Inked!

[Hades]

Ladies and Gents,

I'm getting inked!

My brother and sister conspired to get me a Christmas / Birthday gift that would be very special, so they are going to pay for me to have a tattoo done! My brother, sister, and 15 year old nephew all have tattoos, so they thought it was only fair that I have one also.

It's kinda becoming a tradition for the younger generations of my family (and many other Hawaiians and Polynesians) to get Hawaiian / Polynesian inspired tattoos as a way to acknowledge our Polynesian heritage and to pay respect to friends and ancestors. Much about the traditions behind tattooing has been lost in the Hawaiian culture, but is slowly making a resurgence.

I had been thinking of getting a tattoo done for a couple of years, but never really put any ideas down until recently. I think it is why my sister and brother came up with this gift idea. In the tattoo I will have done there will be three circular windows on a shield-like background. Each window will have a theme. The center window will have a Hawaiian fish hook. This will pay homage to my father. He loves to fish and my favorite gift I have got from him was a Hawaiian fish hook necklace. The right window will have a Honu (turtle). This is a symbol for good luck. It is also on my brother's and my nephew's tattoo, so it will be a nod to them as well. In the left window will be a depiction of the Island of Kauai. It will have a pattern of waves in the foreground to represent all of the years I used to body surf. I spent much of my best days of my youth body surfing. Above the island will be the symbol of a bird repeated six times. The symbol of the bird signifies returning home from where ever the person my be. Each bird symbol will represent a member of my immediate family (my father, mother, brother, sister, nephew, and myself), as we will all return to Kauai someday.

The tattoo session will take place tomorrow and will be done by a close friend of the family who has done both my brother's and my nephew's tattoos, so I know it will be done well and look great. I'm very excited about this! I will try to post pictures of the tattoo as soon as I can. Wish me luck for a relatively painless session!;) :cheers:

[Gemini Cricket]

Good luck! :)

Ouuuuch!

[Alex]

Glad you have a design that resonates for you. So many people I know get a tattoo just because they want a tattoo and so just pick some flash from the artists wall.

Yours sounds pretty large and complex. Where are you getting it?

It's about time for me to get a new one and I have a design in mind that will pretty much cover my entire thigh (and maybe a small honu somewhere to go with Lani's much larger honu that covers her entire shoulder). But my general practice is that I have to sit with a design for six months or so to make sure I'm happy with it (plus I don't have the cash for such a large tattoo any time soon).

Someday I will stumble onto what I want for my full back piece and then I'll lay out some serious cash.

[Not Afraid]

It sounds like a beautiful design full of meaning. One day I will find the thing that resonates with me - and continues to resonate after a year of thought - and do it. But, it hasn't happened in the 25 years I've been thinking about it so don't hold your breath.

[Hades]

Glad you have a design that resonates for you. So many people I know get a tattoo just because they want a tattoo and so just pick some flash from the artists wall.

Yours sounds pretty large and complex. Where are you getting it?


LOL! I totally forgot to mention where the tattoo will go! I'm having it done in a band at the mid point of my left calf. The shield will also have a band of protection (a series of downward pointing black triangles) under a tapa inspired band that will connect in the back of my calf with the Ni'ihau tapa symbol for a honu.

Yes, it will be a large tattoo, so it will have a lot of impact when I wear shorts. And I do wear shorts very often!:cool:

[Capt Jack]

nice. Ive been wanting a tat of somekind for years. my dad had a ton of em and its always been something I 'wanted' but couldnt ever decide one that I thought I could spend the rest of my days with.
Im still there...still dunno.
definitely pics when its done (and no longer bleeding) :P

[Alex]

I say if you're going to get one, get a big one. Take good care of it, especially if you wear shorts a lot you will need to be very good about using sunscreen on it. The artist will probably include a touch up down the road to fill in any missed spots or places the ink didn't take as well, but make sure you discuss it now.

One of the nice things about running half marathons is that I spend plenty of time in shorts with people behind me with nothing to do but chatter. Get plenty of compliments.

Here's the gecko on my calf:

http://static.flickr.com/27/89019619_e22013de68_o.jpg

And the piece on my back (it's about 4 inches in diameter):

http://static.flickr.com/19/89019618_7dd0e19edd_o.jpg

[Prudence]

Yay! Enjoy the rush when it's over. :D (I sat in rush hour traffic for my post-tat euphoria and it kind of sucked.) The design sounds so cool! I can't wait for pictures!

[AllyOops!]

Ray! :) You're finally getting your tattoo! You've wanted that design for almost as long as I've known you! I'm so very excited for you. Promise you'll call me when you're all through getting "inked"! :snap:

I am disappointed, however, that you aren't getting the same tattoos that I have and display proudly. You know, my reaper tearing through my left shoulder blade with a sickle? Then, there's that serpent that wraps up my thigh. You know, the one where he's using his tongue to strike at my naughty bits? And of course, my favorite- "Los Angeles Crips" inked in blue old english script (it was my tribute to Tookie) smack on the middle of my bags. Oh, well. I was hoping we could get the sad, juggling jack-in-the-box with the phrase "SMILE NOW, CRY LATER" on our right shoulders together. You break my heart. :(

Golly, I'm kidding! :p

I have one tattoo, that's not visible unless I'm stretching in low-rise jeans. I have two teeny (the size of a dime each) adjoining hearts on my right hip. I wanted something that I would love, and something classic that I would never tire of. Nothing trendy!

And no initials in those hearts! Though that was originally my plan when I got my tattoo..wow! Almost 8 years ago! :eek:

I had a boyfriend who actually saw my tattoo and told me, after a week of dating, that "as soon as we're together for a year, you're going to get our initials in those hearts."

