SeeSea

Is there truly such a thing as a universally accepted perfectly executed tattoo by a best artist, etc.? No. And no, we're not "in a a way" wearing shitting tattoos using this comparison that has odd criteria. What does "perfectly executed" mean to you? To others? Who is the master of all tattooing? To you? To others? @Mick Weder mused above about shitty tattoos on his brother that had great meaning. Are they shitty? To you? To others? /end list of rhetorical questions Argh. /end postingB4coffee

@UpstateChris http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/278-good-client-behavior.html http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/crazy-tattoo-stories/1276-tipping-etiquette.html http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/crazy-tattoo-stories/1814-how-much-would-you-tip-artist.html

I want you to know that last time you were talking about a "faked line" I had no idea what you were talking about, and ended up delving into forums where dudes from different organizations were talking about stories and tripping over ropes and the like, and faked versus flaked and I ended up on a page with all sorts of pictures and knots - I learned so much just trying to figure out what "faked line" was! I can coil a rope for storage, tie off to cleats and make a nice Flemish. And if I try really hard I can do that knot to temporarily tie off to a piling. Knots hurt my brain. But that's it for me! And I can make a nice butchery of tying off fishing line on hooks. It works but it isn't pretty :) And my shoes. I've got that knot down pretty good. I'm looking forward to seeing that tattoo on you!

You might also go in the opposite direction and select something that gives you peace or makes you smile or laugh. Then when you are feeling angry or hostile, perhaps it can diffuse your mood. To center you. Or something that reminds you of a peaceful place or time that could trigger those feelings in you. You mentioned the military affected you significantly - is there some imagery you saw at the time you had this epiphany? Or, silly as it sounds, perhaps you had this epiphany while you were doing pushups or some crazy thing - make the tattoo involve something associated with when or where you had that epiphany and perhaps seeing it could re-trigger it. Good luck. There's nothing wrong with wanting a tattoo to have personal meaning and as a reminder of something. And you were very brave to share this life's lesson with a bunch of strangers. I hope you are able to find the imagery that you seek.

Yes, it is very nice. And the notion that she sees it when she shakes hands is also kinda cool. But my first thought was, it should have been bigger. Like a forearm tattoo. I'm glad she was able to memorialize him in a positive way.

I should prefer a shrubbery.

@Thomas Zman - I am remiss in welcoming you to LST as well. Do you have tattoos? These are some questions you might as your tattoo artist. All else being equal, keep in mind that locale plays a part in pricing - rents are ridiculous in some areas, and as a result, hourly rates reflect that. As basic economics dictates, price is what the market will bear. If someone wants to get tattooed by artist XYZ and is willing to pay for the "brand" (damn those Jimmy Choo shoes) then can you blame them? Some of that boils down to personal ethics. There is a guy who does these really interesting tattoos - David Hale and he doesn't charge anything. He takes donations if you want to give. Anyway, yes, you can get awesome tattoos from artists who charge different rates across the spectrum. Don't compare rates or costs. Compare what means quality to you and what you want. Find what you want and if you can afford it, pay it. And remember, there's a surcharge for whining and crying.

Um, I for one care about the time. Perhaps you misread the comment as fast = good, rather than good + fast?

Cool story @Mick Weder - thanks for sharing. I'd say this qualifies pretty heavily as something you learned.

True true true. But I think I'm going to take a break for a couple months. The constant sessions are wearing me down.

Hi Steve - yes, it does. What I remember for Likes (maybe it just looks different so I am confused) is that in the Like screen, it would show the first line of the actual post that was Liked. Now it just has a single line that says someone liked something, but it only shows the thread title. Before, it was the thread title and another line so you could recall what post. Sorry I can't explain it very well.

Wow @hogg - that is spectacular!

Hey @steve1461686340 - thanks for working on this. I would hate to have this job! With the old Likes/Quotes notifications, we'd see a one-liner about what post within the thread had been Liked or quoted. Now it just shows the thread name Is it possible to reproduce what we saw before - a hint of which post so we don't have to go look which post was Liked? Does that make sense? Thanks!

for the win!

Nah, sometimes I start writing and crazy shit comes out. I've seen dead deer on the side of the road driving home from sessions, but no hobbling dogs.

Agreed, he's created more heat than light, but he did provide a pretty great example of a "worst ever" lion that a "dingleberry" friend of his got. That counts for half a point.

Why did you post in a thread that is completely unrelated to your topic, and then change the name of the thread? Read about the guidelines of this board and try again.

I just started listening to the Intro that @DJDeepFried mentioned and it's pretty good. I have to come back to it later when I have the time to dedicate to it. The guy has a good voice and I'm looking forward to doing it.

I understand that there could be trade secrets involved, but I think it's very appropriate for anyone to share health related information or experience related to post chemo and getting tattoos without crossing the magic line.

@Graeme - thanks for the info. That's what I'm looking for - substance without the kool-aid. @DJDeepFried - I'm in Central New Jersey and work in Maryland. I just looked at that website and will definitely wander around in there. Thanks for the great description. I've heard sketchy things about TM too and I'd randomly looked online, but it's really good to have some recommendations from folks like you to set me in the right direction.

@DJDeepFired @Puglist @Mark Bee - is there a type of Buddhist meditation you are doing I can look up? There seem to be so many I'm rather clueless. Thanks.

Neat, @polliwog - it's cool to read the back stories. I started watching other videos in this series and was wondering if one of my cats would make a good story. He was an outdoor cat we made a heated house for on the back porch - didn't want to bring him in because he didn't get along with our other cats through the screen door. But he stopped showing up, and I caught him after several days and rushed him to the ER with his tail chewed up from a cat fight and hugely infected. He brought him in, fixed him up, and refused to let him back out. Turns out he contracted FIV from the cat he fought with, and then 4 months later developed diabetes and lost a ton of weight. We started him on insulin and I followed a very challenging research protocol to get him off insulin. After 8 months of injections and 8 tests a day (and no full-night sleep for me this whole time), his pancreas healed and I got him off insulin! He's now diet controlled, and my little lover boy.

It's great you are trying to help her if this is what she wants, and you say this is both of your goals. However, you're asking for help, and you've just insulted everyone on this board. There are incredible tattoo artists here, and many folks who are very well versed in quality tattoos. And folks who can point you to very relevant threads where different ideas are discussed in length. We can certainly throw out ideas, but no one will design a tattoo for her - that's where you go see an artist who brings all that creative juice for HER specific needs. Only the tattoo artist can look at the work to be addressed, consider how things might flow on her body if she goes larger with a coverup, etc, and have a dialog about possible designs. We can certainly throw out ideas based on some interests and styles, and provide references for good artists. But to throw in our faces that you'll go elsewhere, perhaps you should. Maybe I'm grouchy because I'm not done with my coffee this morning, but I just lost any interest digging for useful design threads to help you.

Ok, ok, as long as it's making its way into your blood stream orally or via the wound itself, general consensus around here of late extols the virtues of either alcoholic delight. I'm just exploring new delivery methods ;) ;) ;)