How tattoos change your life

I KNEW IT! I KNEW THERE WERE GOOD THINGS ABOUT TATTOOS!!!!!!!!!!

People often say either good things or bad things about tattoos. Some of the more typical questions are "Why did you get that?" "What does it mean?" "Aren't you worried about what it will look like when you get older?" "Did it hurt?", etc. What some don't realize is that tattoos can actually be good. Find out here how tattoos can be good and change your life.

This is usually the LAST thing people think tattoos will do. But here are some of the POSITIVE ways tattoos can help

Confidence
-It doesn't matter who you are. No matter the race, skin color, religion, sexuality, gender, etc. Tattoos are universal!! They are for everyone. To some, getting a tattoo is a rocket of confidence, launching their confidence to new heights. Tattoos can allow someone who might be meek, shy, whatever word you want to use, to express themselves and thus open themselves up to conversations with those who admire their work. And thus make possible friends. To most who have ink, the old saying "once you get one, you'll eventually want another" rings all too true. But to many, tattoos are mysterious, something you don't see quite often, but once you get a tattoo, you feel a little more confident and a little more tough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conversation starter

-If your ink is showing, be prepared to show and tell. There is always someone willing to talk to you about your ink, even though they may ask the typical questions "What does it mean?" or "Why did you get it?" Most likely these questions will be more out of curiosity than offense. Tattoos are a great way to network with new people, make new friends, have new conversations

Self expression

-This is one of the oldest reasons in the book for going under the needle. Tattoos are meant to show the world who you are. They are meant to show the world just what you want to tell them, whether it be your heritage, what your likes/dislikes are, your passions, hobbies, goals, your loves, support for something like the military or gay rights, etc. Your body is like a blank canvas. Tattoos are the paints you add to create a masterpiece. If someone tells you that too many is a bad thing, simply tell that person that it's your body; you do with it what you want.

Awareness

-It seems as though if you go under the needle, your Spidey sense or in this case "tattoo senses" alert you to those around you who have tattoos. You start noticing all the vast, rich and complex designs that people have. This may even spark an interest in tattoo art and history and culture

Interesting people

-It's been said that tattoos were once the mark of sailors and criminals. Nowadays, tattoos are as common as the nose on people's faces. It doesn't have to be just rockers, criminals or bikers with tattoos, as originally thought by some. Everyone probably has at least one or two tattoos. If they are dressed a certain way, you'd never know that they have tattoos unless they were in a swimsuit. By having an open mind and knowing that not everyone is like you, having tattoos is a great way of meeting interesting people, in addition to making friends with people who don't have tattoos. Also, the people around you every day may have tattoos and you may not even know it. Your friends, teachers, family members, classmates, coworkers, managers, bosses, etc. may have ink and you wouldn't know it.

-Apparently it's always been considered that only tattooed people can be friends with other tattooed people. Which is absolutely bogus!! That's not true. It simply doesn't matter if people have tattoos.

People will read you like a book

-Tattoos are definitely an eye catcher. This is your way of letting people read you, learn about you, learn about who you are as a person. This is your way of letting people find out what your likes/dislikes, loves/hates, passions, hobbies, interests, heritage, etc. is. And in the end, when you see people with tattoos, you learn about them as well

Agree to disagree

-This is very common in the world of tattooing. There's always going to be that one person who either hates it or simply doesn't get it. Not everyone will like your tattoo or get it. You got it for you, not them. Just remember the golden rule of tattoos: you got it for you, not them.

Things you should NEVER say at a tattoo shop

There are a million things you should NEVER say or do at a tattoo shop. Here are some of those no-no's for getting inked.

Don't call it a tattoo gun

-Does it look like a gun to you?!?!? This is not a gun to be shot with. It's a mechanical machine that, like all or most machines, runs on electricity. Using the correct words and terms will make you sound like you know what you're talking about

What should I get?

