The rook, as it seems, was my major foray into the world of body modification. After having my eyebrow and helix done at rather, err, less than reputable places, my friend told me about his rook and his other more 'unique' piercings (tongue webbing, etc). Me, being an impetuous youth, with money, decided quite plainly then that I must acquire a curved barbell through a fold of flesh. So, a week or two later, off I went!
At A Glance Author TigZy Contact TigZy@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Dr. Richard Janus Studio Body piercing clinic Location Kensington, NSW Now, before I go on, some ground facts have to be sorted. I was, in fact, going to a doctor. Yes. A doctor to get my rook pierced. Dr Richard Janus is a wee bit unusual, in the fact that he runs a doctors medical place... but it also doubles as a piercing studio. More about that later. Secondly, we were going to kensington (bit of a distance from where I live) and I had taken my asian friend ming along to accompany me in the trip, but more importantly, to navigate. Lord save us all. We may not be returning.
Breaking various speed related rules and getting lost in various interesting ways (It seems ming was never taught how to read a road map), we did, after much exasperation, manage to make it to Kensington. Now, we found another hurdle. Me, being the intensly clever dipshit that I have a reputation for, had actually FORGOTTEN the number of his clinic. Cue 20 minutes of walking up and down kensington road until someone was kind enough to direct us 'in the way of that wierd doctor guy' some time down the street. Turns out it wasn't 111, as I'd guessed, rather 137... heh... eh...
Bursting into the waiting room panting something severe, we paused for a moment. The room had 4 elderly patients in it. Right-eo! Do we have the right place? Yes, the receptionist replies, as Ming squeals in delight - he's found the display case of large-guage jewellery. Rock. Take a seat.
-For half an hour-
You know how to tell if you're about to be pierced by a doctor? You'll sit down and watch the discovery channel on a little tv in the side of the room while patiently waiting for the nice elderly people to leave you alone and go complain to someone else about their various physical (and mental) illnesses. We were 'punks' anyway - obviously people with piercings are too impetuous in their youth to listen to your yarns of pain and lives of extreme suffering, but please, do go on... but I digress.
FINALLY I was called out of my seat from the wonders of some mentally challenged bird in lab tests to go and get a new piece of metal in me. Hello Dr. Janus. Yes, I'm good. You? Yes, the rook. Yes, I know where it is. Yes... you can go find a picture and show me... Yes, thats the one. Yes. My ear.
Yay! Swabbin' time! While casually chatting with me he cleaned up my ear and applied a bit of an anaesthetic to it (for as much his benefit as mine, so he said). He got out a wee toothpick, and used it to make markings on my ear where the jewellery would go through. Would I like a ring, or a barbell? Barbell, definitely. Rock, there it is. So down I go, onto the little bench, and he informs me of the most difficult phase of the procedure - Getting his gloves on. He does, and I lay there a little longer, staring randomly ahead of me at the door. Its a nice door. Looks like some kind of w- oh, my hair? Sorry, lets move it out of the way. Seems I should get it cut to have it avoid getting in the way of my brand new rook, when it gets put in there. He finally grabs the needle out of the wee packet, and being calm and soothing, slowly pushes it into my ear. Ow. Now, for anyone unfamiliar to a rook piercing - there's a helluva lot of cartilage to get through. If not, then thats de finitely the way it seemed because it looked like Dr. Richard Janus had a high level in Tai-chi - pushing it through slowly enough, with one... extremely... measured... movement. I did my little piercing routine, my breathing going nice and long and deep.
Are we finished yet?
no.
ow.
Yet?
no.
OW.
Yet?
Just out the end!
Yay! He pushed the jewellery through with absolutely no feeling from me, and, with some difficulty, got the little fiddly ball on the end! I had my rook! hooray! I got up and inspected my new price in the mirror. Beautiful. And bleeding. A lot. I told him it would. So while being closely attached to the mirror and having my head turned on some 30 degree angle to inspect my new precious, we came to the most painful part of the procedure, which received a held lump in my throat, until he explained it was the payment. At which point I felt mildly silly and reached for my wallet. While the price was a bit steep, I accepted it - the was done exceptionally well, though in the future I'm not sure how many piercings I'll be back for from him... I'm not rich! I got a few alcohol swabs too, so I could press one to the side of my head while driving home to prevent amounts of blood giving one that much sought after 'hey, my ear is bleeding because I got a cool new piercing' look. Mcdona lds, as always, got us through the imminent hunger following my new mod, and then it was to return home!
Well! Two of the members of my family didn't notice until the next day, and both thought it was magnetic... then two piercings... (then when I explained I got a sympathetic 'ooooch'). The final two members of my family didn't notice until a good month later. We're quite perceptive, we are. I wonder if they'll notice when I come back with my septum next week? *grin*
-Tj