: About Me

I'm 25, multi-talented, sort of famous on the internet, live the bachelor life in an awesome historic neighborhood, and am definitely a workaholic.

My primary job, my career if you will, is piercing. I finished my apprenticeship in 2006, and haven't stopped loving and learning about my job since. Piercing is my love and my obsession. A sterile, well done, piercing, is the highlight of my day. I currently work at Lasting Impress in Ames and Des Moines, Iowa. I also can be found at the occasional tattoo convention piercing and teaching seminars, and have done a couple of suspension shows.

I am a part time fetish and art model, with credits to my name including print work in ads and magazines, several gallery shows, and promotional modeling for various companies and charities.

In  my limited free time, I express myself artistically by making burlesque inspired hair ornaments, including top hats, feathered hair pieces, bows, and flowery clips. I am a volunteer at the Animal Rescue League, working with dogs and small animals, doing training and assessments or assisting with adoptions.

I bartend at a pretty rocking concert venue. It's good money, and I think it's a lot of fun. I enjoy making drinks, and bar environments are a great place to people watch.  In addition to alcoholic beverages, I am a barista in the mornings.

As for writing (what we're all here for), I've been writing since elementary school, but until I was 20 or so, it's all been poetry, short stories, and blogs about my various jobs and hobbies. In the last few years, I've started writing more seriously, as a way to educate the public about body modifications, modeling, and the alcoholic beverage industry. After all "knowledge is half the battle".

My passion is ...

Piercing and working with animals

I know too much about ...

Piercing, I obsess a bit, and alcohol. I've worked in bars for a long time.

My parents always told me ...

Don't get caught.. If a guy gets out of line, cut him where it counts.

My childhood ambition ...

To be rich and travel constantly. I do at least one of those things fairly regularly, and it's definitely not possessing great amounts of money.

My favorite memory ...

Is very boring, really, though I smile when I think about it.

Why I write ...

To educate people about the things I love.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Everything. I love memoirs and history books, along with a wide selection of silly fiction, and while I prefer rockabilly, punk, jazz, and symphonies, I listen to everything!

My first job ...

Very first? Pretending I was old enough to work in a bar, cocktailing at the place my mom bartended when they were short handed.

My inspiration ...

Life, of course.

Style & Beauty > Tattoos & Piercings The case against body piercing

1 of 5

Prepare for a long read. I'm not even going to really address the aesthetics of this issue. In India, body piercing is seen as a sign of beauty. In some African cultures, various body piercings are signs of beauty, fertility, strength, and so on. In some cultures, a specific piercing designated you as a slave or a criminal. So don't bother talking about this part. It's personal preference, and I don't know about you, but I live in a free country, and if I don't like it, I'll just have to deal with it. Same for the Canadians. They get freedom of expression. Express yourself. With or without...

More..

Writing:

• Creative Writing Bronze
• Marketplace Approved Writer
• Marketplace Premier Writer
• Helium Charter Member