-Seriously? Shouldn't you have thought of this before hand? Most tattoo artists are not mind readers. They will not know what you like or want unless you tell them, duh! If you don't know what you want, do not go into a tattoo parlor until you're clear about the idea. Tattoos are permanent; tattoo parlors are not like clothing stores where if you can't fit into the item or do not like the item, you can return it. I'm sure this frustrates most if not ALL tattoo artists! Tattoos are a permanent investment and they need to be thought through COMPLETELY before investing in one

 

Can I bring other people?

-Yes, it's exciting to get your first tattoo. Yes, it's exciting to have someone there to witness it and tell everyone you didn't chicken out. But, be respectful of the artist. It's okay to bring 1-2 people depending on how big the shop is. But do not bring your whole posse of 1,000,000 people. The shops are not usually that big, lol. But in all total seriousness, most tattoo parlors will limit you to 1 or 2 people with you when you go under the needle. Besides, if you are in an area of the shop where other artists might need to work their magic, you need to be respectful of not only your artist but other artists coming in to get additional supplies, like plastic sheathing for their tattoo machine wires, extra ink, petroleum jelly, etc. and also tattoo parlors tend to be intimate, meaning that the artist wants his/her focus on your ink and doing their job right!! Not to mention, most tattoo parlors have one or two main rooms where 3+ artists might be working their magic at the same time, causing a chuckle from people if the tattoo machines are buzzing together at the same time or other artists might need additional supplies and need to come in.

 

Can you make it cheaper?

-REALLY? Someone would ask this?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

-The answer to this question may as well be "GET OUT!" There is no way to make a tattoo cheaper, unless you find some numbskull in a back alley willing to give you a tattoo for $50. I guarantee if you go that route, it will not end in the tattoo of your dreams. Follow this simple rule: you get what you pay for. Tattoos are not cheap. What usually decides the end amount is size, amount of detail, sometimes location, amount of color used. Unlike teachers or bankers, who are salaried, tattoo artists earn their income from the masterpieces they create. If you ask about making it cheaper, you are cheating them out of income, money they can use to buy additional supplies, feed their families and themselves, etc. If the price is high, it is most likely because it will end up being a big tattoo and requires a lot of high artistic skill and time to turn it into a masterpiece. The other rule of thumb is good tattoos aren't cheap and cheap tattoos aren't good!

Can you give me a tattoo like so and so?

-If you're going to an artist who has some notoriety, they will give you one of their own designs. If you bring in a picture off the internet, like I did with my first one, they will make suggestions on how to make it unique, such as using your favorite color, placement, etc. They'd rather not copy another artists' work. The sad part is that in the world of tattoos, there are tattoo copycats, artists who do tattoos but also will mimick another person's tattoos. The NORMAL tattoo artists work double time-level hard to make sure their work is brag worthy and if you're dead set on getting one like your favorite celeb, at least try and put some kind of personal stamp on it.



Pics of Sons of Anarchy's Tommy Flanagan

His accent melts me so much!! IDK why, but Scottish accents are extremely cute on guys, along with Irish, English and Australian accents!!!! Even with the facial scarring, he's still cute!!! I don't care about the scarring; it makes him sexier!! Is that weird? To think his facial scarring is handsome? What some may not know is that there is a name for his facial scarring. It's often referred to as a "Glasgow grin". He got those scars after leaving a club where he worked as a DJ and was attacked. He's still handsome. And he looks good with gray hair. Not many guys can rock the gray hair look, but he pulls it VERY nicely!! ;) ;) ;)

Here are some heart stopping pics of him!!

People I Would Find Interesting to Read About

It seems like every time you turn your head, some famous person is coming out with a memoir or autobiography. Just recently, Def Leppard's lead guitarist Phil Collen released an autobiography called Adrenalized: Life, Def Leppard and Beyond. BTW, it's good especially if you're a Def Leppard fan and/or a fan of Phil Collen ;)

Here are some people that I would love to read about

Geezer Butler

-I'd love to read about Geezer because out of all the books I've ever read about Black Sabbath or any of it's members, they all say that the lyrics come from Geezer. He has to be a pretty intelligent guy coming up with lyrics that deep, about stuff you'd never imagine hearing in songs. After reading that book I Am Ozzy about Ozzy Osbourne, he describes Geezer as an intellectual guy. When he's not writing lyrics, he's buried nose deep in a book about poetry or ancient Greek warfare, how he's a vegan and that came in handy during the early days of Sabbath, etc. Or how Geezer was actually training to be an accountant and how he worked in the accounting department of a factory in Aston. I'd love to read about him because he just seems like a very interesting person. Not to mention, he just looks like an overall sweet guy, like he'd be the most down to earth person you'd ever meet.

