The Distinguished Gentleman
Wednesday, June 4, 2008 Distinguishing marks, that is. I'm covered in 'em. And honestly, I had no idea so many of you were too. But thanks to Sunshine from And the Pursuit of Happiness, we're doing a little showing off today. Sunshine is hosting a tattoo party over at her place and invited all of us inked bloggers to submit our tattoos to let all her readers try to match them with their owner. We kept them guessing a few days and today is the final reveal. So without further ado, this guy right here:
Was me. And as the rules of the game state, I'm supposed to tell you a little something now about my tattoo(s). Let's work this chronologically:
Koi, circa 1995
I got this one in L.A. before I moved out to L.A. I was here to scope out a possible move and thought "well, hell! what do people do in Los Angeles? They get inked!" So I visited Sunset Strip Tattoo and got this here tattoo done by Eric Blair. He has done some truly amazing work, but I guess his claim to fame back then was that he was the guy who did Tommy and Pamela's tattooed wedding bands. Why did I get a koi? I'm a fish nerd who wants to be a badass. I told him to "make me a fish, but make it mean, like with angry eyes and stuff."
Rat, circa 1996 
Once you get your first tattoo, it is really hard to stop. I mean, you've permanently scarred your body already. You might as well do something interesting with it. 1996 was the year of the rat. I was born on the year of the rat. Doesn't that make total sense? By this time, I was already living in L.A. And I worked across the street from Sunset Strip Tattoo. So I paid Eric another visit. "I'd like a rat. But make it mean, with like angry eyes and stuff."
Scorpion, circa 1998
No eyes. But still mean looking. And Eric Blair once more. This was one of those "fulfilling the fix" tattoos. I just needed another one. I went to the shop, flipped through the portfolio and found the coolest, meanest thing I could find. I really wanted a skull, but thought "what am I going to do with a skull when I'm 70?" Probably the same thing I'm going to do with a scorpion at 70. People ask me all the time if I'm a scorpio. I should just change by birthday to give this tattoo a little more relevance.
The Oops, circa 1999
So I got into a fight with my girlfriend one day. She claimed I was not into her, or not committed or something. I wanted to prove her wrong. So I went to Old Town Tattoo in Pasadena and got a heart with her nickname on it, right on my chest. Why didn't I go to Eric Blair? He would have smacked me upside the head.
The Yakuza Cover-Up, circa 2002
I was married to d Wife by this time, and that heart tattoo became somewhat of an issue (ya think???).Time to visit Eric once more and confess to him that I had strayed. I also thought it was time to connect my random animal tattoos. I felt like a freaking zoo with all of God's creatures basking on my body. I tasked Eric with the job of not only covering up the Oops, but also connecting everything into a more unified graphic. It took 2 days, but when it was all done, I couldn't look in the mirror without reflexively making some angry eyes and stuff. It was that badass.
I love my tatttoos. And I love to show them off. But I also love the fact that they're totally disguiseable. Thug lite, if you will. This enables me to slip through corporate America incognito. A double life, I lead. Now I am entrusting you, my loyal readers with keeping my secret identity under wraps. Because the next time we meet, I'll likely look like this:
Blog Carnivals, Me 
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Reader Comments (49)
Bad Ass Dad!
I can never get a decent shot of mine, and I'm too chicken to get someone else to do it.
Nice work.
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[BusyDad] The angry eyes worked!!
Wow, you're like Superman underneath that corporate disguise.
I'm too chicken and haven't gotten a tattoo yet...but I've threatened to get a tramp stamp if I can get my body back to my pre-baby size 6...I'm stuck at an 8 and not really up for the hard work to lose more...aka I'm happy and lazy where I"m at;)
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[BusyDad] You can be happy and lazy and still get a tattoo. Look at me! And you'd get a blog post out of it. I see benefits all around.
I'm still not brave enough to get a tattoo. I can't decide on what I want either, and I don't know the area artists well enough to trust them.
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[BusyDad] I think deciding what you want is the toughest part. Most tattoos are traced (they lay some ink on your skin first), so most reputable places won't really mess it up.
Dude, we had the Rat conversation. I could NOT go there, you are brave. My story is up finally, I got yours linked. I love the stories, especially when you strayed from your tattoo artist, too funny!
