Mick Weder

That, and drinking wine from the skulls of your enemies killed in battle [emoji88]

Riding North with some brothers shortly to get away from these 6000 cops in town for the G20. 39 degrees (102.2 Fahrenheit) today, so hitting the coast for ice cold beers & camping on the sand. Good...faaarkin...times.

Skulls are fuckin' cool. That's a good start.

@Cork. How about, just simply, Helmuth Pale Ale?

I don't know about it hurting more after your 30's. I've been tattooed through my teens, 20's, 30's & 40's. I think I've handled the harder sessions later in life better because of that stronger mind set. @daveborjes. Jameison eh? I'll have to give that a belt! Cheers.

@Cork. Not too bad a job swapping out bars, but ya gotta get the right length cables to swap out also so a little fiddly there running the lines, then controls & riding position. No, the arms don't get tired, if anything with the slammed rear, a little more compromising on the lower back, but not that much to worry about. High bars look more awkward than what they actually are. Like, the drag bars or Weston bars have nice handling, but the Apes seem to track the bike better without having to concentrate as much on the counter steer when riding the twisties. That's what I reckon anyway. Long gone are the days where I'd compromise comfort for kool, so it's a bonus having this motorcycle set up pretty good that captures both. I know...sports bike riders don't understand it :). That's cool. - - - Updated - - - @Breakme. Go the Triple! ;)

Fucked those 6" riders off, went a set of HD standards, kicked the bars forward. Much better! Cruising low rider! Fuck yeah!

Ya know mate, this is how I see it. Weather you sit for 8 hours or 2, the thing about being tattooed is there ain't no short cuts. It's all time under the machine. If ya working on a 30 hour back tattoo, or a 10 hour rib panel, ya still gotta come back to it, ya still gotta work for it, ya still earn it. There ain't no shame in in any time under that hammer man. :)

Yes. It's people's personal choice what they do, who are we to judge right? But, let's say not too long ago, when I started getting tattooed in the 80's, ya never heard of anyone seeking anything to manage the pain of getting tattooed. It would never have been a deciding factor. Times were so much more simpler...one either got tattooed, or one didn't, and if one didn't it was because of one of two reasons. They didn't like tattoos or they were too scared of the pain. Simple. My personal belief is, seeking to mask the pain is kinda cheating. It's like the phrase, no pain no gain. It's like going on a diet of ice cream and cookies, it's like becoming fit by going for a stroll. We all do it at some level, seek the easy way out...every single one of us in some kind of format, it seems to be human nature. There's too many options out there. Slowly wins the race. Take the time, tough it out, the hard experiences in life earns us insight and adds to our knowledge. Yeah, I've used opiates in the past while under the machine, but not to try mask the pain...a lot more simpler than that, just because I liked to get loaded on drugs and alcohol. That's it. On top of that, I can assure you, it does nothing for pain management. All it does is fucks you up and the local pain is the same...at times even worse because of how fucked up you are, ya can't shift the pain. By far, I find the best way to pain manage is focus, straight with the good prep we talk about.

That's pretty much on the money @Cork. Slammed my rear 11", went back to 16" bars instead of drag bars, wrapped my pipe today. Then ripped her through the hills. Good

^^ wicked!

Hence why there are so many unfinished back projects walking around to be forever covered by cloth, never to be revealed. Nice work @SeeSea. If the only tattoo we ever wear is a full scale back tattoo, that within itself holds significance on every level. I reckon you've earned breakfast ciders forever [emoji106]

Bummer about the tough session @SeeSea, some are hard to get through no matter how we prepare eh. Good ya chillin trying a range of new cider but. We don't have the same variety of choice here but it's growing. Stronbow. I remember drinking this stuff in the 750ml bottles across the bar when we were young for like $2 a bottle...way before cider became popular. A nice Australian cider made in Tasmania is Mercury Draught. If you can find that anywhere, highly recommended. Not too sweet, not too dry...just right. Happy cider sipping recovery day :)

Back to back full day sittings @ironchef? Respect [emoji106]

Had a planning session this morning, & the usual cold cider stubbies while mapping out the right foot we'll start drilling into in 4 weeks. An idea I've had for some time and some inspiration from a certain design by @daveborjes [emoji106] Thanks man, it's gonna fill the foot nicely. It's funny, doesn't matter how many tough sessions you sit through, that nervousness about embarking on new territory is always there. Love that shit.

Was an experience @Iwar. If ya can sit solid rib drilling, I reckon the armpit is easier. Healing on the other hand is terrible, especially during a hot summer.

An oldie. While getting drilled in the arm pit. Good times.

Getting ready to crank the Bar B, some acadaca & stubbies of Tooheys New.

Lasered off 2 bodysuits? Un-fuckin-believable. "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

On his 3rd bodysuit? What do you mean? "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

Great advice all round already. I have this hunch you'll be wanting to tattoo heavily. Think big and ways that your images will contribute to suiting / sleeve out. A big fuck off eagle in flight (yes I'm biased to this idea, but for a reason...they're cool as fuck), a dragon, which can engulf a whole limb with its body work, scale pattern and shit. Even that cross on your delt, you could incorporate a half sleeve of a Viking theme...warriors, rune tablets, castles... You get the drift. Anyway, just off the top of me head. Your in the right place here for inspiration. Good luck!! [emoji106] "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

@MoistTowelette. So fuckin good man. It's work like this that makes me wish at times we could suit all over again. Top fkn notch [emoji106] "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

A camp fire @SeeSea. Now ya talkin I'll bring the SJ Spiced Rum

I think a group hug is in order