Monday, March 19, 2007

Tattoos

It sounded like a good idea at the time. Even though I've never been big on tattoos, the thought of KBMG getting tattoos to remember the trip by creating a certain family connection seemed to put the thought on another level. Bobby was very interested so Joe decided to inquire further and get some more information. The first "parlor" we were directed to looked skanky enough for Bobby to consider "maybe I don't want a tattoo so badly after all". Joe then got some more information on getting a tattoo without any accompanying diseases and was directed to a place very close to the Crane Bar, scene of the previous night's session.

You'd think the sign on the outside of this tattoo parlor would make it obvious enough and that it would be open, however, it wasn't.

Bobby slowly peels away the bandage to reveal his new art


"I like it..."



It's a Harp, the national symbol of Ireland, with a collection of shaped lines that are supposed to spell out the word Ireland.
Molly wasn't fooled either.
After being told by the owner of the parlor that he didn't do tattoos on anyone younger than 16 and need parental consent for those 16 to 18 (an example of a responsible tattoo artist) we all breathed a sigh of relief and headed back. Then came the idea of investing in a black magic marker and doing our own tattoos, trying to make Katie believe that they're real. After slowing the pace of pedestrians crossing the bridge over the Corrib river by laughing hysterically for 10 minutes, we decided to put our plan into action.

Joe "Tat-Man" Reidy works his magic while Bobby bravely tolerates the pain

After acquiring some black magic "tattoo" applicators, we found an inconspicuous place to both apply body art, however temporary, and have lunch. The King´s Head Pub performed both functions fairly well.

"Boboo" Fleet Applies yet another masterpiece on another, if inattentive, customer

The fuzzy photograph belies the true quality of Joe's tattoo. It also makes it difficult to see that Ireland is spelled incorrectly ("Irelind") which was all a part of the "it wasn't really expensive at all" part of the joke.

Making the old "Mom, I just got a tattoo" joke believable requires special touches like making the skin red (Bobby was ever so grateful for the Indian burn I gave him) to putting bandages over the freshly assaulted skin. It was nice to have an audience as we did in the hotel lobby when we set the hook as the desk clerks roared with laughter at Katie´s reaction. Had Molly not picked up on the fraud, the next phase of the joke was going to include, "Mom, I feel really sick".

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