Mark Bee

Happy to oblige! My first tattoo was a long time coming. I'd been watching my friends get tattooed in the 1980s and was fascinated by them. Unfortunately, this was an era when everything (around my crowd, anyway) was wizards and vikings. Black and gray. Never really appealed to me, though the artistry and talent was clear. I kept thinking about getting one, but kept failing to find a design that really appealed to me. I kept visiting shops (there were not nearly so many back then) and I finally just said "fuck it" I'm getting one. I walked into a shop that recently opened near my home and pointed at a tribal armband and said "I'll have that one." I didn't look at his portfolio, I didn't know what questions to ask either. I knew even then I wasn't getting exactly what I wanted in terms of design, but more important to me was the act of getting tattooed. I never covered the tribal up. I simply got lots of tattoos surrounding it. Its dated, but the artist did a good job and its held up very nicely.

Rebooked my back for mid-May. Saw Tim's drawing a couple of days ago and it was amazing. Can't wait to get started!

I never get too concerned about other people's tattoos. I don't know their story or how they came to have their tattoos. I also never crap on anyone about their tattoos (or clothes, or taste in music, etc). Life is too short to waste time and energy harshing on other people. Historically, I look at older tattoos and appreciate the tattooer and the client for paving the way for the things that came next. I have enormous respect for people who blazed the trail and made things easier for me. (Full disclosure - I got my first tattoo in '91 or '92. And yes, there are times that I shake my head and wonder what people were thinking - I just keep it to myself) Interesting question - thanks for posting it.

Great tattoos, @hogg. That RoA is amazing.

Good stuff! Congratulations!

Nice work. Welcome to LST!

Haha! Awesome. I'm not really into metal, so I don't often check that thread. I guess I should have! I agree with you - its a lot of fun. :)

Ok , so this post could have gone in the metal music thread too. However, since I'm more into cats than I am metal, I thought I'd post it here. Not usually one to post from Buzzfeed, but this was quite cute:Just Some Pictures Of Metal Dudes – And Their Cats

I was supposed to start my back piece tomorrow. But I got sicker than I've been in the last decade this week and had to cancel. Absolutely gutted. Its bad enough I feel like a bag of shit with the flu, but to miss this just pisses me off no end. Insert long string of curses here.

Those are amazing! And, exactly what we were looking for. Thank you.

I remember saying exactly that!

Congrats!

What a gorgeous cat!

Thanks, @Delicious ! :) @hogg has already saved the day!

Hi and welcome to LST

Any mods around?

Hello, Mods?

@TrixieFaux That is so great. You must be thrilled. Congratulations!

ROAD TRIP!

Upside down orange cats! My favourite!

I just started The Orenda, by Joseph Boyden:http://www.amazon.ca/Orenda-Joseph-Boyden-ebook/dp/B00BMVRUNG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395966850&sr=8-1&keywords=the+orenda Boyden is always a brilliant read.

Hey! I know you! Welcome to LST!

Its cheap on PS3 right now too - great game. Not as good as the first, but still, solid from end to end.

I've probably posted this somewhere, but I think it fits well here. The screaming gorilla is on my left elbow, the tiger on the right. Both by Tim Pausinger at The Pearl. (The tiger is a little distorted by the way my arm is lying.)

I found this little gem a while back. http://www.amazon.ca/Mail-Order-Mysteries-Real-Stuff-Comic/dp/160887026X For anyone who grew up on American comic books in the 70s, this book is a lot of fun. The author collected many of the items advertised in the back of the book and revealed what they are actually like. (X-Ray Specs, Grit Newspapers, Spy-pens, and much, much more.) Its a fun trip down memory lane, and deeply satisfying to know what these things actually turned out to be. The author is Kirk Demarais, and the afterward is written by Jesse Thorn, for those of you who are Maximum Fun listeners.