polliwog

If I remember correctly, the snake on the back of my arm oozed for a couple days. I have a nice print of the belly scales inside one of my t-shirts.

@Mark Bee that sounds weirdly adorable. No picture?

That turtle is fantastic whether you redo it or not. I love what you have going on in general, though.

Man. Having major thigh-eagle jealousy. I can't imagine how great that must look in person.

I had some green ink migrate in my inner bicep. There was just a haze around the whole tattoo. Fortunately it has disappeared two years later, so maybe your blowout will look better with time , too.

I haven't been to conventions where the owners of pretty iconic tattoos are just walking around, so I'm probably seeing them differently from how they see themselves.

I've amassed a lot of stuff during various bursts of enthusiasm (stereo equipment! impractical shoes!) but I think of "collector" as implying that the person has a very particular taste and is discerning. In a way, it also implies, to me, that there's an audience for the collecting. Like a record collector is different from a person who just has a lot of records, because the former might seek out specific pressings. I've had the good fortune of getting nice tattoos thanks to this place, but I don't have anything like the knowledge or refinement to think of myself as a collector. Mostly I want to spraypaint this old jalopy so that it looks better.

A friend of mine was in the car with his son, and his son farted and was embarrassed. My friend said, oh, that's okay, sometimes you just have to let it go. His son looked perplexed for a minute and said, "IS THAT WHAT THE SONG IS ABOUT??!!" (Little boy, no volume control.) In other news I am totally happy with what I paid for my Chad tattoo because the cost-per-use is extremely low.

That sounds like a great choice of artist and subject. It's normal to be apprehensive--I get the jitters every time I make an appointment. I haven't been lucky enough to see any of them in person--there was discussion on here about seeing a backpiece of his at a convention and being blown away by it--but based on pictures and videos and stuff, I absolutely love Kiku's tattoos. You've saved up and you'll be able to cover your first tattoo pretty easily. I'm hardly an authority and am admittedly biased because I want to get tattooed by Kiku someday, but it sounds like you've got this.

I generally hate overuse of the AC too, but being able to bring the house down by a few degrees on those humid nights will be amazing.

Our landlord offered to put in central AC this year. Can't wait. I don't generally hate the heat, but I can't stand sleeping in a puddle of sweat.

@El Dolmago I loved Mario's Hello Kitty tattoos! I should modify my original answer to say that the presence of respected tattooers at a non-tattoo convention would reassure me that people weren't being exploited. I would've gotten a Hello Kitty tattoo...

I wouldn't want to get tattooed at a non-tattoo convention. Not only would the sanitation issue concern me, but it would be weird to me that (presumably) part of the money I'm paying for a tattoo would then go to a business that had nothing to do with tattooing. I don't know much about this issue, though--are there reputable tattooers that do this?

I've never seen a healed wrist tattoo in person that looked perfect but plenty that looked good regardless.

That actually sounds like the perfect time to get your knee done. Don't want the memory of tattoo pain to be too fresh. I think a little hubris might be necessary for certain spots.

@Mabel so great!

UPF technical clothing for hiking, etc. tends to be made of moisture-wicking synthetic material so you won't be dying in a long-sleeved shirt--I think places like REI sell these. If you're out on the golf course a lot, it may be worth getting one of these for the UV protection anyway. Fashion is another thing entirely, but I just took a look on REI's website and there are a few there that aren't so bad. I have a couple of these shirts for hiking and they are way less gross and slimy than sweating off sunscreen in a cotton t-shirt all day.

I don't think I've posted this here--Todd Noble made this lady in a rose a couple months ago. I really enjoyed getting this tattoo; he has a good bedside manner and just seems like an all-around good human. I can't get an un-distorted photo of this but you get the idea.

Sometimes time can be a little tight and it's a nice favor to run out and buy the person a coffee or a meal afterwards.

Ah, that is so lovely, @Wedge. Great colors. I really love the moody, more muted takes on the ROA, and knowing that this is a memorial tattoo makes it even more beautiful.

I love the new site, particularly the "mobile" version. What, exactly, is "community reputation" though? It seems hilariously unrelated to anything yet...but I'm glad we're all "excellent!"

If it's a one shot tattoo, I figure the cost is the cost--might be loosely related to an hourly rate, but it might not. I think of hourly rates as being applicable more to multi-session tattoos. If you love the tattoo but didn't love the experience, you still came out ahead.

As mentioned elsewhere on this board, Dr. Bronner's is excellent for cutting through a lot of really slimy plasma, especially for that awful first wash. If you live near a Marshall's/TJ Maxx sometimes you can find it there at a pretty steep discount and then you get to feel pretty slick. I stop using it once the tattoo starts to peel, though, as it's a little drying for my particular skin.

That is such a great start to your tattoo, and thank you for taking the time to write about your experience in detail. I really enjoyed reading it.

I felt moved to whine on here but then I deleted it.