I figure that there is a lot of information on the actual process of piercing already so I figured I would just tell my story from the beginning.
At A Glance Author anonymous When Three months ago Artist Lance Studio Precious Slut 2 Location Las Vegas At 2am my girlfriend and I went to our favorite hangout. It's a little restaurant that spins records on the weekends and is chock full of the type of people you might find here in the pages of BME. We sat in the corner of the restaurant and watched our waiter jump on the counter and belt out the songs playing on the turn tables.
As I sat in the corner with my girlfriend I secretly wished that I could be more like that guy. Eventually he decided it would be a good idea to find out what we wanted to eat and came and sat down in the booth. He told us to order the chocolate cake. I asked him questions. I suppose my questions are notorious for getting right to the point (which you can tell is not reflective in the stories I tell) and for being somewhat abruptly personal. I got from him that he had literally dropped out of high school by hopping a fence, losing a finger in the process, and was now the lead singer of a local LA band. As we were getting close to finishing our chocolate cake I asked him my final question.
Me: What do you think I do?
His answer: Computer Programmer?
I remember at that point though I was outwardly calm, I was inwardly mortified. I kept thinking to myself, "Do I really look like a computer programmer? I told him that I was a musician like him and played in number of bands around town and he almost didn't believe me. I am normally a very confident person but that night I remember spending a long time sitting in front of a mirror just staring at myself.
Two to ten weeks latter my girlfriend and I were on our way to Vegas on business. We decided we would have fun anyway. We finally had some time away from the stress and rigors of LA and we did what any 20 something couple would do. We got drunk. Somewhere in our drunken stupor I decided it was time for me to spill the beans to her. I told her I felt suffocatingly normal. That I felt like I had been raised to be a good boy and that I was doomed to live my life looking like a computer programmer. At first I thought she would just laugh but thankfully she took me very seriously. She told me that she new of just the thing. I knew that she was right.
The next day I found myself driving around near Las Vegas University. As we came across a piercing/tattoo shop she told me to stop. I felt a sudden deep apprehension. What was I getting myself into? Thankfully we found the shop to be a mess and we got back in the car. After two or three more shops I was starting to feel like this was not going to happen and I was relieved. I was caught between wanting to change myself and wanting to give up and forget about the whole thing. Then we walked into Precious Slut 2.
I thought with such a strange name there was no way we would think about getting anything there and we could just give up. Fortunately and unfortunately, the place turned out to be really clean and the people behind the counter were friendly and knowledgeable.
Honestly, I was so apprehensive and terrified that I at first let my girl do the talking. She told the guy that I wanted to get my ears pierced. And he told us all the information about it. Suddenly I came to a realization that if I got my ears pierced my dad would probably kill me (or at least disown me) and I might lose my job. We had a little conference and I told her I guess we could just go home. She said there are more places you can pierce then just your ears. Damn.
Next thing I know she is back talking to Lance. She asks him about nipple piercing. He tells her that it can be dangerous for women. She says, "Not for me, for him". In his brain I know he was thinking, "Oh for the computer programmer." I realized that I had to do it.
We went to private room. Lance sterilized everything, drew little dots on my nipples, let me look, and then told me to lie down.
Pain, emotion, colors, loss of control, and then a calm blackness.
Repeat for second nipple.
Getting your nipples pierced is really painful. But it feels so good. I felt like for the second time in my life (the first being sex) I was completely in tune with every square centimeter of my body. Maybe in tune is the wrong term maybe I mean in control. Piercing is one of the few times you knowingly inflict pain on yourself. It's a stern message to your body from your brain about who is really in control.
I am really happy with the way things came out. Lance did an excellent job and I highly recommend him. The piercings are straight and he provided me with excellent aftercare information and supplies. It took a month to heal and they can get really sore if they rub on rough clothing especially if you run for a few miles a day like I do. My girlfriend loves them (they turn her on or something like that) and I am looking forward to getting a tattoo.
PIERCING DID NOT SOLVE MY PROBLEMS. I like everyone I know still fight with their self image. However, it did help me to realize that I have the ability to make change; to be what I want to be inwardly and outwardly. And that's a good thing.