SeeSea

Awesome!!! I keep surfing monmon cats since you mentioned them - wow! How long do you have to wait?

This is Leo who we adopted from outside after he got into a fight and another cat chewed up his tail. He got a bad infection, and we dragged his hissing scratching self to the vet. He would have died. We saved his furry butt, but as a result of the fight, he got FIV and then somehow got diabetes. I spent an insane 9 months following an insulin protocol that can reverse diabetes in cats, and I got him off insulin. Now he's my spoiled rotten loving handsome guy.

If anyone here is into eagles .... there is an eagle cam here in NJ pointed at a bald eagle's nest. Two of the eggs have hatched, and the third is in progress. It is quite a thing to see! Every now and then mom gets up, feeds the other two chicks, rolls the egg around (which already has a little hole in it) and rocks down on top of them all. So close!!! Duke Farms - Eagle Cam Right now the camera is zoomed way in because mom was just up moving around and it was focused right on the egg and two chicks.

Dammit. ::smacks forehead:: Ok, you know this means war. LOL!

Kidding. After all the repeated needle impaling we all seem to happily volunteer for around here, I was making a joke. Didn't mean to creep you out. Sorry.

Awesome - I can't wait to see it!

You say this like it's a bad thing. :D - - - Updated - - - Sounds interesting. I looked for fabrics and there seems to be a lot of controversy about companies selling fabric that isn't actually bamboo. Do you have a brand that you could recommend?

You don't have to be a lady to deal with bra issues. We're equal opportunity here. ;-) - - - Updated - - - Ok, so now that I'm back to another gross goopy phrase, I forgot another good shirt option - technical exercise shirts like the kind for running, especially the cheapo ones you get after a race. They are thin and not cotton (so not the fuzzier UnderArmour brand) but usually polyester-based. I still stick the first couple days (and they are "moister wicking"), but again, they are a lot easier to soak off quickly in the shower.

Oh, wholeheartedly agree. I only said that because you mentioned Yelp. People get paid to game Yelp. Sad, it could be so useful. Not arguing you there, either. I think part of it is due to getting the nerve to take that first step into the first shop, as a newbie - you don't what kind of flavor shop you are entering or even know what to ask. I use myself as an example a lot - I had no idea there were different types of shops/styles/etc., it took me quite a while to get the nerve to walk in a place I found online that didn't seem sketchy. But I asked a ton of newbie nervous questions, so you're right - it is partly my responsibility to throw out that I'm freaking clueless and my obvious nervousness is what caused someone to take the time with me. Now, I'll note that this is all for a freaking small memorial tattoo I got several years ago that took 20 minutes! So yeah, I probably got laughed at behind my back. But that helped me immensely understand (and not take personally) the "I don't talk when I work and I'm not yelling at you when I tell you to do something" warning my current artist told me before we started. Anyway, I blather on, and since you've all hashed this out already, no worries, just ignore my $0.02. I'd say my skin has gotten thicker, but it's actually quite abused and throbbing this morning :D

Oh my, I've never seen a monmon cat before. I was only ever going to get a back piece. Oh boy. I *really* was only ever going to get a back piece. Those are amazing.

Thanks @scubaron and all! I got my ass kicked last night. Gah. I'm dealing with a tailbone/pelivs problem and was more miserable than ever. I didn't really think about how much all your bones and joints rattle together with that machine vibrating away. O_o I sat for 5 hours but there were a couple non-trivial breaks. But once I peel this drippy goopy saran-wrapped mess off my back, I'll have two beautiful Moorish Idols! - - - Updated - - - Tx! :-D I'm a relatively young grandma and plan to be kicking butt and rolling with my granddaughters for many years to come. Can't wait until the summer when the oldest (3 y/o) figures out Grandma has Nemo on her back!

It would be nice to ask if someone has never had a tattoo before, and to spend a tad more time talking about the process and putting them at ease. No one wants to feel like a piece of meat, and for something as personal as a tattoo for the first time, it can be a put-off. That seems to me to be a really easy bit of customer service that could put a dent in the Yelp ratings and get a repeat customer.

I agree with @Pugilist - but I still wear the very thin shirts for quite a while. I use an aftercare product that is a little tackier than lotion. The shirt also helps keep the shedding skin contained too. Nothing like picking colored flakes out of a fluffy sweater O_O

I wear very thin shirts from Target - Mossimo brand. Junior's Boyfriend V Tee : Target They are polyester/cotton/rayon and are not fuzzy or fiber-y at all. Very thin. 9 bucks. I wear them as a base layer under stuff and for pajamas so when I stick (the first day or so) I get into the shower to soak them off and they are light so it's easy to do. After that, I keep wearing them as a base layer for protection for my skin and also for my better clothes. I put on moisturizer very thinly and try not to press against anything and lift the shirt away from the tattoo frequently before it has a chance to really stick on there. It's funny - the product reviews are complaining that the quality went down but I think that's what makes the shirts so darned appropriate for a base layer! They come in XS to XXL. I bought both my normal size and a size up and wore the larger size in the beginning to give some moving around room. Don't get thrown off that they are from the Junior's department. "Boyfriend" means "extra room for some comfort"

Going in tonight for another session on my back. We're working up the right side this time. This is the healed pic from the last session. A batch of brownies for the shop is in the oven now. MMmmmmmm.

