Lochlan

and......the truth is revealed....

Someone posted this on facebook and I have been rolling...... I wonder if anyone contacted her eharmony profile to go on a date, AHHHHHHA! Don't mention cats cause....haha!

hells yes, loving this one right now....thanks everyone who has shared their tattoo travel stories and tattoo pictures......as Shadow mentioned above about planning to get tattooed then not getting it due to other reasons, i totally agree! I just may have to start doing the last day thing too........ I love New Orleans and would enjoy living there as well. I've only been once but am dying to go back! The people are so friendly and the city just has an awesome feel to it that is old and creepy yet warm and comforting in my opinion.... did you see the blog I wrote about my Five Days in New Orleans when we first launched this site? Would enjoy hearing others stories of New Orleans and/or other travel experiences........

Which tattooer? The tattoo shop web site has multiple then trying to do process of elimination by using the myspace link and the persons profile doesn't say their name either.......so which tattooer do you want to get tattooed by? I would prefer to use the web page as myspace moves too slow and is a pain to navigate for my liking........thanks.

The Donger is one of the best Chinese food deliveries in the east bay for sure. Their vegetarian items are top shelf and I'm not even vegetarian with my favorite one being the kung pao fake chicken. Then the fried wontons with cream cheese and crab could be currency! plus all their meat items, mmm! You used to be able to ask for a calendar when you ordered and they'd bring you a free scroll like one with badass tigers and dragons on them.

Here's a Nick Rodin from Blackheart tattoo picture of a ship...

Tokyo Hiro is doing this eagle chest piece that is in progress which blew my mind. Something about a big eagle chest piece is so damn badass!

Here's a Kore Flatmo tiger and snake back piece picture....

The watches are supposed to be pretty damn cool!!....though then you have to run with something on your wrist...... the nice thing about the nike running feature is it is already there......

I tried watching this and have only made it ten minutes in...i think i may have to do it in sessions though it is pretty damn funny. Is this for reals by the way? Dcostello, get your scotch in you and have at it......

Almost my whole life I have always ran with people years older than me so I think I forgot and often times still forget they are older than me, set in their professions, and lots of other variables that I forgot/forget when starting to get visible tattoos. Not gonna psychoanalyze it and I don't regret it one bit, however, do know even living in SF/Bay Area it has limited me in certain cases here and working elsewhere. I do know I've had to and continue to have to prove myself to many people in my profession not familiar with my work due to being "heavily" tattooed. I wear suits to my contracts to compensate for the tattoos though I do have an obsession with suits and think i partially developed it due to the visible tattoos and my work. Bottomline, I totally get the argument and support the argument to get a fair amount of other spots done first. I had to goto other tattooers early on as Scott and some others would not tattoo my hands, fingers, and/or neck until more recently like the last two years or something. My first finger/thumb tattoo was done by I can't remember who around nine years ago. My first hand tattoo which is a small one in between my thumb and pointer finger was done by Tim Lehi around nine years ago at Tattoo City and had a mutual friend of ours take me in-between some of Tim's other appointments. Tim didn't seem too phased by the fact I didn't have my arms fully covered. For my other hand tattoo I went to Zach Johnson when he was at Picture Machine in SF which was a spur of the moment thing. I swung by the shop to hangout with some of the guys there before dinner and one thing led to another and blammo, hand tattoo covering the whole top and missed my dinner reservations. My fingers were also done at Picture Machine except I believe by Iggy and I was pretty well covered on my arms and about half my front done by this time. I went to Nick Rodin when he first moved up here to do my neck tattoos as Scott Sylvia refused to do my hands and neck for many many years though I had almost both arms sleeved and my front pretty well covered in tattoos. I totally respect Scott for his reasons and acted like a kid hiding something from their parents, haha. I remember my heart beating pretty damn fast hoping he didn't ask what I was in getting tattooed that day. For those who don't know they both work at Blackheart so I just acted like I was there getting a regular old tattoo from Nick. I remember when Scott walked over mid tattoo, looked at what was going down, shook his head and gave one of those chuckles/laughs he does. I am very satisfied with the tattoos Nick did and Scott even came over and gave Nick some visual help on the front of the neck tattoo as Nick asked for his advice. Scott has since given in and tattooed my upper knuckles and sides of my fingers. As mentioned above, I don't regret them though know it has limited me and will continue to limit me and/or put obstacles in my way. Yes, Scott and some of the other older friends were right and can say, "I/we told you so".

