The Tattooed Poets Project: Josh Fernandez

Our next tattooed poet is <a href="http://www.josh-fernandez.com/">Josh Fernandez</a>, who estimates he is about 40% covered. "At this rate," he says, "I'll probably end up with just my natural face and the rest covered in ink." I am grateful to the poet <a href="http://www.timkahl.com/">Tim Kahl</a>, who is un-inked, for sending me Josh's way.<br /><br />I'll let Josh explain his work:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"It took a long time to cast aside my lust for drugs that seemed to plague me all the way up until my 30s. Even then, it wasn't until I began writing for publications that I realized I actually had a purpose and a shot at life.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">After burning out on journalism, I began teaching writing at a community college. It’s a career job, something I've never had before. In retrospect, I guess journalism was almost a real job, but it’s the clown car of professions, packed to the brim with wacky but ultimately depressing characters (addicts, sociopaths, egomaniacs, loudmouths, etc.). I fit in quite well. Teaching, however, is a different world entirely. For the most part, you need to be a professional, which, to be honest, I don’t even know what that means. I’m not sure where I fit.<br /><br />While I’m no longer a drug-addled wanderer, I still consider myself unprofessional—still kind of a fuckup. I suppose I tattooed my body to keep myself separated from the non-fuckups. On my fingers are the words “OUT OF STEP” with a picture of a little black sheep (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Royal-Peacock-Tattoo-Parlor/157554380944064">Royal Peacock</a>, Sacramento, CA)...</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8hw5ZDGb3cIX7dZgIDqsJfJPKX0QNRbUN3M-usMFgCPpzTILP1XFgjv4Jx1RF0bARW8eiWermcbaJJVDuwVammhWPWP2IueB_aLMXSIcPshgXCci_H4XDyImYRybr0ctJqxN4GJF3ow/s615/Minor+Threat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8hw5ZDGb3cIX7dZgIDqsJfJPKX0QNRbUN3M-usMFgCPpzTILP1XFgjv4Jx1RF0bARW8eiWermcbaJJVDuwVammhWPWP2IueB_aLMXSIcPshgXCci_H4XDyImYRybr0ctJqxN4GJF3ow/s320/Minor+Threat.png" width="239" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">... a tribute to the hardcore band <a href="http://minorthreat.com/">Minor Threat</a>—an indicator of my place in society. </blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">On my hand is a cartoon version of my cat Loki, the chief of our house (<a href="http://www.vermininkandpaint.com/">Char Hall</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SideShowStudiosFan">Sideshow Studios</a>, Sacramento, CA):</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jYo-7NXhXGom4QGLv8quY1yUhhT69LmmBGNRCcV5md6oIuKepf7KOc_sTeD0BaN59TCeynASYKFwkp7MDnQvaobBGC6ZbcuCktSvfVk7IzCsB7oh3Y0g0LrCWot6JpZ_Anr4s-KFjxE/s615/Loki.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jYo-7NXhXGom4QGLv8quY1yUhhT69LmmBGNRCcV5md6oIuKepf7KOc_sTeD0BaN59TCeynASYKFwkp7MDnQvaobBGC6ZbcuCktSvfVk7IzCsB7oh3Y0g0LrCWot6JpZ_Anr4s-KFjxE/s640/Loki.png" width="542" /></a></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">On my inner calf is a portrait of <a href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/155">Emily Dickinson</a> (<a href="http://www.capitalinktattoo.com/beau-mccoy.html">Beau McCoy</a>, <a href="http://www.capitalinktattoo.com/">Capital Ink Tattoo</a>, Sacramento, CA), a fearless writer who I believe to be one of the original punk rockers.</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTVUNIh8Km8fC060hiKBthRfnBoKwU0EWYEm_tjIDX3tm9KNhttw14cOzwTwIS0isSJgcRrIp6cCxWswYqFyJ4zDrID-yFVl-2avb4q1Vq-hvVgwpk8BnTXJw064pPWY-QAS7ktop2Ck/s615/Dickinson.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXTVUNIh8Km8fC060hiKBthRfnBoKwU0EWYEm_tjIDX3tm9KNhttw14cOzwTwIS0isSJgcRrIp6cCxWswYqFyJ4zDrID-yFVl-2avb4q1Vq-hvVgwpk8BnTXJw064pPWY-QAS7ktop2Ck/s640/Dickinson.png" width="390" /></a></div><blockquote class="tr_bq">And on my forearm is a typewriter (<a href="http://www.tattoo13oakland.com/">Lucky 13</a>, Oakland, CA), a reminder that I have approximately one skill.</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhv9MRAQlLU4dWfSDXrVJKh4yqv4I1UJQ07tjTHF58iDnHvdw8_f3s_kGkeZoVK4oIKcVRsD6KK-WaYBUcv1XCX1U4buh4p4unXWfsQNToQqGC2ST2TKDyFieu8ZZEOlFHm_F9Q_kf4gI/s615/Typewriter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhv9MRAQlLU4dWfSDXrVJKh4yqv4I1UJQ07tjTHF58iDnHvdw8_f3s_kGkeZoVK4oIKcVRsD6KK-WaYBUcv1XCX1U4buh4p4unXWfsQNToQqGC2ST2TKDyFieu8ZZEOlFHm_F9Q_kf4gI/s400/Typewriter.png" width="280" /></a></div><br />It's not often we get to share tattoos inspired by Emily Dickinson and a punk rock band in the same breath, so we were happy to post everything Josh sent our way.<br /><br />Josh also sent us several poems and I picked two.<br /><br /><b>The Addict</b><br /><br />He takes root<br />—feet, planted<br />firmly in the soil , kneeling<br />against the Earth,<br />banging until his fists<br />bloom<br />into tulips.