Yes, ladies and gents ... I got my ear pierced. Again.

Some years ago I spent a semester of college in London, and being the cool, hip, trendy guy I am, I decided to get my ear pierced. Not my nose; not my tongue; and not my ear lobe (so passe!).

No, I got my cartilage pierced.

I loved it. Hurt like hell, took three months to heal, but I thought the hoop emanating from the top of my left ear was so cool.

Unfortunately, guys usually aren’t permitted to wear jewelry like that at most jobs (too unorthodox, I guess), so eventually I got tired of taking the thing in and out, and instead let the hole close.

I was lucky, however, and the piercing healed very evenly with a nice break in the cartilage. No keloid.

Flash forward to 2009, when I’ve been thinking about getting the hole re-pierced. I know, so rebellious of me!

So last time I was in port from my cruise ship, I passed by a Claire’s Boutique, and on a whim had the thing redone.


This time it’s a small stud, but I love it just the same. And it’s healed so fast. Basically they were able to just re-pierce the flesh instead of the cartilage for a much nicer experience all the way around.

Does it look stupid? Can I pull it off? I don’t know.

But, I like it, and I now have a piece of metal in my ear.

I’m so trendy.