Tattoos, lizards and mugwumps, oh my!
Published on Thu, Jul 29, 2010 by John OwenRead More Owen at Large
It must have been four or five years ago when Your Obedient Correspondent voiced a warning.
"We've got trouble, trouble, trouble, right here in South Snohomish," I cautioned.
The trouble began with a trembling T and ended with an indelible O.
Fill in the blanks with purple snakes, crimson hearts and you've got a tattoo, on your neck, shoulder or nether region.
My note of alarm in that earlier column called attention to the chain of tattoo parlors marching up Highway 99 and threatening to invade Edmonds and environs.
Well, you have since witnessed the Power of the Press.
An art once embraced mainly by Seafair pirates, bounty hunters and fans of the Oakland Raiders has now become as common as cancellation marks on post office packages.
Young girls are getting tattooed before confirmation.
Spinsters have abandoned their knitting in favor of electric needles.
Bodice flowers have been replaced by lizards, so lifelike they seem to be crawling out of you-know-where.
Far from heeding my earlier warning it seems to have given the industry a bigger boost than a Hell's Angels recruitment poster.
Lynnwood has a growing infestation of tattoo parlors. Everett has even more.
Now the good news. Edmonds seems to be holding the line. Scanning the printed and internet directories I was able to find only one establishment in Edmonds and I'm not sure the Mehndi Madness qualifies as a tattoo parlor. It describes "Henna for the masses."
The process, which most often involves wrists, arms or ankles, is both painless and temporary.
It is supposedly popular for home parties as well as corporate events.
I think we might have something here that would fill a local need. There are so many new faces on the Edmonds City Council that they frequently look, act and vote like strangers.
Mayor pro tem Steve Bernheim has always shown himself interested in innovative government. He could suggest a little Mehndi Madness seminar, which might involve all the council persons sitting around in a circle and drawing Hindu henna daisy chains on each others' ankles, wrists or arms.
It could encourage good karma and might even relieve the budget deficit through a sudden surge of civic enlightenment.
My guess is that mayor-elect Mike Cooper will enthusiastically endorse the idea, but he may be still pondering Bernheim's remark after the balloting that placed him in office.
"You're probably the candidate I support most enthusiastically while voting against."
I wonder if there is any truth to the rumor Bernheim has a Mugwump tattooed on his chest, shown sitting on a political fence with his mug on one side and his wump on the other.
"We've got trouble, trouble, trouble, right here in South Snohomish," I cautioned.
The trouble began with a trembling T and ended with an indelible O.
Fill in the blanks with purple snakes, crimson hearts and you've got a tattoo, on your neck, shoulder or nether region.
My note of alarm in that earlier column called attention to the chain of tattoo parlors marching up Highway 99 and threatening to invade Edmonds and environs.
Well, you have since witnessed the Power of the Press.
An art once embraced mainly by Seafair pirates, bounty hunters and fans of the Oakland Raiders has now become as common as cancellation marks on post office packages.
Young girls are getting tattooed before confirmation.
Spinsters have abandoned their knitting in favor of electric needles.
Bodice flowers have been replaced by lizards, so lifelike they seem to be crawling out of you-know-where.
Far from heeding my earlier warning it seems to have given the industry a bigger boost than a Hell's Angels recruitment poster.
Lynnwood has a growing infestation of tattoo parlors. Everett has even more.
Now the good news. Edmonds seems to be holding the line. Scanning the printed and internet directories I was able to find only one establishment in Edmonds and I'm not sure the Mehndi Madness qualifies as a tattoo parlor. It describes "Henna for the masses."
The process, which most often involves wrists, arms or ankles, is both painless and temporary.
It is supposedly popular for home parties as well as corporate events.
I think we might have something here that would fill a local need. There are so many new faces on the Edmonds City Council that they frequently look, act and vote like strangers.
Mayor pro tem Steve Bernheim has always shown himself interested in innovative government. He could suggest a little Mehndi Madness seminar, which might involve all the council persons sitting around in a circle and drawing Hindu henna daisy chains on each others' ankles, wrists or arms.
It could encourage good karma and might even relieve the budget deficit through a sudden surge of civic enlightenment.
My guess is that mayor-elect Mike Cooper will enthusiastically endorse the idea, but he may be still pondering Bernheim's remark after the balloting that placed him in office.
"You're probably the candidate I support most enthusiastically while voting against."
I wonder if there is any truth to the rumor Bernheim has a Mugwump tattooed on his chest, shown sitting on a political fence with his mug on one side and his wump on the other.