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[BusyDad] I remember that! It was actually the first post of yours that I read (the new school Chinese zodiac one). This was fun and a great idea. I have to go check out everyone else's posts.
Love your ink, Jimmy!
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[BusyDad] on my way to check out yours!
Wow! Who would have known that under that spiffy suit was a bad ass Daddy! LOVE them, especially the work on your shoulder - that is truly amazing. Thanks for sharing!!
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[BusyDad] Thank you Kat! Will check out your post once I get thru these comments!
HAHA You are so funny. I also like that I can cover my tattoos if I want and nobody will know. Hubby got my name on his wrist when we got married. He totally did it on his own and I DID NOT force him into it. He then asked when I was gonna get his name. Um I love you but I'm so not getting your name on me. I mean maybe if he had a semi-normal name but "Clell"? No way. I would be explaining it all the time. I DID get my son's name on my ankle but he's my kid and I will love him forever. Not that I'm saying I won't love my hubby forever. Oh nevermind!
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[BusyDad] Haha I'll let you backpeddle out of that one by yourself...
Oh gosh, that is hilarious. Loving the ink AND the excellent cover up job.
And ppsstt....nobody expects a nice little children's librarian to have a big fat tattoo covering her legs. I can go incognito too! Shan
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[BusyDad] Hmmm I will never look at librarians the same way again. There's something so Van Halen song about it.
See, I'm scared to get a tattoo. Not because of the pain (well, I'm not a fan of that either)...but because of what my skin may do when I'm 70. Like sag. And, what looks good sagging? Nothing. Unless you get like a stretch armstrong tattooed on you. Or something. So, yeh. Plus, I like them on guys way more.
And don't kid yourself, you really made this post because you wanted to get half nekkid on your blog (and that wasn't a misspelling). Ha. :)
I like your "markings" Very nice. I think you might need some therapy for all of those angry eyes, though. lol jk
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[BusyDad] Haha if I ever wanted to go half nekkid, now (at my all time heaviest) would not be the ideal time. I think I did a good job cropping all the fat out, though, don't you think?
For once, words fail me. Really.
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[BusyDad] Let me just savor this moment. ;)
I totally get the "tatto fix". I'm ready for another one! Love the work you've had done. I, too, enjoy being able to hide mine. I also like the shock on people's faces when they find out a "nice girl" like me has ink. :)
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[BusyDad] It's better that way isn't it? It's not so fun being the person everyone would expect to have a tattoo.
Love them! Very cool that not all of your spur of the moment tats ended up as mistakes. But EVERYONE know you don't get someone's name tattooed on you. (I know, you've been lectured about a million times since, so I'll stop!) But if not for that, you might not have gotten the awesome Yakuza coverup, which is my fave!
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[BusyDad] Thanks Nissa! And yeah, I guess the cool cover-up would never have happened without my mistake, so again, everything happens for a reason!
So how old does Fury have to be before he can ink?
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[BusyDad] Soon as he can take the pain. d Wife is inked up too... We have no moral high ground to stand on.
"Thug Lite" HAHAHA. love it! Stay with Eric. He does a nice job.
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[BusyDad] He does rock. I need to pay him another visit I think. "Thug Lite: the bad boy your mama would even like" ;)
Sweet tats man!
I've been wanting to get one for some time, but can never come up with a design that I like. I think I may break down and do it this year on my birthday... it's the Big 3-0 this year so why not get a tat that marks the end of my 20's! :D
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[BusyDad] Thanks man! And Jared - you HAVE TO! (and of course post about it).
Ha! I knew that was you. I love the shading of the one on your chest, its badass. My ex had 6 totally meaningless and horribly ugly tattoos. The only nice one was the one with my name, which he covered when he was drunk after the first time. He covered it with a really stupid looking panther. Also? He had SBJ's B-Day tatooted on him, and he had to call me to confirm the actual date. I told him that I hoped he put the wrong date and I hung up. He must have called his mom for the right one.
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[BusyDad] Oh my! hahahaha! It's like Who Wants to be a Millionaire. "So this date, is that your final answer?" "No no wait I want to phone a friend."
i knew yours! i've been thinking of a koi for about a year now, but i'm thinking, 'this will be my sixth, seems i should do something kid-related'
just cuz, you know, at least one tat should reflect my mommy status - and maybe hide some stretch marks at the same time, eh?
