TATTOO on the HEART

Father’s Day…

// June 22nd, 2009 // EVERYDAY LIFE

A few weeks ago, Jessica and I were walking around the farmer’s market in Ocean Beach and ran in to some friends who run a booth down there.  They sell an array of items from overseas – mostly handcrafted sculptures out of bone and wood.  However, this was the first time I’ve ever looked at their jewelry, and noticed the various creations that looked really manly.

That’s when an old urge came back from my teenage years of getting my ear pierced.  Of course, back in those days you only got one pierced and, if you weren’t gay, you pierced the left ear.

I opted out of getting pierced – in part because of the stigma’s that you’d get while living in the south.  You know, no good employee would have piercings.

But one great thing about SoCal is that most things – even facial tattoos – hardly get a second look.  So there I was staring at manly earrings for the first time in my life and thinking, “Hey, I can do this.”
Father’s Day

I got back from Milwaukee literally 27 minutes before Father’s Day.  The next day rolled around and Jessica asked me what I wanted to do, and I said, “What about getting my ears pierced?”

So everyone started getting ready to go out.  Victoria (11) asked Jessica about getting a nose piercing to which I actually said, “Yes.”  Of course, Victoria said, “I was afraid you’d say ‘yes.’”  You was already thinking about the fact that she’s sort of a scaredy-cat.

I told her it’d actually be pretty cool if she got a piercing with me.

If you’re scratching your head, I just don’t see what the big deal is.  In Hebrew tradition, Daughters younger than Victoria were pledged to be married to men with a visible sign of placing a ring in their nose (Genesis 24:34-51).

Maybe I was counting on Victoria being a scaredy-cat, but at the same time I wasn’t going to just be religious about the matter.  After all, a piercing can always be removed.

We loaded up the whole family and went to Apogee Piercing right down the street in Ocean Beach – a place that I’d highly recommend if you’re thinking of getting one.  The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and not pushy.

Furthermore, I’d learn that they were obviously more “moral” than me as they wouldn’t even consider giving Victoria a piercing.   They actually told us, “For moral reasons, even when a kid is with their parents, we won’t pierce a person under 15.”

Hmmm.

Anyway, minutes after signing my waiver, my family gathered around a sterile medical table.  Victoria made a strange gulping sound as they pierced me and ran down the hall.  Jadyn – the 5 year old with a fascination with a macabre fascination with booboos, just stared at me.  She did kind of scratch her ear while she was watching.

Thanks to Jordan over at Apogee!  Best Father’s Day ever!