Depends. Did he say, "I hope you don't mind but I'm staring down your pants at your tits dick while I'm tattooing you." Or, "I hope you don't mind but I'm staring down your pants at your dick while I'm tattooing you because I think a panther would look great down there."

Yay!!! Welcome! Thanks a good idea, too. Boy, I may have one of those in a box somewhere that can wrap around the waist and leave the back totally open. Maybe I didn't think of it because I started my back in February and have been thinking "fleece" rather than "summery dress"!

Go. No one knows that you do or don't have tattoos under your shirt/pants. I was nervous when I went to my first one, too, by myself, before I got a tattoo. Just go and screw feeling like you don't belong there. As for "plainskin" I think that's not a nice phrase, and I think that several people around here feel the same way about the term. Don't read into that. You are lucky with all the artists around you! Have fun with it!

Wow - a halterneck vest is a GREAT idea!!! I think you have a plan for the day. I love this halterneck vest - great back access but a tad to fancy to waste on getting a tattoo. But I love it! This could definitely be used over a thin shirt or sweater to hid a bra-less day. I have a bra that has straps that unhook from the band at the back so you can make them like a regular bra or a criss-cross by lengthening the straps. I bet you could use something like that, but just tie the straps together behind your neck like a string bikini.

...and who's supposed to jump in here and say that this is a great opportunity to blast over it with a big black panther or skulls?

@Jnvlv - being tired doesn't matter to me, but getting cold has a huge effect so I have to stay warm (tea during breaks, warm clothing). Once I start shaking, the end is near. Shaking can be from slowly getting cold and also if you don't get some sugar in you for longer sessions. My guy says sometimes you just can't tell how you'll sit. You might have a fight with your partner and that could give you stress and make it a bad session, or it could give you some anger that can funnel into keeping you going. I'm not sure you can break everything down by basing it on everyone else's experiences, but keeping a log of what works and what doesn't work for you. I read somewhere here that hangovers definitely make it worse and sometimes food choices affect how your GI tract reacts. I have to be really careful about what I eat before and during or things can get ugly. My experience is longer sittings. The first 3 hours don't make much difference and I see that number thrown out a lot - three hours. For anything longer, that's when my planning pays off with the tea, candy, hydration, etc. Good luck!

You go OWN that baby! ;)

This! I was trying to roll over the waist of work pants and then I couldn't button them and couldn't pull them down far enough below my tattoo without the crotch ending up at my knees! I found some really nice yoga pants that I am pretending are work pants and wearing them with longer sweaters :D I want to get a couple larger dresses - mine are tighter and I ended up sticking to the lining inside of one. It's at the dry cleaners now. Ugh. For those of you wearing tighter shirts or tank-tops to give some support to the girls - @HaydenRose, doesn't that gunk you to the shirt early on? And rub off flaking skin and any scabs later on? I can let the girls be free, but still need to cover things up not to advertise, so I have been wearing very thin and soft, cheap Tar-jay shirts a size too big. ("Tar-jay" is how we refer to the Target super store in our fancy snobby French accents. Target is a step up from Walmart around here.) That makes getting into the shower to soak off early on much easier. - - - Updated - - - We promise you get first crack when tickets go on sale, with all proceeds going to our new venture to design and produce our new product line: "Support the Girls in Style - the Perfect Post-Tattoo Bra Solution." Hmmm, I think I would buy this product.

Just order a combo meal instead of all that a la carte crap. It will be unique, and take up a lot less real estate, too.

Awww - excellent! I'm psyched that this thread is being well-received, and thanks for the advice about Time 'o The Month. Friday night should be fun. Ugh. As for what to wear for a back session, I wear a hoodie backwards so we can unzip it, and a fleece button-down backwards on top of that. It's been cold lately so I need the layers, and we can just do the top button of the fleece and it keeps everything together on the top. I wear yoga pants/sweat pants and sometimes a camisole all the way down around my waist for extra warmth if I need it it we're not working near my waist. It took me a couple sessions to work all that out but it works great for me. I might not need 2 layers with summer coming and the shop will be warmer. And everything goes right in the washer afterwards and so far only one spot of the pants have permanent stains. It's now all in my "tattoo bag" along with snax, DVD player, water, etc.