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[BusyDad] I love Koi as tattoo subjects. And I am definitely due for a daddy status tattoo as well. Fury. With angry eyes.
i can't believe you did that heart one.....how? how?? You fell for the number one tattoo mistake! Remember that norman rockwell picture of the tattoo guy? hmmm, why mom is reminded of you when we see it... Yes, Eric should have just smacked you for sissying all the badass work he did.
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[d Bro] Haha I should have just done that Norman Rockwell thing. At least it would have looked like I did it on purpose.
Impressive job on the filling the heart.
My ex had my name inked up on his arm and later covered it with a skull and crossbones...ummm, yeah. I like your cover-up much better.
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[BusyDad] That would suck he started liking ninjas better than pirates all of a sudden.
I have one small Celtic knot on my shoulder... I blame Gregg Allman. My college kid is going with me soon when I get my second one. I'm trying to talk Hubs into going with me, but I don't see that happening. My daughter got her first THE DAY she turned 18. My son (who is only 14) wants one some day. He says he's getting Waldo inked somewhere, not telling where - a real life 'Where's Waldo' Yeah, I'm real proud!
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[BusyDad] Where's Waldo is pretty darn cool! Total excuse for him to tempt the ladies... oh sorry. You do not want to hear that. :)
Wow, those are some great tattoos! I love that you thought about being able to cover them when needed. I did the same thing and people are always shocked to see mine when I show them.
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[BusyDad] Hideable tattoos: perfect for the not-fully-committed badass. Thanks!
The heart? Dude, come on! You should've known better than that!
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[BusyDad] If I had a dime...
Love the tattoos! My friend had a huge phoenix tattooed on her SIDE. It's beautiful but she said it hurt like heck! I'd love to get a tattoo some day. Not sure of what, though. I was considering Johnny Depp but don't think the hubby would approve.
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[BusyDad] Thanks SherE1! Where did you get those razor sharp spousal instincts? ;)
I keep talking about getting a tattoo, but haven't yet. I guess I haven't found what I want to be permanently inked into my skin.
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[BusyDad] I know a guy who got "Keep on Truckin" tattooed on him in the 70's. I bet he wishes he thought a little harder. You know, something more classic, like "Frankie Says Relax"
Those are really awesome tattoos! I esp. liked the Yakuza cover-up. I have a dragon tattoo on my right arm. Got it in my wild days. Was planning on adding a few more, like a tiger or scorpion that goes from my upper back to the chest, much like your cover-up, but my wife does not approve, yet. Maybe someday.
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[BusyDad] "Maybe someday" is a pipedream when it comes to spouses ;) no is no now and just as no 30 years from now...
WICKED!
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[BusyDad] >:D
Thanks for sharing! So bummed I missed the deadline but seeing all the ink makes me want a third!
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[BusyDad] It was fun :) I know what you mean. I thought I was done, until I started writing about these ones! Thanks for stopping by.
Love the angry eyes and all! Glad Eric took you back and made you feel whole again!
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[BusyDad] Thanks Nola! and yeah, I think he was shaking his head the whole time he covered that oops up.
Nice tats man. If you;re anything like me, you shop for white dress shirts in the "extra thick" category. Way to stick it to the man.
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[BusyDad] Ha - totally!! I'm always conscious of see-throughage.
i already knew you could kick my ass, now your just showing off.
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[BusyDad] Man, like I said, those angry eyes sure do work!
I've got some ink, too. It is amazing how many people have some and you'd never know it.
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[BusyDad] I should start a badass cubicle drone gang!
I didn't know this was going on!!! I have 4-all of which were soooo stupid. I hate them all, and as soon as tat removal is fail proof and 100% effective I will be the first rolling in the joint to get it done.
Plus, the tat's don't go so well with my 'PTO Mom with pearls'. Luckily, they are all hidable-like yours.
Yours, though-so sweet. Man with tattoos; HOT.
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[BusyDad] See, a PTO Mom with Pearls AND tats would be totally smokin. You need to go with it.
Da-da-da-dum! Tattoooooo Man! Ok, that was dumb, sorry.
Nice ones though! I only have one and it screams hey-I'm-20-so-I-surely-need-a-lower-back-tattoo.
Sigh.
