Colored Guy

I used to run into this one guy in unemployment... big panther tattoo on his fuckin' cheek. Deffo NOT management material... Rob

I had some old bat of a supermarket cashier call my peony a rose, but I think she wanted to get into my pants. Rob

I've gotten shitfaced with far worse people than Charlie.... Rob

I'm still callin' it 110% staged. They bring the guy in at the start of the show as a shill, let him know the deal up front. I'd do it for the right $$$. In the end, the artist still has the right not to tattoo anyone for any reason. I've seen people turned away before, "maybe this isn't the shop for you.". Rob

Oh injuries... I came back from a serious shoulder injury in early 2011. No surgery but a lengthy and painful PT. Onto my car accident in late 2011 and the thoracic spine injury... I'm lifting and taking it easy but take days off when I need to. I have decent pain medication though, I'd be dead without it. I've lost a little size but still have most of my strength. Heal up fast, best wishes to a full recovery! Rob

I've had problems with red many years ago. Anything from slow-healing to it being completely rejected out of my body. Yellow on me tends to wash out quickly and needs touching up. My more recent work, I've been using an orange-red instead of full-red and that's working. I do have some red in smaller areas from last year that healed up perfectly. I agree that inks have gotten better over the years. Back in the day, everyone was making their own ink from powders, that would be my guess for the root of a problem, at least in my case. Rob

There are all sorts that walk through the door of any given tattoo shop at any time. Mentally competent perhaps, but does the artist want to really slap some ink on them? I've seen them come in rambling while I was in the chair and the artist sighs in relief when they walk out. I've been there when someone that really don't want to tattoo is coming in shortly. I've never really seen a tattoo on someone with a developmental problem and it might be a moral issue for the guardian to deal with. The shop made the right decision. Rob

I have a garden, so I bring them things like hot peppers and tomatoes. Rob

I find it like having to slow down and look at an accident involving a tractor trailer truck and a bus load of orphans on their way to summer camp... Rob

If I have a light spot in the black or want some white or other color freshened up, I'll do that at the end of a regular session. It only adds a 1/2 hour to the bill and all the stuff is out anyway. Rob

Worse than ever.... a new tattoo show low has been achieved. Rob

If I have got that much to say, I'll hand out fkucing press releases... not a fan of reading someone else's library of gibberish that means only something to them. Rob

I like balance. Old timers would say that if you had one tattooed arm and the other blank, you'd walk around leaning to one side. I had one side of my chest done in 2010 and had to get the other side going within a month. That would have looked off balance. So I do think of placement quite a bit. My left forearm is next up and that one will be heavy for a while until I get the right one caught up. Rob

Between me & my wife, we have about 4 feet of them and a couple of odd crates too. I'd like to get rid of them all since I never listen to them. Mostly rock for mine, my wife has a lot of Motown, show tunes, etc. Nothing is newer than 1987. I'll have to poke around on fleaBay to see what they're going for, turn them into some ink cash. Rob

If you are in an urban area where space is scarce and there are many shops, it's inevitable that if you have a vacant shop next you, your next neighbor could be doing what you do. It was mentioned that many shops have popped up in NYC after the ban was lifted. Go to Venice Beach in LA, wall to wall tat shops all along the strip. I just wouldn't try snarky shit like drastically undercutting the other guys. Rob

You should spend money on yourself. That's why you get out of bed most days and go off to work. I don't take money out of the household to get inked. I save up a little here and there until I have enough for the next tattoo. I still find a few bucks to give to a local food pantry, most people give nothing. I was a poor kid too, had almost nothing growing up and today I'm pretty far from where I was. I don't buy myself watches or jewelry, I do have a real nice house though. But the poor stigma sticks with me. I can be pretty frugal at times and try not to waste anything. Rob

I like it hot. Rained like a monsoon Friday, Monday and part of today, Tuesday. My pool is open, but full of rain water and the PH is fubar. I still go in, but waiting for it to crack 90 and the pool to reach 75-80. Rob

Had to laugh the other day. I work with this one guy for years, he always wears a static-control lab coat due to the area he works in. We all have the coats, he just wears his all the time. I was driving home the other day from work and i'm passing him on the highway, I see a tattooed arm leaning on his door, he sees me coming up on the left and pulls his arm in. Another closet tattooed freak on the payroll. Rob

I've lifted weights off and on since high school, got back into it 5 years ago. My wife took a break due to a back injury, but now she's back into it. Rob

I'm just trying to maintain a good buzz lately. 7-11 has a good deal on 24oz PBRs and I'm dipping into my percocet Rx. I get a refill tomorrow if the pain management gods continue to smile upon me. Rob

This one had a good portfolio of freshened up work and coverups. If you like the tattoo, may as well see what can be done with it. Rob

I've had 8 spinal procedures within the last year.. so I'm quite used to watching them start the IV. I show them the vein that's a sure hit the first shot. During my excursion into white powders (clean since 1987), I had no qualms about handling the hypo myself. Freaked out a few people who weren't junkies when I shot up in front of them though... Rob

Me and my wife both lift, it's a great past time... and good for you too! Rob

I have to have a rapport with the artist too. I've walked out of good shops before and I'll do it again if there is a negative vibe going on. Since I'm sitting there for an hour or 4, I like the experience to be as nice as possible. Rob