"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...

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.

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 »

Good Morning, Let's See Who's Dead

A website devoted to tracking who's alive and who's not. Most entries are for the recently passed but also some entries to silence rumors. Also, a neat feature to read obituaries and find photographs of actual grave locations. Go »

Halloween Post #8: Geek-O'Lanterns

Happy Halloween! Celebrate this absurdly lovable holiday with a time-consuming habit of making a jack-o-lantern. Despite the inherent silliness of carving a gourd as an act of celebration, these pumpkins are very impressive. Go »

How Old Is Too Old For Santa Claus?

My daughter Lauren wrote a letter to Santa in which she asked him for nothing - just a letter to say what a cool guy she thinks he is. It has a few misspellings and a grammar error or two and it's not written with the greatest penmanship. And it's completely adorable. Go »

Halloween 2015

A pretty fun time again this year. My brother and his wife hosted a costume party and because Cheryl is a breast cancer survivor, she requested that each costume contain a touch of pink. I carried around a baguette and sang I Want to Rock 'n' Roll All Night in French (Je veux du rock 'n roll tour le soir, et jeter tour la jour). Go »

Apparently, Some Visuals are Best Left Undescribed

Recent conversation with Brenda: me: I was thinking about Star Wars stuff the other day and I can't help but see this mental image of the Empire State Building wielding a light sabre and waving it at King Kong. You know, The Empire Strikes Back. Brenda: Have you taken your meds today? Go »

Good News, Bad News, Good News...

Good News: Brenda got a job. Bad News: The pay sucks! Good News: Potential new career track. Go »