Tattoo you

My left leg as of 4/22/13, it's not finished yet.

I have tattoos. I love my tattoos. I know a lot of people have strong opinions on tattoos, I have strong opinions on tattoos, people also tend to have a lot of questions. I'd like to adress some of those...

Does it hurt to get a tattoo? Yes. I mean, come on! You're having a cluster of vibrating needles raked across your skin. Of course it's not going to be all butterfly kisses and sunshine. But the pain varies from person to person, artist to artist, and location to location.  For me, some locations don't really hurt at all. You can't see it on these pictures, but I have Jabba's palace on the front of my shin, that was barely more than a tickle. In comparison, when my artist was inking the back of my kneecap I wanted to stab him in the eye with his own tattoo machine. I'm pretty sure I told him so repeatedly. I routinely consider that it might be less painful to saw off my leg than let him complete the death star (which is now just an outline). He mostly just laughs at me and reminds me that I am paying him to torture me.

Isn't it expensive to get tattoos? If you're doing it right, it usually is. Take a stroll through Ugliest Tattoos, they will often do a side-by-side of good tattoos and bargin tattoos. You'll want the good ones. Just like any other discretionary spending (movies, eating out, clothing, decorative yarn balls) tattoos are something that should be budgeted and planned for. I'm not going to tell you how much my leg has cost so far. But I will say, you might prefer a trip to Disney. But although it may be pricey, it's also really damn addictive. I already have ideas for my next piece (hockey related!) for once my leg is finally done.

I drew the turtle, panda, and clover myself.
The color is more vibrant in person

I like tattoos, I just don't know what I would get, and I wouldn't want to regret getting something dumb. Ok. Good for you? I never know what to say to that, and people say it to me all the time. I'm not a tattoo pusher. I don't care if you stay ink free forever. I don't regret any of mine, they all have meaning to me. The clover I got because of my family's Irish heritage (it was my first, say tramp stamp and I'll cut you stare at you angrily), the turtle I got to remember the first days of my daughter Kaylee's life, the panda I got for Dani's. The Minnesota ties them together and there because I'm so happy to live here and proud to raise my family here. I have a tattoo on my wrist to celebrate my marriage to Ethan. And my leg is covered in Star Wars. Because I just fucking love Star Wars. All of them (except the wrist) were thought out and carefully planned, and there's no point in having regrets about something I did to my own body. The Thought Monkey is kind enough to save my regrets for other things.

But what's it going to look like when you're old? I have no idea. I'm guessing it'll look like old people skin with a tatto on it. I wasn't planning on starting a geriatric modeling career, so I don't think it's a big deal.

I may have been slightly drunk
when I got this one. Don't do that.

What tips would you give to somebody who was thinking about getting their first tattoo? Find a great tattooist from a reputable shop. The shop I got to, Electric Dragonland, has a bunch of bad ass artists. Check out their work, go in and talk to them about your ideas. Don't go with the first shop you see just because it's close to your favorite bar. Find somebody who does quality work. Then really think through your idea. Talk with your artist about it. Don't just walk in and pick a piece of flash off the wall. Those are tattoos people tend to regret (I'm told, none of mine are flash. No, not even the clover.) Think about placement. Can you cover it up for a job interview? Is that important to you? Will it stretch like crazy if you get knocked up? Do you care it it does? Most importantly take your time and enjoy the process. Getting a tattoo can be an awesome experience. I'm going back to the shop this week and I can't wait.