Sunday December 27, 2009
Do you remember Show & Tell from your early school days? It was always my favorite day of the week. I'd get to pick something I liked from home, bring it to school, and stand up in front of the whole class to show what I had brought and tell everyone about it and why it was special to me. To be honest, I was always a bit of a ham for the spotlight and I just liked being the center of attention. Maybe that's one of the reasons I get tattoos, because I love it when people stop me and ask me about them. Once a ham, always a ham?
Well, now it's your chance to play Show & Tell! But you won't have to stand up in front of the class to do it, in case you're not a sucker for the limelight. It's a brand new feature on the About.com network, and it's just perfect for this site because so many of you have great tattoos and great stories, and I just don't have time to publish them all myself. So, now you have the opportunity to share your own story and read those shared by others. There will be several S&T topics eventually, but right now I've just created the first one entitled, "My Favorite Tattoo." Tell us about your favorite tattoo by filling out the form and uploading a picture (or 2). It's really easy and I will review your story within a week and publish it directly to the site if it's accepted.
The first two stories have already been published, so you can take a look at those and see what the whole Show & Tell feature is about! Thanks to Matt and "efhhnt" for getting the ball rolling by sharing your awesome stories.
Sunday December 27, 2009
Ten new events have been added to next year's calendar, making for a total of 56 already planned out in various places around the world. In January, there are several events available in the U.S. and a few other countries, including Australia. Oh, if only I could escape the freezing cold here and go to a tattoo convention "down under!" Here's the complete list of events happening in January:
- January 8-10: Singapore Tat2 Convention
- January 14-17: 15th Annual "Marked For Life" Female Tattoo Artist Expo - Orlando, FL
- January 15-17: SurfINK AUSTRALIA - Queensland
- January 15-17: Bangkok International Tattoo Convention 2010 - Thailand
- January 17th: Tattoo Freeze - Telford, UK
- January 29-31: 24th Annual AM-JAM Tattoo Expo - Syracuse, NY
- January 29-31: Orlando Tattoo & Arts Festival - Florida
- Dates: 30th & 31st January: 3rd Brighton Tattoo Convention - England
Sunday December 27, 2009
Sunday December 20, 2009
Imagine this classic comedic scenario: You've just exited from an important event, feeling confident that you looked great, smiled at all the right people and said all the right things, only to discover that you've got a big green piece of broccoli stuck between your teeth from that luncheon you had earlier. No one told you it was there, and now you're wondering how many people witnessed your humiliation in silence. The only difference between that and wearing a wrongly translated tattoo is that at least you can remove the broccoli from your teeth easily; the tattoo, however, is permanent.
This article explains the importance of finding out exactly what a tattoo says/means if it's in a foreign language or from a culture that you don't understand. Read some of the embarrassing things that have happened to others who didn't have the benefit of this article beforehand!
What's with the T-Shirt? This t-shirt is what inspired me to update and revive this article. It's from ThinkGeek.com, which is an amazing online catalog of unique items for your inner geek. I was shopping for gifts when I came across this shirt and almost sprayed Christmas cookie bits all over my computer screen. Literally translated, the Japanese characters say, "Random Japanese Characters/Words/Language Bits." If that's not hilarious enough, here's their description on the product page:
"We don't have to tell you this. You know better. But we have to vent. If you're going to have something permanently inked on your body, please proofread it first. And if you don't know the language it's written in, don't get the tattoo. If you have to get the tattoo in a language you don't fully comprehend, get someone you trust who has mastered the language to proofread it for you. And then, this is important, make sure your tattoo artist also knows the language. One misinterpreted stroke can totally change what your body says for the rest of your life. So this is our tribute to all those frat boys who have incorrect Japanese or Chinese or Klingon permanently inked on their bodies. We thank you for providing us with amusement."
Needless to say, I immediately ordered one of those shirts for my husband and then couldn't resist ordering a second one for myself. Merry Christmas to us!
