My first reaction to the PA was "what in God's name did you do that for!!" with the typical legs-crossing reflex. But the more I read about it, the more I was intrigued by it. Getting my PA was one way to prove to myself that I wasn't as white-bread boring as the world around me. Yeah, to the multi-pierced and heavily inked, it doesn't sound like a big deal, but you gotta walk before running. I'll get there in due time (big grin).
At A Glance Author 1N34 Contact 1N34@bme.anon When A year ago Artist Delaney Studio Obscurities Location Dallas TX Okay, I'm one of those you'd-never-know-it people who wouldn't typically be pegged for having steel. I'm in my 30's in the white-collar world and work for one of those companies where everyone around me is married with 3.14159 kids and rabidly republican (whatever). When I got my PA, I didn't know anyone else with anything more adventurous than the ears or the nips, so it's not like I could've asked the usual "how'd it go" questions. I've been reading BME for a couple of years and the more I had read, the more the gears went to turning!
Back in 98 I went with my significant other at the time to San Francisco, my first time on the west coast. I popped into the Gauntlet just off of Market street and walked away with a 10g captive bead jingling in my thingaling. I had read much about them on BME so I figured how could I go wrong? Hey, when you're young and stupid you do things you wouldn't otherwise do so quickly. My urethra felt like it was shredded so I wasn't exactly enjoying the experience at that time. The bleeding was fairly sparse and stopped completely that night. The response was not at all what I expected with the SO, and I took it out after about a week. Big mistake. Lesson number one, do it for you and not for someone else. We quickly went our separate ways regardless.
I had been wanting it back ever since. I was entranced by the thought of getting back the PA very quickly. I'd have done it sooner but life has this nasty habit of getting away from you if you aren't careful.
Last year in early May, I had enough of the procrastinating. I talked to the people at a couple of places in the Deep Ellum district (no names, it's bad karma), but felt like they were a bit on the "factory" side....in and out NEXT! Looked up Obscurities and rang them up. No appointment needed (for that day anyway)......tick tock tick tock....okay, I'll do it!
Delaney was very accommodating with my stupid questions (I made sure to ask everything, something I should have done the first go-round), and he went out of his way to explain it all and demonstrate how hygenic and sterile they ran the place. It put me at ease significantly. I asked him to put it below where the first one was (yes, I had a small scar) in case I wanted to gauge up later.
Apparently I have some sort of urethral restriction. When the receiving tube went in I got shredded all over again. It felt like the piercing was exactly on a nerve. @$*^@#!!! OW! OW! OW! OW!. Burn! Burn! Delaney pierced it first at 10 gauge and then tapered to 8 gauge. He asked me to tell him when to taper it, and I told him "just get it over with now!" Yeah, it hurt like a mo-fo. After about 10 seconds the burning subsided. Now I was grinning from ear to ear with this 8 gauge captive bead dangling....woo hoo!
Two months later, I had my first piercing accident. I was standing at the kitchen sink and the ring got hung on the drawer handle just below the counter. @$%#%$!! It drew a couple of drops of blood and I thought I was going to pass out. The handles all got replaced the next day with loop-type pulls that I couldn't get hung up on. Lesson two.....goof-proof the house.
Halloween-ish, I went back to Obscurities with a buddy that had also done his PA recently and Delaney bumped me up to the next ring. Well, no, the next one. The 4 gauge just slipped in with no stretching required. I got to skip the 6! Coolest! My buddy had a rather painful tapering necessary for the same thing.
I stuck with the 4 gauge circular barbell for several months and listened to my buddy's stories of losing his circular BB's Beads several times in the most inconvenient of places....into the toilet in a restaurant, another while on a date, another in Starbucks (clink clink rollllllll...lots of confused looks!)....I had to laugh...it was way too funny! Lesson 3.....make sure and check the beads are TIGHT!
Everything you read about the PA is true. It completely makes you feel like you're 17 again and you have the coolest sensations from it at all times. I can't imagine being without it! I've not had any accidents in the loo with it (just grab the ring and flip 180 deg, yes you can still stand up). Nobody outside of a very small few even know it's there, and no one else has a clue. But I am discreet with it. It's a personal thing and nobody else's business unless I choose to tell them.
This weekend I went back for the next step. Asked the guys at Obscurities for a snap-in bead 2 gauge ring and took it home. Well, at least I thought it was 2 gauge. It slipped in rather tightly, but no blood, no damage, and DAMN it looked good. Called a friend I knew with a 2-gauge piece and asked him for a comparison. Damn if it wasn't a zero! I skipped another gauge! Who knew? Apparently the guy at the counter was one of the inkslingers and got his gauges mixed up.
So here I am, one year later, and zero gauge with no tapering necessary beyond the original pierce. I'll stick with what I've got for quite a while....I don't want a doorknocker hanging between my legs! I haven't lost any beads yet and this snap-in bead thing looks like it won't let it happen (I probably just burned the last of my karma points on that one!). Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. No question. Yes, this is the pierce that every man should have as standard equipment. Go for it guys! Absolutely no regrets here.