 

Nikki Sixx

-After reading that book The Dirt, which is essentially Motley Crue's own biography, reading the parts about Nikki Sixx interested me. He moved a lot when he was a kid. He was considered a quiet and polite young man who was into bands like Blue Cheer, The Sweet, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, etc. He had dreams of becoming a musician. But he also had a wild streak. He slit his wrists and accused his mother of attacking him. Or when he moved to somewhere out west, kids made fun of him, calling him things like poor white California trash. That had to be brutal. Not to mention, one of Crue's more famous songs, "Kickstart My Heart" was inspired by Nikki's heroin overdose and the adrenaline shot injected into his heart along with the fact that after he was checked into the hospital for it, he got up and walked out. Nowadays, he fronts a band called Sixx A.M., which consists of him on guitars, DJ Ashba on bass and James Michael on vocals, each person's name making up the name of the band. Something else that I never really knew is that Nikki Sixx's real name is Frank Carlton Serafino Ferrana. He was named after his father, Frank Ferrana. So essentially, Nikki Sixx is Italian. Hmmm, no wonder he's so good looking, lol!!!

 

 

Rob Halford

-I've been a Priest fan since early college. After seeing the video for "Turbo Lover" on VH1 Classic, I've been forever hooked, lol. I'd love to read about what it was like when he was younger, what got him into music, how he got into Priest and other cool stuff. Or what it was like when he finally came out of the closet in the late 1990s. I'm sure a lot of Judas Priest fans realized he was gay way before he ever came out. It doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to figure out something's up when he was never seen or photographed with women, wearing black leather studded clothing and bondage gear, carrying either a whip or riding crop on stage with him or wearing handcuffs on his hips, lol. But, all in all, he's still a phenomenal singer. From the way I hear it, Rob is an incredibly kind person, the kindest, most down to earth person you could ever meet. The sweetest guy alive. I'm sure all the guys in Priest are like that. I would love, more than life itself, to meet Judas Priest. I'd make sure to have my sister with me. The looks on her face would be priceless!!! I know I laugh a lot when my sister says he's so cute even though he's gay! I agree with her. Despite being gay, he's still an incredibly handsome man. And I personally think that my sister finds him cute with the additional tattoos, lol!!

Glenn Tipton

-He's cute. Blonde haired and English. Kind of a weakness for me, lol. What else can I say, lol? Besides, he's handsome for his age. My sister, on the other hand, thinks he's really cute in leather, lol. Not to mention he's an amazing guitarist. From the way I read it in this book about Judas Priest called Judas Priest: Heavy Metal Painkillers, it sounds like Glenn writes a majority of the lyrics. How awesome is this? I never knew he's the one who usually wrote the lyrics. Or it might be someone else who occasionally writes. I guess it's all a matter of working together on the lyrics of songs.

 

 

 

Bruce Dickinson

-I know a lot of people might be confused by this, as I only started listening to Maiden very recently, I see all sorts of cool stuff about Bruce on the internet, about how he visits sick kids in the hospital, does all sorts of nice things, how he battled cancer, how he is a fully licensed commercial pilot and flies the Maiden jet Ed Force One with the band on board to their gigs. I would very much like to read about him. He seems interesting. Not to mention I'm completely amazed by how good Maiden is. To be 100% honest, I always thought Iron Maiden was what I call a "screamo metal band", you know, the metal bands with the singer who is usually screaming so loud or their voice is so distorted you don't know what they're saying? After hearing "Flight of Icarus", that soon changed, thank God!!! I can safely say that I've never had a bad word or insult against these guys. I simply didn't know where to start because, like all musicians, they have a severely long song catalogue.

