For the duration of summer I worked at a local cemetery. When most people found this out they told me how much they envied the job and the 'unique' experiences that came along with it, and for a while I took great pleasure in explaining why the obese have their own crematory (grease fires) or how many caskets will actually burst open if they're air tight, due to all the gas a decomposing body produces. Yet eventually it became as mundane as any other job I've ever had. The headstones became nothing more then obstacles in what eventually felt like a marble orchard, and death no longer was a thing of mystery or sorrow, it was work.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When Three months ago Studio Metro Location Olympia Washington Throughout the few months that I worked at the cemetery I got three additional tattoos and two more piercings. It wasn't much but it's what I needed to keep from feeling like another drone of society and the machine. None of those could compare to the piercings I got right after my last day of work.
Since I was, and still am, in a long-term relationship all the piercings and tattoos I got were with my girlfriend in the next room, and thus she at times would talk me out of piercings that she 'didn't think I'd like after a while' which could easily be translated into 'I don't think you should get them'. One of those piercings she tried talking me out of was my nipples. While I love my girlfriend, and respect her above almost anything, these were going to be purely for me. My desire for them became borderline need due to my job and how beautiful I thought they looked on both genders.
So I went right after work, still covered in dirt from digging graves of now forgotten loved ones, and began to look at jewelry, I soon realized there were many things that I forgot to take into account. Did I want rings or barbells, or what gauge should I get them pierced at or even how big the jewelry itself should be. At this point these questions didn't phase me as much as just slow me down, I knew no matter what I decided I'd be happy with it, but I knew I had to choose so I decided on the small barbells which ended up costing more then the rings, but I decided it'd be worth it since it'd eliminate almost any discomfort from moving around that the rings might.
Once I picked out everything I wanted I went to the front counter and started to fill out the paperwork, about halfway through I heard a scream so high pitched that it caused me to give a slight shudder. More than anything it gave me a slight smile, looking back at it I'm not quite sure why. Was it just that I like knowing that someone was being caused an amount of pain that they seemingly did not enjoy? Most likely it was that I too would soon feel that immediate release that accompanied having metal go through tender parts of your body.
After finishing the paper work I made idol chit chat with the guy behind the counter, at times zoning out thinking about the piercings I was about to get, yet still talking and every one in a while be sucked back into reality only to be surprised at what we were talking about. The piercer took what felt like forever, the conversation with the person behind the counter was slowly drifting into odd grounds; at first he was telling me how much he hated tribal tattoos which it was easy for me to agree with him on, then he started to get into the types of people that get certain types of piercings, the most memorable part was him telling me that 80% of 'girls' that get navel piercings should use them to hold an air freshener. He continued to explain that they are the type that will sleep with you for a biggie order of fries, and most likely, from the smell of them, have all sorts of VDs that no scientist has had time to name including the great phrase 'they're cookin' a loaf of bread and it smells like sourdough'.
Up till that point I didn't think it was possible, but I completely forgot about my upcoming piercings, and could only think about how sexist and creepy this guy became in a matter of minutes. Before the look of disgust on my face became too noticeable the piercer came in and checked my paperwork, then my nipples, and had me fallow her back into where they pierce, past the clothes and cases of beautiful glass pipes and 'glass water pipes' to this tiny room, looking very sterile and professional as always, with its surplus medical bed and cases.
I took off my shirt as she applied the clear gel to the needles and clamp, and sat there patiently awaiting, my somewhat nervous finger tips digging into the leather seat and as I looked at that 14 gauge needle with a somewhat unpleasant recollection about what it did to my conches.
My mind started to wonder again, this time about how much it would hurt, while she was telling me all the important things about how to maintain a healthy piercing I've heard a thousand times before, reverse osmosis and distilled water, the whole bit. Then the time came, poking each side with ink as if to guide the needle and a quick "deep breath in" and the first one was done. I was actually really surprised at how little it actually hurt, the lack of pain was almost unreal, more pain had been caused to them through occasional twisting then shoving metal through them. The second one did hurt a bit more, it always does, but it still wasn't bad at all.
After arriving home and doing all my mundane chores with a shit eating grin plastered across my face I suddenly felt a burning in my nipples, to call it soreness wouldn't quite grant you the same insight into the situation as tell you it felt as though someone was holding a lit match against my nipples. The pain wasn't the worst part though, it was kind of minor anyways, the worst part was that since I got the piercings behind my girlfriends back I didn't want to tell her right away, so I couldn't make any cheesy jokes about how my nipples were burnin' for some red hot love.
After everything was said and done it was worth it, my girlfriend ended getting a bit angry that I didn't tell her earlier but didn't really care that much. And now, about 3 months later I love them. They are a very relevant and real part of who I am when I think about it. Not so much that dude with the nipple rings, but someone that gets body mods because he wants to, and really doesn't care if others do or don't know about them, with exception to at times, as this article proved, my girlfriend.