Wow, is it really November already? It's hard to believe this year has gone by so quickly. How many of you got new ink or piercings this year? If you got more than one, what's your favorite? Send me your pics and stories of your favorite mod of 2009. If I like them, they'll be published in my special end-of-the-year roundup.

"I have been doing some research on tattooing, because i really would like to pursue it. Your writing really helped me understand what i needed to do. i just wanted to thank you, and ask for any other advice you might give me to achieve my dream." - Andrew

I'm guessing you've already read all of the following articles about becoming a tattoo artist:

• What Makes a Good Tattoo Artist?
• 10 Steps to Becoming a Successful Tattoo Artist
• Creating an Impressive Portfolio
• Finding an Apprenticeship

Other than the information provided in those articles, the only other advice I would give is not to give up. It can be a slow and frustrating process, and it's very tempting to cut corners or cheat to get to the end faster. But if you remain patient and you stay on the path, no matter how long, it will pay off in the end. If this is something you really want to do, then it's worth putting forth the effort to do it right.

As the winter season comes ever closer here in North America, the amount of tattoo conventions decreases in lieu of warmer months that are more favorable to showing skin. But that doesn't mean there isn't anything going on, and so far the weather has been pretty mild in most parts so hopefully that trend will continue. But if you're looking for a great excuse to get away completely, this is the time to attend an International tattoo convention. Just this month there's expos going on in Italy, Tahiti, and Lithuania. More exotic locations will be hosting events in the coming months, so make sure you have your passport and have fun!

Here's November's Event List:

November 13-15: Art & Ink Festival - Costa Mesa, CA

November 13-15: 5th Annual Old School Tattoo Expo - St. Louis, MO

November 14-15: Ink for a Cause - Santa Barbara, CA

November 14: Tattoo Convention - Vilnius, Lithuania

November 20-22: Bolivia Tattoo Convention - La Paz

November 27-29: Trieste Tattoo Expo - Trieste, Italy

November 27-29: 5th Tattoonesia - Tahiti, French Polynesia

Swen Raulfs, owner of Living Canvass Tattoos and Body Piercing in Crescent City, California, had just opened his shop for business on Tuesday, November 3, when his shop was slammed by a car that was being chased by police. The impact did enough damage to destroy almost a whole outside wall, including the cement steps leading to the shop door. As if that wasn't bad enough, Raulfs looked outside and discovered his Harley had also been hit. (Oh no, he didn't!) At that point, a very peeved Raulfs went after the perp who was trying to flee the scene, but the police told him to stop pursuit. Darn cops, take all the fun away.

More News This Week:
Banned Ink: Some UK club-goers have got their knickers in a bunch over being tossed from the bar because of their tattoos.

Show Me Your Cans: Get a tattoo and help the hungry at the same time. A PA tattoo shop offers ink in exchange for canned goods.

I Vant Your Blood: New York blood center drops the one year waiting period for tattooed and pierced donors as long as they can prove they got it done at a licensed shop.

"Everyone has secrets," she replied neutrally. "It's just a matter of finding out what they are."

I love a good mystery, and when I saw that this particular mystery was getting great reviews, I decided I had to read it. Granted, the word "tattoo" in the title is what caught my attention in the first place, but the reference to body ink is actually very insignificant except that the girl it refers to is one of the main characters in the book, Lisbeth Salandar. But Lisbeth Salandar will be of particular interest to my readers because she's "one of us" and she gets misjudged everywhere she goes. Therefore I wrote my review more on her character than on the story itself, which is excellent, while also making some recommendations that will help you to get the most out of the book if you decide to read it.

The lady pictured here is Margaret Marcucci-Olson, and this is a photo I took of her back in 2000. A message was placed on the forum a few days ago from a member looking for Margaret. Her post is as follows:

I would like to get a message to my long lost friend Margaret Marcucci Olson. Plz let her know I am trying to reach her. -diwellman

If anyone knows where Margaret is these days, or if Margaret herself happens to see this, please follow the above link to the message board in order to respond to diwellman.

Jon Lynch - a 78 year-old former bank manager from Apsely, Hertfordshire, England has received the Guinness Book recognition award for being the world's most tattooed person. His 241 total body piercings include a few genital "bobs and bits" as well as 150 rings and barbells just on his head and neck.

More News This Week:

MN County Puts 1-Year Ban on Tattoo Shops

Nebraska Teen Accused of Giving Homemade Tattoos

School Newspaper Protests Principal's Anti-Tattoo Rules

I love this time of year; brisk mornings, falling leaves and shorter days set the perfect stage for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. Both holidays invoke images of skulls and colorful characters both friendly and foul. Avid fans of the spooky celebrations and their icons even go as far as getting permanently tattooed with their images. Want to see some of the coolest creepy tattoos ever? Check out this gallery. 42 photos of popular horror film icons, bloody murder scenes, sugar skulls, jack-o-lanterns, and lots more. Enjoy!

Jack-o-Lantern tattoo by Adam Jelinski - Anatomy Tattoo & Piercing - NE Portland, Oregon

Whole Body Imaging is now being implemented at security checks in a handful of International airports around the world. Instead of walking through a metal detector, passengers are being directed through a powerful x-ray machine which does a virtual "strip search," allowing the screeners to see hidden weapons and dangerous objects even if they're not made of metal. But the images produced by the scanners have been the source of much controversy. Find out whether your private body piercings are safe from detection and just what the screeners do and don't see.

irukandjitoast writes: "A week or so ago, I bought these acrylic double flared 00 plugs (by the way i stretched about a month before this happened). I thought they looked pretty awesome, even though i knew they'd be pretty hard to take out. I was kind of whatever about that. so, i put them in, no problem with that since i did it in the shower. i've had them in since then, but on the third day i really wanted to take them out since i don't like wearing acrylics for that long. and after the shower, and then even with some water based lube, i cant seem to get them out! id thought about weighing them down with something tied to them, but im not exactly sure how long that would take or what i would do that with."

What would you do? Please visit the message board to comment on this topic. Any comments left here on the blog are not part of the interactive forum discussion.