The website has moved to http://dragontattoo.blogspot.com. So please change your bookmarks and listings.

Second, I would like to respond to N^T^A's comment on my post of the Boston Tattoo Convention last September.

I would like to begin by apologizing if I have offended you. First, the posting was all in fun and I feel that the contests at the convention are also all in fun. I never expected to win in the first place and I entered it just to do it. I hope that people don't take themselves so seriously that they cannot enjoy a contest or your convention.

Second, I did not mean to make the post appear as though I was really burning the convention. Rather, this was my perception of the contests and it was the perception of many others that I spoke with that participated in the contests. This is especially glaring when you walk by the table of the sponsoring shops and it's shown with many trophies they have won from their own convention. Don't get me wrong, I don't take anything away from any of the artists from those shops. They do fantastic work, all are talented, and all deserve to win the trophies they did. Personally, I love my tattoo and I could really care less what others think. If Phuc though this was the worst tattoo he had ever done, I would still love it. Trust me, not winning was not a big deal.

Again, I hope you do not take offense to my post. It was all in fun and you put on a great convention that I plan on returning to next year if I am around. It's a great promotional tool for the tattoo community in the great Northeast. The contests are fun, but please don't take yourself so seriously. It's all about having fun, meeting new people, and seeing some great art. All of which I did the past couple of years when I have attended your convention.

Now that all is done, I will leave you all. I have really enjoyed the whole process and having the opportunity to share my experience with everyone who has visited. It has been fun making new friends in Phuc and Sue and having the chance to get to know great people. If you ever have the opportunity to get up to the shop, I highly advise it. Not only will you have quality work done, in all likelihood, you will get to develop your own friendships with Phuc and Sue. Thanks guys for a great experience. For everyone else, thanks for coming by and sharing your comments. Don't be strangers. As Phuc states most elegantly, "it's not 'goodbye,' but 'see you soon!'"

Attending the Boston Tattoo Convention this weekend was fun. Katie and I got to hang out with Phuc and Sue, and we had the opportunity to meet a lot of their friends. Sorry, I don't have any pictures to share. It was just a lot of tattooed people walking around. Not that exciting. The one really disappointing aspect of the whole convention was the contests. Not that I am complaining and being a poor sport because my piece did not win, but because the whole contest was a farce. Money maker for "The Sponsors" (Darkwave Tattoos), not to name names or anything, and allowing them to pat themselves on the back. Let me lay out the evidence of the setup. First of all, one of the judges was their shop manager. Granted, it's tough getting quality people to judge tattoo contests, but come on, there should be bias judges or at least individuals that are not affiliated with people that are entered into the contest. Or at best, artist's names should not be announced. But then you look at the winners, most went to, who else, "The Sponsors." Not that any tattoo that won was poorly done or anything like that (by the way all the entries were very nice), but I can easily say that many of the tattoos that actually lost were far superior in detail and technicality. For example, in the back piece category that I entered in, there were six contestants. All beautifully done. The lady who ended up winning did not even show her full tattoo, she hid behind her sweatshirt and bared her shoulder blades for the judges to look at. She could of had an amazing piece, but I definitely could not tell, because I couldn't see it. There was a guy that entered who had an amazing traditional Japanese koi fish piece which was amazing. I was completely in disbelief that he did not win. Oh well. Maybe next year they should add in this disclaimer: "If you did not get your tattoo from either Darkwave or Lightwave Tattoo shops, don't bother entering your piece into the contest, because you'll just lose the contest and the ten bucks you gave us! SUCKERS!" Any ways, on to the fun stuff.

So I broke down like a little kid in a candy shop and got a tattoo by Joel Long. Ironically, he's actually from my old neck of the woods from Boulder, Colorado at Bolder Ink. He's an amazing tattooer, so I ended up getting a crane from him. I'll post a picture when it heals, probably on flickr. We also had the opportunity to meet Khristian from Mooncusser Tattoo. Who by the way is a great artist and a hilarious guy. He will also cover up any of your tattoos with a tribal piece if you like. All in all, this was a fun weekend. I didn't get much work done, but it was worth it.

As many of you know, the Boston Tattoo Convention is this upcoming weekend and I'm excited to go. The back piece contest will be held on Saturday, so I'll be there and I'm planning on entering. For those that are planning on going, I would highly recommend buying your tickets in advance because it will be much cheaper. If you are interested in getting a tattoo while you are at the convention, you can go on the the Boston Tattoo Convention website and check out the artists' portfolios and get email addresses to set up appointments. Pretty convenient. Needled, which is a nice blog about tattoos, did a pretty good entry about the convention. I hope to see many of you there.

2 days (48 hours) of tattooing (give or take a couple of hours)
12 tattoo sessions
2,673.6 miles driven from Boston, MA to Portland, ME and back
$86.40 of highway tolls paid
$24 spent on feeding the parking meter
1 parking violation warning
$201 spent on the world's best jumbo lobster rolls at Bob's Clam Hut
35 blogger posts (36 including this one)
48 ounces of Curel used to moisturize
131 pictures taken
1 visit from Ron and Lacy
1 apprentice hired
3rd episode of Star Wars came out
1 lady who wanted business cards because she "worked the streets"
$ cost of tattoo (don't bother asking)
1 bad ass dragon tattoo exactly as I wanted