-But, also, I recently found out he will be coming out with an OFFICIAL autobiography in 2018, at least the paperback edition, in 2018. E-book versions of it will come out in 2017. Just needed to toss that out!!!!!!!!!

 

Sylvester Stallone

-I'd love to read about him because he's one of my favorite actors. I'd love to know what it was like growing up for him. If he was ever bullied for the way he talks out of one side of his mouth. I can't imagine he wasn't; kids can be cruel sometimes. Or read about how he got into acting, or what some of the movies he's done over the years were like. I know I either read or heard somewhere that his first acting role was in a soft core porn movie called The Party at Kitty and Stud's, where he played a male gigolo. That had to be severely awkward for him, appearing fully naked and being sex crazed, which unfortunately only adds to that Italian stereotype of Italians being hot blooded. Plus, even if he looks rough in the eyes of most, to me he's still handsome. Those rough looks come from a life of hard action films, lol

Joe Elliott

-I'm a pretty big Def Leppard fan. Have been since college, which is ironically the place where I started listening to a lot of the music I now listen to. After watching Joe Elliott on this VH1 Classic series called Rock Icons, it amazes me that Joe Elliott proudly admits he's obsessed with music. He can't get enough of it. He also said he loves the fact that he can go out and not be recognized all the time, that the sense of anonymity makes him happy. I love watching that episode; you find out all sorts of cool things about him. Like when he was younger, around 8 years old or so, he wrote a song about a girl leaving a boy and he jokingly said "I was 8 years old. I didn't know anything about a girl leaving me". He can also play the guitar. Which I never knew. He can also play the piano. There's evidence of his excellent piano playing in the video for "Miss You in a Heartbeat" by Def Leppard. Hmm, very handsome, lol. He also fronts a side project called the Down N' Outz, which does covers of old Mott the Hoople songs, for which he is a giant fan.

It's official: Bruce Dickinson is coming out with an autobiography!

I would read this. He seems like a pretty interesting person. From beating cancer to being a commercial pilot with his license to being the pilot flying him and the rest of Maiden on their jet, dubbed Ed Force One. Pretty awesome. Not to mention, he's always seen doing good for others. Whether it be visiting sick kids in hospitals to cheer them up or just trying to make someone's day better. What a genuine class act. What a sweetheart!!

If you've ever wanted to know anything about Iron Maiden's resident Air Raid Siren, your wish has come true. Unfortunately, it's going to be a bit of a while before you see it at the stores, lol.

IDK why, this is just an extremely handsome photo of him. Then again, he's still pretty handsome ;) even with his hair turning slightly gray.

Fall 2017 is when the autobiography is slated to release. Almost immediately after the band began recording their recent album The Book of Souls, front man Bruce Dickinson was diagnosed with cancer. But, ever the strong man, he chose to work on the album and channel all energy into that rather than his potential risk to his health. But, after being given the all clear by doctors, the band is planning on going on a 2016 tour

"It was flattering to be approached to write a book about my experiences and it seems an appropriate time to do this as I will have plenty of time on tour next year to work on a book. I am sure flying the 747 out round the world on tour will add to the tale with some unusual scenarios!" says Dickinson.

The book in hardback, ebook and audiobook is said to come out in Fall of 2017, with a paperback edition to follow in 2018.

Adrenalized: Life, Def Leppard and Beyond by Phil Collen and Chris Epting

OMG IS HE SEXY!!!!

I've just gotten this book yesterday. Have yet to start reading it. Ever since I preordered it on May 28, I've been anxious as ever for it to arrive so I can start reading it. When it cam yesterday, my sister wanted to see it for one reason-pictures. She saw a picture of Phil Collen with no shirt on and she just about had a coronary. You'd think she never saw a shirtless man before, lol. Not to mention when she found out he was English, oh brother! That coronary just turned into a heart attack, lol. She said "I bet he has a hot English accent. That accent is kind of cute on some guys." If he was not from England, he wouldn't have an accent, lol!!! All I know is that for his age, he's so cute! But then again, I've always thought he was cute, ever since I started listening to Def Leppard. IDK what England is doing to make sexy guys, but they need to keep doing it!! They've stumbled onto something good!!! IDK what it is, but I must have a thing for blonde haired, blue eyed guys or English guys or Italian guys. They're all cute, lol!! I also have to add this. I think for their ages, all the guys in Def Leppard are extremely cute!!!

