Devious6

Great to see the great work being done - I'm living vicariously through you guys!! I hate to wish the summer away....but I am jonesing to get something done.

Wow! It looks fantastic!

Nice! Looking forward to seeing the pics! I just have one - got it about 3 months ago and can't wait to get my next. But, I will wait until after the summer so I don't miss pool time.

Welcome! What do you have planned?

Looks fantastic!! Congrats!!

I wouldn't even click on the link - afraid it was a virus. I have noted that no one has volunteered to do the artwork for my next tattoo or asked for my PayPal account email. Really? Really!!??

Is there a full moon? Between people wanting others to provide free artwork to wanting us to pay for their tattoos it's been interesting the past week. By the way, would someone please draw up my idea for the right upper arm design? I'll also be posting my PayPal account so you can all send me money. You know I need the money for my work more than you do. Don't be cheap!!

Nice traditional work - looking forward to seeing what you choose!

Oh man! Why didn't I think of this!!!!!???? Oh. Yeah. I'm an adult.

Welcome! The key to your next idea is to find the tattooist you want to do the work - he/she will draw up your idea. That is all part of what they do. Any pictures of your first tattoo?

I wholly understand your plight! Now 3 weeks into healing the touch up/shading of my first, I plan to hold off until we close our pool for the year in late September to get my next (planning to get something on my right upper arm to compliment the left) so I won't miss any swimming and also know that I end up doing a lot of sweaty work on our property during the summer. But, I can't seem to shake that empty feeling in my stomach that drives a desire to get something done. It's killing me. So, my plan is still to wait until Fall and time it so I am done before our planned trip to Antigua in November....but if there was one mantra I inculcated during 26 years in the Army, it is that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. I have met the enemy...and it is me.

Cool use of the numerals! I've been looking for ideas on something like a dagger, knife or bayonet for a forearm tattoo. Yours looks great!

I fall into what is probably considered among the most conservative of categories - white, male in my 60s, Catholic, retired Army Colonel and now a college president. I enjoy watching the reactions among colleagues, family, friends and others.

Unfortunately, they are everywhere it seems.

To me it is indicative of the many people in our country who are unable to commit to anything long-term. Fast, easy solutions to everything and if they aren't happy with something just get rid of it. Crap, I'm sounding like my father!

Not sure what happened to my picture from above - might have been blown up in the move to the new format. In any case, here's my wolf. My first tattoo.

As my wife and I said when we turned 61 last month...61 is the new 60!

About two days before I was scheduled to go in to get my first tattoo, I was listening to National Public Radio. They have a segment called Health In A Heartbeat. That day's subject was the high incidence of medical issues associated with DIY stick and poke tattoos - infection, Hep C, HIV, allergic reactions..... The final recommendation was to always go to a professional tattooist that operates a clean shop with sterile equipment. When the most liberal broadcasting venue in the country recommends against something that is the epitome of personal choice, I listen.

Very nice work!!! Welcome!!

Remember that pictures must be provided or it didn't happen! We look forward to tracking your travel progress by your posts!

When I commanded an Army Artillery Battery back in 1983/84 it was a missile unit and we had some female soldiers, NCOs and officers. One day during an inspection I began to chew out a young female soldier because she was wearing blue star earrings - not allowed in uniform. After I got done, she reached up and tugged on her ear lobes. Yup. Tattoos. Although my experience in tattoos is limited, I've had a lot of experience working with people who are facing tragedies and the emotions that go with it. Making a decision to get a tattoo like this - given the timing and emotion - is not something I'd recommend, either. Wait. Heal. Consider. Maybe you'll come to the same decision later...and maybe not.

What a beauty!!! Congratulations on your new fur baby!!

Welcome to the forum!

Sometimes it just takes us older guys some time to make the decision - and in some cases a life event will give that decision a new meaning. Congrats to your Dad! So, the real question is....is he already planning his next? I got my first about two months ago, turned 61 10 days ago and am working on my design for the next one this fall.

The college where I'm president is a two-year private college, much like a community college with a total enrollment of about 1600 students. We have many sports teams but one of our most successful is our football program. We get great players who are not academically prepared and work them hard both on and off the field to get them ready to transfer and succeed. We've also had a tremendous number of our players make it to the NFL - last year we had two drafted and 1 the year before. Unheard of for a school our size. On Saturday we had our spring Blue/White game - the culmination of the spring practice season. On hand were two of our current NFL players - Chicago Bear Kevin White who was selected as the 7th pick in the 1st round last year, and Baltimore Raven Lorenzo Taliaferro who was selected in the 4th round two tears ago. Missing was Mark Glowinski, picked by the Seattle Seahawks in last year's 4th round as well as another of our former players who was just picked up as a free agent by the Ravens. Kevin and Mark both went from our program to West Virginia and Kevin's two younger brother did the same thing. We retired Kevin's jersey number at the game. What a class act he is and gave our program, coaches and college all the credit for getting him where he is. Zo Taliaferro is also an amazing young man - got his BA in the morning two years ago and then was selected in the NFL draft that same evening. Here's a picture from the game: Kevin White, our head football coach and former St Louis Cardinal linebacker Mark Duda, Lorenzo "Zo" Taliaferro, and me...the short guy.