The Tattoo Tourist

Hello there. It’s been a while, how you have been faring recently? I won’t ask if you have been; healthy, productive, or happy but I DO want to know if you’ve been; challenged, resourceful, or excited. So have you? Ok I know it’s awkward so I’ll go first. I have been challenged by the relentlessness of staying close to home. My black joggers have been challenged by their undying popularity and…

Spring Tattoo Fever? Try Tatstat

Helloooo Spring 2021! Now that the sun is out and the prospect of “getting back to normal” (whatever the hell that is anymore) seems possible what is at the very top of your must-do list? Dinner at a friend’s house? Back yard BBQ? Movie? Or how about a tattoo? Spring is the perfect time to get a tattoo and tattoo artists have been eagerly waiting (and waiting) to get back to work while legions of…

Tattoos in the Time of COVID

26 Swords, Grants Pass, Oregon

A few months ago I started a large new tattoo. To my utter delight, Jeff Goguehad agreed to tattoo me back in 2018 and over the course of almost two years, I repeatedly had to postpone my trip until it seemed like it would never happen. COVID made another cancellation seem like a sure thing until at the last moment Oregon lifted restrictions enough to allow many…

I hope you are well and your family is well. I hope you have enough food and essentials stocked up and are able to weather this storm. We are in unchartered waters and I feel a bit rudderless as I try to get a handle on my schedule, my kids schedules, and the math needed to determine how much toilet paper I reallyneed. Also how much money. I think I’m coming up short in both respects but I feel…

Tattoo Facts That Might Surprise You

I have a confession to make. Gonna let that sink in for a minute…

Nope. Too soon. So instead I’ll confess that I have great readers who help me out by frequently provider even greater (settle down word police – I know) content that I am happy to share. Dan over at Authority Tattoowins the “most patient content provider of the year award” (a crowded field I assure you) and graciously shared…

Good Time Charlie’s End of the Trail

Iconic Tattoo Shop, “Good Time Charlie’s End of the Trail” Comes to a Close in 2020

A Retrospective of Good Time Charlie’s

Charlie Cartwright – The Original Good Time Charlie

The world-renowned, iconic tattoo shop “Good Time Charlie’s End of the Trail” will soon be closing it’s doors, after a run of 32 years in Modesto, CA. If you include the beginning of the Good Time Charlie’s namesake…

Need a Tattoo Vacation?

I hate to say it, but it’s still winter and apparently that is going to continue to be a “thing” for a while. The holidays are a memory, Spring is but a promise, and the days are short and dark, what to do? Well if I had my way I’d be off on vacation to somewhere sunny. A bit of lounging, a little sightseeing, and hopefully a new tattoo to cap it off.

If you need me I’ll be here…

I am a…

Tattooed Man About Town – Philip Scheinfeld

Hello 2020. No promises this year and no regrets either. Just a clear (mostly) straight path towards opportunity and adventure. So let’s kick this year off right by shining a light on a guy with tattoos and style.

Philip Scheinfeld is considered one of the best real estate brokers in NYC, selling over 70M in real estate in the past year. And he’s barely 30. And he can wear the hell out of a…

Halloween Tattoos – It’s a Dead Man’s Party

A friend once told me that I approached aging like I was betting with house money. This is accurate. I turned (fifty) this year and I honestly feel more fired up and alive than I did at 40 when it seemed like life was grinding to a halt, and even 30 when I felt like I had already wasted too much time chasing bad decisions.

50 is scary but do you know what is terrifying? Dying before your dead.…

Tattoo Dating – Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Well, Spring has sprung, flowers are in bloom, and the bees are buzzing. Which brings me immediately to Bumble. Have you tried Bumble, yet? If not (liar) then, in a nutshell, it is a dating app similar to Tinder but with less restraining orders and an inordinate number of pictures of men holding fish, or standing next to cars. I mean I think– I wouldn’t know because I meet people the old…

Tattoos and Blues Convention and More…

It may be the dead of winter but don’t get the winter blues…unless you are in the mid-west in which case you are f#%ked and may be frozen solid right this very moment. If that is the case then you may be frustrated to know that Northern California is currently pleasantly sunny and here in Santa Cruz – my temporary home for a few days – it is positively balmy – sunsets on the boardwalk and toes in…

Love Tattoos? Ink Can Speak Louder Than Words.

So it’s almost Valentines Day again. Last year on Valentines Day I accidentally drank dish soap (true story) and it kind of ruined my day so I’m pretty optimistic that this year’s Valentines Day will be an improvement – even though I’m consciously uncoupled (Really, Gwyneth?) and currently ecstatically single.

But what about you?  Got any big plans?  Valentines Day can be filled with…

Dillon Forte – An Elevated Approach to Tattoos

Dillon Forte

Winter is upon us and the skies are sufficiently gloomy in Northern Cal (cue Billy Holiday, please and thank you). This time of year feels like a holding pattern while we collectively wait for the “good” months to return to us. But this season of quietude and crisp weather isn’t all bad, of course. I’m reminded of a quote from the classic movie Groundhog Day when former as*&le turned…

Tattoo Resolutions for 2019

Right out of the gate I will tell you that New Years Eve is a big meh for me – (ok maybe the whole holiday season if my last two posts are any indication?)

But if I can rally for an all-day turkey eat-a-thon with MST3K The Gauntlet playing non-stop in the background on Thanksgiving and a pajama party/Christmas music (my favorite? Bing and Bowie’ rendition of Little Drummer Boy– I’m corny, sue…

Bah Humbug – Christmas Tattoos for the Scrooges Among Us

 “I love Christmas – who doesn’t? Except the billions of people who don’t celebrate it of course but pah…besides them? Oh. Tons of people don’t like Christmas? OK fair enough. More eggnog for me.”

That is what I used to think – now I am not so sure. December has become a bit of a problem child for me personally and one of the casualties is my previously unflagging holiday cheer. I don’t tend…

Tattoo Legends and Major Talent – Bay Area Tattoo Convention Does it Again

If you were lucky you spent last weekend at the Bay Area Tattoo Convention marveling at the unbelievable amount of tattoo talent contained in a single room. If you were reallylucky you are still healing and recovering from getting tattooed by some of the most talented tattoo artists in the country/world. And if you are like me, you went home feeling like you got to participate in a well run,…

Suicide Prevention Flash Event at Aces Over Eights, Petaluma CA

Aces Over Eights – Suicide Prevention and Awareness Flash Event

This past Sunday there was a lot going on in Petaluma CA. There was a sizable antique fair in the quaint downtown, lots of tourists wandering about, a couple of baseball games on TV (being closely watched by fans at the charming Bleacher Critic-retail store complete with bleacher seats and large screen TV), pithy political signs in…