Who's got a tattoo?

[Auspicious]

Just curious.

How many?

Where are they?

What are they?

How about your significant other?

My boyfriend and I have a grand total of zero, and after drawing a hand-sized octopus on his back this weekend with a ball-point pen that still hasn't faded (yes we're totally childish, you got a problem with that? :P ) I'm realizing I'm glad neither of us have any. Which surprises me, because I like them on other people if they're well done.

So who's tattooed?

[DCJenn]

Neither of us are tattooed. I've thought about it over the years but I'm such a baby when it comes to 1) needles, 2) pain that I think I would end up with 1/100th of a tattoo. My husband saw some really bad ones while enlisted and saw some really nasty infections in some Navy guys while doing a med school rotation at Portsmouth. So- we're nekked.

Jenn

Not a tattoo to be had at our house. I have, over the years, considered having one but didn't because: 1) I am a wimp when it comes to needles and pain; 2) I couldn't decide on what I would want or where I would want it; 3) it is really, really permanent .
I opted for a navel ring and really liked it. I took it out when I was 4 months pregnant (it hurt!) and haven't put it back because I don't feel like I should attract undue attention to my not-as-flat-as-it-used-to-be stomach. That hurt too -- afterwards anyway. A friend numbed me with marcaine so I didn't feel a thing but I sure did 6 hours later! (See wimp comment above).
This is making me wonder if my friend that I would have tattooed with has done it yet (she lives in LA now). She almost had one in high school. She is glad she didn't because she would have a Marvin the Martian on her behind today. 8O

Well...I will be the first to say that I have a tattoo.

It is nothing obscene and it was done on a Valentine's Day that I was single and needed to give someone a gift(read:myself, self pity is horrible!). So after much thought, a good friend and I drove 4 hours and got tattooed at 10pm until about 2am.
The tattoo I have is a panther, representing power and mystery. At least that is what some tattoo magazine said!! Anyway it was done with a new ink that stays black for longer than older tattoos usesd to. Still today I have people ask me if I recently got it done, it was actually done in '94.
It is on my left shoulder and is easily hidden even with a T-shirt.
The lines of the tattoo are really bold, and it took 2 hours to do, he kept going over and over to get it looking good. I had the worst headache after from the constant humming of the gun. The guy who did it, did a great job.
If I had to do it over again, I think I would still make to same choice.

My DW is not tattoo'd, she did have her navel peirced.

[SueC]

Well, I guess I'll come forward!
I'm tattooed--I have a small shamrock just below my hip bone. I'm not even Irish! It is easily covered up when I wear a bathing suit so only a handful of people even know about it (well, a few more people now!). My sister and I did it while we were on Spring Break together back in college. She has the same thing I do. Although it was kind of cool back then, I really regret doing it now. Especially since the girls notice it. The other day my three year old said "Mommy, I just have to get a birth mark like you have!" I didn't want her going around announcing to people that I had a tattoo so I told her it was a birth mark.
My husband has no tattoos, though his brother more than makes up for it. He has more than I can count, plus both ears pierced more than once, an eyebrow pierced, and possibly other piercings that I have forgotten. Its kind of funny because he looks a lot like my husband so when we are out in public I worry someone will think that he is actually my husband!

I have two tattoos and my navel pierced. I used to have 5 earrings in one ear and 2 in my other...but I've let all but 3 of those holes close up.

The first tattoo I got my freshman year of college. My friend and I got them together. It's around my left ankle (an ankle bracelet tattoo). There a small sun on the outside of my ankle and a crescent moon on the inside of my ankle and they're both connected around my ankle by wisps of clouds. My second tattoo is on the small of my lower back and is a sun. As you can tell, I like my suns.

I had thought about getting tattoos for awhile, but I have to say that when I went to have them done, it was pretty spontaneous. Also note that it took me 5 years after my first to get my second. That's how long it took me to forget the pain. Surprisingly, getting my navel pierced (my junior year of college) didn't hurt much. It did take a good year to fully heal though.