I started reading this book today. So far, I found out a lot of cool stuff about him. Like one of the first bands he joined was a band called Dumb Blondes, which earned its name from the fact that all the members of the band had dyed their hair peroxide blonde and were trying to emulate the look of the New York Dolls and David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust phase, not to mention they also wore makeup and high heels like the Dolls. Also, he got play guitar on stage at the Marquee Club in London with Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple. When he first met Def Leppard, which was when guitarist Pete Willis was still in, he said that they had funny accents because he was from the East End of London and they were mostly from Sheffield. He also formed a deep bond with guitarist Steve Clark. When Pete Willis was let go, Phil was asked to join. Not to mention, after leaving the band Dumb Blondes, he and another guitarist named Simon Laffy formed a band called Girl. When he was younger, he played football (soccer to us Americans) and was briefly on the swim team. He had dreams of becoming a professional footballer before music entered his life.

He also started drinking heavily. He experienced his first blackout, which resulted in him having a second piercing in his ear and through it all, he didn't even remember how it happened, along with how he and Steve Clark, one of Leppard's early guitarists, bought Cartier watches and didn't remember it. Also, he and Steve Clark were known as the "Terror Twins" because of their heavy drinking habits. He also stated how he had become a vegan, which is something I'm sure a lot of rock stars are thought of as not being. People probably have this conception that rock stars are all about drinking, drugging and sleeping with the ladies. Phil is not one of those typical rock stars. He said that there were a couple times when ladies would approach him, yank his pants down and really go down on him. He didn't even know what to do. He also mentions that growing up in a family that emphasized a frugal attitude, saying "don't waste anything" plays a key role in his life. He also states that Def Leppard is not your average, every day hard rock band. They were, are and will always be about the music. That is the number one priority for the band. He talks about some of the videos they did. Like the video for "Rock of Ages". He talks about wearing almost skin tight white pants and a blue shirt and how the camera zooms in on him shaking his rear for a few seconds. I'm sure a lot of women watched that video, lol!! I've seen the video; hahahahahaha. He does have a nice back end. ;)

He also talked about some of the women he's dated and married, about how he married a woman named Jacqueline and had a son named Rory James Collen and later on had a daughter named Samantha. He talks about meeting a model named Jacqueline in Paris and saying how she was from New York and that he all but fell in immediate love with her. He also jokes that when he found out she was pregnant, they got married sooner than they'd like and they soon had a son named Rory James Collen. I honestly never knew he had kids. Wow. But then again, I respect the fact they keep their private lives PRIVATE. That's the way it's supposed to be. He talked a little about finding out when Rick Allen lost his arm. He was dumbfounded; he didn't know what to do and Rick blew his mind away when he found an electronic drum kit that can allow him to play drums with one arm and his feet. He also laughs and jokes when people confuse his name with that of former Genesis drummer Phil Collins. He says that to this day, people think he was the drummer in Genesis, not Phil Collins. He talks about the albums the band does. I'm at the part right now where the band had just started doing their Adrenalize album. He talks about each album, what it was like to record, what it was like to tour that album, etc.

Awww!! How cute!!

November Birthdays

Since it's November, time to say Happy Birthday to the following people

Rick Allen
-Birth name: Richard John Cyril Allen
-DOB: 11/1/1963
-Where: Sheffield, England
-Was given the Humanitarian Award on 8/29/2001

Tommy Thayer
-Birth name: Thomas Cunningham Thayer
-DOB: 11/7/1960
-Where: Portland, Oregon
-Once played guitar for German female rocker Doro Pesch

Billy Idol
-Birth name: William Michael Albert Broad
-DOB: 11/30/1955
-Where: Middlesex, England
-He's ranked #55 on VH1 Classic's 100 Sexiest Artists. I agree. Although I think he should be higher on the ranking, like top 10, at least!!!!!