Earrings!

On March 15, 2010, I wrote a post entitled Never Have I Ever . . . You may recall that up to that point in my life, I had never pierced my ears. Well, never WILL I ever be able to say that again!

I got my ears pierced!


I waited a couple of weeks before I actually did it, and it really wasn't a simple process. Let me explain:


Phase 1: Uneven

It was March 27th. A Saturday. I had been running errands all morning. One of the errands was to a nearby mall, where I walked into Claire's to look at the earrings. "I'll come back," I thought, and I kept envisioning me with earrings as I completed my other errands. Finally -- in the afternoon, just as I was leaving Trader Joe's -- I thought, "That's it. I'm gonna do it." So I drove home, dropped off my groceries, and back to the mall I went.

I picked out the largest fake diamond studs the Claire's piercing gun would allow, and with a sharp prick in both lobes, it was finished. I didn't flinch at all. My ear lobes were bright red and throbbing. As I paid for the deed and subsequently walked away, all I could think was, "I wish I hadn't done that." It felt weird to have these odd things in my ears. Why or when did anyone ever begin to pierce ears? Why had I done this to myself?

When I got home, though, my roommates said they liked them, and that made me feel a little better. But to my horror, I looked in the mirror and discovered that my left piercing was a little low. Well, I thought it was a lot low, but my roommates assured me that they looked fine, and I was being ridiculous.

And that's what I heard for a week: that I was being ridiculous and that they weren't as off as I thought. "No one will ever notice," people would tell me. "I can't even tell," they'd say. But I could. Every time I looked in the mirror, I saw the mistake.

So I took my earrings out to let the holes close up. (It's truly amazing how quickly piercings heal!) After a week, I decided to do things the right way and get my ears pierced by a professional, sans gun.


Phase 2: Relief

That is how I found myself in Psycho Tattoo. Because everyone was so shocked and horrified that I got my ears pierced alone the first time (I am 28, after all.), I took my friend Michele. (Thanks, Michele!) She waited patiently as I checked and re-checked the black marks the piercer put on my ear before she put the needles through. Here is what I loved about Psycho Tattoo:

• The piercer at Psycho Tattoo could tell by the first scar that my left piercing was too low! I knew I was right!
  
• I didn't feel rushed to tell the piercer the black marks were in the right spot. She let me take my time to make sure they were right where I wanted them to be.
• I had my own room -- no busy mall crowds watching and waiting to get their ears hurriedly pierced.
• The piercer used needles -- not a gun with sharpened earring posts as the piercer.
• My ear lobes weren't red for the rest of the day. To be sure, the piercing hurt the second time around, but not nearly as long.

As a result of the comfortable and patient atmosphere of Psycho Tattoo, my piercings are a lot better. They are more even now. They are not perfect, as my ear lobes are slightly asymmetrical, but they are good enough for me now.

And so, after about a month and a half of wearing ugly temporary earrings, I can now wear whatever I want! And lemme tell you, I love earrings! Getting my ears pierced was one of the best decisions I've ever made! (I wish all decisions felt like this!)

A few weeks ago, I bought several pairs of earrings on sale! Large pink pearl studs; regular pearl studs; big, thin hoops (but not too big); small, thick hoops; and chandelier earrings. My sister makes jewelry, and she gave me a pretty pair of purple dangly earrings.

I LOVE earrings!



Thing I'm thankful for: going with my gut on this one. I just knew I'd feel better if I got my ears re-pierced. Those pros know what they're doing!