Once upon a time, long ago- Before I can remember even, I got my very first piercing. Although I'm not quite sure what prompted me to get it done, I do remember that I was rather young, maybe 10 or 11, and I was with my mom at a little mall on the outskirts of Janesville, Wisconsin. I guess it may have started as a joke that simply came up as we passed the "Claire's" store in the mall.
At A Glance Author Turbomonkey Contact turbomonkeyexpress@yahoo.com When A month ago Artist Myself Studio Claires Location Wisconsin Sitting atop the cold stool, the employee (maybe 5 years older than me at the time) marked a black dot on my ear with a sharpie and asked me if that's where I wanted it. Nervously, I nodded, not knowing what I was to get myself into. Next thing I know, I see this gun coming to my ear with a golden bullet and a tiny diamond tip ready to puncture my tender flesh. My mom standing by, they hand me a teddy bear to squeeze. Come on... I'm 11 years old, It's just a tiny pin-prick, what in the world do I need this god-forsaken beat up old teddy bear. Gingerly I hold the bear and upon the count of 3, One, Two, SNAP... 3... It was in, my ear was swollen and hot, and I was done.
Healing and what not seemed to take millennia but after it was over, I thought- That's it, it's over. Multiple different earrings had been introduced to my new found hole but it was interesting to note the hard little lump that had formed on the rear of my lobe. I wasn't sure what it was until during a physical for high school, my dermatologist explained that I had a cyst in the back of my ear. Further, he explained that it was due to being pierced with a blunt piercing stud instead of having a surgeon do it at a doctor's office. "Not to worry" he said, "It's just a ball of goop and it's not going to hurt you". Relieved, I was still perplexed by this foreign abnormality that "Claire's" gave me.
Fast forward to the year 2002, My Break out period in life- I met a girl that was of a darker personality. My hair got long, and I dyed it black. I still have the skull earring that would fit my previously sized 20 gauge. Hole that she gave me. One day trying to feel like a man, I bought a tiny 18gauge barbell. It seemed to hurt a little as I put it through my ear in the bathroom of the local Harley Davidson dealership. That didn't last long as the ring was lost. A friend introduced me to a shop in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. One of few shops in the area that had anything to do with tattoos and piercing, I threw caution to the wind and purchased a 12 gauge barbell.
Let me tell you, It was a blast. 12 gauge curved barbell straight through an almost virgin 20 gauge hole is an enlightening experience for the very first time. Half way through it got stuck; I got mad, and pushed. Probably not the wisest experience by far, I blew the cyst straight out the back side of my year and sheathed the barbell with a nice skin condom. Thoroughly grossed out, I was committed. I scraped off the gunk, cleaned my ear up and said good bye to my aural anomaly. It had begun.
From that point on, I had stretched slowly to a 10 gauge, an 8 gauge, and then one morning I woke up with no piercing. My 8 had fallen out and was no where to be found. My hole closed up almost completely. I had to force my piercing stud through my ear. (Once again, not a wise choice.) I was back to a 10 within a week, and soon, the county fair had come to town. There I choose a nice black 6 gauge claw. That ended up going through my ear that night, amidst the pain, blood, and throbbing ear. Weeks went on and my ear healed up. I got bored of it's size and went to a 4 gauge spike that I slowly gauged up, hearing my parents scream at me the entire process. To this day they don't like nor do they understand why I gauge and pierce, along with many other people that see me. I do it for myself, as all of us do, to improve what we think we should look like. Photos of King Tutankhamen's mummy prove that He had sized ears. Buddha had sized ears, Tribes around the world have sized ear piercing. I did not do this in lieu of a growing fad, nor for my own personal Zen. I did this knowing that it's a tradition for some, it's an ancient and never ending searching for personal happiness in their own body modification.
On the freezing day of January 22nd, 2004, I packed up all my belongings, and with my parents and dog beside me, I moved to the warm balmy climate of Texas. Next thing I know, I'm shoving a 2 gauge plug through my hole. More swelling and throbbing followed but I was pleased with the outcome. I wore an acrylic blue, red, clear, and sometimes black plug with rubber grommet rings holding it in place. More and more, I noticed a nasty white ring form around the hole. Soon, I found Cat Tattoo. Even though I wasn't even a customer yet, they took great care in my interests. They advised me to purchase a custom made "1 gauge" (of course I influenced the stretch in gauge) Surgical steel flesh tunnel with lipped edges. After a long hard week of waiting, It came and I paid for my new jewelry. In it went with minor blood and pain, and after a week, the white ring of flesh left and I had a nice clean 1 gauge hole in my ear with shiny new hardware to boot. First thing I did was found my old CBR 10 gauge and put it through the hole in the hole.
Don't even begin to ask me why I shoved a Bic Pen through my ear. One night about 5 months ago I was getting antsy and found that the end of a Bic pen was almost as wide as a 0 gauged flesh tunnel. Logically, if I taped the flesh tunnel to the end of the pen, it would slip right in, Right? No. Don't ever do it. Swabbed down with alcohol I was ready to come damn near blowing out. Not a mistake I will make again, nor will I endure that same pain, I'm determined to stay at a zero in my left ear now, pretty much indefinitely. Honestly, I'm not really sure if I'll continue in this ear with more modifications. I'd like a transversal through the 0, and possibly some form of a custom industrial. Only time will tell.
My right ear now has a hole in it, and I started out properly this time. I went straight to my friends at Cat Tattoo, in Addison, Texas. A Beautifully pierced, tattooed lady sat down with my girlfriend and I and explained everything, from what was going to happen and after care. Once again I was marked, but this time with a blue sanitary ink, and she unwrapped a shiny, brand spanking new 12 gauge needle ready to violate my virgin right ear. She barely touched the gleaming spike to my ear and said "And... We're done". I relaxed, but then was confused; looking into the mirror she had yet to put the needle into my ear. Out of no where, it swiftly impaled my flesh and before I knew it, a bloodless second later my 12 gauge barbell was in and tight and she had me on my way with a sheet of paper and wanted me to go buy some dial soap for my ear. Hear I am today, May 19, 2006. My right ear is still a bit sore but healing nicely, and waiting to be slowly, properly stretched to match my left hole. I'm on the path to having my ears just how I'd like them. Now it's my friend Will's turn. Today after work, He gets his first piercing and we're out to make it a memorable one. I may or may not get work done myself, but it's definitely an experience I'd like to share with others.
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