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The last time I made a #new_jewelry post, it was bittersweet. One ear cooperated, the other was being an asshole. My piercer, Art, of The Alley Chicago warned me that I’d always have one piercing that didn’t behave. Well, as you can see, all is right again.

Today, I’m sporting 00g light blue titanium-coated tunnels by Body Vibe, sold through BAF. They probably look really familiar to you if you’ve followed my #new_jewelry posts. That’s because I’ve purchased this same tunnel, in the same color, in 2 previous sizes: 4g, and 0g. In my nostril is an 8g tunnel, same brand and color as my lobes. In my septum is a 12g captive made by Anatometal that I caught on clearance at BAF. The bead is Tiger’s Eye. 

This is the look I’ve been working towards since the beginning. 00g is my goal size and I’m extremely happy with the way the tunnels look at this size. I think the “shotgun barrels” look is super cool and unique, without being too over the top. I can’t wait to wear silicone earskins. 

My approach to mods is clever and stylish, not shock and awe. I don’t modify my appearance as a way to be part of a clique. A clique says: If a little is good, alot is better. And: If you don’t do it our way, you’re doing it wrong and can’t come in our clubhouse. I think many of us use mods as a way to express ourselves, to rebuke cliques. I think most of us started that way, but along the way some of us started to enjoy the status our mods gave us. In my humble opinion, once status starts to affect your actions, you’re no longer being an individual. You’ve become a puppet. Status is the manifestation of the perceptions of others. Sorta ironic how someone could start out getting pierced or inked as a way to rebel against what others perceive, and end up serving that very idea.

Anyway, enjoy the photos. :-) I’ve got some Tiger’s Eye plugs on the way, which I’ll wear with the Opalite. They should be arriving soon! 

I haven’t done a new jewelry post for a new size in a while. This is mostly because I haven’t stretched up in a while. Well, at the end of last week I did. There’s much to say about this event, both positive and negative. First, the bad news:

I’d like to draw your attention to the pic of my left ear. That’s the one with 3 graduated, stretched piercings. That lobe has taken on a whole new look because the holes are graduated. This was not by design, I’m afraid. The 2nd, where you see the tunnel, has been the problematic hole since my recent set of double flare (DF) jewelry. With every stretch, and then subsequent DF jewelry insertion, one of my four holes is less compliant than the others. It’s most often one of the 2nds, but not always. It changes each time. When I was at 2g, it was the 2nd in my right lobe that gave me the most problems. Basically, the 2nd in my left ear remains at 0g because it would not stretch. 

Just like from 2g to 0g, the 0g to 00g gap is 2mm. (In my case it is, I sought out 10mm 00g instead of 9mm, which is available and still often classified as 00g.) And, just like my stretch from 2g to 0g, that gap was partially spanned thanks to the subtle stretching from wearing DF jewelry. As I mentioned, the 2nd in my left lobe was already problematic. This was compounded by a couple lapses in judgement on my part. First, I forgot to lube my lobes that morning with Vitamin E after my shower. This happens once every week or two, and isn’t a big deal for the most part. But, it definitely makes all my holes extra snug. On top of that, the glass jewelry gets tacky as well. Stretching on a day I forgot to lube is just plain ill-advised. I should have waited a day or two. But, the bad news isn’t over. 

This is the longest period I’ve ever gone between stretches. Mostly because I was so content with the jewelry I had. Just about 4 months had passed since I went to 0g. This length of time made me a little careless and sloppy when it came to the stretching checklist. For almost my entire stretching journey, I’ve stretched up after roughly a month. Even at the sizes where I was supposed to wait longer. The combination of naturally limber lobes and diligence to best care practices served me well and I had, basically, no problems.

My 2nd major misstep was forgetting to use Holey Butt’r for the stretch. Once before, at a much smaller size, I used vitamin E on a new stretch. I use vitamin E daily with no problems. But, I’ve always been careful to use Holey Butt’r on brand new stretches and for a few/several days subsequent. The one time I put vitamin E on a fresh stretch, I could easily feel the difference. Nothing major, just a general lobe unhappiness. They respond much better to Holey Butt’r while they’re recovering from the stretch.

My 3rd misstep, less damning than the previous 2, was to go back to the DF glass in the recalcitrant left 2nd. After the rather dedicated harassment of this hole during my attempts to get the 00g plug in, I should have had the presence of mind to strategically retreat to a SF 0g piece. Inserting and removing the DF glass for another cycle, in an already protesting hole, bought me another couple/few days of soreness. Now, for the good news. 

00g is my goal! This is the size I feel fits my anatomy the best, gives me the look I want, and offers the widest selection of jewelry, given the previous two conditions. But, even more exciting that that, is the jewelry strategy I can now employ. Before now, all jewelry purchased has been temporary. This has limited me in the decadence I can seek. I think I’ve done exceedingly well at choosing flattering pieces on a I’m-only-gonna-wear-it-for-a-month budget. But, now the wait is over. I can start to build a true collection. 

My first order of business will be a properly masculine receptacle to store my collection pieces. Gone will be the clear plastic hobby box I use now (a good friend teased me that it’s a caboodle.) My first idea is to convert a cigar humidor. I’m very familiar and respectably informed on humidors. This would not be the first time I re-purposed one, either. I had a small “travel” humidor in cherry wood that I stored my manicure tools in. I thought it was a nice way to counter the stereotype. I have owned several humidors, all at one point or another being seasoned and used daily to store cigars. This has taught me about maintaining relative humidity, the properties of Spanish Cedar, and other useful tidbits. I think I can successfully store jewelry of various materials in a re-purposed humidor. 

For now, I have to focus on bringing along my left 2nd till it’s ready to be stretched to 00g. Concurrent to that, I’ll be re-piercing the 3rd in my right ear to match the left. My plan now is to bring that pair to 4g. But, I’m already looking at places like Anatometal and Omerica Organic for collection pieces. This is very exciting time for me. :-)