Sooooooo, I'm not exactly what you would call an adventurous person. ;-) But every once in a while, I like to mix it up and pretend that I wouldn't spend the rest of my life holed away in a hermitage wearing sackcloth and ashes (so long as I had WIFI and could still communicate with everyone via social media) if I could. Occasionally, I get bold. Or, at least my version of Introvert Bold. And so, over the weekend, it occurred to me that I'd like to get my ears pierced.
Granted, my ears are ALREADY pierced. I had a main lobe piercing done when I was about 8 years old, the way everybody did back in the 80's: at the mall, sitting in a chair in the window at our closest Claire's boutique store, with 2 teenage girls pointing piercing guns at my ears. Yes, that's the way they did it back then, both ears at the same time! I guess it helped with little girls deciding they didn't really want the second ear pierced after getting a load of the first one. :0
And it wasn't that bad. I remember a few tears, but on the whole I braved it pretty well, and I loved having pierced ears. The piercing held up well, too. Before I was a performer, I'd go months without wearing earrings, and my holes have never closed. I never really thought much about it until this weekend. A friend got her nose pierced, and it looks BEAUTIFUL, and I'm all: "maybe I should get a solidarity piercing?!" Because that's what friends do. ;-)
The idea gained steam as the weekend wore on, and like the true librarian that I am, I buried my nose in a little research. It seems that many people, when they get, you know, OLDER, tend to skirt away from the Claire's piercing gun and instead go to a tattoo and piercing shop, where there are experienced piercers on staff. Indeed, a tattoo place did sound infinitely more appealing to me than navigating the prom and Sweet 16 displays at Claire's, until I read that at a tattoo shop they use a needle to pierce your body part. Excuse me while I continue to live in denial, but NO THANK YOU. I choose to pretend that the piercing gun merely has a cupid's arrow inside of it, and not an actual needle.
*shudders*
I only wanted a second ear piercing. A piercing gun sounded just fine to me, even if it does have some drawbacks. I braced myself to be accosted by spinning racks of rhinestones and Justin Bieber posters at Claire's. Then I remembered Piercing Pagoda. A staple kiosk at malls everywhere, they offer more piercing services than Claire's, and I felt somewhat less conspicuous going there. Granted, I'm certain that their usual clientele is
Yesterday, I left work a tad early to head to the mall and Piercing Pagoda. The girl who was working wasn't a teenager, which I considered a bonus. PLUS, she had all sorts of awesome piercings and thus seemed super experienced. 😰 She was very pleasant and helped me pick out simple piercing earrings. Then she got ready while I sat in The Chair and contemplated whether this was all part of a midlife crisis for really boring people. Before I could determine an answer, she was ready, and carefully did some measurements. Soon, she was all set to go and so was I. They no longer do both ears at the same time (big surprise :0) so I was ready for it to feel like I was getting a vaccination. Except in my ear.
But really? It didn't feel like that. It didn't hurt AT ALL. :0 I'm certain other piercings do (that would be those that I can't even think about lest I faint dead away), but ear lobes are much less tear worthy than when I was 8. She did the second ear, and I was good to go, my cute little pink studs a badge of midlife honor. And here they are:
Not everyday that you get EAR PICTURES here at Life of a Catholic Librarian, but there you have it! I have to say: I LOVE THEM. I'm so glad that I got it done! So now every morning and evening I'm busily applying this little solution she gave me and twirling my earrings so that they'll heal properly. Yes, I do feel a little old to be doing such things, but you know what the good thing is about reaching a certain milestone age?
You don't care anymore. 😂
I love my little pink studs. They make me feel young and sassy. ;-) All right, this isn't typically how we close out a post, but here we go: do you have any piercings (that you feel comfortable talking about :0)? Are you hankering to get anymore? I'd love to hear from you!
Love reading your blog having a deja vu moment when I read about your adventure at Piercing Pagoda getting your ears double pierced, but only as a compromise after seeing your BFF, Cristina, getting her nose pierced and as you said, "...it looks BEAUTIFUL, and your momentary dream, "...maybe I should get a solidarity piercing?!
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me of seeing my best friend, Reena, an East Indian girl with a tiny Ruby in her nose. She went with her parents home to India, and came back to school in the fall with that glorious little pierced nose. Needless to say she was the envy of all the girls in my class! I seriously considered piercing my nose and asking for forgiveness from my mother afterwards, but didn't.
Fast forward and over the past 15+ years, when ever I’ve met someone who has one, a little voice inside me says, So pretty! And then I move on. Until recently, when Susie, my coworker at the bank turned up with a teeny, tiny little diamond in her nose! Once again, I L-O-V-E-D the look, but told her like you, I had Trypanophobic (Fear of Needles). Immediately, she said so did she, but had it done at Piercing Pagoda! She told me it didn't hurt, but was like a pinch using the newer nose piercing instrument piercing the nose inserting the stud in a millisecond. Doing my research, I discovered unlike the old fashioned ear piercing at home with needles, ice and piece of apple behind the ear, a safer method had come along! Went to You Tube and found a couple of videos of nose piercing at Piercing Pagoda including one of a young teen getting her nose pierced holding a teddy bear! I said to myself, I can do this!
Called around locations in my areas and found the training hadn't been completed at all locations, but one manager said Merle Norman was doing nose piercing using the same method and instrument. Persistence paid off, and I found one location where he manager was doing nose piercings, so drove there and came home with a little shiny trophy in my nose. I no longer have "nose ring envy," but others do now of mine which makes me smile in happiness :)
Tiffany, when others occasionally ask why I got my nose pierced at almost 30, I tell them, I'm a creative type person who likes to sew, and crochet so it just makes me feel a bit artsy. Funny, I know I'm the same person, but I feel like a nose piercing is fun expressing a little bit of - "I refuse to be boring." Life is interesting and I like being different, but want the sparkle on the outside to match the sparkle on the inside. That makes me smile :)
Tiffany, if Cristina seems more beautiful than before and super feminine, you may have to consider having it done too. Good news there are now alternatives to needles, so maybe listen to our "sotto voce" telling you how pretty your face and cute nose would look with a little sparkle too like Cristina :)
Angie
Angietune@hotmail.com
Hi Angie! I loved reading about your piercing experience! I like what you said about it being related to your creative side - I feel the same way! It's such a lovely experience to share with others who understand. <3
DeleteTiffany, sorry to take so long responding to you lovely comment about my nose piercing experience. If you ever decide to follow Cristina's example having your nose pierced, then promise you will look very feminine, super cute and ingénue. Since you realize you already have a talented Promethean side of you, then having a A teeny, tiny little diamond as an outward symbol of your wonderful creativity is simply a natural extension of yourself. Promise it will look very feminine and ingénue on you.
ReplyDeleteAngie