It seems that at the start of a new and exciting time in my life, I almost always get my ears pierced. Some people get tattoos in different places they go, or collect trinkets. Well, my thing is getting my ears pierced. It's not on purpose either. I don't think: this is a significant moment in my life, I should get my ears pierced. I just do it and it happens to be at a significant moment.
The first time I got the regular piercings, I was in middle school, and everyone I knew already had their ears pierced for years even. Little things like that would make me feel left out, so it was very important that I looked and acted like a girl. So I went in to a store, batabing bataboom, done. Thank you Claire's.
The next piercing was in high school. I was at boarding school during this year and a really close and dear friend of mine had a piercing gun and had done it before. We were hardcore. I asked her to pierce my cartilage, and after 5 minutes of anxious anticipation, she pierced my ear and that was that. I went home and showed my parents a couple weeks later and they were shocked that I would do something so impulsive. Little did they know.
The next time, I was thinking I wanted holes two and three on both sides. Mom and I were shopping, saw Claire's, and decided HEY! Now or never. Boom, got that done. It was part of my graduation present; new beginnings. Thanks again Claire's.
Now at this point we were at 7 piercings. The goal is 8. Even numbers are nice, and 8 was once considered my lucky number as well.
In New York it's very easy to do anything illegally, or for cheap cheap. People think New York is expensive, and when it comes to food it is, but you can really find a reasonable or ridiculously cheap price for almost anything. The reason this time was significant for me was because I had begun to make amazingly wonderful and beautiful friends who are great to me, and I also started a new life here in New York. Moving is always a significant change and it will keep happening, that's the exciting part, there's always something that will be different! I don't understand people who get bored, they aren't living, aren't being spontaneous or getting off track from their routines. The only time routine is good is in prayer; otherwise it takes away from life, I think. Consistence is not the same though, that's a different story.
It just so happened that my friends were getting their bellies pierced out of impulse one night, something I don't think I would ever do, and I was feeling like it was time for me to do something spontaneous, potentially painful, and new. Tattoo's aren't my thing. At least not spontaneously. I feel like tattoos are something that I would want to put a lot of thought into, or I would want a friend or myself to draw it first.
It just so happened that my friend and I both were interested in getting another cartilage piercing, but only for CHEAP! That was the deal. So we walked along St. Mark's Street for about 5 seconds before we saw a sign for piercings. We entered into a doorway aligned with white cardboard walls. Around the narrow corner was a storage sized room where tattoos and piercings were being given. I asked the overweight tan man with tattoos all over his body, how much for a piercing. $10. Okay, better than the $35 that legitimate places were asking for. I agreed, and as if the man was being timed in a marathon, he sat my ass down, put a dot on my ear, and asked if I liked it. I glanced in the mirror for less than a brief moment and said yes BUT WAIT! He was moving way too fast for me (typical story), so I asked him to slow down. He grabs my ear, positions the gun, shoots, and as I get up he says "we don't slow down here, next."
I came to find out later that piercing cartilage with a gun can cause the cartilage to shatter and my ear would collapse and flop over. The only sanitation that went on was a quick spray of a water bottle and that was all. Not to mention, I've also learned that piercing with a gun like that is illegal. That explains the secret storage-room operation then. Although my ear was swollen for a week, the swelling has since gone down and it doesn't hurt as much anymore either. Niiiiiiice! :D
As always, great experience... but never again.
Maybe next time I'll get my nose pierced.
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