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~ ~ ~</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I really liked this longer poem, which appeared originally in <i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0972295852/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0972295852&linkCode=as2&tag=bill03-20%22%3ESpare%20Parts%20and%20Dismemberment%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0972295852%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">Spare Parts and Dismemberment</a> (</i><a href="http://rlcrow.com/">R.L. Crow Publications</a>, 2011):<br /><br /><b>The Last Thing He Said</b><br /><br />“Be proud because we’re Mexicans,<br />and if they <br />don’t like it, just turn <br />your head and walk away.<br />If you haven’t noticed, mijo,<br />this world goes on<br />in every goddamn direction<br />whether you want it to<br />or not.” <br />And just like that <br />he was gone<br />—a trail of weed smoke and wisdom,<br />wagging into the horizon.<br /><br />And to this day, a scruffy <br />cholo with brown <br />skin and a bad leg <br />limps past<br />and my eyes sliver <br />like closed doors and I have to sit <br />down for a second—thoughts <br />rushing past, like speeding trains <br />in the night. <br /><br />It’s almost too much <br />to think of the gristly days,<br />that bus ride from Sacramento <br />to Boston where I sat, tweaked out,<br />for a week on a Greyhound,<br />too wired and poor to eat. <br />He waited at the station<br />for seven days with two black eyes,<br />a set of brass knuckles<br />and a warrant for his arrest.<br /><br />It’s too much to think <br />about when grandma<br />asked him to recite a prayer<br />and for the first time in 20 years<br />he put down his glass <br />and cried the way Mexicans do<br />when they find out there is <br />no God:<br /><br />Creo en el Espíritu Santo, <br />en la Santa Iglesia Católica,<br />la comunión de los Santos,<br />en el perdon de los pecados,<br />la resurrección de los muertos <br />y la vida eterna.<br /><br />And after that we wiped away<br />our tears, forgot how to speak Spanish<br />and got drunker<br />than we’d ever been,<br />spilling out of that <br />East Los apartment<br />into the world<br />like masses of hot lava<br />burning up our livers <br />till the frustrated sun <br />tucked itself <br />into the cool bed of morning. <br /><br />A life full of discarded things<br />is what we were given. Humans,<br />like old bibles, lie <br />tattered, dirty and useless.<br />I wonder what he is doing now<br />My father, the broken schitzo<br />who wore his sickness like <br />a neon coat.<br /><br />Walking through this shithole <br />of a city, <br />Nina Simone ripping<br />my heart out<br />through an old pair of headphones,<br />I watch a dirty black mutt<br />sitting in a junk yard <br />so stupid in his world <br />of chain link and bone scraps, <br />rags and old iron.<br /><br />If you were here I’d tell you I miss you<br />and that there’s not much news <br />save for a funny headline <br />telling us about some frumpy <br />rube in Arkansas who found <br />Mother Theresa’s tit <br />poking out of her pancake. <br />And, in this way, unwise and reckless, without you <br />unholy father,<br />if you haven’t noticed,<br />this world goes on in every goddamn direction, <br />whether you want it to<br />or not.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~ ~ ~</div><br /><a href="http://www.josh-fernandez.com/">Josh Fernandez</a> was born in Denver, raised in Boston and now lives and works in Midtown Sacramento. He writes for <a href="http://www.spin.com/">Spin</a>, <a href="http://www.boulderweekly.com/">Boulder Weekly</a>, <a href="http://sacurrent.com/">San Antonio Current</a>, and the <a href="http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/home">Sacramento News & Review</a> and teaches writing at <a href="http://www.scc.losrios.edu/">Sacramento City College</a>. He was nominated for a <a href="http://www.pushcartprize.com/">Pushcart Prize</a> in 2011. Fernandez’s first, full-length collection of poems, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0972295852/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0972295852&linkCode=as2&tag=bill03-20%22%3ESpare%20Parts%20and%20Dismemberment%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0972295852%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">Spare Parts and Dismemberment</a>, is available from <a href="http://rlcrow.com/">R.L. Crow Publications</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd2svdQfYECRx3-SRApUtWVbcMPw8GJKF8ZPKcbcfeDzn77Eetp5ykQZIca7UbZDkaLPn0HAJT3DUvSNaLyWrZofMQRmBRqou9SwEkOXBilEietu159slx9f15OAXkUD5ZTLA65ElbAE/s1600/Spare+Parts+and+Dismemberment.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd2svdQfYECRx3-SRApUtWVbcMPw8GJKF8ZPKcbcfeDzn77Eetp5ykQZIca7UbZDkaLPn0HAJT3DUvSNaLyWrZofMQRmBRqou9SwEkOXBilEietu159slx9f15OAXkUD5ZTLA65ElbAE/s400/Spare+Parts+and+Dismemberment.JPG" width="271" /></a></div><br />Thanks to Josh for sharing his tattoos and poetry with us here on Tattoosday's Tattooed Poets Project!<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><b id="internal-source-marker_0.4993943637236953" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday. The poems and tattoos are reprinted with the poet's permission.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit </span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span></b>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Josh Fernandez