I am pretty sure i have made my mind up on this topic that i have been ambivalent about for several years. I know the idea is not unique but like the concept so thought i would see if anyone else out there on this tattoo forum does anything similar. I have been contemplating whether or not I was going to save one of my legs for a passport like tattoo postcard. I have had this idea for awhile as mentioned above and know others who do this. So I have decided on this one tattoo idea design which I will have various tattooers when I'm on the road or they're guest spotting do their own interpretation of it in a three by three or similar size tattoo. I figure the smaller i keep it the more i can collect as well as it should enable me to get walk-in tattoos in one sitting much easier. The satisfaction of sitting for a few hours and more than likely less than a few hours and leave with a nice tattoo completed. Anyone out there have postcard-ish tattoos for your travels? Care to show pictures?

Good topic...... If I could start over getting tattooed again I would keep them how and where they are. Sure I got my fair amount of questionable and/or bad tattoos but I have also learned from these and feel I have gotten more good than bad tattoos at this point. Even the bad tattoos are memories, stories, and even laughs when some people see them so I still enjoy them. I've still a leg wide open, my back mostly, and some other smaller gaps open so I hope to continue to fill these spots with tattooers and tattoos I want to get tattooed by. Who knows when I'm covered maybe I will change my mind.....

Dcostello and I were talking since he posted the below picture in the "Prison and Jail Tattoo" thread and thought it could be fun to do a separate post with the picture. The purpose of this separate post of this painful yet possibly funny and definitely intriguing picture is to have some fun by seeing the various back stories LSTers can make up when they see this picture. So what is your take on this picture and story that led to it?

As Dari mentioned we have it on our wish list and it is actually being worked on while some of our other wish list items are being worked on! We want to launch the new tattoo photo gallery first as it has been a request for some time now and from what I hear there are only some small kinks being worked out so soon it'll go live....... We brain stormed on this "map" like LST Approved Tattoo shops new feature since the launch of the site plus took some ideas from things LSTers wrote in various threads that they feel are lacking overall for tattooers and tattoo customers. We have talked a few different options but believe we have found and are building a nice mix of all the best things from each idea into one. With that being said, we hope it will be very useful and more relevant than what is currently available on the internet or out there as a whole. Yeah I know I'm hyping these two (new tattoo gallery & LST Tattoo Shop Locator) new features up because we are really excited about them and have been watching them get developed from hearing the request to soon to be delivered service..... thanks for sharing!

Jake, that lobster zone machine concept was form a restaurant that gordon ramsy redid in new york that ended up closing down after he renovated it. From the picture though those look like craw dads not lobsters......

I've thought about it as well but get mix reviews from those I know who use it. Overall they believe it is pretty accurate unless you want and/or need it to be point on.

I heard a new to me cooking trick the other night that I have tried out three time this week that has made a world of difference in flavor.....don't add fresh soft herbs until the last few minutes of your dish, turn off heat, and stir in. I cooked a simple pasta the other night in a butter and garlic sauce with peas, tomatoes, and tossed in the basil last minute... Last night I tried the same trick but dropped green onions in the seasoned meat for tacos last minute.... Then tonight cooked pasta again but cooked ground beef, garlic, & pepper then dropped the al dente pasta in the meat to reduce in the grease threw some marinara over it and basil at the last minute... ...so simple but such a tasty difference. Anyone else have any "tricks" they use and want to share in the kitchen?

I watched Fair Game tonight and all I can say is hot damn!

That's gonna leave a scar!

Thanks Shannon for joining us. The stories I've heard from the Sac days have been pretty impressive to say the least and you have delivered some new ones. Thanks and keep 'em coming....

Avery, I would have loved to continued north into Vancouver as it is an amazing city though this trip didn't allow. When I do I will let you know and we can meet up for some coffee and/or food. MsRad, sounds like you know all sort of good spots up that way....I'll have to pick your brain next time. Ms. Mikki, it was a pleasure and always so great seeing you as it doesn't happen as often these days! The next time will have to be longer no doubt so I can get the Mikki tour as the Bert Grimm site is a double whammy of graveyards and more tattoo history plus your favorite chefs restaurants, hot damn. The story you told me was pretty amazing about him and his wife. Thanks!