I wanted to die. I smiled kindly all the while thinking, "muthertrucker, please! We dated ten years ago and didn't stretch beyond a month! I'd sooner get that reaper on my shoulder". :(

[CoasterMatt]

Rock on, tat brother...
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/coastermatt/images/MattSkull.JPG
Here's the one I've got so far - I'm gonna get "July 17, 2005 - I Was There" around it in a couple months.
My wife's got five, and she's getting number 6 this fall.

[flippyshark]

I'm putting my avatar picture on my left elbow next week.

Okay, not really. If I ever do get one, though, it's almost certainly going to have a shark.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Awesomeness, Hades! Let us know how much it hurt ;)

It's funny but I don't think I knew Alex had tattoos, even though he's always wearing shorts at MA. Weird. But now that you've fully outed yourself, you've got to explain this one...http://static.flickr.com/19/89019618_7dd0e19edd_o.jpg
I'm sure there's a cool meaning behind it.

[Alex]

Essentially, it is an expression of my atheism. It boils down to "religions are so focused on carving out their place in the universe that they forget to include living life."

At the time I designed it, it was looking likely I'd go into the Peace Corps when I finished graduate school (I had done the early paperwork) and so I also was pleased that it had a logical pro-religion interpretation (there's room in the universe for all religions to get along) in case I ended up somewhere that a big atheist tattoo wouldn't be appreciated.

And then I hooked up with Lani and all thoughts of going to the middle of nowhere for two years faded away.

[innerSpaceman]

I think I'm cured of tatmania.

My third has places where the ink won't take, not even after two touch ups. I feel fortunate that this tat is in a relatively intimate locale that only a lover is likely to see, cause I'd hate for this kind of thing to happen on a really visible one.

Add to that the one tat I kinda dislike and toy with the idea of having laseremoved, and I think I'm pretty much done with tattoos.


But rock-on to you, Hades, and to all you inked-up peeps.

[Gemini Cricket]

I say, make sure it's a design you love. Because the Ruth Buzzi tattoo I have on my forehead's getting old.
:D

[Kevy Baby]

...the Ruth Buzzi tattoo I have on my forehead's getting old.
:DReally? I LOVE that tat!!!

I should take a picture of Susan's and post. She's busy working today. Besides. it's a work in progress (as it will be for a couple of years). The vines will eventually grow all the way up her leg. And she has a hidden Mickey in the design!

I always thought it would be funny to get the Bart Simpson "Moth" tattoo, but I know it wouldn't always be amusing.

[Hades]

Well, here it is! My first tattoo!

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-1/1138600/HadesTattoo.jpghttp://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-1/1138600/HadesTattoo2.jpg

It's still a bit tender to the touch, but that will pass in time. Pretty big, huh! It took about two and a half hours of work to be done. The endorphin rush came and left too quickly. For a while, the tattooing wasn't bothering me at all, but near the last half hour, the endorphins decided to run out and left me feeling every little bit of pain. I almost caved in and too the vicodin pill I brought with me. Come to think of it, I should have just taken it anyway and not toughed it out like I did!:p

Overall, it was a good expirience, and I will most likely do it again when the inspiration hits me in the future. As for now, this looks great and I'm sure will turn a few heads.;)

[Ponine]

It's funny but I don't think I knew Alex had tattoos, even though he's always wearing shorts at MA. Weird.
You know, thats what I thought when I read and saw Alex's post.... and I KNOW I have seen him in shorts...........

Hades! Its wonderful!!!!!

[mousepod]

Looks great!

Now you get to go through the 6 month phase of wearing inappropriately torn clothing just so you get to show it off (don't worry - we all went through it).

[Capt Jack]

nice...very nice.
makes me wanna get one even more. just gotta decide what

[flippyshark]

Cool! And props for toughing it out. I would insist on painkillers, but I am a total weinie.

[wendybeth]

Very cool! I would require an epidural, of course. I make weenies look brave.

[Not Afraid]

Cool! And props for toughing it out. I would insist on painkillers, but I am a total weinie.

Look out! There's a shark eating your weenie! ;)

Hades, it looks GREAT! Congrtulations!!!! I can't wait to see it in person!

[Alex]

Looks good.

The next fews days will be the best of the tattoo so enjoy them. Shortly the entire thing will scab over and you'll be able to have a tactile experience of the tattoo that won't be possible after it heals. I love that period (and I would go for scarification if the fine detail I was was possible and I didn't seem so resistant to scarring).

Also, you'll be able to gross people out with very big scabs. That's the third best part.

[tracilicious]

Very cool!

[Drince88]

Also, you'll be able to gross people out with very big scabs. That's the third best part.
Spoken like a true 'boy'!

Looks great, Hades!

[AllyOops!]

Wow! Do those illustrated gams really belong to you, Hades? I can't believe you really, truly & finally had it done! I'm all excited for you! I know how much you've wanted this, and it looks awesome! :)

I'm sorry I missed your call. :( I was at the Ice Dogs vs. the Gulls game. You know me and my ice hockey. However, I totally thought of you! :)

And not to derail- but I told you I'm bad luck! Never any blood on the ice when I'm present. When I went to the Kings/Thrashers game last week? I got to witness my love Luc's 552nd goal, but no fight. And even at minor league hockey, NOTHING. I never get to see sweaty, athletic sexy man carnage. EVER. :mad:

Elton John was wrong. Apparently Saturday night is not alright for fighting.

Snaps :snap: Ray! I love your rat-a-tat-tats!