Our next tattooed poet is Josh Fernandez , who estimates he is about 40% covered. "At this rate," he says, "I'll probably...

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Tattoosday Celebrates Day of the Dead. Meow.

Well, today is November 1, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead">Day of the Dead</a>, so might as well celebrate with a non-traditional Day of the Dead skull tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_yXzj-_k5Ftdbt_9_COqfIjLcr6kkMJsEcmQwn5i7kL3YaUlnfho0WGSihXN3AsnA79HvGUd3FVsJyOHa8UTW2Btd8r8orG1mnFdNKAsxihpJVW2B7Vyd3ouvybYguaHBNO-hJBQ1xg/s615/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_yXzj-_k5Ftdbt_9_COqfIjLcr6kkMJsEcmQwn5i7kL3YaUlnfho0WGSihXN3AsnA79HvGUd3FVsJyOHa8UTW2Btd8r8orG1mnFdNKAsxihpJVW2B7Vyd3ouvybYguaHBNO-hJBQ1xg/s640/photo.jpg" width="403" /></a></div><br />This tattoo belongs to Lisa, who I spotted last month during the <a href="http://tourdebronx.org/">Tour de Bronx</a>. I passed her right before we reached the rest stop at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clason_Point,_Bronx">Clason Point</a>. The break in the ride allowed me to talk to her about her tattoos and she offered up the one above. I've seen a lot of sugar skull tattoos, but never a cat sugar skull.<br /><br />Lisa credited her friend Shroomy, who tattoos out of his garage in California.<br /><br />She elaborated:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"I knew that I wanted some sort of skull. I knew that I wanted some sort of cat and so I put the two ideas together and I've always been a fan of Mexican art styles and sugar skulls, so I thought up my own with the artist and my boyfriend ... we added some things on the spot and that's what happened.'</blockquote>You can see some other Day of the Dead ink that has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Day%20of%20the%20Dead">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Lisa for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday and helping us celebrate the Day of the Dead!<br /><br /><b id="internal-source-marker_0.8389782516751438" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span></b>

Tattoosday Celebrates Day of the Dead. Meow.

Well, today is November 1, the Day of the Dead , so might as well celebrate with a non-traditional Day of the Dead skull tattoo: This tattoo...

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Cat's Eyes and More!

