I decided to get my new piercing while studying for a vicious Logic and Proof test. I was staring at the mountain of work in front of me and thinking about how a break would really be nice. I was trying to think of a way to justify leaving my work when an overwhelming urge to be pierced washed over me.
At A Glance Author MollytheGreat Contact MollytheGreat@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Jamie Studio VooDoo Location Huntsville Texas As a future math teacher I am constantly working in schools. That limits my piercing possibilities, so I decided I wanted something small, understated and dainty in the tragus area.
I picked up a friend and went to the best tattoo place in town. It was late and, this being summer in a college town, there weren't many people there. Both artists were working on customers so I watched and waited. I learned some interesting things about tattoos. For instance, I had no idea that it was cool to have someone slap your new tattoo. It is either a right of passage or an initiation thing, I'm not really sure. But I digress.
Jamie was my peircer. She and I discussed what would best satisfy my piercing needs. I felt sort of dumb pointing at my ear and saying "I want something in this area...something cute". I felt so cliché. How many times a night must girls walk in there and ask for something 'cute'? I elaborated, "I know that different piercing look better on different structures. I want one that fits the shape of my ear." She was very helpful. She looked at my ear, pointed at an area and told me that it would look nice there and that not too many people have it pierced (keep in mind, I live in a small town). I'm not sure if I have a daith or an anti helix, but it is directly above the tragus. It's not completely in my ear like daiths are, so I'm not quite sure what to call it.
The male tattoo artist and Jamie were both good-natured people. We chatted while I filled out a form and signed for the piercing and they copied my ID. I don't think they figured I was as old as I am. I'm twenty-two. That's not exactly ancient, but with my braces and stature (I'm five foot one) I look about seventeen. The male tattoo artist called me "kid" and "turbo" which I'm sure he meant in the nicest way. If I ever found something I was sure I would want on my body forever I would definitely go back to this place. It was very clean, had good atmosphere, and is well staffed. I highly recommend it to anyone in the Huntsville, TX area. Ok, back on the subject.
The tools Jamie used came out of blue autoclave bags which Jamie showed me as she explained how that means they are sterile. She pulled out an 18 gauge piercing needle and began bending it with what looked like pliers until she was satisfied with the curve.
Then it was time. I'm just going to say right now that I am not a nervous person. I give blood on a regular basis and have gone skydiving. I'm tough. I took it like a champ, but ladies and gentlemen, it did hurt.
Jamie was cool, I could tell she was an experienced piercer and that I was in good hands. She had a blue cork in her gloved hands. I figured that was so she wouldn't stab more of me than I agreed to. She told me to take a deep breath in *stab* and out *pop*. It was over in an instant and it wasn't excruciating, but it didn't exactly tickle. She told me the piercing was done and that all that was left was the jewelry. I went to a happy place and don't remember whether or not that hurt. I'd like to say it hurt less than the piercing but I honestly don't remember.
I'm extremely pleased with the result. I have very small steel 18 gauge ball capture ring in my left ear. It looks great but it's inconspicuous and I can hide it when I need to. All in all, it was a great study break.
I've had it for three days now. I follow the care instructions that came from Jamie and have had no trouble with it. I'm only conscious of it when I think about it, and the only time I feel it is when I smile. It's funny that I have never noticed that my ears move when I smile before.
Oh, by the way. I got a 90% on the test. And when I told my professor about my night she told me that, while in graduate school, she got three tattoos and several peircings. I guess body modification is a more common side effect of test anxiety than I though.