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 »

Lucky Number 5
Brenda looked over my shoulder once to see what I was reading that made me chuckle. I told her it was an off-color joke involving the number 68. As it happened, she noticed that this joke appeared on page 68 of the book I was reading. Go »
Great Moments In Sign Hacking
If only I had had my camera... The Washington Beltway is similar to other major national highways in that it has several LED signs displaying messages to commuters. Silver alerts, orange alerts, missing children BOLOs, etc. Go »
It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
Recent conversation with Brenda: me: I heard a song on the radio on the ride home today and found myself returning to the 70's. Brenda: Like you ever left. me: Be that as it may, I was bobbing my head to Journey's Lovin, Touchin', Squeezin'. Go »
Who Edits Wikipedia?
Without trying to seem overly paranoid, I've always been just a little suspicious of Wikipedia entries since they can be easily manipulated. A student has created a program that tracks just who is making changes to Wikipedia; adding exaggerated claims or deleting sections with negative connotations. Go »
The Bus Stops Here
In Slapshot, Paul Newman encourages the minor league hockey team he captains to play like goons. The team begins to have some success and the driver of the team bus joins in the spirit of gooniness. Paul Newman approaches him while he is proceeding to smack the exterior of the bus with a sledge hammer and inquires as to what he is doing. 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.