New Plan

The dermal didn't happen today. The problem with asking for permission rather than forgiveness is it gives them a heads up to your plans. And brings up the opportunity to discuss other...issues. The operations manager (my de facto boss) told me I need to start covering the tattoos. Also, the lip piercing was deemed "inappropriate". I was upset for about an hour, but then put my devious little mind back to work.

It's been suggested several times before to get tan or brown matte jewelry to look like a mole or freckle. I'm going to see if Melanie can get her hands on something like that for my lip and my nostril. The dermal will remain either clear or ice blue. Where I want it placed is always covered by my hair at work. At first I was hesitant because I didn't want them telling me it had to come out of they saw it. Frankly, if they didn't tell me the chest dermal had to come out and they see that on a daily basis, I think I can keep the teardrop covered. I'm going to hold off on it for maybe a few days to a week. I want to give them time to forget a conversation was even had.

As for the nostril and lip, I'm going to use a brown eyeliner pencil to experiment with how it would look. I have plenty of moles and freckles, so I doubt anyone would think twice about it. Plus, it will give me the ability to futz with placement a bit. If I used my brain power for actual productive things, I could probably take over the world. I'll probably get my nose repierced in a month or so and then the lip a month after that. As I said, I want to give them time to forget a conversation was even had.

As for covering the tattoos, it wasn't unexpected. In fact, it's even an opportunity for me to go shopping. I don't have any cardigans with long sleeves, so I need a few of those. I also need more dress pants. I really only have two pairs right now and one of them the hem got ripped out a little in the back. I'll probably give up on skirts entirely because that means wearing either tights or hose and I hate both. It would also take too much time to put makeup over everything that will eventually be on my feet and ankles. I already have quite a few long sleeved shirts, both button down and tees, so I'm set there. I think I can still keep the pin up vibe while making them happy.

Teardrops

I can't believe I've gone a whole 5 days without posting in here. Amazing, kiddies.

The new tat is healing well. It's all scabby, but some of it is starting to come off. I can't wait to see what it looks like actually healed. I'm sure it'll be very pretty.

The big news is I'm getting myself another dermal anchor tomorrow. I've been itching for another one, but I thought adding more to my chest might prompt the office dress code nazis to crack down. I love the look of "teardrop" anchors and realized that the way I wear my hair every day covers that spot pretty well. Bingo! For those who don't know, it looks like this:



I want one that's either light blue or clear and Melanie was pretty sure they had a blue one. They have clear ones for sure. I think it'll look really pretty, though maybe not for the first few days as I bruise so easily. I'll be pierced by Jason because Melanie's off on Fridays, so that'll be a good experience. I hope. I know he has more experience with dermals that she does, so it might be for the best in the long run, especially since it's on my face.

I also finally got the guts to ask about a lip stud. I asked one of the female managers because for some reason I felt more comfortable asking her. She said she would look into it for me, but that she thought they'd probably say no. I told her they allowed my nose stud, though I didn't tell her I asked for forgiveness rather than permission. ;) So hopefully she'll get back to me soon on that and it'll be good news. I won't be totally heartbroken if she says it's against the rules because our handbook is very, very vague on the subject of dress code. The only things it covers in specific are no formal wear and no weekend wear. It doesn't say anything about tattoos, piercings, or unnatural hair colors. Those are easily the 3 biggest issues employers have. I think when I told her they allowed the nose stud, it gave her pause. I also have no client contact, so that should also help my case. I even gave her an example of size. I feel like I made a pretty good case, I wasn't whiny, and if she says it's a no go, then I'll just accept it. I hope she says it's okay, though.

Growing a pair

Assuming Mark shows up on Tuesday when I'm getting Lucy finished, I think I'm finally going to ask him for real if he'll let me "work" for him. I use the term work loosely as it's more of a you answer the phone and deal with stupid people all night and you get the "family discount" on any work you want. So we'll see what happens. The worst he'll say is no and I guess that won't crush my entire universe. At least I'll have given it an honest go.

My rook seems to be doing better. I took 3 days' worth of antibiotics and gave it regular cleanings. It definitely doesn't hurt as much and I think there's only a little bit of swelling left. Piercings obviously aren't my thing. I think I'm just too damn lazy to take good care of them. The funny thing is, the two most difficult piercings to heal haven't given me any trouble. My dermal and my belly button are just peachy. So who knows? Maybe it's a sign I need more dermals ;). I've pretty much scrapped the idea of a lip piercing. If I can't make my nostril stud behave, I'm skeptical that I could make a lip stud behave. Plus, it would probably be way more trouble than it's worth to try to hide it for work. I guess if I end up working in a very liberal industry, I can get one. And if I stop being so damned lazy.

In other news, one of my friends who lives in Roanoke confirmed that Alex's is pretty much the best shop in town. So I feel more confident having Monica work on me. Her portfolio is great, but it's nice to have someone's opinion as well. Apparently another shop opened and is working up a good reputation, so I guess we'll see what that's all about. I keep telling myself I don't need to be tattooed twice at the convention. *slaps self*. Besides, the artist I wanted to do something on me never called or emailed me back, so I'm going to take it as a sign. And no one else on the list really does anything for me. I'll just take home my rockabilly skull and be a happy little girl.