Back in March, on a particularly warm end-of-winter day, I ran into two young ladies in Penn Station, one of whom was named Cat. I spotted three of her tattoos almost immediately, and we had a nice discussion about her ink.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNw5FEQx0QLE790P6QfqIb6WJ1Zkl5I5zH9WRll9IY74NuPXiTfNZ4Xk0UW73VFZLuUrr7OTOboht2_mSYiKRmW5begaYlF4zllk8L_khEMom8tt5BnnAGbEGU98-oWCThw7wdtFj3s8/s716/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNw5FEQx0QLE790P6QfqIb6WJ1Zkl5I5zH9WRll9IY74NuPXiTfNZ4Xk0UW73VFZLuUrr7OTOboht2_mSYiKRmW5begaYlF4zllk8L_khEMom8tt5BnnAGbEGU98-oWCThw7wdtFj3s8/s400/photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Cat explains:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"the eyes were my first [tattoos] ... on my eighteenth birthday ... I thought it would be cool to base it on my best friend's cat ... I got it just because, I'm Cat ... get cat eyes on my back, why not? It was a birthday present..."</blockquote><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNM_fkGhFr0wCdxQXoys_vk2_D2GxA9ko7efTKiDsMu1MuxtHRYtvUnvoKYHq_aqo-ckxs7Nlv4Z3KfdB1-rqpszguuAKow4xRQA335YltVFttqoqL97k4bmQo3M7J0omQnjnKNdF_7p8/s687/IMG_0170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNM_fkGhFr0wCdxQXoys_vk2_D2GxA9ko7efTKiDsMu1MuxtHRYtvUnvoKYHq_aqo-ckxs7Nlv4Z3KfdB1-rqpszguuAKow4xRQA335YltVFttqoqL97k4bmQo3M7J0omQnjnKNdF_7p8/s400/IMG_0170.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />And the name of her friend's cat? Sushi. You know I just had to ask.<br /><br />The next tattoo she got was this piece on her left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcUH3l-DW22muPMk9ftRakmoYQq7TDEOmn4Lnxlo66p9PTNXOlGvHxP7-FQ4i2OV0AtyXh3l8YAUY1Y01n_t_QVbaQbBXUD5xtrpfiu0pXzhLy_5Xrj9OeqxVFlnhnlvZUtN1WAH-lhE/s615/IMG_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcUH3l-DW22muPMk9ftRakmoYQq7TDEOmn4Lnxlo66p9PTNXOlGvHxP7-FQ4i2OV0AtyXh3l8YAUY1Y01n_t_QVbaQbBXUD5xtrpfiu0pXzhLy_5Xrj9OeqxVFlnhnlvZUtN1WAH-lhE/s640/IMG_0174.JPG" width="478" /></a></div><br />This is based on the art by <a href="http://www.kurthalsey.com/">Kurt Halsey</a>. Cat elaborates:<br /><br />"It's just always been a favorite of mine. I saw [Halsey] down in Philly and that one was my favorite print." Of course, it helps that the girl in the illustration is holding a cat.<br /><br />On her opposite arm is this tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtgGOTQWnErQxJw9oKdTjekoOjRjXWfL7e1Yd47SA02y7xK73dFuhz_72nji1wFaiAJq3liU30aMF8UALg0xBHXgJZpFeIBsUY34hqk6fkxNYiN6v5l9_U1bFWF6SHuHFqJWQ7iPrObo/s614/IMG_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtgGOTQWnErQxJw9oKdTjekoOjRjXWfL7e1Yd47SA02y7xK73dFuhz_72nji1wFaiAJq3liU30aMF8UALg0xBHXgJZpFeIBsUY34hqk6fkxNYiN6v5l9_U1bFWF6SHuHFqJWQ7iPrObo/s640/IMG_0176.JPG" width="364" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is based on the work of <span style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.garancedore.fr/en/">Garance Doré</a>, a fashion photographer. She's just a huige fan and loves this illustration in particular.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">All of the tattoos were done by <a href="http://www.transcendtattoo.com/Tattoos/Nick_Trammel/">Nick Trammel</a> at <a href="http://www.transcendtattoo.com/index.html">Transcend Tattoo</a> in Branford, Connecticut</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">Of course, when I was looking back at the photos I took of Cat's tattoos, I noticed in the Kurt Halsey-illustrated piece that the word "saying" was inked on her ribs. It was peeking out from under her top. Of course, I had to ask and Cat obliged by sending me a photo of the whole tattoo:</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVexPxgZAvOB0A_6Llgc1sjtXkTfyfSP-j_K974o-jPC35jMCdnNRr1X2iL7-dcfKpgp_EuHUkxf26z3USIFpr4H_2Lzkd8B7yJPTJV7NWG9AsJAtQU-b5rEXEBhyvlRfEdTMzXYaJPBY/s640/photo+%281%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVexPxgZAvOB0A_6Llgc1sjtXkTfyfSP-j_K974o-jPC35jMCdnNRr1X2iL7-dcfKpgp_EuHUkxf26z3USIFpr4H_2Lzkd8B7yJPTJV7NWG9AsJAtQU-b5rEXEBhyvlRfEdTMzXYaJPBY/s400/photo+%281%29.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />I'll let Cat explain in her own words:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"T<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.918); color: #222222;">he one on my ribs is from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Isherwood">Christopher Isherwood</a> book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Single_Man_%28novel%29">A Single Man</a>. The quote is 'waking up begins with saying am and now.' It's my favorite book and for me it's just a reminder to live in the moment and not get caught up with the little things. It sounds cheesy but when I got the tattoo I was in a weird place so I like having the reminder close to me."</span></span></blockquote><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.918); color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks to Cat for sharing all of these tattoos with us on Tattoosday!</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.918); color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><b id="internal-source-marker_0.755811650538817" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span></b><br /><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.918); color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>

Cat's Eyes and More!

