What can a person like me never have too many of? Why of course the answer would be metal. Whether you may think I am a collector or simply an addict is up to you. Am I in it for the pain or for the outcome? Are these even relevant questions? Sure why not.....
At A Glance Author Lysa Contact Lysa@bme.anon IAM DarkFairyPixie When Three months ago Artist Norm Studio The Tunnel Location Crosby, PA My story really doesn't have a beginning but jumps right to the middle. During the summer I was living and working at home so I could not do many modifications to myself. Stretching my ear was minor in comparison as to what my next goal was to be. At the end of August I packed my things and prepared to move back to Bradford where I attend school. During the school year I can pretty much do what ever I so choose, as long as it's in my budget. Lucky me it was...
When I get an idea stuck in my head there is little that a person can do to remove that thought total from me. It's a bitch sometimes. My latest and greatest scheme was to get a new piercing, but what you many ask. Why my dear I had chosen something more visible than my other piercings. I have your standard nostril and a septum punched out in my nose but those you can hide or are barely visible. What I wanted was something that caught your attention when you looked at me. I think that I've done a great job at that. MY multi colored hair wasn't enough, neither were the clothes that I wear. I had to go out and get a madonna.
I made my proclamation public that I was going to get stabbed in the face. I got mixed reviews. There were of no concern to me though. The idea was set in my head and I was determined to walk away with a new piece of steel in my face. I'm not one for making appointment. I hate the waiting. My stabber of choice? Norm at the Tunnel. It's not a far drive from Bradford. Half hour perhaps? maybe longer.
The Tunnel is, for a lack of better words, a house. I had been to Norm last February for a navel piercing and have been very satisfied with his work. As soon as you walk into the shop there is Norm sitting at a desk. I think he was talking about lawnmowers or something... I wasn't quite sure. I am rarely shy but for some odd reason I sounded it. I sat down next to him at the desk, filled out some paper work while I smoked a cigarette; compliments of Norm. He and my boyfriend shot the shit and he explained to me how he was going to pierce me. It's all about angles, angles, angles! or so I've been told. He talked about how a few days ago he had just pierced some girl and how perfect it had come out. Since I have a little face he had to come up with a new game plan but I wasn't worried. He promised his best work and he usually delivers.
Sitting in the chair before getting pierced is not my favorite pastime, especially with this chair. I was sliding all over the place because of the skirt that I had chosen to wear that day. My mouth was assaulted with the blue Listerine. Gulp, swish, spit, repeat. My tongue was numb by the time I had finished the cup. The next thing that I was attacked with was the Iodine. Norm cleaned off the spot where he was going to pierce. It took him a while before he got all my make-up off. I guess I really do wear a lot. He then took a marker and started to make a few marks on my face. He said that he would pierce it until we were both satisfied with the placement. He also told me that if it didn't look right he would take it out. We discussed this for about five minutes or so. Norm, Dorothy, my boyfriend and I all pondered where it would look the best on my facial structure. After picking a spot he cleaned off the other marks and prepared to start putting a hole in my face.
Clamp me down and call me chicken. Norm put the clamps on the spot and had Dorothy hold them. I felt like my lip was being stretched over my nose. Whoosh.... the needle was in. What followed after this fulfilled my worse case scenarios. He couldn't get the jewelry to follow thru. Norm had let me pick out what stud he would put in. I picked out a black on with a silver ball. He said that it was a good choice and it would look great on me. No matter how hard he pushed it wouldn't go in. He tried using a taper but no such luck. I ended up with a needle in my lap and blood on my lip. I was greatly disheartened. Norm seemed really pissed as well. He offered to pierce it again when ever I decided I was ready to go again. I wasn't willing to walk out without a new piece so I said that I was ready to have him do it again... but I needed a break before he did it again. Norm said that was fine. He didn't want to rush me in to something I wasn't ready to do. So we headed back out of the p iercing room. I smoked another cigarette and we talked about what went wrong and about how he could go about differently. During this time I convinced my boyfriend to get an Industrial. If I was going to be in pain so was he. It was decided that after he was pierced, Norm would give me another go again.
When it was my turn again, it was decided that maybe if I lay down he could get at me better. I was again assaulted with the Listerine. The second time was worse that the first. I sucked it up and endured though. The second piercing went nearly the same as the first time with one major difference.... the stud went in. When he was putting it in it felt like something was pinching. My lip had swelled to twice the size as well. I didn't care it looked perfect. I was pleased as punch. Before we left Norm asked to take pictures of his work and then gave us some stuff to clean our piercing with and we were on our marry way. I couldn't wait to show it off.
My Madonna has been the most well behaved piercings I've ever had. It healed up quickly with minimal problems. Like with all of my piercings, I used Bactine to clean it and left it alone. I had a close encounter with the crusties the first two weeks and other than that the only problem was that it got caught on my teeth because of the length. With in a month I was ready to downsize the stud as well.
I was surprised that I didn't have many troubles eating. With my tongue piercing, it was weeks before I could eat solid food easily. The only problem that I have with this one is that sometimes it will get caught on my front teeth. I think that can be easily solved with again downsizing the bar. I think that aesthetically it looks great. It compliments my septum ring wonderfully and over all it looks like it was meant to be there.