TeeJay

To be fair, I try and judge tattoos on artistic merit, but those aforementioned ladies' tattoos just don't do anything to enhance them A friend of Nathan's came round after we were done, and while we were talking about tattoos, he asked if I regretted getting any of my tribal done. I said I didn't, and he just said he hated tribal (Hey, he's only 18, and thinks that only stuff off Miami Ink is cool ) Once I explained that my tribal was actually a memorial tattoo to the first friend I made online, and incorporated part of her design, he had to modify his opinion on why people may choose to get tattoos (of any kind) done

Thanks, M, that's nice to hear, and when I heard that Nathan was that pleased with it, that felt pretty good I know it's only 99% perfect, but hey, for a second tattoo, I'm pretty happy with the lines and filling

F, that strap really is stunning

Many thanks, F Glad you agree, M I think there's still room for a little snobbery in the tattoo world Just got wifey to email me the kanji I did on Nathan's leg... Here's how it should look: Here's what I did... Only 1 tiny slip I could see, and apparently, he was so pleased with it, he kept talking about it till his fiance told him to shut up about it And the meaning: Nathan's a mechanic, and when I put 'mechanic' into an English/Japanese dictionary, takumi was the first word offered, and, given his desire to become a tattoo artist, I thought a very fitting one

Depends on the ink, and depends on the chick Tattoos of dolphins or roses on some middle aged skank's tits certainly are a turn off Not that I'm a tattoo snob or anything

Thanks, and he does indeed, he certainly has the potential to be a great tattoo artist I hadn't planned on getting the maple leaf done last night, but when he asked if I wanted to get something done (having just used his equipment on myself and him) I couldn't really refuse, and the maple stencil was one I had with me (It was also a design where 100% perfection was not required) but I think he did a great job, and the lines're in really nicely, so overall, a top result Of course, I'm now worried that my regular artist might take umbrage at me allowing someone else to work on 'our project' Oh well With regards your food/booze motto, I quite agree, but as you say, always exceptions to the rule

Thanks, I'm really keen to get it finished The overall design is pretty much all finalized, just a few final tweaks to the stencil for my chest to swap some elements around Yeah I think that's definitely a good motto to remember The one tattoo motto I would dispute, is "Good tattoos aren't cheap, and cheap tattoos aren't good..." For example, Exhibits 1 and 2... The maple leaf in the first pic was done last night by my friend, who's only been tattooing a couple of weeks (and mostly just on himself), but I wanted him to know that I trusted him enough to do a pretty visible piece on me, not just something on my leg which would be easy to hide. In the second pic, you can see how it compares to the maple leaf done my my regular artist, who has considerably more experience I think it's the quality of the work, and the artist's skill which matters, not the pricetag (a bit like reps, really )

Thanks, M I'm really happy with what I did, but of course, I'm not oblivious to the mistakes/wonky lines/patchy fills etc, but it was the step I needed to take before deciding wether I should try and tattoo more and improve, or just focus on drawing stencils It's my 20th tattoo in the overall tally, but my plan is to have a traditional Japanese bodysuit, not just a lot of individual tattoos Now, rather than seeing individual pieces on my arm, I'm starting to see an incomplete sleeve in progress Thanks To be fair, I had held a machine once before, and filled a line about 1cm by 3mm, which doesn't really count, so this was the first time I'd ever held a machine to actually do proper lining and filling of a complete tattoo I wish I had a pic of the kanji I did on my friend's ankle afterwards, but it's on wifey's iPod, so I'll have to load it up later

Still in the black, still trying to see the lighter side of life

Last night, a friend let me use his tattoo equipment to see if I felt I could do it. Well, I did this, on my own leg (no way I was risking anyone else's skin on a first attempt) It's not perfect, quite a few wonky lines, but for a first time holding a machine to do proper work, I'm pretty happy with how it came out (and I have seen much worse in the past ) No plans to cover it, just to eventually incorporate it into the rest of the Japanese work I will eventually get done on my thighs

It looks great

I can't make any pit-stop suggestions, but drive safely, and have a great time

Love it

Any time, bro Still got some empty buckets here To be fair, there's been nothing major this week, just lots of little things that just kept digging away, but, the week's over, no-one's died, so things can only get better Salut!

