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 s some of you may have noticed, I recently had my septum pierced. Your septum is that piece of cartilage between your nostrils (for those few among our readership who may not be hip to the piercing scene). In the hopes of never having to answer the following questions, which I've been asked repeatedly since my third facial piercing, I have decided to answer them here and now.
 Dude, why?
Ironically, I usually get this question from people with ears sparkling with gold and sliver rings and fingers encircled with yet more rings. In short, I like the look of a septum ring. I also like eyebrow piercings, but because they are surface piercings they grow out over time. While I was on vacation in Hawaii, a woman looked at the brow piercing I had at the time and compassionately inquired if I had been in some kind of accident. "Nope, I'm just from San Francisco."
So, uh, did it hurt?
Well, let me see, some one took a ten gauge needle about three and a half inches long and shoved it through the cartilage of my nose. Actually, this question is a valid one since many people experience feelings of pleasure from the piercing of body parts. In fact, my eyebrow piercing was rather "pleasurable." My septum, on the other hand, hurt. Stryker, my trusted and rather dreamy piercer at The Gauntlet, told me to expect a sensation similar to getting water up my nose--he lied. The sensation was more along the lines of having a searing piece of metal jammed through the cartilage of my nose (do not try this at home). The pain was thankfully brief, I'd say about six seconds. In fact, I think my piercing was more unpleasant for my neighbor Jeffrey who witnessed the skewering of my proboscis. I remember wondering if I looked as white as he did.
Did they, like, give you an anesthetic?
I think I've answered that one, no. Before I pierced my nose, I did quite a bit of research on the Internet. I read about the experiences of people who were given anesthetics. In the main, they felt the anesthetic made the whole process a lot more difficult. Pain is important--it's your body's way of getting your attention. Also, the on-line professionals in the piercing biz warned against pseudo-professionals who entice with the promise of no pain piercing. So, you see, it wasn't a macho thing--you know me better than that!
Did you, like, you know--bleed?
Nope, not a drop.
Did your mom find out and was she all freaked?
Yes, my mom knows. In fact, she was rather relieved when she found out that I had simply pierced my septum. When she noticed the retainer I was wearing while the piercing was healing, she thought I was using some kind of device to make my nose look more WASPy! She's such a kick.
So what's next, your tongue?
I think I'm done with piercing. Although there are numerous other potentially piercable body parts, none of them really interest me as the piercee. However, if Pete were to consider getting a nipple pierced, I'd be supportive...
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