I don't regret either of my tattoos and actually tend to forget I have them (especially the one on my lower back). I used to always say that by the time I'm old and the tattoos look saggy, it'll be a lot easier to have them removed. My bf doesn't have any tattoos. He had his ear pierced (twice in one year, I think?), but hasn't worn earrings since I've known him. He's thought about getting a tattoo, but I'm not sure he will.

Sharon

[Rapunzel]

No tattoos between my husband and I. My sister got one in high school (yeah, she lied about her age) and it still hasn't faded. It's a simple black outline of a sun that's about an inch and a half in diameter on her ankle (very visible). It's about ten years old now and she still gets asked if she had it recently done. She is horribly embarrassed by it now and wishes she hadn't done it. She's contemplated having it removed but it's kind of a choice between the tattoo or a scar in the shape of the tattoo until technology improves so she hasn't done it yet.

As for piercings - none between my husband and I either (never even had my ears pierced) - and the only reason for me is that I am a complete and utter wus!

[DCJenn]

If we count piercing in the body mutilation discussion, we both have both ears pierced. He just reopened the holes and wore earrings at our Christmas party. I must say, I thought it was quite sexy- especially with the Army Crewcut he sports. But, needless to say, Uncle Sam doesn't have the same appreciation for them as I do- so they remain an accessory only worn in the comfort of our own home, among friends!

Jenn

(of course, he should have worn them last week when he saw Ministry and was in the Mosh pit for 4 hours. Nice. I asked him if he saw any of his patients whilst moshing... I was waiting for the newspaper article "35 year old pediatrician....")

Ministry??!!!

That makes me laugh, I can vision him moshing with a bunch of kids....oh that is great!!!

[DCJenn]

Yeah-I had quite the laugh myself. Apparently it was my husband, lots of high school and college kids and quite a few soldiers and airmen from the local bases. So, not only was it possible that he was moshing with with some patients, it was also likely that he was moshing with some parents of his patients...

Yikes!!!

Jenn

no tats- but my belly is pierced!

I just had my navel pierced in November with the encouragment of my husband. I love it, and have thought about getting tattoed, but I am one big baby when it comes to needles and was already terrified to get my belly piercing done. I'm sure I would go berserk if I had to sit for an extended period of time while someone was poking me with a needle. We did get henna tattoos done on Venice Beach while we were dating though! But if anyone else has piercings, EBAY is the best place in the world to buy new jewelry! Don't buy retail, it is such a ripoff.

I've been thinking though- am I going to feel funny 5, 10 years down the road when I start having babies and raising kids with dangly belly rings? Is it wrong to aspire to be a MILF someday? *lol*

A side note about my DW having her belly button peirced....she did it herself, not once but twice. When we had our first child, she didn't even take it out and it looked fine. But for the second, she pulled it early and it was a good thing that she did, it really stretched it. So there is no longer anything there and she most likely won't be putting anything back. (She would kill me for spilling these beans, but oh well!).

[Cumberland]

I had my nose pierced twice. The first time, I took it out bc I was getting married and wanted to look more 'acceptable'. The second time I first pierced a friend, then myself and oh my god it hurt so bad and took an hour of me walking around with a needle in my nose. That night we went for a night swim, and when i got out it was gone--hours of pain for nothing. Jason just told me he wishes I would do it again but most of me thinks it is not appropriate for work. What do you guys think? It was just a teeny tiny little dot.

I like the delicate nose piercings. Piercing through scar tissue is very painful though. I don't have any tattoo's. DH has four paw prints. I do have a number of piercings though including labret and tragus.

No tattoos here. Several reasons (okay, two). I don't like needles or anything sharp for that matter near my body. It hurts, I don't like it. Second, I'm afraid of the stretch factor. What looks good now may not look so great in 20 years. Women sag, I'm a woman, it won't look as good. But I'd have to say, pain is the main reason I don't have one.