Well to start things off...
At A Glance Author Hotwire Contact Hotwire@bme.anon IAM Hotwire When Six months ago Studio APP Conference Location Amsterdam, The Beurs Van Berlarge My wife and I are in no way professionals in the body modification field at all in any way. We just enjoy participating in it. We both have multiple piercings and tattoos. We are addicted. And for some reason, as you will read in this experience, we always find our self's a way to participate. Weather its at our local tattoo parlor, or half way around the world.
During the time frame of Oct. 3 2003 to Mar. 10 2003 I was on tour in Bosnia with the Canadian military. I was about a month into my tour when my vacation time came around. And believe me I needed it. Well a few months prior to the tour my wife and I had decided to go to Amsterdam Holland for our vacation. We were going to spend a wonderful 3 weeks on a road next to Vondel Park, and across from the Hard Rock Café. Needless to say we had a ball.
While we were wondering the streets one fine morning after some creative self enlightenment in the local Bulldog Café, we decided to go find a tattoo parlor and get some matching memorable tattoos. Well as luck would have it, the first really clean and up to Canadian standards (Because it was a Canadian who worked at the shop) tattoo parlor, was busy, BUT the person who helped us told us about the APP Conference at the The Beurs Van Berlarge. So we set out on our trek to find this "Castle" of a convention center.
After about an hour of wondering around, and finally realizing that the place was only around the corner. We entered the building. We were surprised that it was free to enter, and that we could buy tickets for a draw at the dinner. Now I have been to NIX a few times, and Some other conventions and never has it been so... um... giving and polite.
We looked around, picked up some nice jewelry, ironically again from a North American dealer and one we bought from at NIX the previous year. An hour went by, then two. It was not a very "Big" floor with about 20 or 30 displays, but the atmosphere was absolutely wonderful. We met and talked with people from all over the world. And saw some amazing hand made jewelry, we only wish we had more money to buy every thing we liked.
We spoke with 80% of the people there. They all seemed to accept us as equals. Its started to get eerie feeling when people asked where my shop was. We told that that we didn't have one, and that we were just on vacation and needed our fix. Thinking that this would have turned them off, it did the opposite. They took us in and treated us like we had known them all for ages.
Well we were invited to the dinner. Of course after the great hospitality that they had all shown us we could not refuse. Besides, this was a once in a life time chance to mingle with the pros. Something I have never done. (Except you two Ivan and Lisa). And I would not have given that chance up for the world.
The dinner started slowly, every one was chatting with each other, Having a good old time. My wife and I not knowing any one sat at our table among others, enjoyed the food, the drink, and the music. Part of the way thru the night we were approached by a very... Um.. Original character. I guess it was the Sponge Bob mixed with the 8" septum spike and the stretched lobe. The Bearded lady Introduced herself. We had a very interesting and informative conversation about every thing from where we were from, to Exchanging of contact information. Not long after ward one of the people across from us proved that you can have too much Heineken. At that point I knew we were all misfits of some sort drawn together for one common good.
As the night wore on, more people arrived, things got more comfortable, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Now it was time for the draw. My wife and I had bought 10 $2 tickets. We saw a guy a few tables over with I swear a whole roll of tickets, so we figured, "Meh.. We won't win anything." They started at $25 prizes, after about ˝ an hour they were up in the $300 prizes. We were just about ready to go, when they said that they were just about finished. The $500 prizes were next.
Sitting there with our tickets strewn about the table. A number was called, we scrambled to see if it was ours, And before we could find it... "John From Canada" Was yelled by the people calling out the numbers, I didn't quite here them, nor did my wife. They yelled it again, It just caught my attention, I didn't believe it. Then The Bearded Lady Yelled "SPONGE BOB!!!" At this point my head popped up and every one was looking right at me. Not only was I the only person with a hat on, but It was bright yellow and had the Face of Sponge Bob Square Pants on it, You see he too was modified, I had put a pike thru his tongue. I was ecstatic. I couldn't believe it. We had won one of the largest prizes.
Every one was happy and clapping there hands. I stood on the stool and held the prize over my head. I was the center of the universe for about 8 seconds. It was wonderful. We had won a bag with posters, cups, and 500euro wholesale worth of Sin-A-Matic jewelry. Both my wife and I were elated. This would be the high point of our whole vacation. And with only a few days left of it, also a wonder full end.
I look back now to that weekend. I wish I could do it all over again. But going to Amsterdam in the near future is a no go, My wife is going to school. And I'm doing workup training to go to Afghanistan. But there is always next year. Wish me luck. I'm going to need it.
John Brent (Hotwire)