At A Glance
Author	dee_on_ah
When	It just happened
Artist	Bill
Studio	Pleasurable Piercings
Location	Hawthorne, NJ

So, I wish I could say I knew when "this all started", but I really don't. I had my lobes gunned at a very young age, second lobes at 11, and cartilage at 12. I also pierced a third hole between then and now, but that didn't work out too well. Forgive me, I didn't know better.

About 7 or 8 months ago, I started looking through bmezine. At first, I was set on the industrial, but one look at what could go wrong, and my mind changed. Then I thought the snug was pretty cute, but decided that it would stick out on my ears and look awkward. When I cam across the rook, however, I knew it was perfect.

So I went to my mom for permission. Her response was expected. "What, you don't have enough holes in your ear?" I decided to wait a while.

Well, somewhere during the waiting, I got bored. I tried to gauge my second holes. It was a messy, dumb experience that involved bobby pins. Very bad idea. If you are going to stretch you ears, do it the right way. I had to let mine heal. I became angry.

I went to her again, about a month ago, and her response changed to a "maybe" I took this as a yes and began to research piercing studios. I found that there is only one APP studio in New Jersey- Pleasurable Piercings, in Hawthorne.

So we decided on today, and were getting ready to leave, when I had to get over one final barricade- my dad. He didn't approve, and wasn't even aware that this part of the ear could be pierced. Surprise! I'm not sure if he was okay with it, but I was on my way. I was getting really nervous. I've read almost every single story on here about the rook, and how painful it was. I always have a hard time imagining that pain is real, but I was still expecting some major, ear crunching experience.

We get to the place. It's clean, nice and open, with certificates hanging on the wall. I tell the lady behind the counter that I'd like my rook done. She asks my age. I tell her 15, and hand over my birth certificate, school ID. My mom gives her her driver's license. We fill out the release and consent forms, and I pick my jewelery, a plain, stainless steel curved barbell.

After waiting for no more than 10 minutes, Bill, the piercer, calls my name. I walk into the room, and he asks me if I knew that they were out of the earring I wanted, and would it be okay if a longer one was used. I wasn't too thrilled about the idea of using a longer barbell, because I like the way the rook looks when the barbell is small and hugs the actual piercing. So I went out to pick another barbell. I picked a similar one, but of course they were out of that one too! So I settled for a barbell with two gems, that are silver yet reflect rainbow in the light. They're not too flashy.

My mom and I walk back into the room. Bill tells me to have a seat on the chair. He asks me which ear I want done. I tell him my left. He marks my ear, but didn't ask me if it was okay. I didn't really think much of it. Then he cleans off the earring, and my ear. I wasn't quite sure what happened next. BIll didn't give me a warning, no countdown or anything. I just felt a slight pressure on my ear; I assumed he was just grabbing it. Well, I was wrong! My mom freaked out, exclaiming that there was a huge needle just chilling in my ear! I felt nothing. I kept waiting for the pain to come. Maybe, when he put the actual barbell in. Nope! No pain whatsoever. I asked if I was bleeding. I wasn't. Then Bill asked if my mom was getting anything done, but he thought she was my sister, which was just kind of weird...

I am so pleased! My rook looks so good. And it was painless. They gave me H2Ocean to clean my new piercing with, every 3-4 hours. I cleaned it just a few hours ago when I got home. It did sting a bit. Also, there was a bit of blood on the cotton swab I used to make sure I got all around the piercing. Still, it wasn't major pain. I am nervous about sleeping on it tonight though. I will be using the clean t-shirt trick, slipping a shirt over my pillow.

My rook experience was painless. I'm not sure if it was because I had a good piercer, or if I have a high pain tolerance, but either way, it's a great piercing. I'd recommend it if you are looking for something unique, because I have yet to actually meet another person who has their rook done. It's small, and usually not noticeable on the first glance. I can't wait to show my friends. Oh, by the way, my dad thinks it's completely weird :]

peace, dee_on_ah