At A Glance Author krystalaise Contact krystalaise@bme.anon IAM krystalaise When A week ago Artist self Studio bathroom Location basement It's strange to voluntarily put yourself in the way of a sharp, albeit sterile, object. I had done it before, but it has never made sense with my instincts. There's always that internal separation where the mind must calm and console the body before it does something it doesn't understand.
The nostril ring is most prominent in Indian tradition symbolizing femininity, a woman's coming of age, and wedlock. The nose pins were typically red in color to symbolize the consummation of the marriage. The mingling of cultures in the 60s brought the tradition overseas, giving it new meaning and popularity. I saw it as a link to my heritage, traversing time by connecting the past traditions with this moment in my life.
I got the needles from a good friend of mine who's more recently turned junkie. He seemed almost disappointed with my intentions with them, but handed them over with little hesitation. The 20 gauge needles were the largest he had, and consequently the only ones he had. I guess it had to do. The experience depressed me, but I knew I wasn't going to be the one to stop him. He just went back and forth like that.
I came back home, still wanting to do this today as planned. I cleaned my apartment bathroom for the occasion. Put on some contemplative Indian-electronica fusion. I rinsed the inside of both nostrils with antibacterial soap. Then I dried off the area and applied some povidone iodine to the outside and wiped it off with rubbing alcohol. So far so good. I flipped over a shot glass and poured a few drops of rubbing alcohol, lit it with a lighter and put the needle over the sweet-smelling blue flame. The needle lit up a bright orange and I brought it near my face, resting my hand on my nose, with my other hand to accept the needle through a pen tube. I took a breath in, exhaled, and plunged the needle through my nostril with as much accuracy and speed as possible. It went through cleanly, but my left eye welled up with tears. The rest of my face heated up briefly, but I was proud of the result although it was just a small needle curved through my face at the moment. The anticipation of the moment and finally following through with it gave me a rush of relief. But I wasn't done yet.
I got a second needle out and got my pen tube ready. I lit the needle as before, but I had to be more careful with the second piercing to keep the symmetry. I hesitated this time thinking of my friend, and punched too hard and my needle didn't go through the pen tube, but went through the edge of my septum. The shock made me scream a couple of profanities, before a couple tears started to roll out of my right eye. I wiped the tears from eyes noticing that I nicked the palm of my hand too. I just had to laugh. Couldn't believe I f****d it up that badly. Somehow I thought it still looked pretty cool though. I had two aqua-marine needle caps sticking out of my nostrils with some dangerously sharp hypodermic fangs. I took a shot of 151 to my new look, half-hoping my roommate would show up so I could freak her out for the fun of it.
I stood around for a little while like that, went to my computer to check some things out online. Then it hit me that I should probably put some jewelry in my new holes and start taking care of them. All my circular captives were either in my ears or missing. I didn't feel like stripping any of my earrings off and figured that the piercer was a short distance away. So I figured I go for a walk, tell them I "got into an accident at the hospital," and ask for some jewelry. On the walk there, I didn't run into as many people as I had hoped, but the few I did run into gave me a good long stare, and turned in a mixture of horror and confusion as I smiled at back at them. I walked into the piercing place, and no one there even turned their heads. That cracked me up. The guy behind the counter actually asked me what I needed. I guess he thought it was a new look. Instead of saying my intended story, I just told him I needed some nose jewelry. He gave me a more scrutinizing look and just said, "Oh, right!" and headed for the shelves for something. I picked out a couple of cheap stainless steel balls and the guy kindly took me to the back room and screwed them in for me. My septum bled a tiny bit having its fang removed, but I found the new look more comfortable. Most of all I just felt more natural coming out of there. The cold air welcomed me on my way back, and I felt strangely renewed.
[Note: I do not recommend self piercing; it is at your own personal risk and discretion. Always go to a certified piercer with pre-sterilized equipment and needles.]