Getting my next one in a few weeks - yay!
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[BusyDad] Thanks! And when you get your new one I assume you'll post about it? Gotta check it out. I'm really starting to want more now.
These are completely awesome tatoos, Jim. I'm not a big tatoo fan, but Eric is a true artist.
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[BusyDad] Thanks Jen! He has some way famous clientele -- and I'm not just talking about me ;)
Very bad ass, BusyDad. I'd think this would be very effective during tournament. Psych the competition out with all the angry eyes! Beautiful workmanship!
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[BusyDad] Rock on Lyssa - thanks! Yeah, I just radiate mean in the ring. Until they hit me.
Love ya page... I think I'll have to post a pic of my ink too..
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[BusyDad] Thanks Eathan! Might as well throw it out there.
Those are pretty bad ass. I got some ink too. (said that in a totally tough bad ass girl voice and then spit on the ground.)
Mine is tiny and hidden so my Daddy didn't find out and disown me and never pay for my college.
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[BusyDad] Thanks Aimee *spit*. Calculated rebellion - very smart.
Damn dude if you get anymore you should get like a pepsi tattoo and make some money as a walking billboard.
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[BusyDad] Will do it for free Beer. Anyone? Anyone?
OK, so we are definitely starting a gang now, and it is a requirement that all 'dad-bangers' get tats. Me and you have a head start, so we can be the posse leaders. You can teach everyone martial arts, and we can be the biggest baddest group of dads on the planet. What do you say?
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[BusyDad] Dad-bangers? I'm down. great name haha. Although it could also be a name for a gang of homewrecking ladies.
I got my tat from a friend who always wanted to be a tatoo artist. I am like you and keep it hidden. I think he did a good job though.
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[BusyDad] Props to you for being his test subject! That's being a friend right there.
I love the artwork! I've been a WAHM for years now, so it's been a WHILE since I put on a suit. And since it's in the 80's-90's here, I usually have a wife beater on, with all 3 of my tats poking out.
You do a MUCH better job at goin' lite than me, Superman.
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[BusyDad] So does that make you a WAHB (work-at-home-badass)?
My secret obsession. Men with tattoos. Hubs has none. I'll keep your secret if you keep mine.
Going to scroll through pics again . . .
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[BusyDad] :-O
I have 3 but you know that. I thought I'd be done with my 1st one but I guess what they say is true - it's addictive! Can't wait for my next one. Oh and that heart thingy one is STOOOOPID!
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[d Hubby] I guess Fury is destined to be inked.
I don't know if I could get a cool enough shot of my tattoo, so I guess it's just as well I missed out on this.
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[BusyDad] The game didn't have enough guys in it. Made it too easy to guess which one I was. Work on that shot. I'm sure she'll host another because it seems we all want more tats now.
Wow, Corporate Man is the alter ego of superhero Tatoo Man, who is faster than a speeding amicus brief and can leap corporate ladders in a single bound. Excellent. What's his superpower? He can use his prodigious ink to reveal corporate dirt in the name of truth, justice, and the capitalist way.
But does he have a sidekick in tights?
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[BusyDad] I'm afraid his power is merely being able to entertain hordes of cubicle rats at the watercooler :( Now a sidekick in tights is a great idea. Do they have those on Monster.com?
We've got tats of the same vintage and were both wise enough to put them where we could hide them when we needed to be all corporate sellout. Still proud of mine but also proud that I can go incognito!
Love them BD! All very cool! Me? A wimp! Deathly afraid of needles so the tattoo thing is out for me. I do have a few pairs of bitchin' Ed Hardy sneakers though ;-)
I LOVE THE SCORPION!!! CORPORATE AMERICA HAS NO CLUE HOW STRONG YOUR STING IS!
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[BusyDad] Haha - thanks Angie (and thanks for pimping that pic on your blog!)
umm, yea, i would've smacked you for the heart tattoo. i'd do that to anyone, regardless if i knew them or not. that's like tattoo rule #1! :P
but your cover up is mighty badass! :D
wow, your koi is holdin up really well but looks like it could use some fresh color! are you done getting tattoos?
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[BusyDad] Yeah, a moment (45 min actually) of pure stupidity. But exactly, the cover up is like my fav one, so something good came of it. And nope - I think I may get more in the future.