm 44 and just got my first tat this past December. Could never figure out until recently what i wanted on me forever, but now i'm working on my second. Thanks to NY Adorned for their guidance and work on my ink, and their direction to here. :)

At the time I was a weird comic book reading horror and scifi nerd (so, pretty much no change) who would just slap stuff together- "I want a black panther, but he's an incarnation of St. Sebastian... oh, and don't make him growl, cause he's a fraidy cat" could easily get you a dead silent stare in 1990. I eventually got that in 2000 from Hoffman. it took me a while to hit my stride with getting what I want, but now I just sort of ramble on until my artist of choice says "I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about, but lets nail it".

Philadelphia: Morimoto- It used to be better. That's a weird way to start a recommendation for a restaurant. When he actually worked there the quality just seemed better. Like there was more at stake. But it's still really good. Chifa- I've only been there once. Owned by Chef Jose Garcia. We went during "duck week" for a prefix $55 dinner. Smaller portions led to excessive portions, all highlighting duck. Ended with a foie gras icecream with bits of crispy duck skin! PYT- Some of the best burgers in Philadelphia. Fogo de Chao- It's a chain, but well worth a visit for the carnivores. Garcia's Trading Company- Another Jose Garcia property. The warm vichyssoise soup with bacon, truffles and scallops is my favorite. Philly is a weird food city- we're a "big fish in a small pond" town with Garcia and Stephen Starr competing to own every nicer restaurant in town. It sort of takes the fun out of it. But we have amazing foodie markets/stores to make up for it: Di'Angelo Brothers: Butcher shop. You can get exotic meat hand butchered. Sonny has worked there all of his life and can usually handcut a piece of meat within an ounce just by sight. He also does homecured wild boar proscuitto and housemade pate that are to die for. Di Brunos: Best cheesemongers in the city. Zeke, Ian and the boys can guide you to cheese and charcuterie that will pair with anything. It's a "by foodies for foodies" cheese/meat shop. They often shop out to local restaurants for specialty items- I picked up porcetta di testa there that was made locally.

I just quick seared a 20 day dry aged ribeye. About a minute on each side. Rubbed it with Truffle Salt and a bit of cracked black pepper corn. Put my cast iron skillet over high heat and let it sit till it was smoking. A drop of olive oil (Morimoto suggests grapeseed oil, but I was out) in the skillet until thats smoking too. Drop the steak in and it'll sear the top. Flip it to sear the bottom. Center is still perfectly raw. Normally I'd have deglazed the pan with some wine and butter, but since I was eating it while sitting crosslegged on my bed watching Friday the 13th part six... I didn't think that level of Frou Frou was in order. :D

I didn't know who Holly Madison was. That was one of Hugh's former prostitutes right. Nice try on the property patch removal. The media should throw up more real photos. Or better yet stop tuning into or buying that crap. Our country is retarded. No offense to the developmentally disabled.

We once had a guy in the shop who was of Japanese descent who picked out a number of Kanji . None of the symbols went together. They were chosen for their "look". I feel that symbols and images also function on innate feelings. Everything human is a continuation of activity. There is no start or finish in defining imagery. Certain groups, cultures, clubs, gangs, etc. claim images and restructure them from time to time. This usually takes place as a tool to maintain control over other humans. When a person chooses a tattoo, they have the right to allow that image to speak to themselves however they like. Meaning is personal and should remain so. Meaning is always evolving. However, If a person chooses to adorn themselves with tattoos that are earned within particular sub-cultures, it would be in their best interest to understand the implications of wearing said tattoo. Is this conversation about blackwork? oh yeah. that shit looks cool.

Wow, these are great. I will not talk down upon packrats anymore, now that I know what types of treasure they can collect.