A few weeks ago I jumped on Amtrak's Coast Stralight to travel through the Northwest. I got on at Emeryville, CA for the first part of my trek to Portland, OR. As it was around ten at night and I wasn't due in Portland until about threePM the next day I got comfy in my chair. I must say the chairs/seats you pay for on overnight trips are damn comfy like those of flying first class. The seats recline with a foot pad and foot post as well as electronic sockets at every seat and table tray. They provide a pillow as well but I suggest bringing your own blanket as these are not provided. I woke up to the sunrise around Mt. Shasta and took a walk to the "viewing car" which has all glass siding and roof. I got my cup of coffee from downstairs and have to say despite all the other great offerings it was the worst cup of coffee I have ever had and I've done my fair share of middle of the highway/interstate coffee drinking. So maybe bring your own instant if you like coffee. Anywho, I sat down with my coffee and shortly after two older gentleman sat down next to me as we stared off at the amazing views. We began talking about old cars as I noticed every time we past a barn or piece of property and cars were visible they were looking with a look I am familiar with....the search for old cars. It turns out they were on their way to a small town outside Portland to pick up a seventies car they discovered. I have inserted a photo below of a junkyard full of old cars I saw later in the morning like one of the ones you discover in the California and/or Arizona desert. I wanted to jump off and explore but didn't have time. Later on I had lunch in the food car/diner and an older couple sat down with me. The gentleman had a cool old rose forearm tattoo from his military days during the Korean war but I didn't have my camera with me, damn it. I arrived in Portland around threePM where I quickly got settled in and made my way to eating. I can not recall the places I ate at but all I can say is I did lots of it and it was great. Portland has happy hours from afternoon to late at night.....these were new happy hours to me as they were not drinks but food! I guess if you serve booze you have to have something like at least a five item menu so the places offer food at affordable prices. This eating and taking advantage of the happy hours was what I did the whole two days or so in Portland. Burgers, sushi, fries, desserts, pot pies, prime rib....!!! I was staying at the Ace Hotel which has bicycles for free to any guest. Before I get to the bikes let me say it was my first time staying at an Ace hotel and it was rather impressive. The rooms were New York hotel size but the level of well thought out space consumption was impressive. It reminded me of this video I saw once of this guy in Japan whoms apartment was like a transformer....making the most out of the smallest space. Back to the bikes, so if you are staying at the hotel they have bikes you can use for as long as you please. I'm not much of a biker but it seemed like a great cheap way to go surprise a friend and roam the city. The moment I got outside the rain began but that didn't stop me at least from going to surprise my friend. The hotel was a block off Burnside so it was a direct route to visit/surprise an old friend Ms. Mikki at her new tattoo shop Fortune Tattoo Shop (1716 East Burnside Street, Portland, OR). I hadn't seen Mrs. Mikki in a few years since she relocated to Portland and the shop is badass (see pictures below). It is an open layout with a loft balcony for drawing in the back overlooking the floor. I wish I would of had a tape recorder going for part of my talk with her as she was just spilling rich Portland tattoo history where I learned so much. After shooting the shit with Mikki for a few hours I hoped back in the rain and went to a shop I became familiar with through LST. I used LST's search feature before I for the keyword "Portland" and saw user Henry Rodriguez worked at a shop called Scapegoat Tattoo around the corner (1223 Southeast Stark Street Portland, OR). I walked in and asked for Henry who I then sat down and talked with for a few minutes (pictures below). I explored Portland for another day or so and observed the "city that works" (their motto they put on everything) was a mix between SF and Vancouver(BC), beautiful! So after some time in Portland I hoped back on the train for a few more hours and headed to Seattle for four days or so. This short train ride was absolutely amazing with its views riding along the water for most of it. I was looking forward to the seafood so the first place I stopped for food was sushi. I stayed at The Paramount in Seattle and the room was spacious plus the CA King bed was damn comfortable competing with Sofitel Hotels (which are my favorite hotel beds..if you have stayed in one you know what I am talking about!). Seattle was full of eating, eating, and more guess what...more eating thanks to the food happy hours being there as well. Vietnamese, sushi, seafood, burgers, fries, desserts, italian, sandwiches and on and on. The hotel was a perfect location as everything was walking distance. I prefer to walk as much as possible when traveling so I can see things that I may miss when using public transit, taxis, and/or rental cars. I didn't visit any tattoo shops in Seattle but saw a few. I did manage to enjoy the cheese festival they were having and discovered a new cheese maker that I loved, Sartori Cheeses. So after a week break from the Bay Area it was time to head back...I hoped on Seattle's public tranist which was beyond convenient as I jumped on two blocks from my hotel and it dropped me right at the airport for under five dollars in about forty-five minutes. Thanks Mrs. Mikki and Henry for spending sometime with me. Ms Mikki at Fortune Tattoo in Portland LST profile and tattoo gallery Henry Rodriguez at Scapegoat Tattoo in Portland LST profile and tattoo gallery Until next time......