My Nose Piercing Experience

So today is the day, I'm finally going to recap my experience with getting my nose pierced!
I've been wanting to write about this for such a long time but I'm lazy, so I kept putting it off.
Now firstly I'd like to say that if you're reading this for educational purposes, I'm going to state the obvious: I'm not an expert. Also, I'm just sharing my own personal experience; yours could be entirely different. Now that that's all out there, time to tell this story!

I had just turned 15 years old (on 4/11). The date was April 19, 2013. But for a few months now I had been doing my research. Originally, I was considering an eyebrow piercing. But after I had visited a few different websites I ran across an article about the nostril piercing and I decided I liked the nose piercing better. Plus, my fringe would probably cover up the eyebrow bar anyway.

Then came time to talk to my mom about getting the piercing. I brought it up a few times to her and she kept brushing it off, so I decided to take a different approach. I sent her this long email about how I wasn't trying to rebel and how my grades were good, I had done tons of research, yadda yadda. I wouldn't do this unless your parent isn't taking the time to hear you out; that was my case. Try to talk to them in person if you can.

Anyway, she read my email and then we talked about it and eventually she reluctantly agreed that I could get it done, as long as I paid for it. Oh, and she really wanted me to go to a specific place. It was the same place my uncle got all of his tattoos.

Sometime after that I called the place with some questions. It's called The Quillian. The guy I talked to was really sweet! I wanted to know if I had to make an appointment, which I didn't. I also asked about the gauge of the needle, because my mom was worried about scarring.

Then came time to go and actually get it done. I can't really say I was too nervous, from what I can recall. We did have to wait a little while, but that was okay. It was a really nice place, and if I ever get any tattoos or other piercings I'd like to go back there. The lady who pierced me was named Desiree (she actually follows me on Instagram!). She threatened that if I passed out she would draw a dick on my cheek, so that was reassuring. XD

The actually piercing process was fairly quick. After she had marked my nose and showed me the ring, she cleaned out my nose and stuff. Yes, it's a slightly awkward feeling having someone stick a Q-tip in your nose, haha.
So after she cleaned it she explained that she was going to tell me to breathe in and out once, and then again. And the second time, as I was exhaling she would stick the needle through. So I did that and she pierced my nose and put the ring in. And yeah, I may or may not have yelled out some expletive, I don't actually remember XD. For that split second when she stuck the needle through it hurt. (On a pain scale of 1-10, it was about a 5)
I've read that a lot of people are sore for the following days. I wasn't sore at all. Not even when I flared my nostrils. The first few times I cleaned the piercing it did bleed a bit, but that's normal; it is a wound after all. My cleaning routine was: Clean the ring, hole and area around it twice a day with Dial soap, as instructed by Desiree. Most people recommend using H2Ocean, but I didn't get any. My nose never got infected, and it was overall a decent experience. I did end up replacing the sterling silver CBR (Captive Bead Ring) with a stud, which I got from Spencer's. The studs I wear are surgical steel. I also went down a gauge size somewhere along the way (I went from an 18G to a 20G).

I think one of the questions I got asked the most after I got it done was "why?". Honestly? I think they look nice. That's all, I promise. I didn't do it to be a rebellious teenager and make a statement, I just did it because I wanted to. Still, not everyone is going to respect that, and if you're thinking of getting a piercing you'll need to prepare yourself for that. A lot of my family members didn't like it, and even some of my friends. But that's okay, because I was really happy with it, and I still am. That's all that matters.

Rock on!

March Faves!!

Heya again!

Whoa, I'm not late for this month's favorites! *pats self on the back*
Hurr we go..

10. Back in the Saddle - Aerosmith

Heard this one in Supernatural and I've just been listening to it for some reason XD I'm not a huge Aerosmith fan but this song's pretty cool. So yep.

9. Sample in a Jar - Phish

Ah, Phish, always Phish on the list. XD I've been playing a little guitar so this was one of the songs I played chords along with for shits and giggles.
But guysguysguysss
I'M GOING TO SEE PHISH THIS SUMMER
LIKE LIVE IN CONCERT
OH MY GOD I SCREAMED AND RAN AROUND THE HOUSE WHEN I FOUND OUT
I CAN'T WAIT IT'S BEEN ON MY BUCKET LIST TO SEE THEM.

8. Celestial Elixir - Haken

Creepy story about this one. I don't even really listen to Haken, and I still don't know where this came from.
It was maybe 11pm and I was just browsing le YouTubes and then I went to go to the bathroom (I didn't leave any videos playing or anything, it was just on the YT home page). And when I came out I heard some music playing. I walked back into my room and it's completely dark and this song was playing and I saw the freakin' album cover and practically peed myself and I just

 

WHAT THE HELL
But actually I ended up listening to the whole song and I kinda like it so yeah this whole story is just really disturbing though because my mom and brother were both asleep at the time so I have no idea how it happened.

7. In the Backseat - Arcade Fire

(On a completely different genre..)
Wow, this song is so beautiful. The cello, the vocals... just wow. With reluctance I'll admit that I didn't love this song the first time I heard it, and sort of forgot about it. But I was going through all of the MP3s that sort of pile up on my computer and I listened to it and it took my breath away. I love the strings and chord progression, and pretty much everything about the song.

6. Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys

A late addition to the list, I had to listen to this song a couple times for it to grow on me, but it's really cool and catchy. I should really listen to more of the AM, they seem like a pretty cool band, and from what I've heard I like them. Crying Lightning is another favorite.

