Tattoos used to be not quite socially acceptable, done by carny roustabouts and sailors, mostly,
so as a fleet sailor, I seriously considered it. Use to review the sketches at various parlors in
sailor towns from Hong Kong to San Diego and beyond. Looked at the work crew members had
done. In those days, it wasn't usually a serial experience, pretty much one or two to a customer.
(My wife has a cousin who had a long and somewhat famous career as a tattoo artist in the
Chicago area, though he grew up in Missouri; he had a long career as a senior enlisted man in
the U.S. Army.) I had in mind an anchor and a rose high on my bicep. But eventually, I decided
I didn't want to look at the same piece of art forever, every shower and shave, the rest of my life.
I'm visually restless. When tattoos came back big time for a much wider demographic, I didn't think
they looked so great on "mature" adults, so I'll pass.