As long as I started this thread, I thought I ought to observe tattoos more closely today.
I saw a patient with a very well-rendered face of Jesus inked on his right chest, with Jesus gazing towards the right biceps most compassionately.
On the right biceps was a very buxom topless lass holding out her boobs and seeming to offer them to Jesus.
At least it wasn’t a talking tattoo of Eddie Vetter. I hear those exist in Oregon.
I have a tattoo of a flaming toaster on my calf. It’s an old-school chrome toaster with a couple of pieces of burnt toast flying out of it, and the old rounded electrical plug has some glowing/lightning bolt type stuff shooting out, and there are big hot-rod style flames coming off the whole thing. The whole thing is probably about 8 or 9 inches tall.
People occasionally ask me what it means and I say, “nothing at all!”
I was sketching a “sacred toaster” (like a sacred heart, but with a toaster) during class in college one day, which later became a flaming toaster. My tattoo artist was excited about my sketch, freehanded a drawing on my leg, and got to work.
Some of my tattoos have meaning, like the one that’s a tribute to my late grandfather. This one is just for fun and aesthetics and nothing more.
I thought this was a joke. Then I thought it was for real. Then I thought it was a joke.
Now I don’t know what to think.
I met a girl who had a toaster branded on her calf. Toasters are cool.
It’s been a long time since a tattoo really startled me. Tats of disemboweled children, gaping vaginas, anuses expelling stool, meh. All par for the course. Some stand out in my mind as curiosities, but I no longer spend much time pondering “what were they thinking??”
My toaster is 100% real…no joke!
Wow. You realize when you’re 70 you’re going to regret not going for a dishwasher instead.
Sorry but I just gotta ask… flaming or non?
Ted Striker: A one way ticket to Chicago: no luggage.
Attendee: Smoking, or non-smoking.
Ted Striker: Smoking.
I try not to have too many regrets, but you never know! 
I have often thought of getting some other breakfast-related art on that leg…maybe a stack of pancakes dripping in butter and syrup, a frying pan with eggs and bacon, etc.
For a story of a tattoo that I have with meaning: when I was a kid of about 6 or so, I asked my Korean War USMC-veteran grandfather why he had a tattoo of the name “Betty Lou” on his arm when grandma’s name was “Donna Lou.” Obviously it was a girlfriend he had in the Marine Corps before he met my grandma, but he told me it was his Secret Service code name (a total lie). I went home and asked my parents if they knew that grandpa’s Secret Service name was “Betty Lou.” They howled with laughter.
After my grandpa passed away right after I graduated from college, I drew up a tattoo of “Betty Lou” in a pretty script with a couple of simple little stars around it, all in black ink, just like I remembered his looking like, and got it tattooed on the inside of my left bicep. It was a nice tribute to him, and my grandma about cried (not in a bad way) when she saw it and I told her what it meant to me. It reminds me of him, of his service overseas in the military, of how funny he was, and how he tricked me as a little kid.
My wife doesn’t mind that I have another woman’s name tattooed on me, as she knows what it means to me. So my tattoos aren’t ALL stupid, but I don’t mind the ones that are.
I don’t normally like tattoos, but that’s a great story.
Yeah, agreed. And it beats the everlovin’ hell out of an ATM.
I have many tattoos, all original art. Whenever someone tells me they don’t get it (happens not infrequently), my standard response is, “you don’t have to”.
Could the ATM tattoo on the arm have reference to a One Armed Bandit? 
Nah, I doubt he thought about it that much, but it could be a clever reference to a slot machine. In some universe.
I’m thinking it’s a combination of a rabid Wizard of Oz fan and a partially deaf tattoo artist.
“Dammit!! I said AUNTIE EM!”
On the (tired, old) subject of barcode tattoos. We did, in fact, scan the one my friend has on his arm one late night at the grocery store. It was done totally at random, so we didn’t expect it to actually ring up as anything.
Turns out he’s “Misc. Meat $1.69”.
Awesome.
Check out post 8… Hey, waiddaminit, I see what you did there!
QR tat: YouTube
I’m curious, as a tattoo on his arm I’m assuming it couldn’t have been too large, so how did you recognize it as an ATM and not just some crap painted on his arm? Did it have “atm” written on the design? 
Thanks for the clarification on Henry Rollins tattoo. I think I assumed it was a barcode from afar. I see it is clearly the Black Flag logo.