I MARKED MY BODY, AGAIN

Another painful tattoo. So why bother? Because once it's completed, it's fun to have. And, really, I witness to the tattoo artist, which is often in a dark-place location.

Bicep - side

The tattoo artist told me, many people don't have a design in mind when they arrive. They look through the portfolios of the artists on staff, and then choose the artist, and then, casually pick "something".

Well, tattoos are forever so I go through a long self-screening process. To help me decide, I pray about it. I consider how visible it will be to the public (or old school clients) and how that may impact me. And of course, the significance of the tat.

Lastly, I run the whole deal past my wife. My body is her's and if I don't have her blessing then I won't do it. Having said that, it took many years to get her blessing on the first "bike" tat. One day she said, "well where on your arm would you put it?"  That got me over the hurdle!

To people who love to rain on my parade, who will say, "Ooooh, 20 years from now it will look like a blurry blob of ink!"  Well, I'm 58 now so in 20 years it should still look ok. Then, at age 78, (if I make it that far), I'll probably have no hearing, be totally bald, probably have cancer or something awful, likely dementia, and my depression will probably be in full force - I think a tattoo will be the least of my worries.


Tricep - back
 

Thanks to Brian Carr, this tattoo has several components.

1. The CKLC logo - the first station I worked at in Kingston. Was there almost 8 years.
2. The 1050 CHUM logo - I interned there as a radio student, but more so, this is the radio station that I listened to as a teenager and was the catalyst to me choosing radio as a career. (Scott - do you like it?)
3. The LIFE 100.3 logo - a significant moment of time in my life.
4. The Bat Tower - a recognizable building on the Nashville skyline and Nashville has many fond memories - personal and radio
5. The stars, this specific maple leaf and lightning bolt are parts of the band logo of the Canadian rock band Trooper. (Ra - do you like it?)

The whole thing took 2.5 hours, including a break. Cost: $200.

Some people collect their cherished memories on a charm bracelet or in photo albums. Tattoos are a conversation piece and if I'm asked, I get to share about the parts of the tattoo that I'm passionate about. (I also have my wife's and kids' initials tattooed on the inside of the same arm.)