Dan

when I had tattoos around both ankles done,I felt terrible for the artist as I couldn't stop the involuntary leg jerks from happening ,he had to lean on my leg hard to get it done.it wasn't a pain thing,it was the leg jerks.

pretty nice looking tattoo,I like it a lot.and you look great ! wait til you get to my age !(56) my skin is loose and getting wrinkly,but I am still getting tattooed and actually I am wearing more tank tops than I EVER have ! I am having more fun with my tattooes than I ever have as well.my wife and myself might be old,but we are fucking cool old people ! LOL

sounds like a fun road trip,where do you live ? and what sand ?

5 weeks is not even healed yet,I think you are looking at it too closely ! relax,let it heal for a few more months,and possibly see if it might need a minor touch-up, otherwise,enjoy it, IMO it looks pretty good.

congrats on many levels,that's a great goal to achieve with a tattoo icing on the cake to boot ! good job to you and your girlfriend ! now the real hard work begins at choosing the right artist and placement and concept !

so I got an appointment today for August 25th for a tiger head on my left hand with Alycia Harr(grass valley).

please think about that tattoo really carefully before getting it, and when you do get one,like was said,go big or go home.

so what ? why is that an issue here ? what is the problem with someone asking a question ? what about new members ? or people that don't come here everyday ? I've been here 3 years and have not seen a thread about this topic.even if it has been asked multiple times,new input or reminders or new ideas are always good IMO.

cute ! so does our girl,this is some of her toys ! LOL (she's not spoiled) . .

wow ! looks like a beautiful back yard and area !

this is a super cute dog !

hi and welcome,like was said,skin tone has nothing at all to do with blowouts,blowouts can happen fro many reasons,but not color or tone of skin, blowouts can happen from the artist pushing too hard, it can happen to even the very best artists, it can happen on certain types of thin skin(like base of front /side of necks,or soft thin skin anywhere on the body) it can happen to old guys like me because of age, it can happen from the artist stretching the skin too much during the tattoo, but going back to very "pasty" or white-ish skin,that's actually the best skin tone for tattoos.especially color tattoos. that's also why 50spf is our best friend and the very best advice we can give you is to carefully choose the right artist.

I love winter,spring,& fall,they are beautiful here.I love the cold rainy season here.

actually I did gert a pretty decent severance, pm sent

well,looking on the bright side ! I don't have to go to the colonoscopy since I don't have health ins anymore !

well,I got some fucked up news,I had a shitty morning for sure,I got a call letting me know that the job I have had with the same company for 21 years is laying me off effective today :( due to slow business, I kind of knew it was coming,but it's real now. I really didn't think it would be me,since I have been there the longest of all the guys and in 21 years I never missed one day of work,was never late.

pain wise my hand tattoo IMO was not too bad actually, my hand swelled up after the tattoo,but as far as pain goes,I have definitely had places on my body that were way worse on the pain scale.

holy crap ! you're not kidding about a long flight ! " Flight time from Belfast to Cape Town is 14 hours 15 minutes " wow ! I thought my 5 1/2 hour hawaii flights were long ! LOL did you do that just for the tattoo ? or was it part vacation too ? like I said,I fly to Maui & Kauai each every year,but it's 75% vacation and 25% tattoo.it's always at least 10 days.

so if you are staying the night before you fly,then just wash it several times (like you said you do) and use something on it(I use Palmers cocoa butter)and keep saran(cling) wrap taped on for the after and that night,will you have time to go back in the morning to the shop and have someone there help with the derm ? that's how I do it anyway,for the first 10 to 12 hours after the tattoo I wash it good several times with a anti-microbial soap and apply a very light coat of cocoa butter and cling wrap,let all the liquid ooze out then I put on the derm,I do this often as I go to Hawaii every year and get a tattoo on the last day.

saniderm type products can be overlapped,it's in the instructions,I have had large pieces done and have used saniderm by overlapping pieces to cover the tattoo.

but that's the best part for me,I try and get a couple m&ms and a couple skittles at the same time ! it's a great combo ! so I am a psychopathic anarchist ? cool !

please don't get anymore tattoos from that guy.

yes,sadly that's true,yes,a true loss. I am madly in love with her and her music.she was a very unique artist,she had a true gift. that "27" club is eery. nice tattoo on you. I have been thinking for a while of a horseshoe tattoo like hers for me.

my appointment essentials are this: 1)sleep good the night before 2)pre-hydrate the day & night before 3)eat good full healthy meal before tattoo (day of) *bring with to shop* 1)small ice chest with at least 3 cold water bottles 2)ziplock baggie with skittles & M&M mix(keep sugars up) 3)nice ripe banana(instant potassium*keeps those electrolytes up*) 4) turn off ringer on phone 5)relax and enjoy the experience 6)*and most important*have close bar or at least cold beers waiting for me when finished ( I always get tattooed 100% sober),(but after tattoo,3 or 4 cold ones takes the edge off) LOL