Posts by JackElder

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  • Up Front: Not Actually Blue at All,

    come round at the weekend and i'll put one on with a needle and some biro ink.

    Dude, I think you're taking this frugality thing a bit too seriously.

    Megan: old ten cent or new ten cent?

    All of my tats were originally related to my birthdays. Hey, it's a good way to ensure you only get one a year and don't go too mad. Of course, if I'd kept it up I'd probably have a bodysuit by now.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Up Front: Not Actually Blue at All,

    In my experieince, non-facial (and non offensive) moko and tattoos are fully mainstream. And Aotearoa is very chilled out to them, they barely raise an eyebrow these days.

    Agreed. I've worked in the software, finance and compliance side of things for a while, and I've never had a problem with my appearance. I've even had job offers from the NZDF (for a back office support role), despite being reasonably visibly modified (big earlobes/unusual ear piercings). To be honest, I cycle to work and most employers have had more to say about me sitting around the office in skin-tight lycra than they have about the tattoos you can see when I'm in shorts. When I was younger, I was pretty worried about curtailing employment prospects with visible tattoos; these days, I'm well past worrying about it.

    that 'over the bone hurts more' thing.

    I found that being tattooed over bone hurt like a bastard. But worse was being tattooed over tendons. My first two tats both went over my shin and achilles tendon - both locations were bad, but the tendon was a really different pain. Mind you, I can't say that having the underside of my arm tattooed was a walk in the park either.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Up Front: Not Actually Blue at All,

    That's odd, I've just realised that I know someone online based on their description of their tats. That's progress for you.

    I'm always a bit suspicious by any tattooist who doesn't have a waiting list. All the tattooists I've met had at least a month's waiting list for anything bigger than a 50c piece. Most recently, the tattooist I want to do my next ink (Manu at Manu Tattoo) politely explained that his waiting list was well into December, so no hurry on the design...

    Me: three tats, all got before I was 21 (I think) - 18, 19, 21. All simple black stuff - ankle, calf, armband. A surprising gap ensued; for some reason, when I didn't have any money, I wanted to get some more ink, but when I had the money, I didn't get around to it. That includes a 7-year sojourn in the UK, when for some reason I completely failed to get a full sleeve done at Into You. Astonishing. Anyway, this resonates a bit for me because I'm currently planning, um, a full sleeve. Need something big, black & red, abstract, but simple - my ideal tattoo is one that you can tell what it is when I'm about 20 metres away. On a bicycle. When I was 18 I decided not to get any tats on my forearms until I was 30; at 33, I'd better get around to it. Mind you, my daughter has other ideas - she's quite happy with the idea of me getting more "stamps" (you know, like you get on the back of your hand at the library), and she thinks they should be on my forearm, but she wants them to be pictures of her and her sister. Little tyke.

    At my last job, I found out at my leaving do that there was a side bet between members of the interviewing panel over what the section head would do the first time he saw me (pretty conservative guy). Though that's probably more to do with the 12mm ear piercings (large enough to get a little finger through, they've been there for just over a decade now) than the tats...

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: Still not over it,

    Clarification - I've linked to the Wellington City Council's page, Stephen linked to the Wellington Regional Council's page. The policies are separate - the WCC is the one specifically concerned with around-town cycling infrastructure and planning, and the one most likely (imo) to affect cyclists on a day-to-day basis.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: Still not over it,

    Ooh - is there any sense in the strategy document?

    See for yourself at
    http://www.wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay/publicinput/index.html

    You've got until Sept 22nd to provide feedback. I reckon it's a reasonable policy, main notable points being:
    - expansion of bus lanes and ability of cyclists to use same (OK, busses make me very nervous, but it's better than nothing)
    - regular sweeping of cyclepaths rather than the current situation (cyclepaths only swept if someone requests it)
    - recognition of different types of cyclists, with different priorities, and that adequate provision needs to be made for all.

    The last point's an interesting one, and I'm glad to see the WCC picking up on it. The cycling infrastructure that you need for pootling around with the family on a Sunday is not necessarily the same as the infrastructure that you need while trying to get into work on a Monday morning.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: Still not over it,

    Cyclists do have votes but do they pay road tax

    This is one of my bugbears: the notion that since cyclists don't pay "road tax", they don't deserve to be on the roads. There is no such thing as road tax. There's a vehicle registration fee, which is the annual charge to register a vehicle. That's completely different.

    Main road funding comes from a central fund administered by Land Transport NZ, and funded directly by the central government. So you're paying for those in direct taxes. Most local roads are maintained by the local council. So you're paying for these through your rates (paid by property owners - so you're either paying them directly or as part of your rent).

    Also worth pointing out that, contrary to what a lot of people think, petrol taxes are not sent directly off for transport funding - they go into the central government funds, from which the government gives LTNZ, Ministry of Works etc the funding to do stuff.

    There is no such thing as road tax. As a cyclist, I'm paying just as much as anyone else to support the cost of roads. In fact, as Stephen pointed out, I'm paying more relatively speaking, as I'm causing much less damage to the roads. And I'm freeing up traffic space on the roads. Is it too much to ask that someone spends a few bob on infrastructure to help me out?

    Disclaimer: committed Wellingtonian commuter cyclist, but I do take the car when it's my turn to pick the kids up from creche.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

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