100% Pure Class, bro

Thanks, K, just a few ongoing trivial things really, but stuff which kept trying to bring me down. Much appreciated Online drinks, dude, online drinks And of course :drinks:

All in all, this has been a pretty lousy and stressful week for me. I've needed something to keep me smiling, and reminding me not to take things too seriously, and this little watch did that Just a little reminder to everyone to enjoy things for what they are, don't take things too seriously, and don't be afraid to laugh at yourself once in a while Have a great weekend, amigos, the first round's on me :drinks:

Wow, that was a fantastic read, thanks for sharing

Absolutely, I have to admit, I'm rather taken with the Deep GMT he's offering, there's been many a discussion of a diver's watch with GMT functions for some time [Edit to add link]

Oh yes! Can't beat the tick of a hand-wind movement, such a different sound to the tick of an automatic. Fantastic sound

I know what you mean, it's like rappers flashing their bling 24/7, but still having the attitude and manners of a street punk... I think it's definitely a certain personality type who behaves that way when fortune smiles on them. It's like a guy here in the UK who won a few million on the lottery. He couldn't deal with it, and carried on acting like a punk (driving by people and throwing Big Mac's at them, for example) just with 'nicer toys' I think at the end of the day, the majority of the membership here are people who truly appreciate 'watches', and are passionate about them. The knowledge base on how to build/modify/repair watches is certainly more indepth than that on other genuine forums

At least it doesn't say Rolex on the dial anymore

I do it the long way, ie reply in turn to each post, then copy/paste that into the next reply, and repeat You're right on both those counts, I think for some, it is just a case of having the 'status symbol' than actually using it, and when it comes to that fake persona, absolutely, because they create their persona based on the external, rather than the internal... I bet that a lot of those people, if stripped of their fine clothes and watches, and made to live on more 'modest means' for a while in a new neighborhood, would find themselves pretty unpopular pretty quickly. Of course, there are those with wealth who remain down to earth, and they always come out well in any situation, but those "Type 3's" who base their entire lifestyle around 'the brandname', without the trappings of wealth, have nothing but rather mediocre (at best) personal 'skills' to get by with, and tend to fail pretty spectacularly

Thanks, and as above, thanks for the input, you've made some great points I think you're quite right about the numbers you list, and absolutely spot on about the millionaires who wear a cheap Casio, because it 'tells the time', and that's all they need in the watch. I think there're two types of people... People who wear a watch simply to tell the time, and those who actually appreciate watches as a hobby, like cars, books, wine etc, and that's when it starts splitting into those categories you list . I think the thing that irritates me most about some of the elitists on forums like TZ, is that on the times when someone did foolishly post a rep there and try to pass it off, the majority of comments were those 'pat on the back' comments, and it often took a while for the rep to be outed as such. Of course, such behavior is not to be condoned, but it does highlight the level of knowledge of these so-called experts of the gen forums... I've never liked elitism in any walk of life, I think there's so much more to life than worrying about the minutia As you say, it's true value which is what makes life worth living, and that's not something defined by the brand name Yup, elitist douches It's their loss

No worries I know how people can sometimes get paranoid about getting called out, and I think that the chances of anyone actually saying anything negative, are pretty remote, so if that helps someone be confident in themselves and what they choose to wear, I wanted to share I think you've got it absolutely spot on, and not a ramble at all, thanks for your feedback and input, it's always good to get other's thoughts on the subject Must admit, the custom/fantasy stuff is certainly my favorite, and it's always good to see what you've put together Absolutely so... For most, the hobby (especially on the rep forums)just gives people more of an appreciation for watches in general, and of course, while people eventually gravitate to one brand or another, there still remains that overall respect and appreciation for something 'as a watch'. I could appreciate the merits of a watch, even if it wasn't particularly to my taste to want to wear it, and definitely feel that my appreciation for the hobby overall has deepened over the years through me being here, and no amount of gens could change that Heck, why would I even want to consider shelling out gen prices, all the time I can be amused/kept happy by a £15 plastic quartz sub with a Rolex dial transplanted into it for shits and giggles? Of course, I don't wear it all the time, only if I'm in a really casual mood, or like last night, when I wanted to wear something 'low key' that couldn't possibly attract attention It's just my way of reminding myself to not take life too seriously, enjoy things for what they are, and to give the finger to those who over analyse things too much and miss the wood for the trees Yeah, or like some vegetarians who condescend to meat-eaters at meals I get it, they choose not to drink/eat meat/smoke or whatever it may be, but rather than preaching, they'd get more respect if they just learned a little tolerance for other people's choices. It's an irony that those who like to think of themselves as 'tolerant', are often the most intolerant of all