5. The Becoming - Nine Inch Nails

I may or may not have put this song in last month's favorites, I don't care, because I've still been listening to it all the time. I like that it's in 7/8, how very technical of them xD.

4. Reflektor - Arcade Fire

When Reflektor first came out I was kind of indifferent about it, I think I probably only listened to it once. But I've been on an Arcade Fire kick recently so I re-listened to it and I'm like "Oh, this is actually an awesome song!". Not much else to say about it, really. Just a really cool, trippy tune.

3. Shine - Collective Soul

You know when you've heard a song on the radio a bunch of times and you like it but you don't know who it's by, and then one day you find out and you're just like "OHHHHHHhhh okay." XD Yeah, that's this song. I was reading a Supernatural fanfic and Castiel asked Dean what was the "gospel song I like about holy guidance?" I don't know how Dean got Collective Soul out of gospel and "holy guidance", but yeah, he said this song. So I found a Collective Soul CD in the basement and I listened to this song and I'm like WHOA WAIT A SEC I LOVE THIS SONG XD So now I know.

2. Closer - Nine Inch Nails

I know, such a vulgar song, don't judge me. NIN is one of those "I listen to them because they're catchy" kind of bands for me. Some of their songs I love, some I can't stand. This is one of the ones I really like, even though the lyrics are.. overly blunt xD.

1. Senses Working Overtime - XTC

My music teacher Duane showed me this song (they're doing it in the 80's Alternative show in SoR)
and I instantly loved it. This is one of those bands that's absolutely brilliant and yet never hits it big. A damn shame, too. Yes, they are very strange. But so are plenty of other famous bands (Talking Heads, Arcade Fire, etc.). These guys deserve way more recognition!

Rock on!
~Libby

Like, OMG, How Could You Not Have a Boyfriend Until Now??!?!11

Hello friends,
So something pretty exciting (to me, anyway) went down on March 31st this year. We have been putting it off for a pretty long time, actually. And no, I haven't decided to start talking like Golem and refer to myself as a plural. I'm now in a relationship!
Sam and I have known each other since the Allentown School of Rock opened (sorry, I don't know the exact date). We joined at the same time, actually, and Pink Floyd The Wall was both his and my first show. I guess you could say he was my first friend in School of Rock, though we didn't really talk much. I was too shy and he was too excited to meet other guitar players (*cough*apparentlybassistsaredifferent*cough*).
Anyway, we also both did the same second show, Modern Rock, which was a lot of fun. I'll admit, I probably could've been nicer to him (I picked on him a lot). But in all fairness, he did smack my bass into the wall (even though he was practically in tears and apologized about a dozen or more times).
Moving on, Sam decided to do some shows at Easton, and for a while, I didn't see much of him. I had convinced myself at the time that I was loyal to Allentown and I wasn't going to do any Easton shows. Well that all changed when Duane announced that the Easton Saturday show was The Best of Radiohead. How could I resist? So I did two shows that season (MTV Unplugged in Allentown and Radiohead in Easton) and I think something changed in our friendship over that show. Once he realized how much I had progressed and matured as a musician, and how challenging my parts were, I think he gained a newfound respect for me.
Then we come to Dance Rock, when I finally left Allentown. And I know, I know, this story better be heading somewhere! Trust me, I'm getting there. I'll cut straight to the exciting part just because this post is becoming longer than I had intended it to be.
In October of last year, a bunch of the School of Rock kids took a group trip to Dorney Park for the Halloween Haunt, including my best friend, Sophia, my good friends Justice and Evan, and Sam was there too. When I got home from this trip, Sam had posted a "Like for inboxed truth is." or something like that on Facebook. So I liked it because I almost always like those kinds of things, and then I got the message and yeah..

To sum it up, he got all awkward, told me he liked me more than a friend and that I'm "very pretty, kind, funny and an amazing bass player", and if I didn't feel the same way that's okay and that he just didn't want to ruin our friendship no matter what happens.

I guess I was a bit overwhelmed when I read it, 'cause it didn't really sink in until I had read it about two more times. Then I broke down sobbing. Yeah, Libby handles big news really well.
Anyway, I eventually wrote him back and told him I needed some time to think about it. I'm not going to explain why, because that's a really personal matter.

So almost six months roll by, and finally everything is worked out (for the most part). I had to give him some gentle encouragement, but he asked me out again and, well, here we are!

So the other day I was texting a long-distance friend of mine and I told her the news and when I said he was my first she was shocked. (She's a few years younger than me) She just didn't understand why I didn't have a boyfriend until now. I never got why it's so important to some people to have a relationship as soon as they hit the teen years. Like, what's the big rush? And yeah, we all want to have fun with our teen years and part of that is meeting people and falling in love and all that jazz. But there shouldn't be any hurry. I'll admit, I was feeling kind of crappy when all of my friends started getting into relationships and I felt like no one was interested in me. But I'm sure a lot of kids feel that way, and even when you try to convince yourself that it's stupid to feel bad, sometimes you can't help it. My advice, if you want to hear it, (and this isn't me with some kind of newfound strength now that I have a boyfriend, I would've said the same thing before Sam and I started dating): Enjoy your time being single. Dress to impress, or whatever makes you feel confident about yourself, and have fun!

Sam, thank you for being so patient and never pushing me to move things along. I'm so happy to have you in my life, and I look forward to making some great memories with you.

Rock on!
~Libby