Speaking Of Tattoos...
by Steve West on October 6, 2007

"She Who Must Be Obeyed" (my wife) has graciously allowed me to alter my flesh by getting a tattoo. Much thought has gone into this. David Spade put it well after getting a Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes tattoo on his shoulder. He said you have to be careful putting a cartoon character on your skin because what's popular now could be Mary Worth ten years from now. For you youngsters who don't know Mary Worth, that joke is hilarious and frightening. This is my skin, man! So, I've been scanning a lot of images seeing a lot of cool stuff but not really seeing me. Until this. Science tattoos. What better way to express my inner geek than a tattoo of the quadratic formula on my bicep? Or maybe the gravitational constant? Or maybe a portrait of Enrico Fermi? Or maybe... Oh, the possibilities.
(On a side note: my wife has the right of first refusal saying that she's the one who has to see it all the time, not me after all. Yes, dear.)
Four Replies to Speaking Of Tattoos...
Steve West | October 6, 2007
Hah! True. Although a flat world map has a certain appeal.
Amy Austin | October 7, 2007
Good husband. E happens to have a Calvin & Hobbes tatt on his calf. I wasn't consulted on this.
Tony Peters | October 8, 2007
Consulting ones wife would in many cases lead to refusal....or a demand for equal time under the needle. My father saw my tattoo's all 13 of them for the first time this summer and he was impressed with a few of them. Especially my last which is a Tribal Sun on my left shoulder that was given to me last year for my birthday while in Italy
Web Junkie
Steve West scours the Web searching for interest or absurdity and then shakes his head ruefully when he finds it. Read more »

Autism Walk 2010
We go on this walk annually and have seen it grow tremendously over the last seven years. What began for us as a walk to support a local fundraising group has evolved into a national campaign spearheaded by the Autism Speaks organization. It hasn't all been good but the majority of changes have been welcome. Go »
Sometimes Comedy = Pain
Once upon a time, the entire clip of this sketch was available on-line. It's been removed from YouTube but I found it here in a shortened version. It's too bad because the full explanation of what they're doing and why they're doing it makes it that much more enjoyable. Go »
It's Not Just Rhetoric
A personal pet peeve of mine is the use of the phrase, "That's just rhetoric." As if the speech being referred to is meaningless and/or uninspiring. The word rhetoric is to be used to define speech designed to persuade. Go »
When You Care Enough to Hit Send
E-cards of an unusual and hilarious nature. I haven't tried one so I don't know if they work - it appears that they do. But they're extremely funny nonetheless. Go »
Random Thoughts While Stuck in Traffic
There's a serious traffic jam on the 495 Washington beltway that I happen to be stuck in. It's worse than stop & go, stop & go - it's more like stooooooop & go, stoooooooooooop & go. Trying to stay awake, my mind is wandering, giving me images and sounds. Go »
Matthew Preston | October 6, 2007
I suppose the "Mary Worth" theory applies to science tattoos as well. It would be hilarious for a formula to be proven wrong at a later date! Kind of like getting a flat-earth map, or an earth-centric galaxy tattoo back in the day.