So I got a tattoo today.
 It's something that I've been wanting for a couple of years now. It's an image from the inlay of Current 93's album, "As The World Disappears". Well, Rob opted to give it to me for Christmas.
This meant going to a tattooist in Chicago, which I had reservations about.
First, let me give you a brief history of myself and my tattoos.
 The first piece I ever got was from T. in Austin. T. was a slightly grizzled fellow with a lot of tribal work all over his body, including his face. He had an altar right next to the chair. T. was great for calming the amateur jitters. He did a beautiful job on a piece designed by my dear friend, Nate. A  month later, I came back with another piece: it  was  a Posada woodcut (the one of the bishop) and I got it the night before I left town. T. did a fast job yet accurate and gentle, as I got into a meditative state.
 After I moved to Chicago, I was a bit undecided about who I wanted to do my next piece.  I knew there were a lot of tattooists that were supposed to be very technically good but I didn't want someone who just had a good hand, I wanted someone who cared as much about giving a tattoo as I did about getting one.  I looked around, but most of the studios had an assembly line feel. One of them was in a touristy area of town and while I got an okay vibe from the artists, I didn't want suburbanites gawking at me.
 N8 and Bekka recomended a tattooist from Wonderland, in Detroit. His name was Rob. I wanted an image from Jhonen Vasquez's comic, I Feel Sick. I made an appointment. So, we braved Rob's mom's teasings and suggestions of a little butterfly instead, and went to get the piece done. Rob absolutely loved the piece. Wonderland was a great place. It's the kind of shop where you expect to see a "no wimps" sign up. There  was a sign which read "Good tattoos are not cheap. Cheap tattoos are not good." He got to work. If I started to get dizzy (I suspect I have low blood sugar, so this is not an uncommon thing. It's why I seldom am without candy.) he happily took a break and brought me candy. Then he got back to work. At one point, a sorority girl was picking the flash design that she wanted. One of the tatttooists said to Rob (about me) "you're taking a  long time with that piece."
"Sure," he said, loud enough so everyone could hear. "These people came all the way from Chicago. I'm not going to rush through it. I'll save that for people who pick shit off the walls!" Rob is a man who had a profound commitment to tattooing. He was a very real person, no time for bullshit. He spent three hours on that piece. Only charged $140. too.  I can't sing his praises loud enough.
 So why didn't I go to him this time?
 Impatience I guess. The Current 93 image was fairly simple in design. And I didn't want to wait a couple months to get it.
 So I picked a place near Katerina's. I'd been referred by a waiter at a local hang out spot.
I walked in. It was an okay place but there wasn't anything that really screamed "character". It was a nice shop, clean, and it had some interesting paintings on the wall. I met the artist and showed him the piece. He looked at it, asked a few basic questions about what I wanted and worked on the stencil. He was a bit younger than I'm used to, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but  I am more used to the weathered, biker types. We talked a little, but not much. He did good work, but there was never anything particularly enthused about him or for that matter, anyone in the shop. Everyone there seemed to just be doing their job, not their passion. I couldn't picture any of them as tattooists. At one point, I overheard one of the tattooists saying "you don't have to be good at art, just be able to trace." Trace? Trace?!? He just reduced his profession to tracers? If I hadn't been under the needle, I would have fallen out of my chair!  Afterwards, I looked at the piece. It was beautiful. I'm very happy with the tattoo. But I have to say, I was disappointed with the bedside manner. It was good work, but I would have liked to see the tattooist enjoy the piece as much as I do.
 Ah well. My next piece will be in July. I'm going to get an etching my late sister did tattooed on my left shoulder. I figure it would be a nice way to remember her, and besides this particular piece has inspired me for years. I think I'll go to Wonderland when I get it.

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