I feel like I'm cheating on my metal.

I not only have a new piercing, I have a new tattoo. And, all I can say is, I want more ink.

In Bellingham, WA, there is this little tattoo place downtown called Sabbath Tattoo. I had never been there before and the place I got my first tattoo moved somewhere else. So, one day, my friend and I wandered down there because I was in need of getting a matching tattoo with a friend who lives in New York (he had already gotten his earlier that day), and the wonderful, amazing, fantastic Saul took me right in and boom. Tattoo in under 30mins. My friend was even able to watch.

Sabbath Tattoo used to be located by the cat clinic (which is near the fire station on Broadway). They moved to their downtown location... I don't think too long ago. The shop was amazing. I've been in a few other shops around just looking, talking and though they all seemed really nice and wonderful, they were always busy and super flashy. I don't know why but Sabbath Tattoo just felt more comfortable. It wasn't flashy. It seemed more... 'tough', simple. I like simple. It was comfortable. The tattoo stations cut off by waist high walls with rooms in the back for the more... "I need privacy" tattoos. Decent music playing. Art all over the walls, drawings, pictures. There was even a big animal head on the wall. It was just such a comfortable place. And Saul was so nice. A little on the quiet side, but who wouldn't be with two weird females coming in and surrounding him. He was holding the shop down alone and was stuck with my friend's and mine chatter. He even would respond to all my questions about, well, him. Even when I hiked my pants down on my left to let him get at my hip (which is where the tattoo was located), I felt comfortable the whole time. Ah, and laying on the table, the sound of some harder, screaming music playing in the background, the wuzzwuuzzbuzzing of the tattoo gun. It felt oh so good, almost as good as it feels to be in a piercing environment. Just thinking about it and all I can think is... "I NEED TO GO BACK".

ANYWAYS. Just a short recap:
I was a walk in at Sabbath Tattoo, it was later in the evening and Saul helped me and I am SO HAPPY WITH THE WORK. The price also was... Let's just say, I brought in way more money than I needed. I was so surprised by the price. I love my tattoo. I recommend Sabbath Tattoo so hard! Haha. AND SAUL. Fantastic artist!

Downtown Bellingham, WA.
Near the Black Drop coffeehouse.
I plan on going back real soon. I have a few tattoos drawn up that I would like.

My friends tattoo is the same top hat, just with more shading and a tiny bit of color. I like simple, he wanted something a little... more. I'm not sure what shop he went to in New York but he was and still is quite happy with his tattoo.

And that was the ending to my 2012.
Still single.
But.
With two new body mods.
Hell. Yeah.
Fantastic.

Cyber Bite: Long Time Waiting

It seems I have been absent for quite sometime. My last post as in... August? Oh my. 

It's the late night of January 21st, 2013... Hmm, almost January 22nd. I'm sitting here, wrapped in a deep wine colored blanket trying to think if much of anything has happened since August. Chewing my bottom lip slowly, I have to shake my head. In fact, nothing really NEW has happened. Romance come and gone. Work. Sleep. Food. So... lacking... so... Oh wait! There is something new!
Wait.
For.
It.

A new hole in my head, hahaha. Yes. I finally completed my OH SO WANTED Cyber Bite. 

Haha, it's not my best picture but it will have to do. Though you can barely make out the piercing duo, it's the center of my upper and bottom lip that completes the "Cyber Bite". 

Bite piercings tend to refer to the piercings that are two or more piercings around the mouth. In example: snake bites (which seems to be rather popular), venom bites, spider bites, angel bites, canine... oh, I'm sure you get the point.

I've had a Philtrum piercing (or Medusa as I've come to hear most people call it), for over a year. I did get it re-pierced but I still count the time. I had actually originally wanted the philtrum piercing on plans of completing the 'cyber bite'. I never committed fully to the cyber bite and talked myself out of it multiple times (even out of all my piercings) with a desire to get a better job. But my desire for the metal was more powerful than finding a '9 to 5' job. I don't even have enough digits to count with to express the amount of adults that distaste my facial piercings and how many of them mourn that I'll never have a job with big bucks and super professional attire. It seems most of those jobs I've come across require some sort of lengthy and expensive adventure to furthering ones education in which I bring up to the disgusted people that if they feel the need to be concerned with my "working future", they should be more worried about me not attending school rather than having metal pierced through my skin.

But that's a ramble for another time. Back to my new piercing.

So I finally got the complete cyber bite, yes. The labret didn't hurt at all. I went to my usual place of piercing pleasures and was pierced by the lovely Briana that has always done a tip worthy job.  16g, 7/16in surgial steel labret at the end of November and I was one HAPPY CAMPER. And still am. 

It's basically the opposite of the Philturm. Lower lip, center. I almost am kicking myself for not getting a  vertical labret (which comes up through the lower lip). I can always get re-pierced though. No regret. So, like with the Philtrum, placement is SUPER DUPER IMPORTANT. If not placed correctly... it can throw off your whole face. Make sure you trust the piercing and check out the placement BEFORE THE NEEDLE HAPPENS. With this lip piercing, a ring or labret can work. I've even seen some people have spirals which, I have to admit, would look pretty awesome with a labret piercing on the left of right part of the lip. I haven't had a ring in my labret piercing but I'm sure I'll try it someday. 

As I said earlier, the piercing didn't hurt much if at all. Deep breath in. Start to let it out. BOOM! Needle through. 1. 2. 3. Pretty much done.

The care instructions I used for mine were exactly the same as the Philtrum. Clean the outside morning and evening. Don't cake makeup around it, that helps no one. Rine with antispetic mouth wash for 3 seconds after each meal, drink (other than water) and cigarette. Remove foreign matter. No chewing tobacco for one week. For pain and swelling,  Ibuprofen, Advil or Mortin. I was pretty lucky. My bottom lip didn't swell as badly as my top lip. I asked for a longer bar, though, just in case. 

Maybe I'm just special but I recommend being SUPER careful eating after you get it pierced. Until you get used to it. Perhaps it's because I had such a long bar, but the first time I ate, I thought I was going to rip the piercing right through my lip. The back of the labret kept catching on bottom teeth as I chewed and LORDY, that was not the most pleasurable feeling. Now that I have a much shorter bar and have gotten used to it, I barely have any problems.

Remember, each piercer is going to have a different set of aftercare instructions and each person is different. Some people might not get much lip swelling, some might. Time of healing before it's safe to change the jewelry may vary from person to person and studio. If you're interested in any piercing, I recommend first researching it so you know exactly what you're going to yourself into, think about if you really want it, how to take care of it and so on.

Also, it's a good idea to get the phone number of your piercer in case you have an emergency question or if any problems arise.

Other than that... I cannot think of much else to say about it other than it is AWESOME. Haha, I have a retainer in currently and it's not very noticeable at all. 

It feels good to kind of be back, haha.

Pierce on my friends.

Pierce. On.