It should be pretty obvious that I'm pro- tattoo. When I posted mine in the tattoo thread I got a few reps saying I 'ruined' myself and I also got a lot of compliments. I'm impartial to whether people like it or not; both of mine are well-done and have meaning behind them and it's weird to picture myself without them. I'm an even bigger fan of them on boys. A well-done sleeve and a moderately-sized set of plugs are like my kryptonite. To me, they only enhance a guy's appearance (minus the douchebaggery that is tribal, Chinese characters and barbed-wire).
Good tattoos enhance, but they are rare. The Girlfriend has 3 tattoos and I'm not a big fan of them. The best tattoos are ones that could be placed on canvas, and when's the last time you've seen one of those? SC legalized tattoo parlors since I was away, and now the white trash wonderland is now inked up in Chinese and Old English letters about "My homeboy Ray-dawg who passed away" or a variety of crosses and biblical ramblings that would embarrass an MC chaplain. I saw Avengers in Imax. Holy shit, that was worth $10. Plus, since me and my buddy (yeah, surprisingly his wife bowed out) were the only ones there, we sat in the handicapped seats. Follow that up with a conversation about pot with his teenage neighbor at 2 in the morning while we're all sober and my night wasn't half bad. I would love to smoke pot if I was never concerned about a drug test, but I would never be high around other people, that's miserable. I would smoke when I got home from work, cook dinner, watch tv and go to sleep. A little bit of pot turns chopping broccoli into:
Regarding tattoos, I was getting at pretty much what Blue Dog was. People get them to be an "individual", and obviously every tattoo (most) are a little different. But when every single person you meet has them, you lose a bit of the individuality behind them, particularly because they seem to go in trends. Maybe the picture varies, but the general idea such as location (now on the ribs for gals, sleeves for guys) and the type (oversized text for the gals, whatever mystical or cool thing for the guys) stays the same so they all blend together in a sea of tattoos. The deep and personal meaning is lost. It has gotten to the point where it almost screams to me "I want to be an individual, just like everybody else!" I find myself looking more at the beautiful unmarked skin and wondering what about the person decided to buck the current tattoo trend. Funny, to me, that seems much more noticeable than the alternative.
Say WHUT??!?!? You're meaning to tell me that, combined with an orange tan a sleeveless tee is not the absolute pinnacle of sexiness in a dude? Maybe throw in a ying-yang or heart wrapped in thorns while on fire for good measure?
Phew, I only fit one of those and that was just because I went through a little stint of spending way too much time and money at my dentist, periodontist, and oral surgeon. Or perhaps you should add to that list, "you have three different specialties to take care of your mouth"
I love my tattoos, even the stupid flash butterfly on my leg, because they're extremely significant to my life. Particularly the peiwei menu (It's my brother's translation and handwriting, and I have a story about that tattoo in a minute), the phoenix, and the quote. Actually, I love all of them, but those three are particularly significant. "I was wishing that the world would stop when you said we'd better go..." - God. Like I've said before, in another post, haven't you ever looked at someone and wished that the moment you're in right then and there could last forever? Perhaps you're holding your sleeping newborn, and they give that soft baby smile that melts your heart and makes the sleepless nights and stinky diapers and over packing seem so very worth it. Or your five year old smiles at you with this impish grin before he runs off to catch another frog. Your wife is holding your hand and the sun is hitting her face just right and in that moment she's glowing. You're laying in bed in the afterglow, contented and breathing, and you just want to stay right there forever. You can't. Time's going to go on. Your kids will grow. The sun will set. You'll have to get out of bed. But that moment...it's perfect. The phoenix - I will rise. No matter what. No matter why. I will rise. I will not be broken because life kicks my ass. I'm going to get up. Every time. Whatever knocked me down better move on afterwards because I'm coming after it, and I will win. It's a custom piece. You won't see another person wearing a phoenix like that. The cherry blossom is my own artwork. It's feminine and dainty and dark. Regarding my peiwei, my second husband hated tattoos (never mind that I already had them when we met and married) and thought people with tattoos were trash. When I expressed that I wanted this one, he forbid me from doing it. Ehhh. Not such a good idea. When I did it, he was paying so little attention to me as a person, it took him around six months to even notice it was there. Yeah, fuck that guy and fuck that marriage. I don't hate tattoos, obviously, but I do hate shitty work and meaningless tattoos.
TLC recently debuted America's Worst Tattoos. In spite of my particular distaste of the network's brand of "reality" television, I highly recommend this program. The producers simply find people with bad tattoos, place them on camera, and let them explain their reasoning (or lack thereof) for their choices. They carefully peel away layers upon layers of bad decisions, as if they were preparing freshly-ripened onions, full with the pungent odor of unrequited regret. Then they send the poor souls to have their shameful displays of individuality inked over by artists popularized by their own television series. They leave the parlor feeling refreshed and unburdened of the artistic blemishes on their body. But the world knows what lurks under those newer, larger, and more skillfully-applied tattoos. The world knows.
I'm with you. Totes! It's been a while since we've had a good anus tattoo too. Behold a woman that will never wear a bathing suit again: NSFW Yes. Those are cocks.
I once saw a lower back tattoo that read "Unique." This struck me as ironic. Seriously, though, I don't know that a tattoo has to be independently beautiful and massively significant to be a good decision. If you want something on your body, and you like the way it looks, go for it -- I don't think it's a comment on your personhood, and to judge somebody simply on the basis that they have a tattoo seems...hasty. There's a poignancy in permanence.
Yeah not to mention the part where it looks like her asshole is always filthy. Which reminds me this video for some reason. I havent seen it in about 10 years. The early Macromedia Flash, it hurts...
Don't forget about Michelle, “The Pass Around Girl”. http://news.bmezine.com/2006/10/28/michelle-the-pass-around-girl-the-publishers-ring/
[rnsfw][/rnsfw] I cant imagine how proud her parents must be. I think its safe to assume shes a Rhodes Scholar and never misses a Sunday Mass.
I thought the phrase "she's a STD-free sex addict" was a keen choice of words. So is she STD free and addicted to sex? Or addicted to STD free sex, passing her rotten petri dish to unsuspecting STD free guys?
I had my first barbershop shave today and it was awesome. Hot towels, multiple creams and ointments, and a straight razor that gives the closest shave- what's not to love? My face hasn't felt this smooth since grade school.
Huh. So if you use this recipe <a class="postlink" href="http://www.food.com/recipe/buttermilk-doughnuts-donuts-91792" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.food.com/recipe/buttermilk-d ... nuts-91792</a> to make donuts and forget the baking powder, you get beignets! Good shit.
That looks tasty. And far less sad than the beer I'm drinking because I'm hungry and couldn't find any food.