Back in March, on a particularly warm end-of-winter day, I ran into two young ladies in Penn Station, one of whom was named Cat. I spotted t...

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Two Rocking Tattoos from Joe

I met Joe last month outside of Penn Station and he shared two tattoos with us.<br /><br />First is this hellcat:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf47aT1y97ZsGSPV0Lb5n3juDNOccEQhyphenhyphenh3_xYmj6d4TGyAQExQi5FO2TFwSBzgtxQ_tvwiIydoY-8Ert2UICBVaIVXFKwd393RcA5Te_fad9lWlO4sSjcIA-T10rdXRPgmXQQjfO4/s1600/hellcat+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf47aT1y97ZsGSPV0Lb5n3juDNOccEQhyphenhyphenh3_xYmj6d4TGyAQExQi5FO2TFwSBzgtxQ_tvwiIydoY-8Ert2UICBVaIVXFKwd393RcA5Te_fad9lWlO4sSjcIA-T10rdXRPgmXQQjfO4/s320/hellcat+wm.jpg" /></a></div><br />Why this cat? It's a design, Joe says, inspired by the band <a href="http://www.rancidrancid.com/">Rancid</a>, whose music appears on <a href="http://www.hell-cat.com/">Hellcat Records</a>. <br /><br />Not to mention, he likes cats. Need he have more reasons? That's on his upper left arm.<br /><br />I'm more excited to share this photo, which actually is a rare Tattoosday shot in which one can see the contributor's face. I could have cropped it out, but I think it's a cool shot.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhkPZ1acmP7Ixzz6p5b-eg-Y_PmXa2LehM0kEYfAhr2hkdob1m4LYT-7QXx5dd3NNqwnpFY5stkeq3V4U1BngA09o25mLwRMRGCdFApC3KANACnqwRe_dIlQao6v-QI5h3cDAphBc/s1600/joe+isa+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhkPZ1acmP7Ixzz6p5b-eg-Y_PmXa2LehM0kEYfAhr2hkdob1m4LYT-7QXx5dd3NNqwnpFY5stkeq3V4U1BngA09o25mLwRMRGCdFApC3KANACnqwRe_dIlQao6v-QI5h3cDAphBc/s400/joe+isa+wm.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />This tattoo arose out of Joe's desire to have some body art made with red ink. The design is based on the album art for a disbanded musical act out of Washington called <a href="http://www.myspace.com/isa">Isa</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizx0AUKU4N1ybukvyCNzKoT9caMu_99xNyxMgOObNjq3NxRxtL8KHqRGyZN_kHovmjvzhnCSnrO32d5bTKJBghEeHw-ExO1RNxpzyFyH3HVdKaNILUByhvfyuuMZhtOrw14vXvKt6/s1600/joe+isa+detail+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizx0AUKU4N1ybukvyCNzKoT9caMu_99xNyxMgOObNjq3NxRxtL8KHqRGyZN_kHovmjvzhnCSnrO32d5bTKJBghEeHw-ExO1RNxpzyFyH3HVdKaNILUByhvfyuuMZhtOrw14vXvKt6/s640/joe+isa+detail+wm.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br />The two tattoos are among five Joe has in total and were done by <a href="http://www.tattooroyale.com/milton.html">Milton Sillas</a> at <a href="http://www.tattooroyale.com/">Tattoo Royale</a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Beach,_San_Diego,_California">Pacific Beach</a> section of  San Diego, California.<br /><br />Thanks to Joe for sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday and for waiting so patiently for me to get to his tattoos. The summer backlog is both a bane and a blessing.<br /><br />As a postscript, readers familiar with the site will notice that I've watermarked these photos. I've grown tired of seeing Tattoosday content appropriated elsewhere on the web, without attribution. This is an attempt to maintain credit of our content here at Tattoosday.

Two Rocking Tattoos from Joe

I met Joe last month outside of Penn Station and he shared two tattoos with us. First is this hellcat: Why this cat? It's a design, Joe ...

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